Lakewood Theatre

4501 E. Carson St. Long Beach, CA 90808 | map | 

Opened: October 25, 1945. The location was on the north side of the street just east of Lakewood Blvd. The Lakewood was an independent operation. Thanks to Bill Gabel for locating the image. it's from one of the Quigley Publications yearbooks that they called Theatre Catalog. "North West Mounted Police" was an October 1940 release. "And Now Tomorrow" with Alan Ladd and Loretta Young was out in November 1944.

Architect: S. Charles Lee

 

A fanciful drawing by Lee appearing on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. They comment: "Probably hoping to get a larger commission than just a theatre, Lee produced this perspective sketch of his concept for a theatre integrated with a bank and a retail store. The Los Angeles suburb of Lakewood was a post-war phenomenon, when thousands of houses were built in record time, creating an entirely new community. Lakewood needed everything for its shopping center, banks, stores and of course a motion picture theatre." 

 

 

 

A later study. The drawing is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. They comment: "This later rendering was far more streamlined than the earlier version, with curving walls, porthole openings and prow-like pylons. The airplane flying overhead reinforces the streamlined imagery."

Over 600 photos from UCLA's S. Charles Lee Papers Collection are on Calisphere where they can be searched by theatre name. They're also on the UCLA Library website. Most of the collection has not been digitized but items can be viewed by request at the UCLA Charles E. Young Research Library. There's a finding aid to the collection on the Online Archive of California site.

Seating: 922 

 

 

An article appearing in the Long Beach Press Telegram on October 24, 1925. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this for a post on Cinema Treasures. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org

 

 

An opening day ad appearing on October 25, 1945. The program was a studio preview plus "The Corn is Green" with Bette Davis. This was another find by Mike Rivest.  

Debra Simpson, daughter of the operator of the theatre from the late 50s onward notes that the business was sold to Loew's around 1971 and then, when Loew's exited the southern California market, it was operated by General Cinema.

It was twinned in the 70s and in 1977 became a Pussycat Theatre. It ran as an adult theatre until 1988 and then went back to a family policy. 

Closing: Sometime around 1989.

Status: It was demolished around 1990. An office building and strip mall was constructed on the site in 1991.

 

 

Interior views:

In the lobby with the entrance doors off to the left. The Julius Shulman photo is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. They comment: "Sleek banquettes upholstered in a striped fabric are set into the walls of the foyer. An overhanging cornice creates the opportunity to conceal indirect lighting and reduces the space to a human scale. A narrow screen pierced by square, framed cut-outs is located at the end of the banquette, enhancing a sense of enclosure."

 

On the left it's a drinking fountain and the lounges. the entrances to the auditorium are on the right. The Julius Shulman photo is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.

 

 

 

On the left that's Lee in the lobby on opening night. Presumably the couple is the client and his wife. The photo is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.

 

A look toward the screen. The Julius Shulman photo is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. They comment: "The typical proscenium arch has been dispensed with, although it is still indicated by the swags of the valance and the curtain before the screen. Decoration is minimal, concentrated solely on the curved portion of the side walls flanking the screen."

 

A side wall view. The Julius Shulman photo is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. They comment: "Abstract metal sculptures evoking a pineapple ornament the side walls. Their reflective surfaces and the wavy reflective stripes behind them give a touch of elegance of Regency Moderne to the otherwise utilitarian auditorium."

 

The two auditorium views and an exterior photo by Shulman that's here on this page are also in the Shulman collection of the Getty Research Institute. They have it indexed as his job "Lee-LL: Lakewood Theatre (Lakewood, Calif.), 1946." Thanks to Noirish Los Angeles contributor Hoss C for finding the photos for Noirish post #37286.

 

 

More exterior views: 

1945 - A photo by Nate Singer advertising Bevelite marquee letters. "Back to Bataan" was a May 1945 release. "Guadalcanal Diary" was out in October 1943. Management seems to have had a pattern of putting their main feature on the bottom of the readerboard. Or perhaps they reversed them on the other side. The photo is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.

 

 

 

1946 - A Julius Shulman photo taken with the theatre running "San Antonio" with Errol Flynn and Alexis Smith along with "Too Young To Know" with Joan Leslie. Both were December 1945 releases. The photo is on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection.

 

1946 - "The Girl of the Limberlost" was an October 1945 release with Ruth Nelson. "Abilene Town" was out in January 1946. It's a photo taken by Doug White for Southern California Edison that's in the Huntington Library collection. 

 

 

1946 - A detail from the Doug White photo above. 

1946 - "Vacation From Marriage" with Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr was a March release. "Shock" was a February release with Vincent Price and Lynn Bari. It's another Doug White photo in the Huntington Library collection. 

 

 

1946 - A detail from the Doug White photo.

 

 

 

c.1946 - The theatre is in the upper center of this detail from a photo appearing on Calisphere from the UCLA S. Charles Lee Papers Collection. 

 

1950s - Thanks to Gary Cliser for this view. It's on Flickr as part of his L.A. Area Vintage Postcards album. 

 

1961 -Thanks to Debra Simpson for this photo from her collection. She recalls that her father and a partner bought the theatre around 1957 and ran it as a family friendly environment that included lots of Disney product, westerns and family matinees. Long runs included "Funny Girl," "Dr. Zhivago" and "2001." She worked her way up from the snackbar to cashier to usher to assistant manager.

 

 

2019 - The redeveloped site. The cars on the left are on Norse Way. On the right we're looking east on Carson St. Photo: Google Maps

 More information: See the Cinema Treasures page on the Lakewood.

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