Crest Theatre

Opened in December 1940 as the Westwood Theatre a live theatre. It was taken over by the independent circuit Dietrich & Feldstein and became a movie theatre, re-named UCLAN Theatre, named after the initials of the nearby University of California at Los Angeles (better known today as UCLA). The UCLAN Theatre was renamed Crest Theatre in the mid-1950’s.

It was renovated by the owners Sterling Recreation Organisation in May 1983, reopening as the Metro Theatre on June 3, 1983, with new seats, 70mm projection and Dolby sound. By the summer of 1988 Cineplex-Odeon were operating the building and it was again renamed Crest Theatre. Pacific Theatres were the next operators and in conjunction with the Disney Organisation, a complete renovation was carried out by theatre interior designer Joseph Musil, who had worked on the restoration of the El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood. The auditorium walls were now decorated with a diorama of Hollywood landmarks in an Art Deco atmospheric style, made even more spectacular by the clever use of ‘black-light’. In the ceiling a star system was installed, and when the show starts, a ‘shooting star’ flies across the ceiling of the theatre and explodes in a little shimmer of stardust as the screen curtains open.

Since January 2003, it has been operated by independent operator Robert Buckbaum, and has been renamed Majestic Crest Theatre. In September 2010, it was taken over by Carmike Cinemas, and then in April 2011, Bigfoot purchased the theatre and also operated it, until it was closed in early-October 2011 for ‘renovations’. As of 2013, there are assertions by Crest management that they intend to reopen.

On May 14, 2008, the Majestic Crest Theatre was desiginated an Historic-Cultural Monument by the City of Los Angeles.

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