Theatre Mart

605 N. Juanita Ave. / 600 N. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90004 | map |  

The Clinton St. side of the Theatre Mart in 2011. Photo: Google Maps

The 1927 vintage building is at the corner of Clinton St. and N. Juanita Ave. -- one block east of Vermont, one block south of Melrose. The Theatre Mart usually used the address of 605 N. Juanita Ave. in their advertising. In the 1942 city directory it was listed as at 4049 Clinton St. The City of Los Angeles currently uses 4051 Clinton as the address for the property. 

It was designed as a home and studio with a small theatre for Chicago photographer, scenic artist, and illustrator H. Webb Keedy at a cost of about $50,000.  

Architects: Roy L. Jones and Dick M. Ward of the firm Jones and Ward

 

"Newly Completed Artists' Quarters. Clinton and Juanita Streets." This photo of the new building appeared in the Los Angeles Times issue of July 3, 1927. Thanks to Lisa Kouza Braddock for researching the building and including this item in a large post about the venue on the Facebook group Lost Angeles.  

 

Seating: The capacity for the initial seasons when set up as a traditional theatre is unknown. Seating after the 1933 remodel was 340 at tables and chairs. When running "The Drunkard" the venue served both food and drinks. 

 

 

A map from a listing for the property that was once on Loopnet.

 

The "Reception auditorium" was featured as part of a collage in the August 28, 1927 issue of the Times. Thanks to Lisa Kouza Braddock for locating the image.    

The initial seasons: Noted theatre patron Alice Pike Barney opened the building as a theatre in September 1928 and gave it the name Theatre Mart. 

 

Alice had moved to Los Angeles in 1928. Thanks to Lisa Kouza Braddock for locating this story about her move that appeared in the September 18, 1928 issue of the Times. That "At Home" in the headline didn't mean that she lived at the Theatre Mart. She had leased the building and was holding an open house.  

 

Before opening the Theatre Mart, Alice had produced several shows at the Hollywood Playhouse, now a music venue called the Avalon. Thanks to Joël Huxtable for this photo of her on the patio at the Playhouse.

 

Lisa Kouza Braddock has the report about the opening: 

 

"The Theatre Mart officially opened on September 31, 1928 with an invitation-only performance of the play 'Sensation,' attended by notable figures from society, the arts, and the press. Conceived as a creative hub for theater professionals—including actors, writers, technical artists, dancers, mime artists, musicians, and puppeteers—the Theater Mart was intended to stage only new works, all professionally cast and directed.

"Mrs. Alice Pike Barney, who leased the Juanita Studio and envisioned the Theatre Mart, promoted it as a non-profit cultural institution. Her efforts were supported by many prominent members of Los Angeles society and the theatrical community. Membership tiers included patron members ($1,000), founder members ($100), sustaining members ($40), and professional active members ($20)."

 

In 1930 Alice bought the building. Thanks to Lisa Kouza Braddock for locating this item that appeared in the L.A. Daily News issue of October 14.

She ran the Theatre Mart for two and a half years with a different production every week -- some written by her. Several of the 1929 productions were "Luna, The Man in the Moon," "The Women Plays" and "Transgressors." 

 

The public response was evidently underwhelming. In 1931 she called it quits. Lisa Kouza Braddock found this story about the closure in the March 24 issue of the Times. The productions mentioned that would be on the boards before the May 1931 closing included "a comedy by Mr. Jeffries, a delightful play by Mrs. Madeline Blackmore, one by Sada Cowan and a group of one-act plays by Alma Whitaker and George Carter."      

The Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature notes a production of Pedrac Colum's "Balloon" at Theatre Mart in May 1931. Later in 1931 the Los Angeles building department and fire department paid Alice an "unwelcome" visit and declared the building not usable as a theatre. 

 

Alice Pike Barney died later that year. Lisa Kouza Braddock did the research: 

"In June 1931, Mrs. Barney fell seriously ill with septic poisoning after a dinner party. She passed away on October 12, 1931, at the age of 70, from a heart attack. Her obituary remembered her as an internationally acclaimed artist, playwright, and theatrical producer, whose social and philanthropic accomplishments had been celebrated in both Europe and America for over 40 years.

"The Los Angeles Times noted that her dream would live on: Mrs. J.T. Anderson, founder of the Hollywood Civic Theater, assumed a long-term lease on the Theatre Mart, vowing to continue the tradition established by Mrs. Barney."

The reopening and "The Drunkard" era: In 1933 Preston Shobe and Galt Bell did work on the building and reopened it as a dinner theatre style venue with a view toward doing a season of classics. The opening attraction, "The Drunkard," sold too well to continue with the rest of the proposed season. The melodrama by W.H. Smith dated from 1844 and was a piece promoting the temperance movement that was originally produced by P.T. Barnum.

"The Drunkard" opened July 6, 1933 and closed October 17, 1959. That's 9,477 performances over 36 years -- a world record at the time. The record was later eclipsed by the 42 year run of "The Fantasticks" in New York with 17,162 performances. The record list is currently topped by the 27,000 performance run of "The Mousetrap," running in London since 1952.

Thanks to Larry Harnisch of the blog "The Daily Mirror" for this 1934 program. It's featured in his 2008 post about "The Drunkard."  You can click on any of these for a larger view.

