Opened: June 30, 1922 at the corner of Florence and Pacific in the Walnut Park business district. A.F. Sanders was the initial owner. In the 1928 city directory it's listed as at 7210 Pacific. The Lyric is just a few blocks south of the other theatres in Huntington Park including the Warner, the Park and the California.
The 20s photo is from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. On the end of the marquee: "Vaudeville." In the 20s the Lyric ran vaudeville shows along with their movies but later segued into just being a film house.
Architect: A.H. McCulloh of Walnut Park. The project was announced in the May 27, 1921 issue of Southwest Builder & Contractor.
Thanks to Pacific Coast Architectural Database
for the data. They also note that the theatre rated three stories in
the L.A. Times: "Lyric Theater, Huntington Park" on page 14 of section V
on May 21, 1921, "New Business Building at Walnut Park" on page 2 of
section V on July 17, 1921 and "To Open Suburban Theater" on page 14 on
June 25, 1922.
Seating: 968 in later years, according to Cinema Treasures. The original announced capacity was to be 1,100.
A fine 1963 ad for "The Luxurious Lyric." Thanks to Scott Pitzer for locating it.
Status: The building is still standing. There's retail in the former lobby. The auditorium has been double decked for numerous small offices and retail. There may be wondrous things above some ceilings but there's nothing of interest to see in the public areas.
1943 - Playing the week of the photo were "Let's Face It" with Bob Hope and Betty Hutton along with "Above Suspicion" with Joan Crawford and Fred MacMurray. It's a photo in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
late 1950s - A lovely view north on Pacific Blvd. with the Lyric Theatre on the right. Thanks to Sean Ault for sharing this photo from his collection.
late 1950s - A detail from Sean's photo.
1961 - A look at the terrific marquee that was once on the Lyric. "Magic Spectacles" was a nudie-cutie adventure but you needed to be brave and bold. Thanks to Bill Gabel for finding the photo for a post on Cinema Treasures. Ken McIntyre later did a post of it on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
c.1980 - A Gary Graver photo. Graver was a filmmaker and cinematographer who 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.
1983 - A bit of a makeover. Thanks to the now-vanished American Classic Images website for this photo.
1983 - Another American Classic Images photo, this time from a bit to the south. Thanks!
2010 - The Lyric Theatre building after a bit of remodeling. The theatre entrance used to be on the right side where the green awning is. Thanks to Lanna Pian for sharing her photo.
2012 - The side of the building. The auditorium has been gutted and double decked for a two story warren of offices. Photo: Bill Counter
More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Lyric Theatre for a bit of discussion. The Pacific Coast Architectural Database also has a page on the Lyric.
The Lyric is discussed in Jay Allen Sanford's 2010 San Diego Reader article about the Pussycat Theatres chain: "Pussycat Theatres: A Comprehensive History of a California Dynasty." The version now online with the SDR site is missing all its photos. A better version is on Blogspot: "Pussycat Theaters: The Inside Story - chapter 1" - chapter 1 and "Pussycat Theaters: The Inside Story - chapters 2-15."
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