He also owned the Village Theatres in Coronado and the Vista Theatre, until its 2021 sale to Quentin Tarantino. The Los Feliz will stay open with others in the management team stepping up. Lance is survived by his mother Gwynne Lee Alspaugh and sister Shelli Sloan. Thanks to longtime employee Edwin Gomez for sharing the news. The image is from a photo by Keith Kurland appearing with his "Interview with Lance Alspaugh." See the October 19 obituary that was spotted by Amelia Eichler on the website of the Coronado Times.
Opened: February 14, 1935 with "What Every Woman Knows" and "Babes in Toyland." The theatre is on the east side of the street three blocks north of Hollywood
Blvd. The opening night photo appeared in the March 9, 1935 issue of Motion Picture Herald
with an article titled "New Theatres From Old: The Front." Note the original array of cascading lights. The tower
was later modified.
Website: www.vintagecinemas.com/losfeliz | photo tour page | American Cinematheque
Phone: 213-664-2169
Architect: Clifford A. Balch. He was credited in the caption of the opening night photo when it appeared in the June 29, 1935 issue of Boxoffice. Thanks to ace researcher Joe Vogel for spotting it there. The caption in Boxoffice:
"The Los Feliz Theatre front is an excellent example of how color and motion can be combined to present an effective advertising appeal. The tower, representing a fountain in appearance, is given a mobile effect by the use of amber and green lamps on alternate circuits located behind the silhouette letters and behind the conical sections.
"The attraction sign, made up of silhouette letters on a
smoothly luminous flashed-opal background, is modern in appearance.
Designed and installed by Luminous Structures, Incorporated, Los
Angeles, Calif. C. A. Balch, architect."
The 1935 Motion Picture Herald article also included this diagram of the
"fountain that actually overflows with colored light." Note that they
have credited S. Charles Lee as the architect, evidently an editing
mistake. The article also featured a sketch of Lee's Studio/Holly Theatre in Hollywood. The sketch and specifications for the project were credited to General Electric Laboratories. Thanks to Bob
Foreman for finding the article. See his Vintage Theatre Catalogs site for a vast trove of tech and theatre history information that he has collected.
Variety noted the theatre's opening date in their March 20, 1935 issue. They also
mentioned that the original lessee was Herman Lewis. Thanks to Bob
Foreman for finding the item.
The venue was a second run family oriented single screen theatre
for
decades. Later it was an art house running for years under Laemmle management. Kurt and Max Laemmle had started their Laemmle Theatres chain in 1938 when they took over the Franklin Theatre in Highland Park. They later added the nearby Dale and the Park theatres as well as the Ritz in Inglewood. Kurt left the operation in the 1950s when business plummeted due to television and the chain dwindled until only the Los Feliz remained under Laemmle management. The circuit didn't begin growing again until the 1960s with the expansion into Westwood and other areas.
Under Laemmle management the Los Feliz became one of the premiere foreign film venues in L.A. They had a chance to buy the building but didn't. They left the venue after a new owner wanted to raise the rent from $1,000 a month to $8,000.
Tommy Cooper took over the house after negotiating a slight rent concession, thinking he could still turn a profit. He gave up after a year. Tommy was renowned for running the Vagabond Theatre on Wilshire from 1975 until 1985 and the Tiffany Theatre on Sunset from 1977 until 1983.
A 1993 ad for the reopening as a triplex. Thanks to RideTheCTrain for locating it for a post on Cinema Treasures.
Status:
The theatre continues to do well as a triplex offering first run
releases on the two smaller screens. Since August 2021 the larger house has been programmed by American Cinematheque with new releases and revivals. They have installed 35mm
equipment in that one. The theatre is still operated by Vintage Cinemas, who also had the Vista Theatre before its 2021 sale to Quentin Tarantino.
Company owner Lance Alspaugh did in October 2025 but the theatre continues to operate.
Interior views:
Taking a right to the restrooms half way down the hall. Thanks to Allison C. for this 2017 shot on Yelp.
A view to the street. Photo: Bill Counter - 2025
Thanks to Sean Ault for finding this view of the marquee taken during the run of "The Eleanor Roosevelt Story," a 1965 release.
