In my JAWS anniversary article posted a couple of months ago, I have a reference to an Alexandria Mall Cinema I & II. If this twin evolved into the sixplex being described above then it opened a lot sooner than the ‘80s as claimed in the intro.
CWalczak: Where did you get the GCC and mid-80s opening claim? Was that published somewhere, or was that guesswork? Or do you believe this is an entirely different theater than the one mentioned in my JAWS list?
Chief Jensen, I’m shocked you didn’t quote the Rivest material as you often do! :–)
It’s a good thing, Chief, you didn’t quote Rivest, in this case, as he has the theater name misspelled as Trylon and cites an erroneous 1975 closing date. It would appear the guy who wrote and submitted the intro write-up referenced Rivest, as so many CT contributors, unfortunately, have a habit of doing.
Now that the theater name has been corrected/updated, can we fix the closing date detail?
Chuck…I can understand how you were misled, but the fact is the drive-in you looked up on drive-ins.com is different than the one Rogers submitted. Rogers' submission opened in 1969 and was located on Reidville Circle off I-26, whereas the one you described was built in the 1940s, was located on U.S. 29 Greenville Highway and had previously operated as the Scenic Drive-In.
Opened in 1985??? That sounds like typically questionable Rivest data.
I don’t have an exact opening date, but I do have data from 1977 indicating it was operating then (as a three-screener). So, it opened at least eight years before the 1985 claim. (I wonder if Rivest’s 1985 claim is actually a typo for 1975?)
The name Circle South 29 Drive-In is an unnecessary blending of two different theater names. Circle Drive-In is the correct name (as Mike Rogers originally submitted) of the theater for which this page was created. The South 29 Drive-In is a different theater.
By the way, the Circle Drive-In opened on June 27, 1969. Debut attraction was a Paul Newman double feature of “Cool Hand Luke” and “Harper.”
Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal, various 1969 and 1970 issues.
Was this the Budco Vineland Twin during the 1970s? I ask because I notice the intro mentions a record run of “Jaws,” yet in my JAWS retrospective article I cite the Vineland booking as being at a “Vineland Twin” rather than a “Demarco Cinemas.” Is Demarco a later name, or is this a different theater?
IA: Why do you believe Buena Vista was never equipped with 70mm projection capability? During what timeframe did you work there? Are you familiar with the theater’s entire history? And why do you list (in the comment above) that El Dorado was equipped with a Dolby CP100 when they opened in 1967 (they got the CP100 in 1979)?
IA, please email me if you’d prefer to discuss in private rather than clutter up this page with a bunch of back-and-forth chatter.
<<< The text must have been edited by a moderator after Michael Coate’s comment was posted. >>>
Joe, I copied-and-pasted one of your intro sentences for context when I made my posting of Oct. 5, 2009, so if it’s true that a moderator edited your intro, then it would mean they also edited my comment. Can a moderator explain this?
The CT staff really ought not make revisions to the introductory write-ups without making a note of such revisions. A date and time stamp for revisions would be ideal.
Regardless of whatever editorial monkey business has taken place, it would appear that I was mistaken about Buena Vista being equipped for 70mm upon its construction and grand opening. I’m still under the impression, though, that it had 70mm capability later on in its life despite claims by IA to the contrary.
<<< Many, many big pictures played here exclusive. “Sound Of Music” for almost a year. >>>
Yep, 45 weeks to be exact. And I imagine that’s the all-time record for Tucson. The 39-week run of the original “Star Wars” at El Dorado is probably number two.
<<< One area local recalled that this was the theater to see “Star Wars” during its initial run. >>>
This is NOT the theater in which “Star Wars” played during its original 1977 release. The first-run Nashville market bookings were at Cinema 4 North (27 weeks), Cinema 4 South (36 weeks), and Hermitage 4 (8 weeks).
The broadcast premiere dates given in raysson’s July 9 post are not correct. The “Empire” premiere American broadcast was held on November 22, 1987. “Jedi” was first shown on American network TV in March of 1989.
(And before anyone goofs up the date of the network premiere broadcast of the original “Star Wars,” I may as well cite it now as February of 1984.)
<<< The network television premiere of BACK TO THE FUTURE premiered on ABC in 1990. >>>
The network TV premiere was not in 1990 on ABC; it was in 1988 on NBC.
There was also a repeat broadcast on NBC in 1989 shortly before the release of “Part II.” That broadcast was hosted by Leslie Nielsen and included some clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the sequel.
Now that the mystery editor has corrected the misspellings, why not delete my comment where I mentioned the misspellings? At this point, retaining my comment will simply confuse anyone reading the page. Worse, readers may think I’m suggesting a correction to an item that doesn’t need correcting. An even better idea would be to introduce a date and time stamp for any revisions made to the intro details.
Now if we could just get Mike Rogers some writing lessons. :–)
The plan when the series was first announced was to show all six movies in 70mm. Apparently, Laemmle had difficulty securing a 70mm print of the first movie (which does not surprise me given how few of them were made).
In my JAWS anniversary article posted a couple of months ago, I have a reference to an Alexandria Mall Cinema I & II. If this twin evolved into the sixplex being described above then it opened a lot sooner than the ‘80s as claimed in the intro.
CWalczak: Where did you get the GCC and mid-80s opening claim? Was that published somewhere, or was that guesswork? Or do you believe this is an entirely different theater than the one mentioned in my JAWS list?
Chief Jensen, I’m shocked you didn’t quote the Rivest material as you often do! :–)
It’s a good thing, Chief, you didn’t quote Rivest, in this case, as he has the theater name misspelled as Trylon and cites an erroneous 1975 closing date. It would appear the guy who wrote and submitted the intro write-up referenced Rivest, as so many CT contributors, unfortunately, have a habit of doing.
