Ed Collins: It was likely a misunderstanding from the Scientology Test Center occupancy. I recall them having L. Ron Hubbard/Scientology books displayed in the windows, in the sort of fashion which could easily be mistaken for a bookstore when driving by.
JackCoursey: Circa 2009 I was friends with one of the managers Regency had at the theatre and attempted to get some interior shots one day before opening. Unfortunately, mine also came out poorly. The auditoriums were far too dark (even with the lights up), the projection booth was so small (dominated by a shared projection platter) that it was impossible to obtain a decent angle, and the original stage area was behind a padlocked door. If there are any interior photos out there, I would speculate they are either pre twinning or from the current remodel project, as it was a very difficult venue to photograph in its' latter years as a cinema.
Being 2007, that would have been during Starplex’s operation of the theatre. Starplex “upgraded” the seating at a few of their subrun venues around that time; switching out inherited fixtures for Seating Concepts' economy line of theatre seats. In the case of Gateway, the installation contractor accidentally left the replacement seating shipment out in the rain, resulting in an expensive reorder and a falling out with the contractor (that was the last contract Starplex gave them).
In hindsight, this theatre was little more than a run of the mill 80’s era multiplex, attached to an equally average mall. However, when it opened, everyone was thoroughly impressed and it became the defacto movie going destination of choice overnight. The area’s classic single screens were all long closed by then, having ended their runs in extreme disrepair and subpar service/bookings; the cinema center multiplex was never exactly a first rate operation, just the only local option. So, I suppose almost anything would seem impressive to the market at that time. None the less, this theatre had the latest in sound & projection, new seating (which was drastically better than the cinema center), big chain booking power, and standardized corporate operations quality (as opposed to the somewhat amateur operations everyone had been accustomed to). Add the new mall on to that and it felt like a big deal. Of course, with the mall having gone into decline/closed and the theatre never having been significantly remodeled to keep up with the times, this cinema’s glory days are long passed now.
While omitted from news reports, the property is still owned by the Gilmore family (historic site of the Gilmore farm, Gilmore Oil, Gilmore field, Gilmore Drive In, etc.). Caruso developed/manages the center, AMC leases the theatre from Caruso, and the Gilmores lease the land to Caruso.
I remember this theatre being problematic for Starplex. The project was initiated as part of Starplex’s move into higher end new builds (as opposed to the more budget conscious acquisitions and builds they had focused on previously) and there were lofty expectations for the site. Unfortunately, construction was halted mid build, due to some issues with the company developing the property, and the complex sat incomplete for an extended period. By the time the theatre was finally completed, Starplex had sunk a lot of money and effort into the project. The headaches continued, as there remained issues with the development company not fulfilling a few items and some of the individuals initially put in place there allegedly weren’t up to the task at hand. Corporate repeatedly sent people out to the theatre for training and operations tweaks, but the site never lived up to the company’s expectations.
The Vineland was also part of Decurion’s “Pacific Swap Meets” division. As all three swap meet locations and their associated websites remain in business/operational, perhaps that division was spun off as an operation separate from the bankruptcy or taken over by a new management company.
A Texas based dine-in cinema chain called Look Cinemas has the former Monrovia, Redlands, Downey, and Glendale Studio Movie Grill sites listed as coming soon on their website.
A Texas based dine-in cinema chain called Look Cinemas has the former Downey, Redlands, Monrovia, and Glendale Studio Movie Grill sites listed as coming soon on their website.
A Texas based dine-in cinema chain called Look Cinemas has the former Glendale, Redlands, Monrovia, and Downey Studio Movie Grill sites listed as coming soon on their website.
A Texas based dine-in cinema chain called Look Cinemas has the former Redlands, Monrovia, Downey, and Glendale Studio Movie Grill sites listed as coming soon on their website.
This theatre was typical of most Krikorian projects from the late 90’s through the mid 2000’s. The company came on board a city/property “revitalization” project, made a lot of grand claims about what they were going to do & how successful it was going to be, and received early acclaim from civic leaders. Then, reality set in. The promoted features either didn’t live up to their billing or weren’t finished at all. Attendance failed to even approach expectations. Accusations and finger-pointing, regarding unfulfilled promises/work/results, occurred between the company and landlords/vendors/city officials. Monrovia, Downey, Buena Park, Vista, Pico Rivera, etc. It was the same story over and over again; nothing ever seemed to work out as everyone had hoped. That’s not to say any of the theatres or development projects were bad, just that they never lived up to the hype.
