Bundy Theatre

3414 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405  | map |

Opened: December 31, 1941. The theatre was at Pico and Centinela. The name came from the location west of Bundy Blvd. Not quite at Bundy, but close.

This 1943 look at the theatre is from the Library of Congress collection. It's a photo by Ann Rosener taken for the Farm Security Administration / Office of War Information. The versions currently on the Library of Congress site are pathetic. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for posting this nicer version from the book "Historic Photos of Los Angeles" on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

Architect: S. Charles Lee designed the house for George Bourke and M.E. Baylis. At the time they were also operating the Nuart Theatre and the Tivoli, the theatre now known as the Royal. There seem to be no surviving interior photos. 

 

Seating: 900

 

An article about the project that appeared in the West L.A. Independent. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a thread about the theatre on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. 

 

An illustration that appeared with the Independent's article under the heading "New Theater Planned for Pico-Bundy District." The caption: 

"Photo shows the proposed theater to be erected by George Bourke and Scotty Baylis, owners of the Nuart and Tivoli theaters, at Pico Boulevard and 34th street, Santa Monica. Construction is planned shortly, with the showhouse to have a seating capacity of 1000. It will be known as the Bundy theater."

In the 40s the theatre was open until 5 am to cater to late workers at the nearby aircraft plants. The Bundy was later operated by Fox West Coast and its successor, National General Corporation.

 

Status: The theatre closed in January 1963. 

 

 

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this January 1963 article. The Bundy was demolished in 1964 or 1965. The site is now under the I-10.

 

 

More exterior views: 

 

A July 21, 1941 construction shot from the Bill Beebe collection of the Santa Monica History Museum.  

A detail from another 1941 photo in the Bill Beebe collection at the Santa Monica History Museum. They date this one as September. They also have a similar view in the collection that is identified as being from July.

 

A photo from the collection of the Santa Monica History Museum. It was a post on the SMHM Facebook page. "Salute to the Marines" was a September 1943 release with Wallace Beery and Fay Bainter. "Lost Angel" was a December 1943 release with Margaret O'Brien, Marsha Hunt and James Craig.

Many thanks to Tom Zimmerman for this c.1950 photo from his collection of the Bundy playing "Henry V" with Laurence Olivier. It appears on page 146 of "Spectacular Illumination: Neon Los Angeles, 1925 - 1960," a great book by Mr. Zimmerman with Eric Lynxwiler. One of our commentators notes that the car in front is a 1949 or 1950 Chevrolet.

The 2016 release from Angel City Press is available on Amazon or direct from Angel City. Articles about the book have appeared on Curbed L.A., the website for Los Angeles magazine, the L.A. Daily News website, LAist, the KCRW blog and the website CityLab. 

 

The Bundy running the April 1947 release "It Happened in Brooklyn" along with "The Locket," out in December 1946. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theatres for locating the image for a post of a colorized version of it on Cinema Treasures. "The Locket" was a December 1946 release.

More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Bundy for lots of comments by Bill Gabel and other contributors.

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