La Tosca Theatre

2930 S. Vermont Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90007 | map |

Opened: The theatre opened in 1912 as the Photoplay. It was on the east side of the street three blocks north of Jefferson Blvd. In the 1914 city directory there's a listing at 2928 S. Vermont for Samuel MacIntyre as the proprietor.

In this 1953 Julius Shulman photo we're looking south on Vermont toward the La Tosca with the
marquee advertising Czech and German films. Shulman was more interested in the Bank of America across the street. He was out photographing their branches. This is catalogued as his Job #1557 on the website of the Getty Research Institute. This is the only view in the set of three photos that includes the theatre.

Architect: Unknown

Seating: 640 was the capacity in later years.

In this 1914 ad they're advertising that the Photoplay #2 gets "The Pick of the Licensed Flim. [sic] Extra Good Music. 10 cents, Loges 15 cents." It appears Macintyre has taken in a partner as here it's listed as MacIntyre & Pollard as the owners. Thanks to Jeff Bridges for posting the ad on Flickr. 

In the 1915 directory it's shown as the Photoplay at 2930 S. Vermont. In 1916, 1917 and 1918 directories as the Photoplay at 2928 S. Vermont.

The Photoplay #2 appears in this 1917 listing of southwest theatres Ken McIntyre spotted in an issue of the LA Evening Herald.

By the time of this 1918 ad the theatre has been renamed the La Tosca. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad. Starting with the the 1919 city directory it's listed as as the La Tosca. Evidently it got a remodel with the name change. Joe Vogel notes that in the 1923 city directory B.H. Lustig and Michael Gore are listed as the proprietors. 

In the late 1930s the La Tosca was operated by Louis Berkoff. He's mentioned in an October 8, 1938 Boxoffice article located by Joe Vogel:

"Lou Berkoff, owner of the La Tosca Theatre here, will start construction immediately on a new 600-seat house at Pico Blvd. and Manhattan Ave. Plans have been approved and Berkoff is awaiting a building permit."

That new theatre turned out to be the Midway. Lewis also had the Cinema on Western Ave. Other members of the Berkoff family operated the Coronet, a legit house on La Cienega, and the Esquire in the Fairfax district. Honor Robie, a grand-daughter of Coronet founder Frieda Berkoff, notes that she has a letter to Louis at the La Tosca address in the family files.

In the 40s the La Tosca was still running mainstream Hollywood product but by the early 50s the theatre had changed policy and was then a thriving foreign film house running German features and newsreels. It also ran Hungarian, Italian and Indian films.

 

An October 1959 listing from the Times. The Empire was also running German films. 

Kd6dkc commented on Cinema Treasures: 

"The La Tosca...screened old German movies and newsreels (Neue Deutsche Wochenschau) every weekend during the 1950s and early 1960s, usually playing to a full house. Hungarian films were played mid-week. 

"It was owned and operated at that time by Hermann and Meta Kleinhens. Tickets were 75 cents, if I remember correctly. The interior featured Venetian murals... Other than the name La Tosca, the most 'Italian memory' I have of the theater is of two murals or bas-relief sculptures flanking the stage/screen area and depicting a lute-player serenading his sweetheart who was looking down from a mini-balcony."

Closing: The date is not known -- perhaps the late 1970s. The location close to USC helped it survive even as the neighborhood went into a serious decline. The theatre portion of the building was then used as retail and storage as well as a little fling as some sort of church.

Status:  It was demolished in 2015 or 2016. There's a new apartment complex on the site.

 

More exterior views:

 

1953 - A detail from the Julius Shulman photo at the top of the page. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Hoss C for finding the photo in the Getty collection for Noirish post #30604. If you have days to browse, you might check out the thousands of photos the Getty has in their Julius Shulman Photography Archive.

 

c.1959 - Looking north toward the La Tosca from Jefferson Blvd. Thanks to Sean Ault for spotting the photo when it was for sale online. That National Surplus store is listed at 3128 S. Vermont in the 1956 phone book.

Beginning in 1910 the building on the corner was probably the home of one of the other theatres called Queen Photoplay. The trade magazine Nickelodeon noted in December 1910 that "O.H. Mennett will erect at 3128 S. Vermont avenue a one-story moving picture theater to cost $6,592." In the 1911 city directory the operators were listed as Knapp & Knapp. It got a Queen Photoplay listing in the 1912 directory with a 3126 address. In the 1914 ad reproduced higher on the page it's listed as at the corner of Vermont and Jefferson. It's just "Queen" at 3126 in the 1916 directory. The 1917 ad reproduced above listing "Siegert's" may have been also referring to the same theatre. It's in the city directories as the Queen Photoplay at least until 1920.

c.1959 - The La Tosca is seen in the center of this detail from the previous photo.

c.1978 - The La Tosca after closing as a foreign film house. It's a photo taken by cinematographer Gary Graver.  He took many photos of dying single-screen theatres in Los Angeles. A compilation can be seen on YouTube: "Second Run - part 1" and "Second Run - part 2." Thanks to Sean Graver for use of the photo.

c.1980 - Here we get a look at the boarded-up boxoffice. Thanks to Gerald DeLuca for sharing this photo he took. It's on Photobucket.

1983 - The marquee still unchanged but at this time a different array of furniture in front. Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this view.

2003 - The building was much less inviting with the marquee stripped down. Note the side exit door being used as the entrance to some church mission operation in the auditorium. No, that's not a cross sticking up above the building. Thanks to Ron Pierce for his photo. It's one of two on the Cinema Tour page about the La Tosca. 

2012 - At the time of this photo the neighborhood was on the way back up with things looking a bit more prosperous. Photo: Bill Counter

2015 - A last look at the 1912 vintage building. Photo: Google Maps

 

2020 - The new apartment building on the site. On the left we're looking north on Vermont. On the right it's 30th St. Photo: Google Maps 

 

The La Tosca in the Movies: 

 

About 22 minutes into "Black Gunn" (Columbia, 1972) we get a look at the front of the La Tosca. The film stars Jim Brown, Brenda Sykes and Martin Landau. Robert Hartford-Davis directed. Thanks to Bill Gabel for spotting the theatre in the film and Eric Schaefer for getting the screenshot. On the marquee in milk glass letters: "The Home of Foreign Language Art Films - Russian - Indian - Korean - German - Hungarian." 

More information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the La Tosca for some discussion. The Cinema Tour page has two 2003 exterior photos from Ron Pierce.

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