The LA Library online database has a series of pictures of this theater and the adjoining buildings. The first picture from the 1920’s shows the Adolphus and the Westminster Hotel on the corner of 4th and Main. The next picture is from 1950. The theater is now a parking garage with the Main Street Gym upstairs. The last picture appears to be from the late 1960s or early 1970s and shows the theater/parking structure standing alone, in disrepair. I imagine it was demolished shortly after.
If you look at the 1950 picture and note the location of the fire hydrant, you can stand by the same hydrant today and see by the cutout in the sidewalk where the entrance to the garage was. I know this is a little overboard, but by the time I moved to LA in 1984, all of the interesting buildings were already torn down.
I saw a film at the Picwood shortly before it closed. It was some kind of a breakdancing/martial arts film as far as I can remember, and it was produced by Motown’s Berry Gordy. That would have been in 1985. Not long after that, the theater was gone and the unwanted and unnecessary extension to the Westside Pavilion was built.
The World was closed when I moved to LA in September 1984. I read about the theater in a book called “The Best of LA”, published by the LA Weekly, which had the quote referenced by Ken Roe. I was disappointed to find that I had missed out on the World experience.
I went to this theater once in the 1980’s. My television at home had a bigger screen than the theater I was in. Good riddance if it closes. Maybe they can level the Beverly Center and bring back the pony rides.
Thanks for the info. I was trying to catch a glimpse of the theater in Gone in 60 Seconds (the original) when Ed Halicki gets off the 110 at Sepulveda, going north. Unfortunately, he turns right on Sepulveda instead of left or we would see everything. I did see a large vacant lot where the Target is now, on the corner of Sepulveda and Figueroa.
The GCC Northeast is gone? I dated a girl in the Northeast and saw quite a few films at this complex, including The Verdict and Monty Python’s Meaning of Life. There was a happening bar close by, the name of which I can’t recall. There was also a very good Jewish deli near the theater, which is probably gone as well.
I have to admit that I did pay 99 cents to attend one of the Center Theater’s less stellar presentations in 1975 or thereabouts. Thankfully my mother does not own a computer.
I saw many, many films at this theater in the early 1980’s. It was a single large theater to which they added a few small screens while I was still living in Philadelphia. I saw Rocky III on the large screen in 1982.
I saw two disaster movies at this theater in 1974, The Towering Inferno and Earthquake. The latter film was in Sensurround, which was an experience. I didn’t know at the time that I would move to California and experience the real thing in 1994!
This is the wrong place for this comment, but alphabetically it’s pretty close. There was a drive-in in my hometown of Absecon NJ called the Absecon Drive-In. My friends and I used to sit on the railroad tracks behind the drive-in in the early seventies and watch Russ Meyer films. That was quite an education for a twelve year old, given Mr. Meyer’s well known proclivities. Perhaps you can create an entry for this? The theater was on the White Horse Pike next to the golf course going west to Atlantic City. I think it closed down in the 1980’s.
The Embassy Theater that I remember was on the northwest corner of New York and Atlantic Avenues. The Colonial theater was next door,if I recall. There was also a theater on the other side of the street, the Beach, which ended up as an adult movie theater. I saw “Ben” at the Embassy when I was in high school.
I saw MASH at this theater shortly before it closed. The movie was listed on the marquee for months after the theater shut down. It’s across the street from a cemetery near the White Horse Pike.
I took a girl to the bowling alley on this site in junior high school. I think that was my first real date. The facade is still there, as far as I know.
I live in the condos on this site. There is a Food4Less directly behind us that takes up quite a bit of acreage. I am wondering if the drive-in was actually on the supermarket property and not on the condo property, which is about a block north of Vermont and Sepulveda. Any info would be appreciated.
I moved to Harbor City in 1994, and used to drive past the Vermont almost every day. It was showing second run films towards the end of its life, with not too many patrons as far as I could see.
I have seen this theater many times in my travels through downtown Los Angeles. Given the current renaissance, such as it is, I would like to see some use made of this interesting property.
I moved to Los Angeles in 1984. I saw a screening of the film “Streetwise” at the Fox Venice in 1985, which was a film about homeless teens in Seattle. I think the theater closed not too long after that.
I have seen the 1964 picture on the LA Public Library website. It’s too bad that there are no pictures of this interesting little theater in its better days.
The LA Library online database has a series of pictures of this theater and the adjoining buildings. The first picture from the 1920’s shows the Adolphus and the Westminster Hotel on the corner of 4th and Main. The next picture is from 1950. The theater is now a parking garage with the Main Street Gym upstairs. The last picture appears to be from the late 1960s or early 1970s and shows the theater/parking structure standing alone, in disrepair. I imagine it was demolished shortly after.
