Thanks OP yes I think they had the white work lights on when I took this photo. Was inside a few days ago when the bar was open and they were red again. Now only If they can put some color lights inside Theatre #1. All the pre show is washed out on the screen by overhead white deco roof lights shining down on the screen. This can be fixed by putting in a shield on the 3 ceiling lights so the light does not aim down at the screen on the backside. The side old organ grills need some blue or green/turquoise lighting along with the red curtains. Many years ago this classic cinema had blue lights on dim in a dark theatre when a movie was going. Now everything is turned off. Showmanship needs to come back at the Alamo ‘New Mission’. Check out the old Fox Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto CA and see their color lights during a movie.
Too bad AMC does not advertise in newspapers these days. They wonder why they have a drop in admissions. At least they can run ad listing on Fri/Sat in key markets. I bet business would pick up. Like In San Francisco CA Century/Cinemark & Landmark Theatres still have movie listing ads in the papers but AMC & Regal and many independent cinemas don’t bother. Guess what theatres the tourists go to? Thanks Ride for the ad listings.
Thanks Dallas for this classic photo. These side black light murals of scenes of deco San Francisco glowed dark blue when a movie was on. They all left when the cinema was turned into a drug store and a small cinema space put in in the former balcony. Too bad no one saved this classic SF black light art. If you look on the side fire exits from the front right side you can see the whole cement theatre building still standing. They just gutted the inside. Maybe some day when the W drug store goes MR Lee’s family can put the Marina Theatre back downstairs and restore the black light murals if he can find a artist that knows black light art image glow. I have some of the vapor black light bulbs from this cinema, they won’t work with my electric set up.
Thanks for the image Lou. Must have been a great movie theatre to see wide screen movies at in the 1950’s with surround stereo sound and curtains. Glad they are re opening for the opera crowd.
Thanks Texas for this great 1954 CinemaScope® ad from NY. I remember as a kid going to see it with my parents and brother at the Golden State DelMar Theatre in downtown Santa Cruz CA on their new wide screen. We had to sit up on the right side of the balcony and I remember one of the fist times hearing 4 track mag stereo sound from the wall surround RCA speakers when the airplane engines started to fail. I kept looking up at the speakers with the sound effects that came on at times during the film. Was so happy when our family got our first stereo record turntable in the late 1950’s. I think I even bought the soundtrack album.
Thanks Texas for the CinemaScope® ad. I doubt the Ideal Drive In had stereophonic sound in the small car speakers like It says in the ad? This was probably copied from a standard 20th Century Fox CinemaScope® ad for indoor cinemas.
Just like 20th Century Fox did in their early CinemaScope® ads that showed a screen way to curved going into the seats the ABC Ultra-Vision® company did the same thing. The Ultra-Vision® curved screen was nice and curved but not like the drawing in this newspaper ad. I think from I remember It was not as curved as the UA D-150 screen. One interesting point in the booth with the Ultra-Vision® set up It had two projectors coming out of one port window. They used a mirror set up so both projectors were centered in the middle of the screen for a straight throw and used a special lens. I wonder today around the USA are there any of these Ultra screens still left?
Thanks Ray for the neat ad. We had one of these Ultra-Vision® curved screen theatres near SF in Daly City CA in the Seramonte Mall area run by ABC Plitt Theatres. It was torn down many years ago for a parking lot. Now later this year they will start building a brand new multi cinema around the Seramonte Mall area maybe in a parking lot? We still don’t know who will operate the new cinema.
Thanks Elmo for this hot curtain theatre photo. It’s sad all the multiplex cinema companies today would never put in nice curtains like this these days. Just a plain old white screen with boring ads plus wall lights going on the sides of the screen making the pre show ads all washed out with gray not black images. Thanks again.
I hope some one from the Cinema Treasures site can post a better photo then the dirty theatre set up like the one that greats you now when you go to this New Mission site. The old cinema has way better photos to put on the first photo. Thanks!
It may have been on one of the posters along with the Vogue Theatre in Hollywood but after 4 days of drive by night neon shooting on 35mm film MR Tarantino only used the outside view shots of these classic cinemas for a few seconds on the edited finished movie. Maybe on the extras on the Blu Ray disk we will see more along with the former Pussy Cat Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. Go see the movie you will enjoy It!
Thanks David for the photo. After the parking lot they built two new Chinese theatres next to the large theatre. They were good size cinemas. Now they have been torn out many years ago for the Dolby complex. These theatres tried to copy the look of the main Chinese but were very cheap looking inside and outside, they did have curtains.
