Showcase Cinemas Toledo

"2001, A Space Odyssey" played here in 70mm Cinerama on a reserved seat basis in Cinema 1 when the theater was known as Cinema 1, 2, 3. I think it was originally built and operated by General Cinema as its architecture was similar to many theaters they built and operated in the 1960s.

Here is the order form for "2001, A Space Odyssey" at Cinema 1,2,3.

Cinema 1 and 2, as they were originally known, opened with a lot of fanfare in 1964. They advertised uninterrupted site lines, spacious reclining seats, giant wall to wall screens and MOST important...acres of FREE parking! That alone spelled the ultimate demise of the downtown movie theater. The Valentine Theater downtown was the official 70mm Cinerama theater at the time. They lost their bid to this title in early 1966 when the Redstone chain secured the rights to show all future Cinerama films. The first 70mm Cinerama feature to be shown there was The Battle of the Bulge in 1966. The last time a Cinerama film showed there was around 1977 when they showed 2001 A Space Odyssey in "Cinerama" one last time. Cinerama was ultimately abandoned and the other theaters were twinned up untill it closed in 2005.

This opened on December 18th, 1964, a grand opening ad for Cinemas 1 & 2 is at http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x2oUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UgEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6381%2C5489127

Correction, the 17th, ad at http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=x2oUAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UgEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6381%2C5489127

Boxoffice of January 4, 1965, reported that 1000 invited guests had attended the formal opening of the Cinema Theatre on December 16, 1964. The article said that Cinema 1 had 705 seats and Cinema 2 seated 1,100. The project was designed by architect William Riseman.

The January 15, 1968, issue of Boxoffice listed Redstone's Cinema 3, with 1,140 seats, among theaters that had been opened in 1967.

The Toledo twin was not unique. An October 5, 1964, Boxoffice item said that Redstone Management was building a twin theater at Pontiac, Michigan, which "...will be identical with other Redstone projects at Toledo, Louisville, Washington, and Springfield, Mass." All of Redstone's theaters during this period appear to have been designed by William Riseman & Associates. The same firm designed a number of locations for General Cinema during this period, too, which probably accounts for the similarities noted by CWalczac.

The first item Boxoffice published about this theater, in 1963, gave the address where the project was to be built as 3436 Secor Road. An Internet search on that address today fetches various real estate web sites that say it is a 13 acre parcel of vacant land, being offered for sale at $7,000,000. Has the Showcase been demolished?

It was still standing at least as of May of this year according to this item with picture:
http://www.toledoonthemove.com/news/story.aspx?id=302428

Here's a link to the Toledo Blade review of "2001" on June 12, 1968. It's the kind of rave review the picture deserved, and the kind I was hoping my local New York City critics would give it, but none of them did:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SGcxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mwEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7336%2C2810414

What great review! I saw it at the age of 12 and became my favorite film. I had a book on Kubrick that showed sets he had built on the space station that were never in the final cut. I guess Mr. Kubrick never would have made a Director's cut,but it would have been great to see what went in the trash. i found the original 1968 one-sheet in a theatre basement. That was a great find> like 100 christmas'.

I am back Mike been out of town and could not get on-line.

Did you the review on 2001?

Construction was to start on this theatre in November, 1963. Original plan was to call this the Theatre Arts Center. Projected construction cost was $750,000

That is very interesting; I am rather familiar with this theater and I did not know that. Certainly, as built, it showed no trace of ever being intended for the performing arts; it was a of design that William Riseman used, with minor variations, for a number of movie theaters built by Sumner Redstone and General Cinema of that era: two or three auditoriums with a common lobby built basically of white painted masonry block; no stages or stagehouses.

Please don't assume this was to be a multi-purpose venue. It was always planned to be for movies. I'm glad they dropped the "Theatre Arts Center" name before opening...I agree it is confusing.

My source for this was a 1963 issue of Boxoffice magazine.

According to a 1968 Boxoffice Magazine, Cinema III opened at this site on 2/27/1968 with a screening of CAMELOT.

here are some pictures of the building
http://www.flickr.com/photos/detroitmi97/4704615365/in/set-72157624163165741/