A great 70s telephoto view looking north on Vermont from Hollywood Blvd. It was added by Don Sherman to the page for the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook group. The Los Feliz marquee is right under the "don't walk" sign. The corner on the left is the former location of the Studio Theatre.
Thanks to Wayne Lawless for this 80s view of the theatre in its single-screen days. He added it as a comment to a post about the theatre on the LAHTF Facebook page.
A night view of the Los Feliz Theatre neon. Thanks to Mark Peacock for his 2009 photo. It's from his Vintage Theatres set on Flickr. Also visit his blog: On the Road With Mark Peacock.
A closer view of the Boxoffice. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010
"10 Surefire Signs You're Not From L.A.," a fine November 2013 L.A. Weekly article by Dennis Romero, included this 2011 look at the front of the Los Feliz from Michael Locke on Flickr. It's on page three of the article.
Thanks to Shawn Dudley for his July 2017 photo, added as a comment on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page. Despite what the marquee says, the theatre didn't open until 1935.
"Is it safe?" "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night." "Just keep swimming..." Unlike some theatres (think Cinerama Dome) that just left signage up from whatever they happened to be playing when the virus lockdown was ordered, Vintage Cinemas had panels made with more interesting copy. Thanks to Eitan Alexander for noting the copy on the marquee. Photo: Bill Counter - April 2020
The Los Feliz on TV:
Going in for the kiss.
"The reviews are in for Lance Clayton Alspaugh: A legend. This is what a true cinema hero looks like. Good man, kind soul. A principled and decisive business associate. Most importantly, Lance treasured Victor, his life partner for 37 years, and was a beloved son, brother, brother-in-law, uncle, and friend. Lance had a drive and zest for life that was contagious. He had a gift for conversation. When you spoke to him, he made you feel as if you were the only person in the room. Lance’s generosity knew no bounds.
"Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Lance’s love of movies began when he was 7, when his dad gave him an 8 millimeter projector for his birthday. Lance made movies with a Super 8 camera, his family and friends were the stars. His first screening room was his family’s living room. As a hint of his future legacy, he made sure that the presentation was perfect, and that each person had a good view. From Tulsa to Overland Park, Kansas, Lance worked his first job at 16 as an usher with Mann Theatres. When he was 18, Mann offered Lance a job in Los Angeles as Assistant Manager of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. He took the job and moved to Los Angeles.
"In 1991, Lance took an opportunity to acquire the Los Feliz 3 Cinemas and the Vista Theatre, and in 1997, the two theatres were in his portfolio. Over time, he renovated and revived both theatres to the iconic status that they are today. Lance formed Vintage Theatres, and in 2011, worked with the City of Coronado to acquire the Village Coronado Theatre; he counted that acquisition and renovation as one of the most joyous experiences of his life.
"Throughout his life, he made sure that the spotlight was on the movies. Now, the spotlight is directly on him and the vibrant person that he was. He would be humbled by the outpouring of goodwill and affection, and he would thank each of you for remembering him. Lance leaves behind his Life Partner Victor Martinez, Mother Gwynne Lee Alspaugh, Sister Shelli Sloan, Brother-in-Law George Sloan, his Partner’s Mother Maria Martinez, extended family and friends. Service and internment was held at the White Church of the Hills, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. Submitted by the family."
Thanks to Amelia Eichler for locating this. The uncredited image the Coronado Times used is a detail taken from a 2019 shot taken at the Vista by Paula Littky for Variety. It appears with Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly's article "Inside Indie Movie Theaters' Battle to Survive."
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Thanks for all the info + collection of photos over the years. I've lived in the area since 2012. Its a great little theater. The businesses on opposite sides of the theater are always changing but usually its a cafe or burger joint or similar. Covid almost closed the nearby vista for good (thanks quentin for buying it), and this place probably would have shuttered too if AC didnt enter into a partnership to host films in the main complex of the theater. I spent many nights on vermont ave, having a glass of HH wine at figaro, catching a movie at the los feliz 3, then a bite to eat at fred 62. That block is 1 of the most fun in LA. I looked at the photo of the street in the 1970s, nothing remains except the theater and the old sarnos pastry sign. I'm sure in another 20 or 30 years i'll look back and recognize nothing of the neighborhood i've called home for 1/3 of my life so far.
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