Thank you, Tinseltoes. I love the article and the pictures. Great memories. I was there opening night along with James Arness and Carol Morris, who was the Miss U.S.A. at the time. She was kind of a knockout. I remember her better than Arness, but I was thirteen and hormones were starting to rage.
When I was a freshman in high school, our history class got out of school one day and walked east for two long blocks until we got to the La Habra Theatre. We were given a free screening of Walt Disney’s “Johnny Tremain.” Most of the kids who left school actually went to the theatre. Getting out of school and a free movie, what could be better? As a result of this mini-field trip, I spent the next several years lusting after Luana Patten.
Check out Stanley Kubrick’s “Killer’s Kiss” where one scene takes place at night in Times Square. The Globe is playing “How to Marry a Millionaire in 1953. The action goes indoors for a minute then is outside again and the Globe is now playing "Beachhead” with Tony Curtis, from 1954. Guess it didn’t take Kubrick two years to shoot the film, but apparently it did take a while.
Parson me if this has been mentioned before, but I just watched Stanley Kubrick’s “Killer’s Kiss” and it includes some marvelous nighttime footage of Times Square circa 1954. The amusing part of this is the scenes in Times Square were shot at different times though in the film it all takes place on one night over a period of just a few minutes. The star of the film is walking around where we can clearly see the Victoria is playing “The Man Between.” Loew’s State is playing “How to Marry a Millionaire.” The Globe also has “How to Marry a Millionaire” on its marquee. These films are 1953. At the same time, the Astor is playing “The Queen of Sheba.” The film cuts away to other action then quickly returns to our hero in the street where the Victoria is now playing “Casanova’s Big Night” and the Astor has switched to “Elephant Walk.” The Globe is now running “Beachhead” with Tony Curtis and over at Loew’s State they are now showing “Flame and the Flesh.” These films are from 1954. Don’t know if these scenes had to be reshot months later or if Kubrick just needed additional scenes, but it was pretty funny to see. I always thought it would have been pretty exciting to be in Times Square in those days. Of course, I never realized the theatres changed their programs every five minutes.
For the record:
The Long Beach earthquake happened on March 10, 1933.
The San Fernando (aka Sylmar) earthquake happened on February 9, 1971.
The Northridge earthquake happened on January 17, 1994.
In 1955, as a young boy, I came with my grandmother from a small town in Orange County into downtown Los Angeles. The city was unlike any place I had seen before; it was very exciting. We went to the Globe and that was a new experience for me too. I had never been in a place so large. I couldn’t wait for the movie to start. Then the lights went down and the film started. The first thing I heard was “One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock rock, five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock rock…” I had seen movies and I knew you didn’t hear rock and roll blasting from the movie screen like that. It didn’t happen. But in the first moment of “Blackboard Jungle” it did, and I’ll never forget that moment. I don’t remember what my grandmother’s reaction was but I thought it was wonderful. It was my first great movie experience in a great old theatre. Unfortunately, once you grow up, your experiences don’t have that same intense impact as when you were a kid. It’s never the same and it’s too bad.
On page 89 of Lou Stoumen’s book, “Times Square: 45 Years of Photography,” there is a picture looking down Broadway. The Forum is playing “Looking for Mr. Goodbar,” apparently in 1977.
I lived in Santa Monica from 1968 to 2001 and went to the Wilshire many times. One day when there was a double feature in each theatre, (and I wanted to see all four films), I timed it so I could see the double feature in the left theatre then walked into the right theatre for the second double feature. There were plenty of people in the lobby so no one noticed. I wanted to see if I could do it and I was pretty sore and exhausted by the time I got out. I no longer remember the films except that I believe one of them was “Cabaret.” If that’s true, and one souce lists a February 1972 release for the film, then the theatre was twinned before 1972. I’ve only noticed two comments on the twinning, one suggesting the 1990’s and a later one giving the decade as the 1970’s. Anyone have any better information on this?
