umm Nobody is saying it but the two reasons the possible closing of these theaters (btw there very nice little theaters perfect for the Indie movies, Presentations or Meetings) is simply I am sure management does not have the money to adapt to digital and Downtown Sacramento sucks when it comes to parking, its expensive, predatory practices with the Parking Nazi’s and not safe to travel other than drive times on transit, If it wasn’t the size of the screen of the I-MAX and the subsidies it gets from the city it would be a failure too – Example to park in the Garage near the I-MAX theater and to see Cloud Atlas on a Saturday afternoon 20 dollars for the ticket and drink and 20 dollars for parking. You can get it cheaper but its over 5 blocks away
I also attended the Festival and it was a wonderful experience watching the original films restored and presented in digital showed us that digital is good
and new and glorious adventures are still to come, Watching “the Brothers Grimm” brought me to tears at times it was just wonderful, Listening to the laughter during Mad Mad continues the joy of a full theater – you become part of the movie and “This is Cinerama"
and "in the Picture” being with the guys that we’re there when it started and watching the new film one simple word describes the presentations and the Festival “JOY” to John, Dave, the best crew in the booths and the Management and staff of Pacific and the Arclight Cinema’s THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
I truly hope The Cinemark levels the current building and build a new complex in the memory of the people that were taken on that day, The new Auditorium 9 should be the most beautiful theater something very special tribute to the Cooper – Cine Capri – so watching a movie in that theater will be special again
The Screens should be the Normal not special however I do like the upgraded seats there comfy but sadly its only because they get more money per ticket period….
To Leonard and all the awesome folks who tried to save this theater
Thank you, however 40 years later you wonder if the measure succeeded if the Theater would still be with us today, As much as I loved this place I don’t think so, The Problem with the Alhambra was simply it was built in the wrong place, it’s facilities was grand but not anything like the Paramount in Oakland or the Fox in San Francisco
it was a neighborhood theater and a BIG one at that, Way Too Big, for those that knew this theater I think the Gardens outside were more beautiful than the inside, The Ceiling was not anything special and wasn’t the walls Stone? I do remember the Big Isle down the middle of it but again what do we remember about the interior. There is Not ONE picture of it anywhere on here or the Net.
To be very honest Sacramento really does not have any real Cinema Treasures, ok The Crest is nice but again it was a “Work Horse” theater in its day, The Tower, Century’s, State and Capitol Theaters were beautiful the day they open but we know there fate, split degraded and destroyed in the name of Progress, We now have the Megaplex’s, Imax behind what’s left of the Esquire and Like the National in LA, Good theaters torn down only to see the vacant and parking lots, (Cinema 1 and 2 and the Showcase) This Week we heard that the Woodland City Council is Saving the State BRAVO at least someone cares :)
When I was in So Cal, took the time and saw a movie in this awesome theater, Ok Arthur was an OK movie it was watchable, But the theater is One of a Kind, Big Screen Big Sound, Big Fun !
My only concern is maintenance, Its time for drapery, seat and carpet replacements, the theater is in a super nice area of Southern California lets make sure this theater stays around for a long time
Gentlemen, this one of my favorite places to visit daily, Thank you for all your hard and super work, hopefully with the help of this site we will never see a theater like the National be destroyed again – Bud
It was a Great Movie, saw it in MiniMax in El Dorado Hills and plan to see it again, A trip to San Francisco and see it on the Metreon’s Big Imax Screen would be the perfect choice !
Growing up in Sacramento, I remember my Parents taking me to see Cinerama at the Esquire, However if you look at dates above, three strip Cinerama only had a run of 2 years before everything went 70mm.
I am sure you are correct that the Tower had a D-150 screen as the only other one in the Sacramento area was the Cinema 150(Crestview Cinema)in Carmichael.
The movie I remember the most was “The Greatest Story ever told"
with a special book you received when you entered, everyone all dressed up and for a 9 year old it is still a living memory!
I Got my tickets to HTWWW flying into Hollywood for the day
and going home to Sacramento later in the evening, this is a event not to be missed can anyone can give me how the seating is loges vs the main floor ?
I enjoyed every single page of this Book, it is a Treasure to own it
and now sits Stately on my coffee table right infront of my Home
Big Screen, Hopefully the guys will right another book Cinema Tragedies The Stories of what has left us – The San Francisco Fox,
The Michigan in Detroit and the Cooper and Indian Hills as Examples
We still have our Treasures but always keep reminding people of the
Blunders and Tragedies that some of these idiots made.
