Del Mar Theater
530 E. 14th Street,
San Leandro,
CA
94577
530 E. 14th Street,
San Leandro,
CA
94577
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This opened on August 1st, 1941.
Del Mar theatre in San Leandro opening Fri, Aug 1, 1941 – Page 25 · Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) · Newspapers.com
Jack Tillmany, early CinemaTreasures contributor, historian, Theatre Historical Society co-founder, and theatre owner/manager, began his career in exhibition at this theatre.
This is from Boxoffice magazine, 8/2/41:
SAN LEANDRO, CALIF.-The Golden State circuit opened its new 1,100 seat Del Mar Theater here August 1 as the 96th house to become part of the chain. Glenn Caldwell is the manager.
I figured the photo would stick around a little longer after somebody buys the card.
Bid away, my friend.
This 1955 note card with photo is currently selling on eBay for $8.00:
http://tinyurl.com/2oz64h
Grew up in San Leandro and have the fondest memories of the Del Mar. It was very popular with the high school set. On any given Friday or Saturday night, they would sell more tickets that seats and many would be sitting on the balcony aisles! And the “Usherettes” with the Art Modern uniforms with baggy pants and the ever present flashlight which was used to get your attention should you be just a little too loud. It was a great place for date..used to walk to and fro and never worry. Then there was the donut shop next door that had an automatic donut making machine in the window. Used to watch that thing seeminly for hours. Would love to see some photos of the Del Mar if anyone wants to share.
Frank
The front of the Delmar also looked like the front of the now open Delmar in Santa Cruz CA. Check out the Delmar in Santa Cruz. The waterfall curtains in the main downstairs with the red/blue lights on them are worth a look. Jim did a great job at the Delmar. The inside is very different then the San Leandro Delmar, but the outside is almost the same, both built by Golden State Theatres.
I have great memories of the Del Mar. Have great pics of the exterior. The theatre had the stadium style balcony in the back, with main seating towards the front. Had a beautiful light fixture in the center of the ceiling, beautiful yellow curtains that closed. They were really strict in there. You had to pay extra to sit in the balcony and if you were caught, they made you move down to the front! Got caught many times. Saw the movie “Black Sabbath” there and had hamburgers at the chuckburgers down the street. brucec was right! The Marquee you could see all the way down East 14th Street. those were the days
The Del Mar had a beautiful neon Marquee which you could see for miles.I remember sitting through two matinee films along with the regular double bill. I believe the last film to play the Del Mar was MGM"s Where Eagles Dare. The Del Mar use to get all the Disney films and the admissiion price would be raised to 35 cents for children. A lot of wonderful memories in this large neigberhood house.brucec
The Del Mar opened on August 1, 1941. The opening feature that night was Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator.”
Talk about a great Saturday —– a matinee at the Del Mar, an hour or so wandering through Steve’s Hobby Shop on the corner and a cherry coke at the drug store across East 14th. Ahhhh!
I grew up in San Leandro before moving to Oakland. Del Mar was the theatre that I used to go all the time since it was a walking distance from my home. It was an Art Deco building with a loge.
I understood that it was badly vandalized and had to be shut down and demolished. Now Pacific Telephone company occupies the space where Del Mar once stood.