At least they won’t be doing Iron#2 in 2-D then go to phony 3-D like Warners did with ‘Clash’ to make extra 3-D money. I’ll be seeing it soon on the large CinemaScope screen at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, but I think they will show it on a digital video projector not 35mm film. I always see a movie like this one twice once in digital video then at another cinema in 35mm scope film. The stereo surround sound is way different at the Castro compared to the film version at another theatre. Almost sounds like a new mix when you see it on 35mm film with Dolby 5.1 or the Sony system. I don’t like the DTS stereo at the Castro, you never hear split surround or they don’t have the surrounds up enough. At least the super wide screen at the Castro Theatre looks good and they have curtains that open & close. Some projectionists at the Castro open the curtains on a blank white screen, this I here from the curtain people is wrong, they like to project the open start of the film on the curtains then open up. I will not go to any Imax screen unless it’s the old large big square style. AMC has a few of the small Imax Experience screens in some of there cinemas in the Bay Area. AMC Theatres has stoped doing any advertising in the San Francisco papers. I just take my movie business to Century/Cinemark Theatres or Cinelux. At least with Century you don’t have to go on the phone and press a ton of numbers to find out the show times at AMC.
John thanks for your up date on the ex Cinerama® Indiana in downtown Indianapolis. I do remember seeing a photo many years ago of the front with the Cinerama® sign. Looks like when I go in for the first time this June I’ll just have to imagine how the large curved screen looked before they did the chop up thing. Thanks again for the warning. I’ll be touring the many Drive In Theatres in Indiana while I am in the area also. They have one still open and a few closed ones still in Indianapolis. Our group will just pass them up on the bus tour and not even mention them. How sad as Drive In’s are movie theatres also. Any one else going on the movie tour that wants to see Drive In’s? Lets do a short mini car share/photo tour. Indianna has many outdoor Drive In’s still open and many standing closed just wanting to be saved and re opened for a future generation to enjoy. Santa Barbara CA just opened a Drive In Theatre that has been closed for 15 years. Iron Man#2 on the 88 foot wide Santa Barbara outdoor screen beats any little multiplex tiny shoe box showing. Does anyone have any photos to share on the inside of the Indiana Cinerama® Theatre before the carve up happened?
This is looking like a great week for theatre touring. Just a note for Cinerama® fans the Indiana Theatre in Indianapolis that we will be going into was a Cinerama® Theatre for many years. The large curved screen long gone must have looked super in this huge palace. Thanks THS for doing this tour for the first time in the state of Indiana. All you movie theatre fans need to join up and see some of the best classic cinemas this June. I look forward to seeing my many Big Screen 70mm friends from the THS Theatre World in Indiana. New members are welcome. Visit us and join the fun. A great way to start your Summer vacation!
The big movie theatre people won’t do intermissions as they will have to hire more manager type projection people, that they won’t do. The multiplex giants are not going to take someone off the consession stand and have them stop and turn off the projector but keep the lamp fans on and then re start the print platter in 15mn.
Will these be shown in 35mm film or digital projection? Thanks for showing them in the Santa Cruz CA area. Many college people are in the area so they will come to watch the classics.
Now Reagal goes big screen. Does anyone know how big these Reagal Jumbo screens will be? It be nice if they came out of the former screen space and did a little wrap around curved screen with curtains that open and close. This won’t happen as it cost to much. Regal just want’s to charge extra for a little extra screen space when they needed to have in the first place in their large shoe box cinemas. It’s so funny to see all the names these circuits are calling the little larger set ups. You have XD at the old Syufy Century now called CineMark or CineArts. Then you have the AMC people who have a new name for their big screen, I forgot already the name and now Reagal Theatres ex UA/Edwards now has RPX. Seems they all like to use X in the new title,how original. The public is so confussed like to see the word at some AMC Cinemas ‘An Imax 3D Experience’ Most are very disappointed after paying extra and find the Experience is not as big or grand as the original IMAX places that are still around in the big cities. What new name with a X will come out with the other movie theatre circuits that are hungry for more boxoffice money? Hey Regal ex UA how about dusting off the D-150 curved screen system you ripped out of many of your theatres and put it in again! You can call it D-150X.
