Hey Josh! I saved all the “film calendars” from the era I worked there. Let me know, I can probably look those up. But I can tell you “Quadrophenia” definitely played the “The Kids are Alright” though!
Ron, Wow! That’s an impressive list! It would also be interesting to see a list of all the films which played AFTER 1976 as well. (Several, of course we already know).
Update – The church has moved on (to West Seattle) according to the theatre’s marque (back to the “King Cat” theatre). The building is one again vacant and available for lease. It would be great to see live shows, or better yet, movies there again!
“The larger auditorium”? They are both the same size. When they “twinned” the theatre in 1973, they build a wall straight down the middle, and dropped the ceiling.
Katie, A Sambo’s restaurant(remember them?) opened after the Granada was demolished in the mid 70’s, and then it became a Denny’s. A condo complex now resides on the site.
Also, long ago I e-mailed Clark Humphrey about that column in The Stranger from 2002. There are several errors in it: First, as mentioned by Michael Coate, Dimension-150 did not exist in 1962. In fact, the theater opened in November of 1969. The first ‘Star Wars’ never ran 24 hours a day! I attended the film MANY times in ‘77/'78 and the showtimes were 1:45pm, 4:30, 7:15 and 10:00pm only. He may be thinking of 'Empire Strikes Back’ or ‘Jedi’ perhaps. And finally, UA did not lease the theatre to a local operator until after the summer of 1990. ‘Die Hard 2’ (in 70mm) was actually the last first-run film to play there. “Demolition Man” was the name of the wrecking company that tore the theatre down. A little advertising for themeselves?
After 3 years, the “entire” theatre is now gone including the marquee signs! There is nothing on the property. I had mixed feelings about the marquee sign not being demolished. A cruel reminder of what used to be there.
Mark, I do! Several of the interior after some pre-demolition took place (you get the idea what it looked like), and exterior before and during demolition. Glad to send some your way if interested, e-mail me at:
Dominique, I thought I kept track of movies shown at the UA 150 second run during the nineties as I continued to attend it frequently, and I don’t recall any of the films you mentioned. ‘Saturday Night Fever’?? Where these specialty/midnight screenings of some sort?
I do agree with you 100% the UA should have beed saved along with (if not instead of) the Cinerama. The Cinerama is cool of course, but the UA had true charm!
This is the first movie theatre I ever attended. I saw a double Disney bill of “Bedknobs & Broomsticks” and “The Barefoot Executive” just before it was “twined” in 1973. I remember it well, with sea murals on the walls and big screen. The old murals are still there, just covered up by red and orange curtians. The auditoriums still look very much as they did in 1973. I attended TONS of movies there from 1975 – 1981 as a (mostly) first-run theatre. I remember when “Star Wars” played there in 1978. After seeing it at the UA Cinema 150 downtown a dozen or so times…what a change! But, the sold-out audience still loved it, mono sound and all! A 90’s updating gave it stereo sound, and slightly bigger screens.
The Admiral has always been a cool ‘no-frills’ neighborhood theatre even as a second-run house. I hope it sticks around for a long time!
Yes, who could forget “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 70mm at the Southcenter Theatre in 1980! I once heard the Southcenter boasted the LARGEST screen in the Pacific NW. Not sure if it was true or not compared to the Cinerama or UA 150.
Known as the King Cinema operated by General Cinema in the 70’s – 80’s, it had several runs of big hits, namely “Close Encounters” and “Back to the Future”. It never competed with the United Artist “Star Wars” Cinema 150 across the street.
It was a large house similair to the Southcenter Theatre in it’s interior design. But oddly, the large curved curtain opened to reveal…a plain old flat screen. Very strange.
The King Cat Theater is now a “church” of some sort…wonder how long that will last!
When it comes to multi-plex theatres, this one is a winner! They do everything right. Nice warm ambiance, each screen features excellent digital sound, and stadium seating which is a first for a downtown Seattle movie theatre. 2 of the 11 screens are quite large, I believe around 60 feet wide. And projectionists that actually care about how the film looks on the screen. A must see!
Yes, I had always been curious about the Seattle UA 150 curtain. The rigging and motors must’ve been very complicated because of the curve. I regrete not taking a closer look at it the day I was there buying my seats. I remember it was frozen in the raised position.
