AMC Alondra 6 Theatres
10802 Alondra Boulevard,
Cerritos,
CA
90703
10802 Alondra Boulevard,
Cerritos,
CA
90703
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Note: Questionable AMC Eastmont 4 in Oakland and the original AMC Hilltop 4 in Richmond were quaint comparison to the atrocity. I’m being nice here. AMC in the 70’s were boxy, unkempt and flat out grungy. As far as old time multiplexes, Century, some United Artists and General Cinemas were the way to go back then. My family avoided AMC theatres like the plague. Some of the newer properties are not much better (I’m talking to you Mercado, Fashion Valley and Fullerton!). Just saying.
Saw many movies here in the early 80’s. Worked here from 1989 to 1991. Great place. I miss it.
…and yes, the building was demolished and is now an LA Fitness. :(
I worked at this theater – it was my first “real” job after high school. I started as concession, then did usher, box office and finally projectionist.
I used to love cleaning up the booths and finding 10+ year old trailers, posters and other stuff.
Some of the managers I had were Kathy Dominguez, Bill Fair and Don Lane – all great people.
Wonderful memories of this ‘tacky’ little movie theater. It was a tight-knit group of employees. Lots of fun.
This opened on November 27th, 1974. Grand opening ad in photo section for this theatre.
Really a tacky AMC theatre to me.
This location should be marked as demolished.
Here is a December 1976 ad from the same source:
http://tinyurl.com/nbxntk
Here is an ad from the Long Beach Press-Telegram dated 1/20/78:
http://tinyurl.com/6ymskm
I watched a million movies here in the late 70’s and early 80’s, including my first 3D flick: “Comin' at Ya”. I definitely remember it being low rent even as a kid; the snack bar was to the immediate right as you walked in the front door. I remember a lot of burnt orange tile and small screens, with the two auditoriums flanking the snack bar as being larger perhaps?
The Alondra 6 actully had more than 1200 seats. Each theatre were narrow, with a center row, reminiscent of early AMC’s. The theatre actually stayed open as a successful dollar house for many years. It succumbed to the new theatres at Norwalk and Cerritos. It finally closed around 1998. It was ran as a unit of Norwalk 20 in its final days. The site was torn down.
Two interesting notes:
– sound was Mono all the way until the theatre closed. AMC never upgraded it.
– it had a crusty toilet in the booth for the projectionist that looked like had never been cleaned.
Here is a photo gallery from the gym at this location. My gym in Torrance used to be a Mann Theater (also LA Fitness) so I think you can safely change the status to Gym:
http://www.lafitness.com/Pages/gallery.aspx
This June 1980 ad was in the LA Times. Rest in peace, Don:
http://tinyurl.com/yte3kr
The Alondra 6 was typical of AMC’s mid 70’s era multiplexes. AMC had just moved out of the multiplex novelty stage (exemplified in venues, like the Fashion Square 4, that were poorly designed oddities) and in to mass produced formulistic venues.
Obviously built on a modest budget, the theatre was “no frills”, and purely functional in design; modest shoebox style auditoriums, small screens, budget seating fixtures, pseudo stereo sound, minimalistic support facilities, and generic decor. I do recall there being a booth toilet, awkwardly placed near a doorway.
The theatre must have closed in he late 90’s, as it was still listed on corporate phone lists as late as 97'.
I believe the site may now be an LA Fitness.
Perhaps closed/demolished. That’s a little out of my neighborhood to confirm.
Maybe 150 seats per screen, so approximately 900 seats? I assume the rooms weren’t closets like the Beverly Center.
The AMC Alondra 6 – or the Alondra 6, as it was sometimes known – was open in 1974 and through 1990 at least. The address was 10802 Alondra Boulevard (at the 605 Freeway), Cerritos CA 90703-1502 and it had six screens.