SACRED HOUSES: VISTA CINEMA, LOS ANGELES

“Sacred Houses Series”
In this edition of the “Scared Houses Series,” we would like to pay homage to the historic Vista Theatre in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, as we continue to celebrate and honor notable movie theaters around the globe.

The Vista Theatre is a historic single-screen movie theater located in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, on the border with East Hollywood.

The Vista Theatre, which opened as a single-screen theater on October 9, 1923, used to showcase both films and vaudeville acts on stage. The auditorium could accommodate up to 838 seats, but later, the owners decided to remove every other row, allowing for increased legroom. As a result, the seating capacity was reduced to 400.
It is one of the remaining historic structures from the 1920s when Hollywood was first developed. From the late 1960s until its refurbishment in 1980, the theatre showed softcore pornography. The theater’s forecourt features cement handprints and footprints of notable film figures.

In July 2021, Quentin Tarantino, the director, announced that he had purchased a theater. He then undertook a complete renovation of the theater and the adjoining space. Tarantino named the cafe ‘Pams Coffey’ in homage to actress Pam Grier and her 1973 film “Coffey.” Grier starred in Tarantino’s 1997 film “Jackie Brown.” The Vista Theater officially reopened on November 17, 2023. The first movie to be shown was “True Romance,” written by Tarantino. The film was directed by the late Tony Scott and was featured in the movie.

Interestingly, the famous “Walls of Babylon” scenes from D. W. Griffith’s movie Intolerance (1916) were filmed where the Vista Theater now stands. The theater has been used as a shooting location for various movies and TV shows over the years. For instance, Charlie’s Angels (season 4, episode 16) was filmed at the theater in 1980, while Christopher Guest’s comedy, The Big Picture, featured the theater in 1989. In the movie True Romance (1993), the Vista Theater was where Clarence and Alabama first met. It’s also worth mentioning that the Vista Theater was featured on the cover of Suicidal Tendencies’ album, Lights…Camera…Revolution! (1990). The theater itself is getting some much-loved screen time.

Restoration Images Copyright Bill Counter

Check them out HERE.

If you know of a theater that deserves recognition in our “Sacred Houses” series, please contact us and provide details about its location, name, and significance to you or your community. We are passionate about supporting local theaters and believe they should be celebrated alongside the more well-known historic venues.