There were five different locations for the Rosemary, all within several blocks:
Rosemary #1: Ocean Front Promenade north of Pier Ave. - c.1910 - 1912
Rosemary #2: Trolleyway between Kinney and Pier Ave. - 1912 - 1913
Rosemary #3: 6 Ocean Park Pier - 1913 - c.1919
Rosemary #4: 2946 Ocean Front Promenade - c.1919 - 1924
Rosemary #5: 3034 Ocean Front Promenade - 1924 -1969
Opened: The new Rosemary Theatre opened May 30, 1924 on the Ocean Park Promenade on the site of the old Dome Theatre. The Dome had opened in 1916 as a dance hall and became a theatre in 1922. Its entrance and foundations were all that were salvaged after the January 1924 pier fire. The rest of the Rosemary was a new building -- supposedly erected in 23 days.
This 1931 postcard view north on the Promenade was a find of the late Chrys Atwood for a post on the Venice, Ocean Park & Santa Monica Facebook page. At the Rosemary it's Joan Crawford and Neil Hamilton in "Laughing Sinners." The card appears in the page's "Trams Through The Years" set. The new post-1924 Dome Theatre that we see signage for was in a spot just to the north of the Rosemary.
Venice Investment Co. and West Coast Theatres had swooped down after the fire and bought up the assets of the Pickering and Lick pier operating companies. The old Dome location had been part of the Lick pier complex in Venice. Everything north of that was part of the Pickering empire, within the Santa Monica city limits. The earlier Rosemary location #4 had been just north of the entrance to the Pickering Pier.
One address in use when this was the Dome was 14 Ocean Front Walk, Venice. In the 1923-24 city directory, when the Dome was at this site, the listing was 3034 Ocean Front Promenade (Ocean Park). In the 1925 directory this location is listed for the Rosemary as 3034 Ocean Front Promenade, Venice. Venice got annexed to Los Angeles in 1925.
In 1929, after William Fox bought enough stock to control West Coast Theatres, the firm became Fox West Coast and the Rosemary was advertised as the Fox Rosemary.
Architect: Unknown
Seating: 1,454
A June 1932 ad about revised prices. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating it.
Closing: Presumably it closed in the early 1950s. It
doesn't get a listing in the 1954 city directory or the 1957 yellow
pages. While the Dome just to the north was reused as part of Pacific Ocean Park in 1958, the Rosemary wasn't part of that project.
After the closing: The theatre was
equipped for 70mm in the 60s and was being used as a test house for the
D-150 process. The booth had two Norelco DP-70 35/70 machines. An industry demonstration of the system was held in
October, 1965.
Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this article about the 1965 presentation for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. No commercial engagements were in 70mm at the Rosemary.
Status: The Rosemary Theatre and its neighbor the Dome were demolished in the summer of
1969 although other buildings on the piers remained. Glen Norman notes
that this round of demolition was done as an attempt by John (Jack)
Morehart to jump-start his redevelopment plans for the area. There was a
series of arson fires in the ruins between December 1969 and July 1974.
Final demolition of what remained was in the winter of 1974-75. Today
no traces of the amusement area remain. Just beach and a meandering walkway.
The Rosemary in the Movies:
We're on Ocean Front Promenade with Mickey Rooney and Barbara Bates in Irving Pichel's "Quicksand" (United Artists, 1950). We're looking south with the Dome marquee in the foreground with the vertical sign and marquee of the Rosemary visible beyond. The film also features Peter Lorre and, as the femme fatale ruining Mickey's life, Jeanne Cagney.
Interior photos:
A photo appearing with a Theatre Decoration and Stage Equipment article in the February 18, 1928 Motion Picture News. It was headed "Robert E. Powers [sic] Studios and Armstrong-Powers Studios Among Leaders in Development of Features for DeLuxe Houses." The Rosemary was decorated by the Power Studios and presumably had Armstrong rigging equipment backstage. The article is on Internet Archive.
An undated view that's now in the Ronald W. Mahan Collection. They were evidently working on drapes and other pieces. Ron calls our attention to that painted torm stage left. And the three lines in front of the house curtain are going to a batten resting on the stage. Note we have a covered up console in the pit that isn't seen in the earlier photo. The photo is one that was once in the Warner Studios research collection.
A 1969 demolition view from the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
A view by Edward Steneck that appeared with "POP Theater Collapse Kills Man," an article in the Santa Monica Evening Outlook discussing a crane malfunction during the demolition that led to the death of a worker. Thanks to David Doherty for sharing the clipping from his collection, added as a comment to a post on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page.
More exterior views:
1924 - The site after the January pier fire and the rebuild had begun. The Dome's entrance would be repurposed for the new Rosemary Theatre but the dome itself would be demolished and replaced with a new building for the auditorium. On the marquee: "Dome Attractions Now Playing at the California and Neptune Theatres in Venice." The photo is in the collection of the Santa Monica Public Library.
c.1924 - A view north on the Promenade toward the Rosemary and the Dome Theatre beyond. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. There's a cropped version in the Santa Monica Public Library collection. On the far right it's the Palace dance hall.
c.1925 - A lovely postcard view discovered by Chrys Atwood with a postmark of 1931. It was a find on eBay for a post on the Venice, Ocean Park & Santa Monica Facebook page. On the marquee they were advertising vaudeville along with the feature picture.
