Studs at the Pussycat Theatre
7734 Santa Monica Boulevard,
West Hollywood,
CA
90046
7734 Santa Monica Boulevard,
West Hollywood,
CA
90046
10 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 100 of 102 comments
Next week, I will be traveling to Los Angeles where I plan to attend the Tomkat for the third time. Unlike my first two visits, though, I’m nervously hoping to leave behind the shyness I felt there before. This time, I plan on walking in wearing a tight-fitting (and very short) black lace dress, stockings, and five-inch heels. I’m sure I will feel tentative again once inside the theatre, but after enjoying the features for awhile, I hope to feel anything but shy as I move to the back of the theatre and begin enjoying the company of my fellow moviegoers as I allow them to begin enjoying me. I realize this is a risky fantasy to fulfill, which is why I’ve resisted until now, but I can’t resist anymore.
If all goes well, I hope to attend again later in the week. Lucky are those who happen to be there! (I promise!)
Unihikid…
Your Bobby Trendy statement makes alot of sence! The current owner is alot like Bobby Trendy.
ive been inside the tomkat and it isnt that great.they seem to be trying to restore the upper portion where the projection room use to be and where the bathrooms are.the staircase shows what they place use to look like.like other posters said,its dirty/sleazy.its all black inside with red seats,and the stage is in a t shape.when i went the lights were on,and in back of the theatre they made some kind of booth for the video projector.the lobby looks like Bobby Trendy from the anna nicole show furnished it.
I like very much what you wrote bway and I must agree with you. Nothing is better for a former theatre than a church.
tbdavid, I do agree with what you have said. There are many theaters in New York City, especially Times Square, where in the 70’s and 80’s many of the old theaters went to porn. While many have been demolished with the renassaince that has taken place in New York and especially Times Square, many have now been restored. Porn did keep the some of theaters open, and at least minimally maintained while many were neglected and razed. Now there is not much porn around anymore (especially after fomrer Mayor Guiliani), but a few theaters were spared neglect and demolition because they were kept open in the 70’s and 80’s.
I do agree with some people’s account of the current porn theater market. I see it continuing to decline. In this day and age, the majority of the patrons of porn theaters, especially porn, are probably looking for the sex, not just the movie. Because what with the video, DVD, or computer options available, there is no real other reason to go to a unsanitary theater and risk disease to see porn when you can see it from the safety of one’s own home (although I assume of course there are a few exceptions).
And someone mentioned churches. I believe churches are the best after theater use a theater building can get, if it can no longer be a theater. Churches are the least “damaging” to the integrity of a theater building, than any other use. While, there have been many tasteful conversions of theaters to other things that try to preserve as much as possible, such as the Meserole Theater to a drug store in Brooklyn (they even project sale slides on the old screen area!), with a church even the stage and the seats are preserved! I may not agree with some of preachings of these Evangelical churches, but in many cases, much effort and love has been put in to restoration of these theaters to churches. Sometimes even the Theater organ still remains!
None remain in Boston. The last one, the [url Pilgrim,]/theaters/6624/]Pilgrim[/url],[/url] closed in 1995 and was demolished the following year.
The day the porn drive-ins in Texas close will be a sad day indeed.
I’d be curious to know how many porn theatres are in operation in the U.S. today. I suspect the number is somewhere around 100-125, 150 at the most.
An interesting fact unveiled in the documentary “Inside Deep Throat” (2005) was that, by 1990, the amount of porn theatres in America had dwindled from 1500 to 250.
PUSSYCAT THEATRES began in Los Angles in the late 1960s. Vincent Miranda proved that a business that carried a nasty reputation could be ran with style and honesty. These 47 California theatres were beautifully renovated, decorated in rich velvets, and adorned with gold chandeliers. The lobbies shared the worlds largest collection of nude oil paintings. The theatres were kept impeccably clean and in perfect working order.
The groundbreaking “DEEP THROAT” ran at the “Hollywood Cat” for 8 years! These movie houses are a thing of the past now. The chain died in 1985 when Vince died of lung cancer, We can thank Vince Miranda and the Pussycat Theatres for fighting for our rights to view whatever we want, whenever we want. They helped to make it okay, and LEGAL to view an x-rated film.
I disagree that a Theatre recieved the “ultimate humiliation” when it became a porn house. Not all porn houses were of the same cloth!I am proud of the houses that my family were able to save from the wrecking ball. Not all are still here but, they are responsible for saving , renovating and breathing life back into many theatres that could have become a McD’s or a parking lot.
What isn’t often admitted is that churches and pornography – ironically working together on this one – have kept little neighborhood theatres from being destroyed for many years. They’re just “keeping the seat warm”, as it were.
Why someone don’t call health department to do inspection on this theatre. No one should risk there health to see a movie.
This opened as the Monica Theatre in the late 1930’s with a seating capacity of 638 on one level (no balcony). It was a regular local neighborhood movie theatre to begin with, screening general release movies. During the 1960’s it went over to ‘art house’ programming.
