Criterion Theatre
1315 Third Street,
Santa Monica,
CA
90401
1315 Third Street,
Santa Monica,
CA
90401
8 people
favorited this theater
The Criterion Theatre was opened in early-1924.
Contributed by
Ray Martinez
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Recent comments (view all 28 comments)
Tearing up the promenade in 1965:
http://tinyurl.com/39lb5b
I grew up in Santa Monica and went to the Criterion quite often when it was a Single Screen Mann theatre. Lots of Disney films but distinctly remember seeing a double feature of “Jaws” and “The Great Waldo Pepper” in Febraury 1976. Late 70’s/early 80’s it was a 49 cent theatre that changed its second run double features every week. I remember going EVERY Friday during the Summer of 1979 to see the latest double feature, and did not care what was showing.
I remember that double feature of “Jaws” and ‘Waldo Pepper" at the Criterion. The Criterion had a nice large Scope screen. The Criterion, Meralta (Culver City), Holiday (Canoga Park) were the 49 cent houses and for a short time the former Pacific Beverly Hills Theatre tried it at .99 cents.
Film going was more fun back in the 70’s than it is now. Usually I ended up seeing most films 2nd run “after the Westwood/Hollywood” debuts. Usually a double feature, and there were re-issues a year later. I cannot tell you how many times the Monica Twins had “Young Frankenstein”. I saw it at the Monica’s when it went 2nd run after the Avco, then again with re-issues at the same theatre. Films were not so over-hyped, and over-produced back then. Now it is too much overload and films are on DVD almost right out of the theatre. DVD is now what the 2nd run used to be.
The Criterion played it during that time as a double feature, but the print they got was a very splicey one.
Here is an early sixties photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2sara9
Here is a 1925 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/6nfug6
1980 Photo
1981 Photo
The 1981 photo is when theatre was leased by Metropolitan Theatres along with the Cine on the Mall (aka: El Miro).
That linked photo that Lost Memory posted on Dec 22, 2006 is more “new” Criterion than “old” Criterion. Like the El Miro down the street, it was so modified that it earned a new page here.