[Earlier there had been a Van Nuys Theatre that opened in 1917 and the theatre built in 1921, later called the Rivoli and the Capri, had been called the Van Nuys until they decided on a name. See the page about the Capri Theatre for data on these two.]
Architect: Unknown
Seating: 814 is an early number. It was 690 after the 1958 renovations.
Joe Vogel reports that it was built by Burnis R. Shacklett, owner of Shacklett’s Valley Furniture Store. Part of his furniture store became the lobby and the auditorium was constructed behind the existing shops. It had a mention in the Southwest Builder and Contractor issue of May 30th, 1924.
A 1924 opening week ad. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for locating it for a post on Cinema Treasures.
By 1927 it was operated by N. Scheinberg and M.P. Horwitz. They also had the Madrid Theatre (later later called the Canoga and the Park) on Sherman Way in Canoga Park, a community then called Owensmouth. The pair also planned a theatre in Reseda, evidently never built. It's all mentioned in a July 3, 1927 L.A. Times item unearthed by Cinema Treasures contributor Jeff Bridges:
"Reseda To Get First Theater - Reseda, July 2 - Reseda is to have its first motion-picture theater-a building that is to cost $35,000. This is the announcement made by N. Scheinberg and M.P. Horwitz, owners and operators of the Van Nuys Theater, and the Madrid Theater at Owensmouth. The Reseda house will be erected on Reseda Boulevard, north of Sherman Way. The Sloan Building Company of Los Angeles will have charge of construction. Plans will be by Roy Reeves, Van Nuys architect. Scheinberg and Horwitz are well-known Van Nuys men. Following their success at Van Nuys, they built the Owensmouth house a few months ago, with the promise that a similar playhouse would be erected in Reseda."
Fox West Coast later acquired the theatre and it became the Fox Van Nuys. A 1958 remodel resulted in a flat marquee and new vertical sign. The reopening was September 24.
A 1960 Fox ad located by Ken McIntyre. The theatre was later operated by the circuit's successor companies National General and Mann Theatres. Mann dropped the house in January 1977 and it became an independent operation and had periods as both a Spanish language theatre and a bargain house.
Closing: Around 1991.
Status: The building is still there but now used for retail.
Interior views:
A 50s look at the Fox Van Nuys snackbar. The photo by Nate Singer is in the Tom B'Hend - Preston Kaufmann Collection, part of the AMPAS Margaret Herrick Library.
Auditorium views from an article in the April 6, 1959 issue of Boxoffice detailing the renovations of several Fox West Coast theatres. The portion of the article devoted to the Fox Van Nuys is reproduced down at the bottom of the page. Thanks to Mike Hume for locating the article. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for thousands of terrific photos of the theatres he's explored.
More exterior views:
1945 - A photo from the April 6, 1959 issue of Boxoffice.
c.1950 - A view north toward the theatre with the marquee over on the left. Many thanks to Sean Ault for sharing the photo from his collection.
c.1950 - A detail from Sean's photo. The theatre marquee is seen in the center of the image. The horizontal signage is for McMahan's Furniture, just this side of the theatre. On the right that's Red Car 5027 on a "Special" run. Thanks, Sean!
1958 - The look after the remodel with the theatre's reopening bill on the marquee. The photo appeared in the April 6, 1959 issue of Boxoffice. The caption:
c.1959 - Thanks to the Valley Relics Museum for this postcard, one that once appeared on their Facebook page. It's also been seen on the Photos of Los Angeles page.
c.1960 - Thanks to Sean Ault for this parade shot looking toward the Fox.
1972 - A photo by Rick McCloskey, one of 17 in his portfolio "Cruising Van Nuys Boulevard in 1972" that appears in the Style section of the CNN website.
c.1973 - A view north from Victory Blvd. It's a photo on Cinema Treasures taken by the site's contributor Gary Rabbit.
2011 - The former theatre on the right as retail space. Photo: Google Maps
2019 - The building in use for Cricket wireless, a 99 cent store and a taco establishment. Photo: Google Maps.
The article from the April 6, 1959 issue of Boxoffice:
More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Fox Van Nuys for lots of fine research and many comments.
There are some Van Nuys photos on a Water and Power Associates Museum page of early San Fernando Valley views.
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