Redondo Beach Cinema 3
1509 Hawthorne Boulevard,
Redondo Beach,
CA
90278
1509 Hawthorne Boulevard,
Redondo Beach,
CA
90278
12 people
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Cinema 3 (the big house next to Levitz) is where I had one of my first THX experiences (with “Pretty Woman” – the exact wrong movie for THX!) as well as my first DTS Digital experience with “Jurassic Park” in 93. At the time, that was the LOUDEST movie I’d ever heard. The memorable sequence with the puddle vibrating to the sound of the oncoming T-Rex literally shook the theatre!
Showing today-Hannah Montana, Knowing and I Love You, Man.Wasn’t the last one first-run like two weeks ago? Admission is $3.25.
According to several websites, Theater 1 is supposed to be haunted. Anyone know if this is true?
Here’s what the website, “The Shadowlands” reported:
Hawthorne Blvd – Redondo Beach – General Cinema Theater I – It is no longer used. The stock room could not be kept clean; boxes would always be opened, overturned, and/or dumped on the floor. The faucet would turn on and off by itself. Behind the concession stand, you could feel someone brush past you and bump into you as you were working and the cabinets would be padlocked at night and would be open in the morning, with the contents disheveled and strewn about.
http://theshadowlands.net/places/california1.htm
I’ve driven by this theater for years but have never bought a ticket. The large white marquee with all the second-run films is highly visible as you drive past the South Bay Galleria going south on Hawthorne. I recall that it was two dollars a few years ago, but I guess inflation has taken its toll. I didn’t know the bowling alley was gone, though.
The Redondo Beach Cinema 3 is one of fifteen houses currently operated by Regency Theatres.
We now call this theater the “$3 theater”, because it’s only $3 to see the second run movies. We do go to the kid flicks here, because it’s cheap and I don’t want to see this place get knocked down like the rest of the area. In the 70’s I remember seeing two of the greatest blockbusters during that decade at the (now torn down) theater: “Jaws” and “Star Wars”. It’s funny how to this day, I remember when I was 10 years old, standing in that line that wrapped around the building. I also saw a b-movie called “Grizzly”. Not sure if anyone else had seen this one. The South Bay Center was very hip during the 70’s with the theater, bowling alley, and outdoor mall located where the current “South Bay Galleria” is. Anyone remember “Newberry’s”? The small “Orange Julius” stand? I remember visiting Santa Claus when he was stationed in that area of the mall. Wow, what a different time that was, eh?
One more recollection. When I worked the original Cinema 3 it was equipped with two 35MM Simplex XL’s and Christie Xenon Lamphouses. We were still making changeovers on 2000 ft reels, a rare thing considering the set up. Back in ‘75 Cinema 3 projectionist Clark Grant once told me that all General Cinema needs to do is to install 6000 ft reel arms on those machines and the machines in Cinema 1 then have one projectionist go between the three theatres. It took some 10 or so odd years but Clark’s premonition came true.
I was a doorman at Cinema 1 in the Fall of ‘73. Later I worked those theatres booths when I was on Local 150’s extra board in 1975 and '76. Back then there were three single theatres, Cinema 1 was on Hawthorne Blvd. and between Cinema 1 and Cinema 2 was an ice cream shop, beauty shop and bowling alley. Cinema 3 was located across the parking lot in the back next to Levitz furniture. At that time none of the theatres was equipped for 70MM. When Cinema 2 (the largest of the 3) was twinned I remember projectionist Charlie O'Kane being a little pissed off because the booth was being automated but later accepted it since he didn’t have to change carbons and do change-overs anymore.
As Manwithnoname posted the #4 house was the only 70MM house in the complex it had a Simplex 35/70 projector, but during the last few years of operation it was changed out for a model Century JJ 35/70. The Simplex projector was sold to a chain in the Southeast area.
The big twin was Simplex 35mm equiped and at one time 4-Track Mag. Stereo. During this theatres last years running under GCC, it was a limited service theatre. The projectionist would run a set number of hours during the week and management would run the other hours of operation.
Best place to see midnight movies in the So. Bay in the mid ‘80s, hands down. They played “Rocky Horror” there for years, with lots of wild audience par-ti-ci-pa-tion. They also played “Pink Floyd’s The Wall” there for a while, for all those skinny white dudes sportin’ mullets and peach-fuzz moustaches floating around Torrance at the time.
Does anyone here recall if the theatre on Hawthorne Blvd or the Cinema 2 were equipped for 70mm? From the looks of it, Cinema 2 was quite large before getting split into two theatres. Does anyone recall when the Cinema 1 and Cinema 2 were opened?
I understand that the third theatre located in the very back of the shopping center was 70mm and THX-certified.
Thanks.
I rarely go to these theatres now but I used to go once in a while. What I really would like to do was go see a movie and then go bowling with my dad or just for fun. Its to bad that now the bowling alley is torn down and gone. It was a very cool bowling alley and it has a lot of history. Well that whole center was a fun place to hang out and I really miss it now. I saw the movie OUT TO SEA that one with Jack Lemmon and Walter matthau.I think I was six or seven. Cinema three are great theatres
I went to see a Jackie Chan movie there in 1997, but the exit door had about a one-inch space under it which let in an unacceptable amount of sunlight. Then, in 2003 in went to see NARC on a Thursday night and they had decided it wasn’t worth showing, although their newspaper, internet, and phone ads all said there was such a showing.
Attention RBC3! Why would I ever bother going back?
According to movies.yahoo.com, the address HarryLime posted is correct. The old Cinema #2 and #3 were torn down in 2002 when the Expo Design Center was built. Now the bowling alley is closed as well and is scheduled to be torn down. Hopefully the Redondo Beach Cinema 3 will not meet the same fate.
Now operating as the Redondo Beach Cinema 3, this theatre is located at 1509 Hawthorne Boulevard.