I’m looking at a picture which I believe is from 1946. Lewis Milestone’s “A Walk in the Sun” is playing at the Victoria and “Spellbound” is at the Astor. AFI says “Spellbound” opened in New York on 31 October 1945 and it lists “A Walk in the Sun” as opening in New York on 11 January 1946. Can anyone tell me if “A Walk in the Sun” originally opened at the Victoria or premiered at a different theatre?
I went to the Wilshire from 1966 to 1968 when I moved away from Fullerton. I was a student at the time and it was all new to me. They offered something different from the standard Hollywood fare. Foreign films, independent films, the kind of films I had never seen before and I loved it. It was easy to go a lot because, as I recall, admission was only a dollar or so. Also, they offered free coffee. When I later heard that they were showing Spanish language films and then adult films, I felt terrible because it was obvious that the programming changed because I moved away and abandoned the theatre.
I started going to the Fox when the La Habra Theatre closed in 1954 or early 1955. My favorite memory was going with my father to see “The Hustler” and sitting in the huge loge seats in the balcony. The biggest loges, all formal wood and red leather, as I recall, and I thought they must have been stolen from William Randolph Hearst at San Simeon.
I arrived late at the Chinese to see “Earthquake” and was forced to sit in the 2nd row, right in front of the Sensurround speakers. Thought I was gonna die. My head hurt until noon of the following day. Think I’ll skip the Egyptian screening.
The scenes in “The Golden Age of Comedy” showing the Majestic Theatre are from the 1924 Mack Sennett comedy short, “Wall Street Blues,” with Billy Bevan and Edgar Kennedy.
The theatre wasn’t across the street from Nixon’s first law office because they were both on the north side of the street. The theatre was in the next block to the east. The theatre managed to hang around for about thirty-five years. Esther Cramer’s history of La Habra has one sentence about the theatre: “The opening of the Garden theatre, complete with orchestra, high class vaudeville acts, and films (featuring such stars as Tom Mix and comedian Harold Lloyd), attracted visitors from miles around.” The building had the theatre entrance with box office in the center and space for a small business on either side. When I went there in the early fifties, there was a sandwich shop on one side and a dry cleaners on the other. Inside, there was still a small stage up front. Pictures changed twice a week, and for us kids, on Saturday morning, we got seven cartoons, two serials and a feature (usually a western) for 17 cents! If you had another dime, you could get a bag of popcorn or pull your fillings out with a box of Jujubees. I was about 10 and I made friends with the teenage projectionist who showed me the booth. To enter the projection booth, you had to climb up a wooden ladder that was nailed to the back wall. At the top, you swung your leg out into the booth. The film cans were hauled up into the booth with a pulley. Our theatre closed in 1954 or early 1955 but no one told us why. There was some talk about drugs being delt there. All we knew was that for the next two years we had to get our parents to take us to the Fox Fullerton until the new theatre opened up on Whittier Blvd.
Warren and saps, thank you for your help. I only recently arrived at this terrific site, so I have much to learn. I have been to NYC several times beginning in 2001. It just kills me that I wasn’t able to experience these theatres in their glory days. I know a number of the Los Angeles theatres but, pending the discovery of a time machine, I’ll have to rely on the experiences available here. And that’s pretty good. Thanks again.
I cannot find a Cinema Treasures page for the Mayfair theatre next to The Palace theatre in Times Square. I searched Mayfair and RKO Mayfair but got nothing. They appeared to be right next to each other in the picture I saw. Were they connected somehow? It did seem to have a separate marquee so the Mayfair should have its own page. What am I doing wrong?
