Kinema Theatre

8607 S. Compton Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90002  | map |

Opening: January 1925. The Kinema, in the Florence Graham area, was on the west side of the street just south of Manchester Ave. This section of Manchester was later renamed Firestone Blvd. An item from the March 4, 1925 issue of The Film Daily:

"Sunbeam, New L. A. House...Los Angeles — The Sunbeam, built jointly by C. W. Grubbs and West Coast Theaters, Inc., at Compton Ave. and 69th St. has opened. It seats 1,400. The owners recently opened another, but smaller house, known as the Kinema, at Manchester and Compton Aves." 

Thanks to Joe Vogel for locating this. The Sunbeam, located farther north on Compton Ave., was later replaced by the Gentry Theatre.

Seating: 625, according to Cinema Treasures. 

 

A 1925 listing for the Kinema that was located by Ken McIntyre.

The Kinema is in the 1925 Watts city directory with the 8607 Compton Ave. address. It also appears in the 1932 Watts directory. The building the theatre was in also included apartments that used an 8709 address.

 

The pipe organ: It was a Wurlitzer 109-C, opus 777. A PDF of a Wurlitzer factory shipping list notes that a 109-B (actually a C) was originally shipped January 29, 1924 to the Bush Theatre in San Diego, operated by a G.A. Bush. But it obviously didn't stay there very long. It was moved to the Kinema after being repossesed by Wurlitzer. It's now owned by Tom DeLay. His 2023 report:  

"The organ was a style 109-C. It was just 3 ranks but included a roll player. Sometime in 1933 it was moved to the now-closed Bresee Bros. and Gillette Mortuary on Vermont in LA. I purchased the organ in 1982. I restored it and had it playing in my Fresno home for 17 years. It is now being installed in my Salinas home."

 

 

The Wurlitzer 109-C. Photo: Tom DeLay

 

 

The organ during restoration. Thanks to Tom DeLay for sharing the photos and information.

The Kinema's program for the week of January 28, 1934. Many thanks to Bruce Calvert for sharing the program from Silent Film Still Archives on Cinema Treasures.  

By 1950 it was no longer a Fox operation and was being operated by Eastland Theatres, according to Bill Gabel. 

Closing: The date is unknown. It was around at least until 1952.

Status: There's now a gas station on the theatre's site.

The site of the Kinema on the southwest corner of Compton Ave. and Firestone Blvd. On the left that's Compton Ave. heading south. Photo: Google Maps - 2018

More information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the Kinema. 

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