Mann Festival Theater
10887 Lindbrook Drive,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
10887 Lindbrook Drive,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
21 people
favorited this theater
The Mann Festival Theater opened in 1970, in a building that opened in 1929 as one of Westwood Village’s first six buildings, and had housed the first Ralph’s supermarket. Its understated exterior matches its simplistic, but comfortable auditorium.
Neither flashy nor opulent, this single screen theater has been a popular Westwood venue for years.
Smaller premieres are also held here and, occasionally, Hollywood luminaries have been spotted at this quiet, out-of-the-way theater.
The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Mann Festival Theater was closed on July 30, 2009.
Contributed by
Ross Melnick
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Recent comments (view all 68 comments)
I looked at a pdf brochure about the place, it looks like the seats were removed. Assuming the projector is gone too, how much would it cost to get the place running again, not counting the lease?
More money than, it will make to run as a movie theatre.
FYI, Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema replaced their seats with ones from the Festival. You can still see the Mann logo on the armrests.
I attend movies about five nights a week at about 20 different venues; however, the Beverly is a throwback to that time when revival theaters were all the rage and is a favorite.
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Could explain why nobody took over the lease. I almost thought someone would. It seems we have seen the last of the Festival (UA Westwood) as a movie theatre. Will become either a restuarant or retail someday.
One wonders about that block as a long established restaurant closed and also a Daphne’s Greek fast food place.
Did the theater have a balcony?
I remember it as the UA, and I loved the Bratskeller, the restaurant at the corner of the block in the 1970s.
Yes, it did have a balcony. Not very big, but first row balcony was very good seating.
The first row of the balcony was perfect. Back when it was the UA Westwood was when the theatre was the best. It along with the Regent and Plaza where were many indie and now Cult films opened with big, big crowds. I still remember seeing Robert Altman’s 3 Women there and coming out thinking WTF??? :–) I was 14 years only and just did not get it.
This theatre and the National being gone hurt more than the loss of the Avco in my opinion. Sadly this will never see the light of day again as a movie theatre.
To see old (1970’s) and new footage of the Festival and other Westwood Village movie theaters past and present, check out this musical tribute to Stan’s Donuts on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xad6gLpKG9A