By the way, I recall another classic film that was shown at the Goldman – Yor, Hunter of the Future. If anyone else has heard of this film, hats off to you.
Market Street is south of Chestnut. If the theater was above Chestnut, it would be between Chestnut and Sansom Streets. It can’t be above Chestnut and still be between Chestnut and Market. Isn’t it great that we can argue about the location of a movie theater that was torn down twenty years ago?
You are absolutely right. The Royal was the name of the theater. Thanks for the information, Charles. I can stop wondering about that place after twenty years.
Well, I went through all of the Philadelphia theaters listed and didn’t find the one I was looking for. During the 1981 Septa strike, I used to ride my bike from 44th and Walnut to Broad and Snyder (!) to go to work. Part of my route took me down South Street from around 20th to Broad, where I would turn right to go to South Philly. At that time, South Street from the river to about Sixth was a lively area. After Sixth, though, the neighborhood deteriorated. If I recall, on South between Fifteenth and Sixteenth there was a ghost of a movie theater in a block full of abandoned buildings. I can’t think of the name of the theater to save my life, but it had obviously been closed a long time. I looked forward to seeing that old theater every time I had to pedal through Center City, cursing Septa all the way. If anyone remembers this theater, or knows if the site has been renovated, let me know. Thanks.
I’m sorry. I should have read your synopsis more carefully. You do point our that the theater ended up showing adult films in the 70s. I actually went to this theater with a frat buddy and tried to stay up all night (they were true to their advertising) but the quality of the films was so poor by three a.m. that we left. By the early morning, the films looked like super 8 loops that were taken by peering in someone’s bedroom window.
Wasn’t this another adult film place in the mid 70s? As I recall, the Fox was on the east end of Market Street, then further down the block there were two or three porno houses that sold tickets for 99 cents.
The Ritz Three was the best place to see foreign films in the early 1980s. The TLA was more inclined to show Pink Flamingos and Plan Nine from Outer Space.
I saw many films at the Midtown, including 10 with Bo Derek, Endless Love with Brooke Shields and Saturn 5 with Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett. I didn’t say they were good films, did I?
I think this was the theater on 15th just below Chestnut where I saw one of Richard Pryor’s concert films in 1982. The theater was on the west side of 15th Street between Chestnut and Market.
I guess we all saw Altered States when it played at the Regency in 1980. I know I was there. I don’t remember much about the theaters except that they were near the Duke and Duchess.
I worked at the Arby’s on the northwest corner of 15th and Chestnut in the early 1980’s. I remember the Duke and Duchess, of course, but I can’t place the Arcadia or its marquee on that block. It’s been a long time since I worked in that area. My restaurant used to be Butcher Block, I think. There was a movie theater around the corner on 15th Street between Chestnut and Market. I’m sure that theater is listed in here somewhere.
I went to a double feature with my mother at the Roxy in 1967. The films were Jungle Book (the cartoon) and Charlie the Lonesome Cougar, a nature documentary of sorts released by Disney. I can picture the theater in my mind to this day. I also saw Oliver there the same year or possibly the next.
I have driven by this theater countless times over the years. It wasn’t demolished, which is a small victory given LA’s history of obliterating landmarks like the Atlantic Richfield building downtown.
I looked for Safety Last on Netflix with no luck. Does anyone know how to rent this film?
Incidentally, I believe that the Susan Hayward film “I’ll Cry Tomorrow” has some scenes that were filmed around Fifth and Main downtown.
You can attribute the demise of adult theaters to home video. No one needs to go out and spend ten dollars to watch a porno movie anymore.
I saw my first adult film at the Beach Theater in Atlantic City. The theater was around the corner from my high school (no repressive zoning requirements then) and I was terrifed that some teacher would spot me, or worse, would be in the audience. I was fourteen years old. I remember that the ticket was five dollars, which was mucho dinero in 1975. When I walked into the auditorium, the first thing that I saw was a wide screen shoot of John Holmes unfolding the part of his anatomy which made him famous. I felt rather inadequate. The rest of the film was an anti-climax, if you will pardon the pun.
