Big Cinemas - Golf Glen 5

Unfortunately, the Golf Glen doesn't look like it's been cleaned or fixed up since the 80s either, at least the last time I was there in January of 2002, to see "The Mothman Prophecies", it was really scuzzy. This was probably right after it was reopened by Village Theatres, so perhaps they've made some improvements since then. A section of the lobby carpeting was missing, the seats in the auditorium I was in were once red, but were more like blackish red they were so dirty, and worst of all, the men's restroom door in the lobby was off altogether, but fortunately you couldn't see all the way in.

The only time that I went to the Golf Glen is in 2001 to see "America's Sweethearts". Yes, the seats were once red but tight also. It was originally opened by Essaness Theaters, then Plitt took over, then Cineplex Odeon, the Loews/Cineplex and finally Village Theaters.

This theater used to be a 24 hour "A & P" grocery store in the early 80's, I lived right behind there on Dee Road.

I used to go there all the time with my friends and we never had a problem with the quality of the place. As a preteen and early teenager, it was a good place to scope out girls. I never cared for it much, however, as I preferred the larger theaters at Old Orchard & nearby Golf Mill (both now gone as well. Why did this one last?). By the time the mid-90s rolled around, it looked hopelessly dated. Last time I was there was for "A Very Brady Sequel." ('96?) I thought I'd timewarped back to my 80s gradeschool/high school days. The place hadn't changed a bit, and as someone pointed out, looked pretty ramshackle.

To think I took dates there in the late 80s & early 90s!!!!!!!!

What a dump! Famous line applies to this theatre.

I wouldn't say so. It's a lot better than i'd expect for the price. It's quiet, the prints are usually in good shape, popcorn is fresh. Not the cleanest place ever, but i've seen worse. Plus hardly anyone is ever there, so you don't have to put up with a lot of obnoxious people. And with only one or two people working there, it would be quite easy to sneak in were one so inclined. It's also a great time capsule of 80s cinema.

Does anybody know what month this place opened in 1984?

It is interesting that of all the theatres that were once in the Morton Grove/Niles area, only this one remains.

This theatre was one of a handful opened by Essaness immediately prior to that chain's being taken over by Plitt/Cineplex Odeon. Some of the others included Forest Park Mall, the Plaza, the Foxfield, and I believe the Chicago Ridge. This is similar to General Cinemas having theatres built immediately prior to takeover by AMC.

Trivia question: Can anyone name the Chicago TV station which was owned by Essaness?

Uhh, you lost me on that one. I forgot Essaness owned a TV station.

Speaking of Essaness, does anyone know where I can find photos of their theatres? I'm doing a school article on theatres and this could be useful. I'm also trying to obtain photos of Chestnut Station, Diana, Lincoln Village 7-9, The Plaza etc... The photos would go in my article. Thanks to anyone in advance.

Cinemark Fan,

Photos of some of the theatres you mentioned above can be seen at www.cinematour.com The Davis is still in business, so (assuming you're from the Chicagoland Area), you can get photos yourself. If you want the Plaza that was across the street from Lincoln Village, that building still stands, although it had been taken over by a K-mart (which I understand is now closed).

Essaness owned WSNS-TV, channel 44 in Chicago.

I have an artists rendering of the Lincoln Village, but as I said, it wasn't opened as an essaness.

Cinemark Fan,

I believe that the Lake was also an Essaness. There are abundant photos of that place around the 'net and in books. You can also get current photos of it yourself.

Thanks guys. Oh Brian, I'd like to see that artist rendering of the Lincoln Village. And Paul, I've never been to the Lake, but I plan on going there soon.

Email me.

Cinemark Fan,

I spoke with a family member who is a retired librarian. In order to get old photos of Essaness Theatres, you should go do the following:

1) Check the list of Essaness Theatres on Cinema Treasures to see where the theatres are/were located.

2) Then go to the historical societies and libraries in the cities that the theatres were listed in. You should go in person and not use the web for these as the people at those places should be able to help you and recommend additional resources.