Very small new cinema for the area. Cinemark had VCC USA Construction put this theatre in the Hayward Southland Mall before any other chain came in. This VCC USA construction company has put many new cinemas around the West Coast for many different cinema circuits. They soon later this year will be building a brand new cinema at the Serramonte Mall in Daly City CA near San Francisco CA they also will be remodeling the mall. VCC is building the brand new Regal Stonestown 12 in San Francisco CA that will be larger then the Cinemark Southland Mall 5. I will try to get over to this new Hayward Mall cinema and take photos soon. Probably the same size as the Cinemark Marina 5 near Monterey CA.
Thanks MR B for this photo. So nice to see a movie chain put in some COLOR in the lobby halls. The rugs and walls look great. So many movie theatre circuits have no concept of design and love white on the walls and lights no class. This Cinemagic has some style!
Thanks CC for this classic movie ad. I remember when this first played the Fox West Coast Theatre FOX OAKLAND in downtown Oakland CA the manager MR Mc Dougal put up on the marquee ‘OAKLAND’S OWN STEVE REEVES’. Steve was on stage I think opening week along with a bodybuilding contest ‘MR Oakland’ on the Fox Oakland stage. The Fox Oakland is still open with live shows and looks great these days.
A big thank you CC for showing us these 3D ads. The 3D from 1953/54 was so much better with two projectors going at once. Most of the new 3D movies today were not even shot with two cameras just computer changed from 2D to 3D. Most theatres now just use one projector for 3D not two. Nothing much with current movies with things coming off the screen. At least both of these old 3D two projector films have been restored to brand new 3D BluRay DVD’s. If you have a 3D TV you will love all the 3D effects.
Thanks Ken for the image. Lets hope Regal that is building the brand new UA/Regal Stonestown 11 Theatres in San Francisco puts in some color lights like this new cinema in NYC. Red and blue look great so much better then boring white lights like so many American circuits put in because they have no design team and white lights are cheap.
GD* Looks like fun, lets get a lame USA movie circuit to bring this in but in a bigger auditorium with a larger curved screen and seats. Not just 3 rows, do 20! Do a whole movie with this system. Thanks for the image.
Thanks OP yes I think they had the white work lights on when I took this photo. Was inside a few days ago when the bar was open and they were red again. Now only If they can put some color lights inside Theatre #1. All the pre show is washed out on the screen by overhead white deco roof lights shining down on the screen. This can be fixed by putting in a shield on the 3 ceiling lights so the light does not aim down at the screen on the backside. The side old organ grills need some blue or green/turquoise lighting along with the red curtains. Many years ago this classic cinema had blue lights on dim in a dark theatre when a movie was going. Now everything is turned off. Showmanship needs to come back at the Alamo ‘New Mission’. Check out the old Fox Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto CA and see their color lights during a movie.
Too bad AMC does not advertise in newspapers these days. They wonder why they have a drop in admissions. At least they can run ad listing on Fri/Sat in key markets. I bet business would pick up. Like In San Francisco CA Century/Cinemark & Landmark Theatres still have movie listing ads in the papers but AMC & Regal and many independent cinemas don’t bother. Guess what theatres the tourists go to? Thanks Ride for the ad listings.
Thanks Dallas for this classic photo. These side black light murals of scenes of deco San Francisco glowed dark blue when a movie was on. They all left when the cinema was turned into a drug store and a small cinema space put in in the former balcony. Too bad no one saved this classic SF black light art. If you look on the side fire exits from the front right side you can see the whole cement theatre building still standing. They just gutted the inside. Maybe some day when the W drug store goes MR Lee’s family can put the Marina Theatre back downstairs and restore the black light murals if he can find a artist that knows black light art image glow. I have some of the vapor black light bulbs from this cinema, they won’t work with my electric set up.
Thanks for the image Lou. Must have been a great movie theatre to see wide screen movies at in the 1950’s with surround stereo sound and curtains. Glad they are re opening for the opera crowd.
Thanks Texas for this great 1954 CinemaScope® ad from NY. I remember as a kid going to see it with my parents and brother at the Golden State DelMar Theatre in downtown Santa Cruz CA on their new wide screen. We had to sit up on the right side of the balcony and I remember one of the fist times hearing 4 track mag stereo sound from the wall surround RCA speakers when the airplane engines started to fail. I kept looking up at the speakers with the sound effects that came on at times during the film. Was so happy when our family got our first stereo record turntable in the late 1950’s. I think I even bought the soundtrack album.
Thanks Texas for the CinemaScope® ad. I doubt the Ideal Drive In had stereophonic sound in the small car speakers like It says in the ad? This was probably copied from a standard 20th Century Fox CinemaScope® ad for indoor cinemas.
