La Mirada Theatre / Filmarte / Art Linkletter Playhouse / Vine St. / Steve Allen Playhouse

1228 Vine St. Los Angeles, CA 90028  | map |

Opened: February 26, 1926 as the La Mirada Theatre, the name derived from the cross street. "Bluebird's Seven Wives" was the initial feature. By the time of this c.1937 view north on Vine the theatre had been renamed the Filmarte.

 

The photo appears as one of over 800 images in the great book "The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History" by Gregory Paul Williams, available on Amazon. It's on page 225 and is included on the preview of the book on Google Books. It's also on an "Early Views of Hollywood" Water and Power Associates Museum page where they credit it to the Los Angeles Public Library. 

Architect: Theodore Starrett, architect, with J.H. Payne, engineer. They were doing business as Starrett & Payne. In 1925 they had designed the Wabash Theatre. The firm had been involved in another project on Vine St. that didn't get built. The November 21, 1924 issue of Southwest Builder and Contractor: "Architects Starrett and Payne... have completed preliminary plans for class A Moorish theater on west side of Vine Street about 100 feet north of Hollywood Blvd., for the Hollywood Amusement Company; seating capacity 1100 people; there will be stores, studios, tea rooms, etc; $500,000." 

Seating: The original capacity was listed as 825 in a May 1926 Exhibitors Herald item. Cinema Treasures has a 900 number from an unspecified source, perhaps from a later Film Daily yearbook.

The La Mirada was a project of Holly-Vine Theatres, Inc. whose partners were J. Leslie Sarger, George Russell, film star Alice Calhoun, Frank A. Grant and Mark Hansen. Mark also had three theatres in Oxnard that he had acquired in 1922. In January 1924 he bought the Larchmont Theatre, a property that Alice was involved in operating. 

 

Mark also operated the Marquis Theatre on Melrose, a house that opened in November 1925. In May 1926 Alice and Mark would open the Marcal, a venue that much later became the World Theatre. See J.H. Graham's extensive article "The Marcal Theatre" for details about Mark's later adventures as a nightclub operator and crime suspect. 

 

 

A February 22, 1926 ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this as part of a thread about the theatre on the Ken's Movie Page Facebook group.

 

 

Alice's picture was featured with a story in the February 25, 1926 issue of the Hollywood Citizen. They noted that she was vice-president of two theatre operating companies. The article: 

 

 

 

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the article.

 

 

 

"...Hollywood grows more secure in her position as a beautiful metropolitan center," advised Community Laundry in this congratulatory ad. "Every day brings some new achievement to Hollywood to make it a bigger and better place to live." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for sharing this ad that had appeared in the February 25, 1926 issue of the Hollywood Citizen.  

 

 

An item about the opening that appeared in the February 26, 1926 issue of the L.A. Times. 

 

A March 3, 1926 ad for the theatre. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a post for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. "The Live Wire" was a September 1925 release. 

 

A March 6, 1926 L.A. Times ad noting that it had become part of the West Coast Theatres chain. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this.

The new theatre got a mention along with two small photos in the Better Theatres section of the May 15, 1926 issue of Exhibitors Herald. Thanks to Mike Hume/Historic Theatre Photography for finding it on Internet Archive. The Herald noted it was a project of Holly-Mar Theatres, Inc., and had cost $100,000 to build.  

 

In 1928 it was renamed the Filmarte and promoted as a venue for serious film lovers. "Filmarte Theatre Launched," an April 1928 L.A. Times article about the new venture located by Ken McIntyre, noted that they would be running "Strange, Artistic, Foreign Pictures" -- and that a woman ("100 pounds of piquant femininity") would be running it! The woman in question was Miss Regge Doran.

 

The reopening was May 9, 1928 with "The Golden Clown" a silent film from Denmark. 

 

 

A September 1929 item about the premiere of Carl Theodor Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this.

An August 1933 ad for "Mussolini Speaks!"

 

As the Filmarte it was a West Coast Theatres operation. It's unknown how long Regge Doran stuck around as manager. The theatre had good runs of a number of French films in the the early 1930s but there was a closure in 1933 or 1934. 

 

 

A reopening under the direction of Dr. Hugo Reisenfeld. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this November 1934 story. It's unknown how long this policy lasted.

The Filmarte had another chapter in the 1940s as a revival house while still under Fox West Coast management.

 

A 1944 ad for auditions for U.S.O. shows that was located by Ken McIntyre.

In the early 50s it was put to use as a TV studio for various shows. By 1954 it had become the Art Linkletter Playhouse and was home of his "People Are Funny" show. Part of the run of "You Bet Your Life" with Groucho Marx was also done at the Filmarte.