The old La Habra Theatre (formerly The Garden Theatre) at 165 E. Central managed to hang around for about thirty-five years. Esther Cramer’s history of La Habra has one sentence about the theatre: “The opening of the Garden theatre, complete with orchestra, high class vaudeville acts, and films (featuring such stars as Tom Mix and comedian Harold Lloyd), attracted visitors from miles around.” The building had the theatre entrance with box office in the center and space for a small business on either side. When I went there in the early fifties, there was a sandwich shop on one side and a dry cleaners on the other. Inside, there was still a small stage up front. Pictures changed twice a week, and for us kids, on Saturday morning, we got seven cartoons, two serials and a feature (usually a western) for 17 cents! If you had another dime, you could get a bag of popcorn or pull your fillings out with a box of Jujubees. I was about 10 and I made friends with the teenage projectionist who showed me the booth. To enter the projection booth, you had to climb up a wooden ladder that was nailed to the back wall. At the top, you swung your leg out into the booth. The film cans were hauled up into the booth with a pulley. Our theatre closed in 1954 or early 1955 but no one told us why. There was some talk about drugs being delt there. All we knew was that for the next two years we had to get our parents to take us to the Fox Fullerton until the new theatre opened up on Whittier Blvd.
This theatre opened on September 6, 1956. The ad in the Los Angeles Times of that date: “Gala Opening Tonight. The Beautiful New La Habra Theatre. Southern California’s Newest and Finest Theatre. Offering You the Best in Projection! In 4 Track Stereophonic Sound! Rocking Chair Loges. Plenty of Free Parking! And Here’s Our Opening Program: Frank Sinatra in Johnny Concho
James Stewart—Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much”
In reference to the initial comment on this page, the bridge connecting the east and west portions of the Westside Pavilion crossed Westwood Blvd, not Pico. The bridge was parallel to Pico. (I know, I know, but I can’t help myself.) : )
My favorite memory of the Picwood was the night I brought my mother into town to see “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” She didn’t know the film but she was thrilled after seeing it because she had gone to the dance marathons as a teenager in the early thirties. It was a great film and I was so happy that I got to share it with my mom.
There is a nice article about this theatre beginning on p.46 of the May 2013 edition of CLASSIC IMAGES magazine.
Thank you, Tinseltoes. I love the article and the pictures. Great memories. I was there opening night along with James Arness and Carol Morris, who was the Miss U.S.A. at the time. She was kind of a knockout. I remember her better than Arness, but I was thirteen and hormones were starting to rage.
When I was a freshman in high school, our history class got out of school one day and walked east for two long blocks until we got to the La Habra Theatre. We were given a free screening of Walt Disney’s “Johnny Tremain.” Most of the kids who left school actually went to the theatre. Getting out of school and a free movie, what could be better? As a result of this mini-field trip, I spent the next several years lusting after Luana Patten.
Uh…on what day might we see this event?
Check out Stanley Kubrick’s “Killer’s Kiss” where one scene takes place at night in Times Square. The Globe is playing “How to Marry a Millionaire in 1953. The action goes indoors for a minute then is outside again and the Globe is now playing "Beachhead” with Tony Curtis, from 1954. Guess it didn’t take Kubrick two years to shoot the film, but apparently it did take a while.
Parson me if this has been mentioned before, but I just watched Stanley Kubrick’s “Killer’s Kiss” and it includes some marvelous nighttime footage of Times Square circa 1954. The amusing part of this is the scenes in Times Square were shot at different times though in the film it all takes place on one night over a period of just a few minutes. The star of the film is walking around where we can clearly see the Victoria is playing “The Man Between.” Loew’s State is playing “How to Marry a Millionaire.” The Globe also has “How to Marry a Millionaire” on its marquee. These films are 1953. At the same time, the Astor is playing “The Queen of Sheba.” The film cuts away to other action then quickly returns to our hero in the street where the Victoria is now playing “Casanova’s Big Night” and the Astor has switched to “Elephant Walk.” The Globe is now running “Beachhead” with Tony Curtis and over at Loew’s State they are now showing “Flame and the Flesh.” These films are from 1954. Don’t know if these scenes had to be reshot months later or if Kubrick just needed additional scenes, but it was pretty funny to see. I always thought it would have been pretty exciting to be in Times Square in those days. Of course, I never realized the theatres changed their programs every five minutes.