I recall the Million Dollar showing Wild Wild West (the Will Smith flop) about seven years ago. I was too busy to go and have regretted it since. I have been in most of the Broadway theaters but not the $1,000,000.
I saw “Some Like It Hot” also, back in 2004. I don’t think the Conservancy has shown a film at the Los Angeles in a while. This year’s films were all at the Orpheum. Speaking of Broadway, I often appear at the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board on the 9th floor of the original Broadway building on 4th street. I would be interested in any links that would show the interior of the store in its heyday. There are plenty of exterior shots on the LAPL database.
Nobody has mentioned the fact that you can go to a movie at the Avco and then walk around the block and see a lot of dead stars at the Westwood Memorial cemetery, including Marilyn Monroe, of course. Also Natalie Wood, Richard Conte (who has a question mark after the date of death on his tombstone) and Heather O'Rourke, the little girl from Poltergeist. I think Dominique Dunne is there too, to complete the Poltergeist connection.
The LA Library online database has a series of pictures of this theater and the adjoining buildings. The first picture from the 1920’s shows the Adolphus and the Westminster Hotel on the corner of 4th and Main. The next picture is from 1950. The theater is now a parking garage with the Main Street Gym upstairs. The last picture appears to be from the late 1960s or early 1970s and shows the theater/parking structure standing alone, in disrepair. I imagine it was demolished shortly after.
If you look at the 1950 picture and note the location of the fire hydrant, you can stand by the same hydrant today and see by the cutout in the sidewalk where the entrance to the garage was. I know this is a little overboard, but by the time I moved to LA in 1984, all of the interesting buildings were already torn down.
I saw a film at the Picwood shortly before it closed. It was some kind of a breakdancing/martial arts film as far as I can remember, and it was produced by Motown’s Berry Gordy. That would have been in 1985. Not long after that, the theater was gone and the unwanted and unnecessary extension to the Westside Pavilion was built.
By the way, I recall another classic film that was shown at the Goldman – Yor, Hunter of the Future. If anyone else has heard of this film, hats off to you.
Market Street is south of Chestnut. If the theater was above Chestnut, it would be between Chestnut and Sansom Streets. It can’t be above Chestnut and still be between Chestnut and Market. Isn’t it great that we can argue about the location of a movie theater that was torn down twenty years ago?
You are absolutely right. The Royal was the name of the theater. Thanks for the information, Charles. I can stop wondering about that place after twenty years.
Well, I went through all of the Philadelphia theaters listed and didn’t find the one I was looking for. During the 1981 Septa strike, I used to ride my bike from 44th and Walnut to Broad and Snyder (!) to go to work. Part of my route took me down South Street from around 20th to Broad, where I would turn right to go to South Philly. At that time, South Street from the river to about Sixth was a lively area. After Sixth, though, the neighborhood deteriorated. If I recall, on South between Fifteenth and Sixteenth there was a ghost of a movie theater in a block full of abandoned buildings. I can’t think of the name of the theater to save my life, but it had obviously been closed a long time. I looked forward to seeing that old theater every time I had to pedal through Center City, cursing Septa all the way. If anyone remembers this theater, or knows if the site has been renovated, let me know. Thanks.
I remember this building. You could see much of the theater from Sansom Street.
I’m sorry. I should have read your synopsis more carefully. You do point our that the theater ended up showing adult films in the 70s. I actually went to this theater with a frat buddy and tried to stay up all night (they were true to their advertising) but the quality of the films was so poor by three a.m. that we left. By the early morning, the films looked like super 8 loops that were taken by peering in someone’s bedroom window.
Wasn’t this another adult film place in the mid 70s? As I recall, the Fox was on the east end of Market Street, then further down the block there were two or three porno houses that sold tickets for 99 cents.
The Ritz Three was the best place to see foreign films in the early 1980s. The TLA was more inclined to show Pink Flamingos and Plan Nine from Outer Space.
I saw many films at the Midtown, including 10 with Bo Derek, Endless Love with Brooke Shields and Saturn 5 with Kirk Douglas and Farrah Fawcett. I didn’t say they were good films, did I?
