Rowland Heights Theatre

When I moved to Rowland Heights in 1978, there was a theater in the southeast corner of the strip mall you have described. A neighbor told me that it had previously shown children’s films, but it had converted to x-rated films by the time I came to town. It advertised itself modestly, so you didn’t really notice it was there unless you happened to look directly at it as you passed by. Even so, there was a group of mothers who objected to its presence. After several years of community protest, the theater was closed and replaced by a restaurant. A Japanese restaurant is there now, but it’s still the same building. It was never demolished.

The 5th Ave Theater was in existence in 1968. I saw “2001: A Space Odessey” there in 1969 six times in a row on one admission; such is the vitality of youth!

Six times? That is one long day!

Here is an April 1974 item from the LA Times:

WEST COVINA-Theater operator George Voss faces a new trial May 21 at Citrus Municipal Court after his first trial on obscenity charges for showing “Deep Throat” at his Rowland Heights Theater ended in a hung jury. The jury of nine men and three women was dismissed Tuesday after the foreman reported that the jury was hopelessly deadlocked at 7-5 for acquittal. After a 16-week run, the film is no longer being shown and the theater is closed.

The Theater was originally called Flack’s 5th Avenue theater, because that section of Colima Road was once called 5th Avenue once you left Hacienda Heights (or City of Industry) and entered into Rowland Heights. It is now Colima Road all the way through Rowland Heights and beyond. Flack’s 5th Avenue theater had a real cool marquee and I believe it was still Flack’s at the time they began showing Deep Throat, eventually the marquee was removed and the theater was later titled “Rowland Heights Theater” and it looked real seedy, and the name looked like it was hand painted on the outside, and it was all-adult films by this time..