Fox Venice Theatre
620 Lincoln Boulevard,
Venice,
CA
90291
620 Lincoln Boulevard,
Venice,
CA
90291
22 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 70 comments
Was there a Denny’s (or Denny’s-like) restaurant across the street from that theater in the mid-‘70s? I’m trying to figure out if I saw a movie there in '76.
Office space as a renovation? Is there a way we can have this historically monumented? It’s a damn dirty shame if it would be office space’d like the Loyola. It will just sit vacant or not be completely filled.
Renovation in the works.
https://urbanize.city/la/post/venice-620-lincoln-fox-theater-renovation?fbclid=IwAR2yaTWxiTvT2s8iL8qN6k6iJ2-FSpQbR1sJH1-Hn9mf2R4fToPkDoqcL9E
Another grand opening ad posted.
Orson Bean mentioned this theater, when he did the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (First Aired: Sep. 23, 1976) also with Orson Welles; And actress Carol Lawrence and actress Kay Lenz.
August 17th, 1951 grand opening ad in photo section. There was a strike: http://latimes.newspapers.com/clip/6128268/fox_venice_strike/
I worked at the Fox Venice when it first opened. I didn’t hold a management position, I simply manned the ticket booth and the concession stand for about a year or so. The working conditions were unique and memorable, the crew was amazing and on the cutting edge of art cinema in the US in those days. I believe they were only one of two theaters like this in the US at the time. I knew Rol and he was brilliant and eccentric fun (Hi Rol, if you read this! Remember me? I was Linda’s friend.) I loved everyone there, it was an exciting time and place, one of the best experiences I had living in Los Angeles. Anyone who worked in the projection room knows the secret of the stairway to the stars (That’s how I can tell the real ones from the storytellers). It’s a shame what became of the Fox, I had hoped it would live on as a vital part of Venice culture as it was.
In reading the New York Times article about the website, the first theater mentioned, the Fox Venice, brought back a flood of memories. My father was a district manager for Fox West Coast (the theater arm of Fox before antitrust laws required the studios to divest themselves of their theater chains)in the late 40’s through the end of the 50’s. His district included Venice and the overseeing of the new Fox Venice theater. We were so excited when the theater opened to great fanfare with a weekend filled with events to mark this opening: searchlights out in front for the first evening movies being shown, a Saturday western double bill with an in person visit by Monty Montana a B western movie “star” at the time. The theater was state of the art with a baby “crying room” available for parents, a loge section with cushier seats that required a more expensive ticket, a huge screen and for the time a good sound system. In the days before digital, the films were delivered to the theater by motorcycle riders called taggers who carried the prints from one theater to the next and I remember one time there was great concern that the films hadn’t arrived in time so my father had to go on stage to announce the delay just as the tagger was running in the front door. These theaters had projection rooms with guys (always guys) who ran them that always looked a little strange, usually smoked prodigiously but I remember one in particular that used to let me sit with him while the movie ran while he showed me how it all worked and how he timed the changing of the reels. During one particularly bad rainstorm, the theater lobby flooded in spite of the sandbags at the doors which necessitated all of the fairly new, expensive carpeting having to be replaced. Many more thoughts too numerous to recount about his many adventures managing the other Fox theaters in Santa Monica, Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach but the opening of the Venice was the highlight. When I drive by I just remember what it was and not what it has become.
PS –
I forgot to mention a Wendy Reeves interview which was published in the Free Venice Beachhead newspaper while our company was still operating the Fox Venice – enjoy it at
http://www.virtualvenice.info/media/tale.htm
My name is Rol Murrow and I was the president of Cumberland Mountain Theatres during the theater’s glory days of the 70’s! Our company turned the Fox Venice Theater into what we called a repertory cinema in 1973. We changed the program almost every day and ran films from the entire history of film, premiered many experimental and alternative films, and ran a program of live music and plays, until we sold the business to Landmark Theaters in 1979.
I also had a film production facility above the theater starting in 1969 and housed our celebrated light show called The Single Wing Turquoise Bird in the studio. There is a scene in Jim Bridges “The Babymaker” with Barbara Hershey, which was filmed in the studio, with sequences from the light show’s work.
