Valley Guild Theatre
5161 Lankershim Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
91601
5161 Lankershim Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
91601
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Opened with “Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot”
Major correction: Opened on April 19th, 1955, not February 1st, 1945.
The 1945 opening refers to the Guild theatre in Hollywood.
1954 photo as the Valley added courtesy of Kenneth McIntyre.
Just caught a quick passing shot of this in one of the first season episodes of ADAM-12, with “Reflections in a Golden Eye” showing on the marquee. I think there was a Bob’s Big Boy across the street.
I added a 1967 photo courtesy of the Decaying Hollywood Mansions Facebook page.
There’s a giant high-rise on the site now.
Here are some photos from the early 1980s:
http://tinyurl.com/dzap4j
http://tinyurl.com/cucjuz
Here is part of an LA Times article dated 4/19/55:
In typical filmland style, Fox West Coast Theaters tonight will open the newly remodeled Valley Guild Theater in North Hollywood.
Refurbished at a cost of $35,000, the deluxe showcase, located at Lankershim & Magnolia, will feature many of the latest engineering techniques, including the newly developed “eye-intensity” curved screen, adapted for conventional pictures as well as Cinemascope.
Jacques Tati’s “Mr. Hulot’s Holiday” and “The Little Kidnappers” wil be the opening program.
This letter to the LA Times was written by a Mr. R.A. Simon on 7/24/77. It does not appear that Mr. Simon was a patron of the Pussycat Theater:
“This is part of a letter written to Councilman Joel Wachs. Certain tragic circumstances have come to my notice that the old El Portal Theater is being sold and is to be razed shortly and the Guild Theater is to be to become a porno house.
It would appear that the filth-peddlers, being forced out of Hollywood proper, are spreading their disease to the suburbs. Since the only other theater in North Hollywood (the old Lankershim Theater) is also porno, perhaps the City Council should consider making this a “red-light district” and bring to the residents the crime, pimping and prostitution that go hand-in-hand.
It seems to me that the theater owners are determined to sell to any get-rich-quick artist who doesn’t give a damn for the residents."
I once worked here showing the film Shampoo
This theatre is located at 5161 Lankershim Boulevard (at Magnolia).
William
Thank you for the reply.
Michael
The Guild/Valley Theatre was located were Lankershim Blvd. and Magnolia Blvd. meet in North Hollywood.
You might check the Los Angeles Public Library (Main Branch) for microfilm for the newspapers Los Angeles Times, Valley Times and Herald Examiner.
The last major chain to run the Valley/Guild Theatre was National General Theatres which was later sold to Mann Theatres. Before ending up as a Pussycat Theatre.
I remember going to the Valley Theatre many times in the 1950’s. As children we would sometimes argue over which was the better theatre – the El Portal or the Valley. I remeber that the El Portal was a bigger theatre and it had a majestic chandeler on the ceiling.
Where do I go to find microfilm copies of newspaper listings of the movies that played at the Valley? I think I saw Lady and the Tramp there when it first came out and we complained that it cost 50 cents to see a Disney Movie when it normally only cost 25 cents to see a movie. Maybe it might have been at the El Portal.
Michael
The Guild theatre spent it’s last few years as a Pussycat Theatre.
This theatre opened as the Valley theatre in 1938. The architect was S. Charles Lee. The theatre was renamed in the 60’s. The theatre was razed and replaced by a Hewlett- Packard building in the mid 70’s.