3) The Sulzer branch of the Chicago Public Library. located at Lincoln Avenue and Montrose, should be able to help you with the Davis Theatre. They maintain an extensive collection of resources on that neighborhood.

4) For the Lake Theatre, contact the Oak Park Public Library and the Oak Park Historical Society.

5) For the theatres that are still extant, (i.e. showing movies or live theatre or concert halls), contact the owners and see if you can take photos inside.

I hope this helps.

If you have a Chicago Public Library card, you have access to the archives of the Chicago Tribune from 1853-1985 online. You can use the search function to find any old ads or articles on Essaness theatres. Particularly useful are the showtime listings. Often renderings were published when theaters were announced. If you don't have a CPL card, some suburban libraries also have access although it may be harder to find out about.

Thank you guys for your help. I'm gonna get right on it this weekend.

Cinemark Fan:

Some of the theatres that Essaness opened up immediately prior to their take-over by Plitt (or was it Cineplex-Odeon) include

1) Chestnut Station
2) Forest Park
3) Foxfield
4) Golf Glen
5) Plaza
6) St. Charles

These opened up 1982-1985.

I was here for the first time recently (on a Saturday afternoon) to see KING KONG. I hadn't been here in a long time and it reminded me of the Burnham Plaza Theatre--another 1980s theatre, once owned by Village (and many others). While basically clean, it looked a little down at the heels and like the Burnham, there are still Cineplex-Odeon signs.

It was like having a private screening as we were the only ones in the auditorium. It seems to me that Village Theatres tries to make an earnest go with the older theatres they've purchased/leased. But Village also seems to lack capital and they should advertise their theatres in the papers. They have, however, recently re-started their website, so that's a positive sign.

If Keresotas does indeed build a new cinema at Golf Mill, then this places days are certainly numbered.

I meant to say "for the first time in a long time."

Now it's closed.

I wonder if it's headed for the wrecking ball?

Cinemark Fan,

It's hard to say. I can't say whether or not the strip mall this theatre is in is within the Niles City Limits, or if it's in the unincorporated area of Cook County. There are a lot of ramshackle apartments in that area (and some nice condos too). The strip mall itself is blah. As the Golf Glen theatre was once a grocery store, it would be relatively easy to convert it back to retail use. One thing's for sure--English is definitely not the first language spoken in this area.

By the way, did you ever do your Essaness Theatres project? If so, how did it go.

I'm putting the finshing touches on it now. It's a part of my school project. After Essaness, I'll do M&R, General Cinema, Plitt, Cineplex Odeon etc... It's about the difference between moviegoing now and moviegoing before I was born. I'm trying to start a theatre corp someday and I'd like to pay tribute to them somehow.

I'm quite sure it will never return. They took the unusual step of removing the signage from the front of the building. And with Kerasotes' new multiplex set to go in at Golf Mill, nobody would want to compete. It's a little sad, the place had that 80s timewarp character, so few of these early multis are left. The Golf Glen opened Friday, June 8, 1984 with The Natural, Moscow on the Hudson, Beat Street and the other three screens opening shortly thereafter with Pope of Greenwich Village, Karate Kid, Conan the Barbarian, and Bachelor Party. It was touted as featuring Dolby Stereo, Plush Seating, and Acres of Parking. Tickets were 2.25 for matinees. Also, I don't think that Plitt ever operated this - both Essaness and Plitt were absorbed by CO, not each other. CO also renovated the theater somewhat in 1987-1988.

There was a time in August of 1986 when Plitt had it. The theatre directory had it saying, Plitt/Essaness Theatres. Now that you said CO renovated Golf Glen a little, did CO ever do the same for Chestnut Station? My brother only went there once to see Predator. He said something about that place having gray carpets with black stripes on it, and the theatres themselves having the CO decor, the zig-zag stuff on the auditorium walls like at Burnham Plaza, or Lincoln Village 1-6. Can anyone elaborate on this?