Page two and three of the 1934 program. 

Pages four and five.

Pages six and seven. 

Mr. Harnish's article is a delightful history of the show and a recounting of tales by the cast members. He had earlier discussed "The Drunkard" on a post for "The 1947 Project."

The building in 1937. It's a photo by Herman Schultheis in the Federal Writers Project collection of the Los Angeles Public Library.

Another 1937 view taken by Mr. Schultheis from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

A 1939 program for "The Drunkard."  

The rear of the 1939 program with some comments from the stars. Mary Pickford: "One of the gayest evenings I ever remember." Billie Burke: "I go again and again."  W.C. Fields: "The greatest show on earth."

 

A look inside a 1941 version of the program. 

At the Theatre Mart, the temperance message of the play was accompanied by an olio and other celebrations including beer, sandwiches and pretzels. The original 1933 admission price was $1.00 -- which included a buffet. The production supported a cast, crew and staff of approximately 55. Many participants were with the show for decades and many marriages resulted.

It was perhaps critical to the success of the production that many Hollywood stars paid a visit. Boris Karloff came to the show and was the one who suggested adding an olio to the presentation. John Barrymore was a repeat visitor. W.C. Fields came over 30 times and incorporated a production of "The Drunkard" into his 1934 film "The Old Fashioned Way."

 

 

A February 1950 ad in the L.A. Times. 

 

 

Signage seen in a short undated clip on the Getty Images site. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it for a 2025 thread about the theatre on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles.  

 

 

The side of the building.

 

 

 An entrance view from the Getty clip.

Thanks to Chris Kresiak for this image of the cover to a 1950 program for "The Drunkard." 

 

 

 

A February 1953 ad for the show, then in its 21st year. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for including this in his 2025 thread about the theatre on the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. 

 

 

 

Producer Mildred Ilse gets profiled in this July 11, 1953 Valley Times article that was located by Ken McIntyre.

An entrance view taken sometime during the run of "The Drunkard." Thanks to Ron Whitfield for the photo, a post of his for the private Facebook group Photos of Los Angeles. 

 

 

An item about the building's stage door that appeared in the December 23, 1954 issue of the Hollywood Citizen-News. Thanks to Lisa Kouza Braddock for locating it. See her post about the venue on the Facebook group Lost Angeles.  

 

 

An April 1955 ad located by Ken McIntyre for "The Drunkard" alternating nights with a musical version called "The Wayward Way."

The Los Angeles Fire Department was the real villain of the melodrama. In 1959 they paid another visit and ordered a reduction of seating to 260. This eliminated the show's possibility of profit and closure came soon after the seating reduction.

 

 

 

An August 4, 1959 L.A. Times article. 

Status: After it closed as a theatre, the building became the Los Angeles Press Club in 1960. The club's operation at the building included a cafe, cocktail lounge and press conference facility. The club later sold the building and moved to rented offices elsewhere. The building was then used as a vocal studio and, later, as a restaurant. It's now been a club and karaoke bar serving a Korean clientele for years.

The Theatre Mart building in 2010. We're at the corner of Clinton and Juanita. That's Juanita St. off to the right.  Vermont is just a block away up the hill to the left. Photo: Google Maps

The Clinton St. side of the building. Photo: Bill Counter - 2011

Until around 2012 it was a Korean restaurant and club called Garam. If you were to drive by on Vermont, a sign and a hedge is all you'd see. Part way up the block on Clinton St. there's a driveway leading to a parking lot and stairs to an entrance on the west side of the building. Photo: Bill Counter - 2010

 

 

The west facade. Photo: Bill Counter - 2023

 

 

The side of the building along Clinton St. Photo: Bill Counter - 2023

 

 

The east side of the building facing Juanita Ave. Photo: Bill Counter - 2023 

 

"The Drunkard" in the Movies: W.C. Fields has his ragtag theatrical troupe performing parts of "The Drunkard" in William Beaudine's 1934 film "The Old Fashioned Way." Bob Foreman notes that the credits mention that it's the "original cast." There's a clip from it on YouTube featuring Jan Duggan, a singer who performed for years between acts of the play at the Theatre Mart. She sings "Gathering Up the Shells from the Sea Shore."

 

A 1935 film called "The Drunkard" with James Murray and Clara Kimball Young was about presenting a production of the show.  

More information: For more on Ms. Barney see the book "Alice Pike Barney, Her Life and Art" from 1994. Wikipedia also has an article on Alice Pike Barney.

 

The property totals 47,000 sf and was for sale in 2014. Loopnet has a listing for the property as 605 N. Juanita Ave.   

 

Billboard ran an article in 1953 about "The Drunkard." See the bottom of page one and a continuation on page 15. They noted that 2 million patrons had seen the show in its first 20 years. Wikipedia has an article on "The Drunkard." The Theatre Mart production is discussed in the book "Theatre, Culture and Temperance Reform." It's on Google Books.

The success of the Los Angeles production of "The Drunkard" inspired many related productions. Veterans of the L.A. production operated a long running melodrama venue at Knott's Berry Farm called the Birdcage Theatre. There also was a long run of the play in Tulsa at the Spotlight Theatre.

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