Saw many films here. In it’s last hurrah as a first run theatre operated under “Galaxy Theatres” it showed the James Bond flick “Octopussy” in the summer of 1983. Later reopened as a second run under “Star Cinemas” it had a few 70mm second run engagements including “Dune” and “2010”. Presentation was impressive.
Dan, no disrespect, but wow this was a bad theatre from the day it opened. A true showplace for Tom Moyer’s “Luxury Theatres” chain. My parents took us kids to opening weekend in 1983 to see Mr. Mom and vowed never to return (we did, but they usually defaulted to the Tacoma South or Tacoma Mall Twin if they could). All auditoriums had seperate doors with no light trap leading to the hallway, letting light spill in. The heavy doors also had latches (why?) that clanked when opening or closing. Screen masking seemed to be common size so no matter of you were watching a scope picture or a 1.85 the image would be cropped. Mono sound. Luxury Theatres lovely brown-orange-yellow motif. At least the seats were confy if you sat in the back half of the auditorium. The front half were cheap thin seats. We went to see an odd documentary called “Trek” in 1985 that Luxury Theatres had booked into all their theatres. 1 hour in when the changeover was meant to happen the screen went white and the other projector did not fire up. The projectionist opened up the window and yelled down to the audience that there would be a short intermission, as if it were normal. Something tells me it might have been a regular occurance. At least Act III spiffed the place up when they took over, adding digital sound, replacing the ugly curtains with nice dark green ones, replacing the seats and possibly even putting in proper masking. I saw “The Birdcage” there in the big auditorium and was surprised by the impovement. I am surprised they could not keep it open as a discount house.
Yes, there is something oddly attractive about the whole GCC atmosphere. At least even though they were building cheap, cinder-block theatres, GCC created a sort a corporate identity with their theatres in a somewhat modern way. You always knew you when you were at a GCC theatre: Shadowbox Screens, corrugated grey metal on the walls of the auditoriums, no light fixtures on walls, only dim overhead lighting, red carpet, white adjustable seats with, dim lighting in the halls, that GCC smell, red white and blue tile in the restrooms, the roman numerals I-II-III on the outside, i could go on. But, really, has there ever been a chain, especially so early in on, that had such a common design them nationwide? Even their theatres of the 80’s, with blue seats, red sound deadening panels on painted red cinderblock walls, danish-modern looking wood panelling in the halls, thick red railing/dividers, surround speakers enclosed in veritacal red boxes that went floor to ceiling, blue carpet etc etc etc. I always loved going to the GCC theatres in Washington, even though the SRO’s were far superior. It was always a bummer, though, when they played a scope picture in one of the tunnel houses. Roben, you, me and Scott Neff should start the GCC Historiacal Society. We would probably be the only members, though.
Oh, Scott! If only you could have been with me seeing Return of the Jedi as a kid in 1983 on the glorious shadowboxed screen in the corrugated-walled auditorium of the Villa Plaza I-II-III. Settling down in the white and red adjustable chairs. Waiting for the blue lights to dim and 20th Century Fox Logo to appear. Ah, the memories!
I saw 2 films here before it closed: “The Bodyguard” in the “big” house and “Prelude to a Kiss” in one of the splits. Large house had Dolby Stereo. Small house was Mono. The Crossroads 8 was open by then and got most of the prime bookings, killing off the Overlake. General Cinemas always seemed to build their theatres in strange places. The Overlake was in a small non-descript strip mall. The Aurora was tucked up away behind other stores from Aurora Ave., out of sight from the main street with no sign on the street. The Villa Plaza was tucked way at the back of the Villa Plaza shopping complex, unseen from any main street, The Lincoln Plaza, Gateway 8 and Renton Village were tucked behind underperforming medium sized strip malls and were better accessed by side streets. It seemed they never wanted to build their theatres in a prominent place. I know most of these were built before people realized a cinema could be the centerpiece of a shopping/eating/entertainment complex, but most GCC’s seemed really out-of-the-way and out of sight. Must have been cheaper real estate.
Too bad SIFF didn’t take this place over. Probably too much competition downtown to open it unless it was a specialty house of some sort. Hey, how about a brew-pub that plays classic or 2nd run films on the big screen. What could be more fun than sitting with a bunch of people drinking beer and watching “Star Trek II” or “Planet of the Apes”. Kaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnn!
Most theatre chains are good that way. If you complain, they’ll send you a couple free passes. I have always found the presentation at the Festival to be up to Mann’s Westwood standards. I wonder how long Mann will hold on to the Festival, being that their theatres are dropping like flies in Westwood. I think they would need to hold on to it for flexibility in bookings since they only have 3 screens left in Westwood.
Since there is no real competition nearby could the Blue Mouse book family-friendly or decent mainstream first run fare (like the Columbia City Cinema in Seattle)?
