These days, the Westwood Fox Theatre is surrounded by a bustling Westwood area with shops, businesses, UCLA, and restaurants. But back in 1932, when this photo was taken, the back of it looked out over empty fields in almost all directions. The theater is only a year old in this photo and I’m guessing there must have been more development on the other side because I’m left to wonder how many people actually went to this cinema in its early days. That’s UCLA’s Fraternity Row on the hill in the background so maybe it was mostly students.
As we can see in this satellite image from January 2024, the theater (now called the Village Regency Theatre) no longer stands alone.
Per https://www.historictheatrephotos.com/Theatre/Fox-Westwood.aspx, the Westwood Fox opened on 8/14/1931 with a showing of “Politics” starring Marie Dressler. The website has a link to a 3 page 1931 Motion Picture Herald article with lots of interior photos. The article also notes how UCLA’s blue and gold colors were used “in the decorations and on the stage.”