Start your Los Angeles area historic theatre explorations by heading to one of these major sections: Downtown | North of Downtown + East L.A. | San Fernando Valley | Glendale | Pasadena | San Gabriel Valley, Pomona and Whittier | South, South Central and Southeast | Hollywood | Westside | Westwood and Brentwood | Along the Coast | Long Beach | [more] L.A. Movie Palaces |
To see what's recently been added to the mix visit the Theatres in Movies site and the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page.

Strand Theatre

Sumner Ave. Avalon, Catalina Island, CA 90704  | map - approximate |

Opening: 1912

Seating: 600 

Cinema Treasures researcher Joe Vogel found a mention of the Strand in the L.A. Times issue of January 15, 1922 where they noted that it was being reopened after improvements. No address was given.

The renovations at the theatre were also mentioned in the February 2, 1922 issue of Exhibitors Trade Review. It's on Google Books. They reported:

"The Strand Theatre, which is the only picture theatre on Catalina Island, or Avalon as it is commonly known, has just been purchased by United Theatres of Los Angeles and after several weeks' work in painting and redecorating and installing new equipment, has reopened its doors to the public. The policy of the new management is to present to Catalina Island residents and visitors the latest and best photoplays with added musical attractions..."



A crowd gathered in front of the Strand. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for finding the trade magazine photo. They posted it on the Cinema Treasures page for the Riviera (the successor to the Strand) with this caption: "1922 shot on Catalina of the Strand Theatre with 'Robinson Crusoe' drawing an audience thanks to J.S. Woodhouse’s creative front."



This photo from the Catalina Island Museum of a tourist outside the theatre appeared with a short item by Jeannine Pederson in the November 23, 2001 Catalina Islander about this theatre and its replacement, the New Strand. Ms. Peterson's article is on Google News. The Islander is also archived on the site Archive in a Box. The film we see in the posters, "Thundering Dawn," was a 1923 release.

Closing: 1925, with the opening of the New Strand at Crescent and Clarissa, a house later renamed the Riviera.

| back to top | Theatres Along the Coast | Along the Coast - list by address | Downtown theatres | Westside theatres | Hollywood | Westwood and Brentwood |   [more] Los Angeles movie palaces | Los Angeles theatres - the main alphabetical list | Los Angeles theatres - list by address | theatre history resources | film and theatre tech resources | contact info | welcome and site navigation guide |
Posted by

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)