Brawley Theatre

I was born in Brawley in 1967 and grew up there. I attended bottle-cap matinees at the Brawley Theater. I recall seeing Orca and It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. The theater has never been reopened, and a silly spruce-up of a facade didn’t hide the blight that has now spread over much of the town. It’s a very depressing place. My dad grew up there and has stories about the various movie houses, soda fountains, clothing shops, etc. No such vitality and initiative these days. I found an interesting story about the theater when it played Deep Throat.
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I’ve dug up information on three theaters in Brawley other than the Brawley itself. There was a Eureka Theatre, in operation by 1937, owned by Ben Aranda. There was an Azteca (or Aztec- it appears under both names in different issues of Boxoffice) opened by Aranda in 1937. Then there was another theater opened in 1937 called the Circle, which, like the Brawley, was operated by Fox West Coast. I don’t have addresses for any of them though.

The Brawley itself got a renovation in 1976, and reopened on May 26 with “Cabaret” as the first attraction, according to June 11 issue of Boxoffice that year. By then it was operated by Great Western Theatres, seating had been reduced to 650, and it was apparently the only house still open in Brawley.

This is part of a January 19, 1936 LA Times article. The theater is unidentified, but the reasonable assumption is that it’s the Brawley.

STOLEN CAR USED IN RAID ON THEATER

The Ford coupe stolen on Thursday by two roughly dressed men who kidnaped Carl Gelvin from the rear of his home and left him tied to a fence post in a lonely spot between Castaic and Peru, was used Friday night in a theater hold-up in Brawley, the Sheriff’s office was advised last night.

Two men held up the theater at the point of revolvers and escaped with an undetermined amount of money in the coupe. The car was later seen in Holtville and Imperial.

I lived in Brawley from 1967 to 1970. I saw many movies at the Brawley theater. Last Oct I drove through Brawley for the first time since 1981. I stopped and took pictures of the Brawley Theater. I also saw many movies at the Brawley Drive-in.

I lived in Yuma also. (63-67) Saw may movies at the theaters their also.

My email is If you would like memories or a copy of pictures please email me.

THE BRAWLEY THEATER CLOSED DOWN IN OCTOBER OF 1979 DUE TO AN EARTHQUAKE MEASURING 6.1. THE NNW WALL OF THE THEATER COLLAPSED DUE TO THE QUAKE. THERE WAS A BALCONY LEVEL STILL AT THE TIME MY FRIENDS AND I ENTERD THE THEATER ILLEGALLY BACK IN 1988/89. WE FOUND A BUNCH OF OLD COKE BOTTLES AND A COUPLE OF VERY LARGE HORN TWEETERS ON THE STAGE AND THE SEETS WERE NO LONGER THERE. MY MOTHER REMEMBERS VISITING THE THEATER BEFORE IT CLOSED. I WILL CALL HER TONIGHT TO FIND OUT WHAT SHE REMEMBERS ABOUT IT.
DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THE BRAWLEY DRIVE IN THAT CLOSED DOWN??

Chuck – Where are you posting the pictures?