Also, the initial first-run engagement of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW was here (in its UA Westwood days), back when it was treated as a “normal” movie and not a cult curiosity. Supposedly, this was one of the few theatres where the movie was successful, and there was already a sort of recurring clientele that attended which suggested to Fox executive Ashley Boone that the movie could have a second life as a midnight movie.
At the recent memorial service for cinematographer Gary Graver, a photograph was shown, likely of ‘70’s or '80’s vintage, of him standing outside the theatre. It was credited to a recent TCM documentary EDGE OF OUTSIDE. It made me sad for losing both a talented guy and a classic theatre.
The Carousel was on Reading Road, across the street from a similarly named (but not co-owned) motel, the Carrousel Inn. It had a beautiful big room capable of running 70mm – I saw STAR TREK IV and other movies in there. I believe in the ‘70’s they built a second screen adjacent to the big room, making the complex a twin. In the smaller room I saw the '80’s revivals of VERTIGO and THE RESCUERS: there was a pretty girl named Wendy I had a crush on who worked there during that time. Alas, no romance blossomed. :(
Not too far from this location was another theatre that I have yet to see get a page at this site: the Valley. I only went there a few times as a child and have a hazy memory of it’s layout, but I suspect it was a single screen that was doubled in the ‘70’s. Any former Roselawn residents out there who can update?
For years the extended Heuck family have entertained pipe dreams of somehow reviving the space as a theatre, especially during the “brewery” revival in the ‘90’s. From what I understand, they were thwarted by a now-deceased community activist who insisted that the apartments in the complex were needed for the poor in the area. I don’t know all the details though of what exactly the evolution of the land has been – what I get is often sifted through myth, old age, and hype.
This was one of the few screens that General Cinema operated in Cincinnati. In the ‘70’s, there were three chains in the city: Mid-States Theatres (which went through multiple acquisitions by USA Cinemas and then Loews), National Amusements (who eventually bought out all the Loews screens in the '90’s), and General Cinema. GC had only two locations I can recall from childhood: the Gold Circle Twin, and the Western Woods Plaza in Western Hills. The Western Hills location closed by the '80’s, and I don’t know if in its final days the Gold Circle was still operated by GC.
The Heuck’s also claimed to have one of the first revolving doors in the country, but that patrons did not understand the concept and it had to replaced with a conventional entrance.
Was the Lyric initially known as Peoples' Theatre? That’s how it was always referred to in my family…being that I am a Heuck. ;)
The dirty and unconfirmed word on the street is that the landlord was unwilling to make certain physical improvements to the building, so Laemmle chose not to renew their lease.
I would like to see someone else take over the place, but I doubt anyone will be able to operate it as well as Laemmle did.
I live in L.A. myself, I’m a Columbus native. I suppose a call to the Chamber of Commerce would yield the current landowner. Sorry that I don’t have more info to make it easier for you.
If you were feeling really ambitious, I would strongly suggest rehabbing one of the many dormant theatres in downtown L.A. The neighborhood is going through a big gentrification influx with lots of young types with disposable income, but there’s few entertainment options close by right now. There’s talk of building “entertainment developments” with multiplexes and stuff, but even those are probably decades away from happening, so this would be a chance to plant a marker down first. And of course, get lots of community goodwill.
The Linden-Air drive-in in Columbus, Ohio, has been long closed but at last check the stand, screen, and marquee are still intact. The land is overgrown and needs clean-up, and there may be a little environmental inspection necessary, but there would be a lot of grateful car folk to have that place back in action.
The following was written by VIDEO WATCHDOG publisher and lifelong Cincinnatian Tim Lucas at the old Mobius Home Video Forum board (a server crash lost all posts prior to a year and a half ago):
Further up Vine Street, where it begins its steep ascent into Clifton, there used to be another theater called the Uptown. I love my memory of this theater, which was like the Empire in that it hosted a day of movies only on the weekends for 75 cents. The big difference was, the Uptown didn’t have a telephone OR a marquee! You couldn’t find out what was showing till you plunked your three bits down! I went several times in 1966-67 with an older friend — the first time was one of those unforgettable days at the movies. We walked in on the last two reels of GIRL HAPPY (which I’d seen before), which was followed by INSIDE DAISY CLOVER and…THE EMBALMER!!! I can’t TELL you how high my heart soared as that title filled the screen!
