1122 N. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029 |
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Opened: May 10, 1939 with the 1937 French film "Ballerina" ("La mort du cygne") with Yvette Chauviré, Mia Slavenska and Janine Charrat. "Ecstasy" was a 1933 release, "Gypsy Melody" was out in 1936. This 1939 photo is on
Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. Also see Calisphere's
listing of over 600 items from the collection.
Architect:
S. Charles Lee did a conversion from what had been retail space. The
location is on the east side of the street just north of Santa Monica Blvd. The building evidently
dates from 1937. Boxoffice reported the remodel cost as $22,000.
Seating: 800 was the number in a 1940 Boxoffice article, perhaps 700 later.
The initial operator of the Cinema was Louis Berkoff, a member of a family of Russian
dancers. The Berkoff family was also involved in the
Coronet Theatre and the
Esquire.
The May 10, 1939 opening day ad. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org
An article located by Cinema Treasures researcher Joe Vogel
that appeared in the June 3, 1939 issue of Boxoffice magazine noted:
"Lou
Berkoff opened his new Cinema Arts Theatre in Hollywood with ‘Ballerina,’ a French production, as his first attraction. The de luxe
theatre will play foreign 'art' films."
The Cinema had a short fling running silent films in 1945. Thanks to Ranjit Sandhu for locating this February 19 Citizen-News ad for the gigantic
Revival Cinemas page on his site about
Buster Keaton's "The General". He notes that titles exhibited during the short experiment included "The Lonedale Operator" with Blanche Sweet, "Leading Lizzie Astray" with Fatty Arbuckle and "Police" with Charlie Chaplin.
The film version of "John Steinbeck's Mighty Novel." It's a July 1947 ad for "Of Mice and Men" at the "4 Academies of Proven Hits" that was located by Ken McIntyre.
A 1947 Times ad for the Cinema as one of the "Academies of Proven
Hits," under the same
management as the "Encore Theatres." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the ad.
"Halloween Spook Fest" It's an ad that ran in the Times on October 30, 1948. Thanks to John Bernstein for locating this
for his terrific post on the
LAHTF Facebook page that featured many, many ads for horror shows at various L.A. area theatres.
A Boxoffice item in March 1949 (located by Ken McIntyre) noted that the
theatre had been taken over by Joe Moritz, who was doing an extensive
remodel. Moritz was involved with James Nicholson in the Encore/Academies group.
The 1949 Film Daily Yearbook listed "Academies of Proven Hits" as a company run by Saul Mahler and James Nicholson. The theatres listed as being under their control at the time included the Arlington, Cinema, Jewel, Picfair and Vermont.
An
August 1949 ad in the Times for "Ghost Catchers" and "Behind the Eight
Ball" at the "4 Academies." Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for locating it. Visit
his site about the Chinese: GraumansChinese.org.
From the early 50s onward The Cinema ran as an art house owned
and operated by Louis Federici.
A December 1953 ad for "The Glass Menagerie" and "Double Dynamite."
A nice July 1958 ad located by Ken McIntyre.
Joe Vogel comments:
"The Cinema was indeed an art house in the 1950s-1960s. From 1963-1965 I was a frequent patron. The theater was unique among L.A.'s art houses at the time for not having the usual snack bar. Instead, there was a small self-service rack filled with imported candy and cigarettes, and a coffee urn. The theater had been recently remodeled, and the lobby had a very stylish, sophisticated look. I think the management was trying to create the atmosphere of a European theater. Almost all the movies shown in that period were European.
"The Cinema was in every way the equal of the Los Feliz or the Nuart at that time. The last time I went to the Cinema was in the late 1960s, to see 'Don’t Look Back.' I got the feeling that the people running the place had dropped acid. The tidy, European atmosphere was gone, and the subdued colors of lobby and ticket area had been replaced with a sloppy coat of lurid, day-glo orange paint. The place went rapidly downhill after that, and was showing x-rated movies within a couple of years."
Care for a smoke while you were at "L.A.'s Most Exciting Theatre"? They had their own matches. Thanks to Sean Ault for locating this image.
A March 26, 1959 ad for a Bolshoi Ballet film that appeared in the Hollywood Citizen-News.
A November 1961 ad for "The Red Shoes and "The Would-Be Gentleman."
Joe Vogel found a
Boxoffice item from May 28, 1962:
"Approximately $75,000 was
expended to give the Cinema Theatre a complete facelift in time for the
Pacific Coast premier of ‘Through a Glass Darkly.’ Remodeling included a
new lobby, marquee, carpets, drapes, and an elaborate mezzanine art
gallery."
In the early 60s Louis K. Sher's Art Theatre Guild was
running the Cinema with his 23 year old nephew Mike Getz as an increasingly adventurous manager.
Francois Truffaut's "Jules and Jim" opened at the Cinema and the Tivoli Plaza (later renamed the
Royal) on August 1, 1962. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for locating the L.A. Times ad from that day. The film starred Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner and Henri Serre. It was distributed by Janus Films in the U.S.
