My mom was born in Puerto Rico and remembers this theater. She was born in 1927 and left for New York in 1936. This theater was new when she went to the movies there. Here is her memory:
A theatre I remember was the Paramount in Puerto Rico. I saw the “Frankenstein” Monster
figure standing in front of the theatre (it had been playing there) and remember I cried thinking I was “doomed.” Carlos Gardel, the famous Argentine tango singer, had just finished his live performance in the auditorium and came out of the alley artists' entrance. He ran to my rescue. He scooped me up in his arms to pacify me. Needless to say, he became my hero!
My mom, who was raised in New York in the 1930s, sent me the following on this theater:
I remember in the late thirties “The Osceola” in the Bronx. I read that the place was named after a
famous Indian Chief. Probably, from one of the New England tribes. Algonquin?
My mom gave me a dime on Saturdays because I had been good. My favorite thing to do was to go to the movies. The ticket was nine cents for kids.
With the extra penny, I would buy caramels called “7 for a Penny”, (individually wrapped). I saw 3 movies, 5 cartoons, “News of the Day”, with Lowell Thomas, etc.
There was a matron, dressed in white, like a nurse, in case of any physical problems and ushers
to keep the kids in line. There was one drawback. The Elevated train would pass up above and was kinda noisy in the theater. Great memories.
Looks like the building is still there. My mom, who lives in Escondido, reports the following after a visit downtown:
The Bldg. is the same shape as the picture from 1931 above. It is now painted a light “coral” color with gray trim. There is a newer cornerstone which reads “SEARCY BLDG. 1979.”
The front lobby area of the former theater is now a nice well-kept business called “Judys Embroidery”, which specializes in logo sportswear and caps. The address is 201 Grand Ave.
Here is the surprise: The auditorium is still there. The entrance is on Kalmia Street, on the right side of the building through a courtyard and is now a community theater called “The Patio Playhouse”.
Joe, THANKS for the note about the other Hunt buildings. Myron Hunt also designed the lovely Beaux Arts masterpiece “Wilkes Vine Street Theater”, today known as the “Ricardo Montalban Theater” on Vine Street, just south of Hollywood Blvd. It was remodelled in 1954 but in the past year, the group that owns the theater is remodelling it to more closely resemble it’s former appearance. If you know where I can get interior shots of how it looked in the 20s and 30s, I would appreciate it. The Hollywood Library lost many historic photos in the great fire they had in the 1980s. The theater reconstruction team is currently looking for some reference images.
There are ornamental “niches” on either side of the screen area that feature waterfall mountain scenes. I understand these actually worked with real water when the theater was first built.
KenRoe is right on the money. The theater is totally modern until you walk into the auditorium. I would only add that the room is now painted in very subdued colors and I believe some of the ornamentation has been removed, because it seems very plain to me. Still, it is a nice venue for classical music and the acoustics are amazing! A very nice blending of a new structure and a historic auditorium, I would say.
Yes, this is Sid Graummans Egyptian. I would like to add a couple of thoughts on this theater, if
I may. I was very thrilled when I saw the Egyptian was to be “restored” a few years ago and saw a wall at the entrance and construction workers busily working behind it.
In March of this year I finally came back and stopped by to see what was done. In the courtyard. I found the business on the left side of the entrance was newly reconstructed, but empty and a “For Lease” sign in the window. Though the last time I saw the theater exterior was in 1998, there was already graffiti staining 2 walls. I was very happy to see the “Pig N' Whistle” restaurant replicated, and it looks like a great job on that…. but the entrance to the theater itself seemed empty and lifeless. I still have NO idea what Cinemateque is but also not compelled to find out more about it other than to have scanned their confusing website and scratch my head about their “mission”.
I was raised in Hollywood in the 1950s and remember the theater when it had a massive neon sign over the sidewalk and many potted plants along the walkway to the elegant entrance. I don’t advocate replacing the 50s neon by any means, but it just seems to me the romance and beauty is missing from this remodelling job that was there even in the 50s. A restoration to it’s 20s appearance would be ideal, but if not economically possible, perhaps some nice potted plants or a coffee kiosk in a 20s theme would warm this place up and make it more atmospheric and bring some much needed life to the courtyard.
Needless to say, I have little interest in seeing the stripped-down interior. I love “urban”, but only in the historic context of what historic Hollywood was and COULD BE once more. This seems more “urban” in the current strip mall sense… and there are thousands of those types of spaces without making our historic sites look like them as well. What happened to our culture and history?
In October, 2003, the theater was struck by a utility company truck, which crashed right through the lobby. The driver, who suffered a heart attack at the wheel of the truck, died. Until a settlement is complete, the theaters future use is still uncertain. The facade still is boarded up because of the extensive damage caused by the accident.
