Los Angeles Theatres

Navigating Your L.A. Theatre Tour

Welcome to the tour! In addition to this Los Angeles Theatres site, I have two other websites devoted to historic theatres in the L.A. area. All the material on those sites is (slowly) moving over here. The version of the program they're hosted on is being discontinued. But the pages should be up and functional at least into the middle of 2018.

I'm currently working on the downtown theatres -- with a few side trips to do new versions of pages for some of the more important buildings in outlying areas. The Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page will let you know what new items have been added either here or to the doomed web pages. My Theatres In Movies site might also warrant a look -- it's an ongoing project tracking which Los Angeles area theatres have showed up in films.

If you can't find what you're looking for, leave me a comment on this post or do an e-mail to counterb@gmail.com. See you at the movies! -- Bill Counter

This site on a Mobile Device: If you find what you're looking for here on this post, terrific. But also note that you can go to the bottom of any page or post and click on "View Web Version" to get the navigation links at the top of the page and the long list down the right side.

Historic Theatres Downtown

The survey page gives a rundown on the 20 major surviving theatre buildings in the Downtown Theatre District. There are links to pages about each of them for more detail. You might also want to consult alphabetical rundowns on pages for Hill St. and farther west, the Broadway Theatres, Spring St. Theatres and Main St. and farther east. Those pages give you more detail, including discussions about all the theatres that have vanished.

In addition, there's a downtown alphabetical theatre list with alternate names and a theatre list by address.

Historic Hollywood Theatres

Hollywood wasn't just about the movies. Starting in the mid 20s it was also a center for legitimate theatre and musical revues at four newly built playhouses. You'll find an alphabetical list of the theatres in the district on the Hollywood Theatres overview page that includes a bit of data on each and links to pages for more details. Down below this list there's also an alternate name directory.

Also of possible interest is a separate section with a list of theatres by street address.

Westside Theatres

The Westside started booming with retail and housing in the mid 20s and the theatres followed. Many theatres along Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills, and in other neighborhoods became prime venues for everything from small foreign films to major roadshows. It's a huge territory. The Westside Theatres overview page gives you both a list by neighborhood as well as a survey arranged alphabetically.

Also see the list of Westside Theatres: by street address and the Westside Theatres: alphabetical list page which includes alternate names.

Westwood and Brentwood

Westwood Village was the third significant theatre district to evolve in Los Angeles, after Downtown and Hollywood. With the construction of the UCLA campus beginning in the late 20s there was a chance to develop a unique shopping and entertainment district for faculty and students. By the 1970's the area had evolved so that Westwood had the largest concentration of first run screens of any neighborhood in Los Angeles. The Westwood and Brentwood Theatres overview page will give you a tour of the area.

Santa Monica Theatres

Santa Monica had a vibrant theatrical life even in the days when it was a small town isolated from the rest of Los Angeles. There were opera houses, nickelodeons and, later, a selection of movie palaces to chose from. The Santa Monica Theatres page will give you the rundown on theatres including the Aero, the Criterion, the Elmiro, the Mayfair and many more.

[more] L.A. Movie Palaces

This site tries to fill in all the other areas of Los Angeles County. You'll find separate sections on theatres north of Downtown, San Fernando Valley Theatres, Long Beach, Pasadena, Glendale, theatres along the coast, and lots more. The home page has links to all these theatres organized by area.

More resources: If you are still having trouble finding what you're looking for, these pages might help. The alphabetical lists also include alternate names for each venue.
- Downtown Theatres: alphabetical name list
- Downtown Theatres: by street address
- Westside Theatres: alphabetical name list
- Westside Theatres: by street address
- Hollywood Theatres: by street address
- Main Los Angeles County Theatres list: alphabetical
- Main Los Angeles County Theatres list: by address
- San Fernando Valley Theatres list: by street address
- San Gabriel Valley, Pomona and Whittier Theatres list: by street address
- Film and Theatre Technology Resources
- Theatre History Resources
- Theatre list by Architect
- Theatre Tours and Events

Happy touring! Please let me know if you spot errors, links that don't work, etc.

State Theatre: history

Opened: November 12, 1921 as Loew's State. The location at 7th and Broadway was at the time the busiest intersection downtown. In addition to the Broadway entrance, until 1936 the theatre also used an entrance at 306 W. 7th St. Photo: Bill Counter - 2007

The opening attraction was Metro's "Liliom." Marcus Loew was in attendance with a bevy of stars. Wonderfully successful as a vaudeville/movie house, it later featured elaborate stage shows by Fanchon and Marco with leading performers. Judy Garland sang here when she was still one of the Gumm Sisters.