Plans to renovate the South Coast were approved by the Laguna Beach Planning Commission on 1/6/2021. Rivian, an Irvine based electric car manufacturer, intend to reopen the venue, in late 2021, as a film, live event, meeting, and auto showroom space. The original stage, proscenium, and star shaped auditorium lighting fixture will be restored, but there will be a significant “repurposing” for the rest of the theatre. The current 653 seat twin layout will be converted back to a single auditorium and downsized to 127 seats. Further alterations include an elevator, skylights, a reconfigured lobby (doubling as a two vehicle showroom), and conversion of the second floor projection booth & storage areas to conference rooms. While Rivian has stated that there will be up to two movie screenings a week and the space will be made available for quarterly live events, it appears the venue’s primary use will be tied to their business interests. The Laguna Beach Historical Preservation Coalition has voiced their opposition to the plan.
The 1982 documentary “What Would Your Mother Say” features the Bijou’s marquee in an opening montage of Hollywood area adult theatres, bookstores, and motels. Unfortunately, the theatres (The Cave, X, Pussycat, and Bijou) are only seen in brief passing shots, as the film focuses on sit down interviews with adult actors of the era.
As for the first run/subrun discussion from 2007. When Starplex took over in 2005, they were fully aware there would be a need to convert to subrun down the line and the theatre continued to make good money after the switch. Also, after Cinemark purchased Century in 2006, there was somewhat of a link involved. Cinemark founder/chairman Lee Roy Mitchell was financially involved in Starplex at the time. So, it was a win/win scenario behind the scenes.
Back when Interstate Theatres (later merged into Starplex Cinemas) was entering the Southern California market the, then vacant, Plaza 10 was scouted as a potential site. Unfortunately, the facility was stripped down to the point of being unusable without a significant investment. Screens, seating, and fixtures being removed or purposely damaged was expected at vacated sites, but even a stairwell had been taken out at the Plaza 10.
It was always interesting to see how former operators had left venues after departing. In rare cases they were basically turnkey. More often than not, vacating tenants were “creative” with their lease requirements. I remember one site which had required the seating to remain and the former operator left the seats disassembled and scattered throughout the theatre.
The theatre was a modest performer under Starplex, with concession sales suffering from a senior citizen heavy customer base. Thus, when Cinema Holdings approached the company about purchasing the theatre, Starplex readily agreed to sell.
Cinema Holdings struggled with the theatre from day one and caused a few headaches for Starplex, as the new operator failed to fully establish new branding and their mismanagement regularly connected back to Starplex (mistakenly so). In less than a year Cinema Holdings had dropped the proverbial ball so badly that they were forced to sell. A nearby church purchased the theatre and continued operations, under new management, but I am unsure if they were still involved during the venue’s final years.
For many years this venue’s most memorable feature was the showtime phone message, which showcased a very animated greeting, voiced by the theatre’s longtime general manager, Hal.
The building started out as the Holly Food Mart (1937 – c 1950). In the 1950’s and 60’s it served as the offices for Trend Publishing (a precursor to Peterson Publishing). After being converted in to a theatre (late 60’s), it ran as the Adam and Eve for a few years before Carlos Tobalina bought the property in 1974, for $220,000, and rebranded it the X 1&2. Tobalina died in 1989 and his family gradually sold off their adult holdings (the X, Mayan, and Star theatres). Aside from a very brief sublet, for use as a theatre (Johnny Legend’s exploitation film revival series), the building was abandoned/sealed from 1992 until it’s demolition; the property’s value being rental parking and long term development speculation.
The theatre was operated by Carlos Tobalina during its' adult film years. A former car salesman and spanish language radio announcer, Tobalina carved out a highly lucrative career producing and directing adult films in the 70’s and 80’s. In addition to the Star, he was also the long time operator of the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles and the X Theater on Hollywood Blvd.
I always enjoy the marketing spin and exaggeration of opening ads. “Seven Giant Auditoriums”; even for the time period,the reality was two large auditoriums (3 & 4), three decent sized (5, 6, & 7), and two small (1 & 2). About the only things that were truly “giant” in the facility were the screen in auditorium three and the upstairs stock room.
During the theatre’s tenure as Studio Adultland the venue featured one unique/disturbing amenity,a hot tub. How long this feature lasted and whether anyone actually dared to utilize the tub is unknown.
Prior to its' cinema conversion, the building served as a market and later a liquor store.
