Los Angeles Theatres: Brentwood Theatre

11301 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90073 | map |

Opened: The building now known as the Brentwood Theatre opened in 1942 on the Veteran's Administration campus as an entertainment facility for veterans. During the 40s the theatre was used for USO shows, movies and lectures. The photo is from Jeanne W. on the Yelp page about the theatre.

Also see the page about the larger theatre on the VA campus, the Wadsworth.

Architect: Unknown

Seating: 500

After 40 years of only sporadic use, the Brentwood got a renovation by Richmark Entertainment, headed by Richard Willis, in 2004. Following the reopening, Richmark managed the venue for over a decade booking legit theatre as well as occasional film screenings. They were also running the nearby Wadsworth Theatre.

Status: It seems to be in a dormant period. Richmark is no longer operating the building and seems to have vanished. The VA administration doesn't seem to want to talk about the venue.

Interior views:

A 2008 view taken from the back of the house by James Rosenthal for the Historic American Buildings Survey. It's in the Library of Congress collection. Thanks to Brad Lewis for finding the shot in the LOC collection.

A sliver of a view that used to be on the Richmark website.

An auditorium view from the site Los Angeles Theatre.

A wider but smaller version of the same shot. This version appeared on the website Experience LA. The site is now gone (along with its page on the Brentwood) and has morphed into something called Discover Los Angeles.

The rear of the house. Photo: Experience LA

More exterior views:

The facade at dusk. Photo: Experience LA

A wider panorama. Photo: Google Maps - 2014

The north side of the building. Photo: Google Maps - 2017

Looking along the south side of the building toward the stage door. Thanks to Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation board member Anthony Caldwell for the image. It's a shot that appears in the LAHTF report "L.A. Theatres at Risk 2021." It's available on YouTube.

The Brentwood Theatre in the Movies:

Colin Hanks is looking out from backstage toward John Malkovich as "The Great Buck Howard" (Magnolia Pictures, 2008). Colin had dropped out of law school to become the new road manager for a mentalist with fading career prospects. They hit all the big spots. At this point we're supposed to be in Akron. The film, directed by Sean McGinley, also features Adam Scott, Emily Blunt, Tom Hanks, Ricky Jay, Steve Zahn, Debra Monk and Jonathan Ames. The cinematography was by Tak Fujimoto.

See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for 40 images of the theatres used in the film including several more Brentwood shots plus views of the Wadsworth, the Crenshaw, the Leimert/Vision, the Orpheum and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

More information: Also see the page about the larger theatre on the VA campus, the Wadsworth.

Brentwood Theatre

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