It was also a legit house in the early 80’s that housed Blues In the Night with Leslie Uggams.
After thirteen previews, the Broadway production, directed by Epps, opened on June 2, 1982 at the Rialto Theatre, where it ran for 53 performances. Jean Du Shon, Debbie Shapiro, Leslie Uggams, and Charles Coleman comprised the cast. The show was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical.
Oh wow thanks moviebuff 82. Sounds like a totally different concept. Not sure I would like the rumbling recliners. Regal RPX at least here in Asheville is the pits. I’ve seen 2 films in the RPX theater Sully and Beauty and The Beast and both were shown in regular 2.35 format. Definitely not worth the extra money especially since two of the other screens in this multiplex are much larger.
Thanks to the Frank Theater chain, they ruined a great theater when they took it over from Shriver theaters and chopped it up into 5 screens. They also ruined all the theaters in Wildwood NJ. What a piece of crap theater chain. They were even worse when I worked briefly for them in 1975
Yeah that was in Sommers Point. When they twinned the Ventnor they did a terrible cheap job. The original theater had large screen masking and great curtains. The twinning had none of that.
Me too but I was just a kid so at that time who knew. Yes the Frank’s totally destroyed the Strand In Ocean City. There is a web page of the old Hunts and Shriver theaters. It had beautiful pictures. To think now where our beautiful Steel Pier stood is a casino that’s been in bankruptcy more then once UGH
Yeah the Frank’s ruined the Astor. The original owner Sam Shapiro whom I knew from bingo on the boardwalk was a first class act. he ran two summers in a row The Graduate. I remember when it burned down in the middle 70’s. Frank theaters had already closed it several tears before. Apparently it had amazing murals on the ceilings and beautiful statues. The Frank’s also ruin all the Wildwood and Ocean City theaters either twining them or making them 5 plexes.
The old Frank chain was the pits. I worked one summer for a few months at the Embassy and they were really buttholes that didn’t care about customers or employees. When they purchased the Apollo circuit chain which was the Embassy, Apollo and Strand it was the end of another good AC chain just like when Hamid sold his theaters to G & G and the Steel Pier to the owners of Million Dollar Pier.1973 was the last summer for 3 of the 4 boardwalk theaters. The Roxy became Movieworld museum run by Hamid’s son, the Apollo became a burlesque house and the Virginia was closed because the government bought the 900 block and allowed everything except the Virginia to remain open. Hamid’s son told me that they wanted to keep the Virginia open but couldn’t. That was also the last year for the Steel Pier under Hamid who had already sold it but was asked to run it one more year. Fortunately the Strand was sold to private owners and remained open for at least 6 more years. The casino’s ruined our great AC.
Doctor Doolittle was actually at the Hollywood as a roadshow engagement in the summer of 69. The Sand Pebbles was the summer before. Doctor Dolittle ended and Boom with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton opened August 8. You apparently grew up in Philly and spent summers in AC like I did.
Ah I remember those days well. Once the first showing started it was continuous until the last show unless it was a roadshow engagement and they generally had 2 shows daily. I don’t remember Patton playing at the Shore? was it during the winter months and was it a roadshow engaement? The only other roadshow engagement I know that played during the winter months was The Lion In Winter at the Charles in 69
The Center did stop using the curtain. If memory serves me correct. The Hollywood and Center were the only ones that stay open all year. The Shore did the winter after Oliver.
The Shore also had The Bible and Oliver. I think they ended up there because the other theaters except for the Roxy had roadshow films which brings us back to why the Roxy was never used for roadshow engagements. I know the Center did not have masking when it went to porn films but I saw What’s Up Doc there and can’t remember if they had masking or not. I was only in the Hollywood once and it was $1.00 theater in 78 and had no masking or curtains then. Actually the year Oliver was at the Shore and Funny Girl at the Center, 1969 the Hollywood had what was the big scandal X film of it’s day I Am Curious Yellow. They kept a cop at the box office all day. Today that film would probably be rated R. Considering the Hollywood was much bigger then the Shore Oliver should have played there. Love the big curved screen the Center had.
The theater has been fully renovated with luxury recliners in all theaters and reserved seating. The only thing Cinemark didn’t do yet is put in new screens. they have a new digital projection and sound system.
Please update in the above synopsis.
I think the aspect ratio at the Casino was always 1.66. Yes you never saw the screen raised in the music hall. If you remember the music hall also had no masking which considering all the curtains they had was strange. In the later years the Casino used the navy blue curtain instead of the masking. This seemed to be the case with Hamid’s theaters. The Virginia the main roadshow theater had no masking or curtains and neither did the Shore. The Hollywood, Center and Roxy did. Why the Roxy was not the roadshow house is beyond me. It was double the size of the Virginia and had a balcony.
Yeah the original screen in the Casino was great. It fit the whole length of the stage. It was interesting that the 1.85 aspect ratio films on that screen were very square almost like a 16 mm print.
Bobby S the AMC/Carmike merger went through. They started in Florida first and last month NC. My local theater officially became an AMC theater March 30. Carmike was the worst chain ever.
The Midway was the Tony Grant Theater. When they demolished the music hall they changed the name of the Casino to the music hall. Yes, the one time I went in 77 the screen that fit the size of the stage was gone. They had a small screen that they hung in the wall so they could use the stage for the show. If I remember correctly they built the stage out a little too.
Please update above.
It was also a legit house in the early 80’s that housed Blues In the Night with Leslie Uggams. After thirteen previews, the Broadway production, directed by Epps, opened on June 2, 1982 at the Rialto Theatre, where it ran for 53 performances. Jean Du Shon, Debbie Shapiro, Leslie Uggams, and Charles Coleman comprised the cast. The show was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical.
What is Imax VR?