It's based on a 1926 or earlier photo as the little vertical to the right of the main Ocean Park Pier / Dome Theatre sign here still says "Entrance." By the summer of 1926 that would be redone to say "Dancing." On this card note that we see the sign in a new position. They had rehung it a bit higher than we see in earlier photos.
It's based on a 1926 or earlier photo as the little vertical to the right of the main Ocean Park Pier / Dome Theatre sign here still says "Entrance." By the summer of 1926 that would be redone to say "Dancing." On this card note that we see the sign in a new position. They had rehung it a bit higher than we see in earlier photos.
1926 - The Rosemary running "Men of Steel," a July release with Milton Sills and Doris Kenyon. Thanks to Ken Roe for locating the photo. A smaller version of the image appears with Jeffrey Stanton's fine article "Ocean Park Pier 1926-1956."
Beyond the Palace dance hall on the right there's a three story white building on the northeast corner of the Promenade and Marine St. It housed a hotel with an entrance on Marine as well as the La Petite Theatre, with an entrance on the Promenade.
1926 - A look north toward the theatres in October. They were dragging the
surf in an attempt to find Aimee McPherson, presumed drowned. She had
actually run off with a lover. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the
photo. His post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page includes many other items about Aimee's antics.
1927 - Thanks to Jeffrey Stanton for this postcard from his collection. It appeared as a post on the Facebook page Venice, Ocean Park & Santa Monica in the 20th Century. It's also on his terrific Venice History Site hosted on Westland.net. Note the "Chop Suey" signage that didn't stay long. The large building to the left of the "Lick Pier" sign was the Bon Ton Ballroom. See Stanton's articles about the "Fraser / Pickering / Lick Piers 1913-1924," "Ocean Park Pier 1926-1956" and "Movie Making in Venice and Ocean Park."
Mr. Stanton is the author of "Venice California - Coney Island of the Pacific,"
available direct by check or money order for $59.57, including
tax. He's at 12525 Allin St. Los Angeles 90066. His email:
jeffreystanton@yahoo.com.
1927 - The Rosemary playing Tod Browning's film "The Unknown," a June release with Lon Chaney. And on the night the photo was taken there was also a sneak preview. It's a photo from the Ernest Marquez collection appearing on the Huntington Library website. A lower resolution version is in the collection of the Santa Monica Public Library where they credit it as taken by Adelbert Bartlett.
1928 - A view north toward the Lick Pier by Adelbert Bartlett in the Huntington Library collection. That strange spire rising behind the "Lick Pier" sign was the Lighthouse Slide. Also see a very similar July 4, 1929 L.A. Times view that was shared by Arnold Darrow in a Facebook post.
1929 - A glorious view by Thompson Photo Service of Santa Monica. That's the Shoot the Chutes ride out at the end of the pier, where you could slide down the 130' high incline in a flat-bottomed boat into a 3' deep tank. It was a 1929 addition. This copy of the photo is from the Ernest Marquez collection and appears on the Huntington Library website.
1929
- A detail from the Thompson Photo Service image.
1929 - A Promenade detail taken from the Thompson image. The building in the center with the fanciful domes is the Ocean Park Bathhouse.
1930s - Looking north toward the Rosemary and Dome theatres. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Tourmaline for spotting this view by an unknown photographer. It's included, along with a fine selection of other Venice and Ocean Park shots, on Noirish post #35774.
1936 - On the beach looking toward the Lick Pier and the Rosemary. Thanks to Jon Haimowitz for finding this one for a post on the Venice, Ocean Park & Santa Monica Facebook page.
1940 - Scott Charles has done a lovely job of overlaying a 1940 vintage aerial photo of the Ocean Park piers on top of a current map of the area. The Rosemary and Dome Theatres are just above the word "Ballroom." He discusses his project on Noirish Los Angeles post # 46596. Also see his full image, which also covers the Santa Monica and Venice piers: https://i.imgur.com/0ZApE6Z.gif
c.1940 - A look north with the theatre running "Captain Caution," an August 1940 release with Victor Mature and Louise Platt. The co-feature was "Captain Fury," a May 1939 release with Brian Ahern and Victor McLaglen. Thanks to David Doherty for sharing the image from his collection. It was added as a comment to a post about the pre-1924 Rosemary on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page.
1944 - They're running two April releases: "And the Angels Sing" with Dorothy Lamour, Fred MacMurray and Betty Hutton along with "Henry Aldrich Plays Cupid" with Jimmy Lydon and Charles Smith. It's a photo by Bill Beebe that's in the Santa Monica History Museum collection.
1944 - Another view from the Santa Monica History Museum. "Laura" was a November release. Bill Beebe was the photographer. Thanks to Michael Hayashi for finding the shot in the collection for a post on the Venice, Ocean Park & Santa Monica Facebook page.