Today in front of the outside part of the AMC Van Ness Theatre in San Francisco I saw two guys with signs telling people to boycot the AMC chain for the BIG price increase!!!!!!!If this catches on around the USA you will see the prices go back down. The public is now hearing about this thru the media and friends. Maybe they can sell the 3D glases and you can use them again without being charged each time for new ones.Or they can give you a refund for the glases once they are returned at the exit.You will have to keep them extra clean plus there are different 3D formats. The Price Theatre Wars are about to start.
Cities need to bring back the second run $3 houses again. Many movies are pushed out of the multiplex’s after a few weeks and are gone to DVD. A nice big screen theatre with good stereo sound and cheap refreshments can make it with family groups. I miss the seedy downtown B film houses. Three films for $3 what a bargin. Wait till a big family goes to AMC and they see the new prices. Most will cut back and wait for 3D DVD. Why spend extra for the 3D glasses in the cinema when they have there own at home and cheap drinks & candy. Wait till some cheap second run 3D movie theatres open up and serve food at a decent price with free glasses.
This theatre in SF had many classic 70mm roadshow films during the 60’s. A big flat screen, to bad as many Todd AO 70mm prints played flat here. When Mike Todd died the Todd-AO system went down hill a curved screen was not used in many Todd-AO houses like this one. At least the Alexandria still stands not like I’t Todd-AO neighbor up the street that was demolished the Coronet. South Pacific played in 70mm roadshow at the Alexandria.
Does anyone have a photo of the larges CineMiracle curved screen that the Chinese had up in 1958 for ‘Windjammer’? I am told It had a huge curve to It. This is when they moved three projectors to one booth downstairs now the single projector is back upstairs in the booth but rumors are floating they may put back a VIP balcony upstairs, does this meen the 35mm/70mm film and digital projectors go back downstairs? The new people that take over the lease or buy the place need to stop playing this up and down projection game. The last time I was in the Graumans not to long ago and you can see the curve on the Scope screen. Seems the screen can open up larger but they have It all masked down, top and sides. I looked behind the curtains and black masking after everyone left and yes I saw many feet of unused white curved screen not being used and this was open wide for CinemaScope or Panavision. I think they need to project the image on the largest screen in Hollywood. It may be that they don’t want to project the digital video image they use from time to time to big for pixal problems. Bring on a 70mm film print and open up the drapes and masking in all it’s glory! It’s almost like they are embarrassed to show off what they can show and do.
Clash was shot in 2-D. They are just trying to make extra $ with the 3D poor mans 3D version they are trying to make from the 2D ‘Clash’ 35mm print. Just like the studios did at the end of 70mm to save money they did blow ups from 35mm to 70mm same is going on today Disney started It now everyone is going 2D to 3D. I have watched these conversions and they look bad. It will be nice to see a true 3D movie on the big Chinese curved screen someday but ‘Clash’ in 3D is a ripoff!
This was for many years a 70mm roadshow house. Seemed the large screen was flat. Does anyone know if a curved screen was ever used at the Fox Wilshire? I think they ran a 70mm print of ‘This Is Cinerama’ after the film left the Dome. Was it shown flat or curved?
How nice the interior mock up photo shot looked with the color lights in the ceiling. Have these color lights ever been put in or turned on? Mann Theatres needs to do what the Disney people are doing across the street and bring in movies with a stage show for the tourists. Show ‘Clash’ in 3-D on a big curved screen and have the Titans in person on stage. Mann has no showmanship so some other company needs to take over this Hollywood gem soon. The out of town people have the cash, they want to see the inside with a nice presentation.
Good news the Scotts Valley Cinema will have 3-D coming with the ‘Dragon’ movie March 26 2010. This will be the first 3-D setup in the Santa Cruz area so business will be brisk. I’ll find out if it’s the digital system or the new Tecnicolor 35mm film type. Hopefully they will bring in a few 3-D movies that were not shown in 3-D in the Santa Cruz area the first time around so local people can see them in 3-D. This Cinema is listed near Capitola CA but it is next to Santa Cruz and Felton CA not Capitola. About 10 minutes from the beach city of Santa Cruz CA.
