The Regal always frustrated me because they never listed showtimes in the newspaper, and only rarely even bought placement in a display ad, so as much as I wanted to visit there, I never knew what was playing. I guess they were content to cater solely to the immediate neighborhood for traffic.
If there were any way someone could compile a list of movies and playdates from its history, particularly the grindhouse days, that would be amazing.
davidcoppock: Levin Services had a similar pirate-themed drive-in in Cincinnati near the Tri-County area called the Jolly Roger, so they clearly had a theme in mind by naming this one the Captain Kidd. From the dates of the history, they were probably intended to open at the same time in a big splash, but the impedences Kettering made thwarted that plan.
I wonder if Levin Services had other pirate-themed drive-ins in Ohio?
In the 1977 sketch comedy film CAN I DO IT…‘TILL I NEED GLASSES, a scene opens outside the theatre, and the marquee is advertising the producers’ previous film IF YOU DON’T STOP IT, YOU’LL GO BLIND. Don’t know if the actual theatre interior was used for the remainder of the sketch.
It would appear they still run 35mm here – Christopher McQuarrie tweeted that 7 cinemas in America were running MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT on film, and this was listed as one of the locations.
The building was purchased a few years ago, and the owners have been very good about cleaning up the place and trying to revive it as a theatre space, though naturally it’s a long, slow, hard process. The neighborhood it’s in has recently been branded the Sohn-Mohawk Historic District, giving it historic protection and thus new incentive to rehab the space. There is a Facebook group, though updates are sporadic:
Looks like the church has left, and it’s been reconfigured into a nightclub again, and they’re even calling it Top Cats as it was known back in the ‘80s:
CityBeat recently wrote about the new cinema programming taking place at this location.
I think the name can be officially changed to The Garfield Theater now.
https://www.citybeat.com/movies-tv/film/article/21020736/cincinnati-world-cinema-opens-a-permanent-home-in-the-former-cincinnati-shakespeare-company-space
The Ritz has reopened as a live venue called The Miracle Theatre, often hashtagged as #MiracleOnMarket. They have hosted events such as the 2nd Season premiere of the HBO series “INSECURE”. Looks very nice.
They had showtimes for today (May 6th) and Sunday, but no further. Could be switching to weekends only, or composing showtimes on the fly based on turnout.
On the upside, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR in 35mm!
There’s a large banner hanging on its marquee reading “FILM CREW BASE CAMP” and a couple phone numbers, suggesting it’s been gutted and rented. But when I googled the words and the address, as well as the two phone numbers, nothing significant, or more importantly, film-related, came up.
I noticed that the Cox does not have its own listing. It seems to me that it was a substantial enough operation on its own from the Shubert that perhaps it should have a page.
When I went to see magician Harry Blackstone Jr. at the now-demolished Palace around 1980, he said that the last time he was in Cincinnati the Cox theatre was operating but was now gone. He then added that he hoped the next time he came to town he wouldn’t be performing in a parking lot.
Sadly, considering the fate of the Palace, he was not far off.
A screencapture from the long-forgotten 1976 Craig Denney film THE ASTROLOGER features the Belmont marquee presenting the premiere of the film-within-the-film, also called THE ASTROLOGER:
It’s confusing – the marquee advertises the acts for Fais-Do-Do, which is the building on the corner, but to the best of my knowledge, no actual club activity goes on in the space where the marquee stands. Perhaps both are owned by the same party, and the actual theatre space is used for private storage or office space?
Yeah, I suppose this is a Google Maps problem and not yours per se, but is there any way to notify them that their algorithm is screwing up this particular location?
Talked to my old friend Russ, and here’s what he remembered:
“I remember seeing one movie there – A Piece of the Action, one of the three pseudo-blaxploitation pictures Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier did together in the ‘70s.
As I recall, the building, itself, was an attempt at a boutique mini mall, like what the Ludlow Garage tried being. The “theatres” were on the lower level, I believe. I put that in quotes because it was really just a three-screen theatre, with each screening room bearing a different name. I want to say the idea was to give each its own identity, in terms of what was shown, but that could be wrong. I think the top level might have been a club – it certainly became one. There was a record store – I still remember they had one of those stand-up displays, for Queen’s News of the World.
The screening rooms, themselves, were just like the old Studio Cinema, downtown. Long, straight, narrow rooms, canted floor, quarter size screen.
It was art house/revival house/second run, with the second run stuff intended to pay for the other stuff."
Tricia: thank you for sharing your memories of your dad and his time with the Mt. Adams. It saddens me that I never got to see the place when I lived in Cincinnati.
I’m wondering if you can help me with a little ROCKY HORROR history though. You’re claiming that ROCKY showed first at the Adams – do your remember the dates? My earliest memories of the movie playing in Cincy was seeing newspaper ads for it at a short-lived mini-plex in Corryville near UC – each room had its own name, so it was called “The Bijou, the Roxy, and the Ritz” – and then after that, its long residency at the Skywalk downtown, where I ultimately saw it. I’d love to establish a timeline for the movie.
Last year of operation was 1986.
The Regal always frustrated me because they never listed showtimes in the newspaper, and only rarely even bought placement in a display ad, so as much as I wanted to visit there, I never knew what was playing. I guess they were content to cater solely to the immediate neighborhood for traffic.
If there were any way someone could compile a list of movies and playdates from its history, particularly the grindhouse days, that would be amazing.
davidcoppock: Levin Services had a similar pirate-themed drive-in in Cincinnati near the Tri-County area called the Jolly Roger, so they clearly had a theme in mind by naming this one the Captain Kidd. From the dates of the history, they were probably intended to open at the same time in a big splash, but the impedences Kettering made thwarted that plan. I wonder if Levin Services had other pirate-themed drive-ins in Ohio?
