Lomita Theatre

24333 Narbonne Ave. Lomita, CA 90717 | map |

Opening: The Lomita Theatre opened May 31, 1924 with the film "Little Old New York" starring Marion Davies. The 1928 photo is from Jim Cole's 2007 book "Lomita...A Century Remembered" that was sponsored by the City of Lomita. At the time of the photo the theatre was running Keaton's "Steamboat Bill."

Thanks to Sam Gnerre for the data about the opening night, discussed in his 2010 Daily Breeze article "Lomita Theatre's special guest." He adds: 

"According to an advertisement, the evening also included a 'Sunshine Comedy and Two Acts of Vaudeville.' Fox 'Sunshine Comedies' were a series of two-reel silent comedy features, only a couple of dozen of which have survived."

The building is on the west side of the street a half block north of Lomita Blvd. Prior to the early 30s renumbering the address was 1063 Narbonne. Nearby was the Narbonne Hotel. The town of Lomita is south of Torrance. Joe Vogel notes: 

"A Southwest Builder & Contractor item about this theatre, in the issue of April 4, 1924, says that the construction of the 50' by 137' building was frame and stucco."

Seating: 500

 

Ron Pierce, reporting on Cinema Treasures, notes that the house soon shut down and after a remodel designed by architect Richard D. King, reopened in 1925 as part of the Chotiner circuit. King had designed several theatres for Chotiner. Many of the houses of that circuit ended up as Fox West Coast operations in the early 1930s. It's unknown if that happened here. 

 

In the mid-1930s the Lomita was operated by Frank Gumm. Sam Gnerre notes that Gumm was a former vaudevillian who earlier had operated theatres in Minnesota and then Lancaster, CA.

 

A 1935 ad for the theatre. Both "Goin' To Town" and "Eight Bells" were April releases. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this for a thread about the theatre on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. By using the name Garland's Lomita, Frank was trading on the adopted name for the singing act featuring his daughters Mary Jane, Dorothy Virgina and Frances Ethel, the future Judy Garland.

As for the "special guest" noted in the title of Sam's article? He asserts it was Judy, performing as part of the Garland Sisters, formerly the Gumm Sisters. The name had originated with a botched introduction by George Jessel in 1934. Sam says: 

"It was as the Garland Sisters that they performed between features onstage at the Lomita Theatre on June 8, 1935. Shortly afterward, the trio performed live for the last time at an engagement in July 1935 at the Cal Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe... Frances Gumm changed her name to Judy Garland and signed a movie deal that fall with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, and never performed in vaudeville again."

Frank Gumm died on November 17, 1935. Presumably some other family member took over the theatre's operation. 

 

A September 1936 ad for the theatre as Gumm's Lomita. "Ghost Goes West" was a January release. "The King Steps Out" was released in May. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the ad. 

 

A May 11, 1939 ad in the Torrance Herald.

In the 40s the theatre was operated by E.S. "Ned" Calvi, who also had the Plaza Theatre and the Cal Theatre in Hawthorne. 

 

In 1945 Calvi intended to put up an new theatre at Narbonne Ave. and Pacific Coast Highway in Lomita, a project that never happened. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating the article. 

 

An April 28, 1950 listing in the L.A. Times.

Closing: The Lomita Theatre closed sometime in 1955. It's unknown who was operating it at the time.

Status: The building has been remodeled for other tenants. In 2004 the former auditorium was an indoor baseball batting practice facility. In 2020 it was a karate academy.

2010 - It's a Daily Breeze photo.

2010 - Another Daily Breeze photo showing the exposed trusses over the auditorium portion of the building.

2017 - Another look for the building. Here it's a karate studio. They rebuilt the roof structure -- no more exposed trusses. Photo: Google Maps 

More information: Thanks to Ann Hubbell Tomkins for her research on the Lomita. The City of Lomita has a history page on their website that mentions Frank Gumm and the Lomita Theatre.

Cinema Treasures has a page about the Lomita Theatre with some nice research by Joe Vogel and other contributors. 

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