331 S. Western Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90020 |
map |
Opened:
October 20, 1921 as the
Wilshire Theatre. The initial film was "The Midnight Bell" with Charles Ray. Jackie Coogan
was in charge of the dedication. The new theatre was operated by a partnership of
Hollywood Theatres and West Coast
Theatres.
The building is
located on the west side of the street between 3rd and 4th, three and a half blocks north of Wilshire Blvd. We get a glimpse of the facade of the Wilshire on the left in this c.1924
USC Digital Library image looking north on Western toward 3rd St.
A detail from the USC photo.
Architect: Lewis A. Smith, the architect who did many West Coast Theatres projects. The California Index
of the Los Angeles Public Library has this excerpt from an item in the
March 4, 1921 issue of Southwest Builder & Contractor:
"Theater, Store and Office Building -- L.A. Smith...is preparing
preliminary plans for a two-story brick theater, store and office
building to be erected on Western Ave between 3rd and 4th streets. The
building will be erected by Lilly-Fletcher Co....and the theater leased
to Gore Bros, Sol Lesser and Adolph Ramish. The building will be 110 x
150 feet."
Seating: 900 toward the end of its life.
News about the project in a September 25, 1921 item. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for including this, as well as over a dozen other items for this page, in a Facebook thread about the theatre on
Ken's Movie Page.
Details about the opening were noted in this October 12, 1921 story. The term "starlet" was evidently unisex at the time.
Running a preview of "A Bride of the Gods" on November 14, 1921.
Manager Luther A. Grant gets shot. It's a November 22, 1921 story.
A listing for the Wilshire in a March 12, 1922 column of ads for theatres running Paramount product.
A dance school operated by St. Ritus Benda was doing performances in 1925 in twelve venues operated by West Coast Theatres. It's a March 22 story.
By mid-1929 the theatre had become the Fox Wilshire after William Fox got control of the West Coast Theatres circuit. The talkies came to the theatre with "The Squall" as the first feature. It's an August 19, 1929 news story.
"Grand Opening August 21. " This was an August 19, 1929 ad for some of the West Coast Theatres with sound equipment. The Wilshire certainly wasn't one of the early theatres to get equipped.
It's still listed as the Wilshire in the 1929 city directory. Sometime before the new
Fox Wilshire Theatre at 8440 Wilshire opened in September 1930 this one was renamed the
Embassy. It was also known as the
Fox Embassy.
A March 1931 ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for including this in a Facebook thread about the theatre on
Ken's Movie Page. Fox called this their "surprise picture of the year." El Brendel was a Swedish comedian. The film also featured Masureen O'Sullivan, Frank Albertson and Marjorie White.
A July 1958 ad for Brigett Bardot in "The Light Across the Street" and "Only the French Can." That Academy Theatre was the one in Hollywood later known as the
Holly Theatre. The Coronet Theatre in the ad wasn't the one on La Cienega. It was the house in Alhambra later known as the
Capri.
A December 1958 ad located by Ken McIntyre.
It got a remodel in 1965 by Lippert Theatres. After he left the scene it was running into the early-80s with 3rd run bookings, Indian movies and Filipino movies
A 1981 listing for the Embassy as a Filipino film house. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the list.
A May 1983 Times listing that Ken located.
Closing: Evidently 1983 was it.
A June 3, 1983 listing in the Times, the last one Ken McIntyre could find.
Status: The building is still there but it's been rebuilt as as retail space.
More exterior views:
1925 - Emil Jannings in "The Last Laugh." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this photo for a post on the
Photos of Los Angeles private Facebook group.
1927 - A Dick Whittington Studio photo looking north from 4th. It's in the
USC Digital Library collection. The photo is one of a series of nineteen shots in the USC collection taken at the time on Western between 3rd and Olympic.
1927 - A detail from the USC photo. The feature was John Barrymore and Delores Costello in "When A Man Loves." Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor HossC for including the photo on his
Noirish post # 20896.
1941 - The Embassy is seen on the left running "Western Union" and "Life With Henry" at 1:46 into the ten minutes of footage posted on YouTube by Nass Had with the title "
Los Angeles 1940s in color."
The St. Charles Apartments, seen in the center of the image, are at 248 S. Western. The
Clinton Theatre, 526 N. Western, makes three appearances in the footage. It's seen at 0:35, 5:52 and 8:53. Thanks to Bruce Kimmel for sharing the footage in a post on the
Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group.
1965 - "Available for the showing of elegant films." This look at the Embassy appeared on eBay. It's the announcement of Lippert Theatres reopening the house. Thanks to diligent theatre researcher Michelle Gerdes for finding the ad.
1970 - The Embassy Theatre and Edy Williams. Thanks to Larry Darian for sending along the photo from his collection.
1983 - A photo that appeared on the now-vanished website American Classic Images.
1980s - A view of the Embassy after closing taken by filmmaker and cinematographer
Gary Graver. Thanks to Sean Graver for use of the photo. Gary took many photos of historic theatres. A selection can be seen on YouTube in the two compilations:"
Second Run - part 1" and "
Second Run - part 2."
2023 - Looking north on Western. Photo: Google Maps
More Information: See the Embassy page on the Cinema Treasures. Also see their listing on 28 other theatres designed by L.A. Smith.
Thanks to Ken McIntyre for his research. He included many items about the theatre in a Facebook thread on Ken's Movie Page.
There was also an earlier Wilshire Theatre at 143 S. Western. And, of course, there's the other Fox Wilshire Theatre, now called the Saban Theatre, in Beverly Hills.
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