Regarding Glen, I think it might be divided into retail. And, me and my dad plan to check out the new Showplace at Golf Mill when it opens. Let's hope they play homage to the old 4 plex somehow.

Plitt was sold to Cineplex in June 1985 and finalized in November of that year. They continued using the Plitt name for a while after that happened. See this article.
Essaness was sold to Cineplex in May of 1986. And yes, Chestnut was also remodeled. See this article.

Brian W,

This article explained to me the whole Plitt/Essaness/Cineplex sequence. I've seen the article before and if you look at my comments under the Mercury (Elmwood Park), you'll see how I charted what happened to all of the cinemas opened by Cineplex-Odeon circa 1985-1989. Very few remain in operation as cinemas today. The champ must be the Bricktown, which operated only between 1989 and 2000.

Theatres closed by the Village Entertainment chain and the years Village operated them:

Biograph: 2002-2004
Burnham Plaza: 2002-2005
Fox Valley: 2002-2003
Golf Glen: 2002-2006
Hinsdale: 2002-2003
Water Tower: 2002-2003

Notice that all came from Village's expansion in 2002. Undercapitalized and over-expanded in such a short time

I went to Omega restaurant 3 weeks ago and noticed the closure of Golf Glen, one of its last new showings was King Kong. It was a craphole for the last 15 years and I have no idea how it remained open so long.

It was 1980 when I moved into the area and remember the theater as an A&P which closed later that year (severe bankruptcy - A&P is a facinating story in itself but that has little relevance here). It then became an Army/Navy or Salvation Army store from early 1981 to late 1982 then closed until the creation of the Golf Glen theaters in June 1984 (I first seen the sign from a school bus when I was going on a field trip. I was one of the goofs who liked break dancing and wanted to see Beat Street...the 80's will never be cloned).

So long Golf Glen. This was the last remaining movie theater from my youth. Mount Prospect Cinema, Twin Drive In, Golf Mill Theaters, Deerbrook Cinema, Edens Theaters, Palwaukee Theater, Town N' Country and Old Orchard are all a fond memory (okay, some better than others). Strange, but I never would have thought as a youngster that they would all disappear!

I saw Karate Kid here with a friend, so I guess that was around the month it opened. It's so funny now that for us Glenview/Northbrook-ites who frequented Golf Mill, Golf Glen was originally considered very nice. It must have been the novelty appeal of so many different screens in one theater. I always preferred Old Orchard & Golf Mill over this one though, even then. In fact, I shouldn't be so nostalgic about it. I think our standards have risen on the whole since the early 80s, and I'll take the new Crown Glen over this any day of the week. As pointed out in previous posts, the area around here has changed a lot and is more of a crap hole then it's ever been. No offense to its residents, but Niles is one ugly city.

Anyone remember the Axle Roller Rink? Okay, I may be going too far back now.

Anybody remember when Lethal Weapon played here for a while? I only have that on microfilm. Come to think of it, Golf Mill down the road played a 70mm engagement of one of my favorite films of that year, Stakeout.

The FILM LITERATURE LIBRARY lists the following articles in VARIETY about the Essaness Chain:

1) Ingram, B. Essaness will run 89-screen Carisch Minneapolis circuit. Variety 330 Mar 30 (1988): 7 + [2p].

2) Chicago Essaness chain to buy Theater Operators Inc. of Montana. Variety 331 May 4 (1988): 8.

3) Odeon/Plitt buys 41 Essaness screens in Metro Chicago. Variety 323 May 14 (1986): 3+ [2p].

4) Essaness Theaters acquires 15-screen chain in Wisconsin. Variety 320 Oct 2 (1985): 5 + [2p].

Apparantly, Essaness was active up to and after the C-O/Plitt takeover.

I happened to pass the site last night. It is still sitting there for lease.

A belated reply to Cinemark Fan's comment:

You are right in that this place had the "1980s-Cineplex-Odeon-Look" to it. Even though it was originally an Essaness, C-O did renovate it into their look. I went to the Golf-Glen just before it closed to see KING KONG and I thought I'd warped back to the then-recently closed Burnham Plaza (I'd only been to the G-G once before and that was circa 1990 to see THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER). And yes, the carpet was the same, the zig-zag things were on the wall.