It got a remodel in 1961. Bruce Kimmel notes: "In July of 1961 it was completely refurbished and had a name change to the Vine Street Playhouse. Several shows played there that year and I think into early 1962."

 

A July 1961 ad for the New Playwright Company's production of Vermelle McCarter's drama "Cotton Candy" that was located by Ken McIntyre. He also spotted a review of the show by Ray Duncan that had these comments about the theatre and this show's set:

 

"The theater at 1228 N. Vine St. is a new one, renovated from the old television studio which for 13 years has housed the Art Linkletter show. Nobody can quarrel with this change. The stage is wider than Cinerama, and the vast setting for 'Cotton Candy' includes a two-story house with surrounding yard and a tornado storm-cellar. Crossing the stage is a long and tiresome trip even for these seasoned professional players, all of whom are adroit and patient. But they are lost in a large house with a small story." 

  

Bruce Kimmel notes that another show in 1961 was the musical revue called "Point of View" that featured several up-and-comers like Michele Lee, Steve Franken, John Gabriel and comedienne Jeannine Burnier. 

An ad for the 1961 production "Point of View." Thanks to Bruce for locating it.

From 1962 to 1964 it was known as the Steve Allen Playhouse. Bruce Kimmel notes that Steve went on the air from this location in June 1962. Our contributor Clarkus notes: 

"The 'Steve Allen Show' is now considered to be one of the landmark shows of television history, introducing countless new comedians and performers and some of the greatest ad-lib comedy sketches of all time. I believe the Filmarte was selected for a TV studio because of it's proximity to the Pacific Telephone video hub at Sunset and Gower. At that time, almost all video in and out of LA ran through this hub. When sending TV signals down coaxial cables, distance was critical - the shorter the better." 

 

Later it was used as a rehearsal space for musical acts and as a production facility for music videos. Marc Wanamaker relates that in 1967 Gary Essert wanted to open his club Kaleidoscope there. After a month of painting, removing seats and decorating, they got kicked out. The landlord, National General, decided they didn't want that kind of operation in one of their buildings. Their tenant had sublet without their approval. Ken McIntyre found the April 1967 L.A. Times article about the mess. After moving the opening weekend to the Embassy Room at the Ambassador, the operation later settled in at the Earl Carroll.

In the 70s the building was known as the Hilliard Studio Sound Stage. In late 1971 the space was being used for a Christmas season market. See "Yule Faire Continues This Week," a December 20 article located by Ken McIntyre.

A fire destroyed the interior in 1990. At the time it was a being used by a production company called Late Night Studios. Ron Smith had the story in the July 20 issue of the The L.A. Times:

"Fire Destroys Hollywood Studio : Damage: Cost of early-morning blaze is put at $2.6 million. No injuries were reported, but an owner of the 70-year-old building says he lost everything.

"Fire gutted a two-story Hollywood studio early Thursday, causing an estimated $2.6 million in damage to the 70-year-old building where the old 'Steve Allen Show' was made. About 110 firefighters were called to the Late Night Studios in the 1200 block of Vine Street, where they battled flames which at one time threatened to engulf a nearby apartment house, Fire Department spokesman Pat Marek said. The fire began at 2:10 a.m. and was extinguished 90 minutes later, Marek said. There were no injuries.

"Officials were investigating the cause of the fire. Rik Sciacca, one of the owners of Late Night Studios, a 5-year-old entertainment production company, said he was told faulty electrical wires sparked the fire. 'There’s nothing left,' Sciacca, who lived in a studio office, said Thursday morning as he collected the few items that were not devoured by the flames. Sciacca said nearly everything he owns has been destroyed. 'I don’t know when I’m going to cry,' Sciacca told a friend. 'I have no pants, shoes or shirts. I’m still a little shaken up. I left here at 12:15 a.m. and came back later and watched the place burn.'

"Late Night Studios is involved in, among other enterprises, the production of music videos. The structure, built in the 1920s, once was home to the Filmarte Theatre Movie House, said Hollywood historian Marc Wanamaker. Wanamaker said the theater was transformed into a television audience theater in the early 1960s. Among programs produced there was the 'Steve Allen Show.'

"Officials estimated that the fire caused $1.6 million in damage to the structure and another $1 million to its contents, which included sound stages, a rehearsal room, offices and wardrobe rooms. Two other companies rented space in the building, Sciacca said. Because of the fire, city officials closed Vine Street and several nearby roads for five hours Thursday."

Status:  What was left of the interior after the fire was gutted. There was excavation done for underground parking and the structure was rebuilt as office space. It's currently occupied by a mental health clinic.