The following was written by VIDEO WATCHDOG publisher and lifelong Cincinnatian Tim Lucas at the old Mobius Home Video Forum board (a server crash lost all posts prior to a year and a half ago):
Cincinnati’s OTHER adult movie theater was the Royal. It used to stand on Vine Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, right across the street from a bus stop that used to take me to my apartment. The Royal showed ALL the Harry Novak stuff — it was torn down in the mid ‘70’s. I used to be very shy around that theater, never wanting to be caught looking across the street at it while waiting for my bus, and I’m ashamed to say I never bought a ticket or went inside. People who did tell me it smelled like one big [possibly rude term deleted]. It is one of the two Cincinnati theaters that inspired The Eros in my novel THROAT SPROCKETS. I will never forget the week they played Roberta Findlay’s (now apparently lost) TEENAGE MILKMAID, with its outrageous Vargas-like “No One Outgrows Their Need For Milk” poster, which didn’t look quite so Vargas-like when I saw it again years later at a movie convention. What the hell, I bought it anyway.
The following was written by VIDEO WATCHDOG publisher and lifelong Cincinnatian Tim Lucas at the old Mobius Home Video Forum board (a server crash lost all posts prior to a year and a half ago):
The Empire closed in the mid-‘70’s as a movie theater. At that time, it was basically a ghetto theater open only on the weekends; on Saturday and Sunday, you could see a whole day of movies there for only 75 cents! A friend of mine and I decided to give it a chance and went there together around 1973. We saw JEREMY, THE SCARS OF DRACULA (a cut print), and TALES THAT WITNESS MADNESS. A nice memory. I’m glad we went. After closing as a theater, it reopened as a makeshift church and stayed that way for a couple of years. It’s been boarded up ever since [until its 2005 demolition].
The following was written by VIDEO WATCHDOG publisher and lifelong Cincinnatian Tim Lucas at the old Mobius Home Video Forum board (a server crash lost all posts prior to a year and a half ago):
The Imperial was actually a burlesque house that hosted combo film and stage shows. It must have closed in the late ‘60’s and has never reopened — though signs were briefly posted in the late '70’s that it would be reopening “soon.” I never went there, but I can remember the “spicy” newspaper ads from the late '60’s, which usually referred to the theater as The Imperial Follies. That theater is actually the site of an important meeting between [my wife] Donna and I, so it has almost familial ties. Right around the corner from it there used to be a nightclub called The Safari Room or The Safari Club; local legend had it that Johnny Mathis used to sing there.
The current L.A. Weekly paper has a long essay by writer Erin Aubry Kaplan about the city of Inglewood, what it used to represent, and its current hardships. The online version of this story has color photographs of the Imperial, Academy, and Fox theatres that can be enlarged with a mouse click. The story is at this address: View link
The current L.A. Weekly paper has a long essay by writer Erin Aubry Kaplan about the city of Inglewood, what it used to represent, and its current hardships. The online version of this story has color photographs of the Imperial, Academy, and Fox theatres that can be enlarged with a mouse click. The story is at this address: View link
Some fleeting research says that Avco was initially some sort of aviation science/manufacturing concern (AV – aviation, CO – company, something like that) that broadened their reach into financial interests like insurance and credit, and then of course the decade or so they operated Avco Embassy Pictures and the radio/TV production bloc that included the mighty WLW in Cincinnati. The TV stations were sold to Multimedia, who also took over production of then-locally produced syndicated shows like PHIL DONAHUE, SALLY JESSY RAPHAEL and JERRY SPRINGER. The radio stations were spun off into a local company called Jacor, which of course now has become the ginormous Clear Channel company.
Urban legend has it that while they were essentially a hands-off corporate parent, Avco may have had a hand in the initial failure of the controversial political satire WINTER KILLS, since its plot involved the ever-popular “military-industrial complex” and Avco would have had fat government contracts for jet technology.
William’s comment I think has a misspelling and a couple small errors.
What I recall is that THE GRADUATE went out first independently through Embassy Pictures, before they were acquired by the Avco company. After which, for a brief time, United Artists picked up the theatrical rights: there are posters touting the Academy Award nominations with the Transamerica UA logo on them. Then, the combined Avco Embassy would have taken over distribution until their demise in the ‘80’s.
The company William is likely thinking of is Paravision or Parafrance, not the Panavision camera company. That company inherited the Embassy library for reasons too convoluted to explain, but now that company’s holdings, including the Embassy titles, are controlled by StudioCanal, a subsidiary of the French cable outfit Canal+. They would be the first stop for any research on Avco Embassy movies.
