The Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo Opens on the Eve of WWII (1942)

The Fremont Theater is a historic theater located in San Luis Obispo, California. Construction on The Fremont started in 1940 and the 1,060-seat venue opened on May 29, 1942 – on the eve of U.S. entry into World War II – with the film This Above All starring Tyrone Power and Joan Fontaine. During the grand opening, in-person appearances were made by Max Baer, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Constance Bennett and Jackie Cooper. The theater is among the last Streamline Moderne cinemas built by architect Simeon Charles Lee.

As of 2023, The Fremont Theater still the large original main auditorium that’s painted inside with murals of flowers, charging steeds and women in gowns by the Heinsbergen Decorating Company of Los Angeles.

Throughout its early years it served both as a moving pictures theater and a live theater. The venue hosted war bond shows in its early years and later such attractions as Adam Ant and Yes. The Fremont has been operated at different times by Fox, National General, Mann, and then Edwards Cinemas. As of 2023, it was last operated as a movie theatre by The Movie Experience chain and shuttered by 2016. Since 2017 it has operated as a concert and live events venue.

The Fremont Theater is also one of the main locations for the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival.