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Memories
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June 5, 2008
Cinematical discusses movie theater movies
The always entertaining blog Cinematical, touches on the topic of films within films over the years and the bloggers experience as a projectionist.
The earliest movie that I’m familiar with that significantly involves a theater is Buster Keaton’s “Sherlock Jr.” The silent comedian plays a projectionist who falls asleep on the job then has a dream in which he literally climbs through the movie screen and into a detective film. A similar idea of breaking the boundary between auditorium and screen is used in Woody Allen’s “The Purple Rose of Cairo” and in John McTiernan’s “The Last Action Hero,” both of which involve a movie character who manages to leave his respective film within the film. But nothing tops Keaton’s screen-entering stunt, which utilizes special effects that still astonish more than 80 years later.
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May 30, 2008
A look into the work of Mandel Sprachman
Here’s a great story from the City of Toronto Archives about the work of Mandel Sprachman and his theaters across the world.
Bryan J Arseneau
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Favorite summer movie memories
Anyone care to share their favorite summer movie experience as a child (between age 5 and age 11). One of mine was watching “Grease” with my crazy cousins in Crystal Lake, Illinois. I will always remember it as the “Summer of Grease”. And what about that “Whacky Shak”? What a blast from the past.
Maria
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May 27, 2008
Alcazar Theatre info
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — I’ve been researching a San Francisco artist, John McQuarrie, for 2 years. I have a Sept. 8, 1912 S.F. Call newspaper article that mentions McQuarrie had painted panels in the Alcazar Theatre. In Tillmany’s “Theaters of San Francisco”, there is a picture of the interior of the Alcazar and one can see a part of a painting on the ceiling above the proscenium. I would like to find a better picture of the painting.
Thank you,
Bruno Morelli
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May 16, 2008
My movie memories of summer 1978
Looking back 30 years ago, back to the summer of 1978, my mind is thick with memories of the pop culture phenomenons of the time. On television, shows like “Happy Days”, “Three’s Company” and “Charlie’s Angels” ruled the tube. Disco was still king, and bands like the Bee Gees, Fleetwood Mac and Kiss ruled the radio. And of course, there were movies…
The summer of 1978 was very special for me because it was one of the few times in my where I can remember every movie that I was in love with at the time being out in the theaters at the same time. By May of 1978, “Saturday Night Fever”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Star Wars”, all 1977 releases, were still going strong on the big screen.
Then, on Friday June 16, 1978, the big screen really exploded (for me, anyway); “Jaws 2” and “Grease” were released on the same day at both movie theaters in “Grease” was playing at the Hampton Arts Theater (a single screen back then) and “Jaws 2” was playing at the Westhampton Beach Theater (a first-run movie theater back then). This was, to say the least, a very big deal for an 11 year-old boy like me. Three years prior, my parents had refused to let me see the original “Jaws”. I must have been the only kid in the entire third grade who wasn’t allowed to see that movie! So now the sequel comes out and my dad had read that it wasn’t as gory, so he let me see it. Now while it can generally be agreed that “Jaws 2” is nowhere near as good as the original, it was quite a thrill nonetheless to see this film on the big screen, especially is a seaside town like Westhampton Beach. For that reason alone, I still have a special place in my heart and memories for “Jaws 2”.
Now, onto “Grease”…put simply, my family went to see that movie on the screen six (6) (yes, I said SIX) times! Two of those times, we stayed in our seats to watch it twice. You could do that without a problem back then. I think we wore out the phonograph needle playing the movie soundtrack over and over again. I actually wanted to be John Travolta! I mean, let’s face it – between “Grease” and “Saturday Night Fever”, this guy always got the chicks!
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May 15, 2008
Library once had role as theater
TEMPLE, TX — While showing few signs of its former self, the Ritz Theater has been standing as a library for over 20 years.
After spending a few minutes browsing aisles of books at McGinley Memorial Library, it’s easy to forget that long ago the place was a movie theater where people lived out today’s distant memories.
Although the exterior of the McGregor library still looks exactly like a theater, once you get indoors, 14,000 books and a computer lab mask the building’s past. Just a few clues shed light on its former role.
Read the full story in the Temple Daily Telegram.
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May 5, 2008
Mystery theater - ID Help???
Can anyone identify this theater??
The marquee says LOEW’S PICCADILLY. The sign on the storefront to the right shows the letters “ROCHES…” which would suggest Rochester NY? Rochester MN? The reverse is marked in pencil “now Paramount – as in early 1920s”.
Anyone??! Thanks for ANY help you can give!
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May 1, 2008
Old Toronto movie houses
Hi Everyone:
I became a member not only because I love old movie houses, but I’m in search of a name of one I used to frequent when I was living in Toronto. I would go there almost every evening and watch two old black and whites for a couple of dollars. You know the drill; “Double Indemnity,” “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” I saw so many old flicks that it became a large part of my youth and life.
Could any of you buffs possess the ability or knowledge which movie house this was? I used to go there between 1970 and 1974.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
Respectfully CC
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April 24, 2008
Info on Flushing theater
There’s an abandoned old theatre in Flushing, Queens, NY, completely boarded up with only the frame of the marquee giving it away. It’s on Northern Blvd. & Main St., just blocks away from the YMCA.
Would anyone know the history or name of this massive-looking house and have any stories to share?
Thanx!
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April 23, 2008
1910 Sunday-closing of theaters
BOISE, ID — This article in the Idaho Statesman takes a look at the local conflicts that arose in 1910 when theaters weren’t allowed to operate on Sundays.
In 1910, when the Idaho Legislature’s Sunday-closing law went into effect, there was widespread dissatisfaction among the businesses affected and a good part of the public as well.
“It shall be unlawful for any person or persons in this state to keep open on Sunday any theatre, playhouse, race track, merry-go-round, circus or show, concert saloon, billiard or pool room, bowling alley, variety hall, or any such place of amusement.”