The first film I saw at the Pasadena Hastings was ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, which was released in April of 1968, so this was likely one of the very first screenings at the theatre. I was 10 years old, and since my dad worked on the Apollo space program, I was extremely interested in all things related to space travel, and incredibly excited to see this movie. Since it was a late showing, and the movie long, rather slow-paced, and the seats quite comfortable, I (of course) fell asleep just before the classic final sequence. When I woke up, I asked my parents what I’d missed, and I think it might have been the first time I’d ever asked a question they couldn’t answer. I didn’t get to see it in its entirety until years later, when I finally understood their befuddled silence. It remains one of my favorite films, and the Hastings from then on always a magical place to see movies.
Sorry to hear the Rialto is also no more. That theatre was (along with the Fox Venice- now sadly an indoor ‘swap meet’ and the Nuart, thankfully still screening films) one of the ‘trinity’ of LA area art houses responsible for introducing foreign and independent films to an entire generation in the ‘70’s.
The first film I saw at the Pasadena Hastings was ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’, which was released in April of 1968, so this was likely one of the very first screenings at the theatre. I was 10 years old, and since my dad worked on the Apollo space program, I was extremely interested in all things related to space travel, and incredibly excited to see this movie. Since it was a late showing, and the movie long, rather slow-paced, and the seats quite comfortable, I (of course) fell asleep just before the classic final sequence. When I woke up, I asked my parents what I’d missed, and I think it might have been the first time I’d ever asked a question they couldn’t answer. I didn’t get to see it in its entirety until years later, when I finally understood their befuddled silence. It remains one of my favorite films, and the Hastings from then on always a magical place to see movies.
Sorry to hear the Rialto is also no more. That theatre was (along with the Fox Venice- now sadly an indoor ‘swap meet’ and the Nuart, thankfully still screening films) one of the ‘trinity’ of LA area art houses responsible for introducing foreign and independent films to an entire generation in the ‘70’s.