Now that the theater name has been corrected/updated, can we fix the closing date detail?
A triplex in the late-1970s? Really, Chuck? Didn’t I just state that a couple of comments ago?
<<< Trylon Theatre, Also known as Tryon Theatre>>>
Trylon? Any chance that’s a typo? I also suspect this theater closed later than 1975.
This was a triplex by the timeframe described in the intro write-up. Its location may have been in Gretna.
Chuck…I can understand how you were misled, but the fact is the drive-in you looked up on drive-ins.com is different than the one Rogers submitted. Rogers' submission opened in 1969 and was located on Reidville Circle off I-26, whereas the one you described was built in the 1940s, was located on U.S. 29 Greenville Highway and had previously operated as the Scenic Drive-In.
Didn’t “The Other Side Of Midnight” get released in 1977? Perhaps you meant “The Other Side Of The Mountain”?
Opened in 1985??? That sounds like typically questionable Rivest data.
I don’t have an exact opening date, but I do have data from 1977 indicating it was operating then (as a three-screener). So, it opened at least eight years before the 1985 claim. (I wonder if Rivest’s 1985 claim is actually a typo for 1975?)
<<< Highway 99, Woodland, CA >>>
Highway 99 does not run through Woodland.
The name Circle South 29 Drive-In is an unnecessary blending of two different theater names. Circle Drive-In is the correct name (as Mike Rogers originally submitted) of the theater for which this page was created. The South 29 Drive-In is a different theater.
By the way, the Circle Drive-In opened on June 27, 1969. Debut attraction was a Paul Newman double feature of “Cool Hand Luke” and “Harper.”
Source: Spartanburg Herald-Journal, various 1969 and 1970 issues.
Don’t encourage him, Chief. :–)
Is proof-reading a lost art?
Isn’t this, like, the fourth duplicate entry you’ve created in the last few weeks?
Was this the Budco Vineland Twin during the 1970s? I ask because I notice the intro mentions a record run of “Jaws,” yet in my JAWS retrospective article I cite the Vineland booking as being at a “Vineland Twin” rather than a “Demarco Cinemas.” Is Demarco a later name, or is this a different theater?
…and “Dragonslayer.”
<<< *I wonder if the GREEN BERETS had a world premiere at a Columbus theatre since it was filmed at Fort Benning. * >>>
I believe the world premiere of “The Green Berets” was held on July 4, 1968, at the Fox in Atlanta.
IA: Why do you believe Buena Vista was never equipped with 70mm projection capability? During what timeframe did you work there? Are you familiar with the theater’s entire history? And why do you list (in the comment above) that El Dorado was equipped with a Dolby CP100 when they opened in 1967 (they got the CP100 in 1979)?
IA, please email me if you’d prefer to discuss in private rather than clutter up this page with a bunch of back-and-forth chatter.
<<< The text must have been edited by a moderator after Michael Coate’s comment was posted. >>>
Joe, I copied-and-pasted one of your intro sentences for context when I made my posting of Oct. 5, 2009, so if it’s true that a moderator edited your intro, then it would mean they also edited my comment. Can a moderator explain this?
The CT staff really ought not make revisions to the introductory write-ups without making a note of such revisions. A date and time stamp for revisions would be ideal.
Regardless of whatever editorial monkey business has taken place, it would appear that I was mistaken about Buena Vista being equipped for 70mm upon its construction and grand opening. I’m still under the impression, though, that it had 70mm capability later on in its life despite claims by IA to the contrary.
<<< Many, many big pictures played here exclusive. “Sound Of Music” for almost a year. >>>
Yep, 45 weeks to be exact. And I imagine that’s the all-time record for Tucson. The 39-week run of the original “Star Wars” at El Dorado is probably number two.
<<< One area local recalled that this was the theater to see “Star Wars” during its initial run. >>>
This is NOT the theater in which “Star Wars” played during its original 1977 release. The first-run Nashville market bookings were at Cinema 4 North (27 weeks), Cinema 4 South (36 weeks), and Hermitage 4 (8 weeks).
<<< Opened Febuary 6, 1973 by Mid-States Theaters with 5 screens? >>>
Northgate opened as a three-screener as mentioned in the intro write-up. The expansion to five screens took place in 1974.
The broadcast premiere dates given in raysson’s July 9 post are not correct. The “Empire” premiere American broadcast was held on November 22, 1987. “Jedi” was first shown on American network TV in March of 1989.
(And before anyone goofs up the date of the network premiere broadcast of the original “Star Wars,” I may as well cite it now as February of 1984.)
<<< The network television premiere of BACK TO THE FUTURE premiered on ABC in 1990. >>>
The network TV premiere was not in 1990 on ABC; it was in 1988 on NBC.
There was also a repeat broadcast on NBC in 1989 shortly before the release of “Part II.” That broadcast was hosted by Leslie Nielsen and included some clips and behind-the-scenes footage from the sequel.
Now that the mystery editor has corrected the misspellings, why not delete my comment where I mentioned the misspellings? At this point, retaining my comment will simply confuse anyone reading the page. Worse, readers may think I’m suggesting a correction to an item that doesn’t need correcting. An even better idea would be to introduce a date and time stamp for any revisions made to the intro details.
Now if we could just get Mike Rogers some writing lessons. :–)
The plan when the series was first announced was to show all six movies in 70mm. Apparently, Laemmle had difficulty securing a 70mm print of the first movie (which does not surprise me given how few of them were made).