I too Enjoyed the special very much, here in Sacramento the closet thing to any of these theaters is in Oakland at the “Paramount”
What is Needed is the Movie Stars and great leaders to rally and support the restoration of these awesome buildings and interiors
What about Mr. Gates stepping down from Microsoft his old Friend
in Seattle restored the Cinerama what a Better one up to restore the Kings and the Fox Oakland !
Its Called Marketing, The Dome is doing very well with all the marketing that Arclight does, Any time I travel to LA, I take in a movie no mater what it is, I agree fix the seats and Oh I just had a Great Idea, Here’s another gem Arclight, Lease or Buy it and continue your legacy in the market !!
I agree the Rude behavior needs to be changed or simply start asking the person to leave when a Phone goes off or disturbs a patron thats right – kick them out of the theater ! Plus We need to make the
slide that asks them nicely to turn them Off, Put it up in White Letters on a black Background – TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONE NOW !
it might get the message
I placed my Order for this Wonderful Book just minutes ago
only $13.59 through Amazon, Plus of course a copy of Cinema Treasures will accompany the order, I remember as a Child
going down Market Street with my parents observing the destruction
of the FOX theater, To this day I can still see it in my mind and
its distrubing what a Terrible Loss, But books like this and a Movie I have of the Final days of the Fox keeps the memory alive.
I love Old Theaters Really I do, but why worry about this Theater or better yet why worry about any remaining Theaters in Sacramento, We only have a Few Gem’s (“Crest†and “Guildâ€) and there just your average nice Theaters, What we had is gone and what is left now is crumbs, the rejects nobody wanted. Sacramento only had one really nice Theater the “Alhambraâ€, next was the “Fox†(the entrance was grander than the theater) and then the “Esquireâ€. The Tower needs to be Saved, its would be nice……..
But I really do not think so!
The Tower is now a pure 100% dump, Last time I saw a Picture there (The Mighty Wind)
The Unprofessional Display of the Movie, Trash, Dirt, Grime, Water Stains disgusted me, You can feel the springs not the seats, Filthy bathrooms and a crew that just did not care! I am not a Big Fan of Century Theaters but at least there clean.
I have to support our City on what they want to do on the K Street Mall, The CineArts Proposal is Great, Downtown is finally coming to life with many fine Restaurants and
Attractions, I am not worried about the Crest, Its large theater and the two smaller ones
will keep it in business, Remember the City pumped a bunch of money in that building a few years ago. What I hate about Downtown is the Parking
The lots should be free from 6pm to 6am and all weekends to encourage people coming Downtown.
The Operators are to be blamed entirely for the demise of the Tower, They ran it in the ground, They are a Big Operator too, Ok Compete with the CineArts, Refurbish the Tower, Market it and then we will see who wins don’t cry on the shoulders of the People
who care about this Theater and say You are the Victim here, We should be Protesting not at City Hall But the Offices of Reading Entertainment, If not Turn it into a Office Building or a Supermarket, The Neighborhood needs it!!!
BTW where are the Sacramento Owners Of the Tower and There Opinions ??
THe Sacramento Esquire IMAX theater has been open for a few years now and the only thing that remains from the old theater is the magnificent sign out front, it is very successful, However I remember seeing all the Cinerama Movies there and my Dad always enjoyed taking us kids to the Esquire he liked the seats and the popcorn, oh the memories in the upper Balcony !!
One of the best pictures of the Alhambra are in the Halls of the Kaiser Hospital on Morse Ave in Sacramento, The Lobby, Main Auditorium and Gardens. It was a Big Theater, The last movie I saw there was “What’s up Doc” with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neill. I still have a bush in my front yard that came from one of the side planting when they tore it down in 1973. PS I still curse at that Safeways Store :)
The Sacramento Inn Cinema’s are now a memory, a few months ago the theaters were bulldozed and nothing remains but the sign, It was
one of my favorite theaters enjoyed many movies there !