I understand Landmark’s not being able to keep the Rialto open in the current market (especially with 5 multiplexes close by in Pasadena!) but I hope that Landmark’s forey into “upscale, highbrow moviegoing” (The Landmark in West LA) doesn’t detract from some of their more quirky venues (the Nuart and NuWilshire in LA, the Seven Gables, Harvard Exit, Egyptian etc, in Seattle) that some of us still like to see our foreign, art and restroed/reissue films in.
Thanks Ed. I wish had taken photos of the Tacoma Mall Twin when I worked there in the summer of ‘89 while home from college. That theatre is a bit of an obsession for me. It’s where I saw many of the great blockbusters of the 70’s and 80’s growing up in Tacoma (many in 70mm). Its gone now, with a @*($& Krisprey Kreme in its place. I have seen pictures prior to the split in 1974, but none after. Hopefully SRO would have touted the “grand reopening”!
Sorry everyone for getting this thread off topic. I’ll work on my Hastings photos and get them over to cinematour. And for anyone going there before it closes: I did not get a good shot of the large auditorium.
Ed, I know of the Danz family and saw many shows at the John Danz theare in Bellevue, WA., before it became an electronics store. Other SRO theatres i’ve been to (including during Cineplex ownership: Tacoma WA: Tacoma Mall (worked there one summer), Tacoma West, Tacoma South. Seattle: Cinerama, Uptown, Northgate (RIP) Southcenter (RIP) Lewis & Clark. Bellevue, WA: John Danz, Factoria. Lynnwood: Grand.
If you had any issues regarding the Tacoma Mall Twin I would love to see. Especially about when it was twinned.
Ed, I am getting “forbidden” messages when I click on the links:
(Forbidden
You don’t have permission to access /images/hastings-article-small.jpg on this server.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.)
Everyone: The Nuart, when it initially opened, had 660 seats. I know it has less now as it has been re-seated a couple times, but I know it is not 150-175. More like 400 is my guess from my last visit.
Saw many films here. In it’s last hurrah as a first run theatre operated under “Galaxy Theatres” it showed the James Bond flick “Octopussy” in the summer of 1983. Later reopened as a second run under “Star Cinemas” it had a few 70mm second run engagements including “Dune” and “2010”. Presentation was impressive.
Dan, no disrespect, but wow this was a bad theatre from the day it opened. A true showplace for Tom Moyer’s “Luxury Theatres” chain. My parents took us kids to opening weekend in 1983 to see Mr. Mom and vowed never to return (we did, but they usually defaulted to the Tacoma South or Tacoma Mall Twin if they could). All auditoriums had seperate doors with no light trap leading to the hallway, letting light spill in. The heavy doors also had latches (why?) that clanked when opening or closing. Screen masking seemed to be common size so no matter of you were watching a scope picture or a 1.85 the image would be cropped. Mono sound. Luxury Theatres lovely brown-orange-yellow motif. At least the seats were confy if you sat in the back half of the auditorium. The front half were cheap thin seats. We went to see an odd documentary called “Trek” in 1985 that Luxury Theatres had booked into all their theatres. 1 hour in when the changeover was meant to happen the screen went white and the other projector did not fire up. The projectionist opened up the window and yelled down to the audience that there would be a short intermission, as if it were normal. Something tells me it might have been a regular occurance. At least Act III spiffed the place up when they took over, adding digital sound, replacing the ugly curtains with nice dark green ones, replacing the seats and possibly even putting in proper masking. I saw “The Birdcage” there in the big auditorium and was surprised by the impovement. I am surprised they could not keep it open as a discount house.
Anyone know if this fleatrap is still standing?
Scott: GCC lovefest happening at the recently added Overlake I & II:
/theaters/20931/
Yes, there is something oddly attractive about the whole GCC atmosphere. At least even though they were building cheap, cinder-block theatres, GCC created a sort a corporate identity with their theatres in a somewhat modern way. You always knew you when you were at a GCC theatre: Shadowbox Screens, corrugated grey metal on the walls of the auditoriums, no light fixtures on walls, only dim overhead lighting, red carpet, white adjustable seats with, dim lighting in the halls, that GCC smell, red white and blue tile in the restrooms, the roman numerals I-II-III on the outside, i could go on. But, really, has there ever been a chain, especially so early in on, that had such a common design them nationwide? Even their theatres of the 80’s, with blue seats, red sound deadening panels on painted red cinderblock walls, danish-modern looking wood panelling in the halls, thick red railing/dividers, surround speakers enclosed in veritacal red boxes that went floor to ceiling, blue carpet etc etc etc. I always loved going to the GCC theatres in Washington, even though the SRO’s were far superior. It was always a bummer, though, when they played a scope picture in one of the tunnel houses. Roben, you, me and Scott Neff should start the GCC Historiacal Society. We would probably be the only members, though.
