Quentin Tarantino, Benefactor

Quentin Tarantino has been called many things in Los Angeles. But the moniker “home town hero” may fit best.  On February, 19, 2010, the Hollywood Reporter shared the news that  Tarantino had provided financial aid to the New Beverly revival theater, and L.A. landmark, when it was in danger of closing.    New Beverly’s owners had a right of first refusal/negotiation option to buy the building themselves but had difficulty raising the cash. When its landlord announced that it had found a willing buyer for the building, Tarantino, who had been semi-quietly paying the theater’s $5,000 rent since 2007,  stepped in and purchased the building outright.

Like many native Angelenos, Tarantino had spent formative years at the New Beverly, absorbing classics and hard to find flicks. It’s nice to know that those trips to the New Beverly instilled an appreciation for old theaters. Perhaps he’s saved the L.A. theater in recompense for blowing one up in “Inglourious Basterds.”