Thanks John for the current photo of the Fox California. When they put the theatres up in the balcony they took out the large semi curved screen downstairs and put in this tiny for the space screen. Some people in the Bay Area have larger screens in their home! Landmark Theatres needs to expand this screen and get the curtains to work again. They won’t do It as they don’t spend any money at this theatre. Just like the Albany Theatre they run near by in Albany CA. Both places need to be fixed up with larger screens and new seats. I remember as a kid in the mid 50’s my parents took me to see The King & I at the Fox California Berkeley and what a nice large curved screen they had, this is when the place just has one big screen. I remember the 4 ch stereo surround sound and curtains, true showmanship now missing. The stereo speakers they have put in downstairs are so close together behind the screen, Left,Center and Right you won’t hear any stereo separation. I told this to the manager many years ago to stretch the speakers to the sides to give a better separation sound, this never took place. Someday when the lease runs out with Landmark someone will go in and re do this nice old theatre. With all the college kids in Berkeley they are short movie theatres. The Grand Lake Oakland people need to move in and do their magic at the Fox California.
The Santa Cruz Theatre building is still up in downtown Santa Cruz CA but It has been turned into food and office space. To bad they took off the nice tower sign.
Gary thanks for showing us the new neon sign. Do you know what color It lights up at night and did they put curtains in the large theatre? Thanks again Terry
I hope they played a 4 track mag stereo print of this film on the giant stage screen. MGM made a few stereo prints. It was so sad in Oakland CA at the Fox West Coast Paramount were I worked in High School they had a huge true sneak preview of this film way before the film was ready and was shown at the Paramount in full stereo with the MGM sound people with a box in the seats adjusting the sound mix. It was a night I will never forget as I remember all the surround speakers came on during the echo part and some music numbers. Well months later when Unsink Brown opened the manager MR Apple was shocked that they only sent a MONO 35mm print. He called to complain and MGM said they only made a few 4 CH prints. SF got one but I guess they thought Oakland was not such a big city. Must have sounded great in NYC as I bet they played It in stereo. Does anyone remember seeing this at Radio City and was It in stereo sound with surrounds Thanks Terry
So nice they have restored this Fox theater. Almost looks like a painting. Thanks so much dltdct for showing this to us. California had many Fox theatres in the day glad this one is still around.
Thanks Robert for the classic photo. The building is now a store I believe. You can see the large stage house still in the back. To bad they took off the marquee.
Thanks Gary. It is so small on the far right side. They will probably use the new glass entrance. Are you walking into a theatre movie palace or a office building?
I may have left to early when the full screen came on. Strange you can look back on past posts to read that the Chinese Imax was to be the only Imax theatre with curtains and moving masking. As the movie I guess did open up later on the (Games) segment I think they just kept the masking up. Lets see the next time they show a full scope print in the middle part of the square screen and see If they lower the black border masking. The Hollywood preview editors must have a fit seeing the pre show trailers ruined by stray light from curtain lights left in the dim position.
Visited the new Chinese Imax this past Thursday night for the 7PM Hunger show, only 11 people in the theatre. While the place looks great I found some problems. The curtains are nice and they open at best slow speed. During the previews all the trailers were ruined as they kept the curtains red/blue lights on the giant screen about half level as when the curtains were closed. So If a segment came up on the previews that was dark you will see the color stage curtain lights over the preview. They did this before the big remodel took place. All the previews used the full square Imax screen if shot in 1.85 and when they showed a trailer that was Panavision 2.35 just the middle of the wide screen was used. Now comes to the worst part when the main movie came on the big Imax semi curved screen (H Games) they only used the middle part of the screen so white screen showed at the top and bottom. I was told that this new Chinese Imax had masking that will lower when they show a scope print on the full Imax screen. This did not happen. I got a refund as the lady manger had no idea what I was talking about. How sad the place has great stereo surround sound nice curtains and now even a little blue color light on the ceiling but they did not do what they said they would do. Let me know If any of you go and see If black masking does come down for scope films. Complain about the curtain lights leaking on the screen during the previews. Maybe after I complained they will fix the problems.
