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Midway Theatre

3138 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019 | map |

 
Opened: 1939. This stretch of Pico is part of the area known as Harvard Heights. The theatre building is a block west of Western. Thanks to Chris Nichols, a senior editor at Los Angeles Magazine, for spotting this November 1965 shot on the photo archive page of the website devoted to Cooper Do-Nuts. Chris is the author of the 2024 Angel City Press book "Bowlarama." 
 
The main feature,"Ecco," got a U.S. release in October 1965. The second feature was "Tomb of Ligeia." A cropped version of the shot, with an erroneous caption, can be seen with "A street corner in downtown L.A. honors LGBTQ+ community and civil rights pioneers," a May 2025 Los Angeles Daily News story by Allyson Vergara. It also appears on a SparcInLA page about the Do-Nut Riot.  
 
Seating: 609

Architect: Marcus P. Miller 

This independent house was constructed by Louis Berkoff, owner of the La Tosca, according to an October 8, 1938 Boxoffice article located by Joe Vogel. 

"Lou Berkoff, owner of the La Tosca Theatre here, will start construction immediately on a new 600-seat house at Pico Blvd. and Manhattan Ave. Plans have been approved and Berkoff is awaiting a building permit."

The Berkoff family was also involved in the Coronet, a legit house on La Cienega, the Esquire in the Fairfax district and the Cinema on Western Ave. Hadabob posted a lovely description of the theatre on Cinema Treasures:

"The Midway Theatre was built in 1938. It was part of a complex that included a Safeway Market and a small cafe. The original seating was 525 if my memory is correct. It was similar in interior design to that of many small 'C' theatres of this era in Los Angeles. ( i.e., the Sherman, Nuart, and the neighboring Victoria Theatre.) The interior was very similar to the Sherman in Sherman Oaks as both theatres were very similar in size and both shared simple murals to each side of the proscenium. The Midway’s murals were of two deer – one at each side which appear to jump and two trees on each side at the back of each deer. The background color was beige.

"The ceiling was orange with a 20" raised plaster band (grey) that circled the auditorium. The walls were sound absorbing material which were orange in color. Each section was separated by a concrete reinforced column, which was plaster-coated and painted burgundy with a tree in the center, which was painted gold, running from top to bottom. The carpeting was black wool with typical Art Deco bands. The seats were burgundy with gold deco bands on the isles. Originally, the lobby was the same color scheme. The restrooms were upstairs. The booth was in front and a terrazzo floor greeted the patrons. Purple glass was under all the lobby posters."
 
Status: Closed in late 1965 or early 1966 and then used as a warehouse. The marquee was removed but the inside was essentially unchanged. It got gutted in 2000 for retail space.  
 
 

Looking west in a 2010 Google Maps view.

More information: See The Cinema Treasures page on the Midway.  Thanks to Joe Vogel for some nice research.

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