Red Rock 11 Theaters
5201 W. Charleston Boulevard,
Las Vegas,
NV
89107
5201 W. Charleston Boulevard,
Las Vegas,
NV
89107
10 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 55 comments
My name is Kevin Moseley, and for those of you that worked at the Redrock prior to 1985, you would possibly remember me as the freckled little son of RedRock manager Boyd Moseley. I fondly remember this movie theater from my childhood as it was where me and my sisters spent a great deal of our time on weekends and summer. My father ran this theater for quite some time before Syufi bought it from the owner Horste Schmidt in 1985. This forced the relocation of my family to California, the loss of jobs for many people in the mid 80’s, and the end of “the glory days” of the RedRock History. The beauty of the old town square, the cobblestone paths, the clocktower that sat near the offices entrance…all this history first wiped away by Syufi and their “modernization”…haha… still couldn’t compete after they took over. Long dead were the days of the “real” movie theater experience. For those that do remember my father – RADAMS for example…I am sad to say that he passed away in 1999 from lung cancer (you remember how much he smoked?!?!) We moved to California where he continued in the movie theater business with Cineplex Odeon, and then off to Colorado where he worked with Super Saver Cinemas before he passed away. I am looking for any photos of the RedRock in it’s “heyday” if anyone happens to have any. I have two that I recently found in my father’s personal things…If you happen to have any, I would be happen to post, email, or copy and mail to you…Thanks for the good wishes and great memories of the RedRock 11 Theater.
I worked at the Red Rock ‘95-'96 – On the cusp of the decline. I recall myself and a coworker asking the manager why we were getting crap films like Leprechaun 3 and Down Periscope rather than more substantial flicks like Twister and Fargo. She proceeded to explain to me that she can spend a large hunk of money on a big film, or get 5 or 6 terrible ones and the same senior citizens, drug addicts, and unaccompanied children will still come and pay for a ticket. I lived nearby and had seen nearly all of my favorite films of the preceding decade at that movie house. Hearing her dismiss the history and magic of that theatre with such cynicism robbed me of just a little joy. My coworker friend felt equally disenfranchised by her remarks and pooped on the hood of her LeBaron. Life can be funny that way.
Saw over 50+ movies here (almost beating out my viewings at Torrey Pine and Mountain View), but I can only recall Batman, Big Hit, Kindergarten Cop, Kiss of Death, Back to the Future III … everything else is just faded memories. I used to shop at Kool Kollectibles, but after the theater closed and they opened the other locations, the owners of Kool Kollectibles accused every single customer of being a thief, and would not let a customer browse in peace at the large comic book selection. And they wonder why they went out of business. For the record, the owners of Kool Kollectibles claimed he owned the Red Rock Theater lot and building.
I was lucky enough to get hired at the Red Rock as a candy girl in 1976. The previous poster “radams” was my very best friend in high school; and we had a great time working together at the Red Rock!! I have so many wonderful memories! I can’t tell you how many times we watched “A Star is Born” there! There were so many good kids who worked there. There were two ice cream parlors, the original candy counter in the front, and the “gazebo” candy counter in the back. The back had planters and benches with a large, standing clock along with the popcorn wagon. I’ll never forget working in the popcorn wagon with another girl when one of us (probably me) had forgotten to put the lid down on the popper after pouring in the oil and the popcorn kernels. Within minutes popped popcorn was flying all over the place! We could barely stop laughing long enough to put the lid down on the popper! The Red Rock was a very special place.
Thought those who remember the Original “Red Rock” Theatres would like this story from 1989: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hz841zbq8ao
I worked as a “candy girl/cashier” at the Red Rock from 1976 until 1979. It was the best job that a teenager could have in Las Vegas at the time! My first job, and it was there that I met a cute usher, who I would later marry. We’ve been married for 30 years now and have two children! Boyd Mosley was the manager, and he was a fabulous man! He was tough, expected a lot from the teenagers that worked there, and was a wonderfully kind man! The plaza theaters had an old time popcorn wagon that I loved to work in. We served freshly popped popcorn from this wagon and REAL butter on the popcorn! It was THE place to come to see a movie! When it was being torn down, my husband went and got a brick from the rubble, so that we could remember all of the wonderful kids we worked with and THE place that we fell in love at!
