Opened: 1922 or 1923 as the Red Mill Theatre. The image is a detail from a 1925 photo by Dick Whittington Studio. Thanks to Joe Vogel for locating it in the USC Digital Library collection. "In Every Woman's Life" was a September 1924 release with Virginia Valli and Lloyd Hughes. The building is on the north side of the street at McBride Ave.
Architect: Frank Meline designed the building. The Dick Whittington photo was taken for him. In 1918 Meline had designed the Iris, later renamed the Fox Theatre, in Hollywood and in 1920 had done a remodel of the Mission Theatre on Broadway. Joe Vogel notes that the L.A. County Assessor's Office gives the building a 1922 construction date with a remodel of some sort in 1928.
The building got a serious moderne renovation around 1937 by Clifford A. Balch & Floyd E. Stanbery. Balch designed many Los Angeles theatres, including the Golden Gate down the street. With Walker & Eisen he also did the United Artists a block to the west of it.
Seating: 916
The Red Mill was listed as being in the Belvedere Gardens neighborhood in a September 2, 1923 L.A.
Times ad celebrating Paramount Week. It was one of many theatres listed in the ad as running that studio's product for a week of celebrations. Thanks to Jeff Bridges for posting
the directory listings from the ad on Flickr. Joe Vogel has noted that the Belvedere designation had been "historically applied to a good-sized swath
of the unincorporated east side..." Cinema Treasures contributor Organnyc notes that there's a record of a Robert Morton pipe organ getting installed at the Red Mill in 1923.
It appears that the theatre was having some trouble with the projectionists union in October 1932. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this Eastside Journal article for a thread about the theatre on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.
1n 1979 it became the Teatro Boulevard, a Metropolitan Theatres operation. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating the December 23 grand reopening ad. Visit his site: movie-theatre.org
Closing: It was still running as a Spanish language bargain house in 1983 and closed sometime later in the 80s.
Now, of course, it's known as the Huggy Boy Theatre. The vertical used to say "Boulevard" on its nine protrusions. The Huggy Boy now lettered on the sign refers to Dick Hugg, the host of an American Bandstand-like show that aired from the theatre in the 80s. Earlier he had used a ballroom on Telegraph Rd.
Status: It's been a church for several decades.
Interior views:
More exterior views:
c.1948 - A shot from a clip located by April Wright for a post on her Going Attractions - Entertainment, Amusements, Americana Facebook page. She notes that it's from the 2004 Passport Video DVD set "30 years of Academy Award Winners 1972-2002." It's available on Amazon. In the clip on April's post we also see the Monterey, Golden Gate and Whittier theatres. Thanks, April!
1979 - A photo by Anne Knudsen looking west with the theatre in the next block on the left. It's a view in the Herald Examiner collection at the Los Angeles Public Library. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for spotting the photo in the collection.
1984 - Another photo from American Classic Images. Thanks!
2004 - Thanks to Ken Roe for this shot -- when they were still putting letters on the marquee. It's a photo that appears on the Cinema Tour page about the theatre.
2004 - A view from the east. Photo: Ken Roe - Cinema Tour
2007 - A look at the display cases at the Huggy Boy Theatre. Thanks to Eric Lynxwiler for sharing his photo on Flickr.
c.2008 - A view by Martin that appeared on his now-vanished site You-Are-Here.com.
2009 - A look up the vertical sign. Photo: Michelle Gerdes
2009 - A view of the boxoffice. Photo: Michelle Gerdes
2009 - Casing the joint. Photo: Michelle Gerdes
2009 - Clifford Balch's porthole design entrance doors. Photo: Michelle Gerdes
2009 - A view of the terrazzo. Photo: Michelle Gerdes. Many thanks to ace theatre explorer Michelle for permission to use her photos of the Boulevard. For more of her great work, see her various albums of theatre photos on Flickr.
c.2010 - Thanks to Debra Jane Seltzer for this great terrazzo shot appearing on page five of the California Theatres section of her immense site Roadside Architecture. The page also has three other photos of the Boulevard.
2012 - A view east. Photo: Bill Counter
2012 - An entrance detail. Photo: Bill Counter
2019 - Looking east on Whittier. Photo: Google Maps
2019 - We get a view of the auditorium with a look west. It's parallel to Whittier Blvd. Photo: Google Maps
2019 - On McBride St. looking south toward Whittier Blvd. That's the screen end of the building facing the street. Photo: Google Maps
The Boulevard in the Movies:
More information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Boulevard for a lively discussion. Also check out the Cinema Tour page on the theatre for five exterior photos from Bob Meza and Ken Roe.
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