Sherman Theatre

15052 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks (Los Angeles), CA 91403 | map |

Opened: April 26, 1949. It was on the south side of the street four blocks east of the 405. The theatre's entrance was just several small storefronts east of Noble Ave. It was a neighborhood theatre that was frequently home to grown-up films that didn't fit in the multiplexes. Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for the 1982 photo. 

The theatre was a project of local real estate man Philip Lang. Jack Grossman was the first operator. He later ran other Valley theatres including the Magnolia in Burbank. 

Seating: 500

Architect: Unknown

An April 21 ad announcing the opening. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org

 

 

An April 22, 1949 item about the Catholics weighing in on film choices. It appeared in their publication "Tidings." Thanks to Ken McIntyre for the research. He included this and many other items in a thread about the Sherman on the Ken's Movie Page Facebook group. 

The news on April 25, an item located by Ken McIntyre. 

 

 

More April 25 pre-opening coverage that was located by Ken. 

 

 

Richard Arlen was the MC, Betty Stahr sang "The Star Spangled Banner" to open the house. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this review of the April 26, 1949 opening festivities. 

 

 

A May 1950 ad for "The Red Shoes" that was spotted by Ken.

A 1960 Times ad located by Ken McIntyre.

Parallax Theatre Systems, headed by Kim Jorgensen and Gary Meyer, took it over in 1977. The company later changed its name to Landmark Theatres. They ran occasional first run art films, lots of repertory double bills as well as various festivals with themes such as science fiction, dance, Hitchcock, and so forth. Times were tough when home video arrived.

Closing: Landmark closed the theatre in 1983. 

 

A February 27, 1983 listing in the L.A. Times. Ken McIntyre notes that this was the last ad for the Sherman that he could locate.  

 

 

 

An August 1985 mention of the Sherman in an unidentified publication. 

 

 

Part of an October 18, 1985 San Pedro News-Pilot article located by Ken McIntyre mourning the changes in the specialty film business. It went on to note that while revival houses were being hard-hit by video, there was still hope for those theatres playing first-run foreign releases.   

Status: A four story office building is now on the site at Ventura and Noble, just west of a glamorous strip mall.

An August 1982 look at the Sherman from the American Classic Images collection.

A December 1982 American Classic Images view from the west. 

 

 

Another December 1982 shot from American Classic Images. 

 

The Sherman in the movies:

The theatre puts in several appearances in Martha Coolidge's film "Valley Girl" with Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman (Atlantic Releasing,1983). Thanks to Marty McFly's article "Filming Locations: Valley Girl" on the San Fernando Valley Blog for the screenshot. See the Historic L.A. Theatres In Movies post for two more shots of the Sherman as well as a night view of the Chinese from earlier in the film.

 

More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Sherman. There's a 2011 Sherman Oaks Patch article "The Sherman Theater: Where Grownup Tastes Ruled."

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