The timing was bad on the Jerry Lewis Cinemas. If he had licensed his name to the theaters in 1960 he would have been providing them with a lot of films that were a hit at the time. Add in some popular Disney titles and the concept might have worked. By the time the first Jerry Lewis theater opened ten years later, Jerry’s film career was about over. He hadn’t had a major hit in years. Disney was still trying to find itself after Walt’s death. The theaters just didn’t have enough good product to succeed.
This is a sad day. Long beach has lost a lot of great theaters. I hope someone is allowed to take a decent photo tour of the place before it is lost forever.
The interior is intact, but there’s a lot of water damage to the ceiling, including a 15 foot hole and another 10-12 foot hole. In addition the seats are musty and moldy as are the carpets. Too bad because you can see a lot of the ornate design touches, including the large sconces on the walls. I’m sure the plumbing and electrical will have to be replaced. Can this forgotten gem be restored? Maybe. But its going to take a LOT of cash.
Senorsock
commented about
Mayanon
Oct 10, 2009 at 11:36 pm
I finally got to tour the inside of the Mayan Theater last Thursday night and am thrilled to say it looks as great inside as it does outside. Although converted to a nightclub, the Mayan is in great shape and still looks like a theater inside (okay, minus 1,400 seats or so). The auditorium and chandelier in particular are definitely something to see. I was surprised at the small restrooms located on the mezzanine level. They seemed way too tiny to service 1,400+ audience members. The nightclub has more restrooms backstage and under the stage, but those would have been inaccessible when this operated as a theater. Are there some “lost” restrooms located behind a false wall somewhere in or underneath the Mayan lobby?
The tour was terrific. It showed off all levels of the Million Dollar and then took us from the basement and orchestra pit of the Morosco to the dusty upper balcony, closed for decades.
The new owners have opened the theater for a local benefit screening of movies Kingman locals could not see on the big screen this past year like “WALL-E” and “The Dark Knight”. The theater reopens for regular showings on Dec. 19th. View link
Went to the Wilshire to see a taping of a TV pilot. Was very impressed. The inside of the theater is in great shape and surprisingly large. It has a huge balcony, and the proscenium and ornate ceiling looks well cared for. I understand they don’t show movies here anymore, but its good to know the theater is being well kept.
The Movies shut down a few days before Christmas, leaving Kingman without a single operating movie theater. The Movies was nothing fancy, basically four walls split into four theatres with cramped seating and iffy sound, but they did show first run movies at very very low prices. Now locals will have to drive all the way to Laughlin to see a movie. For more, here’s a article from the local Kingman Daily Miner: View link
Don’t know if I prefer this “luxury” version to the old version. For one thing, the lines are slower as people try and select their reserve seats when they buy their tickets. The new seats are not very comfortable, and they were having problems with the air conditioning in the theater I saw “Walk Hard” in opening weekend. They’ve torn out a concession stand by the smaller theaters and for some reason replaced them with a seating area. Trouble is, its a LONG way to go back for popcorn and drinks if you are in theaters 12-16. The hallways have a nice look to them and the addition of curtains in the main entrance are a nice touch, but overall they added some inconvieniences while trying to make for a more upscale movie experience.
A grand, great place to see a movie. It’s probably one of the reasons I still love old theatres and love visiting Cinema Treasures. The Will Rogers is missed, but lives on in memory.
This six-plex is a small, somewhat dingy theatre in what appears to be a dying mall. It is surrounded by empty storefronts. The lobby has a fairly low ceiling and is a bit claustrophobic. I don’t know about the rest of the screens, but the one I saw “American Gangster” on was small, though the sound and projection were fine. They do keep the place clean, but in a world with so many entertainment choices, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were to go one day and discover this was now just another empty storefront.
Had not been to this theatre in about ten years and was curious to see what kind of shape its in since Westwood’s decline. Happy to report the theater is well kept, from its 6-pointed star on the ceiling to its large balcony. The curtains lowered and then opened to start the show, everything was clean and the seats were very comfortable. The film was “The Brave One” so there were only three other people in attendance, but despite this they kept the balcony open. The screen was big, projection was bright, and I’m happy to say its still a GREAT place to see a movie!