The State Theatre is now owned by the Delijani family's Broadway Theatre Group with Ed Baney as General Manager. BTG also owns the Los Angeles, Palace and Tower theatres. Since 1998 the State has been leased out to a church. That lease expires in October 2017.

Phone: 213-629-2939 Website: www.statetheatre.la

Seating: 2,404, the largest capacity of all the Broadway theatres.

Architects: Charles Peter Weeks and William Day of the San Francisco based firm Weeks & Day designed the theatre and the striking red brick and terracotta clad twelve story office building. It's the largest brick-clad building in downtown Los Angeles. The firm designed many other theatres including the Fox theatres in Oakland, San Diego, San Jose and Sacramento.

Associated with them in the design was the firm of the Reid Brothers, well known for their many designs of theatres and other commercial buildings. They were also based in San Francisco.

The theatre rising in April 1921. It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. The building is on a 160 x 169 foot lot. The State's office building is now known as the United Building. Through at least the late 30s there was a cafeteria in the basement with Moorish themed decor.

The theatre was built as the west coast showcase for the product of the Loew's subsidiary Metro Pictures which later evolved into MGM. Loew didn't operate the theatre himself. That was initially contracted out to the San Francisco based theatre operators Ackerman and Harris, dubbed Loew's "west coast representatives." Note their names on the construction signage.

Ackerman and Harris had previously worked with Loew in San Francisco. They ran the Gaiety Theatre for him, a venue later known as Loew's Hipppodrome and Loew's Union Square. In 1922 when Loew built the Warfield on Market St. in San Francisco Ackerman and Harris ran that for him as well.

West Coast Theatres took over management in 1925. They also ended up with the Warfield. These were the only west coast theatres for the Loew chain. Although operated by Fox West Coast for Loew's for much of its early life, the theatre kept the Loew's name on the signage and in advertising until 1949 when, because of the consent decree, it was one of a number of theatres the Fox circuit had to relinquish control over.

It became known as "The State" when United Artists Theatre Circuit took over the management. The signage didn't get changed until 1955. Metropolitan Theatres was the final operator for its life as a film house.

Harris, Loew and Ackerman in a photo from the Exhibitors Trade Review.

A December 3, 1921 article in Exhibitors Trade Review discussed the opening:

“The new theatre is of Spanish renaissance architecture, in keeping with a California style. It is combined with a Moorish effect, which gives a gorgeous interior decoration. Every seat in the house gives a broadside view of the stage.

"The ventilating system provides a mushroom distributor under each seat. A vacant seat call designed by Manager Holt and W. F. Scott, the house stage director, and which is known as the Holtscott system, has been installed....

"The theatre was christened by Viola Dana with a bottle of real champagne broken over the facade of the building on the the opening night. Of the 2,800 seats, one thousand were sold to the public at a box office sale which started Thursday, Nov. 10, at 10 o’clock and closed at noon the same day.

"Stars who participated were Buster Keaton, Ora Carew, T. Roy Barnes, Wanda Hawley, George Beban, Herbert Rawlinson, Bebe Daniels and Wallie Reid. Fred Niblo was master of ceremonies and Bert Lytell introduced Mr. Loew.

"The theatre was a blaze of lights both inside and out. It is the 200th theatre built by Marcus Loew and is the most completely equipped on the coast. It is housed in a twelve-story building costing $2,500,000. The theatre proper cost $1,500,000. It was built by Woods Brothers [sic], Weeks and Day, and is under the direction of Ackerman and Harris, Western managers for Loew in San Francisco. Manager Nat Holt was formerly in charge of the Hippodrome."

Thanks to Cezar Del Valle for finding the article and posting it on his Theatre Talks blog.

The new theatre got a page in a 1922 issue of Architectural Digest survey issue of noteworthy southern California buildings. It's on Google Books from the Stanford Library collection. Several photos of the theatre appeared the July 1923 issue of Architect and Engineer as part of a portfolio of work by Weeks & Day. It's on Internet Archive.

A 1923 view north on Broadway. The theatre is running "The Meanest Man in the World." It's a Los Angeles Public Library photo. Here they've already added a readerboard up on the second floor. The marquee would soon get more elaborate as well.

