Theatre’s History and List of Names
1912 – The Globe
1923 – The Amusu
1930 – Rechristened The Florence Mills Theatre on December 8th (sometimes called Mills Theatre or Flo-Mill Theatre) in honor of black entertainer Florence Mills (1896-1927)
1933 – Damaged in Earthquake
1936 – Repaired with Grand reopening
1939 – Listed as Mills Theatre in Los Angeles Street Address Directory
1947 – Theatre and equipment auctioned off
1973 – No longer listed as operating in Los Angeles Street Address Directory
1987 – Cuco Video is operating out of the former lobby.
2008 – A faded Cuco Video sign remains painted on the building, but it’s boarded up. A construction sign announcing an “Earthquake Retrofit by Lehigh Construction” is posted and remains on the building for the next five years.
2013 – Demolished
I remember going to this theater in the early 1970’s when I was growing up in Hialeah. It was THE place to go see a neighborhood movie.
The theater was next door to a G.C. Murphy Co. Drug Store and my mother used to buy my sister and I popcorn and candy there before the movie. (Murphy’s popcorn was in long, thin bags that seemed two feet long, although as a kid, it may have looked bigger. The candy was, back then, only 25 cents.)
What I remember most is that during the summer, the theater would have amazing programming for kids before noon that included a cartoon, a short film (like the Three Stooges) and a movie—either an old Disney film or a newer G-rated movie. (One that stands out was a western called Against a Crooked Sky.) Between the shorts and the movie there were always prize giveaways. The theater was always packed during these screenings and the kids were excited and rowdy. What a blast.
I remember the theater as one auditorium, so it may have been twinned soon afterwards.
One other memory was when I was seven. My mother picked me up after school and took me there to see a movie during the week, which had never happened before. The theater was showing Peter Bogdanovich’s Nickelodeon and as a promotion, they were offering a matinee admission price of a nickel, so my mom wanted to take advantage of the bargain! (I think I fell asleep, but I do remember a great chase scene involving a hot air balloon and a locomotive.)
I went to visit there about a decade ago and it was no longer a theater. I took a pic and will post it when I dig it out.
Here’s a great picture of the theatre in the December 3, 1976 Los Angeles Times with the following caption:
“THEATER BURNS—Firemen battle fire burning through collapsed roof of the Star Theater, 5446 Hollywood Blvd. No one was injured but the fire, visible for miles, snarled morning rush-hour traffic. Building was a total loss, with damage estimated at $250,000.”
Theatre’s History and List of Names 1912 – The Globe 1923 – The Amusu 1930 – Rechristened The Florence Mills Theatre on December 8th (sometimes called Mills Theatre or Flo-Mill Theatre) in honor of black entertainer Florence Mills (1896-1927) 1933 – Damaged in Earthquake 1936 – Repaired with Grand reopening 1939 – Listed as Mills Theatre in Los Angeles Street Address Directory 1947 – Theatre and equipment auctioned off 1973 – No longer listed as operating in Los Angeles Street Address Directory 1987 – Cuco Video is operating out of the former lobby. 2008 – A faded Cuco Video sign remains painted on the building, but it’s boarded up. A construction sign announcing an “Earthquake Retrofit by Lehigh Construction” is posted and remains on the building for the next five years. 2013 – Demolished
I remember going to this theater in the early 1970’s when I was growing up in Hialeah. It was THE place to go see a neighborhood movie.
The theater was next door to a G.C. Murphy Co. Drug Store and my mother used to buy my sister and I popcorn and candy there before the movie. (Murphy’s popcorn was in long, thin bags that seemed two feet long, although as a kid, it may have looked bigger. The candy was, back then, only 25 cents.)
What I remember most is that during the summer, the theater would have amazing programming for kids before noon that included a cartoon, a short film (like the Three Stooges) and a movie—either an old Disney film or a newer G-rated movie. (One that stands out was a western called Against a Crooked Sky.) Between the shorts and the movie there were always prize giveaways. The theater was always packed during these screenings and the kids were excited and rowdy. What a blast.
I remember the theater as one auditorium, so it may have been twinned soon afterwards.
One other memory was when I was seven. My mother picked me up after school and took me there to see a movie during the week, which had never happened before. The theater was showing Peter Bogdanovich’s Nickelodeon and as a promotion, they were offering a matinee admission price of a nickel, so my mom wanted to take advantage of the bargain! (I think I fell asleep, but I do remember a great chase scene involving a hot air balloon and a locomotive.)
I went to visit there about a decade ago and it was no longer a theater. I took a pic and will post it when I dig it out.
Here’s a great picture of the theatre in the December 3, 1976 Los Angeles Times with the following caption:
“THEATER BURNS—Firemen battle fire burning through collapsed roof of the Star Theater, 5446 Hollywood Blvd. No one was injured but the fire, visible for miles, snarled morning rush-hour traffic. Building was a total loss, with damage estimated at $250,000.”
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