 The theater interior, 1923 | |
 | |
| Address | 640 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°02′52″N 118°15′22″W / 34.0477°N 118.2561°W |
| Capacity | 2,400 at opening, 1,800 after remodel |
| Screens | 1 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | December 15, 1917 |
| Renovated | 1921, 1923, 1930s |
| Demolished | 1941 |
| Architect | William J. Dodd |
Kinema Theatre, later Tally's Kinema, Criterion Theater, Fox Criterion, Tally's Criterion, and Grand International, was a movie theater located at 640 South Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. At one point a top theater in the city, it was demolished in 1941.
History
[edit]Kinema Theater was designed by William J. Dodd for Emil Kehrlein. This theater, Kehrlein's third and largest, had a capacity of 2,400 and was considered "one of the most ambitious theaters on the Coast dedicated exclusively to motion pictures."[1] It opened on December 15, 1917[2] with a screening of The Woman God Forgot[3] and director Cecil B. DeMille in attendance.[1]
In 1919, Thomas Lincoln Tally, owner of Tally's Broadway on nearby Broadway, bought this theater for approx. $650,000 ($11.8 million in 2024) and renamed it Tally's Kinema Theatre.[4] In 1921, the theater underwent a $150,000 ($2.64 million in 2024) remodel.[5]
West Coast Theaters bought the theater in 1923, after which it was gutted, redesigned in a Byzantine Revival style, renamed Criterion Theatre, and reduced in capacity to 1,800. It reopened on September 26, 1923 with the world premiere of Charlie Chaplin's A Woman of Paris. Fox West Coast Theaters took over the theater soon after.[2][3][6]
In 1927, the theater hosted the west coast premiere of The Jazz Singer,[2] making it one of the world's first talking picture theaters.
The theater was redesigned again and renamed Grand International in the 1930s. Grand International was considered a benchmark theater in Los Angeles; if a movie failed here, it was expected to fail everywhere.[3]
The theater was demolished in 1941 and replaced by a parking lot.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Opening of Kinema Theater". Moving Picture World: 65. January 5, 1918.
- ^ a b c Gabel, William. "Fox Criterion Theatre". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Criterion Theatre (Demolished)". Los Angeles Conservancy. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
- ^ "Buys Kinema Theater". Unknown newspaper, possibly Los Angeles Times. 1919.
- ^ "Playhouse Closing For Remodeling". Los Angeles Evening Express. July 27, 1921.
- ^ "Premiere of Chaplin Film Drama". Los Angeles Daily News. September 26, 1923 – via newspapers.com.