Here is a photograph of the building in 1931 of the Kinema. The movie being shown, according to the sign, is “Millionaire” with George Arliss and Noah Beery. George Arliss was the actor who “discovered” Bette Davis.
The Cannery Cimema was very small. I am guessing 100 seats or so. It was nothing more than a large room on the south east corner of the main floor of the building lined in heavy drapes. The floor was only slightly raised at the rear. I also remember seeing “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” with Joanne Woodward there. I could never forget that title!
The Cannery Cinema was open during the mid-1970s and for several months showed a wonderful film called “Above San Francisco” narriated by Orson Welles. It was a 35 minute film which featured aerial shots of the city along with historic footage of the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition and the Cliff House. The film later became a coffee table book. The tourists loved it… and so did I!
I visited this theater in 1999 and I was amazed when I walked inside. The bookstore has preserved the lobby as a checkout area, the theater auditorium is perfectly preserved and even with the books on shelves it still retains it’s theater-like ambiance. The coffee shop was ingenious to install on the balcony and the music playing in the store was appropriately subdued. I also loved the actual screen which now houses the single row of magazine racks on the stage. It was my hangout during the summer of that year.
For similar restorations, look at the LOMA theater in San Diego and the FOX STUDIO CITY Theater in Studio City, California.
Years later in 1968, I saw the west coast premiere gala on television of “2001: A Space Odyssey” and a few days later actually saw the film in this theater. I understand that they wanted to use the newly constructed dome on Sunset Blvd, but it was unavailable, so it was shown here. Nearly all the walls were draped over in the theater, but it was clean and the film looked beautiful on the screen.
In 1971 I saw “The Andromeda Strain” here, again, only a few days after the premiere and the ticket takers and ushers wore sterile white clothes and keys around their necks to “unlock” the detonation device shown in the movie. Again, the theater looked very nice and was still one screen. During those years it was known as the Pacific CinermaTheater.
I cannot imagine anyone thinking this theater would cost 40 million to restore. There are great theaters being restored now, including the huge “California Theater” in downtown San Diego. This building has a great history and was quite beautiful in it’s day and deserves to be restored.
I lived in San Diego from 1987-1989 and again 1996-2002 and often went downtown and stood on the corner looking at the facade of this beautiful theater. The building takes up most of the block and must be enormous in size. When I first arrived in San Diego in 1987, the neighborhood was not the best and fairly run down. Today the neighborhood has been revitalized by nearby Gaslamp Historic district restaurants and the massive building of luxury condominiums in nearby Little Italy. Many folks who work in downtown San Diego are now relocating to these new lofts and condos downtown. This theater should prove to be a marvelous attraction for the afflutent urbanites who live and work downtown. The nearby Copley Symphony hall was once a movie theater is now home to the San Diego Symphony and the former Spreckles and Balboa theaters are also open and showcasing live entertainment. I wish David much luck with this beautiful structure. I wish we had more folks who are willing to bring these masterpieces of architecture back to life. They are real treasures.
Do not hesitate to go into the Loma Theater today. To the credit of Bookstar, the current tenent, they have left the interior intact and some day this theater could easily be restored once more. The interior is just fine, and the wall decorations are still there and very impressive. If a theater can’t be used for it’s intended purpose, this is the next best use in my book, since it keeps the theater in use and the decoration relatively intact. The interior is still awesome.
This theater was also called the “Fox Egyptian” during the 1930s. It was a beautiful theater even in it’s last remodelling. The theater was broad and wide. It was outfitted with Todd-A-O for “Around the World in 80 Days” in 1954. There are several Egyptian themed apartment buildings in the area built in the 1920s, and this was the focal point of the street. A small part of it’s facade, so much a part of the neighborhood landscape, is being kept for the new condominium project.
I saw a great double feature there about 1995… “Shawshank Redemption” and “Ed Wood”… a quaint little theater and very nicely kept up. Also some nice deco touches as I recall!
In 1960 I saw “Portrait in Black” with Lana Turner and Anthony Quinn. It was a terrific movie! After the movie, my dad and I went to join my mom and sister and we went fishing on the pier. I remember hearing the sound of the ocean waves under the theater!
I saw “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” with my mom in 1968 there. The following year I went into the Air Force, but about a year and a half later went home on leave. To my surprise, “Chitty” was playing there again as second run! I went back to watch it with my mom and about half way through the movie, a huge noise came from the ceiling. The theater was evacutated and it was found to be the air conditioning on the roof causing the noise. We went back into the theater after about 10 minutes, and found they did not stop the film, so we missed a chunk of the film. I also remember the next film to be shown was “If It’s Tuesday It Must Be Belgium”, which I was disappointed not get to see because I returned to duty.
