Fox Studio City Theatre (Bookstar)
Studio City, CA Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The Fox Studio City Theatre puts on a nice neon show along Ventura Boulevard, even though the movies have given way to books. Seen here with its lights glowing, the old theatre still looks ready to welcome another evening crowd. Take a closer look at the marquee, however, and you’ll find Bookstar getting the billing. This is one bookstore with an entrance worth stopping to admire. 01-07
Opened in 1938, the theatre was designed by Clifford A. Balch in the streamlined style that gave neighborhood movie houses plenty of character without the elaborate decoration of the downtown palaces. Its roughly 880 seats served generations of Valley moviegoers before the final screenings in 1991. Fortunately, the end of the movie business here didn’t mean the end of the building.
The conversion to Bookstar brought bookshelves into the former auditorium while keeping much of the theatre’s character. Outside, the ticket booth, terrazzo entrance, and familiar marquee helped preserve the feeling of an evening at the movies. You could come looking for a paperback and find yourself spending just as much time looking at the building.
The Ticket Booth
Studio City, CA Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
UPDATE: Bookstar/Barnes & Noble continues operating at 12136 Ventura Boulevard, giving this former movie house another long chapter of neighborhood service. The preserved entrance and theatre details make it a welcome sight along a boulevard that has seen plenty of changes. The coming attractions may be on the bookshelves these days, but the old Fox still knows how to draw attention from the street. 10-26
Delta Theatre
Brentwood, CA
Photo courtesy Scott Strickland
The bright neon at the Delta Theatre gives downtown Brentwood a fine reminder of the neighborhood movie house. Its marquee reaches out over the sidewalk, announcing an evening’s entertainment without needing a sprawling multiplex entrance. Seen here during its CineLux years, the Delta still knew how to catch the eye after dark. 10-09
Opened in 1938 at 641 First Street, the Delta began as a single-screen theatre serving the surrounding community. The auditorium was later divided into two screens, and the business changed hands several times. A takeover in 2000 brought the theatre into the operation that became CineLux, giving the old downtown movie stop another run.
UPDATE: After closing during the pandemic in 2020, the Delta returned in June 2024 following an extensive renovation. Now operating as The Delta, it offers movies and special screenings with updated seating and equipment. The marquee also received attention, giving downtown another chance to enjoy a night at the pictures beneath the old familiar name. 10-26
Criterion Theatre (Gone)
Santa Monica, CA Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
The neon at the Criterion Theatre adds a little movie-house sparkle to Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade. The familiar name reaches back to the 1920s, although the theatre behind this entrance went through quite a change along the way. For an evening stroll past the shops, a glowing marquee like this makes a welcome stop. 02-07
The original Criterion belonged to the Fox West Coast circuit and served downtown moviegoers for decades. A major rebuilding project in the late 1980s replaced the old auditorium with a six-screen complex, which opened in 1990. The historic street frontage survived, keeping a connection to the earlier theatre while customers headed inside to a much different layout.
UPDATE: The Criterion screened its last movies in March 2013 and was converted to retail use. Its marquee was removed, taking away the neon attraction pictured here. The surviving building still recalls the old downtown, but an evening on the Promenade now has one less movie marquee to admire. 10-26
Rialto Theatre (Closed)
South Pasadena, CA Photos courtesy Marilynn Hendrie
The Rialto Theatre puts on quite a show along Fair Oaks Avenue with its neon glowing above the sidewalk. The projecting marquee and tall blade sign give this South Pasadena landmark an entrance worth stopping to admire, especially after dark. These photographs capture the familiar lights during a difficult chapter: regular movie screenings ended in August 2007, leaving the neighborhood wondering what would become of its old movie house. 12-07
Opened on October 17, 1925, the Rialto was designed by Lewis Arthur Smith with an exuberant mix of architectural decoration. From the ornate exterior to the spacious auditorium, this was a place where a trip to the movies came with plenty to look at before the feature began. Its addition to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 recognized a landmark that had already entertained several generations.
Rialto Theatre (Closed)
South Pasadena, CA Photos courtesy Marilynn Hendrie
Later audiences came for independent films and midnight screenings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, giving the Rialto a following far beyond the immediate neighborhood. Hollywood also found the theatre ready for its close-up. Appearances in The Player and La La Land preserved glimpses of the building on screen, even as its own future remained uncertain.
UPDATE: The Rialto found a new tenant in Mosaic Church, which began using the building in 2017. Exterior restoration followed, with renewed paint, repaired architectural details, and replacement neon bringing the marquee and vertical sign back to life in 2020. The regular movie schedule is gone, but thankfully this wasn’t another case of a dark theatre disappearing behind a demolition fence. The familiar Rialto name remains above Fair Oaks Avenue, giving passersby a welcome reminder of South Pasadena’s moviegoing past. 10-26
Fontana Theatre (Gone)
Fontana, CA Photo courtesy Jack Wright
The Fontana Theatre lights up Sierra Avenue with the sort of entrance that makes an evening downtown worth a second look. Its Art Deco lines and bright marquee recall the years when a single-screen movie house could be a neighborhood’s main nighttime attraction. By the time of this photograph, the building had returned to entertaining audiences as the Center Stage Theatre. 09-10
Originally opened in 1937, the theatre was designed by C. H. Boller. Movies eventually gave way to other uses, and the building spent years away from its original entertainment role. The City of Fontana acquired the property in 2003 and completed a substantial restoration, reopening it as Center Stage in 2008.
UPDATE: There’s another name on the bill these days. The theatre reopened as Stage Red in June 2024, with Sammy Hagar helping celebrate the occasion. Concerts and special events now bring crowds back to 8463 Sierra Avenue, carrying the old Fontana movie house into another chapter of live entertainment. 10-26
Fox Studio City Theatre (Bookstar)
Delta Theatre
Criterion Theatre (Gone)
Fontana Theatre (Gone)
