Major Theatre
333 N. San Fernando Boulevard,
Burbank,
CA
91502
333 N. San Fernando Boulevard,
Burbank,
CA
91502
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The Major Theatre was one of the neighborhood theaters that once was located in Burbank. It was operating by 1938, and continued until 1962/63 when the interior was damaged in a fire.
Contributed by
William Gabel
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The Major is mentioned in this Burbank retrospective:
http://tinyurl.com/5k2jsk
Here is an October 1955 item from Boxoffice magazine:
Fred Stein, who recently purchased the Major in Burbank from Sid Pink and asssociates, has appointed Larry Marcus manager of the house. Meanwhile, Pink has taken over the Grand in Anaheim, which in recent years has been open two days a week, specializing in Spanish-language films.
Here is a June 1955 item from the LA Times:
Two film thrillers will be coupled on 19 screens throughout the greater Los Angeles area next Wednesday. “It Came from Beneath the Sea†and “Creature with the Atom Brain†are booked at RKO Hillstreet, Belmont, Hawaii, Capitol Glendale, United Artists Pasadena, United Artists East LA, United Artists Inglewood, Dome, Ocean Park, Southside, Van Nuys, Culver, Wardman, Major, Burbank and five drive-ins.
“It Came from Beneath the Sea†deals with a monster jet propelled from the ocean’s depth by an H-bomb to attack the world. “Creature with the Atom Brain†is a drama of men who return from the dead via the power of the atom.
It must’ve been just a couple of doors down from the Loma. Both are now gone, swallowed up by tacky condos.
If the “North” part of the address is right, it’s about four blocks from where the Loma was. But the zoning info for that building (still officially listed as 331 N. Golden Mall, which is what that section of San Fernando Blvd. was called for a while) indicates that the building’s still standing.
Property Type Store
Building Size 7,920 Sq. Ft.
Lot Size 7,911 Sq. Ft.
Year Built 1937
Parcel No. 2453 -003 -004
Zoning Code C1*
It’s now split into the Zamba store at 331 N San Fernando Blvd. and a Tae Kwon Do studio at 335 N San Fernando Blvd. Then again, I’m not sure the address is accurate, as it’s listed above as San Fernando Road, even though it changes to San Fernando Boulevard within Burbank limits.
It looks like that address was already converted to retail in this 1967 shot, between Kay jewelers and Penney’s:
http://wesclark.com/burbank/palm_ave_worker.jpg
Oh, and the address is correct, therefore it’s still standing. The 333 address is still used for a tiny storefront in between the two halves of the old theatre, last used for a booth selling and buying jewelry. It may have been the box office. There’s terrazzo on one side for a shoe store that looks early 1960s vintage, so the Major Theatre probably didn’t survive past the 1950s. A couple aerial views from the photos found in the 1959 time capsule opened in 2009 show a small neon tower on the roof.
Here’s a page of a 1950s directory that confirms the address: http://wesclark.com/burbank/abc_directory/005.jpg
A photo of the lobby of the Major Theatre appears on this page of Boxoffice Magazine, January 8, 1938.
Apparently it closed after a fire broke out in 1962 or 1963, severely damaging the interior.