Beginning in 1963 the theatre became a hotbed of independent film action with Kenneth Anger, Stan Brakhage, Andy Warhol and others represented on
its screen in popular midnight shows under the moniker "New American Cinema." Local poet and critic John Fles was doing the programming.
A January 9, 1964 ad in the Times for "Knife in the Water."
On March 7, 1964 the LAPD raided the theatre, arrested Getz, and seized the print of Anger's "Scorpio Rising" which had been running before the theatre's regular feature. A few months later the Cinema was the venue of the west coast premiere engagement of Warhol's "Sleep."
See the 2012 Getty Iris blog post
by Jessica Portner "L.A.'s Cinematic Experiment, Then and Now" for a fine history of the era. The Cinema is also discussed as a home for experimental film beginning on
page 221 in David James' 2005 book "Most Typical Avant Garde: History
and Geography
of Minor Cinemas in Los Angeles." The author is a professor in
the school of Cinema-Television at USC. The book is available from the University of California Press or Amazon. A preview is available on Google Books.
A help wanted ad for the Cinema. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding it.
A 1965 ad. Thanks to Scott Pitzer for locating it.
An ad for a February 25, 1966 midnight show featuring the Grateful Dead, Merry Pranksters and the Stroboscopic Ballet Machine. Thanks to James JG for sharing this on
Cinema Treasures. Several websites have listed this show as being at the
Ivar Theatre. See
an image of the cover of a CD from that night with the venue listed as the Ivar. Not true, however.
A 1966 ad for "Carmen, Baby" that appeared in the L.A. Free Press. Thanks to J.J. Englender for sharing this from the
Adsausage Archives.
By
1969 the theatre had gone to porno.
A February 1974 ad. In the 1975 phone book it's also listed as being operated by Topar Theatres. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this ad as well as the two below.
In this July 1974 ad the operator is being called the Sun Film Group. At various times they also had the
Cave Theatre in Hollywood and the
Ciné-Cienega.
A 1975 ad with Amber Theatres as the operator. As can be seen in the ad they were also involved in the Roxy in Long Beach and the Corbin Theatre in Tarzana. For a brief period they also had the Ivar.
Closing: The closing date as a theatre is not known
but it was running into the mid-1980s.
Status: Now a church. The
current church group bought the building in the 80s.
More exterior views:
1930s - The building as the "Behannesey Art Studio" and furniture store. Thanks to Lisa Kouza Braddock for sharing this collage in a post about location's history for the
Lost Angeles Facebook group. Her report:
"Phares Anton Behannesey was born in Damascus, Syria, in 1879 and arrived in Los Angeles in 1904, where he established himself in the interior decorating business at 6th and Main Street. He relocated to Hollywood and became actively involved in numerous philanthropic organizations. As his business grew, Behannesey progressed from a shop inside the Hollywood Hotel in 1914 to locations at Santa Monica Boulevard and Vermont Avenue, before ultimately settling at 1122 N. Western Avenue.
"According to Los Angeles building records, by 1922 he had opened Behannesey’s Art Studio at 1122 N. Western Avenue in Hollywood.The shop was described as a 'quaint place,' stocked with both period and modern furniture, while hundreds of antiques lined its walls and exposed beams. Motion picture studios made extensive use of his furniture and distinctive pieces, both on sets and on location, forming a significant part of his business. Many of his furnishings appeared in films alongside stars such as Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin.
"Behannesey’s keen eye and carefully selected set pieces influenced home interiors across the United States. His success was such that, for a time, he owned a substantial stake in a major motion picture company. Cecil B. DeMille called upon Behannesey to provide sets and technical direction for 'The Arab,' beginning a long and enduring friendship."
c.1938 - The building as it looked before S. Charles Lee went to work. The photo is on
Calisphere
from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. This photo and the one
of the finished theatre at the top of the page appeared in the March 2,
1940 issue of Boxoffice with the headline "Old Store Building Becomes
Modern Movie." Thanks to Tinseltoes on Cinema Treasures for finding the
article. The caption read:
"The Cinema Theatre in Los Angeles was recently created from an old
store building. Before and after views show how much can be done with a
moderate expenditure of money. Note the marquee in which changeable
posters are used; sometimes enlarged photographs and at other times
price signs are used in this panel. The Cinema, seating 800, cost
approximately $22,000 to remodel. It was designed by Architect S.
Charles Lee of Los Angeles."
1939 - A trade magazine shot with the theatre's opening attraction on the marquee. That was Mia on the Life cover. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for locating the image for a post on Cinema Treasures.
1940s - A look north on Western from just south of Santa Monica Blvd. from the Sean Ault
collection. The Cinema is up the street on the far left edge of the
photo. And, no, that's not a Pacific Electric car. It's a Yellow Car
from the Los Angeles Railway. Thanks, Sean!
1940s - Another view north on Western with the Cinema in the distance. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection. He notes that around the corner to the right it's the Hotel Palomar at 5473 Santa Monica Blvd.
1940s - A detail from the photo above.
