I too prefer a well-projected 35mm print over digital, but the reality is that 35mm is either doomed or will soon be available to theaters in limited quantities and probably at a higher cost to theater operators simply because the manufacturing and distribution cost to studios of digital formats is so much cheaper (as the article points out), and the vast majority of moviegoers cannot see the difference or do not care. The Technicolor 3D option is not appealing to many theater operators because it is a film-based technology which many see as obsolete and/or because many high-profile 3D films are not made available in this format.
Artist Robert Cottingham has painted nine large pictures of this theater’s marquee in different media based on photographs he took of it in 1996: View link.
According to this article about an artist named Robert Cottingham, who is having an exhibition of nine large paintings of this theater’s marquee done in different media on display in a New York gallery, the paintings are based on photos he took of the theater twelve years before 2008 – which would mean that theater was in existence in 1996: View link.
Perhaps – and this is just speculation – they may have been allowed access to the film’s original scoring material and music cue sheets in order to work up the score and timings for the musicians. I would imagine that the rehearsals will be intense get the synchronization right. But if they pull it off, I would bet it will be impressive.
Here is the official webpage about it: View link. I could be wrong, but the description sounds as if they will be showing a version that only has vocal and dialogue tracks.
From the Mobile Press-Register of February 23, 1911: “The opening of the New Crown Theatre last night was a conspicuous event in the history of Mobile amusements. When the doors of the beautiful new edifice located on Dauphin between Jackson and Joachim streets, were thrown open to the public, the people of Mobile were permitted for the first time to enjoy a moving picture performance in a building especially constructed for that purpose — beautiful, sanitary and refined in appearance.”
It is obvious that by 1988, it was hardly beautiful any more and no doubt something less than sanitary and refined.
The new Belasco website says the facility has a full range of audio/video technology, but my hunch is that if it can show films, they probably would have to be digital projections from DVDs or other digital media. That is why I am hoping a CT member will take the tour and inquire of the presenter about the Belasco’s cinema history, and what, if anything, it is currently capable of presenting in terms of movies.
As others have noted, this theater is the same as the Palatium Theater which has a separate listing here on CT. The theater is about to reopen as the Texas Music Theater; the new official website is http://texasmusictheatersanmarcos.com/.
According to the information on that site under the Venue tab, the theater opened as the Plaza in 1952. It was in 1958 that it was remodeled as a twin theater and renamed the Holiday. It became Gordo’s after it its life as a cinema.
The theater should now be listed as Texas Music Theater. The status of the theater should be open; Function: Live performances, with AKAs of Plaza, Holiday, and Palatium. There is an article about its reopening in its new role here: View link.
I know how the description sounds, but believe it or not, it was a high quality experience at the beginning. Jack Loeks might have always had one eye on the bottom line, but his theaters were, at least most of the time I went to them in Michigan, well-run and clean theaters with good projection and sound. After he sold out to Loew’s-Cineplex (which soon after merged with AMC), many of Loek’s former theaters declined considerably.
I hope that at least one CT member is able to attend and get some additional details about the Belasco’s use as a cinema and what its current film capabilities are and post them to the Belasco’s page here on CT. As I recall, the inclusion of the Belasco was a matter of doubt for a while until some members were able to get and post at least a few verified details.
Just like the Woodland Mall that it was close to, but in a separate building, this theater was actually in the Grand Rapids suburb of Kentwood at 3089 28th St, SE Kentwood MI, 49512. It was demolished in 2005. There is a picture on its page at CinemaTour: http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/4194.html and on its page at Water Winter Wonderland: View link The CinemaTour page indicates that it had 1,220 seats. The last time I was there would have been in 2003, and I think it had five or six screens then.
This Laurel Movie House burned in the 1990’s according to this article: View link A new, three-screen Laurel Movie Haus opened in 2011, in a space that was formerly a J.C. Penney store.
This a picture of the Star Theater in Locke: View link It apparently either had a rear entrance or exit on the opposite side of the building and there was an arcade passageway to the theater’s entrance as indicated by these two pictures View link and View link.
About halfway down on this webpage, there is a picture of this theatre as the Odeon at its opening followed by a picture of the site as it is today (there is an apparently mislabeled picture of another Odeon theatre above the correct one): View link.
This article about the theater’s use as a church has a picture of one of the auditoriums; apparently the church plans to use at least some of the screens and keep the box office: View link
A picture and a premiere article from the Cinerama Topcities site which shows the Astoria during its one and only use as a Cinerama venue showing “Krakatoa, East of Java”: View link.
Gentle Patsy, that item was from 2010 and was posted last year soon after it was published (see above).
I too prefer a well-projected 35mm print over digital, but the reality is that 35mm is either doomed or will soon be available to theaters in limited quantities and probably at a higher cost to theater operators simply because the manufacturing and distribution cost to studios of digital formats is so much cheaper (as the article points out), and the vast majority of moviegoers cannot see the difference or do not care. The Technicolor 3D option is not appealing to many theater operators because it is a film-based technology which many see as obsolete and/or because many high-profile 3D films are not made available in this format.
Artist Robert Cottingham has painted nine large pictures of this theater’s marquee in different media based on photographs he took of it in 1996: View link.
Oops – sorry, wrong Empire in Alabama. The paintings of the marquee of the Empire in Montgomery.