Oh wow thanks moviebuff 82. Sounds like a totally different concept. Not sure I would like the rumbling recliners. Regal RPX at least here in Asheville is the pits. I’ve seen 2 films in the RPX theater Sully and Beauty and The Beast and both were shown in regular 2.35 format. Definitely not worth the extra money especially since two of the other screens in this multiplex are much larger.
Can I ask what is a Dolby Cinema Screen. Is this an AMC exclusive?
I’ll be in town Sat-next Wed I may have to come back to this theater.
Thanks to the Frank Theater chain, they ruined a great theater when they took it over from Shriver theaters and chopped it up into 5 screens. They also ruined all the theaters in Wildwood NJ. What a piece of crap theater chain. They were even worse when I worked briefly for them in 1975
The Benn was a RKO Stanley Warner theater. To my knowledge the Benson was not connected with the Benn and RKO SW theaters.
Yeah that was in Sommers Point. When they twinned the Ventnor they did a terrible cheap job. The original theater had large screen masking and great curtains. The twinning had none of that.
Me too but I was just a kid so at that time who knew. Yes the Frank’s totally destroyed the Strand In Ocean City. There is a web page of the old Hunts and Shriver theaters. It had beautiful pictures. To think now where our beautiful Steel Pier stood is a casino that’s been in bankruptcy more then once UGH
Yeah the Frank’s ruined the Astor. The original owner Sam Shapiro whom I knew from bingo on the boardwalk was a first class act. he ran two summers in a row The Graduate. I remember when it burned down in the middle 70’s. Frank theaters had already closed it several tears before. Apparently it had amazing murals on the ceilings and beautiful statues. The Frank’s also ruin all the Wildwood and Ocean City theaters either twining them or making them 5 plexes.
The old Frank chain was the pits. I worked one summer for a few months at the Embassy and they were really buttholes that didn’t care about customers or employees. When they purchased the Apollo circuit chain which was the Embassy, Apollo and Strand it was the end of another good AC chain just like when Hamid sold his theaters to G & G and the Steel Pier to the owners of Million Dollar Pier.1973 was the last summer for 3 of the 4 boardwalk theaters. The Roxy became Movieworld museum run by Hamid’s son, the Apollo became a burlesque house and the Virginia was closed because the government bought the 900 block and allowed everything except the Virginia to remain open. Hamid’s son told me that they wanted to keep the Virginia open but couldn’t. That was also the last year for the Steel Pier under Hamid who had already sold it but was asked to run it one more year. Fortunately the Strand was sold to private owners and remained open for at least 6 more years. The casino’s ruined our great AC.
That was one theater I never went to. It was always the AC theaters and the Ventnor and Margate.
Photo ADDED
The walls of what was once a landmark movie theater in Asheville are starting to come down.
Demolition begins at Beaucatcher Cinemas
Demolition has begun on the old Beaucatcher Cinemas on Tunnel Road. The theater has been there for decades.
Doctor Doolittle was actually at the Hollywood as a roadshow engagement in the summer of 69. The Sand Pebbles was the summer before. Doctor Dolittle ended and Boom with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton opened August 8. You apparently grew up in Philly and spent summers in AC like I did.
Ah I remember those days well. Once the first showing started it was continuous until the last show unless it was a roadshow engagement and they generally had 2 shows daily. I don’t remember Patton playing at the Shore? was it during the winter months and was it a roadshow engaement? The only other roadshow engagement I know that played during the winter months was The Lion In Winter at the Charles in 69
Please update to demolished. UGH
The Center did stop using the curtain. If memory serves me correct. The Hollywood and Center were the only ones that stay open all year. The Shore did the winter after Oliver.
The Shore also had The Bible and Oliver. I think they ended up there because the other theaters except for the Roxy had roadshow films which brings us back to why the Roxy was never used for roadshow engagements. I know the Center did not have masking when it went to porn films but I saw What’s Up Doc there and can’t remember if they had masking or not. I was only in the Hollywood once and it was $1.00 theater in 78 and had no masking or curtains then. Actually the year Oliver was at the Shore and Funny Girl at the Center, 1969 the Hollywood had what was the big scandal X film of it’s day I Am Curious Yellow. They kept a cop at the box office all day. Today that film would probably be rated R. Considering the Hollywood was much bigger then the Shore Oliver should have played there. Love the big curved screen the Center had.
Glad they are keeping the theater and putting money into it rather then redevelop it for commercial use
The theater has been fully renovated with luxury recliners in all theaters and reserved seating. The only thing Cinemark didn’t do yet is put in new screens. they have a new digital projection and sound system. Please update in the above synopsis.
Status still needs to be updated to retia. It is a store called R&H
I think the aspect ratio at the Casino was always 1.66. Yes you never saw the screen raised in the music hall. If you remember the music hall also had no masking which considering all the curtains they had was strange. In the later years the Casino used the navy blue curtain instead of the masking. This seemed to be the case with Hamid’s theaters. The Virginia the main roadshow theater had no masking or curtains and neither did the Shore. The Hollywood, Center and Roxy did. Why the Roxy was not the roadshow house is beyond me. It was double the size of the Virginia and had a balcony.
Yeah the original screen in the Casino was great. It fit the whole length of the stage. It was interesting that the 1.85 aspect ratio films on that screen were very square almost like a 16 mm print.
Bobby S the AMC/Carmike merger went through. They started in Florida first and last month NC. My local theater officially became an AMC theater March 30. Carmike was the worst chain ever.
The Midway was the Tony Grant Theater. When they demolished the music hall they changed the name of the Casino to the music hall. Yes, the one time I went in 77 the screen that fit the size of the stage was gone. They had a small screen that they hung in the wall so they could use the stage for the show. If I remember correctly they built the stage out a little too.