For the record:
The Long Beach earthquake happened on March 10, 1933.
The San Fernando (aka Sylmar) earthquake happened on February 9, 1971.
The Northridge earthquake happened on January 17, 1994.
In 1955, as a young boy, I came with my grandmother from a small town in Orange County into downtown Los Angeles. The city was unlike any place I had seen before; it was very exciting. We went to the Globe and that was a new experience for me too. I had never been in a place so large. I couldn’t wait for the movie to start. Then the lights went down and the film started. The first thing I heard was “One, two, three o'clock, four o'clock rock, five, six, seven o'clock, eight o'clock rock…” I had seen movies and I knew you didn’t hear rock and roll blasting from the movie screen like that. It didn’t happen. But in the first moment of “Blackboard Jungle” it did, and I’ll never forget that moment. I don’t remember what my grandmother’s reaction was but I thought it was wonderful. It was my first great movie experience in a great old theatre. Unfortunately, once you grow up, your experiences don’t have that same intense impact as when you were a kid. It’s never the same and it’s too bad.
On page 89 of Lou Stoumen’s book, “Times Square: 45 Years of Photography,” there is a picture looking down Broadway. The Forum is playing “Looking for Mr. Goodbar,” apparently in 1977.
The 40th anniversary of the first moonwalk was July 20th, not July 26th.
I lived in Santa Monica from 1968 to 2001 and went to the Wilshire many times. One day when there was a double feature in each theatre, (and I wanted to see all four films), I timed it so I could see the double feature in the left theatre then walked into the right theatre for the second double feature. There were plenty of people in the lobby so no one noticed. I wanted to see if I could do it and I was pretty sore and exhausted by the time I got out. I no longer remember the films except that I believe one of them was “Cabaret.” If that’s true, and one souce lists a February 1972 release for the film, then the theatre was twinned before 1972. I’ve only noticed two comments on the twinning, one suggesting the 1990’s and a later one giving the decade as the 1970’s. Anyone have any better information on this?
Nice article and three pictures of the Pomona Fox today for those who have access to the Los Angeles Times. latimes.com
I’m looking at a picture which I believe is from 1946. Lewis Milestone’s “A Walk in the Sun” is playing at the Victoria and “Spellbound” is at the Astor. AFI says “Spellbound” opened in New York on 31 October 1945 and it lists “A Walk in the Sun” as opening in New York on 11 January 1946. Can anyone tell me if “A Walk in the Sun” originally opened at the Victoria or premiered at a different theatre?
I went to the Wilshire from 1966 to 1968 when I moved away from Fullerton. I was a student at the time and it was all new to me. They offered something different from the standard Hollywood fare. Foreign films, independent films, the kind of films I had never seen before and I loved it. It was easy to go a lot because, as I recall, admission was only a dollar or so. Also, they offered free coffee. When I later heard that they were showing Spanish language films and then adult films, I felt terrible because it was obvious that the programming changed because I moved away and abandoned the theatre.
I started going to the Fox when the La Habra Theatre closed in 1954 or early 1955. My favorite memory was going with my father to see “The Hustler” and sitting in the huge loge seats in the balcony. The biggest loges, all formal wood and red leather, as I recall, and I thought they must have been stolen from William Randolph Hearst at San Simeon.
I arrived late at the Chinese to see “Earthquake” and was forced to sit in the 2nd row, right in front of the Sensurround speakers. Thought I was gonna die. My head hurt until noon of the following day. Think I’ll skip the Egyptian screening.
Senior apartments were built on that site. I went there around 1990 looking to see if it might be right for my father.
The scenes in “The Golden Age of Comedy” showing the Majestic Theatre are from the 1924 Mack Sennett comedy short, “Wall Street Blues,” with Billy Bevan and Edgar Kennedy.