A poster on the Lincoln Village 1-6 page stated that the remaining
C-Os from the 1983-1990 have "a creepy Cineplex-Odeon vibe" to them.
I beleive that the survivors from that era are now only the Bloomingdale Court, the Lincoln Village, the North Riverside (not sure what that one looks like on the inside--interesting that all three of these are Village Theatres) and possibly the Chicago Ridge. As I've said before, I wonder how long these places will remain.

Along with Town & Country, Golf Glen was one of the first few "multiplex" type theaters to open in the northern Chicago suburbs in the early to mid 1980s. It was located near the popular Golf Mill Theaters and shopping mall. During it's heyday, it saw a large mix of often-younger patrons from nearby Maine, Glenbrook, Niles, and Morton Grove school districts. It operated until around early 2006 (it had closed for a period several years earlier, only to be reopened under new management). Since it's opening, a funny thing happened with Golf Glen: it never changed. Not only was the place never modernized/remodeled, the demographics of the area also changed pretty dramitically. Personal memories: I saw many horror films here for some reason, including several of the "Nightmare" films, "The Believers", "Silence of the Lambs" and a laughably bad Wes Craven film called "Deadly Friend." I remember seeing "Ferris Bueller" and the "Karate Kid" here as well.

http://bmac5.photosite.com/Album8/

It was remodeled fairly extensively when it went from Essaness to C-O, but that was rather early on.

What did they change exactly? It looks the same to me as it always did.

Carpeting, decor, concession stand. Probably the lighting in the theatres. There are pictures at the Theatre Historical Society. This would have been 86-87.

Hmmm...that was a really long time ago. I almost vaguely remember that. I'm sure I was aware of it at the time. Do you know what the color scheme was originally? Any chance you could post scans of the Historical Society photos?

No, you'd have to see for yourself in Elmhurst. They looked like photos from an employee.

*Talking like like Yoda*

Go to Elmhurst, I will.

This theatre seems to have generated more interest after it closed than when it was open!

Has anybody else besides me and Bryan K. been here during the Village Theatres era?

Yeah, I went there a few times. I didn't think it was too bad. And it could draw a decent audience depending on the film. Terribly understaffed though, I used to have friends who would walk right in without paying.

To Paul and BW:

In the photo set provided by Billymac, look at this concession photo
http://bmac5.photosite.com/Album8/Golf_Glen___Interior_Concessions.html
That looks like the same design AMC used back in the 80's. Now, I wonder if Essaness Theatres used Mesbur & Smith as architects for Chestnut Station and Golf Glen. For those who don't know, Mesbur & Smith designed theaters for Cineplex Odeon exclusively from 1983-1990. Now maybe they designed a few theatres for Essaness before they entered the partnership with CO. Think about it, my brother saw Predator at Chestnut St back in June 87, and he said it looked like a CO theatre. CO didn't really start the remodel for it until later that year. Do you think I'm on to something here?

Nah, the Essaness design was distinctly different. Looked a lot more like your average early mall multiplex sort of lobby. I think it had a straight-across counter, for example. Plus, David Mesbur (note that he was not partnered with Smith until 1992) was based out of Canada, as was CO itself. Mesbur's bio describes the 1983-1990 arrangement as "exclusive" which I would take to indicate that he was not working with other companies.

What was Hoffman Estates? A gated community? This article is dated 9/2/65. If the Golf-Rose theater is listed under another name, let me know:

Drawings were released this week for the proposed 1,400-seat movie theater in the Golf-Rose Shopping Center in Hoffman Estates. Lowell Siff, vice president of F&S Construction Co., developer of the center, estimated that the theater should be open within six to nine months. He emphasized that the size of the movie house should assure
the showing of first run movies.

