Picfair Theatre

5879 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019  | map |

Opened: January 24, 1941. The name comes from its location just west of Fairfax Ave. It was on the north side of the street. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Comfortably Cool for the 1941 photo on the site's page about the Picfair.

 The big grand opening ad. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it.  

 

Architect: Unknown

Seating: 750

This independent house was built and owned by contractor Joe DeBell and initially operated by Ben Mohi. Beginning around 1944 it was run by Encore Theatres, a partnership of Joseph Moritz and James H. Nicholson. Nicholson was later a co-founder of American International Pictures.

A 1947 Times ad for the Picfair as one of the four "Academies of Proven Hits," under the same management as the "Encore Theatres." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the ad. 

Fred Stein's Statewide Theatres had it beginning in 1963. Loew's got it in 1967 when they took over the Statewide sites and gave it a big remodel in 1968. Their $100,000 got the theatre a new marquee, refurbished seats, air conditioning and more. "I am Curious (Yellow)" had a run in 1969.

General Cinema operated the house after Loew's left the southern California market in 1972. It was soon turned over to Fred Stein's new company Century Cinema. Beginning in 1977 it was running foreign films under the management of Jamiel Chetin. By 1981 it was running Indian films. By mid-1982 it had become a bargain house.

Closing: September 5, 1983 was the last film program: "Tootsie" and "Private School." From April to August 1984 it ran as a live music venue. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Dallas Movie Theaters for the research. By 1985 it had become an appliance store.

Status: Demolished. The building got torched in the 1992 riots and was finally demolished in 1995.


An interior view: 

A 1941 look at the auditorium. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Comfortably Cool for posting the photo on the site's page about the Picfair.


More exterior views:  

The Picfair in the movies: We get a nice look at the marquee in the background of this shot looking east on Pico near the end of "The Devil’s Hand" (Crown International, 1961). The top of the double bill at the Picfair at the time of the filming was "I Want To Live!" (1958) with Susan Hayward.

That's Robert Alda helping Ariadne Welter into the car. The film is a nearly unwatchable tale of voodoo and cult behavior that also stars Linda Christian (Ariadne's older sister) and Neil Hamilton. William J. Hole, Jr. was the director. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Chas Smith for the tipoff about the theatre view.

 

Looking west toward the theatre c.1970. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting this one when it was for sale online. 

 

"Movies of India." An April 1982 view of the Picfair from the now-vanished American Classic Images  website.

Another April 1982 view. Thanks to American Classic Images for the photo.

The Picfair after the 1992 riots. By that time it had closed as a theatre and was being used as an appliance store. The photo is by Atomic Hot Links on Flickr. It's part of his Shoot & Loot set.

Another 1992 photo by Atomic Hot Links. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting this one -- he had it on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.

More information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Picfair for all the history there is submitted by many with fond memories of moviegoing there.

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