New Beverly Cinema


The New Beverly Cinema is a historic movie theater located in Los Angeles, California. Housed in a building that dates back to the 1920s, it is one of the oldest revival houses in the region. Since 2007, it has been owned by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

History

The 300-seat New Beverly Cinema was designed by architects John P. Edwards and Warren Frazier Overpeck and opened in 1929, apparently as a candy store. Over the years, its name and purpose has changed several times.
Once it became a theater, it hosted variety performers such as Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Jackie Gleason, Phil Silvers, and others. Later, the theater was converted into a nightclub called Slapsy Maxie's, named after the boxer and film actor Maxie Rosenbloom.
In the late 1950s, the space was converted into a movie theater which would come to see several different changes in both repertoire and name, including the New Yorker Theater, the Europa, the Eros, and finally the Beverly Cinema.

Sherman Torgan ownership

The Eros closed in September 1977 and changed management months later. On May 5, 1978, the New Beverly Cinema debuted a new programming format with a double feature of A Streetcar Named Desire and Last Tango in Paris. This double-feature format continues to this day.
The theater's new owner, Sherman Torgan, said: "I've always felt that this neighborhood, which is middle class and predominantly Jewish, should have a theater that is responsive to the community. It wasn't right that a porno theater was here. People in the area have come by and written letters offering congratulations on the changeover."
Since that time, the theater has run a continuous series of double features, comprising modern and classic films in a wide variety of genres. It is the last continuous repertory revival house in Los Angeles. Most other American cities and towns closed their last remaining repertory cinemas in the 1980s and 1990s.
Torgan did all of the programming for the theater throughout these years, with the assistance of his son, Michael. In 2002, the theater became the permanent venue of the Grindhouse Film Festival, a monthly event programmed by film memorabilia vendors and cult film experts Eric Caidin and Brian J. Quinn. In March 2007, filmmaker Quentin Tarantino curated a month of double and triple bills from his personal collection to promote the release of his film Grindhouse.
On July 18, 2007, Sherman Torgan died of a heart attack at age 63 while bicycling in Santa Monica.

Quentin Tarantino ownership

In December 2007, to save the property from redevelopment, Tarantino bought the building that houses the New Beverly Cinema, effectively making him the theater's landlord. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Tarantino would allow the Torgan family to continue operating the theater but would make programming suggestions from time to time. Tarantino said: "As long as I'm alive, and as long as I'm rich, the New Beverly will be there, showing double features in 35mm."
From December 2007 until September 2014, the New Beverly was managed full-time by Michael Torgan. Tarantino facilitated Torgan's renovation of the theater, which included replacing all the lighting fixtures and seats, while Torgan funded the installation of a digital film projector for occasional use.
The theater's usual double-feature programming was suspended in December 2012 for an extended run of Tarantino's Django Unchained, projected in 35mm.
In September 2014, seven years after acquiring the theater, Tarantino announced he would take over full programming duties for the New Beverly. The cinema would continue to show double features, now exclusively in 35mm, with some films coming from Tarantino's private collection. In October, Tarantino's new programming began with a double feature of Paul Mazursky films Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and Blume in Love.
In January 2016, the double-feature programming was suspended again, this time for a month-long run of the 35mm "roadshow version" of Tarantino's latest film, The Hateful Eight. In February, the double feature format resumed, with each double feature that month consisting of The Hateful Eight and a film that influenced its production.
On December 26, 2017, the New Beverly announced that, starting in January 2018, they would be "closed for part of 2018 for a variety of exciting upgrades and enhancements." On November 8, 2018, they announced that they would reopen on December 1.
On July 25, 2019, normal double feature programming was once again suspended in order to present an extended string of first-run screenings of Tarantino's ninth film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The theater was adorned with film posters, lobby cards and props used in the film. The screenings featured a specially curated pre-show consisting of an extended cut of the Bounty Law segment and vintage trailers that are featured or referenced in the film. The final first-run screening took place on February 29, 2020.
On March 16, 2020, the New Beverly announced it would be closed until further notice, following an order from Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti that all L.A. movie theaters must temporarily cease operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Schedule and repertoire

In addition to daily double features, usually beginning at 7:30 p.m., midnight screenings are programmed on Fridays and Saturdays. "Kiddee Matinees" take place on weekend afternoons at 2:00 p.m., with a reduced admission price that includes a small popcorn. In 2017, the theater incorporated an "Afternoon Classics" series of matinees held on Wednesday afternoons, and 2019 saw the introduction of both "Monday Matinees" and horror-themed "Freak Fridays" matinees. All features at the theater are usually preceded by a curated collection of vintage cartoons, shorts and trailers.

In popular culture