Funny about the Hello Dolly movie. In the back behind the screen there were dressing rooms for the staff (not the modern ones but the ones used in the 30’s and 40’s. In a dusty pile in one of these rooms was a stack of ticket stubs from Hello Dolly. I took a few for myself and left the rest for the sake of history. Probably gone now.
Actually at the time the Silver City at Yonge and Eglinto was built Famous Players did not own either the Regent or the Mount Pleasent. Both theatres are independently owned by the same onwer who also happens to own Central Parkway Cinemas and a theatre in Pembroke. There used to be an agreement between the owners of the theatres and Famous Players regarding film movement and advertising but I am not sure if that is still in place. Now that the Eglinton is closed they are the 2 nicest single screens left. It was this theatre chain that first brought into practice the mom’s and babies shows that Famous started to use shortly after.
I managed this theatre from April 1998 to April 1999. I was rummaging through the filing cabinet one day and found a scrap book from the opening. There was a full page add with a picture of the theatre and around it the names and logos of all the companies that helped build it.
The first movie was the King of Bulesque and in the opening night picture you can see the line up head west around the corner to where the Scotia Bank is now.
There was no concession when it opened, and the area by the office where the fire place is was a smoking area. The room behind the screen had stairs to two wings, a womans and a mens dressing room. Lockers behind the screen had some old uniforms that no one ever took or moved. They were a part of the place. When it opened there was an orchestra pit infront of the screen, you could get to in after it was covered up by crawling through the duct work.
I had the pleasure of being the manager during the movie shoot for Gene Wilder’s Murder in a Small Town. The theatre was filled with people in 30’s cloths watching the last 2 minutes of Angels with Dirty faces (which I got to do the projection for). On the street they had old cars and the fronts of the buildings on both sides of Eglinton were dressed up to look like stores from the 30’s, it was a trip to the past. If you ever watch the movie the first 2 minutes of the film were shot at the Eglinton. It took 12 hours to set up, shoot and tear down for thoes 2 minutes. It was a lot of fun.
The Theatre showed Titanic for it’s full run including the date the Titanic actually sank.
The Eglinton had handicapped access via the back doors, but I guess that was not good enough. It probably could have been grandfathered if Famous Players had of taken up the fight, but take it from someone who was there 3 years before the closing, the Eglliton’s fate was sealed as soon as the Silver City and Yonge and Eglinton went up and the final nail was Famous Players purchase of Canada Square.
Oddly enough when it was built the Eglinton was not a first run theatre it was a nieghbourhood theatre that took in films after theatres like the University and the Uptown were done with them. It became a first run theatre when the twins and multies with their smaller audtioriums were built.
I had the re release of The Wizard of Oz in 1998. I watched it on my own one late night and you could almost feel the ghosts of the past stop by to see it again.
It was called the Jewel of Famous Players at one time.
I was the last manager of the westwood in April of 1998. I put the sign up directing people to the similar fated Skyway Cinemas. I am strangely proud that the sign is still there.
I have to debate the theory that it was a single screen coverted to 2 and then 3. It is my understanding and the buildings set up supports this this point of view that it was built as a twin screen.
The large central hall between the 2 theatres was not there, it was part of theatre 2. The doors to the managers office, and the washrooms are mirrored on the theatre 1 side, but on that side they are locked now. Before it was 3 auditoriums this gave guests access to the washrooms without having to leave the auditorium, the manager had the same access to both theatres from the office. As well the stairs to the projection both were inside where theatre 2 would be, to the left of theatre 3 as it stands now. Finally if it had of been a single screen then it would have been huge, over 1000 seats (I may be off here its been a while but 1 = 500 seats, 2 = 300 seats and 3 = 225 seats). This would make it bigger than Uptown 1, York 1 and the Eglinton, and it was not. Finally the design of the projection both straddling the middle (over top of the hallway) faces both ways. Up there you can see where a wall was brought down to create a booth for screen 3,in probably what was the blast room for making up and breaking down film in the days when film was nitro based and caught fire easily.
I have been told that the lobby was once a sunken lobby with seating for guests, in the days before long concession lines. The basement had a great Freddy Kruger like black oil furnace with 2 settings hot and off, and a 3 ft high duct by my office door that rythmicly tapped like there was someone doing a code, and stopped when I came out to have a look for the source of the sound.
Titanic was one of the last movies as was Wild Things, the 3rd evening feature escapes me but the Borowers was there for matiness.
It was closed because of the Silver Cities , specifically the one on the Queensway that was never built but was as a Cineplex 3 years later. The Westwood had lots of life left, it was a discount theatre with first run films and I was selling out shows up until the end.