I don’t know much about the UA70 as the 150 received all the attention. One could assume it was intended to show 70mm, however the equipment was always 35. I remember that E.T. originally opened on the UA70 screen but was quickly moved to the 150 in 70mm.
I worked at the Neptune from 1982 – ‘88 during it’s Landmark Theatre Corp. heyday. The theatre featured a different double bill almost every night and of course, Rocky Horror on Fri – Sat midnights. It kept things exciting for the staff. Most of those who worked the Neptune became friends, and several of us still keep in touch to this day. Working right out of high school, I did most of my 'growing up’ through the friendships I made there. The Neptune wasn’t just a place to work, it’s where you hung out when you weren’t working!! Our motto was: “It’s not just a job, it’s a chance to offend people”! Not really, but we did have fun.
The Neptune opened in 1921 as a silent film and vaudville house. There is a small stage behind the screen. Over the years the theatre became very run down and ugly. It was known as “The Purple Pit”. In 1981, Landmark Theatres bought it and gave it a full nauticle make-over, complete with a ship that doubles as the concession stand. Plus new screen, projectors, seats, sound system, paint, carpet, the works!
I’m proud to say it is still in operation, after undergoing another updating in the 90’s as a first-run house showing the latest hits. I hope it sticks around for a long time, given the survival rate of single screen theatres these days isn’t too good.
This was a very special and unique theatre in the Seattle area. Everyone loved it! It should never have been allowed to become run down by United Artists, closed and finally torn down in 2002. It’s sad, these large screen theatres are being demolished all over the country. Hmm, wonder how long the remodeled Cinerama will eventually last?
Some of my fondest memories are going to movies at the UA. Yes, the theatre and screen were enormous and had a great Dolby Stereo sound system (for the time), but additionaly it simply felt “majestic” and intimate at the same time. Just staring at the huge red and beige curtian, waiting for it to rise gave you a rush of anticipation no matter what movie you were about to see. A feeling and ambiance you just don’t get from today’s multi-plex theaters!
Before the theatre was torn down, the seats were for sale @ $5 each. So I bought several for my home theatre. What a great souvenir!
Hey Josh! I saved all the “film calendars” from the era I worked there. Let me know, I can probably look those up. But I can tell you “Quadrophenia” definitely played the “The Kids are Alright” though!
Ron, Wow! That’s an impressive list! It would also be interesting to see a list of all the films which played AFTER 1976 as well. (Several, of course we already know).
Update – The church has moved on (to West Seattle) according to the theatre’s marque (back to the “King Cat” theatre). The building is one again vacant and available for lease. It would be great to see live shows, or better yet, movies there again!
“The larger auditorium”? They are both the same size. When they “twinned” the theatre in 1973, they build a wall straight down the middle, and dropped the ceiling.
Katie, A Sambo’s restaurant(remember them?) opened after the Granada was demolished in the mid 70’s, and then it became a Denny’s. A condo complex now resides on the site.
Thanks Michael! Corrected, it opened in October, NOT November of ‘69. Still a far cry from 1962! And STILL a crime the place is gone.
Also, long ago I e-mailed Clark Humphrey about that column in The Stranger from 2002. There are several errors in it: First, as mentioned by Michael Coate, Dimension-150 did not exist in 1962. In fact, the theater opened in November of 1969. The first ‘Star Wars’ never ran 24 hours a day! I attended the film MANY times in ‘77/'78 and the showtimes were 1:45pm, 4:30, 7:15 and 10:00pm only. He may be thinking of 'Empire Strikes Back’ or ‘Jedi’ perhaps. And finally, UA did not lease the theatre to a local operator until after the summer of 1990. ‘Die Hard 2’ (in 70mm) was actually the last first-run film to play there. “Demolition Man” was the name of the wrecking company that tore the theatre down. A little advertising for themeselves?
After 3 years, the “entire” theatre is now gone including the marquee signs! There is nothing on the property. I had mixed feelings about the marquee sign not being demolished. A cruel reminder of what used to be there.
Mark, I do! Several of the interior after some pre-demolition took place (you get the idea what it looked like), and exterior before and during demolition. Glad to send some your way if interested, e-mail me at:
Dominique, I thought I kept track of movies shown at the UA 150 second run during the nineties as I continued to attend it frequently, and I don’t recall any of the films you mentioned. ‘Saturday Night Fever’?? Where these specialty/midnight screenings of some sort?