1947 - A detail from another streetcar shot that was located by Sean Ault. They were playing a reissue bill of "North West Mounted Police," an October 1940 release with Gary Cooper, Madeline Carroll and Paulette Goddard. The other half of the bill was the April 1942 release "This Gun For Hire" starring Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake. Also see
the full image this detail is from.
Bruce Kimmel comments: "This double bill began on July 30 at the Cinema and played for a week. I went there quite often in the mid-1960s when I went to LACC. Saw several great Russ Meyer films there, like 'Mudhoney' and 'Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill' with the amazing Tura Satana. They also had an all-nighter screening of the 'Batman' serial that I remember fondly. I saw 'The Balcony' there, too, and others."
1964 - Filmmaker Kenneth Anger, along with Raymond Rohauer, picketing the theatre over grievances. Anger alleged the projectionist stole one of his prints. The photo, from the Getty Institute collection, is by Charles Britten. It appears with "
L.A.'s Cinematic Experiment, Then and Now," a 2012 Getty Iris blog post by Jessica Portner.
1967 - The Cinema running "Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out!" with Timothy Leary, Ralph Metzner and Rosemary Woodruff Leary. It's an image shared on Instagram by Matchbooks_of_la. Many thanks to Chris Nichols for spotting the post.
c.1968 - A shot with the theatre running "Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back." Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this when it was for sale online.
1971 - Steely Dan's Donald Fagen visiting Western Ave. as the X-rated film "School Girl" goes up on the marquee. Thanks to Donavan S. Moye for locating this photo by an unknown photographer.
1975 - John Holmes visits the Cinema in November. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this photo by Mark Sullivan for a post on the Ken's Movie Page Facebook group. The image can be seen on the Getty Images and Photos.com sites.
1983 - The Cinema with a new look for the marquee. It's a photo from the now-vanished American Classic Images website. In the 70s that business on the right had been the Agency of Love. See a photo from the
Historic Hollywood Photographs collection.
late 1980s - The Cinema after closing as a theatre. It's the exciting Grand Opening of the Hollywood Swapmeet Mall. The photo is by filmmaker and cinematographer
Gary Graver (1938 - 2006). He took many shots of theatres in Los Angeles and Portland. More can be seen in his compilations on You Tube: "
Second Run - part 1" and "
Second Run - part 2." Thanks to Sean Graver for use of the photo.
c.2005 - A look at the Cinema from Doug Boethin on the Facebook page
Vintage Los Angeles. Thanks, Doug!
c.2009 - Thanks to Don Solosan for this photo, taken as part of a
L.A. Conservancy survey of the status of former theatre buildings. And thanks also to Hillsman Wright of the
Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation for making it available.
2014 - A look north on Western Ave. with the former Cinema Theatre on the right. Photo: Google Maps
2018 - Another church view. Photo: Bill Counter
2022 - A view of the building from across the street. Photo: Bill Counter
2022 - Looking south in the alley. Photo: Bill Counter
The Cinema Theatre in the Movies:
The Cinema is one of many Los Angeles area theatres (including the
Monica and the
Esquire Theatre) that we get a quick look at in the nine minute short, available on the Internet Archive, "
Let's Go To The Movies." It was produced by RKO in 1948 for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the other theatres featured.
A view north toward the Cinema from "The Choirboys" (Universal, 1977), Robert Aldrich's drama about
after-hours police debauchery. The
film is based on the novel by Joseph Wambaugh and stars Charles
Durning, Lou Gossett Jr., Perry King, Clyde Kusatsu, Tim McIntire, Randy
Quaid and James Woods. The cinematography was by Joseph Biroc. Thanks to Tommy Bernard for spotting all the theatres in the film and getting screenshots. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for six Broadway shots with views of the Rialto, Tower, State and Los Angeles theaters.
We're looking for some action near the Cinema in "Vice Squad" (Avco Embassy, 1982).
Season Hubley is a single mom working as a prostitute who reluctantly
becomes a police informant. The film also
features Gary Swanson, Wings Hauser, Pepe Serna, Beverly Todd, Nina
Blackwood and Sudana Bobatoon. Gary Sherman directed. The cinematography
was by John Alcott. See the
Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for shots of the Vogue, Tiffany, Pussycat, Fox, Hollywood Pacific and Pix Theatre from the film.
We get a look at the Cinema in John Frankenheimer's "52 Pick-Up"
(Cannon/Golan-Globus, 1986). Thanks to Yuri G. for spotting the shot and
including it on his
Movie Tourist page about the film where he also has many more photos of other locations that were used.
Up in the booth in "52 Pickup." See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for another booth view and several lobby shots.
More Information: Other theatres running experimental films included the Coronet Theatre and the Cinematheque 16. For a survey of various venues in the 40s and 50s that exhibited silent films in 16mm see our 16mm Revival Houses page.
See the Cinema Treasures page on the Cinema. The Cinema Tour page has exterior photos from 2002 and 2003. The Cinema is also featured by Chuckaluck on his Noirish Los Angeles post #13543.
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