Ed Collins: It was likely a misunderstanding from the Scientology Test Center occupancy. I recall them having L. Ron Hubbard/Scientology books displayed in the windows, in the sort of fashion which could easily be mistaken for a bookstore when driving by.
JackCoursey: Circa 2009 I was friends with one of the managers Regency had at the theatre and attempted to get some interior shots one day before opening. Unfortunately, mine also came out poorly. The auditoriums were far too dark (even with the lights up), the projection booth was so small (dominated by a shared projection platter) that it was impossible to obtain a decent angle, and the original stage area was behind a padlocked door. If there are any interior photos out there, I would speculate they are either pre twinning or from the current remodel project, as it was a very difficult venue to photograph in its' latter years as a cinema.
Being 2007, that would have been during Starplex’s operation of the theatre. Starplex “upgraded” the seating at a few of their subrun venues around that time; switching out inherited fixtures for Seating Concepts' economy line of theatre seats. In the case of Gateway, the installation contractor accidentally left the replacement seating shipment out in the rain, resulting in an expensive reorder and a falling out with the contractor (that was the last contract Starplex gave them).
In hindsight, this theatre was little more than a run of the mill 80’s era multiplex, attached to an equally average mall. However, when it opened, everyone was thoroughly impressed and it became the defacto movie going destination of choice overnight. The area’s classic single screens were all long closed by then, having ended their runs in extreme disrepair and subpar service/bookings; the cinema center multiplex was never exactly a first rate operation, just the only local option. So, I suppose almost anything would seem impressive to the market at that time. None the less, this theatre had the latest in sound & projection, new seating (which was drastically better than the cinema center), big chain booking power, and standardized corporate operations quality (as opposed to the somewhat amateur operations everyone had been accustomed to). Add the new mall on to that and it felt like a big deal. Of course, with the mall having gone into decline/closed and the theatre never having been significantly remodeled to keep up with the times, this cinema’s glory days are long passed now.
While omitted from news reports, the property is still owned by the Gilmore family (historic site of the Gilmore farm, Gilmore Oil, Gilmore field, Gilmore Drive In, etc.). Caruso developed/manages the center, AMC leases the theatre from Caruso, and the Gilmores lease the land to Caruso.
I remember this theatre being problematic for Starplex. The project was initiated as part of Starplex’s move into higher end new builds (as opposed to the more budget conscious acquisitions and builds they had focused on previously) and there were lofty expectations for the site. Unfortunately, construction was halted mid build, due to some issues with the company developing the property, and the complex sat incomplete for an extended period. By the time the theatre was finally completed, Starplex had sunk a lot of money and effort into the project. The headaches continued, as there remained issues with the development company not fulfilling a few items and some of the individuals initially put in place there allegedly weren’t up to the task at hand. Corporate repeatedly sent people out to the theatre for training and operations tweaks, but the site never lived up to the company’s expectations.
The Vineland was also part of Decurion’s “Pacific Swap Meets” division. As all three swap meet locations and their associated websites remain in business/operational, perhaps that division was spun off as an operation separate from the bankruptcy or taken over by a new management company.
A Texas based dine-in cinema chain called Look Cinemas has the former Monrovia, Redlands, Downey, and Glendale Studio Movie Grill sites listed as coming soon on their website.
A Texas based dine-in cinema chain called Look Cinemas has the former Downey, Redlands, Monrovia, and Glendale Studio Movie Grill sites listed as coming soon on their website.
A Texas based dine-in cinema chain called Look Cinemas has the former Glendale, Redlands, Monrovia, and Downey Studio Movie Grill sites listed as coming soon on their website.
A Texas based dine-in cinema chain called Look Cinemas has the former Redlands, Monrovia, Downey, and Glendale Studio Movie Grill sites listed as coming soon on their website.
This theatre was typical of most Krikorian projects from the late 90’s through the mid 2000’s. The company came on board a city/property “revitalization” project, made a lot of grand claims about what they were going to do & how successful it was going to be, and received early acclaim from civic leaders. Then, reality set in. The promoted features either didn’t live up to their billing or weren’t finished at all. Attendance failed to even approach expectations. Accusations and finger-pointing, regarding unfulfilled promises/work/results, occurred between the company and landlords/vendors/city officials. Monrovia, Downey, Buena Park, Vista, Pico Rivera, etc. It was the same story over and over again; nothing ever seemed to work out as everyone had hoped. That’s not to say any of the theatres or development projects were bad, just that they never lived up to the hype.
