The Symphony and California theaters were advertised in the LA Times as being in Compton in 1924. Without addresses, there’s no way to tell if these were akas or completely different theaters.
One of the most imposing lists of attractions any theater ever had the privilege of offering the public will come into the Criterion Theater, Grand near Seventh, on its reopening as West Coast’s banner long-run popular price house. The Criterion opens on the 18th with the William Fox special “Street Angel” as the attraction.
Here is an article from the LA Times dated 12/13/25:
Sol Lesser, secretary of West Coast Theaters,Inc, has announced definitely the opening of the West Coast Uptown on the 29th and the West Coast Manchester Theater on January 5, 1926.
The West Coast Manchester has been designed as a family theater and every modern convenience for the public has been incorporated into the building. Sol Lesser said, “We have built this theater with a view of the future growth of Los Angeles. It has a seating capacity of 1700 people and we exppect that part of the city to grow very fast in the next few years. This theater will permit people living a long way from the downtown section to attend a show as fine as any presented in the larger downtown theaters, and to see it in as fine a house as any theater anywhere”.
Here is an article from the LA Times dated 4/4/26:
NEW ADDITION TO SHOWHOUSE CHAIN
Another neighborhood theater, the West Coast Balboa, located at Eighty-Seventh and Vermont, has been completed and will open on the 6th, according to Mr. Gore, heaad of West Coast Theaters, Inc. This is the sixth theater that the organization has opened in the past ninety days. Twenty more are in the course of construction.
The Balboa Theater represents an investment of more than $250,000 and is of Class A construction. The lot is 80x130 feet on the west side of Vermont, just south of Eighty Seventh Street. The building was designed by L.A. Smith, and is of the Spanish type. It will seat 1250, and is designed in an intimate, cozy style which makes it an ideal neighborhood house, and the policy of the management will be to present the finest feature pictures and as complete a program as can be seen at any of the downtown theaters.
The new Balboa Theater, located on one of the most important corners in San Diego, will open its doors to the public tomorrow evening. Officials of West Coast Theaters, under whose banner the theater will be operated, will attend the opening in a body. Arrangements have been made to escort the players in “Lillies of the Field” to San Diego also. This picture will be the initial photoplay to be flashed on the theater’s screen.
I remember the cheesy burlesque posters in the display cases in the early to mid 70s. The dancers all had exotic names like “Lotta Love” and so on. By that time the city was extremely poor shape.
The LA Times reported on 7/15/24 that Harry Arthur, Jr, general manager of West Coast theaters, was starting a matinee program for children. The Tuesday show at the Carlton in July 1924 featured the film “Scaramouche”, a musical performance by Floryane Thompson, who sang the Marsellaise, a Felix the Cat cartoon and Pathe news.
I have a 1944 version of what would now be the Thomas Guide at home. I looked up Stephenson Avenue, and it was a small street near the intersection of Boyle and Whittier in East LA. I think the 5 freeway may run over that spot now.
Opening date was 11/8/31. It was erected by the Uptown Theater corp. and leased to the Hughes-Franklin theater company. Manager and chief instigator of the theater’s opening was Frank R. Bresson.
A church group was holding revival meetings in what was described as a former theater in December 1961, so the Aloha hasn’t shown films in a long time.
A church group was holding revival meetings in what was described as a former theater in December 1961, so the Aloha hasn’t shown films in a long time.
Here is a photo of the current occupant. It doesn’t look like the description above, so closed/demolished is probably accurate: http://tinyurl.com/39asua
Transformation of the old Sunkist Theater into an arcade of small specialty shops and professional offices is now under way. Known as the Garey Arcade, the new building will be finished in terrazo and white marble with plantings of palms and Hawaiian ferns in front of the concrete and brick building.
Here is an article from the LA Times dated 11/13/32. Mr. Wright’s age at his passing hit a little too close to home, for me at least:
Homer Wright, Former Theater Manager, Dies
Stricken with a sudden heart seizure and hour or so after he had retired for the evening, apparently in excellent health, Homer B. Wright, 46 years of age, former manager of Loew’s State and Chinese Theaters, died early yesterday at his home. He was a Mason and a Shriner.
The full story from the LA Times on 7/7/29 states that Tally’s Broadway was in business from 1910 to 1920 and sat 900. The “New Broadway” succeeded Mr. Tally’s theater at Sixth Street at the present (1929) site of Silverwood’s. The Sixth Street theater sat 500, while Tally’s first theater at Third and Main had a seating capacity of 250.
There was a story about the Pantages in the LA Times today. Nederlander has a deal with a developer for a luxury home development on the adjacent property. No community opposition so far.
An LA Times story dated 10/1/59 says that a Los Angeles construction company was granted a permit to build a bowling alley at Central and Philadelphia Avenues. This was to be part of a new 2.6 million dollar shopping center. An earlier story in July stated that the Chino city council vetoed a permit for construction of a 22-lane alley at Central Avenue north of Riverside Drive in Chino.
It could be that the bowling alley people decided to convert the Chino Theater instead of building from the ground up. That still leaves the question of the theater’s address, however.
Advertised as the Loring Theater in the LA Times in 1924.
The Symphony and California theaters were advertised in the LA Times as being in Compton in 1924. Without addresses, there’s no way to tell if these were akas or completely different theaters.
The Maybell was advertised in the LA Times in 1924. No other theaters in Bell were listed. Presumably this is an aka for the Bell.
