While I grew up in the age of the multiplex, I also went to small, independent cinemas frequently. I saw Disney’s Pocahontas at Eugene’s old McDonald Theatre, which was built in 1925, and I spent many midnight screenings at the Cameo in Newberg, which opened in 1937. So I of course have a soft spot for small, intimate cinemas that have a lot of charm and history, which is why I was thrilled to finally make it to the Vista Theatre which just turned 100 last year!
In Los Angeles, with its grand movie palaces, it is easy to overlook the small neighborhood theatres, like the Vista, but if given the opportunity to visit, do not pass it up! The Vista is a charming neighborhood theatre that features a bizarre mix of Spanish and Egyptian motifs that you can’t help but love. However the Vista wasn’t always the Vista. Opening October 9, 1923 as Lou Bard’s Playhouse (later called Bard’s Hollywood Theatre), it hosted both silent films and live vaudeville performances. Before its first decade was over, it was sold and became the Vista in 1927.
The Vista entertained people through the Great Depression and the Second World War, only to end up as a place of contention after the war. During the 1950s the Vista became the lone LA cinema showing first-run films hailing from our Cold War adversary, the Soviet Union, and prompted some to label the cinema “Un-American.” By the 1960s it became an adult movie theatre, a common fate for the single screen cinemas as the multiplex entered the scene. Love or hate the adult film industry, it saved many of these small, independent theaters, including one of my regular cinema haunts in middle school and high school, The Joy in downtown Tigard.
The Vista eventually fell into the hands of cinema aficionado Lance Alspaugh in 1997. He renovated and restored it, and added the hand and foot prints of many cult icons. Also in 1997 the interior was used for the iconic opening of Scream 2, although the exterior is the Rialto in South Pasadena.
Like everything else, the Vista closed in March, 2020 amid COVID-19. Enter director Quentin Tarantino. Tarantino, who already owned the New Beverly Cinema, purchased the still shuttered Vista in the middle of 2021. After the deal was done, Alspaugh mentioned he had had many offers in the past, but said “I just felt that the time was right for this transaction,” and recognized the Vista was going to be in good hands, “I would not have handed the keys to the Vista over to just anybody…I just think it’s a perfect match.”
Like the New Beverly (which we have been do, but I have not blogged about), the Vista will only show movies on film, and what a treat it really is. We saw Swiss Family Robinson and Dr. Syn Alias the Scarecrow as a double feature, which also ran Ferdinand the Bull before the two pictures (all from Tarantino’s personal collection), and then Dune Part Two, which had a Bugs Bunny cartoon before it.
Next door you can grab a cup of coffee at Pam’s Coffy, housed in what was once an ice cream shop. Inspired by the 1973 film Coffy starring Pam Grier, Pam’s Coffy serves drinks, pastries and coveted Tarantino merch.
Catch a film on film at the Vista located at 4473 Sunset Drive in Los Angeles. For movie listings visit the Vista’s website.
Sources
Barragan, Bianca. “What a Brief History of the 1923 Vista Theatre in Los Feliz.” Curbed Los Angeles, 26 May 2015.
Breijo, Stephanie. “Inside Quentin Tarantino’s Cafe, Pam’s Coffy: retro vibes at the Vista Theater.” Los Angeles Times, 1 March 2024.
Olsen, Mark. “What happened behind the scenes of Quentin Tarantino’s Vista Theatre deal? The owner explains.” Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2021.
Meares, Hadley. “The Fascinating, Controversial History of Quentin Tarantino’s Revamped Vista Theater.” LAist, 17 November 2023.
“Vista Theatre.” Los Angeles Conservancy.