Opening: Possibly 1926. It's in the 1927 city directory as the Bonita Theatre with a 408 N. Ford Blvd. address. In the 1932 city directory it's the Bonito, with a 410 address. Joe Vogel notes that The L.A. County Assessor's office gives the 4,402 s.f. building a 1925 construction date. It's on the east side of the street just north of Cesar Chavez Ave. The theatre was advertised as being in the Belvedere Gardens area.
In the c.1932 photo by Anton Wagner we're on Cesar Chavez, then called Brooklyn Ave., looking north around the corner to the theatre's entrance with its protruding sign saying Teatro Bonito. Note the stagehouse visible above the corner drug store. It's a photo on the website of the California Historical Society. Wagner took hundreds of photos of the L.A. area in 1932 and 1933 for a thesis topic having to do with the way the area's topology influenced the character of its inhabitants. See the Wagner photos of Los Angeles 1932-33 page on the CHS site for an overview of their collection.
Seating: 700 in later years.
Closing: It was running at least into 1952. Ken Roe notes it was still listed in the Film Daily Yearbook that year. The 1956 telephone directory lists Able Sheet Metal products at the theatre's address.
Status: The building survives but it's been remodeled. It's now a printing company. The upper portion of the stage house has been chopped off.
c.1932 - A detail from the Anton Wagner photo.
The Wagner photo was used by Alex Luevano for a "then and now" post on the Facebook page Who Remembers in East L.A. that received nearly 150 comments. Thanks to Jason Vega for spotting the post.
2007 - A photo by Ken McIntyre.
2019 - A corner view. On the left we're looking north on Ford Rd. Photo: Google Maps
More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Bonito.
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