Star Theatre
145 N. 1st Street,
La Puente,
CA
91744
145 N. 1st Street,
La Puente,
CA
91744
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 38 of 38 comments
Does anyone know the current status? Is the theater now gone?
I cannot believe that they are going to demolish the Star Theatre! I just viewed the construction of this and they do not make buildings like this any longer. That the city of La Puente thinks that this is redevelopment?! This is a historic building and I thought it fell under the California Historic Preservation Law of 50+ year old buildings. Will have to check into that if it is not too late.
I was born in Los Angeles and lived at the ‘Puente Junction’ and Valinda from 1955-1971. I saw my first movie at the Star theatre. It was the Pink Panther, and Fiddler on the Roof. A Hards Days Night!
I wonder if they ever considered building around it! What a concept!
I hope it is not too late to see it one last time. We are coming down for Easter Week. I currently live in Downtown HISTORIC San Luis Obispo where we cherish our buildings…it has increased our value of our community!
This building is one of the buildings that made Los Angeles what it is today. A place where everyone seems to want to live…..
I’m very sorry to hear about the possible closing of a historic theatre like the Star. I grew up in La Puente from ‘48 to '71 and saw many, many movies at the Star. The earliest I can remember was the “War of the Worlds” sometime around '52-'53. I also remember being thrown out for running up & down the aisles about the same time :). I lived in the Fairgrove area and would walk to and from the Theatre throughout the '50’s with my sisters and friends. I now live in the Seattle area but would hope the Redevelopment Agency would recognize the Historic character of this theatre and save it. I have many great memories of the La Puente downtown and the High School (I graduated in '64).
Posted by Bob Garrison on Jan 30,2007
The former head projectionist for Laemmle Theatres was owner or part owner of the theatre during the late 80’s- 1990’s.
The head projectionist for Laemmle Theatres was owner or part owner of this theatre during the 1990’s.
My parents bought a new house on Harvest Moon street in 1950 when I was two. In the early 50s, my older brothers and I would go to the Star theater, about 2 ½ miles from our house, to see movies. My oldest brother, who is 62, remembers live performances at the Star, the most memorable being a magic show with audience participation. I have a vague memory of that, but I was probably only four or five years old at the time. Last week we revisited the old neighborhood, as my brother was down from Ashland Oregon for his 45th La Puente high school reunion. It was a treat to recall old memories and see old sites, some of which haven’t changed at all. We saw the Star and took pictures, and thought that the theater was being preserved as a local landmark. Sad to hear that’s not the case.
From the San Gabriel Valley Tribune:
Star Theatre’s light may fade out
The theater, which showed pornographic movies from the 1970s to the 1990s, received an overhaul and began showing first-run films and featuring live performances.
But activities have slowed on the site, and the La Puente Redevelopment Agency on Tuesday will consider selling the adjacent 40-space parking lot to add land to the latest proposal…
Nothing lasts forever. It would be nice if the theatre could be preserved, but that would be up to the people of La Puente.
It was nice see our theater in the tv ad. I hear it will be gone in about 2 months. Is this true.
The Liberty Mutual ad, that has a 1.5 second cameo role of Star Theatre. can be viewed here,
I just saw the Star Theatre on a Liberty Mutual ad on TV. What a very happy surprise, as i had suspected that Star has long since gone the way of other single-screen theatres.
I moved out of La Puente over 30 years ago. I too have fond memories of seeing “A Hard Day’s Night” there, as well as “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World” and so many more movies.
I am happy that La Puente still has this treasure, and it is still being used for first run movies.
I saw “A Hard Day’s Night” five times in two days at the Star Theater. They didn’t clear the theater between movies back then. I can’t imagine La Puente without the Star Theater.
The Star is open again and showing first-run mainstream movies. In the summer of 2004 it has screened such films as Collateral, I Robot, Shrek II, and Hero.
Prior to its recent cinema revival, it was a theatre for live performances of Mexican music and folk dance.
I have been a resident of La Puente for over 25 years and until now only known the Star as a XXX cinema house. Online research on the construction of the “Puente Theatre” (as the Star was originally named) and architect S. Charles Lee is available at http://digital.library.ucla.edu/sclee/
I believe it is now a church. Prior to 2001 it showed XXX movies.