A pedestrial bandit yesterday held up Maurice Sherman, assistant manager of the Four Star Theater, 5112 Wilshire Boulevard, as he was walking to a nearby bank, and robbed him of $90. Sherman said the bandit fled south on Sycamore Avenue after warning him to continue walking east on Wilshire Boulevard.
It looks like the restaurant was Moe’s Southwest Grill, a chain place. This location is no longer on Moe’s website, though. A used record store is currently advertising at 1980 N. High Street. http://www.usedkids.com/home.html
The current occupant is Bridge Street BBQ, but I haven’t been able to confirm if this is the former theater building. It looks like the restaurant before Bridge Street was Chihuahua’s, a Mexican restaurant.
This source alleges that the Bard was razed in 1998. There is a Hollywood Video store at 2470 Bardstown Road as of today, which appears to be new construction. http://tinyurl.com/5cocs2
LONG BEACH, Dec. 21-A lone bandit robbed the West Coast Theater of $1200 here tonight and escaped after a score of theatergoers had chased him several blocks. The robber intercepted manager Lester Fulton as he left the box office with a bag of money, on his way to the office of the theater on the second floor.
The bandit took the bag from Fulton and then forced him into the office and locked the door. While Fulton was attempting to telephone the police from his locked office, the robber walked down the steps and out through the lobby to the street.
Miss Beatrice Lyndon, cashier, who had turned the bago over to Fulton a few minutes before, recognized the money sack in the hands of the bandit, who calmly walked past her. Miss Lyndon instantly became suspicious and called to several men in the entrance of the theater. The bandit heard her and started to run. The men chased him for two blocks, but he escaped.
PASADENA, July 27-Confessions signed by Roy Courser and Frank Williams, burglar alarm experts, charged with robbing the Raymond Theater of $800, revealed exactly how the daring job was completed. Courser attended the the last show of the theater on the night it was robbed. He succeeded in hiding himself in the theater until after all the patrons and employees had left.
His pal, Williams, was then admitted through the front door and the pair spent the remainder of the night breaking open the huge theater safe which held the ticket sales of the day.
Courser and Williams are the electricians who installed the burglar alarm system in the Raymond Theater more than a year ago. Their technical knowledge of the system afforded them protection, for although they wandered all over the building and broke the stong box open with a crowbar, not once did the alarm sound.
Both prisoners deny they are the ones who robbed the Star-News newspaper office safe the week previous.
Small item from the NYT dated 10/12/63:
A movie projectionist was shot and robbed yesterday in the projection booth of Roosevelt Theater, Seventh Avenue, the police reported today.
From the LA Times, June 1, 1939:
A pedestrial bandit yesterday held up Maurice Sherman, assistant manager of the Four Star Theater, 5112 Wilshire Boulevard, as he was walking to a nearby bank, and robbed him of $90. Sherman said the bandit fled south on Sycamore Avenue after warning him to continue walking east on Wilshire Boulevard.
It looks like a bank is occupying at least part of the building:
http://tinyurl.com/5b8usy
Key Bank is at 1612. After that a long stretch of parking lots, then some kind of school or factory at about 1630. No trace of the former Diamond.
Auditions were recently held at the theater for an untitled Christian comedy film, according to the website.
The inscription at the top of the building says Park Theater 1913, so that gives you an idea as to the building date.
Interesting. Thanks.
It looks like the restaurant was Moe’s Southwest Grill, a chain place. This location is no longer on Moe’s website, though. A used record store is currently advertising at 1980 N. High Street.
http://www.usedkids.com/home.html
It’s still the medical center, according to the view on Google maps.
In 1963 the Revilla was part of the B.F. Shearer theater chain.
Here is a view of the church from Google maps:
http://tinyurl.com/6s3u2e
I put the 3/14/08 photo on my desktop as a screensaver. That marquee looks fantastic.
Locals reminisce about the Family Theater on this site:
http://www.wsgs.com/virginia.htm
The former Circle Theater is being used for bingo by the Sons of Italy.
http://www.soi881.com/bingo.html
The current occupant is Bridge Street BBQ, but I haven’t been able to confirm if this is the former theater building. It looks like the restaurant before Bridge Street was Chihuahua’s, a Mexican restaurant.
This source alleges that the Bard was razed in 1998. There is a Hollywood Video store at 2470 Bardstown Road as of today, which appears to be new construction.
http://tinyurl.com/5cocs2
Here is a related website. The site at the top of the page is defunct.
http://tinyurl.com/5fxy3r
From the LA Times, 12/22/29:
LONG BEACH, Dec. 21-A lone bandit robbed the West Coast Theater of $1200 here tonight and escaped after a score of theatergoers had chased him several blocks. The robber intercepted manager Lester Fulton as he left the box office with a bag of money, on his way to the office of the theater on the second floor.
The bandit took the bag from Fulton and then forced him into the office and locked the door. While Fulton was attempting to telephone the police from his locked office, the robber walked down the steps and out through the lobby to the street.
Miss Beatrice Lyndon, cashier, who had turned the bago over to Fulton a few minutes before, recognized the money sack in the hands of the bandit, who calmly walked past her. Miss Lyndon instantly became suspicious and called to several men in the entrance of the theater. The bandit heard her and started to run. The men chased him for two blocks, but he escaped.
The establishing shots during the opening credits are of another city, but the street scenes were filmed downtown.
In the 1974 film “Uptown Saturday Night”, the by then closed Burbank is visible in several shots, towards the beginning of the film.
Here is a screen shot from “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974):
http://tinyurl.com/5hbw3f
Here is a screen shot from “Uptown Saturday Night” (1974):
http://tinyurl.com/5vyalf
Crime in July 1925, from the LA Times:
PASADENA, July 27-Confessions signed by Roy Courser and Frank Williams, burglar alarm experts, charged with robbing the Raymond Theater of $800, revealed exactly how the daring job was completed. Courser attended the the last show of the theater on the night it was robbed. He succeeded in hiding himself in the theater until after all the patrons and employees had left.
His pal, Williams, was then admitted through the front door and the pair spent the remainder of the night breaking open the huge theater safe which held the ticket sales of the day.
Courser and Williams are the electricians who installed the burglar alarm system in the Raymond Theater more than a year ago. Their technical knowledge of the system afforded them protection, for although they wandered all over the building and broke the stong box open with a crowbar, not once did the alarm sound.
Both prisoners deny they are the ones who robbed the Star-News newspaper office safe the week previous.
Robbery last week:
http://tinyurl.com/6zyzeq
I don’t remember ever seeing a theater on Philadelphia Avenue in the sixties or seventies. I wonder when this theater closed?