Alexandria Cinema 6
3820 Alexandria Mall Drive,
Alexandria,
LA
71301
3820 Alexandria Mall Drive,
Alexandria,
LA
71301
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September 19th, 1986 grand opening ad as a 6-plex in the photo section. The twin closed down in 1985.
This opened on December 25th, 1973. Its grand opening ad can be found in the photo section.
Hi Again from Philip Rebstock, I forgot to mention. In 1973 when I took over Quail Creek Cinema in Shreveport , Mr. Wilson , the district manager had me going to Alexandria quite often as the building of the theater was underway and seating, projectors and the like were being shipped there. I was the closest GCC operation and at the time and I was scheduled to be its first Manager after it opened. I remember seeing it for the first time when the concrete for the seating area was being poured. I was given the choice to remain at Quail or go to Alexandria . I decided to stay. The assistant manager from Gulfgate in Houston, I believe his name to be Rameriz was the first manager of the Alexandria theater 1&2
Hi Everyone, I notice a lot of activity on this. Any way, I was Manager of of the Alexandria Cinema I&II at the Mall Alexandria, La in 1978 to 1979. I had managed General Cinema Theaters (Galleria-Houston, Galvez Triple-Galveston, Quail Creek Cinema -Shreveport, . Mr. WJ Wilson was the division manager based out of Houston. The Alexandria theater was the smallest GCC in this division, but was a fun theater for me . I was only 30 years old at the time. I remember getting the movie Superman (you will believe a man can fly) near Christmas in 1978. We got the print in as usual a couple a days ahead and the projectionist had already spliced it up and was ready to go. So as a present to all the employees(on Thursday after the last movie played and we cleared the auditorium). I had the projectionist play just for us the feature. We all loved it. In our business , we didn’t get to see a lot of complete movies. A lot of beginnings and a lot of just endings. This was a big no no(film companies do not approve) but I did it anyway. Just didn’t tell and the projectionist was true friend. He even helped rebuild my MG Motor). At this time AMC was trying to get in to the Act , while GCC was still the number one theater chain.
They were trying out this new “Platter” system that would allow them to get one print and play it in several auditoriums with only a slight lag in time. It also allowed them to go non-union with the projectionist guild. General cinema was against the megaplex idea, but it appeared that AMC was starting to be successful. General Cinema was still using the 2 projector system with 1 hr reels with a changeover que at the end of the 1st reel. They decided to try this multiplex in a theater in Baton Rouge. They would also incorporate the new “Platter System” I was invited to see this in action, although I was still at Alexandria. When I visited the Baton Rouge Cinema in 1979 , I become aware of some of the problems(later worked out). The platter was 2 large aluminum circular plates that would hold 1 entire film spliced together. It could be run thru 1 or several projectors before returning in a long loop to the take up platter. Eliminating changeovers and a projectionist to watch. Theory -it could be played unattended-saving a whole lot of labor cost. The downside-As static electricity would build up it would literally float into the air and sometimes shoot of the platter tearing the film into lots of pieces. General Cinema wasn’t happy with that . AMC persisted and eventually took over market areas because of this edge. Sorry about all the extra talk-but it is possible that the later expansion to a multiplex was part of a design that GCC moved to. They did heavy expansion in splitting 2 screens into multiples and adding extra screens during this period. I managed in Shreveport and know they did that there on visiting early in the 1980’s. After 1980 I did not get a chance to return to Alexandria. If I can find a business card of mine (possible) from Alex cinema I can verify that it is the same address. The address above is the one I remembered for Alexandria Cinema I&II
I agree too Mark and Mike.Lets keep it accurate as possible and fun too!
Good Comment Mark. I always try to give my source and even then someone will correct it and that is fine.we all love movie Theatres since most of us spent hours and hours running them; missing Hoidays and such,for love of working a theatre.
No one is trying to turn this site into a dry, scholarly document filled with footnotes. But, historical information should be cited. If you are quoting an opening or closing date, please let us know where you got that information. If you found an article in a newspaper, let us know the newspaper and date. If you found information on a website, give the author of that site some credit. No need for a full bibliography, just a word or two about the source. That will give someone who might want to check things out further a place to start.
