Ross Melnick, Adam Martin and I have all met and had lunch a few times. Both websites certainly compliment each other and we recognize the same strengths you mention above.
Ed, if you e-mail all your photos to me at we can do our best to Photoshop them to a viewable level. I’m sure anybody who liked this theatre would be happy to see ANY photos, no matter how blurry or limited they may be.
I found (by working for them) that Syufy/Century built a lot of their theatres in a very standard way: cinderblock walls, pepto-pink paint, crazy-acid red carpet. Though certainly not a nationwide presence, if you walk into a pre-1995 Century multiplex, you’ve walked into just about EVERY pre-1995 Century multiplex.
This is truly an awesome theatre. If somebody lives nearby, please please please set something up with the manager to take pictures on the last day. Most GM’s are happy to do this. I was irritated I couldn’t get any good shots of the big theatre witout a tripod, but I can tell that this theatre had evolved from an awesome single screen.
I’m pretty sure that a branch of Pacific was called Cinerama Theatres. I was under the impression that the theatres they operated in Marin County were all operated by Cinerama Theatres Inc.
Do you think Pacific may dislike the Cinerama name because their entire chain was called “Cinerama” in the past? Perhaps they’re just tired of hearing it.
All 16-theatres can show scope films. The newer theatres likely just have top masking so that the width of the screen stays the same. Just because the width stays the same doesn’t mean they can’t show scope films.
I agree. And from a preservation stand point, they [porn theatre owners] kept a number of theatres from meeting the wrecking ball until such a time that the public began to care about preservation and restoration. I know of a number of first run theatres, performing arts venues and Drive-Ins that ran porn at one time.
As far as applauding the death of a “smut peddler” – that’s a whole different debate and not one I think should be raised on this website.
It’s sadly ironic that I worked for the company that caused this theatre to close, and that were it not for my job with Century, I wouldn’t even know it existed in the first place. I can only say in my defense that had Century have built downtown, it would have been somebody else, possible even Loews themselves.
The pictures of the goodbyes on the electrical panel / heating duct is so sad. When I closed the theatre I started at, it was a very sad day indeed.
I’d love to see more pictures of this place. Something that shows off how odd yet appealing it was as a movie house.
Is this actually the same building or did Century rebuild an entirely new theatre? If so, it’s somewhat misleading to re-name the information about the OLD Stratford Square to include the new theatre.
Designed as a 7-screen drive-in by Vincent Raney for Syufy Enterprises. This is one of the last Drive-Ins built by Syufy on 6/13/1979. It was later expanded into its current 9-screen configuration.
This location is now operated by West Wind Drive-Ins.
It was originally a single screen that opened 2/7/1966 and was later expanded into six screens. A storm blew down most of the main screen, which has been closed for some time now.
Vincent Raney is the architect of this drive-in that opened 2/7/1977.
I’ve seen plans that had it originally designed as the “Desert Drive-In” but was actually built as the Scottsdale Drive-In. Syufy later used the name Desert Drive-In for one of the drive-ins in Las Vegas.
Vincent Raney was the architect of this Drive-In. The building is similar in design to the former Burlingame Drive-In and the Santa Barbara Twin Drive-In.
The Santa Barbara Twin Drive-In was originally built by Vincent Raney for Syufy Enterprises. I don’t know if Syufy ever actually ran it, but shortly after its construction it was traded to what became Metropolitan Theatres in exchange for the Geneva Drive-In in Daly City/San Francisco, CA.
After the lease with Metropolitan expired, it reverted back to Syufy which operates it now as the West Wind Goleta Public Market. Many upgrades to the property are in the works.
Mark,
Ross Melnick, Adam Martin and I have all met and had lunch a few times. Both websites certainly compliment each other and we recognize the same strengths you mention above.
Ed, if you e-mail all your photos to me at we can do our best to Photoshop them to a viewable level. I’m sure anybody who liked this theatre would be happy to see ANY photos, no matter how blurry or limited they may be.
Please do. We cross link to CinemaTreasures wherever possible.
We’d get a few others.
I found (by working for them) that Syufy/Century built a lot of their theatres in a very standard way: cinderblock walls, pepto-pink paint, crazy-acid red carpet. Though certainly not a nationwide presence, if you walk into a pre-1995 Century multiplex, you’ve walked into just about EVERY pre-1995 Century multiplex.