Oh, Scott! If only you could have been with me seeing Return of the Jedi as a kid in 1983 on the glorious shadowboxed screen in the corrugated-walled auditorium of the Villa Plaza I-II-III. Settling down in the white and red adjustable chairs. Waiting for the blue lights to dim and 20th Century Fox Logo to appear. Ah, the memories!
I saw 2 films here before it closed: “The Bodyguard” in the “big” house and “Prelude to a Kiss” in one of the splits. Large house had Dolby Stereo. Small house was Mono. The Crossroads 8 was open by then and got most of the prime bookings, killing off the Overlake. General Cinemas always seemed to build their theatres in strange places. The Overlake was in a small non-descript strip mall. The Aurora was tucked up away behind other stores from Aurora Ave., out of sight from the main street with no sign on the street. The Villa Plaza was tucked way at the back of the Villa Plaza shopping complex, unseen from any main street, The Lincoln Plaza, Gateway 8 and Renton Village were tucked behind underperforming medium sized strip malls and were better accessed by side streets. It seemed they never wanted to build their theatres in a prominent place. I know most of these were built before people realized a cinema could be the centerpiece of a shopping/eating/entertainment complex, but most GCC’s seemed really out-of-the-way and out of sight. Must have been cheaper real estate.
Any idea if it will hold on for another season in 2008?
Anyone have any photos of the Sherman Oaks?
The Astor is indeed a gem. I suggest any cinephile who goes to Melbourne make the pilgrimage, no matter what is playing.
I was one of the few who saw “Last Action Hero” here in 70mm…
Saw Drew Barrymore there once…
Too bad SIFF didn’t take this place over. Probably too much competition downtown to open it unless it was a specialty house of some sort. Hey, how about a brew-pub that plays classic or 2nd run films on the big screen. What could be more fun than sitting with a bunch of people drinking beer and watching “Star Trek II” or “Planet of the Apes”. Kaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhnnnnnnnnnnnn!
Wish there were some pictures of the auditorium out there somewhere.
Most theatre chains are good that way. If you complain, they’ll send you a couple free passes. I have always found the presentation at the Festival to be up to Mann’s Westwood standards. I wonder how long Mann will hold on to the Festival, being that their theatres are dropping like flies in Westwood. I think they would need to hold on to it for flexibility in bookings since they only have 3 screens left in Westwood.
I there anything happening at theatre since it closed?
Since there is no real competition nearby could the Blue Mouse book family-friendly or decent mainstream first run fare (like the Columbia City Cinema in Seattle)?
I wonder how the nearby “Landmark 12” opening recently has affected the Royal’s business…
I understand Landmark’s not being able to keep the Rialto open in the current market (especially with 5 multiplexes close by in Pasadena!) but I hope that Landmark’s forey into “upscale, highbrow moviegoing” (The Landmark in West LA) doesn’t detract from some of their more quirky venues (the Nuart and NuWilshire in LA, the Seven Gables, Harvard Exit, Egyptian etc, in Seattle) that some of us still like to see our foreign, art and restroed/reissue films in.
Thanks Ed. I wish had taken photos of the Tacoma Mall Twin when I worked there in the summer of ‘89 while home from college. That theatre is a bit of an obsession for me. It’s where I saw many of the great blockbusters of the 70’s and 80’s growing up in Tacoma (many in 70mm). Its gone now, with a @*($& Krisprey Kreme in its place. I have seen pictures prior to the split in 1974, but none after. Hopefully SRO would have touted the “grand reopening”!
Sorry everyone for getting this thread off topic. I’ll work on my Hastings photos and get them over to cinematour. And for anyone going there before it closes: I did not get a good shot of the large auditorium.
Ed, I know of the Danz family and saw many shows at the John Danz theare in Bellevue, WA., before it became an electronics store. Other SRO theatres i’ve been to (including during Cineplex ownership: Tacoma WA: Tacoma Mall (worked there one summer), Tacoma West, Tacoma South. Seattle: Cinerama, Uptown, Northgate (RIP) Southcenter (RIP) Lewis & Clark. Bellevue, WA: John Danz, Factoria. Lynnwood: Grand.
If you had any issues regarding the Tacoma Mall Twin I would love to see. Especially about when it was twinned.
Worked for me too. I was told earlier in this thread that the original screen was flat. Looks curved to me in Ed’s article.
ED: Where did you get this gem? I am from Seattle originally and grew up with SRO theatres in my area. Got anything else?
I will love one day to see some of the old SRO Policy Trailers again…
Ed, I am getting “forbidden” messages when I click on the links:
(Forbidden
You don’t have permission to access /images/hastings-article-small.jpg on this server.
Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.)
Ed, when you scan the newsletters etc. please send them to Cinematour as well. They will post them with the rest of their Hastings stuff.
www.cinemetour.com
(Cinematreasures looks like they will have a photogallery offering soon)
Everyone: The Nuart, when it initially opened, had 660 seats. I know it has less now as it has been re-seated a couple times, but I know it is not 150-175. More like 400 is my guess from my last visit.