Comments from thisisjohnbook

Showing 1 - 25 of 87 comments

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Kam Drive-In on Mar 5, 2017 at 4:03 pm

March 5, 2017 will be the last day the Kam Swap Meet will be held. After today, the entire drive in will be eliminated and turned into apartments.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Village Theater on Nov 12, 2016 at 4:02 pm

The building next to the old Village Theater is still there. In place of the Village Theater is a rehabilitation clinic for those with hand and shoulder issues. The actual theater has been demolished.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about El Cobre Theatre on Jan 7, 2016 at 11:49 am

Got a bit of information from a friend whose family used to live in the town of Santa Rita, New Mexico.

According to her, the theater was like many of the times and included an usher. In this case, this theater, which held 317 people, was segregated, with the “brown” people sitting on the left. The area was known for its copper, which brought people to town to work at the mine. One source says the theater was demolished in 1961 and essentially Santa Rita becamee a ghost town. That area is now known as the Chino mine so there’s no remnants of a theater or town.

Another theater may have been in Santa Rita called the Orpheum, but am not sure if it is an actual second theater or if it was the same as the El Cobre but under another name.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Queen Theater on Mar 19, 2015 at 8:16 am

Plan to restore historic Queen Theater set in motion. Nothing is happening yet but it’s the biggest news the Queen has had in 30 years.

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/blog/morning_call/2015/03/plan-to-restore-historic-queen-theater-in-honolulu.html

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Honoka'a People's Theatre on Dec 1, 2014 at 12:59 am

A great 10 minute video about the theater, posted on Friday at the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/video/us/100000003259816/the-last-cinema-in-paradise.html

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Star Theatre on Jun 10, 2014 at 10:43 pm

No photos yet of the Star Theater, but did discover through newspaper scans that “Dangerous Palace” played there in 1930, and a reissue of John Wayne’s “Reap The Wild Wind” in 1954 for only 70 cents admission.

As for Elaine George, in a newspaper article from 1972, it states she was a “motion picture theater operator by inheritance” and that she was “elected to city hall with first term starting January 1, 1965”, with no reference to the theater after this point. She died in May 1981 at the age of 74.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Liberty Theatre on Aug 22, 2013 at 12:37 pm

That’s what I said too when it happened last week. Initial reports had said that police noticed the back entrance was opened, but also didn’t say if that door had been opened beforehand. It was a few days away from getting a public inspection that would’ve made it possible for the new owners to open their mini-mall in there. However, a new article posted at the Tri-City Herald states that the fire may have been due to electrical issues. I’m not sure if that is true, although if the owner was that close from an inspection, this obviously meant that he failed. Here’s the article in question. http://www.tri-cityherald.com/2013/08/20/2531701/liberty-theater-building-blaze.html

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Viking Theater on Feb 2, 2013 at 8:15 pm

The theater is on the corner of 3rd St & Bronstad St.

A photo of the Viking, 2010: http://www.flickr.com/photos/old-curmudgeon/5264156902/

and two more photos, from a blog entry (they are photos #4 and #5 from the top): http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=400211&showall=1

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Valley 6 Drive-In on Feb 2, 2013 at 6:25 pm

It seems that drive-in owner Kieth Kiehl died from cancer-related causes on December 19, 2012, as the website for the theater is his obituary.

Two Facebook pages for the drive-in, one fan-based and the other with now-former employees, all confirm that the 2012 season was their last. Plans for “re-development” of the property are underway. http://www.auburn-reporter.com/news/174681231.html

The marquee, mentioning Kiehl’s passing: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151142288466990&set=o.43760443478&type=1&theater

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Roxy Theatre on Feb 2, 2013 at 5:34 pm

Opened in May 1935, closed in 1973

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Bijou Theatre on Feb 2, 2013 at 4:31 pm

A scan of a newspaper clipping for “The Romance Of Tarzan”, presented in Hawaiian: http://nupepa-hawaii.com/2012/07/22/tarzan-ad-1919/

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Koga Theatre on Feb 2, 2013 at 3:05 pm

Update: it is now a tattoo shop.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Bijou Theatre on Feb 2, 2013 at 3:02 pm

A photo I found of the Bijou: http://i48.tinypic.com/29x8yt3.jpg

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Liberty Theatre on Feb 1, 2013 at 7:16 pm

The Liberty/Ye Liberty was where the parking lot is today, across from the old Empress. The Google Map image highlights the Empress.

I went to the Liberty in 1979 or 1980 when it was close to falling apart, but I had seen a kung fu movie there.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Rex Theatre on Feb 1, 2013 at 5:15 pm

Apparently this was the Oahu Theater as well (one of two different theaters called the Oahu), and ended up becoming the Rex.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Empire Theatre on Feb 1, 2013 at 5:00 pm

A blog entry featuring a 1912 newspaper clipping for the silent film, “Martin Chuzzlewit”, showing at the Empire: http://100yearoldmovies.wordpress.com/2012/12/19/martin-chuzzlewit-edison/

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Palace Theatre on Feb 1, 2013 at 11:01 am

A photo of the Palace from the Aloha-Hawaii blog: http://www.aloha-hawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/honolulu-on-stage.jpg

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Waialae Drive-In on Jan 31, 2013 at 7:36 pm

Kiionioni Place and Loop are named after the Hawaiian phrase for “moving picture”, in honor of the Wai'alae Drive-In that was there.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Sgt. Smith Theatre on Jan 31, 2013 at 6:15 pm

Another photo of the theater, taken in 2007: http://www.flickr.com/photos/iadl/3161722215/

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about PRINCESS Theatre; Honolulu, Hawaii. on Jan 31, 2013 at 1:03 pm

Great photo, with Puowaina (or Punchbowl) in the background

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Fox Cinema Club on Jan 31, 2013 at 12:17 pm

Before Fox, this place was known as the Cameo Theatre.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Tower Drive-In on Jan 31, 2013 at 12:27 am

Capacity for this drive-in was 425.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Renfro Drive-In on Jan 31, 2013 at 12:23 am

Capacity for the Renfro was 500, according to the Motion Picture and Television Almanac.

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Motor-Vue Drive-In on Jan 30, 2013 at 5:33 pm

An archived Geocities page, featuring photos of the area after the demolition of the drive-in: http://www.reocities.com/Hollywood/Pavillion/2216/MotorVu.html

thisisjohnbook
thisisjohnbook commented about Renfro Drive-In on Jan 30, 2013 at 5:26 pm

A Geocities archived page showing photos of the remains of what was the Renfro, from 2000: http://www.oocities.org/hollywood/Pavillion/2216/Renfro.html