Movie / Silent Movie Theatre / Cinefamily / Fairfax Cinema / Brain Dead Studios

611 N. Fairfax Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036 | map |

Opened: February 25, 1942 by John Hampton and his wife Dorothy as the Movie. This pre-opening view appears on the Water and Power Associates Museum page Early L.A. City Views (1925+) page 3. It's also on their Early L.A. Buildings (1925+) page 4. It's from Marc Wanamaker's Bison Archives.

The initial feature was "Pony Express" with Betty Compson and Ricardo Cortez. All projection was 16mm, using prints from John's personal collection. For accompaniment he played 78s that he had acquired over the years. 

After the opening the plywood panel across the front where a marquee should have been said Old Time Movie. In a 1943 article the Times called it the Old Time Theater. It didn't get the Silent Movie Theatre name until later. 

Since late 2020 the venue has been called Brain Dead Studios. The back patio is now a restaurant called Slammers Cafe.

Website: https://studios.wearebraindead.com | on Facebook    Phone: 323-917-5053

Seating: 224 originally. The capacity is now about 150. 

History: John Hampton had been collecting silents since he was a boy in Oklahoma. In 1940 he and his wife moved to L.A. and bought the lot on which to build their theatre. Dorothy sold the tickets and the candy bars, John ran the booth. They lived in an apartment above the theatre.  

 

 

Evidently there was no advertising in the papers in the early years. This item appeared in the September 27, 1943 issue of the L.A. Times. Thanks to Thanks to Ranjit Sandhu for locating it for the page about Revival Cinemas on his site about Buster Keaton's "The General".  

 

John Hampton was a conscientious objector who ran afoul of Selective Service regulations. He was put on trial and received a five year sentence. This article about his sentencing appeared in the November 7, 1943 issue of the Long Beach Sun:

 

 Thanks to Ranjit Sandhu for locating the article.

 

 

 

It's unknown how much of that sentence John served but the theatre went dark until late 1946. Thanks to Ranjit for locating this December 30, 1946 ad in the Hollywood Citizen-News. See his Revival Cinemas page for a discussion of other silent movie venues that had sprouted in this period. He also has a list of dates that various films played the Silent Movie Theatre.   

 

An October 9, 1950 ad for "Spanish Dancer" that appeared in the Hollywood Citizen-News.  

A March 3, 1957 Times article. Thanks to Ranjit for locating it. 

 

 

An October 1, 1958 Times article that was located by Ranjit Sandhu. 

 

 

A March 12, 1959 ad in the Hollywood Citizen-News located by Ranjit. He speculates that the print of Keaton's "The General" was a bootleg copy of the Museum of Modern Art's print that had been available for rental. At this time the film had newly fallen into the public domain.

 

 A 1964 ad in the L.A. Times. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it. 

 

 

 

The Hamptons were featured in "Silent Movies," a two page story by Ginger Varney and Michael Ventura that appeared in the July 26, 1979 issue of L.A. Weekly.

 

Thanks to Thanks to Ranjit Sandhu for locating this article for the page about Revival Cinemas on his site about Buster Keaton's "The General".  

With gradually dwindling audiences over the years, they closed the theatre in December 1980. John was cataloging his film collection and had planned a reopening at the time Dan Morain profiled him for the Times in this piece that appeared on November 14, 1981:

Thanks to Ranjit Sandhu for locating the article.

The theatre didn't reopen and John Hampton died of cancer in 1990. Dorothy sold his film collection to the Packard Humanities Institute.

Film buff (and friend of the Hamptons) Laurence Austin reopened the venue in 1991. Among his improvements was bringing in a live organist for the films. This article appeared in the Times on the day of the reopening, February 18, 1991:

Thanks to Ranjit Sandhu for locating this. 

Austin was shot and killed in the lobby in 1997. The crime involved Mr. Austin's partner (and projectionist) James Van Sickle as well as an accomplice.

The theatre was put on the market in 1998 and purchased by film enthusiast Charlie Lustman, who reopened it in 1999 with Chaplin's "Modern Times." His improvements included a new marquee, new screen and a cafe as well as a general redecorating. Eventually 35mm projection capability was added. The film end of the business was break-even at best and Lustman supplemented by building a clientele for private parties and other events. In 2006 he sold the business due to declining health.

The Cinefamily era: In 2006 the theatre was purchased by Dan and Sammy Harkham. The Harkams, along with Hadrian Belove, were involved in the founding of the Cinefamily organization and active in its operations. They reopened the venue in 2007 as a home for revivals and independent films. See "Rehabbed Silent Movie Theatre gives ‘em something to talk about," an October 25 Times story about the reopening. The theatre closed in August 2017 in the wake of allegations of harassment and mistreatment of staff. 