My grandmother owned an “out of town” newspaper shop on the Pine Steet side. The address was 34 south pine and the shop was called “Universal News”. It was originally located across the street in the Ocean Center Building for many years, but in 1957 she moved it to the Jergens Trust. She was standing in front of her shop during the chase scene in “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and said the cars went around the corner and down the hill of her shop at full speed. That was in 1962. I worked for her during the summers of 1965 through 1967. I still remember watching the crowds walking over to NuPike (later Queens Park). I also remember the arcade under the building that led to the north side of Ocean Blvd. It was pretty decayed back then, but I understand it is still under there. In the arcade beneath the Jergens Trust was a stamp collecting shop run by Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt. They were German immigrants and very kind. In August of 1967 she moved the shop to 1st Street because a large Navy Locker Club wanted to use the space of several shops, but in a couple of months, she closed it and retired. She passed away in 1980. I still have a photo of the shop and THE KEY to the front door!
I was raised in Hollywood and I remember seeing “Windjammer”, “Pepe” and the premiere of “Darby O'Gill and the LIttle People”… “Seven Faces of Dr. Lao” and “How the West Was Won” were spectacular memories. The last time I went there to see a movie was “EARTHQUAKE” in 1974 and it was towards the end of the run. I clearly remember they added a huge net under the ceiling to catch bits of plaster that had been falling down early in it’s run. It was very distracting to see it up there and wondering if something would fall during he Sensuround experience. I am happy they have decided to take away the clunky neon from the front. I visited the forecourt a few months ago and I think it looks gorgeous.
The Hawaii was one of the most spectacular atmospheric houses I have ever visited. On one side of the screen was a volcano, and on the other was a waterfall. When the movie started, the action stopped but resuemed at intermission. As a child growing up in Hollywood, I remember being fascinated by the animation on the walls.
My mom lived in Highland Park in 1950 and in September of that year went into labor for me while watching the program. The show on the night of 9-13 was “The Furies” with Barbara Stanwick and “Treasure Island”… there was also a cartoon and a short subject called “In Beaver Valley” by Disney. By 5 a.m. I arrived at U.C. (called L.A. General in those days) Hospital.
My mom was born in Puerto Rico and remembers this theater. She was born in 1927 and left for New York in 1936. This theater was new when she went to the movies there. Here is her memory:
A theatre I remember was the Paramount in Puerto Rico. I saw the “Frankenstein” Monster
figure standing in front of the theatre (it had been playing there) and remember I cried thinking I was “doomed.” Carlos Gardel, the famous Argentine tango singer, had just finished his live performance in the auditorium and came out of the alley artists' entrance. He ran to my rescue. He scooped me up in his arms to pacify me. Needless to say, he became my hero!
My mom, who was raised in New York in the 1930s, sent me the following on this theater:
I remember in the late thirties “The Osceola” in the Bronx. I read that the place was named after a
famous Indian Chief. Probably, from one of the New England tribes. Algonquin?
My mom gave me a dime on Saturdays because I had been good. My favorite thing to do was to go to the movies. The ticket was nine cents for kids.
With the extra penny, I would buy caramels called “7 for a Penny”, (individually wrapped). I saw 3 movies, 5 cartoons, “News of the Day”, with Lowell Thomas, etc.
There was a matron, dressed in white, like a nurse, in case of any physical problems and ushers
to keep the kids in line. There was one drawback. The Elevated train would pass up above and was kinda noisy in the theater. Great memories.
Looks like the building is still there. My mom, who lives in Escondido, reports the following after a visit downtown:
The Bldg. is the same shape as the picture from 1931 above. It is now painted a light “coral” color with gray trim. There is a newer cornerstone which reads “SEARCY BLDG. 1979.”
The front lobby area of the former theater is now a nice well-kept business called “Judys Embroidery”, which specializes in logo sportswear and caps. The address is 201 Grand Ave.
Here is the surprise: The auditorium is still there. The entrance is on Kalmia Street, on the right side of the building through a courtyard and is now a community theater called “The Patio Playhouse”.
Joe, THANKS for the note about the other Hunt buildings. Myron Hunt also designed the lovely Beaux Arts masterpiece “Wilkes Vine Street Theater”, today known as the “Ricardo Montalban Theater” on Vine Street, just south of Hollywood Blvd. It was remodelled in 1954 but in the past year, the group that owns the theater is remodelling it to more closely resemble it’s former appearance. If you know where I can get interior shots of how it looked in the 20s and 30s, I would appreciate it. The Hollywood Library lost many historic photos in the great fire they had in the 1980s. The theater reconstruction team is currently looking for some reference images.
