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Palms, Los Angeles 90034 |
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The Palms Theater 3751 Motor Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90034  Palms Theater, Motor Ave, Los Angeles - 1928 Too bad this is a double exposure. The MGM silent feature film "Love" was playing, with John Gilbert and Greta Garbo, who had a real-life "thing" going on at the time (1927). Later, Greta got cold feet, and dumped him at the altar. Mom used to go to the Palms Theater as a young girl - she was born in 1921, four blocks away at 3345 Mentone Ave. |
 Scale: 1 inch = 300 feet Palms Theater Location shown in yellow on 1939 WPA Map The Works Progress Administration was created by the Franklin Roosevelt presidency, to get people back to work during the depression. Not only did they build dams and reservoirs all over the place, but they also MADE MAPS! |
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alley  (This is my best recollection - might not be quite right.) The Palms Movie Theater - 1954 In the early 1950's, I loved the Saturday matinee at the Palms Theater at 3751 Motor Ave. at Venice Blvd. Inexplicably, I still remember the owners - Jim Allen and Merritt Stone. I always used to sit in the orange seat. I watched Abbott and Costello, Hopalong Cassidy, Our Gang, Randolph Scott, Superman, and the Three Stooges. My favorite was Rocket Man. Giant(56), High Noon(52), Rear Window(54), Rebel Without A Cause(55), River of No Return(54), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers(54), Shane(53), The Day the Earth Stood Still(51) - I saw them all here. The old bicycle shop across the street is still there. And it's still a bicycle shop, Palms Cycle at 3770 Motor Ave.! Across Motor Ave., down at the corner with Venice Blvd., still stands the Palms Post Office in 1941, which is now The Surplus Store, at 10341 Venice Ave. |
 The Palms Theater - 1985 Palms theater manager Don Nakagiri, from 1985 Historical comments from a former Palms Theater projectionist, Bill Gabel, can be seen at Cinema Treasure - Palms website - "... 1951- Jim and Merritt take over from Ralph Hines 1960- Remodeled- indoor box office first recorded phone messages (VE 7-7171) 1962- Ralph Hines retires- Bob Lumpkin projects 1969- Lumpkin leaves- Mike Schleiger projects 1974- Schleiger leaves- J and M lease to Great Western 1980- J and M sell Palms theater to the USPO . . ." 198? - Palms Theater demolished (anybody?) 198? - New post office is completed (anybody?) Read another Palms Theater remembrance at povonline (Shalom, Bubala) |
 The Palms Theater - 2006 You saw the "Then" above - here is the "Now". It has been the new Palms Post Office since the late 80's. A 60-year old early Palms historical icon was obliterated for the sake of the future- great progress! Where are the photos? Just in the minds of us old folks. In the future, all the kids of today will look back to their youth and remember ... a post office. It's just not the same. But then, I didn't get to see Will Rogers performing in a circus at the corner of Motor Ave. and Woodbine St., either. It's all relative. Be sure to visit the The Palms-Village Sun of George Garrigues. A community online newspaper for the suburbs of Palms and Westside Village. The best, most comprehensive Palms, CA website on the internet! |
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Vaughn's Summaries (One-pagers) ©2005 Vaughn Aubuchon All Rights Reserved This Vaughn's Palms Theater, Palms, CA history webpage was last updated on 2007-06-18. |