Vista Theatre (Los Angeles) facts for kids
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Lou Bard Playhouse
Bard's Hollywood Theatre Vista Continental The Vista |
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The theatre in 2005.
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| Address | 4473 Sunset Drive Los Angeles, California |
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| Coordinates | 34°05′54″N 118°17′13″W / 34.0984°N 118.2869°W |
| Owner | Quentin Tarantino |
| Operator | Vista Theater Inc. |
| Type | Movie theater |
| Capacity | 400 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | October 9, 1923 |
| Reopened | 2023 |
| Architect | Lewis Arthur Smith |
The Vista Theatre, also known as The Vista, is a famous single-screen movie theater. It is located in Los Angeles, California, in an area called Los Feliz, right next to East Hollywood. It has been known by other names like Lou Bard Playhouse and Vista Continental over the years.
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A Look Back at the Vista Theatre's History
The area where the Vista Theatre stands became well-known a long time ago. In 1915, a director named D.W. Griffith built a special town set there. This was for his movie The Birth of a Nation, which was one of the first "blockbuster" films. Later, Louis L. Bard chose this spot for his new theater. He called it "the great crossroads of Los Angeles."
How the Vista Theatre Was Designed
The Vista Theatre was designed by an architect named Lewis A. Smith. It has a mix of two cool styles. The outside of the building looks like a Spanish Mission Revival style. This was a popular design in California.
The inside, however, looks very different. It has an Egyptian Revival style. This was inspired by the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922. In the theater's front area, you can see cement handprints and footprints. These belong to famous movie stars and directors!
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The Vista is one of the old buildings still standing from the 1920s. This was a time when Hollywood was growing fast. Many people were moving there from other parts of Los Angeles.
Opening Day and Early Years
The Vista Theatre first opened its doors on October 9, 1923. It was a large theater with one screen and 838 seats. Back then, it was called the Lou Bard Playhouse or Bard's Hollywood. The very first movie shown was Tips, starring Baby Peggy.
Besides movies, the theater also had live vaudeville shows on its stage. Vaudeville was a type of entertainment with different acts like comedy, music, and dance. After a few years, Bard sold the theater in 1927. That's when it was renamed The Vista. Later, some rows of seats were removed to give people more legroom. This reduced the number of seats to 400.
Changes in Ownership Over Time
In the 1950s, the Vista reopened as the Vista Continental. For a while, it was the only theater in Southern California to show movies from the Soviet Union. This was a bit unusual at the time.
Later, in the 1960s, the theater showed some movies that caused discussion. This continued until it was updated in 1980. It also showed films about the gay community, like the local premiere of The Times of Harvey Milk in 1984.
The Vista Theatre changed owners several times. In 1982, Landmark Theatres bought it. However, business slowed down as home video became popular. In 1997, Lance Alspaugh's Vintage Theater Group took over. They focused on connecting with the community. They often rented out the theater for weddings, late-night movie showings, and other events.
Many famous actors and directors have visited the Vista. They come to watch their films, host events, or even surprise audiences. Some of these stars include Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, John Cho, Lupita Nyong'o, Anne Hathaway, and Zoë Kravitz.
The theater temporarily closed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Quentin Tarantino Becomes the Owner
In July 2021, the famous director Quentin Tarantino announced that he had bought the Vista Theatre. He planned to show movies only on film, not digital. He also said it would not be a "revival house," meaning it would mostly show new movies. The theater also planned to sell drinks and open an arcade with 12 games.
The Vista officially reopened on November 17, 2023. Under Tarantino's ownership, the theater got a new 70 mm film projection system and a new sound system. It continues to show movies only on film. It focuses on new releases but also shows classic films sometimes.
Soon after reopening, the theater added a cafe called Pam's Coffy. It was named after Pam Grier's 1973 movie Coffy. The Vista also has the Video Archives Cinema Club. This is a small 20-seat movie room. It is named after Video Archives, a video store Tarantino used to work at. This club shows movies on 16mm film and VHS tapes.