Thanks Rob for this great photo. I was in Hollywood this past Saturday 10 AM in front of the Hollywood Theatre in the rain many years later. At least the marquee is still lighting up every night. You won’t find the nice lighted Xmas trees up on the polls these days.
To bad UA theatres tore these two theatres down. A lot sat on the spot for many years. The UA D-150 dome had a great curved screen with curtains as the theatre next to It did not have a curved screen but showed some 70mm for a time. At least Seattle still has the nice Cinerama Theatre with It’s giant curved screen. Thanks Steve for the showing the photo.
I am trying to get my group THS the Theatre Historical gang to do a conclave in the Dallas TX area in the next few years. The Dallas area still has some nice theatres still left. Thanks so much (Dallas Movie Theatres) for posting this great ad.
It’s night club days are coming once the IMAX craze is over. It’s to costly of a space to have a bad movie play and only a few in the seats during the week days. The owners are in the night club business that’s why they leased the place. Visit now before the parties start.
To bad they didn’t open up with the whole screen being used on another digital video movie, and what about any color lights in the ceiling during the movie. Blue, Green, Red what color? How was the stereo surround sound on a mono print? I thought with all the conversion to phony 3-D they would expand the image wide to the full Imax screen size like they do on TCM. At least the Chinese has black masking on the top and sides to mask in.
Looks like they are not using the whole screen just the middle, how sad. Watch out If you get a reserved seat in the middle back section first three rows you will see handle bars on the lower part of the new screen blocking your view of the screen.
The movie district has many other theatres around Broadway that can be opened again with a little work on the outside and inside. Don’t just limit them to discos bring in some live entertainment or a comedy club or even a grindhouse movie theatre on the weekends. I hope the Globe neon will turn and spin again.
Thanks John for the current photo of the Fox California. When they put the theatres up in the balcony they took out the large semi curved screen downstairs and put in this tiny for the space screen. Some people in the Bay Area have larger screens in their home! Landmark Theatres needs to expand this screen and get the curtains to work again. They won’t do It as they don’t spend any money at this theatre. Just like the Albany Theatre they run near by in Albany CA. Both places need to be fixed up with larger screens and new seats. I remember as a kid in the mid 50’s my parents took me to see The King & I at the Fox California Berkeley and what a nice large curved screen they had, this is when the place just has one big screen. I remember the 4 ch stereo surround sound and curtains, true showmanship now missing. The stereo speakers they have put in downstairs are so close together behind the screen, Left,Center and Right you won’t hear any stereo separation. I told this to the manager many years ago to stretch the speakers to the sides to give a better separation sound, this never took place. Someday when the lease runs out with Landmark someone will go in and re do this nice old theatre. With all the college kids in Berkeley they are short movie theatres. The Grand Lake Oakland people need to move in and do their magic at the Fox California.
The Santa Cruz Theatre building is still up in downtown Santa Cruz CA but It has been turned into food and office space. To bad they took off the nice tower sign.
Gary thanks for showing us the new neon sign. Do you know what color It lights up at night and did they put curtains in the large theatre? Thanks again Terry
I hope they played a 4 track mag stereo print of this film on the giant stage screen. MGM made a few stereo prints. It was so sad in Oakland CA at the Fox West Coast Paramount were I worked in High School they had a huge true sneak preview of this film way before the film was ready and was shown at the Paramount in full stereo with the MGM sound people with a box in the seats adjusting the sound mix. It was a night I will never forget as I remember all the surround speakers came on during the echo part and some music numbers. Well months later when Unsink Brown opened the manager MR Apple was shocked that they only sent a MONO 35mm print. He called to complain and MGM said they only made a few 4 CH prints. SF got one but I guess they thought Oakland was not such a big city. Must have sounded great in NYC as I bet they played It in stereo. Does anyone remember seeing this at Radio City and was It in stereo sound with surrounds Thanks Terry
So nice they have restored this Fox theater. Almost looks like a painting. Thanks so much dltdct for showing this to us. California had many Fox theatres in the day glad this one is still around.
You can see the two green exit lights all the time when you watch a film. How fun.
Peoples necks must be hurting after watching a film set so high up.
Thanks Robert for the classic photo. The building is now a store I believe. You can see the large stage house still in the back. To bad they took off the marquee.
