Just visited this great cinema last weekend. Great photos in the lobby and a nice candy counter. The only thing they need is to replace the white lights that shine down on the semi blue curtain and put in blue bulbs. The neon outside was great.
This old Oakland Ca theatre sat fire damaged for many years before the city of Oakland made UA rip the burned out shell down. I saw my first 3-D film here ‘Inferno’. I new the manager ‘Ed’ who got a call from the fire dept late one night that the place was on fire. Started in the balcony from a cigarette they claimed? When Ed contacted his boss he told him just let the old dump burn! United California Theatres had wanted to get rid of the New Fruitvale Theatre for years. They ran second run B movies and got some first run films that Fox West Coast Theatres and Blumenfield Theatres were afraid to show. It was becoming a rough area at night. My friend ‘Ed’ was beat up a few times in the lobby and the boxoffice was robbed many times. Thanks Granola for the photo.
Thanks Ken for the look at your photo. I wonder If they ran this movie as a roadshow in Todd-AO 70mm. I see no mention on the marquee about 70mm or did they just play in old reg 35mm? Hope they at least had 4 track mag stereo sound at the Tivoli Theatre. Is the cinema still up?
Looks like they covered over the middle back Cinerama® booth and used the upstairs projection booth for 70mm Todd-AO. Hope they kept the curved screen up for all the nuns. They must have all sang and this was way before sing-a-long movies were added. Thanks Dallas M for the photo coverage.
Thanks CC for the ad. Just think 2 years later (1953) the wide screens of CinemaScope® and Cinerama® will be listed playing in the Chicago area! Then in 1955 Todd-AO finds a home in Chicago for the first time. It’s sad as most of these movie theatres have long been torn down.
Thanks RJ. I wrote to them about 5 months ago about adding some color lights inside. Looks like they have started to use some, now lets get some color on the curtains and do the same across the street at the Bruin Theatre that they lease also.
This is a new boxofice made to look like the old one that someone crashed a car into a few years ago. A great place to see a music event in Santa Cruz CA. Great neon marquee.
Thanks Tinsletoe for the photo. At least this movie theatre in Hollywood knows the use of color lights inside, like in the side organ grills and curtains. A few old movie theatres in San Francisco that still show movies have no color lights when they need to have some color bulbs when the movie is on. They know showmanship at The El Capitan Theatre.
R8**It’s just to much like so many multi’s these days they leave all the side lights up during the pre show ads and everything is washed out on the screen. You would think some clever light people would put dimmer bulbs in the first set of lights down front. They have no clue about light leaks on the screen.
Howard thanks for the photo. With the curved curtain track I had thought they had a curved screen but I guess It’s just flat. Did the Paris ever have a semi curved screen?
Thanks Elmo for the photo. I wish I had gone to the Eastgate before they tore It down. It had a huge large curved screen I hear. I think It had another cinema like It in town called the Westgate? Portland OR still has a few nice large type theatres left like the Fox Hollywood with It’s new 70mm projectors.
Thanks Tinsle for the old photo. This former United Artists Theatre a 70mm roadshow house is about to be knocked down just like the SF Fox, Paramount, St Francis, Todd-AO Coronet ect. The wrecking ball is about to destroy It any day now. SF does not save their last remaining cinemas, they just rip them down for the value of the land.
Thanks Jack for the photos. Love the neon in the place. Looks like they put some front row seats up to far and will block lower screen viewing. Is this cinema in Seattle or around the area?
Go by the old United Artists Theatre and say goodbye. Many 70mm roadshow movies played here like Sound Of Music, Patton, The Bilble and L of Arabia. A sad loss to SF another movie theatre about to be torn down.
Visited the Piedmont Theatre this past Sunday for the first time and was shocked the curtains worked. Maybe Landmark does care about presentation. They opened on a boring white screen and they closed after the credits on a white screen, not the way It’s done. The new seats were nice. I heard no surround sound from the side speakers. Saw the new film ‘Brooklyn’. The main center speaker had no treble to much base. When you go in you see 3 tacky light holders shinning white lights up on the red curtain,these need to be hidden from the public view and color lights added. I will visit again and hope they can fine tune this nice cinema in Oakland CA.
Sad news I have heard today Nov 23 2015 the great Del Mar Theatre along with the Nick and Aptos Twin in the Santa Cruz CA area have just been bought by Landmark Theatres. I can tell you when the nice curtains stop to work at the Del Mar Landmark won’t fix them, just like all the other cinemas they run or rent in the SF Bay Area that had curtains they will leave them broke. Lets see what they do come next month with any neon marquee issues. Goodbye to showmanship in Santa Cruz CA.
Just visited this great cinema last weekend. Great photos in the lobby and a nice candy counter. The only thing they need is to replace the white lights that shine down on the semi blue curtain and put in blue bulbs. The neon outside was great.
