Opened: 1938 as the Valley Theatre, a Fox West Coast operation. Many thanks to James Christensen for sharing the 1949 photo from his collection. "Rangers of the Sage" was a November release, "Drums Along the Mohawk" with Henry Fonda dated from 1939.
The theatre frequently played moveovers from the nearby El Portal Theatre but occasionally scored a long running Valley exclusive such as "The Best Years of Our Lives," a 1946 release. The location was on the west side of the street just south of Magnolia Blvd.
Architect: S. Charles Lee
Seating: 350
In 1955 it was renamed the Guild Theatre. Ken McIntyre found an April 19, 1955 L.A. Times article about the remodeling:
"In typical filmland style, Fox West Coast Theaters tonight will open the newly remodeled Valley Guild Theater in North Hollywood. Refurbished at a cost of $35,000, the deluxe showcase, located at Lankershim & Magnolia, will feature many of the latest engineering techniques, including the newly developed 'eye-intensity' curved screen, adapted for conventional pictures as well as Cinemascope. Jacques Tati’s 'Mr. Hulot’s Holiday' and 'The Little Kidnappers' will be the opening program."
It was later operated by National General and Mann Theatres, the successor companies to Fox West Coast. In 1977 the Guild Theatre became a Pussycat operation.
Status: Demolished in the mid-1980s for a Hewlett Packard building.
c.1949 - The posse gathered for "The Cowboy and the Prizefighter," a December 1949 release with Jim Bannon and Don Reynolds. "Borderland" with Hopalong Cassidy dated from 1937. Thanks to James Christensen for sharing the photo from his collection.
1954 - Looking south toward the Valley Theatre. It's a Valley Times photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. The occasion was a discussion about banning heavy trucks on Lankershim Blvd. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting this one for a post on the Facebook page Photos of Los Angeles.
1955 - A view of the reopening of the theatre as the Guild. The Valley Times photo is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection. It was originally published on April 21 with this caption:
"Officials of Fox West Coast celebrating the opening of the New Valley Guild Theater last night were, left to right, Vaughn Taylor, manager of the Valley Guild Theater; Ernest 'Doc' Sloan, Van Nuys Theater manager; Fred Glass, district manager; Dick Mason, manager of the La Reina Theater; Ralph Wilson, manager of the Studio City Theater; and Lee Wentz, manager of the El Portal Theater. Under a new policy, the theater will show art films from all over the world."
1964 - Thanks to Larry Paul for this photo taken by his grandfather. It's on Cinema Treasures where Paul notes that his grandfather sculpted the comedy/tragedy masks on the right of the facade.
1967 - A look at the Guild playing "Up the Down Staircase." Thanks to Howard Sheldon for posting it on the Valley Relics Museum Facebook page. He credits it to the Decaying Hollywood Mansions page.
c.1970 - Looking north from Otsego St. Where's the theatre? Well, it's hiding down there just to the right of the streetlight. Thanks to Sean Ault for the photo.
1982 - A May look at the Guild as a Pussycat circuit operation. The photo appears in Chapter 9 of Jay Allen Sanford's "Pussycat Theaters: The Inside Story," a 2010 book length article originally appearing in the San Diego Reader. It's on Blogspot: Chapter 1 and Chapters 2 - 15. The photo can also be seen on the site American Classic Images.
1982 - "Happy Holidays." It's a December photo of the theatre appearing in Chapter 9 of Sanford's "Pussycat Theatres: The Inside Story." Thanks, Jay! The photo also appears in the American Classic Images collection.
More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on this theatre, which they list as the Guild. They also have a page for a mythical Valley Theatre at 6749 Lankershim.
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The information about this building is incorrect. The theater still stands, not demolished. The address given is for a building about a block north on the opposite side of the street which all buildings were demolished for a new building including the address of 5161. 5161 is on the west side of Lankershim. Your 1954 picture looking north on Lankershim show the Valley Theater on the east side of the street three doors north of Otsego Street. There is a theater at the address of 5112 Lankershim which has been converted into a comedy club, a retail store, a live stage performance theater, a night-club, and not sure what it is at this point in time. I have a picture of the place but do not see a function to attach.
ReplyDeleteHi, thanks for investigating the neighborhood. The Valley Theatre was indeed at 5161 Lankershim, an address that is, as you note, on the West side of the street. And is gone. And that 1954 photo looks south (not north) with the Valley a couple buildings South of Magnolia St.
DeleteI don't know the history of the current legit theatre (or whatever it is) at 5112 but it certainly never was a movie theatre. I suspect that the marquee on it only dates from sometime in the last 20 years. I was looking at a 1939-40 SF Valley directory and the building wasn't even listed at that time.