ennis, I can answer some of your questions – TOWER opened Ben-Hur, King of Kings, El Cid, Mutiny on the Bounty, My Fair Lady, Great Race, Agony & Ecstacy, The Bible, Doctor Dolittle; CAPRI (nee MELBA) opened Spartacus, The Alamo, How The West Was Won, Mad, Mad World, Circus World, 55 Days at Peking, Khartoum; INWOOD opened Sound of Music and Hawaii; WILSHIRE opened Sand Pebbles and Paint Your Wagon; UA CINE 150 opened Funny Girl; ESQUIRE opened The Cardinal and Lawrence of Arabia; NORTHPARK CINEMA 1&2 opened Doctor Zhivago (can’t remember which auditorium) and just don’t remember the other openings, tho' the TOWER or CAPRI likely opened The Longest Day.
Hello, Mark W! I remember your father fondly! He took me with him on two seperate occassions to both the Palace and the Circle to see how films were projected. I remember having to climb up a narrow ladder on the wall to crawl through a hatch of some sort in the wall of the Palace projection room – if I recall correctly, that was the only way in or out – and looking out the viewing port at that incredible, cavernous auditorium! I had never seen anything so big or lovely as that theater with that huge chandelier! Can’t recall what the Palace was playing, but the Circle, while not so impressive, was certainly easier getting into! Girl Trouble/Afica Texas Style played at Circle.
LM -
I think your 1982 photo of the Plaza Theater might actually be the Fine Arts (formerly the Varsity) in Snider Plaza, across Hillcrest Ave. from SMU campus (see Randy Carlisle photo link below) I used to work just south of the Fine Arts when it was running quality films in the 1970’s.
I never saw the Plaza – perhaps, if your picture is correct, it was designed by the same architect/built by the same firm, and around the same time as the Varsity? View link
ennis, I can answer some of your questions – TOWER opened Ben-Hur, King of Kings, El Cid, Mutiny on the Bounty, My Fair Lady, Great Race, Agony & Ecstacy, The Bible, Doctor Dolittle; CAPRI (nee MELBA) opened Spartacus, The Alamo, How The West Was Won, Mad, Mad World, Circus World, 55 Days at Peking, Khartoum; INWOOD opened Sound of Music and Hawaii; WILSHIRE opened Sand Pebbles and Paint Your Wagon; UA CINE 150 opened Funny Girl; ESQUIRE opened The Cardinal and Lawrence of Arabia; NORTHPARK CINEMA 1&2 opened Doctor Zhivago (can’t remember which auditorium) and just don’t remember the other openings, tho' the TOWER or CAPRI likely opened The Longest Day.
Hello, Mark W! I remember your father fondly! He took me with him on two seperate occassions to both the Palace and the Circle to see how films were projected. I remember having to climb up a narrow ladder on the wall to crawl through a hatch of some sort in the wall of the Palace projection room – if I recall correctly, that was the only way in or out – and looking out the viewing port at that incredible, cavernous auditorium! I had never seen anything so big or lovely as that theater with that huge chandelier! Can’t recall what the Palace was playing, but the Circle, while not so impressive, was certainly easier getting into! Girl Trouble/Afica Texas Style played at Circle.
LM -
I think your 1982 photo of the Plaza Theater might actually be the Fine Arts (formerly the Varsity) in Snider Plaza, across Hillcrest Ave. from SMU campus (see Randy Carlisle photo link below) I used to work just south of the Fine Arts when it was running quality films in the 1970’s.
I never saw the Plaza – perhaps, if your picture is correct, it was designed by the same architect/built by the same firm, and around the same time as the Varsity?
View link