Long since Hollywood’s silent movie era ended, stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Rudolph Valentino have graced the silver screen at the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax Avenue. That was until late last summer, when the theater dedicated to preserving film history abruptly closed.

The Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax Avenue has remained closed since last summer. The owners of the building plan to refurbish and reopen the space. (photo by Edwin Folven)

For decades, the venerable venue hosted screenings and special events taking audiences back to a bygone period of Hollywood history. Most recently operated by a nonprofit known as the Cinefamily since 2007, the closure resulted from a scandal reminiscent of a Hollywood movie.

In August, the Cinefamily’s co-founder Hadrian Belove and board vice president Shadie Elnashai resigned after emails surfaced alleging their misconduct against women on the Cinefamily staff. The emails were sent anonymously to members of the board and others connected with the operation and have not been substantiated. No claims were made to authorities, and no arrests were made or charges filed. Belove posted a response on Facebook categorically denying the allegations, which were widely reported by the media.

But the scandal proved to be too much for the Cinefamily board of directors, which on Nov. 14 ended operations. A statement posted online attributed to the board said the allegations and debt incurred by the nonprofit prompted the closure.

“While the board recognizes that the decision to close the Cinefamily will disappoint many of our loyal members, we feel strongly that we have made the right decision,” the statement read. “This decision also comes amid the very necessary and overdue conversation about sexual assault and harassment in our industry. We applaud the difficult work of victims everywhere who have come forward and spoke up about misconduct, and we continue to hope that any person mistreated by anyone connected to the Cinefamily will seek help in reporting any such incidents to the appropriate authorities. The board considers any of the alleged inappropriate behavior to be utterly indefensible, and we condemn it unequivocally.”

The posting also said the Silent Movie Theatre will be closed and renovated by the landlord. Los Angeles Department of City Planning records show the building housing the theater at 611 N. Fairfax Ave. is owned by Harkham Family Enterprises LP. Uri Harkham, reached by telephone on Tuesday, said his sons Dan and Sammy Harkham oversee the theater and plan to revitalize it, or possibly turn it into an event space. Multiple calls attempting to reach the brothers were not returned.

“They want to preserve the building and plan to upgrade it and refurbish the place,” Uri Harkham said.

That was good news for Scott Epstein, chair of the Mid City West Community Council, who formerly lived near the theater and hopes it can return to being a vibrant part of the community.

“I would love to see it continue to be run as a theater,” Epstein said. “I think it’s a treasured space and to see it refurbished in a new way would be embraced by the community.”

The scandal that emerged last summer was not the first time the Silent Movie Theater was involved in controversy. In 1997, the theater’s former owner Lawrence Austin was shot and killed as a movie was being shown in the venue by a gunman hired by a projectionist who had an intimate relationship with Austin. The gunman, Christian Rodriguez, was later sentenced to life in prison. James Van Sickle, who hired Rodriguez to kill Austin, also received a life sentence in prison.

Prosecutors alleged the motive was money, with Van Sickle orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot to gain control of Austin’s estate, which included a valuable collection of approximately 1,000 silent films and other memorabilia. The collection was sold individually at auction in 1999.

Prior to the Cinefamily, the theater was reopened by entrepreneur Charlie Lustman, who also screened films in the venue. Lustman operated the theater until he was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. The venue was acquired that year by the Harkham family.

In addition to Epstein, and presumably many silent film fans, the Cinefamily board hopes the venue will reemerge as a viable enterprise dedicated to the medium.

“We hope a new organization will emerge that reflects the positive spirit of the film community and finds a way to again celebrate the best of cinema in a healthy environment,” the statement read.