255 S. Garey Ave. Pomona, CA 91766 |
map |
Opened: March 28, 1941 on the site of the Belvedere Theatre. The location was mid-block on the west side of the street between 2nd and 3rd. It was in the block north of the Fox Pomona.
The c.1945 photo is from the Los Angeles Public Library collection. Yes, a great double bill. "The Shanghai Cobra" with Sidney Toler was a September 1945 release. That wonderful musical epic "Springtime in Texas" was a June 1945 release with Jimmy Wakely and Dennis Moore.
Seats: 502, all on one level.
Architect: Clifford A. Balch. The building's reported cost was $33,000. Thanks to Joe Vogel for the research. He reports:
"Southwest Builder and Contractor issue of March 1st, 1940,
announced that architect C.A. Balch was preparing plans for the State
Theatre, for Fox West Coast. The previous year, other issues of
the same publication had announced plans for a theater on the same site,
to have been built for John Drew, named as the operator of the Temple
Theater in Glendale. This theater would have had a balcony and a total
of 800 seats, but the project was never carried out. The interesting
thing about these earlier announcements, though, is that they revealed
that the State was built on the site of the former Belvedere Theater,
which was destroyed by a fire. The fire story was covered in a Los
Angeles Times article of November 21st, 1933."
Construction began November 20, 1940.
The opening films were "Footsteps in the Dark" with Errol Flynn and Brenda Marshall along with "Golden Hoofs," starring Jane Withers and Buddy Rogers. The Pomona Progress-Bulletin noted that the 2nd feature was "largely filmed at Los Angeles County
Fairgrounds here and includes many scenes familiar to Pomonans."
The coverage of the new theatre in the March 27, 1941 issue of the Pomona Progress-Bulletin. Thanks to Kurt Wahlner for locating the page via
Newspapers.com. Visit the site he curates about the Chinese:
www.GraumansChinese.org. In the paper's article "Modern Show House Seating 502 Is Ready" they noted:
"Modern developments represented in the building and furnishings include forced draft ventilating and heating, assuring even temperature and constant change of air; a graduated floor giving eye-level vision of the screen from any point in the theater, every seat and back fully upholstered, the seats in new sponge rubber; large neatly furnished rest rooms on either side of the foyer.
"Illumination has been worked out so that the main room is flooded with light between pictures, and the light fades to soft blue and amber during the running of films. Wall and ceiling decorations blend with this effect with modern designs. The floor of the lobby is of highly polished terrazzo while the exterior of the building features Zeon signs. In the projection room high fidelity sound equipment has been used to give the best sound reproduction while Magnetic lamps [sic - they meant Magnarc] in the projectors throw sharp, clear pictures on the screen..." See the
full article.
A look at the interior from the Progress Bulletin. Their caption: "... the compact auditorium, so arranged that 'every seat is a good seat.' Latest type equipment and furnishings are features of this new theater, which will show first-run pictures on national release dates."
Closing: It was running into early 1962, according to research by Kelli Shapiro. She's the author of the fine 2024
Arcadia Publishing book "Inland Empire and San Gabriel Valley Movie Theatres." See page 105 for the State.
Status: It's been demolished. The site is now a parking lot for the Home Savings and Loan building that was erected in 1963.
Three more shots on Garey Avenue:
A pre-opening view from the Pomona Progress-Bulletin.
Looking north on Garey past the
Fox Pomona up to the State in the next block. Thanks to Moviejs1944 for locating the photo for a post on
Cinema Treasures.
Looking south on Garey toward the Fox at 3rd St. The State Theatre was once just beyond the corner of the bank building seen on the far right. Take a right on 3rd and go west a block and you're at the United Artists. Photo: Google Maps - 2019
Thanks for a great, detailed write up of the State Theater in Pomona. To think that back in the 1940s through to the 1970s there were 3 large, standalone theaters within one block of each other in tiny downtown Pomona. As a kid I would go to all of them, but not as much to the Fox because it was the most expensive, with the United Artists significantly less and the State having the best prices of all. The State also had the best balcony because it hung way out over the seats on the lower floor. When you sat front row in that balcony, the screen filled your eyes.
ReplyDeleteActually the State didn't have a balcony -- all the seats were on a single level.
DeleteThe State was gone by 1968 when I used to walk by Home Savings every day on my way to high school.I do remember the States polished steel front entrance doors when I was a younger kid and my brothers would take me to the State and the UA.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that 1968 data point!
Delete