Los Angeles Theatres: Los Feliz Theatre

1822 N. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90027 | map |

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."

Seating: 780 originally as a single screen house. The big house of the triplex, the front of the original theatre, has 144 seats. The smaller ones in the rear of the original auditorium seat 60 and 55.

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. The theatre was triplexed in the early 90s after the Laemmle circuit lost their lease.

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 operated by Lance Alspaugh's Vintage Cinemas, who also had the Vista Theatre before its 2021 sale to Quentin Tarantino.

Interior views:

One of the smaller rear auditoria. Photo: Bill Counter- 2010

And here's the other small house in back. Thanks to John Moore for sharing his 2023 photo as a comment to his post about the theatre on the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Facebook page.

The hall to the right of the two rear auditoria that leads to the larger house in front. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

The big auditorium -- a shallow theatre in the front half of the original space. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

A wider view from house left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

A look back to the booth in the "big house." Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

More exterior views:

Thanks to Sean Ault for finding this view of the marquee taken during the run of "The Eleanor Roosevelt Story," a 1965 release.

A 1967 "Shakespeare Wallah" shot Grant Taylor found in a box of old photos and shared on the private Facebook groups SoCal Historic Architecture and Photos of Los Angeles. "Pather Panchali" had its original US release in 1958. Thanks, Grant. And thanks to Bruce Kimmel for determining that this program opened February 15.

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 the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this 1980 photo.

A January 1983 look at the neon from the American Classic Images collection.

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.

The theatre in 2007. Photo: Bill Counter

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.

Looking south on Vermont. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

The entrance to the theatre. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

A closer view of the Boxoffice. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding this 2012 shot for a post for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.

"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 north readerboard. Photo: Bill Counter - April 2020

The south readerboard. Photo: Bill Counter - April 2020

Well, yellow and purple is certainly an eye-catching color combination. The Cinematheque was moving in to start programming the large house. Photo: Bill Counter - June 1, 2021

Thanks to Sean Ault for this August 2022 photo.

The Los Feliz in the Movies:

The exterior of the theatre is seen in the ten minute public service film "The Dangerous Stranger" (Sidney Davis Productions, 1950). Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Bobster1985 for the screenshot. See several more from him on the Cinema Treasures page. Or see the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post. Note the partial view of the original tower configuration.

We get a very quick drive-by about 27 minutes into "Hot Rod Gang" (American International, 1958). The film, directed by Lew Landers, is about a kid who joins a rock band to earn money to support his drag racing habit. It stars John Ashley, Jody Fair and Gene Vincent. The cinematography was by Floyd Crosby.

We don't see much more as "Hot Rod Gang" cuts to a dissolve into a party scene but the marquee and the vertical sign are seen over on on the right. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for two views of the Monica Theatre and two of the Vista.

We get this fine look at the Los Feliz in "The Slams" (MGM, 1973). Jim Brown, Judy Pace and Roland Bob Harris star in this crime drama about a quest for money stashed before Brown was sent to prison. Jonathan Kaplan directed. The film also spends some time at the Lincoln Heights jail, in the LaCienega oil fields and at Pacific Ocean Park. Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre in the film and getting the screenshot.

Sally Field and Michael Caine leave a screening of "Otello" at the Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., in "Surrender" (Warner Bros., 1987). It's a comedy directed by Jerry Belson about a writer who's pretending to be poor so he'll know any women he meets aren't just after his money. Juan Ruiz Anchía did the cinematography. Thanks to Eric Schaefer for spotting the theatre in the film and getting the screenshot.

A Mormon missionary gets talked into becoming a porno star in Trey Parker's "Orgazmo" (October Films, 1998). When his film, also called "Orgazmo," becomes a big hit and starts playing mainstream theatres we get this shot. Trey Parker stars. Also featured are Dian Bachar, Robyn Lynne Raab, Michael Dean Jacobs and Ron Jeremy. Trey Parker and Matt Stone wrote this epic. The cinematography was by Kenny Gioseffi. Thanks to to Cinema Treasures contributor Shoeshoe14 for spotting the Los Feliz. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for an earlier marquee shot of an unidentified theatre.

Dimitri Martin and Gillian Jacobs, a prospective girlfriend, wander in front of the Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., in "Dean" (CBS Films, 2017). Martin also wrote, directed and illustrated the film, a tale about a misfit cartoonist and his curious adventures with various friends and lovers. The film also stars Kevin Kline as the dad and Mary Steenburgen as a real estate agent he falls for.

Los Angeles Theatres

Los Feliz Theatre

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