The small art theatre was in the basement and was run by Jack Tillmany for many years. The building is about to torn down for more condos. The entrance was from the little door in the middle of this photo. Thanks Bruce for all your SF photos from over 4 years ago. This small cinema used rear projection equipment.
This was the former'Forbidden City' Chinese night club in the 40’s thru the 60’s. Went porn till the 70’s. The building is now a Japanese place to eat. A great new book about all the Chinese night clubs in SF is now out called Forbidden City. The DVD has just been released on Blue Ray.
Former Music Hall art type cinema. I saw A W movie Bad in this place, almost across from the Larkin Theatre on Larkin ST in SF. The area is very seedy day or night.
I think this is the worst cinema still open in SF. Very tiny screens. Some people have a bigger screen in their home. They don’t even change the marquee on what is playing. Just keep the same thing up year after year. To lazy to climb a ladder. You will never hear any surround speakers on, they are placed a few here and there but not turned up. For new people trying to find the entrance good luck. No signage on how to get in. It’s way in the back left corner. They get good art films but I go to a better size theatre to see the DCP movies they are showing.
The old Osocales Theatre in Soquel CA has a new church group taking over this former movie theatre and church. The big remodel job is going on now mid Feb 2015. They were nice enough to let me see what was going on inside and gave me a tour. The large downstairs part Is being turned into a indoor Skate Church with wood tracks ect. I toured the former movie theatre I went to as a kid and had not been In for over 60 years. It brought back so many memories. I think this new church venture will be a good thing for the skate kid crowd. The inside is still in very good shape with the former back loge area now used for church offices. Some day they may rip the offices out and turn the whole place back into one church type theatre building used for for many church events. Good luck to them for saving this great old Santa Cruz Theatre. I will soon be doing a story along with Gary Parks on all the old Santa Cruz CA theatres and Drive-Inns for the local Good Times Mag in a few months.
Good news!!! The 41st will soon be a 8 Plex. Paul of Cinelux has taken over the old Capitola Books spot next to the theatre and at this time is adding 5 new screens for a grand total of 8. A late summer 2015 will be the target date for all 8. I believe 2 screens are still being used during the current construction. I took a peak last week and It looks like these new additions will look nice and blend In with the original 3. Lets hope Paul of Cinelux puts in some curved screens like he did in his take over of the Scotts Valley Theatres and installs the first Dolby Atmos® sound system in the Santa Cruz area with a super large curved screen for that screen. Stop by If you are in the Capitola area just South of Santa Cruz CA.
Thanks DI 54 for this fine B&W photo. Looks like the projection building was up front and the refreshment/bathrooms were behind. Probably a mall now. The screen had a semi curve to It I think.
Bill thanks for posting the photos of opening day at the Loews Kings. I have a question for any lighting people. Do you think the Purple LED lights on either side of the Kings stage can change color? Or will they always be that same color? I sent some of these photos to the owners of Castro Theatre in San Francisco CA to show them what needs to be done with color lights on either side of the Castro’s screen, as usual I will never hear from them. They like their boring white flood lights. Someone that did the new lighting at the Kings knows what they are doing.
Make a visit SOON!!! As this single screen large theatre is about to be torn down soon!!!! When It opened they had a large semi curved 70mm screen but when Pacific took It over they made the screen a little smaller. Now Century/Cinemark runs It before the wreckers come in. This is the best theatre in Marin to see a film. Come say goodbye before It is turned into a pile of dust. G Lucas ran all his films here with the best of sound and picture.
This was such a nice to visit when I was a kid. They closed in the mid 50’s and never put in a wide CinemaScope® screen. Same owners I think as the old Burl Theatre in Boulder Creek, that building is still around but no longer a movie theatre.
Thanks Dallas for the fine photo. The UA D-150 curved screen was one of the greatest things to see in action with all the different masking settings. I was so glad to visit some of the D-150 theatres that we had at one time in California.
