W. Mission Rd. at W. Angeleno Ave. San Gabriel, CA 91776 | map |
Opening: 1911 as San Gabriel's first movie theatre, a project of John and Augusta Feldmiller. Initially it was a tent operation and later became more permanent. The location was about five blocks east of the San Gabriel Mission Playhouse. Thanks to the San Gabriel Historical Association for sharing this photo in a post on the SGHA Facebook page.
An article about the theatre appeared in a newsletter issue of unknown date from the Historical Association. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding a pdf of it in the Los Angeles Public Library collection.
"San Gabriel's First Movie Theater - In 1911, John and Augusta Feldmiller and their children Wayne and
Dorothy, came to San Gabriel. Feldmiller bought the triangle of land at
the corner of Angeleno and Mission Dr. There, he set up a tent, folding
chairs, a hand-cranked Edison movie projector, and a distillate fueled
direct-current generator to operate the projector's arc lamp. This
little theatre quickly became a popular diversion in old San Gabriel. It
offered films featuring Elmo Lincoln, Dustin Farnum, Eddy Polo, Harry
Carey, Theodore Roberts and Clara Young, all in living black and
white...and silent.
"In 1912, Feldmiller, and his brother-in-law, Arthur
Wilcox, replaced the tent with a wood and stucco 200 seat theater. The
front of the theater was designed to look like the Mission, and candy
and soft drinks were sold from the tile-roofed booth in front of the
theater. Inside, the seats were fastened to movable boards on the
sloping floor. This arrangement permitted the temporary clearing of the
floor and the use of the theater for dancing. The movies were
accompanied by music, supplied by a pianola player piano and phonograph
records of organ music and sound effects.
"The first projector required a
couple of minutes to change reels. Later, a Powers electric
twin-projector permitted a continuous show. Best of all, the admission
price for those 8 and older was only 10 cents. For those under 8, cost
only 5 cents. The theater was open Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and
Sunday. The theater closed in the early 1930s when the new 'Talkies'
were introduced at the Mission Playhouse."
Closing: Around 1930, never converting to sound.
Status: It's been demolished. There are apartments now on the site.
Looking east toward Feldmiller's triangle of land. That's Angeleno Ave. on the left and Mission Rd. on the right. Photo: Google Maps - 2019
More information: Sorry, there isn't any yet.
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