Crowd Starts To Arrive Film Noir Festival 2026 Grand Lake Theatre

This downstairs ‘Grand Lake’ Theatre #1 new built from many years ago projection room booth reminds me of the three projector ‘Cinerama’ booths they had to build in the back of all the ‘Cinerama’ houses in 1953/54. The road show theatres had the middle one like this one and had to put two more 35mm projectors on a angle in the back corners of each theatre. I remember they must have had good soundproofing as you never heard the projectors running just like at the ‘Fox Grand Lake Theatre’ The downstairs projection rooms had a good direct view of the screen not much keystone effect curved or flat like from way hi up above the balcony were most theatres had their projection equipment. ‘Todd-AO’ had a special lens for some 70mm ‘Todd-AO’ theatres used when they projected down from way high up to correct for the curved screen distance keystone look. I wish the ‘Grand Lake’ had put in the D-150 curved screen system in the late 1960’s. ‘Fox West Coast Theatres’ had looked into It for the ‘Grand Lake’ but never did. Some of the side stage sections would have to be removed. I don’t think they liked buying It from ‘UA Theatres’ then renting the D-150 lens each time they ran a 70mm film and projected with the big D-150 screen size. Now we are stuck with a wide semi large flat screen at the GL.