Cine Capri Theatre

2323 East Camelback Road,
Phoenix, AZ 85016

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Showing 76 - 92 of 92 comments

upmaurer
upmaurer on March 1, 2005 at 2:20 pm

Channing, thanks for the memory jog … I do remember Nick Salerno introducing a reconstructed version of “A Star is Born” in Neeb Hall in the early 80’s (I attended ASU from 1981-1985). His show on Channel 8 was “Cinema Classics.” The theater I’m trying to remember was definitely on Broadway Road, just East of Rural, it was a single screen and got split into two near the end of its existence. Last thing I saw there was “The Hunger.” It was a big white stucco building with a marquee. I don’t recall the University II at all, just a new AMC multiplex they built on University and Rural, which is probably still there. It’s funny how movie lovers like to reminisce about movie theaters. Last time I was in town I was pleased to see that Harkins still has the one small art house, the Camelview. Our French teacher in high school would take us there on field trips to watch French movies like “Madame Rosa” and “Argent de Poche.”

channing
channing on March 1, 2005 at 4:47 am

The movie critic on channel 8 (the PBS station) was Nick Salerno. He became chairman of ASU’s English department before retirement. The theatre you are thinking about near the Art dept. buiding was called Neeb Hall. They would often show classic and foreign films there and Salerno presented many of these there. I attended ASU from 1974 to 1978. I think the theatre you are remembering in Tempe might have been the University II, but it was on University (East of Rural in the direction of Minder Binders). They had 2 screens, side by side. I remember seeing The Spy Who Loved Me there as well as several others including THX-1138, The Demon Seed, and Annie Hall (I think—might have been Love and Death)!

upmaurer
upmaurer on January 18, 2005 at 2:42 am

You are so right! I did eat at the Caf Casino near the Cine Capri, but I went many, many times to the one on Scottsdale Road. It was a rather unusual cafeteria-type setup, with round outdoor patio tables, complete with umbrellas, but indoors! It must be gone now, too. The mall that was across from it (it’s on the tip of my toungue, but I’ve drawn a blank on the name) is also gone. When I was there in the Fall of 2000, it was closed and just about to be torn down. Was it at Scottsdale Rd. and Thomas? Speaking of Scottsdale Road, how about the El Camino? That was a great theater, gone now too, I suppose. I saw the first “Star Trek” movie there in 1979. I saw “Lethal Weapon” at the Kachina, and also many movies at a white stucco theater in Tempe near Rural Road and Broadway (“Jaws”, “Chariots of the Gods”, I’m dating myself!). That one was a single screen that was split into two and then it died at some point. Can’t remember the name, unfortunately. Also, there used to be a small movie theater on the ASU campus near the School of Art. What was the name of the movie critic who would appear on Channel 8? He taugh some film courses and would introduce films there. Talk about senior moments, I know it was Nick something or other …well, that’s enough rambling!

remnant
remnant on January 15, 2005 at 2:11 pm

Hey, did anyone ever eat at the Caf Casino? If memory serves, it was right next to Cine Capri. I haven’t been back to Phoenix in 15 years or so. The Palms is now gone, Cine Capri…gone….The Kachina….gone…..and my old high school…gone. You can’t go home again….so true.

mama
mama on January 14, 2005 at 11:28 pm

This sight doesn’t tell you, but the architect of the Cine Capri was Ralph Haver. He was responsible for a lot of Phoenix’s now much sought after mid century architecture. Shame it was torn down to make way for the ugly piece of glass crap that litters 24th and Camelback now.

RobbKCity
RobbKCity on December 28, 2004 at 12:57 pm

When I lived in Phoenix, this was my favorite movie theater. It was the only place to see big, blockbuster, epic-type movies. Phoenix had only three memorable theaters: the downtown Orpheum, the Cine Capri, and the Harkins in downtown Tempe. And they tore one of them down! ! !

EAdkins
EAdkins on November 2, 2004 at 10:31 pm

The Cine Capri was built in 1965 and 66' as a roadshow hard ticket theatre. It opened in the spring of 1966 with THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY(20th-Fox)

acmeron
acmeron on November 2, 2004 at 2:18 am

I believe the Cine Capri opened in 1961 with El Cid. The theater was ultra modern; when it was torn down, the only thing they could salvage were the blue tiles and a ‘starburst’ chandelier. There was no other decoration.

mousemovie
mousemovie on April 1, 2004 at 1:44 am

Actually, Cineplex Odeon did run the Cine Capri for period of time. When Henry Plitt sold the entire circuit to Garth at Cineplex it included Arizona. I know that the Indian and the Miracle had closed and I believe that the El Camino was also closed by that time but I can’t remember for sure. That being the case, it would leave only the El Dorado and Foothill in Tucson and the Capri in Phoenix as part of the deal. Cineplex then turned over the operation of the Capri to Cinemark who ran it before turning it over to Harkins. Sorry for not making the lineage of its operators more complete before.

MikeRadio
MikeRadio on January 30, 2004 at 2:29 pm

The Cine Capri was owned by Harkins… not Cineplex Odeon. Cinepex didn’t have any screens in the valley until they tried to come in with one in the basement of Scottsdale Galleria in the early 90s which failed.

mousemovie
mousemovie on January 30, 2004 at 1:52 am

The Cine Capri was built by ABC Intermountain Theatres and was designed by Henry George Greene who also designed all the ABC theatres of that era including the El Dorado in Tucson, AZ, the Regency in Salt Lake City, UT, Century Plaza in Los Angeles and the list goes on. When ABC got out of the movie theatre business, it was taken over by Plitt Threates who ran it until Cineplex Odeon took over Plitt. Mr Greene truely loved “continental seating” and used it in many of his designs.

upmaurer
upmaurer on January 28, 2004 at 9:30 pm

I have many fond memories of this theater. I remember seeing all kinds of movies, from “All that Jazz” to really bad ones like “Jaws 3 in 3D”! I recall the screen as being almost semi-circular and really huge. I remember it was on 24th St. and Camelback. I moved away in 1987 and have only been back to Arizona a few times; since the theater was demolished, what has been built on the site? Just curious …

Mrbobo
Mrbobo on January 7, 2004 at 6:26 pm

Agreed. Although Harkins says it has a 70 ft screen – 10 feet larger – because of the stadium seating, it makes the screen seem a lot smaller than what the real Cine Capri had. Just goes to show that they don’t know how to build them anymore.

MikeRadio
MikeRadio on December 31, 2003 at 9:19 am

I was there!!

It is just a big stadium seating theatre with a curtain….

Nice to see Lord of the Rings there.

It is NO Cine Capri however….

MikeRadio
MikeRadio on December 5, 2003 at 4:18 am

I am confused.. and I am going back to visit Phoenix soon.

The theatre is called the Scottsdale 101.. then they have a separate listing with one movie for the “Cine Capri” at Scottsdale 101.

View link

Did they make a large Cine Carpi like auditorium???

MikeRadio
MikeRadio on December 5, 2003 at 3:40 am

The Cine Carpi is now open again by the Harkins chain in Scottsdale.

I do not know how it is, but it is there.

Mike