Academy Cinemas

The Academy Cinemas (its current name) is now being operated by Regency Theaters. Listings and showtimes can be found at its web site:
http://regencymovies.com/main.php?theaterId=8

When I lived in Pasadena in the ‘80s, I saw several pictures at the Academy including Ghandi. At that point, it was very much the streamline moderne look, the Egyptian stylings long gone. After the theater was divided into six screens (and even the unique features of Moderne disapeared under white stucco, I didn’t go back as there were other theaters in town that were better suited to multiple screens. I did, however, continue to patronize the beauty salon on the corner until I moved to the Valley in the early 90s.

Besides the Vista Theatre, they were used at the old Fox Adams Theatre (which when it opened was called Bard’s).

The original interior was Egyptian and later a streamline modern. I remember the later remodel which had an interior mural that had mermaids, fish and seaweed – the mural wasn’t half bad either! I remember the drinking fountains were big white shells in the lobby. I watched the theatre close and feared one day I would drive by (as we do with most Pasadena theatres) and find a wreaking crew inside. Low and behold that day happened. I remember going up to the front doors and contruction was going on inside. The owner said I could not go in. I walked past a big burly construction worker who looked very sad. I stopped to ask him what was going on inside. I can still remember his words, he said he couldn’t bare another day doing this work, he said he was throwing out all the Egyptian statuary that was hidden for years behind the walls that had the sea murals. He was almost in tears. Thinking back, I wished I had looked in the dumpsters, well maybe not! Who would know, years later we would be fighting the same battle with the Raymond Theatre down the street in Pasadena!

I lived in Pasadena in the early to mid 1960’s and one of things I fondly remember about the Academy was almost every Friday or Saturday night, Warner Bros would preview one of their just finished pictures. Jack Warner and his group would always be there along with many of the stars of the picture. We’d almost always see these picture 6 to 7 months ahead of their national release. We saw THE MUSIC MAN, GYPSY, THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES, YOUNGBLOOD HAWKE and SPENCER’S MOUNTAIN just to name a few. This was usually the first preview, so we saw films that were not cut and had much longer running times. I remember WINE AND ROSES ran almost 2 ½ hours when we saw it in the Summer of 62'and by the time it was released at Christmas 62', it was less than 2 hours. With GYSPY, Warner cut three of it’s songs after this preview. He felt the picture was too long at 2 hours and 45 minutes. So he cut it to 2 ½ hours. Many times during these previews, the sound would go out of sink, as the sound and film were running through separate machines. The studio would have 5 or 6 men in the booth trying to put it back in sink. After these films were finished, the audience would fill out preview cards and the Warner group would read them in the lobby. I remember seeing Robert Preston at THE MUSIC MAN preview and Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty at GYSPY. She was one of the most beautiful women I have even seen. WOW.

Artist’s sketch of the Academy Theater after the 1957 remodel (LAPL collection)
http://jpg1.lapl.org/pics49/00044361.jpg

This theatre’s original look was Egyptian, but in between that look and its present appearance, it spent many years with a Streamline Moderne look.