LAist has many stories about Cinefamily to browse. See "Cinefamily founder resigns...," Julia Wick's August 22, 2017 story about the problems resulting in Hadrian Belove's exit from the organization that he had founded in 2007. Board member Shadie Elnashai also resigned. "Cinefamily Suspends All Activities..." was the August 27 story from Variety's Seth Kelley. There were also followup stories in the L.A. Times by Sonaiya Kelley and in the Hollywood Reporter by Arlene Washington. Jennifer Swann had a September 18, 2017 story for L.A. weekly: "A Sexual Harassment Scandal Imploded Cinefamily: Can it be Saved?"

In the November 14, 2017 L.A. Times article "Following scandal and investigation, Cinefamily to shut down permanently," Mark Olson discussed the conclusion of the sexual abuse saga. The Harkams said at the time they would renovate the space and keep it an exhibition venue. Cinefamily, although not operating a venue, still exists as an organization and is involved in litigation. It's unknown how it will all unwind. It has not been determined how the assets of Cinefamily will be distributed. One report notes that Dan and Sammy Harkham, the owners of the building, may assume the debts, which may be less than the value of the assets.

Renovation and reopening: See "Peek Inside Silent Movie Theater Renovations," a July 22, 2018 post on the Cinefamily Accountability blog for a discussion of the remodel and many photos. A bar, restaurant, and garden space behind the theatre were to be part of the new operation. "Fairfax Theater Floorplans," a July 29 post, showed the layout for the new venture. Thanks to Jonathan Raines for spotting the articles. Head to the blog's home page for links to additional stories.  

Dan and Sammy Harkam renovated the building and reopened Christmas Day 2019 as the Fairfax Cinema. Their initial film was to be an exclusive 35mm run of "Uncut Gems" with Adam Sandler. The distributor, A24, pulled that booking after lots of online backlash. Thanks to Donavan S. Moye for spotting "'Uncut Gems' pulled as Fairfax Cinema's opening movie...," the December 18 L.A. Times story by Mark Olsen. The opening films ended up being "Variety" (Bette Gordon, 1983) and "The Hitch-Hiker (Ida Lupino, 1953). The theatre closed in March 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Status: In October 2020 the venue was renamed Brain Dead Studios. They're running an eclectic mix of revivals and cult favorites.

Lobby areas:  

The renovated lobby. Photo: Fairfax Cinema - 2020

A look out from the ladies room. The 2020 photo by Sandi Hemmerlein is part of a set of 11 she posted on the LAHTF Facebook page. Thanks, Sandi!

The corridor heading out to the back patio. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein - LAHTF Facebook page - 2020

The upstairs bookstore. Photo: Fairfax Cinema - 2020

Let's visit the booth! Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein - LAHTF Facebook page - 2020

Lobby renovation views: 

A look in toward the house right side of the lobby as the renovation begins. It's a photo from "Exclusive: Peek Inside Silent Movie Theater Renovations," a July 2018 post on the Cinefamily Accountability blog.

A deeper look toward house right. Photo: Cinefamily Accountability blog - July 2018 

The center of the lobby. Photo: Cinefamily Accountability blog - July 2018

Looking toward house left. Photo: Cinefamily Accountability blog - July 2018 

All cleaned up and ready for a new snack bar. We're looking in from the front door toward house right. The auditorium is off to the left. Photo: Bill Counter - July 2019

Auditorium views:

A 2017 look back at the rear of the house on the Time Out page about the Silent Movie Theatre. It's a Jakob Layman photo.

The screen end of the Silent Movie Theatre's auditorium. It's a 2017 Jakob Layman photo on the site Time Out.

 The auditorium during renovations. New seats had been installed. Photo: Bill Counter - July 2019

A photo of the renovated auditorium taken by Sam Frost for the Fairfax Cinema. It appeared with "Former Cinefamily Theater to Open as Fairfax Cinema (First Look)," a December 2019 Hollywood Reporter article by Degen Pener.


More exterior views:

Looking south on Fairfax from Melrose before the theatre's 1942 opening. The photo appears on the Water and Power Associates Museum page Early L.A. City Views (1925+) page 3. It's also on their Early L.A. Buildings (1925+) page 4. The photo is from Marc Wanamaker's Bison Archives.

The theatre in 1942. The photo once appeared as a now-vanished post by Philip Mershon on the Vintage Los Angeles Facebook page. It also makes an appearance on an Atlas Obscura page. 