I’ve seen this theater and it would take a lot of money to claen it up and get it back in shape again. It would be nice to have it as a perfroming arts center as part of a downtown revival, but like downtown Kingman, it is off the beaten trail, has no parking and would have a very small lobby. It’s hard to beat the Movies of Kingman, since their top ticket is about $5. Who ended up with the winning bid?
The Edens I in Northbrook, Illinois! A classic theater for a classic film! I remember wanting to stay and see it a second time, but they cleared the theater to accomodate the crowds—not something you saw a lot.
The newspaper account was accurate. I don’t know when you lived there, paigevan, but when I lived there in the 1960’s the Luna played many family films on Saturday mornings. I believe they were sponsered by Craigin Savings. The Will Rogers was THE house to see the latest in Disney releases, but the Luna showed its share back then as well.
Just biked by the Patio today and peered through the window. It looks to be in pretty good shape. It would be a shame if this great theater doesn’t reopen.
The Edison Theater was apparently still open in 1968. It can be seen in the Richard Widmark detective film “Madigan”. The exterior of the theater (the marquee shows “Tobruk” with George Peppard and Rock Hudson) is seen when they go in search of Don Stroud to get information about finding a killer. There are interior scenes as well, but they look like studio interiors more than the inside of a theater (there is no wall between the lobby and the auditiorium).
The film was set in New York, but director Don Siegel doubled a number of LA locations for NYC. This worked and I was surprised to find the Edison in LA and not NYC.
The timing was bad on the Jerry Lewis Cinemas. If he had licensed his name to the theaters in 1960 he would have been providing them with a lot of films that were a hit at the time. Add in some popular Disney titles and the concept might have worked. By the time the first Jerry Lewis theater opened ten years later, Jerry’s film career was about over. He hadn’t had a major hit in years. Disney was still trying to find itself after Walt’s death. The theaters just didn’t have enough good product to succeed.
“Two Guys” is long gone as is the rest of Valley Plaza. It’s all closed, waiting for the wrecking ball.
Just speculating here but I think there was a original Rex theater in town and this is the sequel. Thus the “Rex 2”.
That looks NOTHING like Rick’s Cafe. And what’s the deal with the cowboy?
This is a sad day. Long beach has lost a lot of great theaters. I hope someone is allowed to take a decent photo tour of the place before it is lost forever.
The interior is intact, but there’s a lot of water damage to the ceiling, including a 15 foot hole and another 10-12 foot hole. In addition the seats are musty and moldy as are the carpets. Too bad because you can see a lot of the ornate design touches, including the large sconces on the walls. I’m sure the plumbing and electrical will have to be replaced. Can this forgotten gem be restored? Maybe. But its going to take a LOT of cash.
I finally got to tour the inside of the Mayan Theater last Thursday night and am thrilled to say it looks as great inside as it does outside. Although converted to a nightclub, the Mayan is in great shape and still looks like a theater inside (okay, minus 1,400 seats or so). The auditorium and chandelier in particular are definitely something to see. I was surprised at the small restrooms located on the mezzanine level. They seemed way too tiny to service 1,400+ audience members. The nightclub has more restrooms backstage and under the stage, but those would have been inaccessible when this operated as a theater. Are there some “lost” restrooms located behind a false wall somewhere in or underneath the Mayan lobby?
The tour was terrific. It showed off all levels of the Million Dollar and then took us from the basement and orchestra pit of the Morosco to the dusty upper balcony, closed for decades.
This is like a B-movie heaven!
The new owners have opened the theater for a local benefit screening of movies Kingman locals could not see on the big screen this past year like “WALL-E” and “The Dark Knight”. The theater reopens for regular showings on Dec. 19th.