Another place you may try for materials is Strand Releasing. I don’t know if the deal is still in effect, but back in the mid-'90’s when Mike Thomas was launching the Rialto Pictures reissue company with Strand’s help, they did a major theatrical reissue of THE GRADUATE complete with posters and trailers. Maybe they will have some historical photos of significance.
Casper, I’m a little confused by your post. Are you saying that at one time the Royal did use the name “Cinema X?” Or just acknowledging that there were once two places to see adult movies in the Cincinnati area. Because unless there is documentation otherwise, I’m maintaining that this entry be corrected to reflect that this description is of the Royal, not the Cinema X/State in Newport.
I visited the theatre a couple times when it was a single-screen. Unfortunately, it was when I was a teenager and I can’t recall much concrete detail about seating capacity or interior design. But I remember it was nice and big, and while I’m glad to have it open, can’t stand the thought of it as a twin.
Before the Cinema Grill concept, it had functioned for a while as a really nice arthouse — ATLANTIC CITY and LOCAL HERO had really long runs there. (Not as long as, say, HAROLD AND MAUDE in Mt. Adams, but longer than the average film nowadays.) I saw THE QUIET EARTH there on my birthday, and a girl I was infatuated with met me outside afterward for a late dinner. Then they went to standard second-run films. I remember seeing STAKEOUT there, and I think it was over Xmas break, which shows you how long movie legs used to be, as that was an August release that year.
So many Cincy neighborhoods had wonderful theatres. No one as of yet has posted about the Hyde Park, which is gone too. I don’t have the street address, or else I’d do it myself.
I could be wrong, but isn’t what was the World Theatre now a performance space called Q-Topia? I went to a rave-like event there, and the layout of the place looked like it could have been a big theatre at one time.
Also, the initial first-run engagement of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW was here (in its UA Westwood days), back when it was treated as a “normal” movie and not a cult curiosity. Supposedly, this was one of the few theatres where the movie was successful, and there was already a sort of recurring clientele that attended which suggested to Fox executive Ashley Boone that the movie could have a second life as a midnight movie.
At the recent memorial service for cinematographer Gary Graver, a photograph was shown, likely of ‘70’s or '80’s vintage, of him standing outside the theatre. It was credited to a recent TCM documentary EDGE OF OUTSIDE. It made me sad for losing both a talented guy and a classic theatre.
The Carousel was on Reading Road, across the street from a similarly named (but not co-owned) motel, the Carrousel Inn. It had a beautiful big room capable of running 70mm – I saw STAR TREK IV and other movies in there. I believe in the ‘70’s they built a second screen adjacent to the big room, making the complex a twin. In the smaller room I saw the '80’s revivals of VERTIGO and THE RESCUERS: there was a pretty girl named Wendy I had a crush on who worked there during that time. Alas, no romance blossomed. :(
Not too far from this location was another theatre that I have yet to see get a page at this site: the Valley. I only went there a few times as a child and have a hazy memory of it’s layout, but I suspect it was a single screen that was doubled in the ‘70’s. Any former Roselawn residents out there who can update?
For years the extended Heuck family have entertained pipe dreams of somehow reviving the space as a theatre, especially during the “brewery” revival in the ‘90’s. From what I understand, they were thwarted by a now-deceased community activist who insisted that the apartments in the complex were needed for the poor in the area. I don’t know all the details though of what exactly the evolution of the land has been – what I get is often sifted through myth, old age, and hype.
This was one of the few screens that General Cinema operated in Cincinnati. In the ‘70’s, there were three chains in the city: Mid-States Theatres (which went through multiple acquisitions by USA Cinemas and then Loews), National Amusements (who eventually bought out all the Loews screens in the '90’s), and General Cinema. GC had only two locations I can recall from childhood: the Gold Circle Twin, and the Western Woods Plaza in Western Hills. The Western Hills location closed by the '80’s, and I don’t know if in its final days the Gold Circle was still operated by GC.
The Heuck’s also claimed to have one of the first revolving doors in the country, but that patrons did not understand the concept and it had to replaced with a conventional entrance.
Was the Lyric initially known as Peoples' Theatre? That’s how it was always referred to in my family…being that I am a Heuck. ;)
The dirty and unconfirmed word on the street is that the landlord was unwilling to make certain physical improvements to the building, so Laemmle chose not to renew their lease.
