In the mid-1960’s I lived just down Connecticut Avenue from the Uptown and went there often. The comment about the big screen is right on target—I saw “Battle of the Bulge” and “2001” at the Uptown, and they were both visually overwhelming.
What a place! Just going to the restroom was an artistic experience. In 1950 I saw a sneak preview of Marlon Brando’s first movie, “The Men,” at Radio City.
The Paramount is in a class by itself, from the monumental tile mosaic facade, to the cavernous lobby, to the stunning auditorium. If I recall correctly, it seats 3200. I always thought the lobby would make my ideal living room.
The Paramount’s near neighbor, the now defunct Fox Oakland, seated 3500 or more and was at one time one of the largest west of Chicago.
My mother considered the Los Angeles so special that she set aside an entire day to take me to a matinee there in the late 1940’s. The interior is truly overwhelming, like the most opulent of opera houses.
I lived in Oakland for years and attended the Grand Lake many, many times when it was still a single-screen operation. On one occasion I had the privilege of playing its renowned pipe organ.
The huge sign is spectacular and dominates the neighborhood.
Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1940’s, I attended both the Academy and the Fifth Avenue any number of times during a period when my family lived near 78th Street and Vermont Ave. Once, during a movie at the Fifth Avenue, there was a pretty strong earthquake, and much of the audience departed (including us).
Very near the intersection of 78th and Vermont was a small local, Spanish-themed “atmospheric,” the Madrid.
We also sometimes patronized the Eagle, at the corner of Eagle Rock Blvd. and Yosemite Drive. It was quite small. On one occasion we arrived a bit late, and the only seats available were loges—at the outrageous price of fifty cents. My father bundled us back in the car and we headed for home.
In the mid-1960’s I lived just down Connecticut Avenue from the Uptown and went there often. The comment about the big screen is right on target—I saw “Battle of the Bulge” and “2001” at the Uptown, and they were both visually overwhelming.
What a place! Just going to the restroom was an artistic experience. In 1950 I saw a sneak preview of Marlon Brando’s first movie, “The Men,” at Radio City.
The Paramount is in a class by itself, from the monumental tile mosaic facade, to the cavernous lobby, to the stunning auditorium. If I recall correctly, it seats 3200. I always thought the lobby would make my ideal living room.
The Paramount’s near neighbor, the now defunct Fox Oakland, seated 3500 or more and was at one time one of the largest west of Chicago.
I attended the world premier of “Ben-Hur” at The Egyptian.
My mother considered the Los Angeles so special that she set aside an entire day to take me to a matinee there in the late 1940’s. The interior is truly overwhelming, like the most opulent of opera houses.
I lived in Oakland for years and attended the Grand Lake many, many times when it was still a single-screen operation. On one occasion I had the privilege of playing its renowned pipe organ.
The huge sign is spectacular and dominates the neighborhood.
The Alex was one of my childhood movie haunts. For some time in the late 1940’s we lived in North Hollywood, so Glendale was fairly convenient.
I particularly remember the forecourt, which indeed was like that of the Egyptian, my mother’s favorite.
Almost always, in conjunction with our moviegoing, we ate at a chicken pie restaurant across the street and a couple of blocks down from the Alex.
Growing up in Los Angeles in the 1940’s, I attended both the Academy and the Fifth Avenue any number of times during a period when my family lived near 78th Street and Vermont Ave. Once, during a movie at the Fifth Avenue, there was a pretty strong earthquake, and much of the audience departed (including us).
Very near the intersection of 78th and Vermont was a small local, Spanish-themed “atmospheric,” the Madrid.
We also sometimes patronized the Eagle, at the corner of Eagle Rock Blvd. and Yosemite Drive. It was quite small. On one occasion we arrived a bit late, and the only seats available were loges—at the outrageous price of fifty cents. My father bundled us back in the car and we headed for home.