Lauderhill Theatre

I worked in the mall just across from the theater in a pet shop “Pet Corner” in 1978. Although I worked there for about a year I never went to the movie theater.

S Porridge, I checked The Miami News for April 1972 it appears that the second Lauderhill opened the same week as the transfer from Loews to GCC. I suspect it took a while to change all the signs but I don’t think there was ever a case where each company ran one of the sites. The 16th Street Lauderhill opened as the Lauderhill II.

This should be listed as the Lauderhill and not Loews Lauderhill as it was only a Loews theatre for five years before it was sold to GCC.

It was located in the city of Lauderhill, not Fort Lauderdale, and it was already a GCC house when they opened the 16th Street Lauderhill location nearby.

IIRC, Loew’s Lauderhill opened in 1967 with a long run of “The Dirty Dozen.” The theatre stood at the south end of Lauderhill Mall, bordered by a supermarket and a department store. The Loew’s 2 (later 16th Street Cinema), based in a smaller shopping center directly north of Lauderhill Mall, made its debut in 1971 with “The Last Picture Show.” Think GCC took over the Loew’s sites in 1973. By the time I finally visited for local exclusives of “Tommy” and “The Sunshine Boys,” it was an interchangeable GCC 1970s twin job. GCC ran it as a subrun dollar house after their newer Broward Mall fourplex opened, then turned it loose to local independent operators. Office space took over after closing.

The address was 1225 N.W. 40th Avenue

If you’re curious to see more Loew’s annual reports, I have compiled links to all of them from 1965 to 1985 inclusive. Loews Corporation sold off the theatre division in 1985 and then became primarily a tobacco and hotel company.

List of Loew’s annual reports, from TobaccoDocuments.com

I’ve never been to this part of Florida. Is it called ‘Lauderhill’ because it’s on a high hill or bluff above Ft. Lauderdale? (‘dale’ == valley)

Dave-bronx

I remember the Loews Lauderhill being a single screen as well. There were also two other theaters in that immediate area, but I can’t remember what they were called or exactly were they were. Actually one was right on 441. A single screen, and from what I remember somewhat ambitious in design. Definitely built in the 60s, just like everything else down there. Nothing existed in that area before then. I remember seeing ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ there. It may have been the GCC theater you’re talking about. I also saw ‘Animal House’ and ‘Grease’ in another theater around there. The design of that that theater was more ‘box-ee’ not ambitious or interesting like (what may have been) the GCC theater.

I’m pretty sure I saw ‘Star Wars’ there in 1977. I had seen it a couple of times in one or two different theaters in the area and I distinctly remember seeing it there. Back then, the Lauderhill Mall and the Lakes Mall, located a few miles north on 441, were the two very accesible malls in the area, totally reachable by bus. I can remember going to both malls by myself or with friends when I was as young as 12 years old. Can’t beleive my parents actually let me run around like that so far from my neighborhood at a young age. Slightly different times I guess. This was before the Broward Mall opened around 1978.

Speaking of the Lakes Mall, does anybody have any info on the theater that was there called the Lakes 6? I saw many, many films there and hung around that mall a bunch. Jeez some of the films I saw at the Lakes 6:

Viva Knievel
Oh God!
Spinal Tap
Police Academy
Telefon (with Charles Bronson & Lee Remick)
and a few Midnight Movies

Here’s a link to Loew’s 1967 annual report. See page 6.

I do not know whether this theatre is still operating. Any further information would be appreciated.