Went by the Grand today and It is looking great. The new Green curtains inside show some deco class to the old theatre. With the New Mission Theatre do to open for movies down the street soon the long closed theatres of Mission St in San Francisco are making a big comeback for a area of SF that has been lacking entertainment places for many years. This area will be soon be a gold mine and is changing fast. Now lets see If someone buys the old closed Tower Theatre also. Good luck to the Grand Theatre people. Thanks for saving this nice movie theatre in SF for a new generation to enjoy.
The Tower Theatre is still for sale in 2015. Some smart entertainment or movie theatre company needs to grab It fast as the area is changing with the soon to open New Mission Theatre 2 blocks away and the newly remodled Grand Theatre also soon to re open. The area is prime for a entertainment theatre for movies, music or comedy. Time to remodel the Tower Theatre in San Francisco’s up and coming Mission district.
Bring back the curved D-150 screen. The little flat screen today with no curtains is a sad place to watch a film. No color lights inside during a film. The fountains ran dry because of leaks many years ago in the for court. No marquee out front to tell all the tourists what is going on inside. Time for a new management team to come in and bring back some showmanship and customers. Take a cue on what the El Capitan Theatre does up the street,they have lines outside while the Eqyptian only has a few good nights a month.
The Forman/Pacific owners are getting money hungry again. They want to unload this former Pacific Cinerama theatre that has sat dead for many years. The wrecking ball is coming soon for a new hotel on Hollywood Blvd on the spot this old Warner Hollywood Theatre stands empty today. Time to re open for something before the jack hammers come in.
I think Dolby has put in a demo of their new Dolby Cinema Vision® Theatre inside the old Vine Theatre. How long the demo will last for theatre owners to check out is hard to find out. Maybe It will show movies again, B movies for the tourist crowd.
The small art theatre was in the basement and was run by Jack Tillmany for many years. The building is about to torn down for more condos. The entrance was from the little door in the middle of this photo. Thanks Bruce for all your SF photos from over 4 years ago. This small cinema used rear projection equipment.
The Strand will soon be the new ACT Strand Theatre. Fully brought back from the dead for live performance on Market ST in SF.
This was the former'Forbidden City' Chinese night club in the 40’s thru the 60’s. Went porn till the 70’s. The building is now a Japanese place to eat. A great new book about all the Chinese night clubs in SF is now out called Forbidden City. The DVD has just been released on Blue Ray.
Former Music Hall art type cinema. I saw A W movie Bad in this place, almost across from the Larkin Theatre on Larkin ST in SF. The area is very seedy day or night.
Former art cinema Larkin Theatre now a girl porn theatre.
I think this is the worst cinema still open in SF. Very tiny screens. Some people have a bigger screen in their home. They don’t even change the marquee on what is playing. Just keep the same thing up year after year. To lazy to climb a ladder. You will never hear any surround speakers on, they are placed a few here and there but not turned up. For new people trying to find the entrance good luck. No signage on how to get in. It’s way in the back left corner. They get good art films but I go to a better size theatre to see the DCP movies they are showing.
Original home in SF for CINERAMA® The big curved screen is gone but at least the theatre is still in use.
Now torn down to make way for a under ground train station. It sat empty for many years.
Thanks David for the photo. A big change from the now El Cap front on Hollywood Blvd.
Thanks DI 54 for this hot photo. Wow check out the curve on the corners screen at this DI, probably a mall now.
Does the main large theatre still have the large D-150 curved screen up? They need to advertise this in the ads they run in Palm Springs.
The old Osocales Theatre in Soquel CA has a new church group taking over this former movie theatre and church. The big remodel job is going on now mid Feb 2015. They were nice enough to let me see what was going on inside and gave me a tour. The large downstairs part Is being turned into a indoor Skate Church with wood tracks ect. I toured the former movie theatre I went to as a kid and had not been In for over 60 years. It brought back so many memories. I think this new church venture will be a good thing for the skate kid crowd. The inside is still in very good shape with the former back loge area now used for church offices. Some day they may rip the offices out and turn the whole place back into one church type theatre building used for for many church events. Good luck to them for saving this great old Santa Cruz Theatre. I will soon be doing a story along with Gary Parks on all the old Santa Cruz CA theatres and Drive-Inns for the local Good Times Mag in a few months.
