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The latest movie theater news and updates
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August 6, 2002
Rally To Save The Sameric Today!
PHILADELPHIA, PA — We’ve just received this message from Jay Schwartz at The Secret Cinema about a rally today in support of the Sameric:
This coming Tuesday, August 6, will be the most important day yet for a show of support for the Sameric/Boyd Theater.
The Sameric, of course, is the beautiful, intact, 2350-seat art deco movie palace, which is threatened with demolition by its present owner, The Goldenberg Group.
Despite news stories you may have read about the owner wanting to preserve it, or about Mayor Street wanting to see it stand, neither party has made any commitment to saving the building, Philadelphia'a LAST surviving movie palace from the golden age. Indeed, The Goldenberg Group has only committed firmly to “keeping all of their options open.”
On Tuesday at noon, there will be a rally in front of the city building at 1515 Arch Street. This is expected to be a large gathering, and the larger, the better, in order to ensure media coverage and to make City Hall know that people really care about this issue.
The rally preceded a hearing scheduled at 1:15 pm inside the building, filed by a concerned citizen to reverse the demolition permit that The Goldenberg Group presently holds (and can legally use at any time). This hearing is open to the public, and similarly, we need as many people inside as possible to show the judge that the theater is worth saving (and that votes are at stake if it is not).
If you care at all about this very important piece of Philadelphia’s
entertainment history, please attend one or both of Tuesday’s events. If you work in Center City, bring your lunch to the rally. If you are able at all to stay afterwards at the hearing, that will make a huge difference.Even if you can’t attend either event on Tuesday, you can help by SPREADING THIS MESSAGE WIDELY, via email or any other way you can think of.
Also, be sure to sign the online petition form at www.SaveTheSameric.org. The petitions will be brought to the hearing.
For more information, visit www.SaveTheSameric.org or www.boydtheatre.com.
Opened in 1928 as the Boyd, the Sameric was recently named to Preservation Pennsylvania’s “At Risk 2002” list of the state’s 10 most endangered historic properties.
(Thanks to Gregg Anderson for the announcement.)
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August 5, 2002
3-Strip Cinerama Comes To The Cinerama Dome!
HOLLYWOOD, CA — Here’s an event not to be missed:
The world famous Cinerama Dome, located at the recently (re)constructed Arclight Cinemas complex, will be showing the film that started off the Cinerama craze in the 1950s, “This Is Cinerama”, in its glorious, original 3-strip format.
The newly refurbished and reconstructed print will bow on October 4, 2002 at the recently reopened Cinerama Dome on its gargantuan Cinerama screen. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased directly through the Arclight Cinemas website.
According to Arclight, the film is “the first to be refurbished – so a new generation of moviegoers can experience the thrill of this ‘pre-Imax’, ‘pre-virtual reality’ visual and sound format. Essentially a travelog, the film takes the viewer around the world and through ‘America the Beautiful…the heart of a continent, as seen through new eyes…a scenic tour de force of light, color, and sound…an America of breath-taking beauty and splendor that only Cinerama can picture and bring to you’.”
In other Cinerama Dome news, the geodesic theater will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of David Lean’s masterpiece, “Lawrence of Arabia”, with screenings of the epic film in 70MM. (Having seen this film at the ‘Dome’ a few years ago in 70MM, I couldn’t recommend this experience more highly. – RM) The film opens here on September 20th.
Purchase tickets for “This Is Cinerama”
(Thanks to Cinema Treasures friend and Cinerama guru Larry Karstens!)
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3 San Fran Theaters May Close
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The San Francisco Chronicle is reporting that the Regal Entertainment Group is looking to sell its leases at three prominent movie houses, the 1984-era Galaxy, and two vintage houses, the UA Alexandria and the UA Metro.
Michael McCormac, who is handling the transactions, is quoted as saying that the “‘contracts are going back and forth,’ and if completed, the movie houses ‘probably would remain theaters for a period of time, then they would be 'bye-bye’.‘ … The Metro would probably be retail, and the Alexandria could be a combination (of retail and non-retail).’”
According to the Chronicle, Regal “owns the lease at the Metro, the lease at the Galaxy and the Alexandria’s lease and property”. All three theaters have been on the market for the past year with deals for the Metro and Alexandria nearing completion.
The shakeout is impacting other area theaters as they attempt to secure their future in a shaky exhibition market. Landmark “will temporarily close the Lumiere later this year for renovation, the Roxie is trying to build a second screen, and Century Theatres recently opened a high-end CineArts movie house in Palo Alto, where it took over a longtime Landmark space.”
In other area news, the Park Theatre in Menlo Park is also slated to be closed and possibly torn down.
(Thanks to Gary Meyer for this update.)
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Struggle To Save Boston’s Modern Theatre From Extinction
BOSTON, MA — Hope is fading on Boston’s historic Modern Theatre as its owners, who are being accused of letting the old movie house fall into disrepair, have applied for a permit to demolish the 1912-era movie house.
According to the Boston Globe, the Modern, which is near two other shuttered movie palaces, the Paramount and Keith’s Opera House on Boston’s long-neglected Washington Street, may be beyond repair inside as extensive water damage has decimated the interior. Its facade, too, has begun crumbling.