I do agree with you 100% the UA should have beed saved along with (if not instead of) the Cinerama. The Cinerama is cool of course, but the UA had true charm!
This is the first movie theatre I ever attended. I saw a double Disney bill of “Bedknobs & Broomsticks” and “The Barefoot Executive” just before it was “twined” in 1973. I remember it well, with sea murals on the walls and big screen. The old murals are still there, just covered up by red and orange curtians. The auditoriums still look very much as they did in 1973. I attended TONS of movies there from 1975 – 1981 as a (mostly) first-run theatre. I remember when “Star Wars” played there in 1978. After seeing it at the UA Cinema 150 downtown a dozen or so times…what a change! But, the sold-out audience still loved it, mono sound and all! A 90’s updating gave it stereo sound, and slightly bigger screens.
The Admiral has always been a cool ‘no-frills’ neighborhood theatre even as a second-run house. I hope it sticks around for a long time!
Yes, who could forget “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 70mm at the Southcenter Theatre in 1980! I once heard the Southcenter boasted the LARGEST screen in the Pacific NW. Not sure if it was true or not compared to the Cinerama or UA 150.
Known as the King Cinema operated by General Cinema in the 70’s – 80’s, it had several runs of big hits, namely “Close Encounters” and “Back to the Future”. It never competed with the United Artist “Star Wars” Cinema 150 across the street.
It was a large house similair to the Southcenter Theatre in it’s interior design. But oddly, the large curved curtain opened to reveal…a plain old flat screen. Very strange.
The King Cat Theater is now a “church” of some sort…wonder how long that will last!
When it comes to multi-plex theatres, this one is a winner! They do everything right. Nice warm ambiance, each screen features excellent digital sound, and stadium seating which is a first for a downtown Seattle movie theatre. 2 of the 11 screens are quite large, I believe around 60 feet wide. And projectionists that actually care about how the film looks on the screen. A must see!
Yes, I had always been curious about the Seattle UA 150 curtain. The rigging and motors must’ve been very complicated because of the curve. I regrete not taking a closer look at it the day I was there buying my seats. I remember it was frozen in the raised position.
I don’t know much about the UA70 as the 150 received all the attention. One could assume it was intended to show 70mm, however the equipment was always 35. I remember that E.T. originally opened on the UA70 screen but was quickly moved to the 150 in 70mm.
I worked at the Neptune from 1982 – ‘88 during it’s Landmark Theatre Corp. heyday. The theatre featured a different double bill almost every night and of course, Rocky Horror on Fri – Sat midnights. It kept things exciting for the staff. Most of those who worked the Neptune became friends, and several of us still keep in touch to this day. Working right out of high school, I did most of my 'growing up’ through the friendships I made there. The Neptune wasn’t just a place to work, it’s where you hung out when you weren’t working!! Our motto was: “It’s not just a job, it’s a chance to offend people”! Not really, but we did have fun.
The Neptune opened in 1921 as a silent film and vaudville house. There is a small stage behind the screen. Over the years the theatre became very run down and ugly. It was known as “The Purple Pit”. In 1981, Landmark Theatres bought it and gave it a full nauticle make-over, complete with a ship that doubles as the concession stand. Plus new screen, projectors, seats, sound system, paint, carpet, the works!
I’m proud to say it is still in operation, after undergoing another updating in the 90’s as a first-run house showing the latest hits. I hope it sticks around for a long time, given the survival rate of single screen theatres these days isn’t too good.
This was a very special and unique theatre in the Seattle area. Everyone loved it! It should never have been allowed to become run down by United Artists, closed and finally torn down in 2002. It’s sad, these large screen theatres are being demolished all over the country. Hmm, wonder how long the remodeled Cinerama will eventually last?
Some of my fondest memories are going to movies at the UA. Yes, the theatre and screen were enormous and had a great Dolby Stereo sound system (for the time), but additionaly it simply felt “majestic” and intimate at the same time. Just staring at the huge red and beige curtian, waiting for it to rise gave you a rush of anticipation no matter what movie you were about to see. A feeling and ambiance you just don’t get from today’s multi-plex theaters!
Before the theatre was torn down, the seats were for sale @ $5 each. So I bought several for my home theatre. What a great souvenir!