In the 1977 sketch comedy film CAN I DO IT…‘TILL I NEED GLASSES, a scene opens outside the theatre, and the marquee is advertising the producers’ previous film IF YOU DON’T STOP IT, YOU’LL GO BLIND. Don’t know if the actual theatre interior was used for the remainder of the sketch.
Ten years later, I finally found an answer – No, it was not this American Theatre, it was the former Fox Ritz in Beverly Hills.
Bought and scheduled to open as a live music venue in 2019
https://la.curbed.com/2018/7/30/17630660/vermont-hollywood-music-venue-mcap-partners
It would appear they still run 35mm here – Christopher McQuarrie tweeted that 7 cinemas in America were running MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: FALLOUT on film, and this was listed as one of the locations.
The building was purchased a few years ago, and the owners have been very good about cleaning up the place and trying to revive it as a theatre space, though naturally it’s a long, slow, hard process. The neighborhood it’s in has recently been branded the Sohn-Mohawk Historic District, giving it historic protection and thus new incentive to rehab the space. There is a Facebook group, though updates are sporadic:
https://www.facebook.com/Imperialtheater/
Looks like the church has left, and it’s been reconfigured into a nightclub again, and they’re even calling it Top Cats as it was known back in the ‘80s:
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/nightlife/bars-and-clubs/2018/08/02/top-cats-classic-short-vine-music-venue-make-comeback-month/887667002/
CityBeat recently wrote about the new cinema programming taking place at this location. I think the name can be officially changed to The Garfield Theater now. https://www.citybeat.com/movies-tv/film/article/21020736/cincinnati-world-cinema-opens-a-permanent-home-in-the-former-cincinnati-shakespeare-company-space
The Ritz has reopened as a live venue called The Miracle Theatre, often hashtagged as #MiracleOnMarket. They have hosted events such as the 2nd Season premiere of the HBO series “INSECURE”. Looks very nice.
https://www.themiracleinglewood.com/
They had showtimes for today (May 6th) and Sunday, but no further. Could be switching to weekends only, or composing showtimes on the fly based on turnout.
On the upside, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR in 35mm!
There’s a large banner hanging on its marquee reading “FILM CREW BASE CAMP” and a couple phone numbers, suggesting it’s been gutted and rented. But when I googled the words and the address, as well as the two phone numbers, nothing significant, or more importantly, film-related, came up.
I noticed that the Cox does not have its own listing. It seems to me that it was a substantial enough operation on its own from the Shubert that perhaps it should have a page.
When I went to see magician Harry Blackstone Jr. at the now-demolished Palace around 1980, he said that the last time he was in Cincinnati the Cox theatre was operating but was now gone. He then added that he hoped the next time he came to town he wouldn’t be performing in a parking lot.
Sadly, considering the fate of the Palace, he was not far off.
A screencapture from the long-forgotten 1976 Craig Denney film THE ASTROLOGER features the Belmont marquee presenting the premiere of the film-within-the-film, also called THE ASTROLOGER:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B2HOPAFCMAEf560.jpg
Well, if it does come down, I hope someone saves all that beautiful glass block, recycles it in another building. Dammit.
This theatre has reportedly closed, unfortunately.
It’s confusing – the marquee advertises the acts for Fais-Do-Do, which is the building on the corner, but to the best of my knowledge, no actual club activity goes on in the space where the marquee stands. Perhaps both are owned by the same party, and the actual theatre space is used for private storage or office space?
Currently, the operators of Playhouse (the club that took over the Fox Theatre on Hollywood Blvd.) are operating this space under the name Sound.
http://soundnightclub.com/
Yeah, I suppose this is a Google Maps problem and not yours per se, but is there any way to notify them that their algorithm is screwing up this particular location?
Talked to my old friend Russ, and here’s what he remembered:
“I remember seeing one movie there – A Piece of the Action, one of the three pseudo-blaxploitation pictures Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier did together in the ‘70s.
As I recall, the building, itself, was an attempt at a boutique mini mall, like what the Ludlow Garage tried being. The “theatres” were on the lower level, I believe. I put that in quotes because it was really just a three-screen theatre, with each screening room bearing a different name. I want to say the idea was to give each its own identity, in terms of what was shown, but that could be wrong. I think the top level might have been a club – it certainly became one. There was a record store – I still remember they had one of those stand-up displays, for Queen’s News of the World.
The screening rooms, themselves, were just like the old Studio Cinema, downtown. Long, straight, narrow rooms, canted floor, quarter size screen.
It was art house/revival house/second run, with the second run stuff intended to pay for the other stuff."
A friend who lives nearby has told me the theatre is closed. Indeed, there are no listings for it on Regal’s website.
I take it that Mr. Edwards' renovation efforts were not successful.
As of November, no news of progress on hiring new staff or reopening the place. Not promising.
Tricia: thank you for sharing your memories of your dad and his time with the Mt. Adams. It saddens me that I never got to see the place when I lived in Cincinnati.
I’m wondering if you can help me with a little ROCKY HORROR history though. You’re claiming that ROCKY showed first at the Adams – do your remember the dates? My earliest memories of the movie playing in Cincy was seeing newspaper ads for it at a short-lived mini-plex in Corryville near UC – each room had its own name, so it was called “The Bijou, the Roxy, and the Ritz” – and then after that, its long residency at the Skywalk downtown, where I ultimately saw it. I’d love to establish a timeline for the movie.