Hawthorne / Rex / Cal Theatre

115 E. Broadway Hawthorne, CA 90250  | map | 

 

 

Opened: c.1922. It was the first theatre in Hawthorne. Hawthorne Blvd. is off to the left in this early undated image of the theatre. Thanks to Jerry Miles for locating it. 

 

The site was just three lots east of Hawthorne Blvd. The block doesn't exist anymore and, just to keep things interesting, Broadway is now called W. Broadway on both sides of Hawthorne Blvd. If the location still had an address it would now be about 4340 W. Broadway. 

 

 

That's the theatre in red at 115 E. Broadway. Hawthorne Blvd. is running up the left edge. Thanks to Jerry Miles for locating this real estate survey map. 

Seating: About 350

Architect: Unknown

 

 

A 1923 photo of the theatre from the Centinela Valley Historical Society that appeared in a "Memories" feature in the August 11, 1988 issue of the Hawthorne Press-Tribune/Lawndale News. Thanks to Jerry Miles for locating it. Their caption: 

 

"FIRST THEATRE - The Hawthorne Theatre, the first in the city, was located on Broadway, east of Hawthorne Boulevard. It began operating in the mid-1920's and when first opened offered a limited schedule of showings. As it grew in popularity, it was necessary to increase the number of days it was open and the number of showings. The movie playing the day of this photo was taken was 'Mad Love,' starring Poli Negri. The billboard on the right says that Friday and Saturday's film will be 'Sure Fire Flint.'"

 

"Mad Love," originally titled "Sappho," was a March 1923 release. "Sure Fire Flint" starred Johnny Hines and Effie Shannon. It was out in August 1922. 

 

A 1923 ad for the Hawthorne. Thanks to Jerry Miles for locating it.

 

A "Watch For Our Program" teaser ad running in the Times in 1926. 

The theatre is in the 1927 and 1929 Hawthorne city directories as the Hawthorne. It was renamed the Rex Theatre in 1937. Jerry Miles notes that the name change occurred after then-operator George Halligan sold his interest to E.S."Ned" Calvi, who already was running the Plaza Theatre. Halligan went on to manage the Brentwood Theatre on Wilshire Blvd. just east of Santa Monica.

 

A 1937 ad located by Jerry Miles. "Romance and Riches," also known as "The Amazing Adventure," was a February 1937 release. "Speed Limited" was out in December 1935. 

It's listed as the Rex in the 1938, 1940 and 1942 city directories. It continued to operate as the Rex into early 1947. 

 

But it had closed and was "Remodeling - Open Soon" by the end of 1947. This was the December 31 listing in the Times. 

 

They still hadn't decided on a new name in January. This was the January 12 listing. 

 

By the next month it had been renamed the Cal Theatre: "Open Soon." This was the February 8, 1948 ad. They got the theatre reopened later that month. 

In June 1949 Boxoffice noted that Sherrill Corwin and Lester Blumberg had taken over active operations of the Plaza and Cal Theaters in Hawthorne, having acquired controlling interest in the two houses from Ned Calvi. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for the research. Calvi also had the Lomita Theatre.

A 1949 L.A. Times listing for the area showing the Plaza and the Cal still running in Hawthorne. 

 

Closing: It appears that 1950 was the end of the line. 

 

Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this April 28, 1950 listing in the Times. 

Status: It's been demolished. The site later became part of the now-defunct Hawthorne Plaza shopping mall. 

 

A photo by Steven Georges of Coast Media that appeared in the August 11, 1988 issue of the Hawthorne Press-Tribune/Lawndale News. Their caption: 

"MODERN DAY CENTER - The multi-level J.C. Penney store today covers the site where the Hawthorne Theatre was first located six decades ago. The Penney store, along with Broadway and Montgomery Ward, anchor the Hawthorne Plaza Shopping Center, which also contains 133 other businesses. Opened in 1976, the Plaza is one of the few major shopping centers in the Southland that does not have 'Mall' as part of its name. Hawthorne Plaza consists of 34 acres."

More information: Many thanks to Jerry Miles for his research. He notes that he arrived in Hawthorne in 1954 and the Hawthorne Theatre was gone by then. 

Visit our page about the Plaza Theatre. The Roosevelt Theatre was also nearby. Or it was supposed to be. West Coast Theatres supposedly had it under construction in 1926 but it was never completed.

See the Cinema Treasures page on the Rex for some data mingled with information about the never-built Roosevelt.  

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