Regency Village Theatre

961 Broxton Avenue,
Los Angeles, CA 90024

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Showing 351 - 375 of 484 comments

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on September 25, 2008 at 4:50 pm

That’s a nice photo.

drb
drb on September 25, 2008 at 12:00 am

Oh, and here’s a photo of the theater that I took in 2004.
View link

William
William on September 24, 2008 at 1:51 pm

Yes, I remember Mike Shaw from the Village.

drb
drb on September 24, 2008 at 1:35 pm

yes, the Tower did have 2 stories and I remember the little classical music annex as well. Those stores were narrow if I remember, certainly not the size of the Sunset one.

Actually, the Tower Records that existed throughout the eighties, in an old brick storefront that probably was about as old as the Village, was 3 stories, not 2. The second story was small, only extending from the stairway to the rear of the store about 20 feet with a low ceiling, so lots of people forget it existed. The changed the layout a few times, but I think that was mostly singles and Jazz. The third floor was classical and soundtracks/musicals. It was on Westwood, just past Weyburn. Looking on a map, I’d say it was around 1024 Westwood Blvd. or so.

In the nineties, Tower moved to not one but two different locations, maybe a block away from each other IIRC, one selling music and the other selling primarily movies.

Most all of the buildings in that old 1930s aerial shot are still there, many remodeled, but very, very few of the businesses in those buildings that I remember from the 1980s are still there. The Ralphs market in that photo has been all sorts of restaurants and cafes over the years (Bratskellar restaurant, Dole cafe, etc.), and last time I checked was a Peet’s coffee house, with the Mann Festival to its right in the same building.

MMShaw
MMShaw on August 16, 2008 at 6:14 pm

Does anyone remember Mike Shaw, the projectionist, at the Village from 1971 to 1997?

segask
segask on June 23, 2008 at 9:29 pm

now that the 1100 seat National has actually been torn down will Mann revive their plans of adding a multiplex behind the Bruin?

BradE41
BradE41 on June 23, 2008 at 3:58 pm

The actual shell for the Village (and Bruin) is a Landmark; it cannot be demolished. BUT…if it is closed as a movie theatre some jerk could gut it out and turn it into a retail space.

Knatcal
Knatcal on June 23, 2008 at 3:39 pm

I recently went back to the Village after an eleven year hiatus. And that trip eleven years ago was really my first trip since the late 1980’s. I remember well Westwood of the 1980’s. In high school and college I would travel down to Westwood with friends on the weekends to hang out and see films. At the time Westwood offered the best opportunity to see moves due to the large concentration of theaters, most single screen theaters. Now going on two decades later, Westwood lacks the nightlife and four theaters have closed. As I read the postings for the Village, I am concerned that even the Village is not safe. I especially began to worry after the National Theater was demolished. For some years now I have been involved in the Los Angeles Conservancy and their efforts to rehabilitate and prevent the destruction of the historic theaters on Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. Cannot a similar campaign be launched to preserve the theaters of Westwood?

BradE41
BradE41 on June 20, 2008 at 8:56 am

HANCOCK tickets now for sale online for July 2nd @ the Village.

KramSacul
KramSacul on June 15, 2008 at 4:08 am

I was there on 6/7 and the curtains only did the close/open thing once and that was after the “preshow” (ugh). They should close and then open after the trailers but oh well. I’m grateful they move at all at this point.

As for the idea that there should never be blank screen it’s nice to have at the end of the credits but there’s nothing more annoying than having the curtains close at the end of a trailer.

fredpamh1
fredpamh1 on June 15, 2008 at 12:27 am

Phallic Architecture. I purchased a camera with a zoom lens in Westwood today and walked the streets taking pics of this beautiful theater. I took close-ups of the gargoyles around the parapet walls around the top of the theater and…lo and behold! There are tiny phallic appearing symbols all around the top of the walls surrounding the theater. Cool building and if there is any way I can post pix, let me know.

fredpamh1
fredpamh1 on June 15, 2008 at 12:22 am

Phallic Architecture.

segask
segask on June 13, 2008 at 10:12 pm

View link

I didn’t know Star Trek: The Motion Picture had an overture.

Anyway, I remember seeing the restored directors cut of Lawrence of Arabia in 70MM back in the ‘80’s at the 1000 seat Mann Cinema 21 (later torn down) in San Diego, CA. Except for Gone With The Wind, it was the only time I ever saw a film presented with an overture. There were no trailers. The house lights slowly faded, the curtains remained closed, and the overture played. As the overture was finishing up the Columbia studio logo appeared on the curtains and then they opened up. I’ll always remember that.