umm Nobody is saying it but the two reasons the possible closing of these theaters (btw there very nice little theaters perfect for the Indie movies, Presentations or Meetings) is simply I am sure management does not have the money to adapt to digital and Downtown Sacramento sucks when it comes to parking, its expensive, predatory practices with the Parking Nazi’s and not safe to travel other than drive times on transit, If it wasn’t the size of the screen of the I-MAX and the subsidies it gets from the city it would be a failure too – Example to park in the Garage near the I-MAX theater and to see Cloud Atlas on a Saturday afternoon 20 dollars for the ticket and drink and 20 dollars for parking. You can get it cheaper but its over 5 blocks away
I also attended the Festival and it was a wonderful experience watching the original films restored and presented in digital showed us that digital is good and new and glorious adventures are still to come, Watching “the Brothers Grimm” brought me to tears at times it was just wonderful, Listening to the laughter during Mad Mad continues the joy of a full theater – you become part of the movie and “This is Cinerama"
and "in the Picture” being with the guys that we’re there when it started and watching the new film one simple word describes the presentations and the Festival “JOY” to John, Dave, the best crew in the booths and the Management and staff of Pacific and the Arclight Cinema’s THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
I truly hope The Cinemark levels the current building and build a new complex in the memory of the people that were taken on that day, The new Auditorium 9 should be the most beautiful theater something very special tribute to the Cooper – Cine Capri – so watching a movie in that theater will be special again
Tear the whole thing down, and rebuild it down the street, I would never be comfortable going in there
And we now pay extra to get 2/3 of this screen in our local theaters and to add “salt to the womb” todays projectors can’t fill this screen
The Screens should be the Normal not special however I do like the upgraded seats there comfy but sadly its only because they get more money per ticket period….
Bravo !!!
To Leonard and all the awesome folks who tried to save this theater Thank you, however 40 years later you wonder if the measure succeeded if the Theater would still be with us today, As much as I loved this place I don’t think so, The Problem with the Alhambra was simply it was built in the wrong place, it’s facilities was grand but not anything like the Paramount in Oakland or the Fox in San Francisco it was a neighborhood theater and a BIG one at that, Way Too Big, for those that knew this theater I think the Gardens outside were more beautiful than the inside, The Ceiling was not anything special and wasn’t the walls Stone? I do remember the Big Isle down the middle of it but again what do we remember about the interior. There is Not ONE picture of it anywhere on here or the Net.
To be very honest Sacramento really does not have any real Cinema Treasures, ok The Crest is nice but again it was a “Work Horse” theater in its day, The Tower, Century’s, State and Capitol Theaters were beautiful the day they open but we know there fate, split degraded and destroyed in the name of Progress, We now have the Megaplex’s, Imax behind what’s left of the Esquire and Like the National in LA, Good theaters torn down only to see the vacant and parking lots, (Cinema 1 and 2 and the Showcase) This Week we heard that the Woodland City Council is Saving the State BRAVO at least someone cares :)
also this is just a dream, can you imagine a Cinerama Imax, with digital projection and computers it could be possible :)
also even Cinerama today with Digital Projection would be awesome, We all can dream, hey isn’t that what Movies are all about :)
Awesome, Can you tell us when this gem will be released !
Thanks
When I was in So Cal, took the time and saw a movie in this awesome theater, Ok Arthur was an OK
movie it was watchable, But the theater is One of a Kind, Big Screen Big Sound, Big Fun !
My only concern is maintenance, Its time for drapery, seat and carpet replacements, the theater is in a
super nice area of Southern California lets make sure this theater stays around for a long time
or using the line from the Godfather “we will make them a offer they can’t refuse”
Gentlemen, this one of my favorite places to visit daily, Thank you for all your hard and super work, hopefully with the help of this site we will never see a theater like the National be destroyed again – Bud
It was a Great Movie, saw it in MiniMax in El Dorado Hills and plan to see it again, A trip to San Francisco and see it on the Metreon’s Big Imax Screen would be the perfect choice !
Growing up in Sacramento, I remember my Parents taking me to see Cinerama at the Esquire, However if you look at dates above, three strip Cinerama only had a run of 2 years before everything went 70mm.
I am sure you are correct that the Tower had a D-150 screen as the only other one in the Sacramento area was the Cinema 150(Crestview Cinema)in Carmichael.
The movie I remember the most was “The Greatest Story ever told"
with a special book you received when you entered, everyone all dressed up and for a 9 year old it is still a living memory!
I Got my tickets to HTWWW flying into Hollywood for the day
and going home to Sacramento later in the evening, this is a event not to be missed can anyone can give me how the seating is loges vs the main floor ?
