Uptown Theatre

The picture on this thread is not the theatre. The Google map shot (2011) shows the night shot of were the theatre is located.

1983 Night Photo

Found the original signage for the Warner Egyptian courtesy of Tami Strong of Bisbee, Arizona. http://www.chosenfew.com/WARNEREG.jpg
Had to do some retouching to enhance visibility of the marquee and
signage. This is from 1931 showing of “The Cheat” starring Tallulah
Bankhead. Enjoy. Jim Perry

Thanks to Tami Strong of Bisbee, Arizona the original signage of the “Warner Egyptian” at 2316 E. Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, CA. has been rediscovered. Her grandfather was the theater manager in the late twenties and early thirties. The link at
View link
will show the marquee as it appeared in 1931. Although blurry the large roof sign displayed a colorful “Chariot of Ramses” scene atop
the original electric sign. The tall brick facade behind the theater
vertical sign fell years ago in an earthquake and was leveled to the existing roof line. If you have more information on this historical theater or old photos you can share contact Jim Perry (626) 524-2014
or email to

Here is an August 1962 ad from the Pasadena Independent:
http://tinyurl.com/c6x5yp

The Oasis Theatre project died a few years ago when the landlords and I got into litigation over the property. If you get the chance to deal with Iranians…..don’t. There is a good reason why this auditorium has remained vacant for over five years.

Here are a few photos both old and new from 1928 to 2003. It’s a shame that this Pasadena historical interior can’t be saved. I have a few thousand photos and original PR headshots of the silent screen stars that appeared here over the years.

Jim Perry (626) 524-2014

http://home.pacbell.net/chosenfw/
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=16160
View link
http://www.cynthiabasinet.com/MP4H.wmv

Here are some April 2008 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/66juq9
http://tinyurl.com/5n84h7
http://tinyurl.com/56eoql
http://tinyurl.com/6aj7ou

There has been a group of persons spearheaded by a gal named Gina who has tried to save the Raymond against a local man named Buchanan.

I wonder what the status of the Raymond Theatre also located in Pasadena is today?

I called the real estate office that had the theatre for lease and a few THSA members including myself were allowed inside to tour. The Auditorium is intact except the seats are gone. The Egytian designs still are there and the old fire curtain had painted advertisements for businessess in Pasadena during the 20’s. This is a cool little theatre. Yes the front lobby and snack bar were converted to retail space sometime ago….using it as a theatre again would be near impossible according to the city codes, need certain number of parking spaces now…the projection room has nothing left in it, the bathrooms were remodeled but in disrepair. God knows where the original sign “UPTOWN” went….I went to the movies there in the early ninties or late eighties when it was playing revival films. The for lease sign was taken down over six months ago and there has been nothing done to the theatre still.

I dont know how it is now, I worked at a computer store in the location in the early mid/90s, it had been sectioned off into shops, but that theater area remained, our upstairs storage area was the projectionist booth, nothing special, painted floor, a cover over the projection window, the theater area was beautiful in a neglected forgotten past kind of way, if I remember painted ceilings, lots of cracks, the stage area still had banners for ice cream for .10 cents. I wish I had taken a camera and explored it. What is the status of this place now?

Since the Uptown Theatre is listed in Pasadena I’m sure anyone posting on this theatre link is also aware of the Raymond Theatre in Pasadena. The Raymond is in it’s 11th hour so anyone who would like to show their support to save this historical theatre please come to a Final Design Review hearing on Monday, the 24th at 7 (All Saints Church, Sweetland Hall 132 N. Euclid). To learn more about the Raymond Theatre and its past/present history go to www.raymondtheatre.com Thank you.

The Southwest Builder & Contractor magazine, issue of 10/10/1924, includes an item about the comencement of construction on the Warner Egyptian. It was designed by the local Pasadena architect Kenneth A. Gordon, who also designed an Egyptian-style theater for the Bard Circuit in Glendale at about the same time. The Warner Egyptian was built behind a pre-existing commercial building (which was on a very deep lot) and one of the stores was used for the ticket lobby and a long, narrow galleria which extended back to the new theater. The new building was 75' by 125' and was intended to provide 1200 seats.

I first attended a movie at the Uptown in the early 1960s. The auditorium was very much like a slightly smaller version of Alhambra’s Garfield Theatre, but with more of its decoration intact. I couldn’t see the decoration very clearly, though, as the auditorium was kept very dimly lit, even during the intermission. There were no moe than two dozen other patrons that day. Another odd congruity I found was in the intermission music. It was a recording of a theater organ, and was exactly the same recording which I had heard played at the Garfield for many years. I will always associate Lecuona’s Malaguena with those dim, cavernous, nearly-empty theaters.