Japanese Cinema
2247 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60614
2247 N. Clark Street,
Chicago,
IL
60614
1 person
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There are advertisements for this theatre in old Chicago newspapers from 1966 to 1979. The auditorium of the Francis W. Parker School was its location.
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Mister_Comics
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
Yes, the “Japanese Cinema” was located in the auditorium of the Francis W. Parker School. The cinema was operated by Omar Masayuki Kaihatsu from 1966 until 1979.
This is one of those places that show movies but are not commonly known as a movie theater. It probably shouldn’t be in Cinema Treasures. A separate section in CT may be the answer. I was the one who suggested adding it to CT before I heard more about what Japanese Cinema really was. Old newspapers list it with the regular movie theaters.
i went and saw Japanese movies (frequently a double-feature program) a lot back in the mid-1970’s. Considering this effort by Mr. Kaihatsu was so long-lived I say yes keep it in cinema treasures. He was quite a courteous and informative man if you talked with him. Two little drawbacks to screenings in the FWP school auditorium though – A) it was not air-conditioned; and B) the 35mm projectors were only 1000 ft reel equipped models up in the booth so film changeovers were abundant (carbon-arc projection lamps needless to say)
if it was advertised in (public) newspapers regularly perhaps so (I assume admission was charged). maybe it didn’t have a dedicated projection booth like the Japanese cinema @ FWP did
There really needs to be a separate section in Cinema Treasures for places like the Japanese Cinema. The library where I live shows movies every week. So does our Park during the summer months. Every Comic Con, Godzilla Fest, Monster Bash, etc. has movies shown. Museums, Planetariums , schools, campgrounds, and amusement parks all show movies. Town Halls too; and starting to see a lot of them being posted recently. (Probably because whats being discussed here.)
The thing that separates the Japanese Cinema from the rest. It was promoted by Gene Siskel on television and in a article. Also it was advertised in newspapers among the regular movie theaters. But does that make it good enough to be a Cinema Treasure?
that the Japanese Cinema wasn’t a ‘theatre place’ per se had already been established and needn’t be gone over again. Whichever way the CT listing goes (FWP school auditorium or Japanese Cinema) neither’d be 100% correct, but calling it the Japanese Cinema if not accurate from a building structure standpoint is certainly the most familiar and readily accessible (especially for the many who actually went there then) manner of listing here IMO