August 8, 1928, from the LA Times:
CRITERION TO REOPEN DOORS
One of the most imposing lists of attractions any theater ever had the privilege of offering the public will come into the Criterion Theater, Grand near Seventh, on its reopening as West Coast’s banner long-run popular price house. The Criterion opens on the 18th with the William Fox special “Street Angel” as the attraction.
Here is an article from the LA Times dated 12/13/25:
Sol Lesser, secretary of West Coast Theaters,Inc, has announced definitely the opening of the West Coast Uptown on the 29th and the West Coast Manchester Theater on January 5, 1926.
The West Coast Manchester has been designed as a family theater and every modern convenience for the public has been incorporated into the building. Sol Lesser said, “We have built this theater with a view of the future growth of Los Angeles. It has a seating capacity of 1700 people and we exppect that part of the city to grow very fast in the next few years. This theater will permit people living a long way from the downtown section to attend a show as fine as any presented in the larger downtown theaters, and to see it in as fine a house as any theater anywhere”.
Here is an article from the LA Times dated 4/4/26:
NEW ADDITION TO SHOWHOUSE CHAIN
Another neighborhood theater, the West Coast Balboa, located at Eighty-Seventh and Vermont, has been completed and will open on the 6th, according to Mr. Gore, heaad of West Coast Theaters, Inc. This is the sixth theater that the organization has opened in the past ninety days. Twenty more are in the course of construction.
The Balboa Theater represents an investment of more than $250,000 and is of Class A construction. The lot is 80x130 feet on the west side of Vermont, just south of Eighty Seventh Street. The building was designed by L.A. Smith, and is of the Spanish type. It will seat 1250, and is designed in an intimate, cozy style which makes it an ideal neighborhood house, and the policy of the management will be to present the finest feature pictures and as complete a program as can be seen at any of the downtown theaters.
This is from the LA Times dated 3/24/27:
NEW THEATER WILL OPEN IN SAN DIEGO
The new Balboa Theater, located on one of the most important corners in San Diego, will open its doors to the public tomorrow evening. Officials of West Coast Theaters, under whose banner the theater will be operated, will attend the opening in a body. Arrangements have been made to escort the players in “Lillies of the Field” to San Diego also. This picture will be the initial photoplay to be flashed on the theater’s screen.
I remember the cheesy burlesque posters in the display cases in the early to mid 70s. The dancers all had exotic names like “Lotta Love” and so on. By that time the city was extremely poor shape.
The Carlton was being used as a church in 1958. There’s no report of its demoltition some time later.
The LA Times reported on 7/15/24 that Harry Arthur, Jr, general manager of West Coast theaters, was starting a matinee program for children. The Tuesday show at the Carlton in July 1924 featured the film “Scaramouche”, a musical performance by Floryane Thompson, who sang the Marsellaise, a Felix the Cat cartoon and Pathe news.
1979 photo from the LAPL:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015299.jpg
Interior views:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015307.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015308.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015305.jpg
Undated:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015303.jpg
http://jpg2.lapl.org/theater2/00015301.jpg
I have a 1944 version of what would now be the Thomas Guide at home. I looked up Stephenson Avenue, and it was a small street near the intersection of Boyle and Whittier in East LA. I think the 5 freeway may run over that spot now.
Opening date was 11/8/31. It was erected by the Uptown Theater corp. and leased to the Hughes-Franklin theater company. Manager and chief instigator of the theater’s opening was Frank R. Bresson.
A church group was holding revival meetings in what was described as a former theater in December 1961, so the Aloha hasn’t shown films in a long time.
Oops, wrong theater. Sorry about that.
A church group was holding revival meetings in what was described as a former theater in December 1961, so the Aloha hasn’t shown films in a long time.
Here is a photo of the current occupant. It doesn’t look like the description above, so closed/demolished is probably accurate:
http://tinyurl.com/39asua
This was in the LA Times dated 3/10/57:
Transformation of the old Sunkist Theater into an arcade of small specialty shops and professional offices is now under way. Known as the Garey Arcade, the new building will be finished in terrazo and white marble with plantings of palms and Hawaiian ferns in front of the concrete and brick building.
Here is an article from the LA Times dated 11/13/32. Mr. Wright’s age at his passing hit a little too close to home, for me at least:
Homer Wright, Former Theater Manager, Dies
Stricken with a sudden heart seizure and hour or so after he had retired for the evening, apparently in excellent health, Homer B. Wright, 46 years of age, former manager of Loew’s State and Chinese Theaters, died early yesterday at his home. He was a Mason and a Shriner.
The full story from the LA Times on 7/7/29 states that Tally’s Broadway was in business from 1910 to 1920 and sat 900. The “New Broadway” succeeded Mr. Tally’s theater at Sixth Street at the present (1929) site of Silverwood’s. The Sixth Street theater sat 500, while Tally’s first theater at Third and Main had a seating capacity of 250.
So the coffee shop was only around for eight years? And then replaced by tbe Roxie?
There was a story about the Pantages in the LA Times today. Nederlander has a deal with a developer for a luxury home development on the adjacent property. No community opposition so far.
Here is an undated photo of the Newsreel:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics38/00068773.jpg
In 1950, the theater was used for church services by the Christian Chapel. It looks like the church bought their own building a few years later.
An LA Times story dated 10/1/59 says that a Los Angeles construction company was granted a permit to build a bowling alley at Central and Philadelphia Avenues. This was to be part of a new 2.6 million dollar shopping center. An earlier story in July stated that the Chino city council vetoed a permit for construction of a 22-lane alley at Central Avenue north of Riverside Drive in Chino.
It could be that the bowling alley people decided to convert the Chino Theater instead of building from the ground up. That still leaves the question of the theater’s address, however.