Stanley Theatre
2750 Granville Street,
Vancouver,
BC
V6H 3J3
2750 Granville Street,
Vancouver,
BC
V6H 3J3
3 people
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I worked as a projectionist at the Stanley for years. They had two Philips Todd-AO projectors that could run 35/70mm affixed with Christie Lamphouses. It was a pleasure to operate those projectors. From my understanding they were crated and shipped to a warehouse in Alberta in 1991 after its closure. Sad demise for two of the greatest projectors ever made. They exhibited years of film history.
Fifty years ago today THE EXORCIST opened here. The Stanley was among only two-dozen cinemas in twenty-one North American markets to play the film at release launch.
A chronology of Vancouver’s 70mm presentation history, has recently been published. The Stanley gets several mentions in the piece.
Opened on December 15, 1930.
I started with Famous in the early 2000s. I’m not exactly sure what happened to them but the name Doug Smith sounds familiar. He might have been at corporate in Toronto. Neither of them were managing the Capitol 6 by then.
One of its managers was Cliff Gallant (when the Stanley was a Famous Players theatre); Gallant ran the Capitol 6 and Doug Smith managed the Stanley, and the two switched jobs, as I understood it. Anyone know if those two managers are still alive?
Circa 1951 photo added courtesy of the Hemmings Motor News Facebook page.
It was standard fare! I used to work with someone who managed the Vogue during the run of Jedi in 83, he said the lineups were down the block and then some.
It’s hard to believe that huge films such “The Empire Strikes Back” used to open up on just one screen in a city as big as Vancouver.
“The Rocketeer” was presented at the Stanley Theatre in 70mm 6-Track THX Dolby Stereo SR beginning on Friday June 21, 1991 (the film’s nationwide release date).
It doesn’t surprise me that the town drunk tried to kill it.
The Stanley at that point, and even later on when it was THX certified in 1985, was a top notch building head to toe. The Chain treated the building with TLC, and technically, it was probably better than most of the newer complexes built today.
Rumor has it that they moved the THX system over to Station Square #1 “ Bijou ” after the Stanley closed. I do find this hard to believe, as the Station Square opened with this screen already certified some three years earlier.
I remember this great theater so well…saw many classic films there, including ‘Star Wars’, ‘Fantasia’, ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, ‘The Untouchables’, ‘Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom’, and ‘Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade’. This theater had a sound system superior to many modern ones, in addition to being extremely well maintained. I was disgusted with Famous Players for abandoning it and with then-Vancouver mayor Gordon Campbell for trying to sell it off to his developer friends. Glad to see it is well maintained, though it no longer shows movies of any sort.
This theatre was built for Mr. Frederick Guest, a theatre operator from Ontario. After a few years of independent theatre operation, Famous Players Canadian Corporation acquired control of this theatre!!
rl_83, I stand corrected. I looked up some old Vancouver Sun microfilms from 1991 and The Stanley did close in September.
I guess my memory isn’t what it used to be…
Some pictures of the Stanley from the City of Vancouver Archives (all will enlarge if clicked upon): View link View link View link
It couldn’t have been The Marrying Man.
That film had a release date of April 1991, The Stanley closed in September 1991, after running “ The Rocketeer ” all summer in 70mm.
I am sure the last film they played on closing night was the 1990 version of “ Fantasia ” in 70mm.
I think the last film to play at this theatre was “The Marrying Man” in early 1991.
Considering it was best theatre in Vancouver, that was kind of a sour note to leave off on!
Does anyone have an interior photo of this building as a cinema?
To reply to Warren G Harris question from a few years ago, the current seat count at the Stanley is 650 seats.