Comments from Donald John Long

Showing 26 - 50 of 77 comments

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Guild Theatre on Nov 24, 2002 at 11:25 pm

The Guild has a simplicity of an earlier time, and is a good place to relax and unwind and see a good foreign film. When I was a card-carrying IATSE local Union projectionist, but only on part-time status, from 1980 to 1982, I was assigned weekly relief duty for the full-time old-timers at this theater, the Menlo, the Fine Arts in Palo Alto (R.I.P.) and way up at the Serra Theater in Daly City, and a multiplex in Colma. I liked working the Guild best because the staff were cool and brought me drinks and snacks. The one movie I ran that stood out in my mind was “A Day in Moscow, A night in the Ukraine”, made in Russia. The filmmakers, in 1981, were anxious for ‘perestroika’ (glasnost) even then!

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Park Theatre on Nov 24, 2002 at 11:19 pm

Today, November 24, 2002, I drove by this theater and it was closed and boarded up. Sadly and unfortunately also, the neon had been stripped off the marquee and the “PARK” letters had been removed from the marquee tower. I will do some investigation to determine its further status on the endangered theaters list.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long on Nov 24, 2002 at 11:04 pm

This is a duplicate listing. This wonderful old theater was closed in 1970 and demolished by 1971.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long on Nov 24, 2002 at 11:02 pm

This is a duplicate listing. Please see also ‘Moviemanforever’s'
entries for the Pussycat Theater in Inglewood, Calif.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Whittier Theatre on Nov 22, 2002 at 12:11 am

In 1975, I went to see a movie here with some friends who lived in Whittier. We all enjoyed the special ambience that only unique buildings like movie palaces really have, the distinctive tower, and the wraparound marquee, and the plush carpeting and a supremely elegant lobby.

Sadly, it all came crashing down in the Whittier earthquake of 1987, and had to be razed. Built of similar materials and design, and in a similar Mission Revival style as the much more grandiose celebrated Carthay Circle Theatre in Culver City, this is what would have happened to the Carthay Circle had it been hit by an earthquake.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Warner Grand Theatre on Nov 21, 2002 at 11:51 pm

This was where it all happened-where aliens invaded the Earth on a Saturday night at a science fiction film festival screening – at least that’s the way it was when we made “INVASION EARTH – The Aliens Are Here” in 1986-87. I worked here for several months from the fall of ‘86 until we wrapped shooting in March of '87.

The movie, a cheesy low-budget B-movie comedy spoof, wasn’t very good, but we all had a lot of fun making it! And the fans loved it!

I worked on the special visual effects crew for Dennis Skotak, and acted in the film as one of the alien crewmembers in a green BEM (bug-eyed-monster) head and costume, which was great fun. I enjoyed pretending I was the Creature From the Black Lagoon.

This beautiful, ornate and truly grand picture palace was a great location for a sci-fi movie spoof, as well as other more ambitious Hollywood movies like “Pearl Harbor” recently.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Varsity Theatre on Nov 21, 2002 at 11:22 pm

I’ll always remember those wonderful times going to the “New Varsity” as it was known, in the 1970s and 1980s, to see art, foreign, classic and concert films in a real European-style ambience. The “New Varsity” was the only American movie theater I’ve ever been to which had a bar and restaurant inside the lobby, and little railing-tables in the auditorium, where it was all perfectly legal to buy alcoholic beverages and food (mostly sandwiches) to bring inside the theater to eat while you watched the movies. I really enjoyed the freedom of enjoying a beer or a glass of wine while watching Pink Floyd or The Marx Brothers, in the days before David Packard’s new Stanford Theater became a reality down the street on University Avenue in posh Palo Alto.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about U.A. Long Beach Theatre on Nov 21, 2002 at 11:02 pm

One summer day in 1969 I strolled into this theater to see Peter Sellers' hilarious comedy “The PARTY” (1968) and “A SHOT IN THE DARK” (1964) on a double-feature bill. It was great fun, the theater was in good shape then, and besides, it was air conditioned and it was hot outside.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about United Artists Berkeley 7 on Nov 21, 2002 at 10:54 pm