Will the public tell the diffence? Probably not 3-D is 3-D to most of them. It will be interesting to see this new Technicolor 3-D system in action soon. If the 35mm image is cut in half It may be like watching 16mm? and on a big screen! Or does It skip a frame? L/R Wait till a scope print runs on this new system. I know a few theatres in the SF Bay Area that have put in a order for the Technicolor 3-D set up. Time will tell.
If you walk to the back of the building and look at the back side and the added windows on the side in the cement you will see this was a theatre. If anyone is around this spot look in the office building next door on the right, they have a nice photo of the neon tower that was out front, to bad they took It off I think in the 70’s. Maybe someday someone will pull out the offices and cafe and turn the place back into a theatre. The new Regal 9 up the street tried to copy the Santa Cruz Theatre’s tall tower sign. It looks good but not the same as the art deco one that was removed. Thanks to Jim at the Del Mar Theatre down the street that is up and running with the restored neon marquee after the former owner United Artist Theatres stripped most of the neon off and put a wall down the middle. Visit the Del Mar if your in the Santa Cruz area. Check out the waterfall curtains with red/purple lights in the big downstairs cinema now back to one piece.
CineLux now runs this Scotts Valley Cinema and they are about to start on a major remodel. The first up is the brand new marquee out on the street,It looks great. Next will be the addition of stadium seating and a 3-D projector for the largest screen cinema. I hope they put in a curve screen in the big theatre #4. Good luck to CineLux Theatres from San Jose CA, they also took over the 41st Ave Cinemas in Santa Cruz CA.
This movie is a 70mm Todd Ao® treasure. How lucky many us were to see this film on a true curved Todd Ao® screen. In San Francisco they showed Sound Of Music on a flat screen unfortunately in 70mm at the United Artists. Now the UA theatre in SF is still open under a different name showing girly porn with a false ceiling to cover the huge balcony. How the times of Market St Theatres in SF have changed. From once showing a 70mm flat roadshow print of ‘Sound'now girls go down the runway and they probably have no clue the history of roadshow 70mm at the UA in San Francisco in the 60’s. The big Norelco 70mm projectors sit ideal today way up above the balcony. What a long throw and angle to show Julie Andrews in all It’s 70mm glory. To bad when ABC shows this film every year they play a pan & scan version in 16X9 and you miss all the sides of the 70mm print. I think ABC is afraid to run a scope print with black bars at the top and bottom. They will show the open titles in wide screen but go to full screen when the titles are over. Watch It in the new DVD version in full scope. I think some parts of the new Sound Of Music DVD are from the 65mm elements and the stereo surround sounds great in Dolby®. Thank you Mike for the 'Sound’ theatre listings.
They have now have 3-D in one of the auditoriums. Most screens have a slight curve. This place is the only theatre in town. Someday some new chain will come into Napa and see this place is a gold mine and open a better state of the art cinema. Great city for a small art theatre as many movies don’t play in a town that only has one company running the whole show. I am surprised the Syufy’s have not cut the Napa domes in half to make more money like they did many years ago to some of their domes in San Jose CA. Napa CA has a lot of $$$ and the locals like to spend it. A wine & food cinema will bring in the people in town that want to get away from all their vineyards.
Thanks Quentin for saving the Beverly Theatre. Now next time your visiting the SF Bay Area let’s turn a closed little cinema into a B picture Grindhouse! A chain of these type of theatres needs to be brought back for a new generation to enjoy. Bring on the crazy trailers and the B movies you won’t find on junky TV. Make the place seedy like the old downtown cinemas of the past. Hire some of the old managers that ran these places in the 60’s to give attitude to the young punk college kids today. Get some old trashy lady to run the boxoffice that won’t put up with cell phones in the theatre.
Many theatre circuit owners in Europe will not be booking Disney’s ‘Alice’ 3-D or 2-D because of the new Disney DVD window as a protest. Will this spread to the USA? With all the new 3-D movies coming out soon most multiplex cinemas only have one 3-D screen per complex, you may have to settle for flat 2-D after a few weeks of third dimension play so they can make room for the next 3-D movie.