The theatre wasn’t across the street from Nixon’s first law office because they were both on the north side of the street. The theatre was in the next block to the east. The theatre managed to hang around for about thirty-five years. Esther Cramer’s history of La Habra has one sentence about the theatre: “The opening of the Garden theatre, complete with orchestra, high class vaudeville acts, and films (featuring such stars as Tom Mix and comedian Harold Lloyd), attracted visitors from miles around.” The building had the theatre entrance with box office in the center and space for a small business on either side. When I went there in the early fifties, there was a sandwich shop on one side and a dry cleaners on the other. Inside, there was still a small stage up front. Pictures changed twice a week, and for us kids, on Saturday morning, we got seven cartoons, two serials and a feature (usually a western) for 17 cents! If you had another dime, you could get a bag of popcorn or pull your fillings out with a box of Jujubees. I was about 10 and I made friends with the teenage projectionist who showed me the booth. To enter the projection booth, you had to climb up a wooden ladder that was nailed to the back wall. At the top, you swung your leg out into the booth. The film cans were hauled up into the booth with a pulley. Our theatre closed in 1954 or early 1955 but no one told us why. There was some talk about drugs being delt there. All we knew was that for the next two years we had to get our parents to take us to the Fox Fullerton until the new theatre opened up on Whittier Blvd.
Warren and saps, thank you for your help. I only recently arrived at this terrific site, so I have much to learn. I have been to NYC several times beginning in 2001. It just kills me that I wasn’t able to experience these theatres in their glory days. I know a number of the Los Angeles theatres but, pending the discovery of a time machine, I’ll have to rely on the experiences available here. And that’s pretty good. Thanks again.
I cannot find a Cinema Treasures page for the Mayfair theatre next to The Palace theatre in Times Square. I searched Mayfair and RKO Mayfair but got nothing. They appeared to be right next to each other in the picture I saw. Were they connected somehow? It did seem to have a separate marquee so the Mayfair should have its own page. What am I doing wrong?
The old La Habra Theatre (formerly The Garden Theatre) at 165 E. Central managed to hang around for about thirty-five years. Esther Cramer’s history of La Habra has one sentence about the theatre: “The opening of the Garden theatre, complete with orchestra, high class vaudeville acts, and films (featuring such stars as Tom Mix and comedian Harold Lloyd), attracted visitors from miles around.” The building had the theatre entrance with box office in the center and space for a small business on either side. When I went there in the early fifties, there was a sandwich shop on one side and a dry cleaners on the other. Inside, there was still a small stage up front. Pictures changed twice a week, and for us kids, on Saturday morning, we got seven cartoons, two serials and a feature (usually a western) for 17 cents! If you had another dime, you could get a bag of popcorn or pull your fillings out with a box of Jujubees. I was about 10 and I made friends with the teenage projectionist who showed me the booth. To enter the projection booth, you had to climb up a wooden ladder that was nailed to the back wall. At the top, you swung your leg out into the booth. The film cans were hauled up into the booth with a pulley. Our theatre closed in 1954 or early 1955 but no one told us why. There was some talk about drugs being delt there. All we knew was that for the next two years we had to get our parents to take us to the Fox Fullerton until the new theatre opened up on Whittier Blvd.
This theatre opened on September 6, 1956. The ad in the Los Angeles Times of that date: “Gala Opening Tonight. The Beautiful New La Habra Theatre. Southern California’s Newest and Finest Theatre. Offering You the Best in Projection! In 4 Track Stereophonic Sound! Rocking Chair Loges. Plenty of Free Parking! And Here’s Our Opening Program: Frank Sinatra in Johnny Concho
James Stewart—Doris Day in The Man Who Knew Too Much”
In reference to the initial comment on this page, the bridge connecting the east and west portions of the Westside Pavilion crossed Westwood Blvd, not Pico. The bridge was parallel to Pico. (I know, I know, but I can’t help myself.) : )
My favorite memory of the Picwood was the night I brought my mother into town to see “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” She didn’t know the film but she was thrilled after seeing it because she had gone to the dance marathons as a teenager in the early thirties. It was a great film and I was so happy that I got to share it with my mom.