Good news!!! The 41st will soon be a 8 Plex. Paul of Cinelux has taken over the old Capitola Books spot next to the theatre and at this time is adding 5 new screens for a grand total of 8. A late summer 2015 will be the target date for all 8. I believe 2 screens are still being used during the current construction. I took a peak last week and It looks like these new additions will look nice and blend In with the original 3. Lets hope Paul of Cinelux puts in some curved screens like he did in his take over of the Scotts Valley Theatres and installs the first Dolby Atmos® sound system in the Santa Cruz area with a super large curved screen for that screen. Stop by If you are in the Capitola area just South of Santa Cruz CA.
Thanks DI 54 for this fine B&W photo. Looks like the projection building was up front and the refreshment/bathrooms were behind. Probably a mall now. The screen had a semi curve to It I think.
Thanks David for this fine photo. To bad they did not keep the great front they had.
Bill thanks for posting the photos of opening day at the Loews Kings. I have a question for any lighting people. Do you think the Purple LED lights on either side of the Kings stage can change color? Or will they always be that same color? I sent some of these photos to the owners of Castro Theatre in San Francisco CA to show them what needs to be done with color lights on either side of the Castro’s screen, as usual I will never hear from them. They like their boring white flood lights. Someone that did the new lighting at the Kings knows what they are doing.
Make a visit SOON!!! As this single screen large theatre is about to be torn down soon!!!! When It opened they had a large semi curved 70mm screen but when Pacific took It over they made the screen a little smaller. Now Century/Cinemark runs It before the wreckers come in. This is the best theatre in Marin to see a film. Come say goodbye before It is turned into a pile of dust. G Lucas ran all his films here with the best of sound and picture.
This was such a nice to visit when I was a kid. They closed in the mid 50’s and never put in a wide CinemaScope® screen. Same owners I think as the old Burl Theatre in Boulder Creek, that building is still around but no longer a movie theatre.
Thanks Dallas for the fine photo. The UA D-150 curved screen was one of the greatest things to see in action with all the different masking settings. I was so glad to visit some of the D-150 theatres that we had at one time in California.
Went by the Grand today and It is looking great. The new Green curtains inside show some deco class to the old theatre. With the New Mission Theatre do to open for movies down the street soon the long closed theatres of Mission St in San Francisco are making a big comeback for a area of SF that has been lacking entertainment places for many years. This area will be soon be a gold mine and is changing fast. Now lets see If someone buys the old closed Tower Theatre also. Good luck to the Grand Theatre people. Thanks for saving this nice movie theatre in SF for a new generation to enjoy.
The Tower Theatre is still for sale in 2015. Some smart entertainment or movie theatre company needs to grab It fast as the area is changing with the soon to open New Mission Theatre 2 blocks away and the newly remodled Grand Theatre also soon to re open. The area is prime for a entertainment theatre for movies, music or comedy. Time to remodel the Tower Theatre in San Francisco’s up and coming Mission district.
Bring back the curved D-150 screen. The little flat screen today with no curtains is a sad place to watch a film. No color lights inside during a film. The fountains ran dry because of leaks many years ago in the for court. No marquee out front to tell all the tourists what is going on inside. Time for a new management team to come in and bring back some showmanship and customers. Take a cue on what the El Capitan Theatre does up the street,they have lines outside while the Eqyptian only has a few good nights a month.
The Forman/Pacific owners are getting money hungry again. They want to unload this former Pacific Cinerama theatre that has sat dead for many years. The wrecking ball is coming soon for a new hotel on Hollywood Blvd on the spot this old Warner Hollywood Theatre stands empty today. Time to re open for something before the jack hammers come in.
I think Dolby has put in a demo of their new Dolby Cinema Vision® Theatre inside the old Vine Theatre. How long the demo will last for theatre owners to check out is hard to find out. Maybe It will show movies again, B movies for the tourist crowd.
Thanks Richie for the photo, must look nice to see a film on the big curved screen. Is this a current photo? Or have they twined the place?