Pat Harman has a site called Virtual Venice and I contributed to an article she wrote about the Fox Venice Theater. It is a good read! Enjoy it at
http://www.virtualvenice.info/media/fvt.htm
For the record – the Fox Venice theater opened in 1951. A prior theater called the Venice Theater was located on the boardwalk as part of the pier complex, later to be known as Pacific Ocean Pier. I believe that theater burned down, which was why the Fox Venice was built.
Landmark ran the Fox Venice theater for a couple of years after us but ran into financial trouble and sold it to Rafigh Pooya, who played mostly foreign films.
In 1988 inspectors discovered that the acoustical treatment in the theater contained asbestos and summarily closed it. No one could come up with the funding to do the cleanup and restore the building as a theater. A contractor made a deal to do the cleanup and convert it into what you see as a “department store” or “swap meet.” It is basically an indoor version of the vendors' booths you see on the Venice boardwalk.
I hope you enjoy the write-up on the Virtual Venice site above. And there are many, many more wonderful stories about the fox Venice. Google them!
If anyone has questions feel free to contact me -
rol at murrow dot info
Messiah of Evil was filmed here. The scene is available on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2ayfmkeJGc
I was the print inspector and sometimes (inept) projectionist during the theater’s final years. Shows what the place was, that they hired someone to check the prints, repair sprockets, demand a better print if one was no good. There was an editing bay upstairs where documentarians worked on their films.
Let’s not forget the amazing live shows the FV presented — David Bromberg and his big band, Toni Basil with an amazing dance/video/singing show that predates Madonna and Gaga by decades, etc. etc.
The opening paragraph should be removed then, as it is misleading. Thanks!
Don S, the above description mixes some of the facts of these two neighborhood houses. The original Venice Theatre is listed on this site as the California Theatre. Which looks like it closed in the late 40’s. One picture shows around a 1949 date that it was still open on the boardwalk in Venice. I just got a opening night program, that on the cover says “The curtain rises… on the New Fox Theatre , Venice. Gala premiere Fri. Eve Aug 17th., 1951”. So in the Film Daily 1943 that would be the old Venice Theatre and not in the 1941 edition it might be the old California Theatre listed. So my 1951 date would fall into line as a replacement theatre for the area.
William, are you saying that Venice Theater should be listed as an alternative name? From the description above, it sounds like it opened as the Venice around 43, then became the Fox Venice in 51…
Fox West Coast Theatres opened the Fox Venice Theatre on Aug. 17th, 1951. The opening feature that night was the 20th. Century-Fox film “Meet Me After the Show”.
I was the Head Projectionist & Technical Director for the Fox Venice in 70’s 80’s During the Cumberland Mountain Theater days threw the Landmark operation & the Fox International !
When the Ash Grove closed (‘73) some of the action from that club joined the Fox scene – later I was involved with the reincarnation of the Ash Grove Club at the Santa Monica Pier.
As the Fox was winding down I was also involved with the Club in Santa Monica called “At My Place” – during those last days of the Fox, I also Lived in the Loft above the Lobby (for 7 years – until the landlord was forced to remove us – long story). Landlord always wanted it to remain a theater, liked us, and wanted us to stay in the loft at least until the theater was leased again …
BUT …
… So,
Lets reincarnate; The Fabulous Fox, At My Place, Ash Grove – Dinner Theater – Movies & Music !
– Been some buzz on FB about a “At My Place reunion” …
Nice.
JohnnyVegas, was your brother Claude and your mother Shirley? I am researching Langley history – my grandfather was CL Langley, West Coast Theaters. I will be in CA in Sept and would like to tour any remaining theaters CL Langley owned/built. I have been in contact with the Alex in Glendale, which was named after my father, Claude Alexander Langley. Any and all information is greatly appreciated!
You say art house, they say revival… let’s call the whole thing off!
I must make a correction to the info provided here: The Fox Theater was an Art House during the 70s. I know because I worked there during 1973 – 74. It was run by a collective of people, mostly film school grads, or people with other related interests. It was a wonderful place to work, a unique environment and showing new wave, vintage and experimental film at a good price.
I remember taking breaks on the roof where the gigantic stars from the old sign were strewn about like fallen comets.
Johnny Vegas – was the Fox Venice also a CL Langley theater?
Essay on local theaters here:
http://tinyurl.com/yeypqxn
hey folks, check out my Facebook cause page, “Restore the Fox Venice Theater” View link -S
Here is a 1982 photo. The city is misidentified:
http://tinyurl.com/p3txvv