At least they won’t be doing Iron#2 in 2-D then go to phony 3-D like Warners did with ‘Clash’ to make extra 3-D money. I’ll be seeing it soon on the large CinemaScope screen at San Francisco’s Castro Theatre, but I think they will show it on a digital video projector not 35mm film. I always see a movie like this one twice once in digital video then at another cinema in 35mm scope film. The stereo surround sound is way different at the Castro compared to the film version at another theatre. Almost sounds like a new mix when you see it on 35mm film with Dolby 5.1 or the Sony system. I don’t like the DTS stereo at the Castro, you never hear split surround or they don’t have the surrounds up enough. At least the super wide screen at the Castro Theatre looks good and they have curtains that open & close. Some projectionists at the Castro open the curtains on a blank white screen, this I here from the curtain people is wrong, they like to project the open start of the film on the curtains then open up. I will not go to any Imax screen unless it’s the old large big square style. AMC has a few of the small Imax Experience screens in some of there cinemas in the Bay Area. AMC Theatres has stoped doing any advertising in the San Francisco papers. I just take my movie business to Century/Cinemark Theatres or Cinelux. At least with Century you don’t have to go on the phone and press a ton of numbers to find out the show times at AMC.
John thanks for your up date on the ex Cinerama® Indiana in downtown Indianapolis. I do remember seeing a photo many years ago of the front with the Cinerama® sign. Looks like when I go in for the first time this June I’ll just have to imagine how the large curved screen looked before they did the chop up thing. Thanks again for the warning. I’ll be touring the many Drive In Theatres in Indiana while I am in the area also. They have one still open and a few closed ones still in Indianapolis. Our group will just pass them up on the bus tour and not even mention them. How sad as Drive In’s are movie theatres also. Any one else going on the movie tour that wants to see Drive In’s? Lets do a short mini car share/photo tour. Indianna has many outdoor Drive In’s still open and many standing closed just wanting to be saved and re opened for a future generation to enjoy. Santa Barbara CA just opened a Drive In Theatre that has been closed for 15 years. Iron Man#2 on the 88 foot wide Santa Barbara outdoor screen beats any little multiplex tiny shoe box showing. Does anyone have any photos to share on the inside of the Indiana Cinerama® Theatre before the carve up happened?
This is looking like a great week for theatre touring. Just a note for Cinerama® fans the Indiana Theatre in Indianapolis that we will be going into was a Cinerama® Theatre for many years. The large curved screen long gone must have looked super in this huge palace. Thanks THS for doing this tour for the first time in the state of Indiana. All you movie theatre fans need to join up and see some of the best classic cinemas this June. I look forward to seeing my many Big Screen 70mm friends from the THS Theatre World in Indiana. New members are welcome. Visit us and join the fun. A great way to start your Summer vacation!
The big movie theatre people won’t do intermissions as they will have to hire more manager type projection people, that they won’t do. The multiplex giants are not going to take someone off the consession stand and have them stop and turn off the projector but keep the lamp fans on and then re start the print platter in 15mn.
I see you will have 35mm prints thats great and curtains also just like the old days. I’ll be going!!!
Will these be shown in 35mm film or digital projection? Thanks for showing them in the Santa Cruz CA area. Many college people are in the area so they will come to watch the classics.
Now Reagal goes big screen. Does anyone know how big these Reagal Jumbo screens will be? It be nice if they came out of the former screen space and did a little wrap around curved screen with curtains that open and close. This won’t happen as it cost to much. Regal just want’s to charge extra for a little extra screen space when they needed to have in the first place in their large shoe box cinemas. It’s so funny to see all the names these circuits are calling the little larger set ups. You have XD at the old Syufy Century now called CineMark or CineArts. Then you have the AMC people who have a new name for their big screen, I forgot already the name and now Reagal Theatres ex UA/Edwards now has RPX. Seems they all like to use X in the new title,how original. The public is so confussed like to see the word at some AMC Cinemas ‘An Imax 3D Experience’ Most are very disappointed after paying extra and find the Experience is not as big or grand as the original IMAX places that are still around in the big cities. What new name with a X will come out with the other movie theatre circuits that are hungry for more boxoffice money? Hey Regal ex UA how about dusting off the D-150 curved screen system you ripped out of many of your theatres and put it in again! You can call it D-150X.
