Picfair Theatre
5879 W. Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90019
5879 W. Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90019
3 people
favorited this theater
The Pickfair was a neighborhood theatre, owned and operated in the 1940’s by Joseph Moritz. The theatre became part of a four theatre booking combine known as the ‘Academy of Proven Hits’, playing reissued double bill features, many of which were Academy Award winning films. The theatre was managed by James H. Nicholson prior to his forming American Releasing Corporation, which later became American International Pictures.
Contributed by
Ray Martinez, Milt Moritz
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Recent comments (view all 33 comments)
wow ken
that just put a smile on my face.in the late 80s the building was gray.thanks for posting.
I recall driving around this area immediately following the riots, but I don’t remember seeing the theater. It looks like it was demolished shortly thereafter.
It was torched during the 1992 riots.
Here is a profile from the LA Times in October 1977:
PICFAIR-5879 W. Pico Blvd at Fairfax, Los Angeles 933-5609
The Picfair has been for years a popular neighborhood theater. In 1968, the Loews chain bought it and financed $100,000 worth of remodeling, including a modern marquee, new upholstery, air conditioning and other assorted accoutrements. Attendance, however, began to drop off and the theater went through a series of programming changes, from foreign films to X-rated. Recently it was taken over by Jamiel Cetin, with “great faith in its possibilities†said Cetin, “because of its location central to Century City, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and the Santa Monica Freeway.â€
The theater had developed a rowdy reputation, with occasional brawls breaking out inside. But now the customers and the fare are different. “We are moving towards a cultural policyâ€, said Cetin, “retrospectives of classic foreign and American films, festivals devoted to an era or a director as well as first-run foreign films.†Features have included Louis Malle’s “Black Moonâ€, Satyajit Ray’s “Distant Thunderâ€, “The African Queenâ€, “The Lion in Winterâ€, Nureyev and Fonteyn in the Bolshoi’s “Romeo and Julietâ€, and the Los Angeles premiere of Joel Seria’s “The Cookies of Pont-Avenâ€.
“I want to create a cultural film center for Los Angelesâ€, said Cetin, “bringing the best foreign films I can obtain, as well as musicals and ballet.â€
Here is a February 1971 ad for an Andy Warhol film at the Picfair:
http://tinyurl.com/ydd83jr
Ads and fire stories. Two of my favorites.
This appears to be the Picfair after the riots in 1992:
http://tinyurl.com/4tdf6x9
Picture says it all ken mc.thanks.
I was just watching a bad DVD transfer of a 1962 film “The Devil’s Hand”, and in one location shot near the end you can see the PICFAIR marquee in the background. I’d lived in L.A. during the ‘70s and '80s and remembered the name Picfair, but I didn’t recall whether I knew it as the name of a theater, a neighborhood, or whatever. If I had the means to grab a frame of that shot, I’d post it, but at the moment I don’t. If you’re watching the film, it’s just a minute or two before the end.
The comment by the projectionist is mostly correct. It was opened around 1940 or 1941.It was built by Joe De Bell. It was on north side of Pico just west of Fairfax. thus the name PICFAIR. There was a sound proof crying room upstairs where mothers could take their crying children and watch the movie. The first ushers were Jimmy Lang & Alan Mc Farlane and they wore uniforms. The customer who made the biggest stir at the theatre was the boxer Billy Conn shortly after he almost beat Joe Louis, He was brought there by Robert Taylor & Barbara Stanwyck, who were ignored by the customers who flocked around Billy Conn. There was a coin operated popcorn machine in the lobby,the price for a bag was 10 cents. There was a sweet shop next door that also sold sandwiches and was operated by Norman & Rose Stengel, she was the sister of Nina Mohi. The cashier was Nina Mohi was wife of Ben Mohi she was also my mother. The theatre when opened was owned and operated solely by Ben Mohi, an individual who was also the manager and it was sold to Arkoff & Nicholson in the mid forties.
I should know the above facts as Ben Mohi was my father and I spent a great deal of time in the theatre.
Gary Mohi