Distant images/memories from child hood 48-51, when travelled by bus to SF from Mill Valley area, were seeing huge banners hanging down tower facade adversiting Cinderella, which say there, and Alice in Wonderland, sitting in balcony. Mixed with recollections was seeing Cable car being turned around, a big Owl Marque creature for some store, and billboard with smoke rings being blown for cigarettes—are/were these things in same genral local at the theatre, or am I combining kid collected observations into one related impression while going down streets to go to the real movies in the big city? Haven’t been there over 50 years.
I had recalled the unique theatre from childhood in later post WWII 40’s, when family would go on greyhound from Marin City (let us take the bus A through the tunnel, not B) to SF, get off at the bus station, go for hotbeef sandwich with mashed potatoes? milkshake to a small restaurant where waitress knew us,then to movie (let it be balcony seats)expriencing my dad having one of the spinning wheel prizes, and, I believe once hearing a recording western star singing star singing a popular song during intermission. It was also around same years we got tickets to a popular western act (Lash LaRue, Sons of Pioneers, Roy Rogers etc)in a theatre that in my memory resembled the huge procenium of Embassy—Wasn’t a plosh neighborhood then, but sad it became drug pushers haven in later part of 80/90s
This was first time I located this webpage and wrote my comments in my comments about the Gopher today. Coming back every three to five years, it was disgusting to have the property damaged by lack of repairs to roof, chopping up balcony to made two more mini cinemas in the main auditorium (just as bad as dividing the Cooper Cinerama into two side by side auditoriums) and the gross demolishing of landscaping to make a financially questionable mall with Montgomery Ward and Supermarket), cutting the parking lot down. Now cannot know what theatres actually have proper screens, sound systems, and people sized chairs and leg room in Mpls.
The Gopher was on Hennipen Avenue, next to Bridgman Ice Cream parlor (right side of picture posted). Up block, left side of posted picture) was adult theatre. Whole block demolished, replaced with IDS tower and Hennipen area restored by new modern stuff, now closed. Varsity was theatre in Dinky Town, with another U area Theatre (art, foreign, classics)down University.
Why hasn’t someone written about Terrace Theatre, one of the most modern theaters of the 50’s (with Lloyd Wright type archetecture, three story landed windows, t.v. lounge, fireplace, refreshment bar, large entry lounge seating areas, baby crying room (where first saw The Robe in Cinemascope and Stero sound, since no other seats available) which in 90’s was allowed to be in such disrepair through non-maintence of leaking roof, chopping up balcony into two cinemas, and selling original landscaped design to install Montgy Ward and Food superstore Chain) Or the Mann Theatre, with great large rocking chairs, or the Century (the first Cinerama Theatre) or the Cooper (a round Cinerama Theatre, with large seats and leg room.
Sound, great seats, large screens—gone for shopping mall theatres that showed first run movies on small screens, with only mono sound with Airplane Coach type of seating designed for Twiggi’s, nor real people) Now when one goes to MPLS, cannot tell which Theatres to go to in order to see movies as were intended to be projected or sound with people sized seats and legroom.
Distant images/memories from child hood 48-51, when travelled by bus to SF from Mill Valley area, were seeing huge banners hanging down tower facade adversiting Cinderella, which say there, and Alice in Wonderland, sitting in balcony. Mixed with recollections was seeing Cable car being turned around, a big Owl Marque creature for some store, and billboard with smoke rings being blown for cigarettes—are/were these things in same genral local at the theatre, or am I combining kid collected observations into one related impression while going down streets to go to the real movies in the big city? Haven’t been there over 50 years.
I had recalled the unique theatre from childhood in later post WWII 40’s, when family would go on greyhound from Marin City (let us take the bus A through the tunnel, not B) to SF, get off at the bus station, go for hotbeef sandwich with mashed potatoes? milkshake to a small restaurant where waitress knew us,then to movie (let it be balcony seats)expriencing my dad having one of the spinning wheel prizes, and, I believe once hearing a recording western star singing star singing a popular song during intermission. It was also around same years we got tickets to a popular western act (Lash LaRue, Sons of Pioneers, Roy Rogers etc)in a theatre that in my memory resembled the huge procenium of Embassy—Wasn’t a plosh neighborhood then, but sad it became drug pushers haven in later part of 80/90s
This was first time I located this webpage and wrote my comments in my comments about the Gopher today. Coming back every three to five years, it was disgusting to have the property damaged by lack of repairs to roof, chopping up balcony to made two more mini cinemas in the main auditorium (just as bad as dividing the Cooper Cinerama into two side by side auditoriums) and the gross demolishing of landscaping to make a financially questionable mall with Montgomery Ward and Supermarket), cutting the parking lot down. Now cannot know what theatres actually have proper screens, sound systems, and people sized chairs and leg room in Mpls.
The Gopher was on Hennipen Avenue, next to Bridgman Ice Cream parlor (right side of picture posted). Up block, left side of posted picture) was adult theatre. Whole block demolished, replaced with IDS tower and Hennipen area restored by new modern stuff, now closed. Varsity was theatre in Dinky Town, with another U area Theatre (art, foreign, classics)down University.
Why hasn’t someone written about Terrace Theatre, one of the most modern theaters of the 50’s (with Lloyd Wright type archetecture, three story landed windows, t.v. lounge, fireplace, refreshment bar, large entry lounge seating areas, baby crying room (where first saw The Robe in Cinemascope and Stero sound, since no other seats available) which in 90’s was allowed to be in such disrepair through non-maintence of leaking roof, chopping up balcony into two cinemas, and selling original landscaped design to install Montgy Ward and Food superstore Chain) Or the Mann Theatre, with great large rocking chairs, or the Century (the first Cinerama Theatre) or the Cooper (a round Cinerama Theatre, with large seats and leg room.
Sound, great seats, large screens—gone for shopping mall theatres that showed first run movies on small screens, with only mono sound with Airplane Coach type of seating designed for Twiggi’s, nor real people) Now when one goes to MPLS, cannot tell which Theatres to go to in order to see movies as were intended to be projected or sound with people sized seats and legroom.