Many posts on CINEMA TREASURES certainly don’t need references. Posts about memories or experiences add character to this site. I love to read posts from former projectionists and managers about their theatres. I want to read about those first experiences with great films or things that might have gone wrong in the booth.
I can not agree that any post is better than no post. There is a book about widescreen processes that is so filled with errors that it is almost unusable. (A list of corrections to the book is 60 pages long!) I don’t want CINEMA TREASURES to become unreliable. Everyone here should try to be as accurate as possible. The site will be better for it.
Mr. Coate.It must be hard to walk around with your ego.Lighten up!With all due repect.
I think it would be helpful if somebody is posting info that has been shown to be often inaccurate, that at least state in your comment where/why you have that information. Not doing so will make your comment appear to confirm already questionable data. I applaud Rivest for accumulating what he has, but being one man sorting out decades of info on places he’s never been is going to lead to errors and misunderstandings. If you’re simply reposting it here to make it part of the Cinematreasures record you should make sure it’s not interpreted as your own recollection/fact.
If somebody posted “Rivest says X theatre opened on X date.” we can be happy with that. Later on somebody else could come along and post “Yes, that sounds right because….”
This sort of anecdotal information gathering is one of the reasons why we don’t let people post to specific theatres at CinemaTour because you get one person who swears up and down one fact that just isn’t true… or as I see often here… that a theatre’s chain should be part of the theatre name when that’s just nonsense.
:)
There’s my $0.02
Well said? I’m not so sure. Walczak took five paragraphs to write what he could’ve stated in a single sentence. The single-sentence version of his opinion on this matter may as well have read something like, “Accuracy does not matter here at Cinema Treasures.”
At least I got a break.Love you Michael,Mean it.
Well Said CWalczac.
Yes, Michael, I am indeed an amateur, as I imagine are the vast majority of those who post on this site. A more precise word would probably be enthusiast. Posters on CT are of many ages, come from many walks of life, vary in education, writing style, and as far as theaters are concerned, include people who have worked in them in various capacities or simply those who come here to offer their memories and the information they wish to share in a community of people that have a common interest. Ultimately this variety is what gives this site (and many others on the internet) the strength, color and vitality they have.
In addition, there are also vast differences in posters' access to materials, in the accuracy of their memories and in their willingness or ability to verify information before posting. There are people who post on this site whose postings sometimes annoy me. But aside from an occasional gentle mention that a discussion is going off-topic (as this one is, so it is going to be my last comment in this matter), I would not dream of disparaging any contributor or any source. If I think something is wrong, I offer what I think is correct and why, doing so as respectfully as I can, always assuming that postings are made in good faith and from a genuine wish to share, to have fun, and to be part of a community with a deeply shared interest.
This is not an academic, scholarly, or scientific journal or site nor even a newspaper (except for the news page) where some refined notion of “accuracy” is desirable or essential. I have read the guidelines very carefully, and there is not the slightest indication that postings need conform to the standards of academic research or scholarly writing or those of responsible journalism. As a person with three academic degrees, I too have done that type of writing and understand fully the standards used in that realm and why they are in place.
The irony is that in expecting such standards to be applied to postings on CT (and let me gently suggest that you perhaps do not fully appreciate this), is that it would really be counterproductive. The far less restrictive guidelines in place here cause portraits of theaters to emerge that, over time, are far richer, complete, and nuanced – and ultimately MORE accurate – than that which could ever be achieved by just posting information culled from newspapers, trade magazines, the Film Daily Yearbooks, and similar sources. The very fact that errors sometimes occur gives newcomers, even those with just a small piece to offer, the opportunity to comment and thus the site grows.
Yes, the process is slow and errors of fact and memory shall inevitably occur and I am not suggesting that posters just post anything, but what is being created here in the way it currently is will be a more complete record of the theaters and (especially) what they meant to people, created through an enjoyable (well, most of the time, anyway) process.
