California Theater - Dunsmuir California
Posted by: 
TheBeanTeam
N 41° 12.697 W 122° 16.317
10T E 561034 N 4562504
Historic theater that was celebrity hangout in the golden years of the silver screen.
Waymark Code: WM5HBG
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 01/08/2009
Views: 15
Information for this waymark was found at Cinema Treasures. Source:
Cinema Treasures
"Located at the base of Mt. Shasta, the California Theatre in Dunsmuir was opened in 1926 by T & D Jr Enterprises...
The "California" vertical sign was identical to that made for the California (Fox) Theatre in San Jose. The 800-seat movie theater featured a Wurlitzer pipe organ (presently in Skagway, Alaska) and a vaudeville stage.
Located right next to a Southern Pacific train stop where extra locomotives were added or removed to enable trains to cross the Shasta/Cascade mountains, the theater was visited by most actors and actresses on promotional tours. The list includes Clark Gable and Carole Lombard, Babe Ruth, The Marx Brothers, and many more.
Operated by the Naify family for over 30 years, the theater was run by various local families until 1991, when Steve Naify, grandson of James Naify (one of the original owners), bought the building and began restoration. Naify added two additional screens upstairs where the local Masonic Lodge had been conducting business for 69 years.
The California was reopened in June of 2005 and hosted live performances, silent film screenings, and special events.
Unfortunately, less than a year later, the California was again closed.
Contributed by Steve Naify"
The marquee was damaged in October 2007 by a delivery truck and has not been repaired. The theater is currently closed.