I enjoyed every single page of this Book, it is a Treasure to own it
and now sits Stately on my coffee table right infront of my Home
Big Screen, Hopefully the guys will right another book Cinema Tragedies The Stories of what has left us – The San Francisco Fox,
The Michigan in Detroit and the Cooper and Indian Hills as Examples
We still have our Treasures but always keep reminding people of the
Blunders and Tragedies that some of these idiots made.
Thanks Ross and Andreas
BUD
I too Enjoyed the special very much, here in Sacramento the closet thing to any of these theaters is in Oakland at the “Paramount”
What is Needed is the Movie Stars and great leaders to rally and support the restoration of these awesome buildings and interiors
What about Mr. Gates stepping down from Microsoft his old Friend
in Seattle restored the Cinerama what a Better one up to restore the Kings and the Fox Oakland !
Its Called Marketing, The Dome is doing very well with all the marketing that Arclight does, Any time I travel to LA, I take in a movie no mater what it is, I agree fix the seats and Oh I just had a Great Idea, Here’s another gem Arclight, Lease or Buy it and continue your legacy in the market !!
I agree the Rude behavior needs to be changed or simply start asking the person to leave when a Phone goes off or disturbs a patron thats right – kick them out of the theater ! Plus We need to make the
slide that asks them nicely to turn them Off, Put it up in White Letters on a black Background – TURN OFF YOUR CELLPHONE NOW !
it might get the message
Merry Christmas
BUD
I placed my Order for this Wonderful Book just minutes ago
only $13.59 through Amazon, Plus of course a copy of Cinema Treasures will accompany the order, I remember as a Child
going down Market Street with my parents observing the destruction
of the FOX theater, To this day I can still see it in my mind and
its distrubing what a Terrible Loss, But books like this and a Movie I have of the Final days of the Fox keeps the memory alive.
With all my Heart to the Author – THANK YOU
BUD
I love Old Theaters Really I do, but why worry about this Theater or better yet why worry about any remaining Theaters in Sacramento, We only have a Few Gem’s (“Crest†and “Guildâ€) and there just your average nice Theaters, What we had is gone and what is left now is crumbs, the rejects nobody wanted. Sacramento only had one really nice Theater the “Alhambraâ€, next was the “Fox†(the entrance was grander than the theater) and then the “Esquireâ€. The Tower needs to be Saved, its would be nice……..
But I really do not think so!
The Tower is now a pure 100% dump, Last time I saw a Picture there (The Mighty Wind)
The Unprofessional Display of the Movie, Trash, Dirt, Grime, Water Stains disgusted me, You can feel the springs not the seats, Filthy bathrooms and a crew that just did not care! I am not a Big Fan of Century Theaters but at least there clean.
I have to support our City on what they want to do on the K Street Mall, The CineArts Proposal is Great, Downtown is finally coming to life with many fine Restaurants and
Attractions, I am not worried about the Crest, Its large theater and the two smaller ones
will keep it in business, Remember the City pumped a bunch of money in that building a few years ago. What I hate about Downtown is the Parking
The lots should be free from 6pm to 6am and all weekends to encourage people coming Downtown.
The Operators are to be blamed entirely for the demise of the Tower, They ran it in the ground, They are a Big Operator too, Ok Compete with the CineArts, Refurbish the Tower, Market it and then we will see who wins don’t cry on the shoulders of the People
who care about this Theater and say You are the Victim here, We should be Protesting not at City Hall But the Offices of Reading Entertainment, If not Turn it into a Office Building or a Supermarket, The Neighborhood needs it!!!
BTW where are the Sacramento Owners Of the Tower and There Opinions ??
THe Sacramento Esquire IMAX theater has been open for a few years now and the only thing that remains from the old theater is the magnificent sign out front, it is very successful, However I remember seeing all the Cinerama Movies there and my Dad always enjoyed taking us kids to the Esquire he liked the seats and the popcorn, oh the memories in the upper Balcony !!
Linda,
One of the best pictures of the Alhambra are in the Halls of the Kaiser Hospital on Morse Ave in Sacramento, The Lobby, Main Auditorium and Gardens. It was a Big Theater, The last movie I saw there was “What’s up Doc” with Barbra Streisand and Ryan O'Neill. I still have a bush in my front yard that came from one of the side planting when they tore it down in 1973. PS I still curse at that Safeways Store :)
The Sacramento Inn Cinema’s are now a memory, a few months ago the theaters were bulldozed and nothing remains but the sign, It was
one of my favorite theaters enjoyed many movies there !