I sure am and don’t pretend to be anything else.
The Chief
Amateurs.
Michael, I agree with Chris!
When a theater is added to CT and no comments are ever added, THAT IS A TERRIBLE WASTE. I try to add a comment to every theater, at least in the United States, to try to stir things up and get other folks interested in that theater, and to comment about it.
I live in a small town of 8,000, in the middle of nowhere, with a small library. Any checking I do on a theater has to be done via computer. Even so at the rate they are added to CT, I have problems keeping caught up.
Is it better to leave the comment blank which is perfect and very accurate?
Is it better to add some info that might not be perfect but might be of interest and get other folks to comment or correct it?
I think rather than a blank comment page, the dates of about when a theater was open is kinda helpful. Yes the exact dates would be great, but who knows them. Someone sees that and thinks oh that’s when it was open or that’s not right and adds a comment. Listing the owners that can be found can be nice and the dates, again not perfect, but someone sees that and thinks, I forgot that, but now I remember General Cinema being there. Is all that exactness that important to the vistor to CT? What about all the locations I’ve found an address for?
Your a perfectionist, you know what, so am I, and I correct lot’s of mistakes on CT. CT is never going to be perfect, I wish it was, but if some dates or facts are off some, they give a general idea.
As I think I’ve said before here, as my wife says about me, and I say about what I add here “It’s better than nothing”.
We all know your feelings so save your time and just “If you find an error,…,correct it.” You can spend that time making a list of CINERAMA Movies in San Juan, Puerto Rico, that’s part of the United States.
Michael, I shall NOT be discouraged from using the information from Mike Rivest’s site or any other online source by you or anyone else except the moderators if they so tell me. No source, not even yours, is always100% accurate. If you find an error, then while being respectful of both the poster and the source, correct it.
Why do some of you guys insist on referencing Rivest? It would appear you Rivest supporters have been hypnotized by the sheer quantity of information in his work and are oblivious to issues of quality. Haven’t enough people pointed out how flawed, plagiaristic and unreliable a resource it is? I mean, even Chuck, of all people, has pointed out on another page how unreliable Rivest’s work can be. How ironic is that??!!
I guess if you are going to continue to quote Rivest, or anyone for that matter, may I suggest at least showing readers the courtesy of citing the source in your comment instead of writing generic crap like “here’s what I found…” or “from what I’ve read….”
This is all I could find out:
Alexandria Mall Cinemas, opened by General Cinema Corp. ~1980, twined early 1980’s, open at least till ~1985.
Alexandria Cinema 6, opened by General Cinema Corp. ~1995, closed by Carmike Cinema, December, 6, 2007.
Your all welcome to verify the dates to make sure they are exact.
Anyone have more info or photos?
MC: I know you do not trust the source, but the GCC information did come from Mike Rivest’s entry for the theater; he also lists a separate, GCC-operated Alexandria Mall I & II. My first thought was that the two entries might actually refer to the same theater (which is why I used the word probably) but other articles older than the one referred to with the picture, always referred to this theater as a six-plex. SDN’s comment above now supports the notion that the two theaters were separate entities.
Well the picture is DEFINITELY a GCC. In following my GCC obsession I’m finding that often they would replace a theatre inside the mall with one outside the mall. Often the original theatre was the “Whatever Mall Cinema” and the new one was just the “Whatever Cinema”. Judging by the picture it was a newer GCC but it doesn’t entirely preclude the idea that the Cinema I & II were outside the mall and incorporated into the newer building.
Looking at the footprint and photos on Google Earth I would say this is an entirely different theatre.
In my JAWS anniversary article posted a couple of months ago, I have a reference to an Alexandria Mall Cinema I & II. If this twin evolved into the sixplex being described above then it opened a lot sooner than the ‘80s as claimed in the intro.
CWalczak: Where did you get the GCC and mid-80s opening claim? Was that published somewhere, or was that guesswork? Or do you believe this is an entirely different theater than the one mentioned in my JAWS list?
A picture of the Alexandria 6 taken before its closing in 2007, accompanied by an article about the closing: View link