AT PRESENT THE nearest theater either in existence or under construction is a smaller theater in Rolling Meadows. The Golf-Rose theater will be built to the southeast of the Grant store and will face north toward the shopping center parking lot. The theater will be adjoined by 35,000 square feet of new space for new stores toward the east. Siff said that the commercial area is needed because all of the 81,000 square feet in Golf-Rose and the 42,500 square feet in the Plaza is now filled. There have been no commitments yet on the additional 35,000 square feet.

OPERATOR OF the theater will be Duncan Kennedy, described by Siff as a man with long experience in the field. Kennedy will continue to operate a movie house on Route 20 he now runs. Siff said the construction of a theater in a shopping center conforms with a country-wide trend. The parking space gets double use and many persons come to the center to shop who wouldn't otherwise.

Hoffman Estates is a suburb built in that era by a developer. Golf-Rose would be at the intersection of Golf and Roselle Roads.

This would be right on the border with Schaumburg; I'm not sure if this theater was ever built, but if it was, I would guess this was it. That caught my eye on a recent shopping trip.

What is now Harlem Furniture/The Room Place was once a theatre...I assume it was the Golf-Rose.

That theatre's listing is here.

Thanks. I reposted the article on the correct page.

Again, this theater was trash because of the gangs.

I passed by this theater today and noticed there are no more for lease signs on the building like the last time when I was in the area. I took a look inside and it looks relatively the same inside as when I last saw a movie here circa 2004 aside from the neon signs being stripped from the concession stand, the poster cases removed from the walls and there were a few ceiling tiles on the floor of the lobby. Other then that, the place looked relatively intact. Is it possible someone bought this place again? If so, some remodeling is definitely in order. It'll be interesting to see if anythin is happening with this Cineplex Odeon remnant. I have to admit in reading some other posts about other former cineplex odeon theaters (like Lincoln Village 1-6 or North RIverside), I have a somewhat curious fascination with the old CO theaters as well. It'd be kind of neat to keep a few of these late 80's early 90's timepieces alive. I plan on going to Lincoln Village before it closes (anyone know when it's scheduled to close?) and may even consider a matinee at North Riverside where I saw many movies in my youth to see how or if they've changed any since CO's demise. I find it fascinating that Cineplex opened multiple theaters in my area (Brickyard, Oak Brook, North Riverside) and they all closed so quickly. Village purchased many of the remaining ones, but they all went under so quickly. Truly a shame, a big piece of my early moviegoing experiences will soon be merely a footnote in the history of Chicago cinema. Anyhow, anyone hear anything about Golf Glen?

http://www.journal-topics.com/business/08/biz080312.1.html

Despite earlier indications that the Golf Glen's movie days were over for good, The Golf Glen is slated to reopen under India's largest movie chain, taking advantage of the large Indian population nearby. This likely spells the end of the nearby Des Plaines Theater's bollywood period.

I heard a rumor that it will re-open as a second-run theater and not a Bollywood one.

It's possible, but I really doubt it. Reading that article, you would get the impression that it would be American films, but I can't see why India's largest chain would operate it as such, especially considering the large Indian population in the apartment area surrounding it and to the east along Dempster and Golf, the same population which has supported the Des Plaines Theater. If they were just going to run it the same way as it was before, why go through the trouble and expense of remodeling it?

I agree with BW's comments about the probable future for Golf Glen, but I'd prefer a second run theater when it reopens. I have nothing against Bollywood, and look forward to seeing what Adlabs will do to the theater (last I was at Golf Glen maybe 3 years ago some general repairs and renovations were definitely needed, but the theater was in pretty good condition for a 20+ year old theater and as I've commented before it's good to see an old Cineplex remnant revived), but I sorely miss having a 2nd run theater nearby. Second run houses are a dying art. I miss having value theaters like Harlem Corners and Morton Grove around. Great second run houses where you could see a movie for a buck on select days. Nowadays, where to go? Lagrange is kind of a trek for me, and the Logan is problematic due to lack of sufficient parking. Having a second run within 20 mins of me would be great.

