Monterey Theatre

619 N. Garfield Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91754 | map |

Opened: 1924 as the Mission Theatre. In this 1927 photo from the Los Angeles Public Library collection they were running "Let It Rain." The theatre was on the west side of the street south of Hellman Ave., a couple blocks south of where the 10 is now situated.

Architect: Leonard L. Jones. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the data. 

Seating: 882

It's given a 617 N. Garfield address in the 1925 through 1930 Alhambra directories. It's the Monterey Theatre at 619 in the 1931 through 1939 directories. It's also been known as the Monterey Park Theatre.

It was acquired by James Edwards in 1930, evidently his first theatre. The facade got a remodel, perhaps in the 40s. Until the late 70s it was part of the Edwards circuit, where it was a popular priced second run house. It later ran Chinese films after Edwards opened a triplex in the Monterey Mall on Atlantic Blvd. in 1979.

 

A 1984 ad for the Chinese language houses in town that appeared in the Mandarine Commercial News. See the pages for the Sing Lee/King Hing, Pagoda/Cinemaland, Kuo-Hwa/San Gabriel, Kim Sing and Garfield theaters. Thanks to Ron Strong for sharing the ad. Visit his Bijou Memories site for many articles about the theatres in the area he once attended.

Closing: Presumably sometime in the late 80s. 

Status: It's been demolished. The site is now a parking lot.

The Monterey in the Movies:

The entrance to the Monterey is seen in the Ed Wood film "Jail Bait" (Howco Productions, 1954). They're going to steal the theatre circuit's payroll that they keep in an office backstage.

 

 

A look at the front of the auditorium in "Jail Bait." The young lady is a casualty of the robbery. Our robber thinks he's going to get his face altered by his plastic surgeon father so he can't be identified. The plot is foiled.

 

 

More exterior views:

 

 

1925 - Thanks to Dallas Movie Theaters for locating this trade magazine photo for a post on Cinema Treasures. Their caption: "Universal sends strongman Joe Bonomo who doubled for Lon Chaney in their 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' and appeared in 'The Circus Mystery' at the Mission Theatre here in 1925. That’s Mission manager Charles E. Brady to Bonomo’s left and Universal promoter Roland G McCurdy to the right." 

 

 

1983 - The Monterey in its Chinese language days. Thanks to the now-vanished website American Classic Images for this photo from their collection. 

 

 

1983 - Another view from American Classic Images.

 

 

 

2017 - Looking for the Monterey but 'tis no more. It's a view looking south on Garfield from Hellman Ave. Photo: Google Maps

More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Monterey Theatre for lots of data and a nice interior description by Joe Vogel. The L.A. Times had a 1995 profile on James Edwards.

See the page here on this site about the other Monterey Theatre on Whittier Blvd. in East Los Angeles.

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