Fifty years ago, this week, the grand single screen era began its’ swan song with the opening of the National Theatre in Westwood.
Opened on 3/26/70, with an invitational premiere of “The Boys in the Band”, National General’s 1,112 seat modern palace was among the last grand single screen builds, as the industry had already begun a shift to multiplexes towards the close of the preceding decade. However, the National proved to be far more than the last gasp of a dying era or a mistimed offering. Over the ensuing decades, the National Theatre was a regional powerhouse, which hosted numerous record-breaking engagements and exclusive runs of top grossing tittles. The venue’s enormous 56’ x 26’ screen, cavernous auditorium, and highly regarded presentation quality remained a favorite of moviegoers and studios well in to the 1990’s.
Unfortunately, by the turn of the new millennium, the National’s days were numbered. While having survived the multiplex and megaplex eras, relatively unscathed, the theatre was unable to overcome rising property values, new zoning regulations, and the dwindling fortunes of its’ operator. After Mann Theatres shuttered the National on 4/19/07, the venue had a brief run under an independent exhibitor, before closing a final time six months later. The single screen era’s last gift to the moviegoing experience was razed in January of 2008 and a three-story retail/apartment complex was erected on the site in 2014.
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