A 1980 look at the Silent Movie Theatre. It's a Herald Examiner photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this September 1984 view. 

A 1997 photo from the page about the Silent Movie Theatre on the website Seeing Stars.

The theatre's reopening in 1999 with "Modern Times." It's a photo that appeared on the now dead website Dead History project.

The theatre in 2000. It's a photo from the site Seeing Stars. See their Silent Movie Theatre page for some history of the venue.

The theatre in 2010. It had been operated by Cinefamily since 2007. Thanks to Don Solosan of the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation for his photo.

The LAHTF is actively involved in the study and preservation of the vintage theatres in the L.A. area. The group frequently supports events and offers tours of the buildings. www.lahtf.org | group Facebook page | official FB page

A 2010 marquee detail by Don Solosan from the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation. Thanks, Don!

The Silent Movie Theatre was one of a number of revival venues discussed in Mark Olsen's 2017 L.A. Times article "A film festival every night: The new ecology of the old-movie scene in L.A." It's a photo by Lawrence K. Ho for the Times.

Construction fence up for the renovations. It's a photo from "Exclusive: Peek Inside Silent Movie Theater Renovations," a July 2018 post on the Cinefamily Accountability blog.

A peek in the front doors.  Photo: Cinefamily Accountability blog - July 2018

Looking south along the entrance area. Photo: Cinefamily Accountability blog - July 2018

The north end of the entrance. Photo: Cinefamily Accountability blog - July 2018

The facade cleaned up and painted. The signage had been removed. Photo: Bill Counter - July 2019

Getting ready to open as the Fairfax Cinema with new doors, display cases and readerboard. Photo: Bill Counter - September 4, 2019

A look north along the renovated facade. Photo: Bill Counter - September 4, 2019

More signage going up. Tako Tyko was the contractor. Photo: Bill Counter - September 10, 2019

A closer look at the new neon. Photo: Bill Counter - September 10, 2019

A facade view taken by Sam Frost for the theatre that appeared with "Former Cinefamily Theater to Open as Fairfax Cinema (First Look)," a December 2019 Hollywood Reporter article by Degen Pener.

A signage detail. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein - LAHTF Facebook page - 2020 

New neon on the north end of the facade. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein - LAHTF Facebook page - 2020

An entrance detail. Photo: Sandi Hemmerlein - LAHTF Facebook page - 2020. Thanks, Sandi! Keep up with her latest explorations on the site Avoiding Regret. You can also find her on the Avoiding Regret Facebook page.

Shut down due to the virus. It's a Kate Warren photo appearing with "Hollywood Beacons in the Night," an April 23, 2020 New York Times story by Brooks Barnes featuring a dozen shots of closed historic theatres in L.A. Barnes offers a nice capsule summary of what the decades have wrought for each of the theatres he surveyed. Thanks to Donavan S. Moye for spotting the story.  

 

 

The revamped neon as Brain Dead Studios. The 2021 photo is one they used on an email blast. 

 

 

A photo appearing on the Brain Dead Facebook page in December 2021.   

 

 

A shot by Victoria Alejandro that was featured in her May 2024 LAist round-up of current bookings at various indie theatres in the area.  

The Silent Movie Theatre in the Movies:

Well, OK. The movie house that's featured in William Castle's "The Tingler" (Columbia, 1959) isn't the Silent Movie Theatre. But we can assert that it was inspired by it. Like the real one, the theatre in the movie is a silent house in a big city that's still finding a clientele in the late 1950s. And it's also run by a couple who do all the jobs themselves and live in an apartment above the theatre. The film features Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman, Patricia Cutts and Philip Coolidge. The cinematography was by Wilfred M. Cline. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for more shots from the film. 

 

 

Dick Van Dyke and Mickey Rooney walk by the theatre in Carl Reiner's "The Comic" (Columbia, 1969). They're old silent film performers and the theatre is running some of their films.

Rooney inquiring at the boxoffice about start times. Not until next week, he's told. A Chaplin festival has been held over. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post about "The Comic" for shots of the Carthay Circle and Montalban Theatre from the film.

More Information: See our page about various other 16mm Revival Houses that had opened between 1940 and 1975. Also see Ranjit Sandhu's page about Revival Cinemas on his site about Buster Keaton's "The General".  

Cinema Treasures has a page on the Silent Movie Theatre. Cinema Tour has a page with a 2002 night view. Seeing Stars has a page about the theatre's history.

Nearby is what's left of the Fairfax Theatre, a deco house at Fairfax and Beverly that opened in 1930 and sat vacant for over a decade before being gutted for a condo project. 

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