Interior views:

An early lobby view from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. A version of it made an appearance in "Hollywood Today 1928," a 64 page rotogravure magazine published by the Hollywood Daily Citizen. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for scanning all the pages and sharing the publication as an album on Flickr. The Filmarte page also appears in the "Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Group Pool" on Flickr that's curated by Michelle Gerdes.

The Citizen's copy: "Coffee service in the attractive Lounge is an appreciated continental touch in this unique theatre."

An early view of the auditorium as the La Mirada from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note those comfy loges in the back.

A rare 1943 view of the interior after some serious draping. Thanks to the wonderful McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection for the photo. It's their item #T-014-4.

 

The rear of the house in 1943. It's a photo in the McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection, their #T-014-5.

 

More exterior views: 

 

1926 - An image that appeared in the May 15 issue of Exhibitors Herald. It's on Internet Archive. This is our only shot of the theatre with "La Mirada" on the vertical.

 

1928 - A look at the boxoffice in May from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. The theatre had just reopened as the Filmarte and as the initial attraction they were running the Danish film "Klovnen," also known as "The Golden Clown." A version of the photo with different cropping made an appearance in the Hollywood Citizen publication "Hollywood Today 1928." Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing it on Flickr. 

The Citizen's copy: "Dedicated to the presentation of the artistic, bizarre and original in silent drama, the Filmarte Theatre, at 1228 North Vine Street, has become a rendezvous for students of motion picture technique and all those who appreciate the unusual in screen productions. West Coast-Hollywood Theatres have sponsored this project, and the house is under the personal direction of Miss Regge Doran."

 

1933 - The Filmarte running "Be Mine Tonight." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting this one -- he had it as a post on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. The photo is in the McAvoy/Bruce Torrence Historic Hollywood Photographs collection as their item #T-014-2. 

 

 

 

1946 - "Owl Show Every Saturday." The theatre was running "The Bells of St. Mary's" with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for a post of the photo on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.

 

 

c.1948 - A look toward the theatre with a 1947 Kurtis Omohundro Comet in the foreground. Thanks to Tom Anderson for locating this one for the private Facebook group Mid Century Modern.  

 

c.1954 - Thanks to Scott Collette for locating this shot of the "Art Linkletter Playhouse" vertical in a reel of vacation footage that was shot in either December 1954 or January 1955. It's from Periscope Films, their item #58874 that's titled "Westward Bound." Scott has selections from the reel as a post on his Facebook page Forgotten Los Angeles. His research findings can also be seen on Instagram.

 

1955 - Filmarte signage on the theatre's south wall can be seen on the bottom edge of this photo. It was visible there well into the 1960s. Thanks to Martin Turnbull for locating this for a post on his Hollywood's Garden of Allah Novels Facebook page. He notes that "we can see the signs for the Hotel Knickerbocker, the Broadway department store, and the Plaza Hotel, as well as the Miller beer sign atop of the Taft Building at Hollywood and Vine. All four of those buildings are still with us, which for L.A., is a minor miracle."

 

1957 - A "People Are Funny" photo taken by Gerald A. Smith. It's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. While it used to be online indexed as their #00028690, evidently it got lost in a website makeover. 

 

 

1961 - A view of the Hollywood Ranch Market with the Playhouse in the next block south. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. 

1960s- The theatre as the Steve Allen Playhouse. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality for spotting it on eBay. He has it on his Noirish post # 55494. 

 

1962 - The theatre in use for the Steve Allen Show. Note the old Filmarte sign on the side wall. It's a photo from Nick Faitos. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting it. And thanks to Clarkus for doing some fine color correction and other work on it.

 

1962 - An entrance view from Nick Faitos that appears with Alison Martino's 2017 Martino's Time Machine post about the Hollywood Ranch Market. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality for spotting it for his Noirish post # 55494 where he also includes several shots of Steve Allen doing stunts for his show at the nearby market.

 

1964 - We get a drive-by in "Hollywood 1964," a minute and a half of footage on YouTube from John "Johnny Boy" Bryant. It was shot by one of his grandparents. Thanks to Stephen Russo for spotting it. We also see the Pantages, the Warner, the Iris/Fox and the Chinese.

More information: See the Cinema Treasures page for interesting research by Joe Vogel and other contributors. Wikipedia has an article on the building as the Steve Allen Playhouse.

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the L.A. Times articles about the Filmarte opening and the Kaleidoscope debacle. He had them as a comments to a post of a Filmarte photo on Photos of Los Angeles.

See the page on the Sherman Theatre in West Hollywood, another house exemplifying the "Little Cinema" movement in the mid 20s.   

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