In 1924 Marcus Loew engineered the merger of Metro with the Goldwyn Co. (which Sam Goldwyn had departed from in a 1922 power struggle) and the Louis B. Mayer group -- resulting in Metro-Goldwyn Pictures. By 1925, Mayer's name was also part of the company name, thus becoming MGM. MGM's prestige product was well suited to the type of theatres operated by the Loew's Corporation. Although at its height in the late 1920s, the circuit totaled only about 160 theatres, they were typically lavish first runs in major cities.

West Coast gets the management contract:

A 1925 ad for Loew's State after a change of management. This ad for "The Unholy Man" with Lon Chaney notes: "direction West Coast Theatres, Inc." In addition to the film, we got the Fanchon and Marco "Orchids Idea." From 1925 until 1935 (with a few breaks) Fanchon and Marco were responsible for the elaborate prologues that accompanied the features.

These "Ideas" frequently were staged at a suburban house like the Manchester, got their debut at Loew's State, and then toured the West Coast Theatres circuit. The chain would become Fox West Coast when William Fox got a controlling interest in 1929.

"New $100,000 refrigeration plant now in operation." It's a 1927 ad from "Now," the West Coast Theatres promo magazine. Thanks to Cezar Del Valle for locating this.

In early 1932 the Fanchon and Marco stage shows were discontinued and the State went to a film-only policy. When the F&M shows came back downtown in October 1932 it wasn't at the State but at the newly reopened United Artists. That policy there didn't last long and the live shows later resumed at the State.

Consent decree divorcement: In 1949 Fox West Coast turned the operation of Loew's State over to United Artists Theatre Circuit as part of the consent decree separating the studios from their theatre chains. Fox and its predecessor company, West Coast Theatres, had operated the State since 1925.

UATC, previously just a holding company, started actively operating the theatres that they had built in the 1927-1932 period that Fox West Coast had been running for them. This included the United Artists downtown, the Four Star and the United Artists houses in Inglewood, East Los Angeles and Pasadena.

In addition, the consent decree attempted to minimize the Fox West Coast chain's near monopoly position in Los Angeles by requiring Fox to divest itself of about a dozen other theatres such as the State and the Egyptian. The State was sometimes listed in UA ads as the United Artists State.

A renovation proposed in 1955 for the United Building/State Theatre. Fortunately it didn't happen. Thanks to Steven Otto for posting the rendering on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

Metropolitan Theatres takes over: In January 1963, the State Theatre was acquired by Sherill Corwin's Metropolitan Theatres and, after downtown could no longer support major first-run bookings, was used for action flicks as well as Spanish language product in its final years. One by one as the larger circuits left downtown Metropolitan bought buildings and acquired leases. They closed the State in 1997.

Use as a church: In 1998 the State was leased to a church group. The current lease term expires in October 2017 and the word is that it won't be renewed by the Delijani family. As far as what the plans are when the church leaves, nothing has been announced.

The State in its church era. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for the 2013 photo.

The State Theatre in the Movies:

One of many views of Harold Lloyd and the alley side of the State in "Never Weaken." He has some dazzling scenes up on what looks like an unfinished building in this 1921 Pathe release. Some shots were from 1st and Hill but here we're at 7th and Hill looking east at the back of the Loew's State building -- then under construction.

We get a look at the State in a big cruise down Broadway during the opening credits of Dennis Hopper's "Colors" (Orion, 1988). We also see the Million Dollar, Palace and Broadway Theatres. It's all downhill after that. The credit sequence can be seen on YouTube.

"Action Jackson" (Lorimar, 1988) with Carl Weathers and Craig T. Nelson is set in Detroit but we get a number of Los Angeles views including the Alexandria Hotel, Cole's P.E. Buffet and this shot of Loew's State. You probably don't want to watch it unless you're obsessed with picking out the L.A. filming locations.

Sade makes a run south on Broadway past the State (running "Hellraiser III") in her 1992 music video "No Ordinary Love." Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting it -- and figuring out where we were. The video is on You Tube .

The word is that the interior of the State was used for scenes in Brian Gibson's "What's Love Got To Do With It" (Touchstone Pictures, 1993), a film about Tina Turner starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburn. The State also appears in the TV version of "Gypsy" starring Bette Midler (1993).

The State is seen briefly as a c.1895 New York City theatre in Walter Hill's "Wild Bill" (United Artists, 1995). A commentator on Cinema Treasures noted that the current house valence was installed by that production.