Some of the other theaters in the area that show Bollywood movies like Blommingdale Court and Lincoln Village have both American and Bollywood features playing. Maybe Adlabs will do the same at Golf Glen? Time will tell I guess. I hope Robin S' rumor will prove to be true, at least partially!

Oh, I hope I'm not starting a rumor here!

I did, however, hear such a rumor and I was wondering what the others on this site have heard!

http://cinematreasures.org/index/P18950/

Thanks for the link, BW. It'll be interesting to see what kind of a range of films they show here and how exstensive the remodel is. I plan on visiting once it reopens. The Golf Glen is proving to have 9 lives! This will be it's 3rd reopening! How many theaters can say that?!

Has anyone heard of any updates about this theater? I see some work is going on but I haven't heard anything on it in a while.

This site has some photos.

We were by this theater today, enjoying a meal at our favorite Filipino restaurant which is in the same mall. We noticed some progress being made on the outside of the theater, even though there is still construction fencing around it. There are colored lights inside and the outside has stylized changes made to its facade. The poster boxes are in place and look to have been refurbished. More than likely will be a Bollywood venue, given the name of the contractor working on it.

Given the across the board success of "Slumdog Millionaire", there might be hope for the old place after all. It could draw folks in who normally wouldn't consider Indian films.

GolfGlen re-opening as a BIG CINEMAS Theatre, or so the recent sign change there says.

In April of 2009 according to the Big Cinemas webste. If your looking for a job, you might want to check their website.

webste should be website. Anyway, BIG Cinemas Chicago is advertising this theater as:

Golf Glen Stadium 5 Theatre
9180 West Golf Rd • Niles, IL 60714

Featuring Bollywood, Tollywood & International Films

I wonder why the name is Golf Glen Stadium 5 and not Golf Glen Stadium 6.

They may have turned screen six into a eatery or so.

Good to see that an 80's era theater is still fighting the good fight. It's 25th anniversary is June 8th.

News round-up:
http://www.indiatribune.com/webforms/ChannelDetails.aspx?contentId=242&channelId=3
http://www.paradigmae.com/html/P-F-adlabs-golfglen.htm
http://www.journal-topics.com/ni/09/ni090211.8.html

LM, The one web site link above says that it will be a fice cinema with the sixth being a restaurant/lounge.

This is welcome news! The plaza has a number of ethnic restaurants for a pre or post-show meal.and a great deal of parking.

So if you want to sample Bollywood movies and other south Asian films, it would be the place to go. I know I'll be there.

I went to dinner in the area today and drove by the theater afterwards. What a difference a couple of months makes! It looks from the outside like a modern theater all shiny and new! The poster cases were illuminated outside and even the marquee was redone. I couldn't really see inside because the doors were still covered in paper, but it looks like from the lighting that there was a complete overhaul done in the lobby too. I was kind of hoping to see some 2nd run movies shown here, but regardless, I definitely have to stop in and check out what they've done to the place when it opens (anyone know when that is?). A part of me is a little sad there will be no more Cineplex Odeon decor inside, but I guess Village Theaters is the only chain that does zero renovations to the theaters they reopen. All in all, good to see someone do something positive to an older theater rather then carve it up for retail or make it into a church or gym.

The Golf Glen reopened on May 30. Their website shows 5 screens with a restaurant/bar, presumably built into the 6th auditorium.

Yep, it's all Bollywood features.

http://www.bigcinemas.com/US/golfglen/index.asp

I went to the Golf Glen many times because it was close by, but I didn't like it. Some of the screens were so small, on par with the old Woodfield indoor. I remember walking in to see Gremlins 2 the day it opened and they played it on the smallest screen. It seemed like the size of a bedroom wall. That being said, it didn't stop me from going back.

The Hidden, Prince of Darkness (Halloween 1987), No Man's Land. Others I can't remember.

The last was either Vegas Vacation or the movie where Howie Long was a firefighter.

Status should be changed to open, Indian movies.

Here's what it looks like now.

http://tinyurl.com/klzlb2

Very flashy and certainly more attractive than the plain exterior the theater used to have.