Having gone to this theater a few times, I must assent to Gary Parks' rave about the lobby. I saw “Field of Dreams” here in 1989 and “Thelma And Louise” in 1990. I like the bold Deco fluted design above the retrofitted marquee, seen in the picture above, which hints at its original elegance.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall on Nov 21, 2002 at 10:47 pm

Wow! I had some great times in this old theater house, I can’t count the number of times I went there in the 1970s and 1980s. The U.C. Berkeley Theater was like a Bay Area version of L.A.’s NUART, with a great mix of foreign films, indies, and classic American Hollywood movies on its fine programs. I went there several times for science fiction film festivals, and hung out in the projection room with the staff projectionist, my good friend Chris Rasmussen, and this was the place to be seen every Saturday night if you were into doing the midnight “Rocky Horror Picture Show” thing!

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Metro Theatre on Nov 21, 2002 at 10:28 pm

I had a great time here in 1979 with my best friend, Bruce Heller, who soon afterward enjoyed a 22-year career as an animator, the last 9 of which were at Disney Studios. We saw Steve Martin’s funniest (and first) movie, the screwball comedy “The JERK” here together, and damned near laughed our asses off. It was a brilliant comedy!

I recall enjoying the stylishness of this theater as well as the ambience of its location on Union Street.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Towne 3 Cinemas on Nov 21, 2002 at 10:11 pm

This is a fine old Art Deco show palace with leaded carved ornate crystal glass of the 1940s still adorning the lobby, in those wonderful pastel colors that set the Deco Moderne look so well. I just recently attended the 75th Anniversary premiere there of the silent classic science fiction masterpiece, Fritz Lang’s “METROPOLIS” (1926) which now has its long-lost orchestral music score soundtrack reunited with it, so it is no longer a silent film, but a sound experience as Fritz Lang intended. A great time was had by all! A fine theater to go and support independent cinema and foreign films.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Town & Country Theater on Nov 21, 2002 at 10:04 pm

This was a fine, first-run theater which was lost in the destruction of the rustic Town & Country Center to make way for the ashes of Santana Row’s spectacular fire on August 19, 2002. I went there many times, often going to one of the many restaurants nearby.

Thankfully, the 1960s suburban ambience of the T & C Shopping Center (R.I.P.) still survives in its twin shopping center in Palo Alto on Embarcadero and El Camino Real near Stanford University. In Palo Alto, things never seem to change…

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Surf Theatre on Nov 21, 2002 at 9:52 pm

In the 1960s the Surf Theater was the “In” place to go if you were a surfer. This was where all the first-run surfer movies were shown in Orange County, made by Bruce Brown. I went to the premiere of “The Endless Summer” there in 1964, with Bruce Brown as special guest, giving a speech about making a surf movie, and he brought along championship surfer Corky Carroll with him. They signed autographs later.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Marina 1-2-3 on Nov 21, 2002 at 9:44 pm

I’ll never forget the time my parents took me to the Strand Theater in Redondo Beach to see the re-release of MGM’s “Wizard of Oz” in 1955. It was the first time I had ever seen it, and at age 8, I laughed and cried along with Dorothy, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion, and giggled at the Scarecrow. It was wonderful.

I never forgot the style and shape of the theater marquee and the text style of the neon letters, which stuck in my mind for years afterward. I recall there was a record company in the 1950s and 1960s, “Strand Records” which used this exact same graphic style in its logo. They must have seen the Wizard with me at the Strand, and wanted to memorialize it somehow!

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Stanford Theatre on Nov 21, 2002 at 9:35 pm

This is my favorite theater in the entire San Francisco Bay Area (with the exception of the Rafael) to go see classic movies presented in their original style and format.

David Packard has done an exceptional job in making the citizens of Palo Alto proud of this magnificent picture palace, and a popular place to go by cinema enthusiasts of all ages.