Christian Bale and Brian Dennehy spend a lot of time inside and on the roof of the Palace Theatre in Terrence Malick's "Knight of Cups" (Broad Green Pictures, 2015). Here in one roof shot we get a look south toward the State Theatre building. In addition to many scenes in the Palace, the film also has brief views of the Los Angeles, Warner Downtown and Wiltern theatres. See the post on Theatres In Movies for more from the film.

Earlier plans: There were once plans to turn the office building into 155 "bite-sized" condos. In 2008 Eric Richardson wrote on Blogdowntown: "The United Building, better known as the State Theatre Building, could soon become home to 155 live-work condo units." The condo project was not pursued and the spaces upstairs in the United Building continued to be rented out as offices and light manufacturing.

The Delijanis have announced various other plans over the years to revitalize all four of their theatres and in 2013 applied for liquor licenses and use permits that would have, for operational purposes, designated the four buildings as a single complex. They were asking for permits for possible 24 hour operation (but drinks stopping at 2 am). The various venues could have been operated by the owners themselves or in conjunction with outside operators. The point was to get licensed for whatever combination of uses eventually evolved. The 2013 plans envisioned up to 4 separate uses. The auditorium, lobbies and part of the basement would have been considered one venue with a maximum occupancy of 2,818 people or 2,487 seats. This could have been either with theatre seating or some removed for a dance floor.

Three additional bars and clubs were outlined for the basement. A basement bar and lounge with a DJ entertainment might have had 202 seats and a 250 square foot dance floor. Another basement bar and lounge was listed as a possibility with 96 seats and a 335 square foot dance floor. There might also have been yet another basement bar with a DJ, 159 seats and a 460 square foot dance floor. Some of these basement uses would have been in the former cafeteria space. See "Delijanis Move Forward With Plans...," a May 28, 2013 story for the Downtown L.A. News for more details.

The liquor licenses were obtained but later surrendered as a requirement that the theatres all have kitchens for food service wasn't met. Later work has included installation of kitchen facilities in the basements of the Palace and Los Angeles Theatres. The basement of the State remained unused except for some areas used by the church.

More information: The State Theatre website has a fine history page.

The Cinema Treasures page on the State Theatre has lots of historical detail and particularly interesting discussions of operational history of various theatre circuits in downtown Los Angeles. The Cinema Tour page on State Theatre has a short history and some nice 2003 photos by Adam Martin, including interior views.

See the Bringing Back Broadway site for information on Councilman Jose Huizar's initiative to revitalize the street. Frank and Maria of the blog Franklin Avenue got into the theatre in 2012. For all the details (and photos) check out their post "Sneaking Inside Downtown's State Theatre."

Visit Mike Hume's Historic Theatre Photography page about the State for lots of data and many fine photos of different areas of the building. Wikipedia has a page on the State Theatre.

The State Theatre pages: back to top - history | vintage exterior views | recent exterior views | ticket lobby | lobbies and lounges | vintage auditorium views | recent auditorium views | projection booth | backstage | basement cafeteria |

| Downtown: theatre district overview | Hill St. and farther west | Broadway theatres | Spring St. theatres | Main St. and farther east | downtown theatres by address | downtown theatres alphabetical list | Westside | Hollywood | Westwood and Brentwood | Santa Monica and Venice | [more] Los Angeles Movie Palaces | the main alphabetical list | theatre history resources | film and theatre tech resources | welcome and site navigation guide |

State Theatre: vintage exterior views

1921 - Steel is going up for the State in this March 16 photo in the collection of the Los Angeles Public Library. The photo was taken by George F. Adair Photo Service.

1921 - An alley view of the nearly complete building in the collection of the Los Angeles Public Library. It was taken August 5 by George F. Adair Photo Service. Note that the lower building to the left of the State's exit stairs is the Palace of Pictures Theatre on 7th St. -- soon to close. The building is still there but it's been retail since 1921.

1921 - A J.C. Milligan construction photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note the Ackerman and Harris name on the signage. That San Francisco based firm would be operating the theatre for Loew.

