Sinclair;It must have been the Beau Geste Cinema when I first visited San Francisco in 1976 and sadly I didn’t check it out. I do remember going into the building when it had become the East of Castro Club on a later visit to the city. From what I remember there were sets of enclosed ‘stalls’ with glory holes in the walls and gay porn movies screened high up on the main walls. This seems to tie-in with your recollections of the interior of the building at that time.
Here is an October 1965 photograph I took while I was the Assistant Manager of the Odeon. “The Guns of Navarone” was the film playing that week: View link
The Leicester Square Theatre was still a 1,760 seat single screen, with its original auditorium decoration intact when I took this photograph in July 1964: View link
Here is a photograph I took of the Empire in July 1964. The Thomas Lamb exterior was hidden for almost 30 years behind that 1960’s advertising cladding: View link
After closing as the Granada Cinema, it was converted into a Granada Bingo Club which was opened on 1st May 1968 by pop singer Joe Brown. The bingo operation was short lived and closed down in 1969. The new extension to the Town Hall that was built on the site was officially opened in 1977.
Here is a photograph of the Century Cinema that I took in 1964: View link
The Film Daily Yearbook;1941 edition lists the Seneca Theatre, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada without a seaing capacity (usually meaning it has just opened and details are not known when going to print). The 1943 edition of F.D.Y. lists the Seneca Theatre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada with a seating capacity of 911.
There is no Seneca Theatre listed in the Niagara Falls, NY, USA section in any edition of F.D.Y.
A current photo (courtesy of woody) of the ceiling and two balconies. Note the rectangular space in the ceiling above the window is where the vents from the projection box were located and the two semi-circular ‘balconies’ each side of the window indicate the original floor level at the rear of the second balcony. View link
An identical view, taken in 1989 before the theatre was ‘moved’ and showing the projection box still in position is in the book ‘Lost Broadway Theatres’ by Nicholas van Hoogstraten (page149)
This a current view of the main screen, located in the former balcony. Decorative details and light fittings are original to the 1929 opening of the Carlton: View link
The opening programme at the Regal Cinema was Jack Hulbert & Cecily Courtneidge in “Falling for You”. The cinema was equipped with a cafe and ballroom (this section of the building was destroyed by bombing and was never re-built).
In the auditorium there was a Compton 3Manual/9Rank theatre organ with illuminated console that was opened by Reginald Foort.
A recent exterior photograph of the Cine Payret here:
View link
Sinclair;It must have been the Beau Geste Cinema when I first visited San Francisco in 1976 and sadly I didn’t check it out. I do remember going into the building when it had become the East of Castro Club on a later visit to the city. From what I remember there were sets of enclosed ‘stalls’ with glory holes in the walls and gay porn movies screened high up on the main walls. This seems to tie-in with your recollections of the interior of the building at that time.
Here is an October 1965 photograph I took while I was the Assistant Manager of the Odeon. “The Guns of Navarone” was the film playing that week:
View link
A photograph of the Odeon which I took in July 1964:
View link
The Leicester Square Theatre was still a 1,760 seat single screen, with its original auditorium decoration intact when I took this photograph in July 1964:
View link
The Warner Theatre was still a single screen 2,500 seater ‘Home to Warner Brothers’ when I took this photograph in July 1964:
View link
A photograph of the Rialto Cinema that I took in July 1964:
View link
Here is a photograph I took of the Empire in July 1964. The Thomas Lamb exterior was hidden for almost 30 years behind that 1960’s advertising cladding:
View link
A photograph of the Odeon Astoria which I took in July 1964, playing the Odeon release film of that week:
View link
Oops, here that 2nd link again:
View link
A photograph I took of the Dominion in July 1963 on the evening of the European Premier of “Cleopatra”:
View link
‘Swinging London’ in the 1960’s. A photograph I took of the London Pavilion in 1964 screening the World Premier run of “A Hard Days Night”:
View link
A photograph of the Cameo Royal that I took in 1964:
View link
After closing as the Granada Cinema, it was converted into a Granada Bingo Club which was opened on 1st May 1968 by pop singer Joe Brown. The bingo operation was short lived and closed down in 1969. The new extension to the Town Hall that was built on the site was officially opened in 1977.
Here is a photograph of the Century Cinema that I took in 1964:
View link
The Film Daily Yearbook;1941 edition lists the Seneca Theatre, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada without a seaing capacity (usually meaning it has just opened and details are not known when going to print). The 1943 edition of F.D.Y. lists the Seneca Theatre in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada with a seating capacity of 911.
There is no Seneca Theatre listed in the Niagara Falls, NY, USA section in any edition of F.D.Y.
Two views of the former Odeon Theatre when still open as a Kwik Save Supermarket:
http://www.bolton.org.uk/radks.jpg
http://www.bolton.org.uk/radksmh.jpg
The Moghrabi Theatre opened on 13th February 1930.
REndres;Many thanks for your clarification and insight into this. It’s always good to have someone with ‘first hand knowledge’.
The Superior Theatre is listed with a capacity of 500 seats in 1950
Film Daily Yearbook;1950 edition gives the address of the Circle Theatre as 10210 Euclid Avenue with a seating capacity of 1,975.
The Alhambra Theatre is given as 10403 Euclid Avenue with a seating capacity of 1,200.
A current photo (courtesy of woody) of the ceiling and two balconies. Note the rectangular space in the ceiling above the window is where the vents from the projection box were located and the two semi-circular ‘balconies’ each side of the window indicate the original floor level at the rear of the second balcony.
View link
An identical view, taken in 1989 before the theatre was ‘moved’ and showing the projection box still in position is in the book ‘Lost Broadway Theatres’ by Nicholas van Hoogstraten (page149)
This a current view of the main screen, located in the former balcony. Decorative details and light fittings are original to the 1929 opening of the Carlton:
View link
A current exterior view of the former Esther Cinema:
View link
The main entrance:
View link
The opening programme at the Regal Cinema was Jack Hulbert & Cecily Courtneidge in “Falling for You”. The cinema was equipped with a cafe and ballroom (this section of the building was destroyed by bombing and was never re-built).
In the auditorium there was a Compton 3Manual/9Rank theatre organ with illuminated console that was opened by Reginald Foort.
An exterior photograph of the Odeon taken in Spring 1971:
View link