Thanks Gary. It is so small on the far right side. They will probably use the new glass entrance. Are you walking into a theatre movie palace or a office building?
I hope they don’t wreck the nice large neon marquee. Looks like It will be gone when they start to remodel and gut the place, how sad.
Looks like they are about to ruin the place with a remodel, gone will be the nice neon marquee front.
I may have left to early when the full screen came on. Strange you can look back on past posts to read that the Chinese Imax was to be the only Imax theatre with curtains and moving masking. As the movie I guess did open up later on the (Games) segment I think they just kept the masking up. Lets see the next time they show a full scope print in the middle part of the square screen and see If they lower the black border masking. The Hollywood preview editors must have a fit seeing the pre show trailers ruined by stray light from curtain lights left in the dim position.
Visited the new Chinese Imax this past Thursday night for the 7PM Hunger show, only 11 people in the theatre. While the place looks great I found some problems. The curtains are nice and they open at best slow speed. During the previews all the trailers were ruined as they kept the curtains red/blue lights on the giant screen about half level as when the curtains were closed. So If a segment came up on the previews that was dark you will see the color stage curtain lights over the preview. They did this before the big remodel took place. All the previews used the full square Imax screen if shot in 1.85 and when they showed a trailer that was Panavision 2.35 just the middle of the wide screen was used. Now comes to the worst part when the main movie came on the big Imax semi curved screen (H Games) they only used the middle part of the screen so white screen showed at the top and bottom. I was told that this new Chinese Imax had masking that will lower when they show a scope print on the full Imax screen. This did not happen. I got a refund as the lady manger had no idea what I was talking about. How sad the place has great stereo surround sound nice curtains and now even a little blue color light on the ceiling but they did not do what they said they would do. Let me know If any of you go and see If black masking does come down for scope films. Complain about the curtain lights leaking on the screen during the previews. Maybe after I complained they will fix the problems.
Thanks Van for posting this great photo you took. Must have been nice to see a film on a giant curved screen at one of these domes.
Thanks Rob for this great photo. I was in Hollywood this past Saturday 10 AM in front of the Hollywood Theatre in the rain many years later. At least the marquee is still lighting up every night. You won’t find the nice lighted Xmas trees up on the polls these days.
Is this set for the CinemaScope® screen at the Plaza Cinerama? I think the full Cinerama screen opens more on the sides.
Will they have a few large curved screens like Arc in Hollywood?
To bad UA theatres tore these two theatres down. A lot sat on the spot for many years. The UA D-150 dome had a great curved screen with curtains as the theatre next to It did not have a curved screen but showed some 70mm for a time. At least Seattle still has the nice Cinerama Theatre with It’s giant curved screen. Thanks Steve for the showing the photo.
I am trying to get my group THS the Theatre Historical gang to do a conclave in the Dallas TX area in the next few years. The Dallas area still has some nice theatres still left. Thanks so much (Dallas Movie Theatres) for posting this great ad.
Great times 1953!!!!True 2 projector 3-D when things came way off the screen not like the cheap 1 projector digital 3D that is around today.
Can you imagine carrying up all the 35mm film cans to the projection booth every day.
It’s night club days are coming once the IMAX craze is over. It’s to costly of a space to have a bad movie play and only a few in the seats during the week days. The owners are in the night club business that’s why they leased the place. Visit now before the parties start.
To bad they didn’t open up with the whole screen being used on another digital video movie, and what about any color lights in the ceiling during the movie. Blue, Green, Red what color? How was the stereo surround sound on a mono print? I thought with all the conversion to phony 3-D they would expand the image wide to the full Imax screen size like they do on TCM. At least the Chinese has black masking on the top and sides to mask in.
Looks like they are not using the whole screen just the middle, how sad. Watch out If you get a reserved seat in the middle back section first three rows you will see handle bars on the lower part of the new screen blocking your view of the screen.
The movie district has many other theatres around Broadway that can be opened again with a little work on the outside and inside. Don’t just limit them to discos bring in some live entertainment or a comedy club or even a grindhouse movie theatre on the weekends. I hope the Globe neon will turn and spin again.