1950s - Looking north from Venice toward the piers. Thanks to Bill Gabel for finding the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
1957 - A pier view toward the stagehouses of the Dome and Rosemary during the POP construction. It's a photo from the Osterhout Family collection donated to the Santa Monica Public Library.
1958 - The marquee that had been over the pier's entrance is gone. What's left are the marquees for the Dome Theatre and, on the far left, the Rosemary. It's a photo from Pacific News Pictures in the Santa Monica Public Library collection.
c.1965 - A view taken during the P.O.P. era. Thanks to Bill Gabel for locating the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
c.1965 - Looking north during the POP era across the redone facades of the Rosemary and Dome theatres toward the entrance dome of the pier. The theatre's lobbies were used as restaurants with the French restaurant seen on the left as one of two at the Rosemary. Thanks to David Doherty for sharing his photo, added as a comment on a post on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page.
c.1967 - The pier's entrance dome, the Dome Theatre and the Rosemary Theatre are seen at the top of this view east across POP. Thanks to David Doherty for his photo, added as a comment on a post on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page. He notes that the large structure on the right is the Aragon Ballroom.
The auditorium of the Dome Theatre had been rebuilt as the Magic Carpet Ride in 1958. After the Rosemary was no longer used as a D-150 test house, David notes that former POP employees have commented that the theatre was used for storage of food and gift carts from the park. POP closed in 1967. There were several fires on the site prior to the eventual demolition.
1970 - The theatre was demolished in the summer of 1969. This view was taken the day after the May 27, 1970 Aragon Ballroom fire. It was one in a series of fires in the ruins between late 1969 and the summer of 1974. The big dome over the pier entrance (used as POP's exit) used to be straight down the midway to where it meets the street. The Dome and Rosemary theatres were in the vacant lots to the right of that.
The photo, from Bill Dahlquist and Don Nash of the Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society, appears in a 16 photo "Pacific Ocean Park Pier Fire" album on Flickr. Thanks to Glen Norman for his research on establishing the demolition date of the Dome and Rosemary theatres as well as finding the photo. The Egyptian Ballroom would be the location of a fire in August 1971.
1972 - The vacant lots to the left of the pier centerline are the sites of the Rosemary and Dome. It's a photo dated May 19 from the City of Santa Monica that's now in the Santa Monica Public Library collection. Also see a view looking inland toward the end of the pier. The curving street is Barnard Way with the portion on the right before the curve lined up with where Speedway had been. Ocean Front Promenade lined up with the front of the buildings we see remaining in the center of the image.
1975 - The cleared beach and only a few remnants of the pier left in the water. It's a photo taken by the Santa Monica Police Department that's in the Santa Monica Public Library collection.
2019 - Looking out to where the Rosemary and Dome theatres once were. Behind us it's all condos. There's no more Ocean Park business district unless you go several blocks east to Neilson Way/Pacific Ave. or Main St. Photo: Google Maps
Rosemary Theatre salvage:
Two Rosemary aisle signs in the Gary Parks collection. He comments: "These are two of the lights which were over the doors to the Rosemary's auditorium. They even have a little rust on them, as all metal artifacts from theatres in seaside locations acquire. A theatre buff salvaged them at the time of the Rosemary's demolition, and wired them up with cords and plugs, for home display. Eventually, they came into the ownership of my cousin, Gary Lord, of Santa Monica, and last year he gave them to me."
A side view of one of them Gary comments: "This photo is to show the sheet-metal leaf on the bottom, and the fun opening on the side, with light glowing through. The red bulbs were in them when I got them. The numbers are backed by etched glass." Thanks, Gary!
More Information: See the listings at the bottom of the Theatres Along the Coast survey page for some Ocean Park history references. The Rosemary history is intertwined with that of the Dome. See the pages on the Dome Theatre - location #1 and Dome Theatre - location #2.
Cinema Treasures has a Rosemary page that contains data and photos for both this location and a pre-1924 spot.
Jeffrey Stanton's Ocean Park - Lick Piers -1929 map. The Rosemary is #1 with the new Dome location as #2. Head to the version on his site and clicking on the red dots get you photos or postcard views of those particular areas.
The other numbered attractions: 3. Roller Skating Rink, 4. Jones' Fun Palace, 5. Ocean Park Municipal Auditorium, 6. High Boy Roller Coaster, 7. Lighthouse Slide, 8. Ferris Wheel, 9. Chute the Chutes, 10. Flying Planes, 11. Egyptian Ballroom, 12. Miniature Auto Speedway, 13. Toonerville Fun House, 14. Merry-go-round (Looff), 15. Whip, 16. Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, 17. Speedboats, 18. Bon Ton Ballroom. Thanks, Jeffrey!
A POP map. The Rosemary and Dome Theatres are in the lower left with their lobby areas marked P13 and P12. Thanks to David Doherty for sharing this from his collection. He added it as a comment on a post on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook page.
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