Preservationists are now fighting the demolition request and hope to save at least the facade. With the help of the Landmarks Commission and the Boston Preservation Alliance, supporters also hope to bring some form of entertainment back to the building.
The Modern was constructed in 1912 inside a a fomer warehouse and retail building. The theater’s name was changed to the Mayflower in 1949 and its policy switched to adult films in the 1970s. It closed in the early 80s and has been used most recently as storage for pushcarts.
(Thanks to Dennis Huber for the sad update.)
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August 2, 2002
2500 Theaters … And Counting
We’ve just passed the 2,500 theater mark!
Thanks to all of your contributions, we’ve added over 1,500 “Cinema Treasures” in the last six months alone. Our current database now includes over 2,500 theaters and almost 1,250 photos.
Thanks again and we’re already looking ahead to 3,000!
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Merced Theatre Purchased By City; Restoration To Follow
MERCED, CA — The Merced City Council has approved the city’s purchase of the Merced Theatre from United Artists for $700,000 — half of the amount the theater chain had asked for. According to the Merced Sun-Star, the purchase price also includes retail space and the apartments above the historic theater.
The city of Merced will manage the property, while the Merced Theatre Foundation, which has spent the last three years convincing the city to buy the shuttered movie house, will sign a long term contract to operate the theater.
The group plans raise between $2.5 million and $3 million to restored the Spanish-style theater and is looking for donations which can be sent to: Merced Theatre Foundation, P.O. Box 2510, Merced, CA 95344.
(Thanks to Ron Pierce for the update!)
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August 1, 2002
Today’s Newsreel
LOS ANGELES, CA — Bob Dylan will be the first performer at the Wiltern Theatre in mid-October following a “reconfiguration” in which all of the seats on the first floor of the historic Art Deco theater were removed to accomodate a more general admission policy.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Wiltern has been closed since early June. Seating in the balcony has remained intact for upcomng shows with Dylan, Bryan Adams, Ani DiFranco and more. The only officially announced show is a November 4th appearance by the Rolling Stones.
SANTA MONICA, CA — In other Los Angeles-area news, the historic Aero Theatre may have found a savior in the American Cinematheque, a 21-year-old film society which currently owns and operates the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the group is in “negotiations to help run the historic Aero Theater in Santa Monica by using it as part of the Cinematheque’s classic film screening programs.” If successful, the group would also help add new seats, projection equipment and a new concession stand.
The 550-seat Aero has been struggling in recent years as a second-run movie house. A previous plan for Robert Redford’s ill-fated Sundance Cinemas to take over the theater fell through after General Cinema, which was a partner in the project, filed for bankruptcy.
The Aero was the childhood movie theater of the prolific Redford and has been a staple of now-trendy Montana Avenue for over six decades.
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July 31, 2002
Benefit Screening Tonight At The Aero!!!
SANTA MONICA, CA — A benefit screening of “Rebel Without a Cause” will be shown tonight at the Aero Theatre at 6:00 and 9:00 p.m. Tickets, which will help the ailing movie house, are $20 and include appetizers. The theater is located at 1328 Montana Avenue. For more information, call the theater at (310) 395-4990.
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Exciting News From The Plaza Theatre In El Paso!
EL PASO, TX — We’ve just received the following news regarding the gorgeous atmospheric Plaza Theatre:
The El Paso City Council voted this morning to allocate approximately $14 million for the restoration of the Plaza Theatre. Money raised will come from an increase in parking meter rates in the Downtown area. The vote for the project passed City Council by a vote of 6-1, with one representative absent.
El Paso Community Foundation’s presentation centered on the development of a partnership with the City by committing $12 million for the project. The proposal also included the integration of the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ (currently on loan to Sunland Park Mall) back to its original home, and donation of the Centre Annex Building, located adjacent to the theater. The Centre Annex Building is proposed to house a restaurant, event ballroom, young people’s theater and roof-top patio terrace.
Credit for this project belongs with Mayor Caballero and members of City Council, as with the vision and foresight of literally thousands of El Pasoans. Over the next few weeks and months, we look forward to working with you to bring back to life the Plaza Theatre.
Cinema Treasures would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to our friend Roman Herrington, Program Officer of the El Paso Community Foundation, for helping resurrect one of the country’s greatest and most endangered movie palaces.
Read more about the Plaza Theatre
Visit their official website -
Tour Detroit’s Movie Palaces!
The annual tour of Detroit’s historic movie palaces will take place Saturday, August 17th and is being offered thanks to the “extraordinary cooperation of theatre owners” and is organized by Preservation Wayne, Detroit’s largest and oldest preservation group.
The tour will cover the State, Fox, former Michigan, Gem, and Century theaters, as well as the Music Hall and the Detroit Opera House. According to the groups’s press release, “Added attractions include a movie palace exhibit at the Opera House, and organ recitals on both the Wurlitzer and Moller organs at the Fox Theatre.”
Tickets are $20.00 for members of Preservation Wayne and the Art Deco Society of Detroit or $25 for the general public. Tickets include a lunch stop at the Detroit Opera House. Paid reservations are required to guarantee your preferred time slot.
Tours leave the State Theatre lobby on Woodward Avenue every 30 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Convenient, inexpensive parking is available in the Fox Centre Garage, behind Hockeytown Caf