There are ornamental “niches” on either side of the screen area that feature waterfall mountain scenes. I understand these actually worked with real water when the theater was first built.
KenRoe is right on the money. The theater is totally modern until you walk into the auditorium. I would only add that the room is now painted in very subdued colors and I believe some of the ornamentation has been removed, because it seems very plain to me. Still, it is a nice venue for classical music and the acoustics are amazing! A very nice blending of a new structure and a historic auditorium, I would say.
Yes, this is Sid Graummans Egyptian. I would like to add a couple of thoughts on this theater, if
I may. I was very thrilled when I saw the Egyptian was to be “restored” a few years ago and saw a wall at the entrance and construction workers busily working behind it.
In March of this year I finally came back and stopped by to see what was done. In the courtyard. I found the business on the left side of the entrance was newly reconstructed, but empty and a “For Lease” sign in the window. Though the last time I saw the theater exterior was in 1998, there was already graffiti staining 2 walls. I was very happy to see the “Pig N' Whistle” restaurant replicated, and it looks like a great job on that…. but the entrance to the theater itself seemed empty and lifeless. I still have NO idea what Cinemateque is but also not compelled to find out more about it other than to have scanned their confusing website and scratch my head about their “mission”.
I was raised in Hollywood in the 1950s and remember the theater when it had a massive neon sign over the sidewalk and many potted plants along the walkway to the elegant entrance. I don’t advocate replacing the 50s neon by any means, but it just seems to me the romance and beauty is missing from this remodelling job that was there even in the 50s. A restoration to it’s 20s appearance would be ideal, but if not economically possible, perhaps some nice potted plants or a coffee kiosk in a 20s theme would warm this place up and make it more atmospheric and bring some much needed life to the courtyard.
Needless to say, I have little interest in seeing the stripped-down interior. I love “urban”, but only in the historic context of what historic Hollywood was and COULD BE once more. This seems more “urban” in the current strip mall sense… and there are thousands of those types of spaces without making our historic sites look like them as well. What happened to our culture and history?
In October, 2003, the theater was struck by a utility company truck, which crashed right through the lobby. The driver, who suffered a heart attack at the wheel of the truck, died. Until a settlement is complete, the theaters future use is still uncertain. The facade still is boarded up because of the extensive damage caused by the accident.
Here is a photograph of the building in 1931 of the Kinema. The movie being shown, according to the sign, is “Millionaire” with George Arliss and Noah Beery. George Arliss was the actor who “discovered” Bette Davis.
View link
The Cannery Cimema was very small. I am guessing 100 seats or so. It was nothing more than a large room on the south east corner of the main floor of the building lined in heavy drapes. The floor was only slightly raised at the rear. I also remember seeing “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds” with Joanne Woodward there. I could never forget that title!
The Cannery Cinema was open during the mid-1970s and for several months showed a wonderful film called “Above San Francisco” narriated by Orson Welles. It was a 35 minute film which featured aerial shots of the city along with historic footage of the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition and the Cliff House. The film later became a coffee table book. The tourists loved it… and so did I!
I visited this theater in 1999 and I was amazed when I walked inside. The bookstore has preserved the lobby as a checkout area, the theater auditorium is perfectly preserved and even with the books on shelves it still retains it’s theater-like ambiance. The coffee shop was ingenious to install on the balcony and the music playing in the store was appropriately subdued. I also loved the actual screen which now houses the single row of magazine racks on the stage. It was my hangout during the summer of that year.
For similar restorations, look at the LOMA theater in San Diego and the FOX STUDIO CITY Theater in Studio City, California.
Years later in 1968, I saw the west coast premiere gala on television of “2001: A Space Odyssey” and a few days later actually saw the film in this theater. I understand that they wanted to use the newly constructed dome on Sunset Blvd, but it was unavailable, so it was shown here. Nearly all the walls were draped over in the theater, but it was clean and the film looked beautiful on the screen.
In 1971 I saw “The Andromeda Strain” here, again, only a few days after the premiere and the ticket takers and ushers wore sterile white clothes and keys around their necks to “unlock” the detonation device shown in the movie. Again, the theater looked very nice and was still one screen. During those years it was known as the Pacific CinermaTheater.
I cannot imagine anyone thinking this theater would cost 40 million to restore. There are great theaters being restored now, including the huge “California Theater” in downtown San Diego. This building has a great history and was quite beautiful in it’s day and deserves to be restored.