I would like to see someone else take over the place, but I doubt anyone will be able to operate it as well as Laemmle did.
I live in L.A. myself, I’m a Columbus native. I suppose a call to the Chamber of Commerce would yield the current landowner. Sorry that I don’t have more info to make it easier for you.
If you were feeling really ambitious, I would strongly suggest rehabbing one of the many dormant theatres in downtown L.A. The neighborhood is going through a big gentrification influx with lots of young types with disposable income, but there’s few entertainment options close by right now. There’s talk of building “entertainment developments” with multiplexes and stuff, but even those are probably decades away from happening, so this would be a chance to plant a marker down first. And of course, get lots of community goodwill.
The Linden-Air drive-in in Columbus, Ohio, has been long closed but at last check the stand, screen, and marquee are still intact. The land is overgrown and needs clean-up, and there may be a little environmental inspection necessary, but there would be a lot of grateful car folk to have that place back in action.
/theaters/10712/
I grew up in Clifton, and as much as I love the place, it’s a suburb, not a city: this theatre should be listed as located in Cincinnati.
The following was written by VIDEO WATCHDOG publisher and lifelong Cincinnatian Tim Lucas at the old Mobius Home Video Forum board (a server crash lost all posts prior to a year and a half ago):
Further up Vine Street, where it begins its steep ascent into Clifton, there used to be another theater called the Uptown. I love my memory of this theater, which was like the Empire in that it hosted a day of movies only on the weekends for 75 cents. The big difference was, the Uptown didn’t have a telephone OR a marquee! You couldn’t find out what was showing till you plunked your three bits down! I went several times in 1966-67 with an older friend — the first time was one of those unforgettable days at the movies. We walked in on the last two reels of GIRL HAPPY (which I’d seen before), which was followed by INSIDE DAISY CLOVER and…THE EMBALMER!!! I can’t TELL you how high my heart soared as that title filled the screen!
The following was written by VIDEO WATCHDOG publisher and lifelong Cincinnatian Tim Lucas at the old Mobius Home Video Forum board (a server crash lost all posts prior to a year and a half ago):
Cincinnati’s OTHER adult movie theater was the Royal. It used to stand on Vine Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, right across the street from a bus stop that used to take me to my apartment. The Royal showed ALL the Harry Novak stuff — it was torn down in the mid ‘70’s. I used to be very shy around that theater, never wanting to be caught looking across the street at it while waiting for my bus, and I’m ashamed to say I never bought a ticket or went inside. People who did tell me it smelled like one big [possibly rude term deleted]. It is one of the two Cincinnati theaters that inspired The Eros in my novel THROAT SPROCKETS. I will never forget the week they played Roberta Findlay’s (now apparently lost) TEENAGE MILKMAID, with its outrageous Vargas-like “No One Outgrows Their Need For Milk” poster, which didn’t look quite so Vargas-like when I saw it again years later at a movie convention. What the hell, I bought it anyway.
The following was written by VIDEO WATCHDOG publisher and lifelong Cincinnatian Tim Lucas at the old Mobius Home Video Forum board (a server crash lost all posts prior to a year and a half ago):
The Empire closed in the mid-‘70’s as a movie theater. At that time, it was basically a ghetto theater open only on the weekends; on Saturday and Sunday, you could see a whole day of movies there for only 75 cents! A friend of mine and I decided to give it a chance and went there together around 1973. We saw JEREMY, THE SCARS OF DRACULA (a cut print), and TALES THAT WITNESS MADNESS. A nice memory. I’m glad we went. After closing as a theater, it reopened as a makeshift church and stayed that way for a couple of years. It’s been boarded up ever since [until its 2005 demolition].
The following was written by VIDEO WATCHDOG publisher and lifelong Cincinnatian Tim Lucas at the old Mobius Home Video Forum board (a server crash lost all posts prior to a year and a half ago):
The Imperial was actually a burlesque house that hosted combo film and stage shows. It must have closed in the late ‘60’s and has never reopened — though signs were briefly posted in the late '70’s that it would be reopening “soon.” I never went there, but I can remember the “spicy” newspaper ads from the late '60’s, which usually referred to the theater as The Imperial Follies. That theater is actually the site of an important meeting between [my wife] Donna and I, so it has almost familial ties. Right around the corner from it there used to be a nightclub called The Safari Room or The Safari Club; local legend had it that Johnny Mathis used to sing there.
