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Back in the 1960’s Los Angeles saw a surge in “Adults Only” theatres hitting the landscape. Initially featuring more exploitation and European “art” titles, than true explicit content, the burgeoning “adults only” business model proved to be a windfall for aging and displaced cinemas. In short order, theatres which had been left behind by mainstream […]

The Laguna Beach Planning Commission recently approved plans to renovate the long shuttered South Coast Theatre. Now slated for a late 2021 reopening, the plan calls for a partial repurposing to a film, live theater, meeting, and electric car showroom space. The current 653 seat twin configuration will be returned to a single auditorium, but […]

In July of 1931, a theatre opened on Hollywood Boulevard with the bold prediction that it would “flame a revolution in film presentation.” Financially backed by business tycoon Howard Hughes, designed by renowned architect S. Charles Lee, and utilizing operations concepts which were decades ahead of their time, the theatre was among the first to […]

Grauman’s Chinese Theatre celebrated its’ 93rd birthday in silence on Monday (5/18). Hopefully, we will see ” The World’s Most Glorious Temple of the Cinema” celebrate 94 in a more appropriate fashion; full of adoring fans. On an interesting side note, 93 years ago the public had a chance to buy into the Chinese Theatre, […]

“Forgotten” would seem to be an unlikely moniker for a cinema directly associated with the most famous movie theatre in the world. However, that proved to be the fate of Mann’s Chinese 2 & 3 (aka Mann’s Chinese Twin). Envisioned as a moviegoing mecca, built as a modern take on a classic, and falling victim […]

Amid the trivia and legends surrounding Grauman’s Chinese one often comes across mentions of a secret underground tunnel which once linked the theatre to either the Hollywood Masonic Temple or Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel (the tunnel mate tends to vary by the age of the story’s source). Secretly constructed by Hollywood powerbroker Charles E. Toberman, operated […]

Irvine’s Woodbridge Theatre quietly turned forty on February 8, 2020. A significant milestone, when one considers all that has taken place over the past four decades. A saturation of modern theatres in the area, the megaplex/stadium seating era, the financial collapse of two operators, and countless shifts in public tastes unfolded around this modest five […]

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 […]

Following up our piece on theatre celebrity appearances, we have this unique memento from George Herman “Babe” Ruth’s 1924 promotional appearance at Grauman’s Million Dollar Theatre. By 1924 Babe Ruth had moved beyond mere baseball superstar and in to the realm of pop culture icon. Drawing intense media coverage and large crowds wherever he went, […]

Today’s photos depict the ushers of Santa Ana’s West Coast Theatre, circa 1934. Originating from a photo album sold at an Altadena estate sale, the pictures were alleged to have been taken by the theatre’s owner. By 1934, the West Coast was under the ownership of Fox West Coast Theatres, so the ownership reference may […]