I worked at the Red Rock 11 from Jan 1980 to April 1983. It was the best job to have as a high school student. It was a bad day when I found out Syufi(possible spelling error) bought it in (or around early 1985).
Wow, it’s a blast reading everyones post on the old redrock, I really enjoy them and laugh at all the old memories. As a kid me and my friends would go to the cinedom across from cashman school. Used to go on saturday buy the first ticket and spend the whole day sneaking into all the movies. Must have saw rocky 3 20 times back then, lol.
What I haven’t read yet is that towards the end of this theater’s run in 1999, it actually became a bargain theater for its last year or two (right around the time the Mountain View and Torrey Pines went out of business). When the Century Orleans 12 (now 18) and Act III (now Regal) Village Square 18 opened in December 1997, it pretty much put the nails in the coffin for both the Cinedome 12 and the Red Rock 11. Why go see a movie at either of those theaters when you can see a movie in a THX-certified auditorium that also provided stadium seating with rocking chairs and foldable armrests?
I had great memories of this theater from my childhood/pre-teen years. Saw many great and many terrible films here with many friends.
Interesting to note that almost nothing exists now in the strip mall that ended up replacing it.
The opening of the Red Rock 4 was the beginning of the end for the first generation of single screen movie theaters clustered around the downtown area. It effectively siphoned off customers from the newer growth areas of town and, with four screens (originally), provided just about all the movie entertainment a person could want back then.
I worked at the Red Rock 11 Theaters from 1985 to 1987. Started fresh out of the Marine Corps, worked my way from usher up to In-house manager. Had a great time at the place and worked with a great group of people, enjoyed every day at that job. It was challenging to run the projectors, sometimes you would have to run across the rooftop to the other side of the theater to start the movie on time, it was great.
The architecture of the place was incredible; you don’t see theaters built like that anymore. There were two snack counters, one in the town square and one on the other side and for awhile we had an ice cream parlor in it and an arcade along with a nice couple who ran a little sales booth with trinkets and such.
I left Vegas in 1991 came back five years later to discover the theater was closed, by the time I came back again, 3 years later, it was torn down after the fire. Still saw some of the old floor tiles on the empty lot, brought back some great memories of old friends.
I was probably one of the managers you talked to when your cars got broken into; I was only 19 years old when I started, caught one vandal once. Reading some of the post on this sight brought back some great memories, I am glad others recall the place fondly.
The Red Rock was built and owned by Horst Schmidt. As I recall, the Red Rock 4 (1971) was the first multiplex theater in the world. Mr. Schmidt sold the Red Rock 11 to a theater chain after seeing the handwriting on the wall that single theater owners, like himself, would have a tough time competing.
Saw “Skatetown USA” & “The Great Muppet Caper”,among others,here between spring ‘79 and fall '81.
Heh heh heh… Yep… You saw those at The Flick, too. I’m trying to remember for sure, but they may have had two, separate small screens – one accessed to the right of the box office and one to the left.
I think I’ll wait and let someone else create the listing. Since I haven’t created any others, I don’t really want the first one to be for a porno theater. LOL Glad I could help, though! :–)
Great! Another cinematic mystery from my past is solved thanks to the members of CT! Thanks again, Teri. Now I have to wrack my brains and figure out where I saw the “Deep Throat” & “Devil in Miss Jones” double feature. Is it possible these two double features alternated at the Flick? I know I saw all four films in a movie theater – and I’m blanking out on where I saw these two. The only legitimate porn theater I can recall ever going to in NY was for a flick called “The Girl from S.E.X.” and I was with a bunch of buddies. I definitely saw DT and DIMJ on the same bill and I was alone and very, very young. I was in LV for a month and might have easily gone back to the same theater to check it out. Could the Flick have been a twin featuring each double feature in separate auditoriums?
