King Hing Theatre
649 N. Spring Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90012
649 N. Spring Street,
Los Angeles,
CA
90012
7 people
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I wonder what’s up with this. As of Jan. 2022, it’s in a bad state. Graffiti covering much of the front, door bashed in, with trash inside, seemingly housing transients. Hey maybe that’s more useful than sitting disused. Still, it was a great theater and I wish it could have been so again…
King Hing still standing as of Feb. 2017 per Google maps. You can glimpse the vertical marquee in the distance down N. Spring St (from Ord St.) in Polanski’s CHINATOWN (1974). Presumably the entire climax of the film was filmed on that block of N. Spring between Ord St. & W. Cesar Estrada Chavez Avenue. See accompanying screen shot from CHINATOWN in King Hing photos..
http://la.curbed.com/2017/1/11/14241318/200-units-red-car-chinatown-king-hing-theater
Still sitting there, doing nothing as of May 2015. I wait in my car by it all the time and wanted to know more about it, which led me here.
This theater is in danger of being demolished right now (12/2014). The owner is in negotiations with a developer to level this whole block to build yet another apartment tower with retail on the street level. This is the last remaining historic Chinese language theater in Los Angeles and along with the adjacent buildings (all built in the late 1800s) are a valuable part of the cities historic core and should be saved. Please add your voice to help save this historic property.
Here are some February 2009 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/b4pd7o
http://tinyurl.com/ckjj86
http://tinyurl.com/cdgn5f
It still looks vacant. I guess Quentin Tarantino let us down.
I wish that I could’ve been there for the Grindhouse Fest, but i missed it. It did sound like it was great like you said, ScottS, but I couldn’t go. For some strange reason, I’ve ACTUALLY HEARD OF most of the movies in Quentin’s Grindhouse Fest. Like for example, I’ve heard of these movies from memories of L.A. Times ads, TV, etc.:
“Screams of a Winter Night(what I heard about this movie, although I don’t know if it’s actually a good or bad movie, is that the only famous person involved w/ this was a cameo by the young actor who played the hero in 1985’s "Fright Night”)"
“Wonder Women"
A very strange movie that I barely remember from L.A. area TV. I guess that "WW” is just another ripoff of the James Bond movies. I remember this having a very strange ending, also. And unless actress Lynda Carter was not really that big of a star back then or if you’re not a comic book fan, then you’d WONDER or be confused. For one thing, I wonder if DC Comics knew about the use of that movie title. I guess that doesn’t matter since “Wonder Women” is a very unknown movie, starring Nancy Kwan(also unknown except to we Chinese?).
Went to several nights of the Grindhouse Fest, which was SO GREAT, but unfortunately I missed Quentin. I heard that he did show up 2 or 3 times, but it was a long festival, every night for almost two months.
Did any of you go to Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse Film Festival ‘07 at the Beverly Cinema? That took place last March to May 1, 2007. if you did, then did you ask QT about the status of the King Hing theatre?
It’s possible to peek through the blinds and see that there are a bunch of canisters stacked up on top of each other in the front room. I’m sure the sunlight and fluctuations in temperature are not good for the films. I hope the renovation happens soon. In the meantime, maybe the films should be stored better? If anyone has any way of getting a message to the owner or Mr. Tarantino….
After I posted my question, I found this on another msg board (lottaliving):
“I just called the L.A. Chinatown Business Improvement District, and they said that the King Hing Movie Theatre(formerly Sing Lee Theatre) is renovating now and will open soon.” (dated Jan. 06)
Is there any recent news on this? It appears that nothing is going on there. Anybody?
When is Quentin going to reopen it?