More construction photos from the George F. Adair Co. in the LAPL collection: beginning - Feb 4 | framing underway - March 4 | framing - top of building - March 8 | balcony framing - April 15 | from Broadway - April 15 | from Broadway - May 13 | alley view - May 27 | front view - August 19 | front view - nearly complete - September 16 |

1921 - An early tinted postcard look at Loew's State from Cezar Del Valle's Theatre Talks collection. It's based on a pre-opening drawing. Here we don't have much in the way of a marquee on either side and no vertical sign yet on the corner. Cezar is a Brooklyn-based theatre historian. For other interesting material see his website Theatre Talks and visit him on Facebook

1921 - This pre-opening photo is from the collection of Fred McSpadden, longtime Los Angeles and Arizona theatre manager. His notes on the back of the photo indicate it was taken "about 3 weeks before opening" and that he was the assistant manager. Note the November 12th date for the opening is visible on both marquees. The photo appears courtesy of Bill Buehler of the Fox Tucson Memories Project.

1922 - The State with Viola Dana in "The Five Dollar Baby," a June release. The marquee also advertises a "Classy Girl Revue" with a cast of 25. It's a lovely postcard from the Michelle Gerdes collection. Thanks, Michelle! The Los Angeles Public Library also has a version of the card.

also from 1922: "Broadway Rose"- Los Angeles Public Library | west on 7th - Los Angeles Public Library | "Gay and Devilish" - Doris May - Los Angeles Public Library |

c.1923 - A superb postcard from the Michelle Gerdes collection appearing as a post on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page. Note that there's no readerboard yet on the second floor. Check out the second vertical and marquee at the 7th St. entrance. It was in use until 1936.

from 1923: "The Meanest Man in the World" - looking north - Los Angeles Public Library | "Famous Mrs. Fair" - Los Angeles Public Library |

1924 - A postcard of the State from the James Staub collection appearing on the SoCal Historic Architecture Facebook page. The program that week included "Wine of Youth" with Eleanor Boardman, the Fanchon and Marco "Birdland" Idea, and a Lloyd Hamilton comedy.

also from 1924: "Woman on the Jury" with Frank Mayo - looking north - USC Digital Library

from 1925: "A Slave of Fashion" - "Greater Movie Season" banner - USC Digital Library | "Cheaper To Marry" - USC Digital Library |

1920s - A view looking north on Broadway from Elizabeth Fuller on Flickr. It's from her wonderful Old Los Angeles Postcards collection. The 600 block with the Orpheum/Palace is on the right. The card was mailed in 1940 but it's obviously a pre-1926 picture as what is now called the Palace Theatre still has the vertical signs saying "Orpheum."

also from the 1920s: straight down - 7th & Broadway - Los Angeles Public Library | straight down - another view - LAPL | straight down - yet another - LAPL |

1926 - A California Historical Society photo looking south on Broadway. It's in the USC Digital Library collection.

1926 - A detail from the USC photo above. The State is playing "Into Her Kingdom," an August release with Corinne Griffith. Note the matching marquees of the theatre and the basement cafeteria, just beyond. The signage atop the marquee has a West Coast Theatres logo and lettering underneath that reads "Everybody Goes to West Coast Shows."

1926 - A view from above of downtown's busiest intersection. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this one. Loew's State is playing "Syncopating Sue" starring Corinne Griffith.

1926 - A Los Angeles Public Library photo looking north toward Loew's State and 7th St. Note the "cafeteria" sign on the marquee above the office building entrance. The cafeteria was in the basement. The theatre was running "Men of Steel," a July release.

also from 1926: "The Waning Sex" - Los Angeles Public Library | south on Broadway - Los Angeles Public Library | looking down at 7th & Broadway - May Murray - "Valencia" - Los Angeles Public Library | looking east on 7th + Pantages dome - Los Angeles Public Library |

c.1927 - A C.C. Pierce view looking north on Broadway in the collection of the Huntington Digital Library Library. Note that the Palace has its new signage and is no longer the Orpheum. There are also versions of the photo in the USC Digital Library and in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. On the USC and Huntington sites you can use the slider to get a larger image -- then you can pan around to explore details.

also c.1927: north toward the Palace - another shot - Los Angeles Public Library

1928 - A photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection of a Christmas star over 7th & Broadway and the State running "Dream of Love" with Joan Crawford.

1928 - Elizabeth Fuller's Old Los Angeles Postcards collection on Flickr (686 at last count) includes this card looking west on 7th St. It's based on the LAPL photo above.

1929 - A look up 7th St. toward the Pantages in a Los Angeles Public Library collection photo.

