Gordon / Cineplex Odeon Showcase / Regent Showcase

614 N. La Brea Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036 | map |

Opened: February 9, 1938 as the Gordon Theatre with Irene Dunne and Cary Grant in "The Awful Truth" plus a sneak preview. It was named for the owner, David Gordon. The location is a block and a half south of Melrose, nine and a half blocks north of Wilshire Blvd.

Thanks to Sean Ault for finding this terrific 1957 view looking north. The Gordon was running "Tea and Sympathy" along with "Teenage Rebel" featuring Ginger Rogers as the mother of a teenager. Both films were late 1956 releases. Bruce Kimmel notes: "This lovely double bill opened on January 16 and played a week. You'd never know it was winter."

 

Architects: Clifford A. Balch designed this lovely art deco theatre. The murals and other decor are by Anthony Heinsbergen.

David K. Mesbur of Toronto-based Mesbur + Smith Architects did the sensitive restoration for Cineplex Odeon in 1985. The auditorium murals were uncovered and restored.

 

A February 9, 1938 grand opening ad, even with a salute to Tony Heinsbergen! Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org

Projection: Cineplex Odeon installed 70mm equipment during the 1985 renovation. The house was THX certified at one point. The booth was still film-equipped in the Regent days. It ended up with a Simplex XL with a Simplex soundhead along with a Christie platter. Their website mentioned Ultra Stereo ECI-60 and Dolby CP-200 processors. The screen size is 15' x 32' with a throw of approximately 100'.

Seating: 899 originally, now down to 750

In the 60s and 70s Louis Federici operated the theatre and then it was run by Sid and Chris Kurstin. The Kurstins also had the Fairfax and the Brentwood Twin.

 

 

Thanks to Adsausage Archves for sharing this 1982 ad from their collection. They note: "Actual film critics showed up for this 20th Century-Fox festival at the Gordon." There's also an Adsausage Archives Facebook page to check out.

It ran into the mid-80s as the Gordon. Cineplex Odeon acquired the venue and re-opened it in October 1985 as the Cineplex Odeon Showcase after their renovations. The initial film was the Hungarian feature "Colonel Redl." Cineplex also ended up with the Fairfax and the Brentwood Twin.

 

An October 11, 1985 ad located by Mike Rivest. Note the mention of 70mm projection capability.

Cineplex jettisoned the property around 1999 when they were headed into bankruptcy. Dan Braun comments:

"'The Sixth Sense' opened first-run at the Showcase on August 6th, 1999. I don’t know the length of its engagement, nor if it was the final booking under Loews Cineplex."

The theatre later ran as an independent. Around 2000 It was taken over by Regent Entertainment and operated as the Regent Showcase, a venue open only for special events.

Richard Stegman Jr. notes:  

"Regent used it to host premieres and show movies that would eventually air on 'Here! TV,' a cable/satellite channel that specializes in LGBT+ programming. The channel launched in 2002. Regent acquired 'Here!' in 2008. Regent is now called 'Here Media' and specializes in entertainment for the LGBT+ community. I remember the theater hosted the premiere party for the final season of Showtime’s 'Queer As Folk' in 2005."

Mark Valen comments: 

"Under Regent era in 2000 I saw the 30th anniversary showing of 'Beyond the Valley of the Dolls' with some of the cast and the musical director in person for Q&A. On the 4th of July 2000 they ran for one week the 30th anniversary of 'The Boys in the Band.' I went with a friend to a matinee on the 4th and the theater was practically empty. After the film we went to a 4th of July party and lo and behold who was there none other that the writer of the play Mart Crowley. We had a kismet moment with him and gushed about having just seen the film. He couldn’t have been more delighted! I miss this theater operating as a movie theatre."

Beginning in 2008 it was booked for a period by the Laemmle circuit with that arrangement ending in May 2009.

Status: By 2012 the theatre was in the clutches of a religious organization calling it the Arc Theatre. That Arc word was also used to brand it as the Artists Resource Center. They had intended to use the theatre for inspirational stage and film presentations as well as church services. That group had it as late as June 2016. Since early 2017 it has been used a church by a black-oriented group called One L.A. It's unknown whether either of these groups had purchased the building or if it's just a lease situation.

