Brain Dead Studios
611 N. Fairfax Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90036
611 N. Fairfax Avenue,
Los Angeles,
CA
90036
39 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 63 comments
OK, I guess the name stays the same. Easier to find it under Silent Theater anyway.
Ken, that page says “CineFamily at the Silent Theatre.” So it seems like a marketing thing and the name hasn’t really changed.
There was an article in the Sunday LA Times about repertory cinema in LA. The name of theater is now Cinefamily. The website is www.cinefamily.org
If you to the link in Joe Vogel’s post from April 22, 2008 from YouTube. You can see a few clips of Bob Mitchell playing the organ at the Silent Movie Theatre.
RIP
LA Times today notes passing of Bob Mitchell, long time organist who played at this theater and Strand in Pasadena, the latter in the 1920s. He was also organist at Dodger Stadium when it opened in 1962.
This was once a fairly classy joint…it’s sad to see how the current management has let it go to seed. It’s dirty, needs a repainting, the neon sign is broken – as if no one cares. Their schedule is overloaded with artsy obscurities that seem to be programmed mostly for hipster approval – forget entertainment. It’s as if the powers that be are ashamed of the theater’s history. Well, at least they’ll throw you a free beer!
Wow what a great place. Im hope I get to see it sometime. Great pics as usual Lost Memory.
when the theatre is listed as part of your “favorites” list, an email automatically goes to you.
My apologies, gents. But how did you two find out so fast? I’ve looked everywhere for a “Inform me when others mention my name” option on this site!
I don’t denigrate the importance of silent movies. I just don’t like watching them.
Updating my comments from Sep 28, 2005, this past week I went to the Silent Movie Theatre for the first time since Larry Austin’s sad demise. The ticket taker, soda seller, and rah-rah girl for the evening was a young lady named Mo, who bears a striking resemblence to Natalie Portman (and yes, she tells me she gets that all the time). The people who own the theatre now, called the Cinefamily, run it as a sort of mix of the old with a dash of Melrose chic. The silents are now shown only on Wednesdays, but are hewed to a monthly theme. But best of all, Bob Mitchell, who must be close to 100, God bless him, still plays the organ at the theatre now and then. And shame on you ken mc and Lost Memory for your cavalier attitudes on silent movies. Without them, we wouldn’t have the movies as we know them today!
Here’s a brief video clip from YouTube showing Bob Mitchell playing the organ at the Silent Movie Theatre. Bob Mitchell’s career as an organist began when, at the age of twelve, he was hired to play Christmas carols between movies during the holiday season at the Strand Theatre in Pasadena, California. Soon he was accompanying the movies themselves, and his temporary holiday engagement stretched into a four year tenure as the Strand’s organist.
He has been playing the organ at the Silent Movie Theatre since 1990.
Here is another article about the theater:
http://tinyurl.com/6jsxvs
This photo shows some of the owners since the 1940s:
http://tinyurl.com/5ays3y
Here is a March 2008 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2duc5y
I’ve never been inside this theater in the 23 years I’ve been in LA. I guess silent films are not my thing.
Will the name of this theatre remain the same?
There was a lengthy article in the LA Weekly as well. A very ambitious program is planned.
Here is an interesting article about the Silent Movie Theater:
http://www.povonline.com/cols/COL123.htm
Here is an older photo from the LAPL:
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics18/00028662.jpg
The Silent Movie Theatre celebrates it’s 65th anniversary this month, February 2007. Showing more silent films on a more regular basis than the previous owner, it’s still going strong. Silent movies are shown on Thursday nights and sometimes on Sundays. Tickets are available at the door for $10 cash. For a complete schedule, just call 323-655-2520. The venue is still available to be rented for Weddings, Birthdays, Private Dates, Concerts, and Independent Film Screenings. For more information, go to www.SilentMovieTheatre.com and click on EVENTS.
The Silent Movie Theatre celebrates it’s 65th anniversary this month, February 2007. Showing more silent films on a more regular basis than the previous owner, it’s still going strong. Silent movies are shown on Thursday nights and sometimes on Sundays. Tickets are available at the door for $10 cash. For a complete schedule, just call 323-655-2520. The venue is still available to be rented for Weddings, Birthdays, Private Dates, Concerts, and Independent Film Screenings. For more information, go to www.SilentMovieTheatre.com and click on EVENTS.
This theater has been sold. The new owners will show silent films as well as more recent pictures. The theater will probably de-emphasize the silent film aspect. Whether the theater’s name will change is unknown.
Fairfax Avenue is changing rapidly. Some of the older businesses that catered to the local Jewish clientele are closing up and being replaced by trendy boutiques and galleries. It remains to be seen if the theater will survive the gentrification process.
NPR’s Morning Edition is right now broadcasting a feature about the Silent Movie theatre. If you don’t catch it on the radio, try listening to it from this page.