1929 - A Christmas 1929 view north toward 7th from the Dick Whittington Studio in the USC Digital Library collection.

1929 - A detail from the USC photo above, giving us a close look at the marquee. Note the changeable neon letters used on the readerboard above the marquee. And look at that end panel of the marquee with almost a digital sign look to it -- presumably a programmable array of incandescent lamps. The 1929 photo is part of a set surveying downtown Christmas decorations that year. Thanks to Stephen Russo for finding the set of 7 photos on the USC site.

from 1930: down onto the marquee - Rube Wolf appearing - Los Angeles Public Library

1931 - A USC Digital Library view looking south on Broadway. The decorations are for the November Fiesta Week.

1931 - The State running "Body and Soul" along with the Fanchon & Marco "Mickey Mouse Idea." The photo is in the Tom B'hend and Preston Kaufmann Collection, part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Margaret Herrick Library Digital Collection. Note the banner proclaiming the State the birthplace of the Fanchon & Marco "Ideas."

1932 - A glorious view west on 7th with the street decorated for the Olympics. The card is in the collection of Michelle Gerdes. Thanks, Michelle!

1932 - Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this 7th St. view and posting it on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles. The photo had appeared on a KCET Olympics page where they credit the LA 84 Foundation. The small building beyond the State was the Palace of Pictures from 1916 through 1921. The building survives, as retail.

1930s - A wonderful Broadway postcard in the Theatres collection of Gerald DeLuca on Photobucket. Looking north, you can see the Palace Theatre up the street.

1935 - We're looking west on 7th at the side entrance. The photo is one of a set of five Dick Whittington Studio photos in the USC Digital Library collection featuring hordes of May Co. shoppers. The film this week is "China Seas." The Warner is down a block at 7th & Hill.

also from 1935: looking east on 7th from Hill - USC Digital Library

1937 - A Herman Schultheis photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection gives us a view looking north with the State running "Double Wedding" and "45 Fathers." Check out the new marquee.

c.1937 - Christmas crowds at 7th & Broadway in a Los Angeles Public Library collection photo by Herman Schultheis.

1937 - A view south with the State running "The Bride Wore Red." It's a Herman Schultheis photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Note those great neon curlicues on the building.

1938 - Frasher Foto Card looking up 7th, with the Warner in the distance. It's on the Online Archive of California site from the collection of the Pomona Public Library.

1938 - A photo from the Los Angeles Public Library with the State running "Happy Landing" with Don Ameche. They also have a somewhat cropped version in the collection.

1939 - A look east on 7th St. toward Broadway. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this one. Note the zig-zag neon added to the facade.

1939 - A photo from the L.A. Times Framework page of the Labor Day parade passing 7th & Broadway.

also from 1939: looking north from 8th & Broadway - USC Digital Library

1940 - This great postcard appears in Elizabeth Fuller's Old Los Angeles Postcards collection on Flickr. We're looking up 7th toward the Warner. The State's second feature is "Dr. Kildare Goes Home."

also from 1940: "Brigham Young" - north from 8th - Gallen Kamp's shoes - USC Digital Library | "The Man I Married " - looking south to the Globe - USC Digital Library | "The Man I Married" - from above - USC Digital Library |

1942 - Looking north on Broadway toward Loew's State. The Los Angeles Public Library has the photo in their Blackstock Negatives collection.

1942 - A May photo by Bob Landry for Life, part of a portfolio done for a spread called "Streetcar Party." It's on Google/Life Images. On Google, the "related images" selection has other views of the "Syncopation Special." Also see another State shot in the set. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Tourmaline for including this photo and others from the set in Noirish post #35591.

1942 - Thanks to Ken McIntyre for this "I Married an Angel" shot on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

also from 1942: "Ten Gentlemen From West Point" - boxoffice view - USC Digital Library

c.1942 - A superb view west on 7th with a bit of Loew's State on the left, Bullocks on the right, and the Warner down the block at 7th & Hill. Thanks to Sean Ault for finding the photo on eBay.

The corner sign says "There's Always a Better Show at Loew's State." Later during the war (and as late as 1948) the top was covered with an "Open All Night" sign. That round clock we see at Hamilton Diamond Co. was evidently installed in 1940 or a bit later.