This old Oakland Ca theatre sat fire damaged for many years before the city of Oakland made UA rip the burned out shell down. I saw my first 3-D film here ‘Inferno’. I new the manager ‘Ed’ who got a call from the fire dept late one night that the place was on fire. Started in the balcony from a cigarette they claimed? When Ed contacted his boss he told him just let the old dump burn! United California Theatres had wanted to get rid of the New Fruitvale Theatre for years. They ran second run B movies and got some first run films that Fox West Coast Theatres and Blumenfield Theatres were afraid to show. It was becoming a rough area at night. My friend ‘Ed’ was beat up a few times in the lobby and the boxoffice was robbed many times. Thanks Granola for the photo.
Thanks Ken for the look at your photo. I wonder If they ran this movie as a roadshow in Todd-AO 70mm. I see no mention on the marquee about 70mm or did they just play in old reg 35mm? Hope they at least had 4 track mag stereo sound at the Tivoli Theatre. Is the cinema still up?
Looks like they covered over the middle back Cinerama® booth and used the upstairs projection booth for 70mm Todd-AO. Hope they kept the curved screen up for all the nuns. They must have all sang and this was way before sing-a-long movies were added. Thanks Dallas M for the photo coverage.
Thanks CC for the ad. Just think 2 years later (1953) the wide screens of CinemaScope® and Cinerama® will be listed playing in the Chicago area! Then in 1955 Todd-AO finds a home in Chicago for the first time. It’s sad as most of these movie theatres have long been torn down.
Granola**Going to a movie here your neck will hurt after looking so far up at the screen in you sit downstairs.
Thanks RJ. I wrote to them about 5 months ago about adding some color lights inside. Looks like they have started to use some, now lets get some color on the curtains and do the same across the street at the Bruin Theatre that they lease also.
This nice theatre just sits empty today. The city of Huntington Park CA needs to get involved and re open as a entertainment center.
Mr T did this cinema have a curved screen or just a curved curtain track?
Thanks Dallas for the great Todd-AO screen photo.
This is a new boxofice made to look like the old one that someone crashed a car into a few years ago. A great place to see a music event in Santa Cruz CA. Great neon marquee.
Brand new theatre for the Bay Area, lets hope they put in a large Imax screen!
Thanks Tinsletoe for the photo. At least this movie theatre in Hollywood knows the use of color lights inside, like in the side organ grills and curtains. A few old movie theatres in San Francisco that still show movies have no color lights when they need to have some color bulbs when the movie is on. They know showmanship at The El Capitan Theatre.
R8**It’s just to much like so many multi’s these days they leave all the side lights up during the pre show ads and everything is washed out on the screen. You would think some clever light people would put dimmer bulbs in the first set of lights down front. They have no clue about light leaks on the screen.
Howard thanks for the photo. With the curved curtain track I had thought they had a curved screen but I guess It’s just flat. Did the Paris ever have a semi curved screen?
At least the building will not be torn down and used for some other types of events while not movies. I guess all the seats will go.
Thanks Monty for the photo. So nice they put Super Panavision 70 & 6 track stereo on the marquee.
Thanks Elmo for the photo. I wish I had gone to the Eastgate before they tore It down. It had a huge large curved screen I hear. I think It had another cinema like It in town called the Westgate? Portland OR still has a few nice large type theatres left like the Fox Hollywood with It’s new 70mm projectors.
Thanks David for the photo image. You won’t find any theatres in the USA with such a nice water feature in the lobby.
Thanks Tinsle for the old photo. This former United Artists Theatre a 70mm roadshow house is about to be knocked down just like the SF Fox, Paramount, St Francis, Todd-AO Coronet ect. The wrecking ball is about to destroy It any day now. SF does not save their last remaining cinemas, they just rip them down for the value of the land.
Thanks Jack for the photos. Love the neon in the place. Looks like they put some front row seats up to far and will block lower screen viewing. Is this cinema in Seattle or around the area?
Go by the old United Artists Theatre and say goodbye. Many 70mm roadshow movies played here like Sound Of Music, Patton, The Bilble and L of Arabia. A sad loss to SF another movie theatre about to be torn down.
The whole place may crumble when they lift this heavy theatre up, then they can start over with a empty lot in a pricey area.
Visited the Piedmont Theatre this past Sunday for the first time and was shocked the curtains worked. Maybe Landmark does care about presentation. They opened on a boring white screen and they closed after the credits on a white screen, not the way It’s done. The new seats were nice. I heard no surround sound from the side speakers. Saw the new film ‘Brooklyn’. The main center speaker had no treble to much base. When you go in you see 3 tacky light holders shinning white lights up on the red curtain,these need to be hidden from the public view and color lights added. I will visit again and hope they can fine tune this nice cinema in Oakland CA.
Sad news I have heard today Nov 23 2015 the great Del Mar Theatre along with the Nick and Aptos Twin in the Santa Cruz CA area have just been bought by Landmark Theatres. I can tell you when the nice curtains stop to work at the Del Mar Landmark won’t fix them, just like all the other cinemas they run or rent in the SF Bay Area that had curtains they will leave them broke. Lets see what they do come next month with any neon marquee issues. Goodbye to showmanship in Santa Cruz CA.