Today in front of the outside part of the AMC Van Ness Theatre in San Francisco I saw two guys with signs telling people to boycot the AMC chain for the BIG price increase!!!!!!!If this catches on around the USA you will see the prices go back down. The public is now hearing about this thru the media and friends. Maybe they can sell the 3D glases and you can use them again without being charged each time for new ones.Or they can give you a refund for the glases once they are returned at the exit.You will have to keep them extra clean plus there are different 3D formats. The Price Theatre Wars are about to start.
Cities need to bring back the second run $3 houses again. Many movies are pushed out of the multiplex’s after a few weeks and are gone to DVD. A nice big screen theatre with good stereo sound and cheap refreshments can make it with family groups. I miss the seedy downtown B film houses. Three films for $3 what a bargin. Wait till a big family goes to AMC and they see the new prices. Most will cut back and wait for 3D DVD. Why spend extra for the 3D glasses in the cinema when they have there own at home and cheap drinks & candy. Wait till some cheap second run 3D movie theatres open up and serve food at a decent price with free glasses.
This theatre in SF had many classic 70mm roadshow films during the 60’s. A big flat screen, to bad as many Todd AO 70mm prints played flat here. When Mike Todd died the Todd-AO system went down hill a curved screen was not used in many Todd-AO houses like this one. At least the Alexandria still stands not like I’t Todd-AO neighbor up the street that was demolished the Coronet. South Pacific played in 70mm roadshow at the Alexandria.
Does anyone have a photo of the larges CineMiracle curved screen that the Chinese had up in 1958 for ‘Windjammer’? I am told It had a huge curve to It. This is when they moved three projectors to one booth downstairs now the single projector is back upstairs in the booth but rumors are floating they may put back a VIP balcony upstairs, does this meen the 35mm/70mm film and digital projectors go back downstairs? The new people that take over the lease or buy the place need to stop playing this up and down projection game. The last time I was in the Graumans not to long ago and you can see the curve on the Scope screen. Seems the screen can open up larger but they have It all masked down, top and sides. I looked behind the curtains and black masking after everyone left and yes I saw many feet of unused white curved screen not being used and this was open wide for CinemaScope or Panavision. I think they need to project the image on the largest screen in Hollywood. It may be that they don’t want to project the digital video image they use from time to time to big for pixal problems. Bring on a 70mm film print and open up the drapes and masking in all it’s glory! It’s almost like they are embarrassed to show off what they can show and do.
Clash was shot in 2-D. They are just trying to make extra $ with the 3D poor mans 3D version they are trying to make from the 2D ‘Clash’ 35mm print. Just like the studios did at the end of 70mm to save money they did blow ups from 35mm to 70mm same is going on today Disney started It now everyone is going 2D to 3D. I have watched these conversions and they look bad. It will be nice to see a true 3D movie on the big Chinese curved screen someday but ‘Clash’ in 3D is a ripoff!
This was for many years a 70mm roadshow house. Seemed the large screen was flat. Does anyone know if a curved screen was ever used at the Fox Wilshire? I think they ran a 70mm print of ‘This Is Cinerama’ after the film left the Dome. Was it shown flat or curved?
How nice the interior mock up photo shot looked with the color lights in the ceiling. Have these color lights ever been put in or turned on? Mann Theatres needs to do what the Disney people are doing across the street and bring in movies with a stage show for the tourists. Show ‘Clash’ in 3-D on a big curved screen and have the Titans in person on stage. Mann has no showmanship so some other company needs to take over this Hollywood gem soon. The out of town people have the cash, they want to see the inside with a nice presentation.
Good news the Scotts Valley Cinema will have 3-D coming with the ‘Dragon’ movie March 26 2010. This will be the first 3-D setup in the Santa Cruz area so business will be brisk. I’ll find out if it’s the digital system or the new Tecnicolor 35mm film type. Hopefully they will bring in a few 3-D movies that were not shown in 3-D in the Santa Cruz area the first time around so local people can see them in 3-D. This Cinema is listed near Capitola CA but it is next to Santa Cruz and Felton CA not Capitola. About 10 minutes from the beach city of Santa Cruz CA.
Gone are the days of Fox West Coast Theatres, a great movie chain.
