Carlton Theatre
5409 S. Western Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
5409 S. Western Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
3 people
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The Carlton Theatre was a 1200-seat Fox movie house.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
The Carlton Theatre was located at 5409 S. Western Ave.
Before the new board ate her comment, someone sez:
“LindaM6288 > Jun 2, 2003 2:43 PM EDT
My brother and sister and I spent many a Saturday afternoon at this theatre. They had children’s matinees every week and for 25¢, I recall, you could see two features plus a cartoon and previews of coming attractions both for the regular theatre and for next weeks childrens matinee on Saturday. My brother was just reminding me of how he saw the Three Stooges in person at this theatre. I remember the candy being 6¢ and 12¢. I would always get ju-ju-bees because they lasted longer. Sometimes I would splurge on a 12 cent box of Flicks – chocholate wafers (before Hersey kisses) that came packed in a box cylinder container. They even had membership cards that were punched each week you attended. When it was your birthday or birthday week, you came up on stage at intermission and stuck your hand into a grab bag full of money and candy and kept everything you could hold on to. BOY THOSE WERE THE DAYS.”
The film “Ed Wood” depicts the premiere of “Plan Nine From Outer Space” (1959) as taking place at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. The premiere was actually held at the Carlton Theatre in Los Angeles.
Here is a picture, courtesy of the LA Library:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015267.jpg
Here is a larger version of the photo at the top:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015268.jpg
The LA Times reported on 7/15/24 that Harry Arthur, Jr, general manager of West Coast theaters, was starting a matinee program for children. The Tuesday show at the Carlton in July 1924 featured the film “Scaramouche”, a musical performance by Floryane Thompson, who sang the Marsellaise, a Felix the Cat cartoon and Pathe news.
The Carlton was being used as a church in 1958. There’s no report of its demoltition some time later.
The Carlton would have been just below the intersection on the left. I don’t recall offhand what’s there now:
http://tinyurl.com/235ony
I drove by the intersection today. The theater was on the southwest corner of 54th and Western. There’s a paved lot now, but it looks like there was something in that space after the theater. Perhaps a gas station.
Aerial views in 1972 show the theater as already gone. That narrows down the time frame for the demolition a bit.