I lived in San Diego from 1987-1989 and again 1996-2002 and often went downtown and stood on the corner looking at the facade of this beautiful theater. The building takes up most of the block and must be enormous in size. When I first arrived in San Diego in 1987, the neighborhood was not the best and fairly run down. Today the neighborhood has been revitalized by nearby Gaslamp Historic district restaurants and the massive building of luxury condominiums in nearby Little Italy. Many folks who work in downtown San Diego are now relocating to these new lofts and condos downtown. This theater should prove to be a marvelous attraction for the afflutent urbanites who live and work downtown. The nearby Copley Symphony hall was once a movie theater is now home to the San Diego Symphony and the former Spreckles and Balboa theaters are also open and showcasing live entertainment. I wish David much luck with this beautiful structure. I wish we had more folks who are willing to bring these masterpieces of architecture back to life. They are real treasures.
Do not hesitate to go into the Loma Theater today. To the credit of Bookstar, the current tenent, they have left the interior intact and some day this theater could easily be restored once more. The interior is just fine, and the wall decorations are still there and very impressive. If a theater can’t be used for it’s intended purpose, this is the next best use in my book, since it keeps the theater in use and the decoration relatively intact. The interior is still awesome.
This theater was also called the “Fox Egyptian” during the 1930s. It was a beautiful theater even in it’s last remodelling. The theater was broad and wide. It was outfitted with Todd-A-O for “Around the World in 80 Days” in 1954. There are several Egyptian themed apartment buildings in the area built in the 1920s, and this was the focal point of the street. A small part of it’s facade, so much a part of the neighborhood landscape, is being kept for the new condominium project.
I saw a great double feature there about 1995… “Shawshank Redemption” and “Ed Wood”… a quaint little theater and very nicely kept up. Also some nice deco touches as I recall!
In 1960 I saw “Portrait in Black” with Lana Turner and Anthony Quinn. It was a terrific movie! After the movie, my dad and I went to join my mom and sister and we went fishing on the pier. I remember hearing the sound of the ocean waves under the theater!
I saw “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” with my mom in 1968 there. The following year I went into the Air Force, but about a year and a half later went home on leave. To my surprise, “Chitty” was playing there again as second run! I went back to watch it with my mom and about half way through the movie, a huge noise came from the ceiling. The theater was evacutated and it was found to be the air conditioning on the roof causing the noise. We went back into the theater after about 10 minutes, and found they did not stop the film, so we missed a chunk of the film. I also remember the next film to be shown was “If It’s Tuesday It Must Be Belgium”, which I was disappointed not get to see because I returned to duty.
My grandmother owned an “out of town” newspaper shop on the Pine Steet side. The address was 34 south pine and the shop was called “Universal News”. It was originally located across the street in the Ocean Center Building for many years, but in 1957 she moved it to the Jergens Trust. She was standing in front of her shop during the chase scene in “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and said the cars went around the corner and down the hill of her shop at full speed. That was in 1962. I worked for her during the summers of 1965 through 1967. I still remember watching the crowds walking over to NuPike (later Queens Park). I also remember the arcade under the building that led to the north side of Ocean Blvd. It was pretty decayed back then, but I understand it is still under there. In the arcade beneath the Jergens Trust was a stamp collecting shop run by Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt. They were German immigrants and very kind. In August of 1967 she moved the shop to 1st Street because a large Navy Locker Club wanted to use the space of several shops, but in a couple of months, she closed it and retired. She passed away in 1980. I still have a photo of the shop and THE KEY to the front door!
I was raised in Hollywood and I remember seeing “Windjammer”, “Pepe” and the premiere of “Darby O'Gill and the LIttle People”… “Seven Faces of Dr. Lao” and “How the West Was Won” were spectacular memories. The last time I went there to see a movie was “EARTHQUAKE” in 1974 and it was towards the end of the run. I clearly remember they added a huge net under the ceiling to catch bits of plaster that had been falling down early in it’s run. It was very distracting to see it up there and wondering if something would fall during he Sensuround experience. I am happy they have decided to take away the clunky neon from the front. I visited the forecourt a few months ago and I think it looks gorgeous.
The Hawaii was one of the most spectacular atmospheric houses I have ever visited. On one side of the screen was a volcano, and on the other was a waterfall. When the movie started, the action stopped but resuemed at intermission. As a child growing up in Hollywood, I remember being fascinated by the animation on the walls.
My mom lived in Highland Park in 1950 and in September of that year went into labor for me while watching the program. The show on the night of 9-13 was “The Furies” with Barbara Stanwick and “Treasure Island”… there was also a cartoon and a short subject called “In Beaver Valley” by Disney. By 5 a.m. I arrived at U.C. (called L.A. General in those days) Hospital.