Will the public tell the diffence? Probably not 3-D is 3-D to most of them. It will be interesting to see this new Technicolor 3-D system in action soon. If the 35mm image is cut in half It may be like watching 16mm? and on a big screen! Or does It skip a frame? L/R Wait till a scope print runs on this new system. I know a few theatres in the SF Bay Area that have put in a order for the Technicolor 3-D set up. Time will tell.
If you walk to the back of the building and look at the back side and the added windows on the side in the cement you will see this was a theatre. If anyone is around this spot look in the office building next door on the right, they have a nice photo of the neon tower that was out front, to bad they took It off I think in the 70’s. Maybe someday someone will pull out the offices and cafe and turn the place back into a theatre. The new Regal 9 up the street tried to copy the Santa Cruz Theatre’s tall tower sign. It looks good but not the same as the art deco one that was removed. Thanks to Jim at the Del Mar Theatre down the street that is up and running with the restored neon marquee after the former owner United Artist Theatres stripped most of the neon off and put a wall down the middle. Visit the Del Mar if your in the Santa Cruz area. Check out the waterfall curtains with red/purple lights in the big downstairs cinema now back to one piece.
CineLux now runs this Scotts Valley Cinema and they are about to start on a major remodel. The first up is the brand new marquee out on the street,It looks great. Next will be the addition of stadium seating and a 3-D projector for the largest screen cinema. I hope they put in a curve screen in the big theatre #4. Good luck to CineLux Theatres from San Jose CA, they also took over the 41st Ave Cinemas in Santa Cruz CA.
This movie is a 70mm Todd Ao® treasure. How lucky many us were to see this film on a true curved Todd Ao® screen. In San Francisco they showed Sound Of Music on a flat screen unfortunately in 70mm at the United Artists. Now the UA theatre in SF is still open under a different name showing girly porn with a false ceiling to cover the huge balcony. How the times of Market St Theatres in SF have changed. From once showing a 70mm flat roadshow print of ‘Sound'now girls go down the runway and they probably have no clue the history of roadshow 70mm at the UA in San Francisco in the 60’s. The big Norelco 70mm projectors sit ideal today way up above the balcony. What a long throw and angle to show Julie Andrews in all It’s 70mm glory. To bad when ABC shows this film every year they play a pan & scan version in 16X9 and you miss all the sides of the 70mm print. I think ABC is afraid to run a scope print with black bars at the top and bottom. They will show the open titles in wide screen but go to full screen when the titles are over. Watch It in the new DVD version in full scope. I think some parts of the new Sound Of Music DVD are from the 65mm elements and the stereo surround sounds great in Dolby®. Thank you Mike for the 'Sound’ theatre listings.
They have now have 3-D in one of the auditoriums. Most screens have a slight curve. This place is the only theatre in town. Someday some new chain will come into Napa and see this place is a gold mine and open a better state of the art cinema. Great city for a small art theatre as many movies don’t play in a town that only has one company running the whole show. I am surprised the Syufy’s have not cut the Napa domes in half to make more money like they did many years ago to some of their domes in San Jose CA. Napa CA has a lot of $$$ and the locals like to spend it. A wine & food cinema will bring in the people in town that want to get away from all their vineyards.
Does any one know when the Sutton played ‘Gigi’ was It a roadshow version and did the Sutton have a stereo print of Gigi or even had stereo or 70MM?
Thanks Quentin for saving the Beverly Theatre. Now next time your visiting the SF Bay Area let’s turn a closed little cinema into a B picture Grindhouse! A chain of these type of theatres needs to be brought back for a new generation to enjoy. Bring on the crazy trailers and the B movies you won’t find on junky TV. Make the place seedy like the old downtown cinemas of the past. Hire some of the old managers that ran these places in the 60’s to give attitude to the young punk college kids today. Get some old trashy lady to run the boxoffice that won’t put up with cell phones in the theatre.
Many theatre circuit owners in Europe will not be booking Disney’s ‘Alice’ 3-D or 2-D because of the new Disney DVD window as a protest. Will this spread to the USA? With all the new 3-D movies coming out soon most multiplex cinemas only have one 3-D screen per complex, you may have to settle for flat 2-D after a few weeks of third dimension play so they can make room for the next 3-D movie.
Smell-O-Vision is back with motion seats!