If you look at the 1950 picture and note the location of the fire hydrant, you can stand by the same hydrant today and see by the cutout in the sidewalk where the entrance to the garage was. I know this is a little overboard, but by the time I moved to LA in 1984, all of the interesting buildings were already torn down.
There are several pictures of this theater in the LA Library online database.
I saw a film at the Picwood shortly before it closed. It was some kind of a breakdancing/martial arts film as far as I can remember, and it was produced by Motown’s Berry Gordy. That would have been in 1985. Not long after that, the theater was gone and the unwanted and unnecessary extension to the Westside Pavilion was built.
The World was closed when I moved to LA in September 1984. I read about the theater in a book called “The Best of LA”, published by the LA Weekly, which had the quote referenced by Ken Roe. I was disappointed to find that I had missed out on the World experience.
That theater would have been in the shopping center at Admiralty and Fiji Way, along with the Boys Market and Mr. D’s Coffee Shop.
Any theater named the Ken is worthy of a visit next time I’m in SD.
Another work of art lost to progress.
I went to this theater once in the 1980’s. My television at home had a bigger screen than the theater I was in. Good riddance if it closes. Maybe they can level the Beverly Center and bring back the pony rides.
Thanks for the info. I was trying to catch a glimpse of the theater in Gone in 60 Seconds (the original) when Ed Halicki gets off the 110 at Sepulveda, going north. Unfortunately, he turns right on Sepulveda instead of left or we would see everything. I did see a large vacant lot where the Target is now, on the corner of Sepulveda and Figueroa.
The GCC Northeast is gone? I dated a girl in the Northeast and saw quite a few films at this complex, including The Verdict and Monty Python’s Meaning of Life. There was a happening bar close by, the name of which I can’t recall. There was also a very good Jewish deli near the theater, which is probably gone as well.
I have to admit that I did pay 99 cents to attend one of the Center Theater’s less stellar presentations in 1975 or thereabouts. Thankfully my mother does not own a computer.
I saw many, many films at this theater in the early 1980’s. It was a single large theater to which they added a few small screens while I was still living in Philadelphia. I saw Rocky III on the large screen in 1982.
I saw the first Star Trek film at the Fox in the fall of 1979. The theater was great. The film was not great.
I saw two disaster movies at this theater in 1974, The Towering Inferno and Earthquake. The latter film was in Sensurround, which was an experience. I didn’t know at the time that I would move to California and experience the real thing in 1994!
This is the wrong place for this comment, but alphabetically it’s pretty close. There was a drive-in in my hometown of Absecon NJ called the Absecon Drive-In. My friends and I used to sit on the railroad tracks behind the drive-in in the early seventies and watch Russ Meyer films. That was quite an education for a twelve year old, given Mr. Meyer’s well known proclivities. Perhaps you can create an entry for this? The theater was on the White Horse Pike next to the golf course going west to Atlantic City. I think it closed down in the 1980’s.
The Embassy Theater that I remember was on the northwest corner of New York and Atlantic Avenues. The Colonial theater was next door,if I recall. There was also a theater on the other side of the street, the Beach, which ended up as an adult movie theater. I saw “Ben” at the Embassy when I was in high school.
I saw MASH at this theater shortly before it closed. The movie was listed on the marquee for months after the theater shut down. It’s across the street from a cemetery near the White Horse Pike.
What about the Strand Theater on the Atlantic City boardwalk? It was near the Virginia Theater by the Steel Pier.
I took a girl to the bowling alley on this site in junior high school. I think that was my first real date. The facade is still there, as far as I know.
I live in the condos on this site. There is a Food4Less directly behind us that takes up quite a bit of acreage. I am wondering if the drive-in was actually on the supermarket property and not on the condo property, which is about a block north of Vermont and Sepulveda. Any info would be appreciated.
I moved to Harbor City in 1994, and used to drive past the Vermont almost every day. It was showing second run films towards the end of its life, with not too many patrons as far as I could see.
I have seen this theater many times in my travels through downtown Los Angeles. Given the current renaissance, such as it is, I would like to see some use made of this interesting property.
I moved to Los Angeles in 1984. I saw a screening of the film “Streetwise” at the Fox Venice in 1985, which was a film about homeless teens in Seattle. I think the theater closed not too long after that.
I have seen the 1964 picture on the LA Public Library website. It’s too bad that there are no pictures of this interesting little theater in its better days.
I believe that this theater was showing Spanish language films in its last incarnation before being demolished in 1987.