If only there were more theaters in America like the Stanford…

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Brain Dead Studios on Nov 21, 2002 at 9:24 pm

I’ll never forget the time I went to this wonderful place in 1973 to see a Silent Screen Comedians Film Festival, and when I went to the lobby, I met a charming old gentleman whom I had seen seated in the flickering darkness enjoying some silent slapstick by Laurel & Hardy. He and I struck up a conversation, and since I had just started Film School, I wanted to get a firsthand look at cinema history. The gent I spoke with told me he used to work with Laurel & Hardy, and Hal Roach. I asked him what his name was, and he said, “Marvin Hatley”. He then put on a 1930s-era bowler hat, like L&H sported in all their films, and started whistling the “Cuckoo Song” to me! I was nearly bowled over by that, because I had seen many sound Laurel & Hardy comedies when they were first run on television in the early 1950s, and here I was talking to the man who was the music director for Hal Roach, and had written the “Cuckoo Song”! I saw him one more time after that, in 1986, just before his passing, at a Hollywood meeting of the “Sons of the Desert”, the Laurel & Hardy Fan Club, where he sold me an autographed copy of a record album he had made, “Music for Laurel & Hardy”.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long on Nov 21, 2002 at 9:10 pm

Although not a movie theater, this has been one of the most popular venues for entertainment in Los Angeles since the 1920s, from Shriner’s conventions, which was its original purpose, to rock concerts in the 1970s.

A glowing memory I have of the Shrine is when, as a Cub Scout, I attended the Cub Scout Jamboree in the spring of 1955, and the special guest was George “Superman” Reeves! It was the last time he ever appeared in public in his Superman costume, live on stage, in front of hundreds of kids, bending a phony ‘iron bar’ with his bare hands as the boys cheered, and then made a speech to them about growing up to be productive citizens of society to make America great. Later, he sat at an autograph table for a few hours while those hundreds of boys filed past for an autographed 8 x 10 glossy still of the Man of Steel.

I sure wish I still had mine!

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Pickwick Drive-In on Nov 21, 2002 at 8:44 pm

One of the last places you could see the Pickwick Drive-In is in the terrific action thriller “BLUE THUNDER” (1983) starring Roy Scheider and Candy Clark. There is an exciting chase sequence in the movie filmed partly on the ground and partly from a helicopter, and it works well in the film. The Pickwick played small roles in films before, due to its location in Burbank, but this was its last hurrah.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Rafael Film Center on Nov 21, 2002 at 8:36 pm

I attended this beautifully-restored Art Deco masterpiece of a movie theater in June 2000 for a special 80th Birthday retrospective celebration for cinema animation genius Ray Harryhausen, who was the guest of honor, along with Dennis Muren of Lucasfilm-ILM, who fielded questions from the audience about Ray’s cinematic techniques. The two movies shown on the new screen were “7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958) and “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963) in beautiful Technicolor.

A Day to remember, and celebrate the new life of this grand moderne theater – a worthy residence for the Film Institute of Northern California. It was great to see Ray Harryhausen in person once again!

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Orinda Theatre on Nov 19, 2002 at 2:38 pm

Thanks to all those wonderful people (and you know who you are) who contributed funds or efforts to restore and preserve this marvelous Art Deco Moderne picture palace – one of the Bay Area’s finest. We must have something of real artistic value to leave our posterity more than strip malls and cineplexes. If you want a first class cinema experience, visit the Orinda Theater, and you will not be disappointed!

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Millbrae Theatre on Nov 19, 2002 at 2:31 pm

What a beautiful Art Deco masterpiece the Millbrae Theater is! Thank God the marquee and Deco tower were saved in the renovation. I went to this theater many times in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and I’ll never forget the night we went to see Spielberg’s “CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND” here in 1977. It was so good I rushed up to the Coronet Theater in San Francisco a week later to see it in 70mm.

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Los Gatos Theatre on Nov 19, 2002 at 2:25 pm

I have often gone to this quaint old theater to see art films from Europe. After the scary earthquake in October 1989, many were doubtful that this theater would ever open again. Happy to say after seismic retrofits and remodeling it did!

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Los Feliz 3 Cinemas on Nov 19, 2002 at 2:22 pm

I too enjoyed visiting this theater in the 1960s, where I saw Ingmar Bergman’s “Wild Strawberries” and Federico Fellini’s “Juliet of the Spirits”, my first exposure also to European cinema. Love that Deco Neon facade!

Donald John Long
Donald John Long commented about Buena Park Drive-In on Nov 19, 2002 at 2:16 pm

A further comment – as noted elsewhere, this drive-in originally was back-to-back with the Buena Park Drive-In, which was actually a better theater, but unfortunately fell victim to the economic woes which led to this theater charging a buck and a half a carload in the mid-1960s just to stay in business.