Does anybody have pictures of ANY of the GCCs in Southern California? Sadly, my love for GCC started too late. :(
Ed – I’ll let you know if my company gets high speed color scanners again. I scanned just about every issue of Box Office I owned this way.
And I meant to say as well, that if you have any photos of ANY theatres back from the day, we can scan them for you and return them unharmed.
Ed — If you managed to scan your SRO newsletters I’d be happy to try and get them archived over at Cinematour. We go nuts for that stuff over there.
This is truly an awesome theatre. If somebody lives nearby, please please please set something up with the manager to take pictures on the last day. Most GM’s are happy to do this. I was irritated I couldn’t get any good shots of the big theatre witout a tripod, but I can tell that this theatre had evolved from an awesome single screen.
Roadshow,
I’m pretty sure that a branch of Pacific was called Cinerama Theatres. I was under the impression that the theatres they operated in Marin County were all operated by Cinerama Theatres Inc.
Do you think Pacific may dislike the Cinerama name because their entire chain was called “Cinerama” in the past? Perhaps they’re just tired of hearing it.
All 16-theatres can show scope films. The newer theatres likely just have top masking so that the width of the screen stays the same. Just because the width stays the same doesn’t mean they can’t show scope films.
I agree. And from a preservation stand point, they [porn theatre owners] kept a number of theatres from meeting the wrecking ball until such a time that the public began to care about preservation and restoration. I know of a number of first run theatres, performing arts venues and Drive-Ins that ran porn at one time.
As far as applauding the death of a “smut peddler” – that’s a whole different debate and not one I think should be raised on this website.
It’s sadly ironic that I worked for the company that caused this theatre to close, and that were it not for my job with Century, I wouldn’t even know it existed in the first place. I can only say in my defense that had Century have built downtown, it would have been somebody else, possible even Loews themselves.
The pictures of the goodbyes on the electrical panel / heating duct is so sad. When I closed the theatre I started at, it was a very sad day indeed.
I’d love to see more pictures of this place. Something that shows off how odd yet appealing it was as a movie house.
Is this actually the same building or did Century rebuild an entirely new theatre? If so, it’s somewhat misleading to re-name the information about the OLD Stratford Square to include the new theatre.
I need to contact them to take photos before they do too much to the theatrey-ness of it all.
Vincent Raney was the architect for these theatres.
Former site is now occupied by a Wal-Mart strip mall.
Vincent Raney is the architect of this building.
Architect, at least for the expansions of this location, was Vincent Raney.
Designed by Vincent Raney for Syufy Enterprises. Opened 6/26/1973. Currently operated as a West Wind Drive-In.
Designed as a 7-screen drive-in by Vincent Raney for Syufy Enterprises. This is one of the last Drive-Ins built by Syufy on 6/13/1979. It was later expanded into its current 9-screen configuration.
It is now operated as a West Wind drive-in.
This location is now operated by West Wind Drive-Ins.
It was originally a single screen that opened 2/7/1966 and was later expanded into six screens. A storm blew down most of the main screen, which has been closed for some time now.
The location operates year round with 5-screens.
Vincent Raney is the architect of this drive-in that opened 2/7/1977.
I’ve seen plans that had it originally designed as the “Desert Drive-In” but was actually built as the Scottsdale Drive-In. Syufy later used the name Desert Drive-In for one of the drive-ins in Las Vegas.
West Wind Drive-Ins now operates this location.
Vincent Raney was the architect of this Drive-In. The building is similar in design to the former Burlingame Drive-In and the Santa Barbara Twin Drive-In.
Opened 12/22/1961.
The chain is now “West Wind”.
The Santa Barbara Twin Drive-In was originally built by Vincent Raney for Syufy Enterprises. I don’t know if Syufy ever actually ran it, but shortly after its construction it was traded to what became Metropolitan Theatres in exchange for the Geneva Drive-In in Daly City/San Francisco, CA.
After the lease with Metropolitan expired, it reverted back to Syufy which operates it now as the West Wind Goleta Public Market. Many upgrades to the property are in the works.