The current L.A. Weekly paper has a long essay by writer Erin Aubry Kaplan about the city of Inglewood, what it used to represent, and its current hardships. The online version of this story has color photographs of the Imperial, Academy, and Fox theatres that can be enlarged with a mouse click. The story is at this address:
View link
The current L.A. Weekly paper has a long essay by writer Erin Aubry Kaplan about the city of Inglewood, what it used to represent, and its current hardships. The online version of this story has color photographs of the Imperial, Academy, and Fox theatres that can be enlarged with a mouse click. The story is at this address:
View link
Some fleeting research says that Avco was initially some sort of aviation science/manufacturing concern (AV – aviation, CO – company, something like that) that broadened their reach into financial interests like insurance and credit, and then of course the decade or so they operated Avco Embassy Pictures and the radio/TV production bloc that included the mighty WLW in Cincinnati. The TV stations were sold to Multimedia, who also took over production of then-locally produced syndicated shows like PHIL DONAHUE, SALLY JESSY RAPHAEL and JERRY SPRINGER. The radio stations were spun off into a local company called Jacor, which of course now has become the ginormous Clear Channel company.
Urban legend has it that while they were essentially a hands-off corporate parent, Avco may have had a hand in the initial failure of the controversial political satire WINTER KILLS, since its plot involved the ever-popular “military-industrial complex” and Avco would have had fat government contracts for jet technology.
As of May 19, 2005, this theatre is now closed. No word as to whether this is temporary or permanent.
I’m sorry, the theatre I was referring to as a neighbor of the Skywalk was the Place, not the Palace. Could a moderator correct this for me?
William’s comment I think has a misspelling and a couple small errors.
What I recall is that THE GRADUATE went out first independently through Embassy Pictures, before they were acquired by the Avco company. After which, for a brief time, United Artists picked up the theatrical rights: there are posters touting the Academy Award nominations with the Transamerica UA logo on them. Then, the combined Avco Embassy would have taken over distribution until their demise in the ‘80’s.
The company William is likely thinking of is Paravision or Parafrance, not the Panavision camera company. That company inherited the Embassy library for reasons too convoluted to explain, but now that company’s holdings, including the Embassy titles, are controlled by StudioCanal, a subsidiary of the French cable outfit Canal+. They would be the first stop for any research on Avco Embassy movies.
Another place you may try for materials is Strand Releasing. I don’t know if the deal is still in effect, but back in the mid-'90’s when Mike Thomas was launching the Rialto Pictures reissue company with Strand’s help, they did a major theatrical reissue of THE GRADUATE complete with posters and trailers. Maybe they will have some historical photos of significance.
Casper, I’m a little confused by your post. Are you saying that at one time the Royal did use the name “Cinema X?” Or just acknowledging that there were once two places to see adult movies in the Cincinnati area. Because unless there is documentation otherwise, I’m maintaining that this entry be corrected to reflect that this description is of the Royal, not the Cinema X/State in Newport.
I visited the theatre a couple times when it was a single-screen. Unfortunately, it was when I was a teenager and I can’t recall much concrete detail about seating capacity or interior design. But I remember it was nice and big, and while I’m glad to have it open, can’t stand the thought of it as a twin.
Before the Cinema Grill concept, it had functioned for a while as a really nice arthouse — ATLANTIC CITY and LOCAL HERO had really long runs there. (Not as long as, say, HAROLD AND MAUDE in Mt. Adams, but longer than the average film nowadays.) I saw THE QUIET EARTH there on my birthday, and a girl I was infatuated with met me outside afterward for a late dinner. Then they went to standard second-run films. I remember seeing STAKEOUT there, and I think it was over Xmas break, which shows you how long movie legs used to be, as that was an August release that year.
So many Cincy neighborhoods had wonderful theatres. No one as of yet has posted about the Hyde Park, which is gone too. I don’t have the street address, or else I’d do it myself.
If you look at the font of the marquee name in the Marianne photo, it looks almost exactly like the font for the Esquire Theatre in Clifton, Ohio.
http://www.esquiretheatre.com
I wonder if the same architect or operator built both theatres?
I could be wrong, but isn’t what was the World Theatre now a performance space called Q-Topia? I went to a rave-like event there, and the layout of the place looked like it could have been a big theatre at one time.
Was this theatre in any way connected to the Realart Films company that did reissues of the old Universal monster movies in the ‘50’s?