At any rate, Teri, you ought to create a listing for the Flick. I think you have enough info to start it up. Let others fill in the gaps with their comments, you know?
LOL Ed! Yeah, I’m positive… (I saw the films, too… ;–) And yes… The actual name of the other one was the Four Star Theatre (whoever listed it originally, had the wrong name). When I moved here in 1969, the Four Star showed second run ‘regular’ films. My family and I went to see “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly,” “Fistful of Dollars,” and “For a Few Dollars More” at the Four Star. Later, in the early ‘80s, my ex and I went to a couple of big screen (it was always a single-screen, full-size theater) porn films (as opposed to 'video’) there. The Four Star was very popular with Asian tourists. Sounds weird, but those were kinda the ‘good old days’… before everything turned into tiny video theaters.
Thanks, Teri. And are you positive this is where those two films played in 1980? There is also a 5-Star Theater listed here that is supposed to have been porno at some point. As for not being listed because it was never more than a small, dirty movie house… you should check out some of the hole-in-the-wall porn houses listed on this site for New York City!
Slater, if I had to guess, I’d say it was during the late ‘80s that the Red Rock 11 shifted to a discount theatre. Honestly, I don’t recall ever paying discount prices for a movie at Red Rock, but that’s probably because I stopped going to movies there once so many other theatres opened in town.
Ed… It was on Fremont Street near 9th Street. The Orbit Inn was nearby… both places were across the street from and east of the El Cortez. It’s probably not listed because it was never anything other than a small, dirty movie house.
Anyone recall what year the Redrock changed from a first-run theatre to a discount theatre?
Thanks, Teri… I don’t see The Flick listed here. Do you have enough info to list it? What was the location in reference to downtown LV? I know it wasn’t on Fremont (at least not down near all the action by Golden Nugget, Four Queens, Binion’s, etc.), but I seem to recall it was on an older type of downtown commercial strip mid-block amongst various storefronts.
Hey Ed! The XXX theater you’re thinking of was The Flick… Don’t ask me how I know. ;–)
Wow. Hadn’t thought about this theater in a long while… I visited Las Vegas with my Great Grandmother when I was all of 15 years old in the summer of 1980. My Great Uncle lived in North Las Vegas and we stayed with him for about a month. While there, I hooked up with an old friend of my Mother’s and he took me to this multiplex to see the perposterous film “The Final Countdown” with Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen about a modern nuclear powered air-craft carrier that somehow is catapulted back in time to just before the attack on Pearl Harbor and wrestles with the temptation to alter the course of history. Bad movie, but an interesting multiplex nonetheless – at a time when the concept of a multiplex of this size was a new one to me! Back in NY the most I’d been used to was the triplexes and quartets that had been carved from old neighborhood single screeners. The Sunrise Cinemas in Valley Stream, NY, had only just been open since the previous Christmas Holiday and even that complex featured only 6 screens. I’m almost positive the full compliment of 11 screens was in place at the Red Rock by August of 1980 when I visited.
Now that this memory has been liberated from the recesses of my mind, I have to figure out the name of the XXX theater near downtown Las Vegas (I think) where I snuck off one day on the bus and saw my first porn films – a double feature of “Debbie Does Dallas” and “Behind the Green Door!” If I’m not mistaken, I recall having passed the XXX theater while on the bus on the way to the Red Rock! So I kept a mental note of the bus route and convinced my Uncle to let me go wandering on my own downtown one afternoon! To my utter amazement he did! I rushed off, ducked in midway through one of the films and then stayed until the point I came in and rushed back to hop the bus back to NLV. It was definitely an eye-opening experience for me!
I have the same memories as you, Paul, sans the broken windshield, thankfully! Back when it was just four theatres, my girlfriends and I saw “Jaws” on it’s opening night there. Had to stand in line outside through the first entire showing because it was sold out. We didn’t care – we were only 16! Just loved the old-fashioned look the place took on. The buildings (including the old neighborhood bar next door) were all razed earlier this year and a new strip mall has sprung up – looks like the shops will be inhabited any day now. They did a nice job revitalizing the property, but the theaters will always be a fond memory.