According to this article about an artist named Robert Cottingham, who is having an exhibition of nine large paintings of this theater’s marquee done in different media on display in a New York gallery, the paintings are based on photos he took of the theater twelve years before 2008 – which would mean that theater was in existence in 1996: View link.
Yes, but that is probably not a solution if the owner wants the theater to remain a first run house as this owner apparently prefers.
LOL, you’re right!
Perhaps – and this is just speculation – they may have been allowed access to the film’s original scoring material and music cue sheets in order to work up the score and timings for the musicians. I would imagine that the rehearsals will be intense get the synchronization right. But if they pull it off, I would bet it will be impressive.
Here is the official webpage about it: View link. I could be wrong, but the description sounds as if they will be showing a version that only has vocal and dialogue tracks.
From the Mobile Press-Register of February 23, 1911: “The opening of the New Crown Theatre last night was a conspicuous event in the history of Mobile amusements. When the doors of the beautiful new edifice located on Dauphin between Jackson and Joachim streets, were thrown open to the public, the people of Mobile were permitted for the first time to enjoy a moving picture performance in a building especially constructed for that purpose — beautiful, sanitary and refined in appearance.”
It is obvious that by 1988, it was hardly beautiful any more and no doubt something less than sanitary and refined.
A recent article about this theater with a picture from 1963, a year after it was taken over by the University of Tampa and renamed:View link.
This theater is getting new seats and some other upgrades: View link.
Socal09: Take a look at the comments on both the pages for the Mayan /theaters/16/ and the Belasco /theaters/27684/ and you can see that whereas the Mayan was one of the earliest theaters to have an entry here on CT, the Belasco did not get a page until many thousands of theaters later, simply because it took a long time to find some real evidence of its use as a cinema. This was finally found though the use was apparently limited to a very brief period of about two years around 1950 and the films were apparently shown in addition to (and no doubt compatible with) the risqué burlesque shows of the period. Also, another contributor verified the existence of a projection booth. So, it does qualify, however marginally.
The new Belasco website says the facility has a full range of audio/video technology, but my hunch is that if it can show films, they probably would have to be digital projections from DVDs or other digital media. That is why I am hoping a CT member will take the tour and inquire of the presenter about the Belasco’s cinema history, and what, if anything, it is currently capable of presenting in terms of movies.
As others have noted, this theater is the same as the Palatium Theater which has a separate listing here on CT. The theater is about to reopen as the Texas Music Theater; the new official website is http://texasmusictheatersanmarcos.com/.
According to the information on that site under the Venue tab, the theater opened as the Plaza in 1952. It was in 1958 that it was remodeled as a twin theater and renamed the Holiday. It became Gordo’s after it its life as a cinema.
The theater should now be listed as Texas Music Theater. The status of the theater should be open; Function: Live performances, with AKAs of Plaza, Holiday, and Palatium. There is an article about its reopening in its new role here: View link.
I know how the description sounds, but believe it or not, it was a high quality experience at the beginning. Jack Loeks might have always had one eye on the bottom line, but his theaters were, at least most of the time I went to them in Michigan, well-run and clean theaters with good projection and sound. After he sold out to Loew’s-Cineplex (which soon after merged with AMC), many of Loek’s former theaters declined considerably.
I hope that at least one CT member is able to attend and get some additional details about the Belasco’s use as a cinema and what its current film capabilities are and post them to the Belasco’s page here on CT. As I recall, the inclusion of the Belasco was a matter of doubt for a while until some members were able to get and post at least a few verified details.
Just like the Woodland Mall that it was close to, but in a separate building, this theater was actually in the Grand Rapids suburb of Kentwood at 3089 28th St, SE Kentwood MI, 49512. It was demolished in 2005. There is a picture on its page at CinemaTour: http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/4194.html and on its page at Water Winter Wonderland: View link The CinemaTour page indicates that it had 1,220 seats. The last time I was there would have been in 2003, and I think it had five or six screens then.
This Laurel Movie House burned in the 1990’s according to this article: View link A new, three-screen Laurel Movie Haus opened in 2011, in a space that was formerly a J.C. Penney store.
This a picture of the Star Theater in Locke: View link It apparently either had a rear entrance or exit on the opposite side of the building and there was an arcade passageway to the theater’s entrance as indicated by these two pictures View link and View link.
A recent article about the effort to restore the Ritz, including an interior photo that will enlarge if clicked upon: View link.
About halfway down on this webpage, there is a picture of this theatre as the Odeon at its opening followed by a picture of the site as it is today (there is an apparently mislabeled picture of another Odeon theatre above the correct one): View link.
There is an exterior photograph here: http://tinyurl.com/4zuuphs, one of the lobby area here: http://tinyurl.com/4d6adwa, and several other interior photos on this page; thumbnails will expand if clicked upon: http://bhguide.com/2010/08/26/dana-cinema/.
There are four pictures of the theatres on this page; thumbnails will expand if clicked upon: http://bhguide.com/2010/08/26/seef-cineplex-1-2/.
This article about the theater’s use as a church has a picture of one of the auditoriums; apparently the church plans to use at least some of the screens and keep the box office: View link
A picture and a premiere article from the Cinerama Topcities site which shows the Astoria during its one and only use as a Cinerama venue showing “Krakatoa, East of Java”: View link.