View link
Went to the Wilshire to see a taping of a TV pilot. Was very impressed. The inside of the theater is in great shape and surprisingly large. It has a huge balcony, and the proscenium and ornate ceiling looks well cared for. I understand they don’t show movies here anymore, but its good to know the theater is being well kept.
If you look very closely, you can see the Rivoli theater on the right side of the street in this 1940’s shot of Van Nuys Blvd.
http://jpg3.lapl.org/pics10/00024965.jpg
The Movies shut down a few days before Christmas, leaving Kingman without a single operating movie theater. The Movies was nothing fancy, basically four walls split into four theatres with cramped seating and iffy sound, but they did show first run movies at very very low prices. Now locals will have to drive all the way to Laughlin to see a movie. For more, here’s a article from the local Kingman Daily Miner: View link
Don’t know if I prefer this “luxury” version to the old version. For one thing, the lines are slower as people try and select their reserve seats when they buy their tickets. The new seats are not very comfortable, and they were having problems with the air conditioning in the theater I saw “Walk Hard” in opening weekend. They’ve torn out a concession stand by the smaller theaters and for some reason replaced them with a seating area. Trouble is, its a LONG way to go back for popcorn and drinks if you are in theaters 12-16. The hallways have a nice look to them and the addition of curtains in the main entrance are a nice touch, but overall they added some inconvieniences while trying to make for a more upscale movie experience.
A grand, great place to see a movie. It’s probably one of the reasons I still love old theatres and love visiting Cinema Treasures. The Will Rogers is missed, but lives on in memory.
This six-plex is a small, somewhat dingy theatre in what appears to be a dying mall. It is surrounded by empty storefronts. The lobby has a fairly low ceiling and is a bit claustrophobic. I don’t know about the rest of the screens, but the one I saw “American Gangster” on was small, though the sound and projection were fine. They do keep the place clean, but in a world with so many entertainment choices, I wouldn’t be surprised if we were to go one day and discover this was now just another empty storefront.
Had not been to this theatre in about ten years and was curious to see what kind of shape its in since Westwood’s decline. Happy to report the theater is well kept, from its 6-pointed star on the ceiling to its large balcony. The curtains lowered and then opened to start the show, everything was clean and the seats were very comfortable. The film was “The Brave One” so there were only three other people in attendance, but despite this they kept the balcony open. The screen was big, projection was bright, and I’m happy to say its still a GREAT place to see a movie!
You can see some great photos of the Covina and its great marquee at: View link
So sad this one is gone.
Here’s a link to a picture of the Sage Drive In marquee from back in 1968: View link
I’ve seen this theater and it would take a lot of money to claen it up and get it back in shape again. It would be nice to have it as a perfroming arts center as part of a downtown revival, but like downtown Kingman, it is off the beaten trail, has no parking and would have a very small lobby. It’s hard to beat the Movies of Kingman, since their top ticket is about $5. Who ended up with the winning bid?
The Edens I in Northbrook, Illinois! A classic theater for a classic film! I remember wanting to stay and see it a second time, but they cleared the theater to accomodate the crowds—not something you saw a lot.
The interior of the Tower theater, most notably the balcony section can be seen in “The Good German” starring George Clooney.
The newspaper account was accurate. I don’t know when you lived there, paigevan, but when I lived there in the 1960’s the Luna played many family films on Saturday mornings. I believe they were sponsered by Craigin Savings. The Will Rogers was THE house to see the latest in Disney releases, but the Luna showed its share back then as well.
Just biked by the Patio today and peered through the window. It looks to be in pretty good shape. It would be a shame if this great theater doesn’t reopen.
The Edison Theater was apparently still open in 1968. It can be seen in the Richard Widmark detective film “Madigan”. The exterior of the theater (the marquee shows “Tobruk” with George Peppard and Rock Hudson) is seen when they go in search of Don Stroud to get information about finding a killer. There are interior scenes as well, but they look like studio interiors more than the inside of a theater (there is no wall between the lobby and the auditiorium).
The film was set in New York, but director Don Siegel doubled a number of LA locations for NYC. This worked and I was surprised to find the Edison in LA and not NYC.