I thought this was Grendel’s Lair in the early 80s. Was the Ripley Music Hall in the same block of South Street?
I think this was the theater on 15th just below Chestnut where I saw one of Richard Pryor’s concert films in 1982. The theater was on the west side of 15th Street between Chestnut and Market.
I guess we all saw Altered States when it played at the Regency in 1980. I know I was there. I don’t remember much about the theaters except that they were near the Duke and Duchess.
I worked at the Arby’s on the northwest corner of 15th and Chestnut in the early 1980’s. I remember the Duke and Duchess, of course, but I can’t place the Arcadia or its marquee on that block. It’s been a long time since I worked in that area. My restaurant used to be Butcher Block, I think. There was a movie theater around the corner on 15th Street between Chestnut and Market. I’m sure that theater is listed in here somewhere.
I went to a double feature with my mother at the Roxy in 1967. The films were Jungle Book (the cartoon) and Charlie the Lonesome Cougar, a nature documentary of sorts released by Disney. I can picture the theater in my mind to this day. I also saw Oliver there the same year or possibly the next.
Drive-in theaters may die, but swap meets live on forever…
I have driven by this theater countless times over the years. It wasn’t demolished, which is a small victory given LA’s history of obliterating landmarks like the Atlantic Richfield building downtown.
I looked for Safety Last on Netflix with no luck. Does anyone know how to rent this film?
Incidentally, I believe that the Susan Hayward film “I’ll Cry Tomorrow” has some scenes that were filmed around Fifth and Main downtown.
You can attribute the demise of adult theaters to home video. No one needs to go out and spend ten dollars to watch a porno movie anymore.
I saw my first adult film at the Beach Theater in Atlantic City. The theater was around the corner from my high school (no repressive zoning requirements then) and I was terrifed that some teacher would spot me, or worse, would be in the audience. I was fourteen years old. I remember that the ticket was five dollars, which was mucho dinero in 1975. When I walked into the auditorium, the first thing that I saw was a wide screen shoot of John Holmes unfolding the part of his anatomy which made him famous. I felt rather inadequate. The rest of the film was an anti-climax, if you will pardon the pun.
I recall the Million Dollar showing Wild Wild West (the Will Smith flop) about seven years ago. I was too busy to go and have regretted it since. I have been in most of the Broadway theaters but not the $1,000,000.
I saw “Some Like It Hot” also, back in 2004. I don’t think the Conservancy has shown a film at the Los Angeles in a while. This year’s films were all at the Orpheum. Speaking of Broadway, I often appear at the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board on the 9th floor of the original Broadway building on 4th street. I would be interested in any links that would show the interior of the store in its heyday. There are plenty of exterior shots on the LAPL database.
There is a picture of the Lyceum on the LA Library online database.
Nobody has mentioned the fact that you can go to a movie at the Avco and then walk around the block and see a lot of dead stars at the Westwood Memorial cemetery, including Marilyn Monroe, of course. Also Natalie Wood, Richard Conte (who has a question mark after the date of death on his tombstone) and Heather O'Rourke, the little girl from Poltergeist. I think Dominique Dunne is there too, to complete the Poltergeist connection.
The LA Library online database has a series of pictures of this theater and the adjoining buildings. The first picture from the 1920’s shows the Adolphus and the Westminster Hotel on the corner of 4th and Main. The next picture is from 1950. The theater is now a parking garage with the Main Street Gym upstairs. The last picture appears to be from the late 1960s or early 1970s and shows the theater/parking structure standing alone, in disrepair. I imagine it was demolished shortly after.
If you look at the 1950 picture and note the location of the fire hydrant, you can stand by the same hydrant today and see by the cutout in the sidewalk where the entrance to the garage was. I know this is a little overboard, but by the time I moved to LA in 1984, all of the interesting buildings were already torn down.
There are several pictures of this theater in the LA Library online database.
I saw a film at the Picwood shortly before it closed. It was some kind of a breakdancing/martial arts film as far as I can remember, and it was produced by Motown’s Berry Gordy. That would have been in 1985. Not long after that, the theater was gone and the unwanted and unnecessary extension to the Westside Pavilion was built.