Los Angeles Theatres: Tumbleweed Theatre

11918 Garvey Ave. El Monte, CA 91732 | map |

Opened: 1939. It was on the south side of the street at Mountain View Rd., west of Valley Blvd. The area is called Five Points. This view of S. Charles Lee's rustic marvel is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. P.A.C. Photographers gets the credit for the shot. The site adds a comment:

"Lee illuminated the 'barn' to highlight its forms in light and dark. The windmill tower with its illuminated revolving wheel attracted attention from afar, while the tower structure was used to display the name of the theatre."

The photo made an appearance on page 21 of the the 1949-50 edition of "Theatre Catalog" from Jay Emanuel Publications, publisher of Motion Picture Exhibitor. Twenty-five years of the Catalogs are on Internet Archive. See the lead article for that year: "The Work of S. Charles Lee." This photo was used with an article titled "Theatre Design Features." Their comments about the Tumbleweed:

"Designed to meet the entertainment needs of a small subsistence project community, the Tumbleweed, Five Points, Calif., furnishes a good example of clever showmanship because the structure has been built in keeping with the character of the locale. The building itself, constructed along the lines of a barn, has been appropriately endowed with a barnyard in front containing realistic cast plaster ducks, a wishing well, and an old oaken bucket. A windmill (operated by an electric motor) sign tower, wagon wheels, and a simple marquee fill out the pattern of a front that is effectively lit up by character lighting."

Seating: 750

Architect: S. Charles Lee designed this midwestern farm "theme" theatre for James Edwards. He just needed a theatre in the area for competitive reasons but didn't want to spend much money. He was willing to accept anything, so the story goes, as long as it had a projection booth -- even a barn. That's what he got.

Over 600 photos from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection have been scanned and are on Calisphere. They can also be viewed on the UCLA Library Digital Collections website. For a guide to the items not yet digitized, see the S. Charles Lee Papers Finding Aid on the Online Archive of California site.

Lee's rendering for the theatre. It appears on page 67 in Maggie Valentine's Yale University Press book "The Show Starts on the Sidewalk" where she offers a fine history of movie palace development with many references to various historic Los Angeles theatres, especially the work of S. Charles Lee. The page with the photo is part of the preview of the book on Google Books. Maggie discusses the Tumbleweed:

"Each of Lee's theatres was given a theme (sometimes in the form of a gimmick), which was revealed in the stylistic motif and sometimes the name. The Tumbleweed Theatre in Five Points (El Monte, Calif., 1939), was built for a client with limited capital and a location as isolated as the name implied. The client said he need the theatre for film-buying purposes and told Lee he would accept a barn as long as it had a projection room. That's exactly what he got: a barn and farmyard. The exterior tower was a wooden structure with a simulated windmill and wishing well. The farmyard contained a small pond with ducks and geese and other barnyard objects such as wagon wheels. Inside, the building was kept plain.

"The lobby contained Early American furnishings such as farmers might have, and the auditorium was decorated with wagon wheel light fixtures and murals of mules and cactus. The open-beamed ceiling captured the mood yet was inexpensive to construct. The entire theatre, including neon, cost thirty-five thousand dollars, a low in theatre construction cost. At a time when most theatres cost $200-225 per seat, the Tumbleweed cost only $75 per seat. The decorative creativity used in this theatre kept costs down, gave the client a unique structure, and capitalized on the imaginative environment motion pictures encouraged. But the Tumbleweed had all the requisite elements: tower, light, marquee, interior comfort, and recognizability as a type."

A page of Lee's elevations on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.

A courtyard plan plus tower and boxoffice elevations. It's on Calisphere.

Closing: It was still running into the mid-1960s.

Status: It was demolished sometime prior to 1970.

An interior view:

The rustic auditorium. Check out the wagon wheel chandeliers. It's a photo on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.

More exterior views:

1939 - The theatre playing Deanna Durbin in "Three Smart Girls Grow Up" along with "Streets of New York." It's a photo on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. The photo got a post by Linda Hammond on the SoCal Historic Architecture private Facebook page where she included some of the theatre's history.

1939 - A closer view of the windmill. "The Under-Pup" with Robert Cummings and Gloria Jean was a September release. "The Rookie Cop" with Tim Holt and Virginia Weidler was out in April. It's a photo by P.A.C. Photographers on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.

1939 - The wishing well. It's photo by P.A.C. Photographers on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.

1939 - The theatre and its windmill are on the right in this view by P.A.C. Photographers. It's on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. We're looking east on Garvey Rd. That's Mountain View Rd. at the bottom of the image, Valley Blvd. is crossing in the middle. Crawford's is seen on the left, across from the theatre. On his blog Crawford's Village Store Gary Cliser comments:

"Crawford’s Market opened in 1937 in El Monte at Five Points on the corner of Valley and Garvey. They called it 'The Biggest Little Country Store!' Everyone in the San Gabriel valley came to Crawford’s for their fresh produce, dairy and meat. The store was owned by Leemoria Barbara and Wayland Howard Crawford. The Crawfords started out in Los Angeles with a store and a vegetable stand in the City of Bell. The couple found out soon that the inland valley was better suited for a big market so they opened a chain of stores from Alhambra, Montebello, El Monte and Rosemead. The El Monte store had a Van de Kamp’s bakery with the women wearing those weird hats. The stores would have a snack bar, a barber shop, jewelry store, shoe repair and even an ice cream stand under one roof.

"The stores would hold events such as pancake breakfsst, Easter Bonnet parades, Halloween Costume contests with prizes going to the best costume. Crawford’s also was deeply into returning to the community and especially to the Police departments by raising money for fallen policemen. When the local circus would come to town they were usually held at Crawford’s. At Christmas time they would hire a Santa Claus who would arrive by helicopter! Most El Monte residents have fond memories of shopping at Crawford’s and events that happened here. Unfortunately all things do come to end and so in 1992 Crawford’s became landlords rather than owners."

c.1945 - The theatre is on the left in this view taken after the Crawford's Market fire. It's a photo by Ernst H. Andreas appearing on Gary Cliser's blog Crawford's Village Store.

1947 - A detail from a panorama taken during the celebration of the opening of the replacement Crawford's Market. This image as well as the full panorama appear on Crawford's Village Store.

1955 - It's Santa arriving by helicopter at Crawford's Market. It's a photo by Ernst H. Andreas appearing on the blog Crawford's Village Store. Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Gaylord Wilshire for spotting the photo for his Noirish post #17829.