1943 - Catching the trolley in front of Loew's State. The shot was added to the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page by Michelle Gerdes.

also from 1943: "Thousands Cheer" - looking toward the Palace with "Newsreels" on the verticals - USC Digital Library | smaller, cropped version of USC photo - Los Angeles Public Library |

1944 - A look at the State during a parade to sell war bonds. It was once on Photos of Los Angeles but then disappeared. The State is running "Laura."

1944 - A rainy day parade shot with the State running "The Climax" with Boris Karloff. It was once on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page but then vanished.

1940s - A postcard in the California State Library collection featuring a Bob Plunkett photo looking north from between 7th and 8th with the Loew's State building on the left.

also from the 1940s: 7th St. side retail - USC Digital Library

1945 - An August 14 VJ view from the Herald Examiner in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. The State has "Junior Miss" and "The Gay Senorita" and is, of course, "Open All Night."

Some Herald Examiner copy: "Riotous celebration spread through downtown Los Angeles as soon as the announcement of Japan's surrender came. Here, at Seventh and Broadway, thousands have poured out into the streets and cars are unable to break through the walls of rejoicing humanity. Emotions kept pent up through nearly four years of war were released as Angelenos cheered and wept in their happiness."

Also see two additional VJ Day views in the Library's collection: night view | another night view - west on 7th |

1945 - The Armistice Day parade in a view from the Los Angeles Public Library. The State is running Hitchcock's "Spellbound." Note the new white "modern" readerboard.

1946 - "Wake Up and Dream" -- a look down from the now demolished Lankershim Hotel onto the State marquee. The photo was a find from Ken McIntyre.

1946 - A Los Angeles Public Library view looking north on Broadway at 9 pm during a transit strike. No nightlife at all. Check out that nice neon above the readerboard: "Open All Night"

1947 - We're looking west on 7th with a bit of the bottom of the State's vertical on the left. Down a block at Hill there's a glimpse of the Warner. The Los Angeles Public Library has the photo in their Blackstock Negatives collection.

1948 - A parade view in the collection of the Los Angeles Public Library.

1948 - The view south on Broadway with the State running "That Lady in Ermine," an August 1948 release with Betty Grable. It's with "King of the Gamblers." It's on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles, a contribution by Bill Gabel.

1948 - A look down on the intersection with the State running "That Wonderful Urge," a December 25 release. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1952 - The State's second feature is "The Sellout" with Walter Pigeon. The Woolworth's building south of the theatre is now a Ross Dress For Less. The photo is one that once appeared on Photos of Los Angeles.

1952 - Another view of the State with "The Sellout" but we can now see that the top of the bill was "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman" with James Mason and Ava Gardner. It's an Examiner photo in the USC Digital Library collection. Thanks to Eitan Alexander for finding it.

from 1954: "Beau Brummel" - Loew's State + smog - Los Angeles Public Library

1950s - A wonderful postcard view looking west on 7th toward Hill St. The State is running a reissue of "The Westerner" (1940) with Gary Cooper. The card was on a from the now-vanished blog Viewliner Ltd. The card has also put in an appearance on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page and also as a re-post on that site.

1950s - Another great card looking west on 7th. This one came from the now-vanished website Yesterday LA.

1950s - A rare night color view showing one of the verticals after conversion to neon. We're looking north with the Palace signage visible up the street. The postcard is in Elizabeth Fuller's Old Los Angeles Postcards collection on Flickr. The card also appears in Eric Lynxwiler's delightful Paper Ephemera collection on Flickr.

also from the 1950s: east on 7th from L.A. Athletic Club - still "Loew's" - Los Angeles Public Library

1955 - A superb Tom Zimmerman photo giving us a nice look at the signage. Here it's being redone with half now "The State" and half still saying "Loew's State." That truck in front is from the sign company. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting the photo on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles. Jupiter's Darling was a February release.

Check out the Angel City Press book "Spectacular Illumination: Neon Los Angeles 1925-1965" by Tom Zimmerman with J. Eric Lynxwiler. Chris Nichols discussed the book and included some Hollywood views from it with his August 2016 Los Angeles magazine article "These Photos Will Transport You to a Neon-Soaked 1930s Hollywood."

The signage got changed to "The State" when United Artists Theatre Circuit took it over as a result of a Federal consent decree settlement with Fox West Coast Theatres. UATC also started running the United Artists and other houses themselves instead of contracting with Fox. Fox and its predecessor company, West Coast Theatres, had run the State since 1925.

1956 - A view south on Broadway from the Richard Wojcik collection. It's a view that appeared on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles. The Tower Theatre, at this time called the Newsreel, is a block away on the left. Thanks, Richard!