The ticket lobby: 

A 2008 photo of the boxoffice and entrance terrazzo from Ken McIntyre.

Another Ken McIntyre photo. Thanks, Ken!

The lobby: 

The lobby as it appeared in a photo from the theatre's former website when it was the Regent Showcase. The neon is a leftover from the Cineplex Odeon days. 

A snackbar view c.2006. Thanks to the site Cinema Sightlines, a project of TJ Edwards and Garan Grey, for the photo. See their Showcase in Hollywood page for more photos as well as a discussion about the theatre.

The stairs up to the lounge area. Thanks to TJ Edwards and Garan Grey for the photo, appearing on their Cinema Sightlines page Showcase in Hollywood.


Upstairs: 

The lounge up at booth level. Thanks to TJ Edwards for the photo. It appears on Cinema Sightlines, the site from Mr. Edwards and Garan Grey. It's on their Showcase in Hollywood page, where there are more views to browse.

One end of the booth at the Showcase. The photo appeared on the website for the theatre when Regent was operating it.


The auditorium: 

A view down from the booth that was on the theatre's website when it was the Regent Showcase.

There are several strange things going on in this low-res scan of a 1939 photo. But it's all we have as far as a view of the original painted front curtain that continued the motifs of the sidewall murals. It's unknown what's going on with the left mural near the proscenium. Unfinished perhaps? And what's that mess down front on the right? Mysteries. The image appeared in an ad for International seats in the April 29, 1939 issue of Boxoffice.  "Beauty and Comfort Unsurpassed."

This photo of the front of the auditorium is from Mesbur & Smith Architects, the Toronto-based firm that did the renovation of the theatre in 1985 for Cineplex Odeon. The company specializes in entertainment projects and did a lot of work all over the US and Canada for Cineplex, including work at the Fairfax Theatre.

Thanks to Ken Roe for sharing this 2002 view on Flickr. It's part of his immense collection Movie Theatres - USA.

The sidewall of the auditorium. Thanks again to Ken Roe for the photo. It's on Flickr.
 

Thanks to TJ Edwards for this c.2006 auditorium photo. It appears on Cinema Sightlines, the site from TJ Edwards and Garan Grey. It's on their Showcase in Hollywood page, where there are more views to browse. 

Another c.2006 auditorium view from Cinema Sightlines.

A view from the website that was up in 2012 when a church group was calling it the Arc Theatre.

The rear of the auditorium in 1985, a photo from Mesbur & Smith Architects.

The rear of the auditorium in 2002. It's another photo by Ken Roe appearing on Flickr. Also see his exterior view. For a real treat, browse the hundreds of great theatre photos in his Flickr album "Movie Theatres USA."

The rear of the house c.2012. It's a photo from the now vanished Arc Theatre website.

More exterior views: 

 

1957 - A "Tea and Sympathy" view from the Richard Wojcik collection. Thanks to Richard for sharing it on the private Facebook group Mid Century Modern and Historical Los Angeles. 

 

1970s - Thanks to Nathan Marsak for his photo of the theatre, shared on the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Facebook page.

 

 

1980 - It's a photo taken by Chris Shaw. Thanks to his son Robert for sharing this shot and the one below as part of a 21 photo "Around Beverly Hills" set on the South Bay/Los Angeles Days of Old California Facebook page.  

 

 

1980 - A wider view by Chris Shaw. "Brubaker" was a June release. Take a look at the great deco building to the left of the theatre.

1981 - Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this view taken prior to the Cineplex renovation.

1988 - A look at the wonderful neon when the theatre, renamed the Showcase, was under Cineplex Odeon management. Thanks to Bill Gabel for posting the photo on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

2002 - A view of the theatre as the Regent Showcase by Betty Sword that's in the Cezar Del Valle Theatre Talks collection. Cezar is a Brooklyn-based theatre historian with a serious interest in Los Angeles Theatres. Thanks, Cezar!

