Thanks Brian for the great photo. You won’t find any movie theatre circuits in the USA putting in waterfall curtains like at the Coliseum Cinema. The USA movie people have no showmanship. Now Lets get the Coliseum folks to put in some red or blue curtain stage lights.
So sad new theatres don’t bother with masking on the top and sides. You see white screen showing. The days of nice moving drapes with color lights and masking are mostly gone. The circuit companies try to fit in as many tiny auditoriums as they can so the screens are not that wide. Thanks Howard for the photos.
I guess they did not put in 70mm in Staten Island like many of the other Alamo Cinemas. Looks like only one semi large auditorium the rest tiny flat screens. Same lights and wall covering like all the other Alamo places.
Just before CinemaScope® came out. I do think It had a 4 ch stereo track. A NYC Roxy Theatre movie and stage ice show, something you won’t see today at the multiplex. Thanks CC for the ad.
Great ad these owners advertised 70mm and the curved screen not just the word TODD-AO. Should have been CAMERAS/PROJECTORS, STEREOPHONIC sound. I think ORTHOSONIC was a stereo record sound?
Thanks David great color photo. Loved the marquee GIANT SCREEN HI FI STEREOPHONIC SOUND. Probably a 35mm 4 track mag showing at this big long gone Fox West Coast Theatre in Long Beach. Thanks again.
Nice lobby photo BS. They need to put some color lights in the glass blocks on the refreshment stand. Many older theatres even had color neon in the glass.
Try to make it to the old Castro Theatre soon to see a movie while they still have seats. The new lease/renters will remove all small seats and take out the downstairs lobby candy counter and put in booze bars in the back of the house and tier the flat floor. Long gone will be the semi big masking screen as they will use the old long hidden deco back of stage area with a small roll down screen I bet. If they do show any films/movies they will bring up some new portable chairs from the basement I guess. A sad day for movie people in SF once the rockers take over and pay big bucks to stand up drink and jump around on party drugs. The new operators say they will keep the seats in the upstairs loge area just like the Fox Oakland they also run but I bet they won’t put in new ones just clean the old ones. I wonder If the ‘Planet’ gang will still offer high price popcorn and candy with the loud music touring shows on stage. The movie days are almost over at the Castro Theatre in SF. Check It out for the last time!
One of the best Cinerama Theatres ever. The Orpheum SF is still around but not with the huge curved screen and three projection booths. I saw my first Cinerama movie there and the last one. The pink/gray lighted curtains came way out into the downstairs seating area. Loved the huge stereo surround speakers mounted on the upper side walls. It would be nice If the current owners had a small display in the lobby of the history of Cinerama in SF with photos and newspaper ads when It played in 1953. Cinerama Holiday the second movie made had a section filmed in San Francisco and now has been restored on Bly Ray with a curve screen look for the home screen. It was a big thing to go see Cinerama at the Orpheum Theatre while in San Francisco. Thanks GD for the photo clip.
Thanks m1944 CinemaScope® was a big thing in 1953 for movie theatres and the screen here in Hollywood at the Fox Grauman’s Chinese Theatre must have looked nice and huge with a slight curve to it. They did the front up with the big sign like no other theatre did.
The better new cinemas feature the Dolby Atmos® system
The RPX Regal screens are not as nice as the Cinemark Century XD screens. The XD screens have a great curve to them.
Must have ben a busy time for the projectionist in the 70mm booth. I wonder If they had a platter then or reel to reel?
Thanks Brian for the great photo. You won’t find any movie theatre circuits in the USA putting in waterfall curtains like at the Coliseum Cinema. The USA movie people have no showmanship. Now Lets get the Coliseum folks to put in some red or blue curtain stage lights.
So sad new theatres don’t bother with masking on the top and sides. You see white screen showing. The days of nice moving drapes with color lights and masking are mostly gone. The circuit companies try to fit in as many tiny auditoriums as they can so the screens are not that wide. Thanks Howard for the photos.
I guess they did not put in 70mm in Staten Island like many of the other Alamo Cinemas. Looks like only one semi large auditorium the rest tiny flat screens. Same lights and wall covering like all the other Alamo places.
So nice they plugged TODD-AO and stereophonic 6 track sound.
Just before CinemaScope® came out. I do think It had a 4 ch stereo track. A NYC Roxy Theatre movie and stage ice show, something you won’t see today at the multiplex. Thanks CC for the ad.
Great ad these owners advertised 70mm and the curved screen not just the word TODD-AO. Should have been CAMERAS/PROJECTORS, STEREOPHONIC sound. I think ORTHOSONIC was a stereo record sound?
Thanks GD. Must have looked great in 70mm at this drive-in. I wonder if the outdoor screen was curved.
No word in this ad if they played in Stereo.
The Todd-AO screen was great. Later on they put in the UA D-150 large curved screen also at the UA Rivoli Theatre NYC.
Thanks David great color photo. Loved the marquee GIANT SCREEN HI FI STEREOPHONIC SOUND. Probably a 35mm 4 track mag showing at this big long gone Fox West Coast Theatre in Long Beach. Thanks again.
Thanks Richi movie must have looked and sounded great on the semi curved Chinese Hollywood IMAX screen. One of the few IMAX theatres with curtains.
Nice lobby photo BS. They need to put some color lights in the glass blocks on the refreshment stand. Many older theatres even had color neon in the glass.
Thanks film that screen so high up.
I don’t think the Drive In’s had Sensurround® ?
Thanks Kino what a great curved curtain for this long gone Pacific Theatre in Pasadena CA.
Try to make it to the old Castro Theatre soon to see a movie while they still have seats. The new lease/renters will remove all small seats and take out the downstairs lobby candy counter and put in booze bars in the back of the house and tier the flat floor. Long gone will be the semi big masking screen as they will use the old long hidden deco back of stage area with a small roll down screen I bet. If they do show any films/movies they will bring up some new portable chairs from the basement I guess. A sad day for movie people in SF once the rockers take over and pay big bucks to stand up drink and jump around on party drugs. The new operators say they will keep the seats in the upstairs loge area just like the Fox Oakland they also run but I bet they won’t put in new ones just clean the old ones. I wonder If the ‘Planet’ gang will still offer high price popcorn and candy with the loud music touring shows on stage. The movie days are almost over at the Castro Theatre in SF. Check It out for the last time!
One of the few curved screen Imax screens with curtains. Nice slow move. Check the place out if in Hollywood CA!
Too bad the large deep curved screen is gone. At lease they left the curtains.
One of the best Cinerama Theatres ever. The Orpheum SF is still around but not with the huge curved screen and three projection booths. I saw my first Cinerama movie there and the last one. The pink/gray lighted curtains came way out into the downstairs seating area. Loved the huge stereo surround speakers mounted on the upper side walls. It would be nice If the current owners had a small display in the lobby of the history of Cinerama in SF with photos and newspaper ads when It played in 1953. Cinerama Holiday the second movie made had a section filmed in San Francisco and now has been restored on Bly Ray with a curve screen look for the home screen. It was a big thing to go see Cinerama at the Orpheum Theatre while in San Francisco. Thanks GD for the photo clip.
Thanks CC must sound great to hear a stereo surround movie in the theatre with all the surround speakers on the back wall and sides.
HH thanks must have looked great under glow black lights.
Thanks m1944 CinemaScope® was a big thing in 1953 for movie theatres and the screen here in Hollywood at the Fox Grauman’s Chinese Theatre must have looked nice and huge with a slight curve to it. They did the front up with the big sign like no other theatre did.