The latest movie theater news and updates
-
March 24, 2004
Today’s Newsreel
Russia’s Avrora theater celebrates its 90th anniversary, the Colonial Theatre hits the halfway wark on its $16 million fundraising effort, and News 9 San Antonio takes a look at the history of the Majestic — all in today’s newsreel.
- Colonial Theatre project achieves a milestone
- Odeon facade saved in £7m revamp plan
- The last picture show for Renfield Odeon
- Majestic history (includes video)
- AAFES opens first movie theater in Iraq
- Joining the theater pub phenomenon
- Recalling the golden age of the silver screen
- Theatre demolition gets under way
- A woman for all seasons: Winter Dellenbach fights to save the Park Theatre
- Theatre holding its own
1 comment -
March 23, 2004
Help Save the Bengies!
BALTIMORE, MD — Gregg Anderson alerted us to the fact that Baltimore’s Bengies Drive-In Theatre has an important zoning hearing on Thursday. If you live near the Baltimore area, please consider attending the meeting to show your support for the theater!
From the Bengies newsletter:
“Dear Great Patrons of the Bengies Drive-In Theatre,
In order to save the Bengies Drive-In Theatre, I must act upon my agreement to purchase the property it sits upon. I must take the zoning of the property and change it from residential to commercial, so that I can set other things into place to generate enough income to support the mortgage.
I have put this request in to Baltimore county, Maryland, and the first of 2 PUBLIC hearings is set for this coming THURSDAY, March 25. It is a public hearing that will be HELD AT 7PM at PARKVILLE HIGH School. [THERE WILL BE A SECOND PUBLIC HEARING LATER THIS SUMMER] Both hearings are VERY important to our cause.
-
Luna Theatre Pic
Wes Reeves sent in this pic of the Luna Theatre (in Clayton, NM):
“I was cleaning out some files and found this photo of another small town theater in my area — the Luna Theater in Clayton, New Mexico. I thought you’d like it. I love the marquee.”
UPDATE: Wes also sent us this link to a recent story about the Luna in American Profile magazine.
-
March 22, 2004
Barbie Loves Cinema Treasures?
Three Cinema Treasures and other L.A. landmarks are featured in the book Barbie Loves L.A. by Greg LaVoi.
There are photos of the Azusa Foothill Drive-In (p. 53), the Cinerama Dome (p. 56), and Grauman’s Chinese (p. 75).
-
Mason City’s Arlee Theater Reopening This Week
MASON CITY, IL — The Arlee Theater on Main Street in Mason City is about to reopen after four years of sitting vacant, according to this report in the Lincoln Courier.
The theater was last used as a country western music venue. Before that, it was a movie house from 1936 until 1984. But in May of 2003, John and Gaye Maxson of Mason City purchased the 450-seat Arlee, and since then have put a good deal of time, effort and money into cleaning up the theater. “I bet I’ve scraped 2,000 pieces of gum off the floor,” says Gaye, “Some of it’s pretty old.”
-
March 19, 2004
Balboa’s Birthday Bash Was a Blast!
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — In anticipation of the big day, the Balboa staff worked hard to clean and get ready for our 78th Balboa Birthday Bash.
With daily construction happening around the theater restoration and handicap upgrades, there was quite a crowd in the lobby and auditoriums each day. Several took on the delicate project of washing the etched glass of our light fixtures while Romero Glass Studios in Oakland was creating replacements for the broken and missing pieces.
-
FREE SEATS!
I have 150-175 theater seats that are available for free. Please contact me for further details.
Jason Womack
541-469-9431
541-661-3577 -
“Swing Into Spring” with the Lorenzo Theater Foundation on Saturday, May 22
SAN LORENZO, CA — Start tapping those toes now for “Swing Into Spring,” the second annual swing dance benefit for Lorenzo Theater Foundation, to be held on Saturday, May 22, 2004, 7 pm to midnight.
Through the generosity of Mather Aviation, the event will have a unique 1940s ambiance: it will be held in one of Mather’s airplane hangars at the Hayward Airport, 19990 Skywest Drive, Hayward.
-
March 18, 2004
Crest Theatre Now Hosts Midnight Classic Film Screenings
LOS ANGELES, CA — Restoring a long cherished Westwood tradition that ended when the Mann Plaza stopped hosting midnight screenings of classic films in 1999, the historic Crest Theatre has begun showing midnight screenings on Friday and Saturday nights.
The Crest now joins the Nuart, the Rialto, the Alex, the New Beverly Cinema, the Egyptian Theatre, the Bing Theater at the Los Angele County Museum of Art, the Bay Theatre, the Silent Movie Theatre, Arclight Cinemas, the Old Town Music Hall, the Warner Grand, and campus theaters at UCLA, USC, and CSUN, all of which have revival screenings as part or all of their programming.
This weekend, the Crest will show Stanley Kubrick’s classic 1971 film, “A Clockwork Orange.” General and reserved seats are onsale at the box office and online.
-
Kansas Historic Theaters Sought for Study
The Kansas State Historical Society is seeking Kansas' past cinema treasures for documentation and study. The preservation office of the Kansas State Historical Society is seeking assistance in locating historic theaters and opera houses for a statewide study.
Three hundred buildings were constructed statewide prior to 1955 for use as movie theaters or opera houses. It is hoped that these can be recorded.