When this failed it was taken over by the Pussycat chain and became a straight porn theatre in the 1970’s and was re-named Pussycat Theatre. With the demise of the Pussycat chain it went over to showing gay male porn, being re-named Tomkat Theatre. It has served the gay community of the City of West Hollywood very well for over 20 years now.
I was recently staying with a friend in West Hollwood and went along a couple of times to check out the Tomkat. As you state the exterior is very well kept and looks very smart at night outlined in purple neon. Check out my previous post of Jan 6, 2005 for furthur details of the condition of interior. Entry is gained through a turnstyle in the foyer. It still remains the same, ok, maybe dirty conditions prevail due to it’s non-stop 24/7 opening policy (the house lights never came on to see the interior properly). The chairs are rockers which must date from the 1970’s and can recline quite a way back. DVD is the presentation format now and not VHS video or even 35mm film. There must have been an average of 100 guys in there during the couple of hours I spent there on a Friday evening, but no more than 25 on a Tuesday evening. It seems to be doing good business though.
Was this ever a “normal” theater showing regular movies? It seems like the ultimate humiliation for a theater to have to become a porn theater.
I confused this theater with Hollywood Blvd (in a post in some theater on Hollywood Blvd I posted I thought I remembered driving by a gay theater on Hollywood Blvd, but it was definitely Santa Monica Blvd now that it comes back a little), for some reason I thought this theater was on Hollywood Blvd, instead of Santa Monica when I drove by. I did so much driving in the two and a half weeks I was there, that it all blends together now. At the time, it seemed like I would remember but, now all the theaters are a blur.
Anyway, the place looked well kept on the exterior, but I wasn’t about to find out what the interior looked like considering the venue it is – and forget about the condition the seats must be in! Yuck! (And I wouldn’t feel any different about the condition of the seats if it was a regular porn theater either – Yuck again!).
Hello from Colorado!
Vincent Miranda was my God Father and the owner of the Pussycat chain. I have been putting a collection together of ANYTHING Pussycat befor all is lost. I would really like to locate one of the old marquees….you know..the oval w/ the Ms. Pussycat and “It’s a Pussycat Theatre” Even an old matchbook would make my day. I have been researching for old photos as well…as of today I have only found pics of The New View (Hollywood cat) and the Tiki.(Tomcat)Please..if you have any information…let me know.
Thanks!
Tim david
970.309.3991
It’s a notorious gay cruising spot – as much so as the Palm in San Mateo or (lately) the Tiki in Los Angeles. John Holmes' hand- and footprints are still enshrined in cement out front – something Hustler Hollywood (a sex shop on Sunset which has similar monuments to the porn industry) cannot match!
Thanks for that MagicLantern, I will still investigate further!
The exterior of the Tomkat has always looked pretty smart and it looks even better at night, outlined in purple neon.
In the auditorium there isn’t too much in the way of architectural detail to be seen as it’s painted black (nowadays it has video projection so it’s much darker than in the days of carbon arc projection). The ramp in the center orchestra stalls off the stage (used for ‘live’ shows when it was a Pussycat) is still in place.
I think it was a zoning thing – they indicated that the signage wouldn’t change. Maybe they fibbed?
Is the policy going ‘straight’ again instead of ‘gay’? I can see no reason to reveal the Pussycat Girl to the current clientel, unless they are planning to swing the other way and screen ‘lesbian’ movies.
I am planning to attend the Tomkat while I am in W. Hollywood and will invertigate further.
They’ve just uncovered the painted-over Pussycat Girl above their marquee – it makes the whole building stand out now. Someone at the front desk also indicated there would be renovations in future.
I WOULD LIKE TO QUOTE SOME OF YOU FOR MY RESEARCH PAPER …WOULD YOU PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU ARE NOT OK WITH THIS?
THANKS
I’ve HAD some interesting times at this theater, that is.
Oh man I’ve some some interesting times at this theater.
During the early-mid 1970’s, this theater(along with the Pussycat in Buena Park aka the Grand) was Pussycat’s premiere showhouse. Porn films for the Los Angeles area would premier here and play at this theater(and Buena Park) first before filtering through to the rest of the Pussycat chain. Unusual (for porn theater standards) was that during this period, there were also no double bills. Also, the films often would have multiple month runs instead of weekly changeovers. Other notable porn films that premiered here: Devil in Miss Jones, Private Afternoons of Pamela Mann, Naked Came the Stranger, Opening of Misty Beethoven
This would largely change in 1977, when business dropped due largely to the LA Times new policy of no longer carrying advertisements for X-rated films. Pussycat had spent over $1 million a year advertising in the LA Times alone. Business dipped by over 10% as a result. Both this theater and Buena Park would become like most any Pussycat theater, showing double bills. It had lost its “uniqueness”.
The Monica Theatre is located at 7734 Santa Monica Blvd..