Plans to renovate the South Coast were approved by the Laguna Beach Planning Commission on 1/6/2021. Rivian, an Irvine based electric car manufacturer, intend to reopen the venue, in late 2021, as a film, live event, meeting, and auto showroom space. The original stage, proscenium, and star shaped auditorium lighting fixture will be restored, but there will be a significant “repurposing” for the rest of the theatre. The current 653 seat twin layout will be converted back to a single auditorium and downsized to 127 seats. Further alterations include an elevator, skylights, a reconfigured lobby (doubling as a two vehicle showroom), and conversion of the second floor projection booth & storage areas to conference rooms. While Rivian has stated that there will be up to two movie screenings a week and the space will be made available for quarterly live events, it appears the venue’s primary use will be tied to their business interests. The Laguna Beach Historical Preservation Coalition has voiced their opposition to the plan.
The 1982 documentary “What Would Your Mother Say” features the Bijou’s marquee in an opening montage of Hollywood area adult theatres, bookstores, and motels. Unfortunately, the theatres (The Cave, X, Pussycat, and Bijou) are only seen in brief passing shots, as the film focuses on sit down interviews with adult actors of the era.
As for the first run/subrun discussion from 2007. When Starplex took over in 2005, they were fully aware there would be a need to convert to subrun down the line and the theatre continued to make good money after the switch. Also, after Cinemark purchased Century in 2006, there was somewhat of a link involved. Cinemark founder/chairman Lee Roy Mitchell was financially involved in Starplex at the time. So, it was a win/win scenario behind the scenes.
Back when Interstate Theatres (later merged into Starplex Cinemas) was entering the Southern California market the, then vacant, Plaza 10 was scouted as a potential site. Unfortunately, the facility was stripped down to the point of being unusable without a significant investment. Screens, seating, and fixtures being removed or purposely damaged was expected at vacated sites, but even a stairwell had been taken out at the Plaza 10.
It was always interesting to see how former operators had left venues after departing. In rare cases they were basically turnkey. More often than not, vacating tenants were “creative” with their lease requirements. I remember one site which had required the seating to remain and the former operator left the seats disassembled and scattered throughout the theatre.
And the word, meaning “place of stones”, originated from the indigenous people who once inhabited the region.
The theatre was a modest performer under Starplex, with concession sales suffering from a senior citizen heavy customer base. Thus, when Cinema Holdings approached the company about purchasing the theatre, Starplex readily agreed to sell.
Cinema Holdings struggled with the theatre from day one and caused a few headaches for Starplex, as the new operator failed to fully establish new branding and their mismanagement regularly connected back to Starplex (mistakenly so). In less than a year Cinema Holdings had dropped the proverbial ball so badly that they were forced to sell. A nearby church purchased the theatre and continued operations, under new management, but I am unsure if they were still involved during the venue’s final years.
For many years this venue’s most memorable feature was the showtime phone message, which showcased a very animated greeting, voiced by the theatre’s longtime general manager, Hal.
The building started out as the Holly Food Mart (1937 – c 1950). In the 1950’s and 60’s it served as the offices for Trend Publishing (a precursor to Peterson Publishing). After being converted in to a theatre (late 60’s), it ran as the Adam and Eve for a few years before Carlos Tobalina bought the property in 1974, for $220,000, and rebranded it the X 1&2. Tobalina died in 1989 and his family gradually sold off their adult holdings (the X, Mayan, and Star theatres). Aside from a very brief sublet, for use as a theatre (Johnny Legend’s exploitation film revival series), the building was abandoned/sealed from 1992 until it’s demolition; the property’s value being rental parking and long term development speculation.
The theatre was operated by Carlos Tobalina during its' adult film years. A former car salesman and spanish language radio announcer, Tobalina carved out a highly lucrative career producing and directing adult films in the 70’s and 80’s. In addition to the Star, he was also the long time operator of the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles and the X Theater on Hollywood Blvd.
I always enjoy the marketing spin and exaggeration of opening ads. “Seven Giant Auditoriums”; even for the time period,the reality was two large auditoriums (3 & 4), three decent sized (5, 6, & 7), and two small (1 & 2). About the only things that were truly “giant” in the facility were the screen in auditorium three and the upstairs stock room.
The structure at 1717 Wilcox has been razed. Only the concrete footprint and a pole mounted sign for the defunct Vegan restaurant remain.
During the theatre’s tenure as Studio Adultland the venue featured one unique/disturbing amenity,a hot tub. How long this feature lasted and whether anyone actually dared to utilize the tub is unknown.
Mike – Yes, this was the theatre she was referring to.