Los Angeles Theatres: Pan Pacific Theatre

7554 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036 | map |

Also see: Pan Pacific Auditorium

Opened: 1942. This opening night photo by Julius Shulman is in the Getty Research Institute collection's set #043.

Architects: William L. Pereira designed the theatre, Walter Wurdeman and Welton Becket of the firm firm of Wurdeman & Becket designed the rest of the building.

The building that fronted on Beverly Blvd. also housed a cafe, ice rink and bowling alley. It was a structure separate from the 1935 Pan Pacific Auditorium, which was behind the theatre building. The complex was located seven blocks east of Fairfax Ave.

It's unknown who the original operator was. In the 40s the theatre was operated by Popkin & Ringer. This listing in the 1947 Film Daily Yearbook shows the extent of Harry Popkin's theatre holdings. His company at one time was also called Circle Theatres. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting the listing.

By 1950 Metropolitan Theatres had the house.

Seating: 850

An ad from the collection of Marlaine Hysell announcing ice skating at the Ice Rink that was part of the "Pan Pacific Village" adjacent to the auditorium. The Village was advertised as "Amusement and recreational center of Los Angeles *Ice Skating * Theatre * Bowling * Cocktails." Note the Pan Pacific Theatre depicted at the far left of the drawing at the bottom of the ad.

Status: Closed in 1984 and soon demolished.

Interior views:

A photo of the lobby of the Pan Pacific taken by Julius Shulman (1910-2009). It's one of six photos indexed as Shulman's job #043 in the Getty Research Institute collection. The images are copyrighted by the J. Paul Getty Trust. The set is also indexed on the Digital Public Library of America site. Also see a list of additional Shulman jobs on the Getty site as well as a page of Julius Shulman Resources.

Thanks to architectural photographer Hunter Kerhart for finding this set of photos in the Getty collection.

A 1942 lobby view by Maynard Parker (1901-1976). It's one in a set of five photos in the collection of the Huntington Library. Thanks to Matt Spero for his amazing restoration work. The image on the HDL site is so deteriorated it looks like it's snowing inside.

A peek into the rear of the auditorium. It's a Julius Shulman photo in the Getty Research Institute set #043.

The screen revealed in a 1942 photo by Maynard Parker from the collection of the Huntington Library. The image has been restored by Matt Spero.

A look across the front of the house taken by Julius Shulman. It's one of six photos in the Getty Research Institute collection indexed as Shulman's job #043.

More exterior views:

This photo by Julius Shulman is in the collection of the Getty Research Institute as part of his job #043. "Skylark" and "Buy Me That Town" were fall 1941 releases.

A 1942 facade view by Maynard Parker. We're looking east on Beverly Blvd. Check out the Gilmore gas station beyond the theatre. The photo is part of a set of five in the collection of the Huntington Library. "Flight Command" was a December 1940 release. "Made For Each Other" with James Stewart and Carole Lombard was released in February 1939. Thanks to Matt Spero for restoration work on the photo.

A 1942 night shot by Julius Shulman in the Getty Research Institute set #043. They were running "Hold Back The Dawn," a September 1941 release, along with "Birth of the Blues," out in November 1941.

A 1942 Julius Shulman shot looking southeast with the Pan Pacific Theatre at the far left, the skating rink in the middle, and the older Auditorium building at the right. It's in the Getty Research Institute collection, one of five photos indexed as Shulman's job #5500.

The titles on the marquee in this photo and the two below were "Larceny, Inc," a May 1942 release with Edward G. Robinson and Jane Wyman along with "Valley of the Sun," a February 1942 release with Lucille Ball and James Craig. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Hoss C for finding this set in the Getty collection. He featured the photos on his Noirish post #33828.

A Julius Shulman photo of the Pan Pacific Theatre that appears in the Getty Research Institute collection set #5500. The Los Angeles Public Library used to have it in their collection as item #00012582 but it seems to have been lost during a software re-do.

A look east with the Pan Pacific Theatre at the far end. The theatre gets a plug on the billboard along with the other attractions. It's a Julius Shulman photo in the Getty Research Institute set #5500.

A view under the entrance canopy in 1942. We're looking across Beverly Blvd. It's a Maynard Parker photo from the Huntington Library. Their version of the image is covered in white blotches. This version here is a restoration by Matt Spero.

Here we're looking west along west end of the Beverly Blvd. frontage of the building. The Pan Pacific Theatre is behind us. Take a left at the end of the building and you'd be looking toward the north end of the facade of the Pan Pacific Auditorium. It's a 1942 Maynard Parker photo from the Huntington Library. Thanks to Matt Spero for his superb restoration work on the image.

The back end of the theatre is seen on the far right in this 1956 shot by Ray Brock. That's a bit of Beverly Blvd. on the left. This appears on a page of 1956 news items on the website of Hot Rod magazine. The guys are Wally Parks, Don Doeckel, John Rucker and Dick Scritchfield. Team leader for the "Safety Safari" was Bud Coons.

A Bell Aerosystems engineer demonstrating a jet pack in 1964 as part of the Sportsmen's show at the Auditorium. It's a Gordon Dean photo taken for the Valley Times that's in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. We're in the parking lot west of the Skating Rink building, looking toward Beverly Blvd. The back of the theatre is out of the frame to the right.

A 1983 view from the now-vanished website of the American Classic Images collection. Thanks!

A sad 1984 view of the complex looking east. It's a photo by Morgan Clarke that was a post on the Facebook page Vintage Los Angeles.

A demolition shot that appeared in the Los Angeles Times in 1984.

Another 1984 Los Angeles Times demolition photo. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating these.

More information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Pan Pacific Theatre for lots of comments.

Amoeblog has an interesting post on the Fairfax District. Wikipedia has a list of other buildings designed by architect William Pereira.

A view of the cafe in the Ice Rink building. It's an undated Dick Whittington Studio photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Also see: cafe staff -- alongside the Auditorium | bar in ice rink | another concession area shot - ice rink | more ice rink concessions -- stairs to cafe upstairs | interior - ice rink |

The original plan for the area that was announced in 1937 was for a much larger complex. This article about the project appeared in the L.A. Times:

3 comments:

Brian LallyOctober 21, 2022 at 11:49 AM
Thank you so much for this. I grew up on South Gardner St, a block away, in the 60's. I was in that theater hundreds of times. From winning the raffle for a Sidewalk Sunday to seeing THE GODFATHER there, this was a huge part of my childhood. I love this in depth look. Thank you again 👍
AnonymousMarch 6, 2023 at 1:21 PM
Worked there in the early 60s for Ron Lefton, who, with his father, owned the Pan Pacific along with other movie theaters. One of my first, if not my first job. Remember the bowling alley very well (used to throw a quarter down the alley to tip the pin setters). Attended many a Sportsman's Show and Auto Show at Pan Pacific Auditorium, along with Harlem Globetrotters (where I got Wilt Chamberlain's autograph.