A LOOK BACK:Remembering a landmark theater

Tomorrow’s Friday the 13th, a day some people believe to be unlucky. Whether that’s true or not, I’m sure some of you more superstitious types would like to hedge your bets and stay in bed all day.

As for me, I’ve had some luck with Friday the 13th. I recall getting a perfect grade on a math test one Friday the 13th when I was in third grade.

On the other hand, there was one Friday the 13th that was especially unlucky for a Huntington Beach business.

It was on a Friday the 13th that our landmark Surf Theatre at 121-5th Street was demolished to make way for redevelopment. The date was Oct. 13, 1989.

This week we’re going to briefly look at the theater’s history and one of its managers who contributed so much to its early history.

The theater was built in 1925 by J. Cleve Scott and was called Scott’s Theatre. It featured vaudeville performers and the latest silent movies.

For the first four years the films were silent, until 1929 when a newly installed RCA sound projector and speakers were added.

During the 1930s, the show house acquired two additional names: the Robbins Theatre and the Roxie Theatre.

The Huntington Beach Theatre Corp. on April 27, 1941, purchased the Roxie for $25,000 from J.F. Burke, a former publisher of the Santa Ana Register, and from Loyal King.

The corporation consisted of Joseph Hamann, Daryll Johnson and Victor Walker, all Santa Ana residents.

Walker owned a theater in Santa Ana called the Walker Theatre. Johnson had worked there since 1933 and Hamann was associated with the theater since 1936.

Hamann was placed in charge of the Roxie and Charles Carrillo became his assistant.

One of Joe’s first actions was to send its cashier, Polly Wardlow, to Walker’s theater in Santa Ana for two weeks of training. During this two-week period, Margaret Millings would take her place as cashier in her absence.

Hamann was just what the theater needed to make it a successful business, as he was an experienced showman who worked his way up in the movie theater business and knew all the ins-and-outs of the industry.

Joseph E. Hamann was a native Californian, born in Orange on July 22, 1911.

He was one of 11 children and spent his early years working on the family’s 10-acre orange grove ranch.

Joe attended St. Joseph’s Parochial School, St. Anthony’s Seminary and the Orange Union High School.

After high school, Hamann tried several jobs before finally landing a job as usher in Walker’s theater.

He quickly rose up the ranks to become general manager of the newly purchased Roxie in Huntington Beach in 1941.

Hamann immediately installed the latest RCA Photophone projector and sound equipment, and also gave the theater a more modern appearance.

He also changed the name from the Roxie to the Surf Theatre, to refer to its proximity to the beach.

Hamann held a grand opening for his theater on May 21, 1941 that featured a screening of “The Lady Eve,” starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. The bill also included “The Son of Monte Cristo,” starring Joan Bennett, and a Popeye cartoon.

Admission was 33¢ for adults, 28¢ for students and 10¢ for children.

Then-Mayor Marcus M. McCallen had the honor of purchasing the first ticket from the cashier.

Next, Hamann spent $2,500 for a new neon marquee for the front of the theater that was expected to go up by June 9.

Hamann had other activities for his movie patrons beside motion pictures.

In June, he arranged to feature Sam the country store man, who gave away groceries and other gifts from the stage on Saturday nights.

On Wednesday nights, another stage attraction called Quiz Keno was featured.

Hamann and his wife and their two children, Diane and David, lived at 708-13th Street. Hamann continued as manager until 1947 and lived here until the 1950s.

Under Hamann’s leadership, the Surf Theatre was truly a house of quality.

The Surf became an institution in the lives of many of our residents trying to forget that a world war was going on. And even though it’s gone, it will always be considered an icon in our city’s history.