Thanks for listening
Funny about the Hello Dolly movie. In the back behind the screen there were dressing rooms for the staff (not the modern ones but the ones used in the 30’s and 40’s. In a dusty pile in one of these rooms was a stack of ticket stubs from Hello Dolly. I took a few for myself and left the rest for the sake of history. Probably gone now.
Ok Tim you win. I can’t argue with someone who has been there. Thanks for clearing it up.
Actually at the time the Silver City at Yonge and Eglinto was built Famous Players did not own either the Regent or the Mount Pleasent. Both theatres are independently owned by the same onwer who also happens to own Central Parkway Cinemas and a theatre in Pembroke. There used to be an agreement between the owners of the theatres and Famous Players regarding film movement and advertising but I am not sure if that is still in place. Now that the Eglinton is closed they are the 2 nicest single screens left. It was this theatre chain that first brought into practice the mom’s and babies shows that Famous started to use shortly after.
I managed this theatre from April 1998 to April 1999. I was rummaging through the filing cabinet one day and found a scrap book from the opening. There was a full page add with a picture of the theatre and around it the names and logos of all the companies that helped build it.
The first movie was the King of Bulesque and in the opening night picture you can see the line up head west around the corner to where the Scotia Bank is now.
There was no concession when it opened, and the area by the office where the fire place is was a smoking area. The room behind the screen had stairs to two wings, a womans and a mens dressing room. Lockers behind the screen had some old uniforms that no one ever took or moved. They were a part of the place. When it opened there was an orchestra pit infront of the screen, you could get to in after it was covered up by crawling through the duct work.
I had the pleasure of being the manager during the movie shoot for Gene Wilder’s Murder in a Small Town. The theatre was filled with people in 30’s cloths watching the last 2 minutes of Angels with Dirty faces (which I got to do the projection for). On the street they had old cars and the fronts of the buildings on both sides of Eglinton were dressed up to look like stores from the 30’s, it was a trip to the past. If you ever watch the movie the first 2 minutes of the film were shot at the Eglinton. It took 12 hours to set up, shoot and tear down for thoes 2 minutes. It was a lot of fun.
The Theatre showed Titanic for it’s full run including the date the Titanic actually sank.
The Eglinton had handicapped access via the back doors, but I guess that was not good enough. It probably could have been grandfathered if Famous Players had of taken up the fight, but take it from someone who was there 3 years before the closing, the Eglliton’s fate was sealed as soon as the Silver City and Yonge and Eglinton went up and the final nail was Famous Players purchase of Canada Square.
Oddly enough when it was built the Eglinton was not a first run theatre it was a nieghbourhood theatre that took in films after theatres like the University and the Uptown were done with them. It became a first run theatre when the twins and multies with their smaller audtioriums were built.
I had the re release of The Wizard of Oz in 1998. I watched it on my own one late night and you could almost feel the ghosts of the past stop by to see it again.
It was called the Jewel of Famous Players at one time.
Hi all,
I was the last manager of the westwood in April of 1998. I put the sign up directing people to the similar fated Skyway Cinemas. I am strangely proud that the sign is still there.
I have to debate the theory that it was a single screen coverted to 2 and then 3. It is my understanding and the buildings set up supports this this point of view that it was built as a twin screen.
The large central hall between the 2 theatres was not there, it was part of theatre 2. The doors to the managers office, and the washrooms are mirrored on the theatre 1 side, but on that side they are locked now. Before it was 3 auditoriums this gave guests access to the washrooms without having to leave the auditorium, the manager had the same access to both theatres from the office. As well the stairs to the projection both were inside where theatre 2 would be, to the left of theatre 3 as it stands now. Finally if it had of been a single screen then it would have been huge, over 1000 seats (I may be off here its been a while but 1 = 500 seats, 2 = 300 seats and 3 = 225 seats). This would make it bigger than Uptown 1, York 1 and the Eglinton, and it was not. Finally the design of the projection both straddling the middle (over top of the hallway) faces both ways. Up there you can see where a wall was brought down to create a booth for screen 3,in probably what was the blast room for making up and breaking down film in the days when film was nitro based and caught fire easily.
I have been told that the lobby was once a sunken lobby with seating for guests, in the days before long concession lines. The basement had a great Freddy Kruger like black oil furnace with 2 settings hot and off, and a 3 ft high duct by my office door that rythmicly tapped like there was someone doing a code, and stopped when I came out to have a look for the source of the sound.
Titanic was one of the last movies as was Wild Things, the 3rd evening feature escapes me but the Borowers was there for matiness.
It was closed because of the Silver Cities , specifically the one on the Queensway that was never built but was as a Cineplex 3 years later. The Westwood had lots of life left, it was a discount theatre with first run films and I was selling out shows up until the end.
Thanks for listening