Los Angeles Theatres: Southside Theatre

11243 S. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90044 | map |

Opened: September 21, 1949 with Burt Lancaster in "Rope of Sand" plus a sneak preview. It was operated by the Fanchon & Marco chain Southside Theatres. Looking somewhat like a Quonset hut, the building utilizes Lamella style wood roof construction. It's on the west side of the street a half block north of Imperial Highway. The pre-opening photo of "The Southside's Smartest Theatre" is in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

Architect: Clarence J. Smale

Seats: 1,466, all on a single level.

The September 21, 1949 ad in the L.A. Times. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating it.

Fanchon & Marco also had the Rio Theatre, the Baldwin and the Manchester, among other southend locations. At the time they also operated the El Capitan (then called the Hollywood Paramount) and the Metropolitan (then called the Downtown Paramount). Their chain was operated in conjunction with Fox West Coast with offices at Fox's Boulevard Theatre on Washington Blvd. It was convenient to film row on Vermont.

Thanks to Bill Gabel for sharing this text of a trade magazine article describing the theatre:

"...When the new 1466 seat Southside Theatre opened it was designed to cater to a middle class area with a seven day subsequent run of films. Therefore it was desired to accomplish a theatre that was imposing enough to command respect and efficient enough to operate economically. Designed around the use of a Lamella timber roof lined with asbestos limpet on gypsum board, this large theatre follows a construction principle that has become very popular on the West Coast.

"The bearing walls are buttressed concrete with brick masonry fillers. The lobby has a chartreuse ceiling with walls of chocolate brown and deep green. Carpeting is in a philodendron pattern carried out in beige and maroon, and all lighting is indirect.

"Walls of the auditorium are blue green with large philodendron leaves and the ceiling is gold. The proscenium wall is draped from side to side with coral festoons and chartreuse hangings. The traveler curtain is yellow. Lighting is through indirect lighted central ceiling coves and side coves. The ladies lounge is particularly attractive with silver foil paper covered walls adorned with black and red butterflies. An edge-lighted trap mural depicts conventional motion picture themes. The Southside Theatre had 6 stores built on the Vermont Ave. frontage."

A 1949 Times ad.

A May 1951 ad located by Ken McIntyre.

The Fanchon & Marco locations were sold off in 1959 to the ElectroVision Corp., aka EVC. A July 1959 L.A. Times article titled "ElectroVision in Aquisition" noted that the company (headed by Edwin F. Zabel) had purchased theatres in the area operated by Robert Lippert. At the bottom it was mentioned that they had earlier picked up the F&M holdings as well.

A 1959 Times ad located by Ken McIntyre showing the Southside as being operated by EVC. By the mid-1960s they were gone and the Southside, as well as a number of these other locations, were then operated by Statewide Theatres, headed by Fred Stein.

Closing: The date is unknown. It was running as late as 1970.

Status: It's now a church.

An auditorium view:

Check out that mural on the house left wall. Thanks to Bill Gabel for locating the trade magazine photo.

More exterior views:

1949 - A crowd to see "My Friend Irma," an October release with John Lund, Diana Lynn and Marie Wilson. The co-feature was "Prison Warden" with Warner Baxter. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.

1949 - The Southside running two November releases: "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" with Mark Stevens and June Haver along with "Chinatown at Midnight" featuring Hurd Hatfield and Jean Willes. Thanks to Bill Gabel for locating the photo.

2003 - Thanks to Ron Pierce for this photo, one appearing on the Cinema Tour page about the Southside.

c.2008 - Thanks to Debra Jane Seltzer for this look at the theatre's vertical. It's included in her wonderful coverage of California theatres on the ever-growing site Roadside Architecture.