Fox Palos Verdes

 735 Silver Spur Rd. Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274 | map | 

Opened: August 7, 1963 with Doris Day in "The Thrill of it All." It was a project of National General Corporation, at the time the operators of the Fox West Coast circuit. The photo appeared in the August 12, 1963 issue of Boxoffice. The project had been announced in 1961.

Architect: Carver L. Baker of Palos Verdes Estates. Joe Vogel comments: 

"Unlike most Fox theaters of the postwar period, which were designed by in-house architects such as Mel Glatz or Carl G. Moeller, the Palos Verdes Fox was the work of Carver L. Baker, coordinating architect and planning consultant for the development company that managed almost 7000 acres of the Palos Verdes Peninsula for the Great Lakes Carbon Company, which had acquired title to the land in 1953."

The contractor was Sheldon L. Pollack Construction. In his his 2024 Daily Breeze article "The Fox Theatre was the Palos Verdes Peninsula'a first movie palace," Sam Gnerre comments about the lobby layout of the $450,000 project:  

"The concessions stand and a lobby area were situated to the right of the entrance, with an enclosed lounge located along the left interior curve of the theatre building."

Seats: 874 when it opened, later twinned. 

Screen: 30' x 60'

 

The Spring 1962 groundbreaking. Thanks to Dallas Movie Theatres for locating this trade magazine photo for a post on Cinema Treasures. Dallas notes that it's architect Carver L. Baker on the left with his roll of drawings.   

 

Sam Gnerre discusses the development of the area in his Daily Breeze article about the theatre:

 

"The carefully planned development of the Palos Verdes Peninsula that began to be implemented in the early 1920s did not include any shopping centers. The Peninsula’s first commercial area in Malaga Cove Plaza had a few small stores that fit the character of the semi-rural community of Palos Verdes Estates, which would become the hill's first incorporated city in 1939.

But by the 1950s, suburban housing developments had blanketed much of the Peninsula, and the need for more localized shopping – like maybe a supermarket and a department store or two – began to be keenly felt by its growing number of residents. In 1953, the initial plans for the Peninsula’s first modern shopping center, the outdoor Peninsula Center, were drawn up by the architectural firm Victor Gruen & Associates.

The 112 acres of empty land on which Peninsula Center construction began in 1960 was located in Rolling Hills Estates, which had incorporated in 1957. The center, which eventually would include larger stores such as J.J. Newberry, Buffum’s and a Lucky supermarket, opened in stages during the first half of the decade. Peninsula Center plans also included another first: the area’s first movie theater. No longer would parents have to schlep their kids down into the flatlands of Torrance and Redondo Beach for a day at the movies."

 

An item in the July 24, 1963 L.A. Times noted that the new theatre was "...equipped with the latest projection equipment including Ampex stereo four-track sound and a giant 30x60 screen."

 

 

An August 7, 1963 opening day ad, calling it the Fox Palos Verdes Peninsula. Note the earlier address of 27735 Silver Spur Rd. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this. Visit his site: Movie-Theatre.org 

Sam Gnerre has details about the opening: 

"Searchlights scanned the night sky, and the stars came out in force to see the premiere of 'The Thrill of It All,' a fluffy domestic romantic comedy starring James Garner and Doris Day, and directed by Norman Jewison. Well-known KMPC disc jockey Ira Cook introduced the luminaries in attendance. They included local celebrity resident Rosemary de Camp and a host of other stars.

"The biggest of them was Charlton Heston, whose films at the time had earned the most money of any movie star in Hollywood history. During his brief surprise appearance, Heston told the crowd, 'Jim Garner and I have a deal: He comes to all my openings and I come to all his.' 

 

"The Peninsula News also documented the appearance of several other stars: character actor Chill Wills, Disney child star Tommy Kirk and the pre-'Kojak' Telly Savalas, who had been nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role alongside Burt Lancaster in 'Birdman of Alcatraz.' A host of other lesser-known actors and actresses appeared, including a 22-year-old Tony Bill. The actor-director would later produce 1974 Best Picture winner 'The Sting,' and act in 'Shampoo' and many other films."

Bruce Berns was working the grand opening as an assistant manager and  adds a comment about Charlton Heston: 

 

"He was not happy being there, was rude, and he sped off as quickly as he could, refusing to give autographs."

 

Joe Vogel comments about National General Corporation: 

 

"Most of the information about National General Theatres available on the Internet is a bit confusing. The company was incorporated as National Theatres in 1952, but at that time had already operated under that name for many years, having been formed in a 1934 reorganization of Fox West Coast Theatres, which had gone into receivership the previous year, part of the collapse of William Fox’s various enterprises. 20th Century Fox owned a minority interest in National Theatres for a number of years, then acquired a majority interest in the 1940s. 

 

"The 1952 incorporation was the result of a reorganization of the company stemming from the anti-trust decrees that required movie studios to divest their theater operations. The various claims that National General took over Fox Theatres in the 1960s are thus misleading, as the company and its predecessor National Theatres had by then been running Fox Theatres for about three decades. 

 

"The name change to National General in 1962 was a belated reflection of the fact that the National Theatres Corporation incorporated in 1952 had been from the beginning a diversified conglomerate, with movie exhibition only one facet of its operations. A majority of the company’s revenues came from publishing and insurance."

 

The article appearing in the August 12, 1963 issue of Boxoffice. 

 

 

 

A free kids show in 1964. It's a photo from the Palos Verdes Peninsula News archives that appeared in their June 25 issue. Thanks to Sam Gnerre for including it with his 2024 Daily Breeze article. 

 

 

The theatre was twinned in 1972 with a reopening on November 22. It wasn't a "down-the-middle" job. They ended up with one large theatre and a much smaller one. Thanks to Mike Rivest for locating this ad that appeared in the San Pedro News-Pilot.

Mann Theatres bought the circuit in 1973 and it was then advertised as Mann Palos Verdes Twin.  

Closed: 1979.

Status: It was gutted and turned into a roller rink and then a gymnastics studio before finally being  remodeled into a church in 1996.  

 

A 2023 view from Google Maps. 

More information: See the Cinema Treasures page about the theatre. Cinema Tour has a page started but without much on it.

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