DonSolosan
DonSolosan on June 9, 2008 at 10:56 am

I personally don’t like it when they start or finish projecting something on the curtain. Particularly when you have a trailer that jumps right in, rather than show you two minutes of corporate logos. If you don’t want me to see the whole thing, then don’t bother showing it.

William
William on June 9, 2008 at 7:20 am

That would work if there was a true projectionist in the booth and running the show manual. But the theatre is running on automation, it all about placing the cues and slugged black footage between the trailers and logos and the waterfall curtain. When the Village had a traveler style curtain it was much easier to work curtain cue masking changes.

segask
segask on June 8, 2008 at 10:52 pm

Oh yeah, about the curtains. They closed the curtains for a minute in between the Screenvision slide show and the trailers. Screenvision ended, the screen was blank for a moment, and the curtain lowered.
The curtain raised, the screen was blank for a moment, then the trailers played.

Then after the last trailer the screen was blank for a moment, and the curtains lowered, and the house lights started to come up for a moment. Then, the curtain rose, the screen was blank for a moment, and the THX Cavalcade trailer played, and then the movie.

Its awkward like that.

Raising and lowering the curtains is a really nice touch, but I think its better if if the curtains open and close so that you don’t see a blank screen. The curtains should finish closing just as the last trailer is done. Curtains should open right when the feature starts. House lights shouldn’t come up.

Here’s how I’d do it.

House lights dim.
Theater chain policy trailer starts and curtains open.
THX trailers, Digital Projection trailers, etc.
Coming attraction trailers.
As the last coming attraction trailer is winding down, the curtains close and house lights go off.
Feature starts and curtain opens.

segask
segask on June 8, 2008 at 10:16 pm

saw Indy there the other day. First time I’ve been there since SW:ep 3 I think. Its still the best of the big first-run movie palaces IMO. I saw Indy opening weekend over at the Dome. Picture and sound quality at the Village was easily superior. The Village still has by far the best surround sound of the big palaces (Village, Dome, Chinese, El Capitan). Surround sound imaging is very precise compared to the other big houses. Although the bass sounded a tad less awesome compared to how I remember it before. Are those Cerwin Vega subwoofers still in there?

I hope we don’t lose this one as a first-run house when the lease comes up in 3 years.

Does anyone know how wide the screen is?

Actually, could someone post screen measurements for those big four palaces? I know on the Arclight website, it says the screen in the Dome is 86 feet wide.

suller
suller on May 31, 2008 at 2:46 pm

Here is a video from The Village Lobby showing people running into the theatre on the midnight show of Indiana Jones on 5/22/08:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc-iK-NPHsg

The next big premiere scheduled is WBs Get Smart on June 16, and there will be a midnight show of Dark Knight also.

Coate
Coate on May 26, 2008 at 7:44 pm

Apparently, access to the Photo Gallery section is indeed restricted to members. I only recently formed the Fans of Showmanship Yahoo! Group and I’m still learning what can and can’t be done. I apologize for that.

Non members can, however, access (to read) the articles and messages section. Simply visit the group’s homepage, select “Messages” and go from there. To post, though, one must be a member. (Click “Join This Group” and create a [free] Yahoo! User ID or vice versa.)

markinthedark
markinthedark on May 26, 2008 at 9:09 am

Having trouble with it Michael. Do we have to join your group to view the photos?

Coate
Coate on May 26, 2008 at 6:03 am

Here is a link to a page of Village Theater photos posted on my Yahoo group, which includes a few shots I took this weekend during the “Indiana Jones” run. The images can be viewed as a thumbnail, list or slideshow.

BradE41
BradE41 on May 6, 2008 at 2:32 pm

Not sure. So far there having only been Midnight pre-sales for May 21.

mistertopps
mistertopps on May 6, 2008 at 1:57 pm

Just got ‘em. Can’t wait! What do you think the chances are of them pulling an Iron Man and adding an 8pm showing?

BradE41
BradE41 on May 6, 2008 at 1:20 pm

In case anyone is interested, On the Mann Theatres site the Village is now pre-selling INDIANA JONES tickets for the May 22 debut.

BradE41
BradE41 on April 4, 2008 at 8:46 am

I agree, the 70’s were the best years for contemporary cinema. I’d love to go back in time and see some of the films that played at the Village.