Just like 20th Century Fox did in their early CinemaScope® ads that showed a screen way to curved going into the seats the ABC Ultra-Vision® company did the same thing. The Ultra-Vision® curved screen was nice and curved but not like the drawing in this newspaper ad. I think from I remember It was not as curved as the UA D-150 screen. One interesting point in the booth with the Ultra-Vision® set up It had two projectors coming out of one port window. They used a mirror set up so both projectors were centered in the middle of the screen for a straight throw and used a special lens. I wonder today around the USA are there any of these Ultra screens still left?
Thanks Ray for the neat ad. We had one of these Ultra-Vision® curved screen theatres near SF in Daly City CA in the Seramonte Mall area run by ABC Plitt Theatres. It was torn down many years ago for a parking lot. Now later this year they will start building a brand new multi cinema around the Seramonte Mall area maybe in a parking lot? We still don’t know who will operate the new cinema.
Thanks Elmo for this hot curtain theatre photo. It’s sad all the multiplex cinema companies today would never put in nice curtains like this these days. Just a plain old white screen with boring ads plus wall lights going on the sides of the screen making the pre show ads all washed out with gray not black images. Thanks again.
Thanks David for the photo. What a huge UA neon tower sign. Good thing a big earthquake did not take It down.
I hope some one from the Cinema Treasures site can post a better photo then the dirty theatre set up like the one that greats you now when you go to this New Mission site. The old cinema has way better photos to put on the first photo. Thanks!
They have a great crisp bright 35mm film scope image from their old 35mm projector on a platter set up system.
Projection booth for smaller cinema space.
Don’t you just love what they did for the word HOLLYWOOD. Looks like they are short on L’s and have plenty of 7’s!
Ceiling lights in the larger cinema space. I’d like to see blue lights up in the fixtures.
Thanks Kino for the photo. When the wind blows these portable air blow up screens can make the picture hard to watch.
It may have been on one of the posters along with the Vogue Theatre in Hollywood but after 4 days of drive by night neon shooting on 35mm film MR Tarantino only used the outside view shots of these classic cinemas for a few seconds on the edited finished movie. Maybe on the extras on the Blu Ray disk we will see more along with the former Pussy Cat Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. Go see the movie you will enjoy It!
Thanks David for the photo. After the parking lot they built two new Chinese theatres next to the large theatre. They were good size cinemas. Now they have been torn out many years ago for the Dolby complex. These theatres tried to copy the look of the main Chinese but were very cheap looking inside and outside, they did have curtains.
Thanks so much Gerald for this Cinerama® photo. Must have looked nice when set up.
Very small new cinema for the area. Cinemark had VCC USA Construction put this theatre in the Hayward Southland Mall before any other chain came in. This VCC USA construction company has put many new cinemas around the West Coast for many different cinema circuits. They soon later this year will be building a brand new cinema at the Serramonte Mall in Daly City CA near San Francisco CA they also will be remodeling the mall. VCC is building the brand new Regal Stonestown 12 in San Francisco CA that will be larger then the Cinemark Southland Mall 5. I will try to get over to this new Hayward Mall cinema and take photos soon. Probably the same size as the Cinemark Marina 5 near Monterey CA.
Thanks MR B for this photo. So nice to see a movie chain put in some COLOR in the lobby halls. The rugs and walls look great. So many movie theatre circuits have no concept of design and love white on the walls and lights no class. This Cinemagic has some style!
Thanks CC for this classic movie ad. I remember when this first played the Fox West Coast Theatre FOX OAKLAND in downtown Oakland CA the manager MR Mc Dougal put up on the marquee ‘OAKLAND’S OWN STEVE REEVES’. Steve was on stage I think opening week along with a bodybuilding contest ‘MR Oakland’ on the Fox Oakland stage. The Fox Oakland is still open with live shows and looks great these days.
A big thank you CC for showing us these 3D ads. The 3D from 1953/54 was so much better with two projectors going at once. Most of the new 3D movies today were not even shot with two cameras just computer changed from 2D to 3D. Most theatres now just use one projector for 3D not two. Nothing much with current movies with things coming off the screen. At least both of these old 3D two projector films have been restored to brand new 3D BluRay DVD’s. If you have a 3D TV you will love all the 3D effects.
Thanks Ken for the image. Lets hope Regal that is building the brand new UA/Regal Stonestown 11 Theatres in San Francisco puts in some color lights like this new cinema in NYC. Red and blue look great so much better then boring white lights like so many American circuits put in because they have no design team and white lights are cheap.
GD* Looks like fun, lets get a lame USA movie circuit to bring this in but in a bigger auditorium with a larger curved screen and seats. Not just 3 rows, do 20! Do a whole movie with this system. Thanks for the image.