Opened: 1946 or 1947. It was on the west side of Long Beach Blvd. a couple blocks south of where the 105 now crosses. Note the parking lot entrance: driving under the marquee. The 1947 photo by Hoffman-Luckhaus Studio is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. They were running some re-releases. "In Old California" with John Wayne was a May 1942 release. The co-feature, "Topper Takes a Trip," dated from 1939.
Seating: 940
Architect: S. Charles Lee. Over 600 photos from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection have been scanned and are on Calisphere. They can also be viewed on the UCLA Library Digital Collections website.
The theatre was operated by W.J. Zimmerman and Albert Hanson of South-Lyn Theatres. They also had the Nubel and Circle in Bellflower, the Lynwood Theatre in Lynwood (nearly across the street) and the Allen in South Gate. Later Zimmerman was gone and Al's son Wayne was involved.
Closing: March 1974 was the closing.
Status: It's gone. One of our contributors notes that there was a fire sometime before 1980 that caused a roof collapse:
"I grew up in South Gate on San Juan Ave. just north of Abbott Rd. When I was in jr. high, my friends and I would sneak in and play around inside. That was in 1979 or 1980. I remember how cool it was inside. The snack bar was in good shape. I even took a sign that said 'Popcorn' or something like that and had it in my garage. There were signs of transients or druggies in there and made it scary, but that made it more fun.
"The trippy part though was that when we would walk into the
theater from the lobby doors, the roof was caved in on top of the seats
exposing the sky. It was rather sad to see... there was a fire that caused
the roof to cave in 1980 at the latest and perhaps earlier. I remember
the inside looking really cool and felt like we were going back in time
as so much was still intact including signs and counters."
Cinema Treasures asserts, without any other data, that there was a fire in 1988. It's unknown if that date is is just in error or if there was a second fire that finished it off. More research is needed.
There's now a used car lot on the site.
Interior views:
Looking toward the snackbar and the entrance doors. The photo by Hoffman-Luckhaus Studio is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.
An etched panel in the lobby. It's a photo by Hoffman-Luckhaus Studio on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.
A fine look at the auditorium from the Ronald W. Mahan Collection. It's a photo taken by Western Photo Service for Grosh Scenic Studios. Thanks, Ron!
More exterior views:
1946 - A construction photo taken by R.M. Decker. It's on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.
1947 - A shot by Photo Enterprise. "The Verdict" with Peter Lorre was a November 1946 release. The co-feature, "The Return of Monte Cristo" with Louis Hayward, was a December 1946 release. The photo is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.
1947 - The theatre running "Till the Couds Roll By," a January release. Thanks to Elmorovivo for finding this trade magazine photo for a post on Cinema Treasures. The photo appeared with this caption:
"SOUTH-LYN'S NEWEST ADDITION - Most recent addition to the South-Lyn circuit, which operates in suburban South Gate and Lynwood is the Arden, shown above, just completed and opened in the latter city. The suburban chain is operated by W.J. Zimmerman and Al Hanson who invested $350,000 in the land, building and equipment for their new showcase. The house was designed by Architect S. Charles Lee and built by the R.J. Daum Construction Co."
1947 - A detail from the Hoffman-Luckhaus photo at the top of the page. It's on Calisphere. They had some great product coming up. In the display cases to the left of the boxoffice labeled coming soon were posters for "Slave Girl," a July 1947 release with Yvonne De Carlo and George Brent, and "Kiss of Death," a September 1947 release with Victor Mature, Coleen Gray and Richard Widmark.
1974 - Thanks to Matt Spero for sharing this photo he took of the recently closed theatre. Don't believe that "Open" sign below the readerboard.
c.1980 - A view south toward the closed theatre. Thanks to Sean Ault for locating the photo.
2020 - A fine car lot is on the site of the theatre. We're looking north on Long Beach Blvd. with the 105 in the distance. The Lynwood Theatre was once off to the right. Photo: Google Maps
More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Arden. Cinema Tour has a page with a 1947 photo.
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Would walk to there in the early 60s to see a movie!! it was so beautiful inside!!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in South Gate on San Juan Ave just north of Abbott Rd. When I was in jr. high, my friends and I would sneak in and play around inside. That was in 1979 or 1980. I remember how cool it was inside. The snack bar was in good shape. I even took a sign that said “Popcorn” or something like that and had it in my garage. There were signs of transients or druggies in there and made it scary, but that made it more fun. The trippy part though was that when we would walk into the theater from the lobby doors, the roof was caved in on top of the seats exposing the sky. It was rather sad to see. The post here lists that The Arden burned down in 1988. However, there was a fire that caused the roof to cave in 1980 at the latest and perhaps earlier. I remember the inside looking really cool and felt like we were going back in time as so much was still intact including signs and counters.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your comments and the data. Well, I have nothing to back up that 1988 date. It came from a listing on Cinema Treasures. A second fire? Unknown. We obviously need more research. I added your comments up in the text. Perhaps more information will pop up.
Delete