The Winchester was closed abruptly in 1984. It was still popular and would sometimes have lines of cars that snaked through the adjacent neighborhood all the way to San Tomas Expressway. There was also a little known entrance on the left side of screen 1 that could save a lot of time waiting to get in. Screens 1, 2 and 3 were some of the largest in the Syufy chain.
“The Robe” and it’s sequel, “Demetrius and the Gladiators” were shown at the Richland together on special CinemaScope screen that dwarfed the original one and was wider than the stage.
This is an absolute gem of a Drive-In. The projection has always been top-notch, even before digital. It can fill up early on the weekends so it’s best to come early. The Francis family has run it for decades. The two indoor theaters are closed but the restrooms are available for the drive-n patrons to use. Very nostalgic snack bar, as well.
I remember going to see “Rio Bravo” at the Star Vue with my family and remembered that it was next to a hill. When I went back for a visit in 1992, I was able to locate the base of the screen and the cement floor of the snack bar, and yes, it was next to a hill.
Taking Spengler Street west from GW Way would take you up a hill for a birds eye view of the Skyline. When I visited in 1992, you could still see berms on the empty lot between the 7-11 and the apartments and broken pieces of the screen.
I saw my favorite film of all time, Oliver!, at least 5 or 6 times during it’s roadshow presentation from June 960 to March 1970. It was the first of the domes to be stupidly carved in half in 1973. I remember seeing the last full screen presentation, Lost Horizon with half the auditorium closes and the wall partially built. It was truly a bummer.
So many great memories at Century 22: Seeing the Sound of Music at least 7 times during it’s initial run, the excitement of the Opening Nights for Star Wars, Star Trek, and other blockbusters (at Century 21 as well). It was a great decision to add the two “mini-domes” to the main theater rather than carving it up. I also a shame the Cinerama screens wit the smaller one.
Century 21 and 22 (the big one} were THE places to see big films, especially in the 70’s through the early 2000’s. Regarding the earlier roadshow picture of the 60’s, the greatest collection of films playing together were: 2001 (Century 21), Funny Girl (Century 22) Oliver! (Century 23) and Hello Dolly (Century 24). Those were the days!!!
Other improvements since Westwind took over was improving the facilities and on-screen presentation. One thing I would love to see is t he addition of at least field in the empty space left by the indoor theater. Perhaps a nice new marquee at the corner on Capital and Snell.
The Winchester was closed abruptly in 1984. It was still popular and would sometimes have lines of cars that snaked through the adjacent neighborhood all the way to San Tomas Expressway. There was also a little known entrance on the left side of screen 1 that could save a lot of time waiting to get in. Screens 1, 2 and 3 were some of the largest in the Syufy chain.
“The Robe” and it’s sequel, “Demetrius and the Gladiators” were shown at the Richland together on special CinemaScope screen that dwarfed the original one and was wider than the stage.
This is an absolute gem of a Drive-In. The projection has always been top-notch, even before digital. It can fill up early on the weekends so it’s best to come early. The Francis family has run it for decades. The two indoor theaters are closed but the restrooms are available for the drive-n patrons to use. Very nostalgic snack bar, as well.
I remember going to see “Rio Bravo” at the Star Vue with my family and remembered that it was next to a hill. When I went back for a visit in 1992, I was able to locate the base of the screen and the cement floor of the snack bar, and yes, it was next to a hill.
Taking Spengler Street west from GW Way would take you up a hill for a birds eye view of the Skyline. When I visited in 1992, you could still see berms on the empty lot between the 7-11 and the apartments and broken pieces of the screen.
Mary Poppins had a good run at the St. Francis.
Oliver’s run started in June 1969. Sorry
I saw my favorite film of all time, Oliver!, at least 5 or 6 times during it’s roadshow presentation from June 960 to March 1970. It was the first of the domes to be stupidly carved in half in 1973. I remember seeing the last full screen presentation, Lost Horizon with half the auditorium closes and the wall partially built. It was truly a bummer.
So many great memories at Century 22: Seeing the Sound of Music at least 7 times during it’s initial run, the excitement of the Opening Nights for Star Wars, Star Trek, and other blockbusters (at Century 21 as well). It was a great decision to add the two “mini-domes” to the main theater rather than carving it up. I also a shame the Cinerama screens wit the smaller one.
Century 21 and 22 (the big one} were THE places to see big films, especially in the 70’s through the early 2000’s. Regarding the earlier roadshow picture of the 60’s, the greatest collection of films playing together were: 2001 (Century 21), Funny Girl (Century 22) Oliver! (Century 23) and Hello Dolly (Century 24). Those were the days!!!
Other improvements since Westwind took over was improving the facilities and on-screen presentation. One thing I would love to see is t he addition of at least field in the empty space left by the indoor theater. Perhaps a nice new marquee at the corner on Capital and Snell.
I loved the UA, especially watching from the balcony. I was also facinated by the clock to the left of the screen.