Village Theatres
40789 Village Drive,
Big Bear Lake,
CA
92315
40789 Village Drive,
Big Bear Lake,
CA
92315
1 person
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Jerry Lewis Cinemas
Previous Names: Big Bear Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The second Big Bear Theatre opened its doors on July 14, 1972 with Walt Disney’s “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” starring Angela Lansbury and “In Search of the Castaways” starring Hayley Mills. It was intended to open as a Jerry Lewis Cinema, but that company was in freefall and it was opened by an independent operator as the Big Bear Theatre. It was renamed the Village Theatre while under the management of Dick Copley on September 24, 1975 after extensive remodeling, reopening with a Barbra Streisand double bill program: “Funny Lady” and “For Pete’s Sake”.
The Village Theatre was twinned in 1993 and remained as a twin-screener until final closure by E & W Theatres on August 14, 2012 with Christian Bale in “Dark Knight Rises” & Colin Farrell in “Total Recall”.
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50sSNIPES
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Recent comments (view all 1 comments)
Designed as a Jerry Lewis Cinema, architect Charles W. Yeager’s design kept the town’s aesthetic continuity, retaining neighboring mature trees and mountain harmony. It eschewed the standard Lewis design with a 366-seat auditorium and a much smaller parking lot due to the preservation of the trees.
And then the operation really strayed as Lewis ankled the nationwide project and Network Cinema, its parent company, went into freefall financial ruin. So Lewis was scrubbed from the building plans' exterior signage as it opened as the Big Bear Theatre on July 14, 1972 with Walt Disney’s “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” and “In Search of the Castaways.“ And even the Lewis' no “R” policy wasn’t followed as the venue had a big hit with “The Godfather” the next year.
The venue closed at the end of its 40 year lease on August 14, 2012 with “Dark Knight Rises” and “Total Recall (2012).”