A Valley Venue for the Doors and Mickey Rooney

One of the most distinctively designed buildings in Los Angeles stood just a couple of blocks west of Taft High School in Woodland Hills, atop what was known in the 1950s as Chalk Hill.

In 1963, construction crews crafted a huge mound of dome-shaped dirt. Cement was poured over the mound. When the cement dried, the dirt was removed to create a large, circular interior space, and voila! The Valley Music Theatre was born.

Opening on July 6, 1964, with a lavish production of The Sound of Music, the Valley Music Theatre on Ventura Boulevard was a state-of-the-art venue with its rotating, theater-in-the-round stage. It was owned by Bob Hope (a big investor in Valley real estate), Art Linkletter and Cy Warner.

Many top musicals were presented there during its first few years, including A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, with Mickey Rooney; Peter Pan, with Vincent Price as Captain Hook; and The Wizard of Oz, with actor and frequent game show guest Robert Q. Lewis as the Tin Woodsman.

The Valley Music Theatre also presented many top-level rock and pop concerts and even comedy concerts by Don Rickles, Woody Allen (Jim Croce opened the show) and Bob Hope. Rock bands that played there included the Doors and Buffalo Springfield. Former Woodland Hills resident Debbie Gershenhorn remembers being there.

"I saw the Doors there," she said. "I grew up in Woodland Hills, up the hill from the theater, and always thought it was a great place."

Other great acts who played there during the '60s and '70s were Ray Charles, Peter, Paul and Mary, Iron Butterfly, Lou Rawls and Three Dog Night.

I went with my friend Greg Stern and his parents to see Sammy Davis Jr. perform there in 1969 with blues legend Billy Eckstine. What a great show! "Candy Man" was a hot new single at the time and Sammy did his "Mr. Bojangles" routine with derby hat and cane.

Even better than that was meeting Sammy after the show. My buddy's dad was Sammy's agent, so we got an after-show greeting.

The Valley Music Theatre attempted to bring high-level entertainers and musical shows to Valley audience so they wouldn't have to drive to the Westside or downtown to see them.

It was a grand plan, but unfortunately, due to parking problems and the remote location of the theater (for the Westside audiences), it didn't last. In 1980, it was sold to the Jehovah's Witnesses, who held services and assemblies there until 2004, when the property was sold to JPI Developments of Texas. 

The new owners planned to build condominiums and apartments on the property and, sadly, despite a petition to declare the building a historical landmark, razed the theater in 2008. In 2009, JPI defaulted on its loan and Bank of America reclaimed the property. It is currently for sale.

I know I am not alone in my sentiments that far too often we fail to preserve our classic Valley architecture and historical buildings. I am glad I got to visit the Valley Music Theatre in its heyday. It is a treasured memory of growing up in the Valley—along with the Helms Man doughnut truck and Mike's Pizza garlic rolls.

What do you recall about the Valley Music Theatre? Let us know by leaving a comment below.