1956 - Looking south past an MTA maintenance truck toward the State. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for this photo appearing in his collection on Flickr. The theatre is running "The Catered Affair," a June release with Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine along with "Three Musketeers." Note the upper readerboard where the State is plugging "Oklahoma" playing at the United Artists.

Check out Eric's monumental Los Angeles Theatres set on Flickr and the album of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation, where this photo from Eric also appears.

1956 - A look west on 7th St. from the Metro Transportation Archive on Flickr. It's in their LATL Streetcar Lines set. We get the State at the left and the Warner down the block at Hill St. They also have a similar view from farther back.

1957 - "Make a Date at The State. A view of the theatre running "Torero" and "Town On Trial" in the Metro Transportation Archive collection on Flickr.

1957 - An L.A. Examiner photo from the USC Digital Library collection looking north on Broadway. At the State: "Designing Woman" with Gregory Peck and Lauren Bacall.

1957 - A Los Angeles Public Library photo taken out a window in the building for a good look at the vertical sign. Fortunately we can see the second feature on the marquee to date the photo: David Niven in "Silken Affair," a September release. Note the Lankershim Hotel across the street -- the site now has a horrific parking garage as the hotel's replacement. Also see another view out a window from this period that's in the Library's collection.

1957 - A lovely look south at the Palace and the State from the Downtown Los Angeles album of Eric Lynxwiler on Flickr. The "Holiday Show" at the Palace looks like "The Little Hut" with Ava Gardner and "Funny Face" as the 2nd feature. The photo also appears in the LAHTF Flickr set. Thanks, Eric!

c.1957 - We're looking west on 7th toward Broadway in this fine view from the Sean Ault collection.

1958 - A look down on the busy intersection from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

also from 1958: looking north - smog mask! - Los Angeles Public Library | Dodgers parade looking north - USC Digital Library |

c.1959 - A look west on 7th with the State plugging "Ben-Hur," at the Egyptian, on their corner readerboard. It's a photo that once appeared on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

1962 - A sweet view looking south from the Sean Ault collection. On the marquee: "5 Miles To Midnight" and "Unstoppable Man." Thanks to Sean for sending along the photo and to Matt Spero for color correction.

1962 - Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles cobtributor Hoss C for finding this view on eBay. Our theatre is over on the far right. Hoss has it in his Noirish post #28127.

1964 - The headline: "Ruby is Guilty." It's a photo by William Reagh in the California State Library collection. Note the State has gone to Spanish language product.

1964 - From Noirish Los Angeles contributor Ethereal Reality we get a look at James Bond playing the State plus a view down Broadway to the Tower, here still in its Newsreel days. It was a find on eBay. It's on Noirish post #24849.

from 1967: 7th St. side - William Reagh - Los Angeles Public Library | same photo: in the California State Library collection |

1970 - Looking north towards on Broadway in a view from the Sean Ault collection. The State is running "Weekend With The Babysitter" and "I, A Lover." Thanks, Sean!

1970 - Ooops. A snorkel truck overturned on Broadway. It's a Los Angeles Public Library collection photo by Bruce Howell. The State is offering us 3 Wild Hits.

1974 - Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this view of the State running William Friedkin's "The Exorcist."

1976 - A lovely view looking south on Broadway from 7th on the Neat Stuff Blog. It's from a 2009 post called "Vintage Los Angeles." The photo is credited to "nicepictures," a seller on eBay. The Globe Theatre is halfway down in the block on the left with the Tower and Orpheum beyond.

from 1977: a facade detail - William Reagh - California State Library

1982 - A California State Library collection photo by William Reagh.

1988 - The State marquee in a photo by Gary Graver. More theatre views by cinematographer Gary Graver (1938-2006) can be seen in two compilations on You Tube: "Second Run - part 1" and "Second Run - part 2."

1993 - A look at the State from Berger Conser Architectural Photography. The theatre is running "Carlito's Way." The photo is from Anne Conser and Robert Berger's great book "The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces of Tinseltown." Visit Robert Berger's website: www.robertbergerphotography.com. On the site is a portfolio of sixteen photos from the book.

1995 - This view of the marquee of the State near the end of its movie days appears on the Grace Market Research Broadway Theater Tour page.

1997 - The State marquee in a photo by Gary Graver taken during the theatre's last year as a film house.