 

 

2003 - Thanks to Adam Martin for this photo appearing on Cinema Tour. The site's Showcase Theatre page also has a day view by Mr. Martin as well as interior photos by Ken Roe.

2006 - A Showcase shot from Ken McIntyre that he shared with the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group. 

c.2006 - Thanks to the site Cinema Sightlines, a project of TJ Edwards and Garan Grey, for this fine view of the Showcase neon.  See their Showcase in Hollywood page for more photos as well as a discussion about the theatre.

2007 - Photo: Bill Counter 

2008 - A nice view from Ken McIntyre.

 

 

2011 - Thanks to Shane Kidder for this photo.

2018 - Churched by "One LA." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for this photo, a post of his for the Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.

2019 - A summer view. Nothing new except some action in the storefronts at the right. Photo: Bill Counter

 

2019 - Looking north in September. The three storefronts in the center of the image had been vacated. One LA, the church using the theatre, was moving in. Later they moved out. The pandemic was bad for the church business. Photo: Bill Counter  

 

 

The Gordon/Showcase in the Movies:

 

We get a peek at the marquee in Ray Dennis Steckler's "Body Fever" (1969), also known as "Supercool," "Deadlocked" and "The Last Original B Movie." It's a noirish tale about a low-rent private detective trying to catch a robber who dresses like Catwoman. Thanks to Eitan Alexander for the screenshot. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for a look under the marquee.

 

We get a look at the marquee in "Partners" (Paramount, 1982). Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre and getting the screenshot. He notes: "The marquee connection is that both 'La Cage aux Folles II' and 'Partners' were written by Francis Veber." The film, directed by James Burrows, stars Ryan O'Neal, John Hurt and Kenneth McMillan. The story involves a straight detective investigating murders of gay men.

 

There's this nice view of the Gordon in "Walking the Edge" (Empire Pictures, 1985). It was shot in 1982 when they were running "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "Young Doctors In Love." Bruce Kimmel notes that this bill opened September 22. The film, directed by Norbert Meisel, stars Nancy Kwan and Robert Forster in a tale of an L.A. taxi driver who picks up a fare who is intent on executing a revenge mission. Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre in the film. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a shot of the Clinton Theatre.

Joel Murray and Tara Lynn Barr go to the movies in the middle of a cross country killing spree in "God Bless America" (Darko Entertainment, 2012). They're targeting people who lack decency. Or are just plain stupid. Several people in the theatre who are being obnoxious during the film get shot when the pair leaves. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for more views of the Showcase as well as shots of the Chinese, Music Box and Alex Theatre from the film.   

 

 

 
Near the beginning of Martin McDonagh's "Seven Psychopaths" (CBS Films, 2012) struggling screenwriter Colin Farrell and his friend Sam Rockwell are seen watching a movie at the Showcase. The film also features Woody Harrelson, Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish and Olga Kurylenko. The cinematography was by Ben Davis. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for a shot of the guys talking about murders we see earlier on the Lake Hollywood Dam. 

The Gordon on TV:

The marquee of the theatre in its Gordon days appears in an episode of "The White Shadow" (1978). Thanks to Walter Santucci, who posted the screenshot on the LAHTF Facebook page.

The Gordon in Music Videos:

The theatre's flashing neon puts in an appearance a little over a minute into The Doors' "L.A. Woman" video, available on YouTube. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this one.

More Information: See the Showcase page on Cinema Treasures for a nice history. Former operator of the theatre Louis Federici died in 2005. See the L.A. Times obituary. 

The Gordon's marquee makes an appearance 9:53 into John Frizzell's "A History of Neon Signs," a 25 minute film from 1984. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for spotting it on YouTube.

| back to top | Hollywood Theatres: overview and alphabetical lists | Hollywood Theatres: list by address | Westside theatres | Westwood and Brentwood | Downtown theatres | Along the Coast | [more] Los Angeles movie palaces | Los Angeles theatres - the main alphabetical list | theatre history resources | film and theatre tech resources | contact info | welcome and site navigation guide |