The Lido Theater (also spelled Lido Theatre) is a historic single-screen movie theater in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

. The Lido Theater opened in October 1939 and was designed by Clifford A. Balch in the

Streamline Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...

architectural style. Edwards Theatres, Regency Theatres, and

Laemmle Theatres Laemmle Theatres ( ) is a group of family-run arthouse movie theaters in the Los Angeles area. It was established in 1938Richard Verrier A Hollywood opening for downton cinema October 24, 2009 Los Angeles Times and is owned and operated by Rober ...

previously operated the facility.

History

In March 1939, a new movie theater to be built near the entrance of Lido Isle was proposed with plans drafted by the Griffith Company. The projected cost of the project was , including $15,000 to purchase the lot, $45,000 for the building, $15,000 for theater equipment, and $30,000 to create a parking lot and landscape the surrounding area. On April 26, the theater's construction was permitted; an increase in planned capacity from 750 to 800 was also announced. The Lido Theater opened to the public on October 27, 1939. A popular urban legend about the theater claims it screened ''

Jezebel Jezebel (;"Jezebel"
(US) and ) was the daughte ...

'' as its first feature per the suggestion of

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

, the film's star and a resident of nearby

Corona del Mar Corona del Mar (Spanish for "Crown of the Sea") is a seaside neighborhood in the city of Newport Beach, California. It generally consists of all the land on the seaward face of the San Joaquin Hills south of Avocado Avenue to the city limits, as ...

; however, a newspaper report at the time stated that it opened with a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

show titled ''The Colonel from Kentucky''. In 1989, the 50th anniversary of the Lido Theater was marked by a $250,000 renovation. The theater's ocean murals were restored with

luminous paint Luminous paint or luminescent paint is paint that exhibits luminescence. In other words, it gives off Visible spectrum, visible light through fluorescence, phosphorescence, or radioluminescence. There are three types of luminous paints: fluoresc ...

and the exterior was repainted. On September 9, 2001, Edwards Theatres ceased its operation of the Lido Theater amidst the company's bankruptcy proceedings. The owner, the Fritz Duda Company, closed the building while searching for a new operator. Regency Theatres, a movie theater chain in Southern California, signed a lease to operate the theater later that year. In June 2014, Regency Theatres' lease on the Lido Theater expired. A company called Lido Live signed a lease to operate the theater, planning to use it for both movies and live entertainment. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

in October 2020, the sidewalk in front of the theater and the area under its marquee were used for

outdoor dining Outdoor dining, also known as al fresco dining or dining alfresco, is eating outside. In temperate climates, al fresco dining is especially popular in the summer months when temperatures and weather are most favorable. It is a style of dining th ...

for local restaurant Fable & Spirit. The marquee sign bore the name of the restaurant and its head chef.

Architecture

Architect Clifford A. Balch designed the theater in the

style. The building's original facade, facing north on Via Lido, included a corner entrance with -tall tower and a circular marquee made of copper. The theater's original exterior color scheme has been disputed. Newspaper reports at the time of the building's opening did not mention the color and photos of it were in black and white. During the 1989 renovation, a consultant hired to test for the original color of the building determined it was light pink. In 2014, the theater's operator stated that she believed the building was originally yellow and said that some records claimed it was purple. That year, the Fritz Duda Company decided to paint the exterior taupe, causing controversy among locals and a preservation advocacy group.

References

{{Newport Beach, California 1939 establishments in California Cinemas and movie theaters in California Newport Beach, California