Cooper Theatre

I watched the original "This is Cinerama" in this theatre back in the mid 1960's in the three projector process. The round Cinerama theatres were a unique experience.

I have information on the Denver Cooper Theater (i.e., # seats, architect, etc.). I also have professionally-taken pictures of the exterior and interior auditorium. Are you interested in any of this information?

A link to the pictures would be nice, I want to see what this looks like. Too bad Barnes & Noble demolished it, for a stupid reason.

Yes Cary we are interested in this information, please feel free to write a comment with the info, and I'll be happy to add it.

I grew up a few blocks from the Cooper from ~1964 on and saw most movies there (the rest I saw at the Terrace). Saw "This is Cinerama" among many others. The big excitement came when they closed HiWay 12 (now I-394) in front of the theatre to land three planes as a publicity stunt for the premiere of Airport, which was filmed in Minneapolis. My favorite memories are of my Dad who would dissappear to the little smoking lounges that ringed the insides of the theatre. The Cameo was actually a second small screen stuck on the side of the building at a later date. It was a crime that the remarkable Cooper was razed and replaced by one of the ugliest strip mall/office buildings ever built.

I saw HTWWW and Mad World there in the early 60's. Seeing 3-strip Cinerama in this beautiful venue was an incredible experience. About 3-4 years ago, I went back to Denver and interviewed two of the projectionists who worked the Cooper and published this narrative at http://www.iatse354.com Click on the "Nostalgia" link to read this fascinating story. As the saying goes: "They don't build them like this anymore." and the Cooper's loss was a loss to motion picture history.

The Denver Cooper Theater was the first "Super Cinerama" theater built that was especially designed for the Cinerama 3-strip process. Construction began on May 17, 1960, with an estimated construction cost of $750,000. The theater opened on March 9, 1961 and actually cost $1,000,000 to construct, furnish, and equip. The Cooper Theater was designed by Richard Crowther. Although Mel Glatz was retained by the Cooper Foundation as a design consultant for the project, his actual contribution to the design is unknown. The theater was constructed by the Berglund-Cherne Company.

The Denver Cooper Theater had the largest movie screen in the world, at the time that it was constructed. The movie screen measured 38-feet high by 105-feet wide, built in a 146 degree arc (curve). Seating capacity was 814 seats. At the time that it was built, there were only ten Cinerama theaters in the nation. The Coooper had a number of innovations (i.e., movie theater "firsts"). For example, seats were installed in a curve, so that each seat directly faced the curved movie screen; there were no doors at the entrance to the restrooms, so that patrons could get in and out faster (there were partitions that users walked around to get to the restrooms); and the entire auditorium had small holes in the ceiling that delivered heat and air conditioning air flow, which minimized noise coming from the HVAC system.

The Denver Cooper Theater played a number of travelogues starting in 1961, including "This Is Cinerama," "Cinerama Holiday," and "Seven Wonders of the World." On July 14, 1962, the theater hosted the world premier of "The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm." On March 7, 1963, "How the West Was Won" started and played for 88 weeks. During the period from 1961 to 1964, all presentations were in "roadshow" format; that is, reserved seating, one or two shows presented a day, and an intermission between Act 1 and Act 2. In the Fall of 1964, the theater was converted to display 70mm presentations. In 1967, the Cooper was reconverted back to the 3-strip Cinerama process to display "The Best of Cinerama." Afterthat, the 3-strip process was never used at the Denver Cooper again.

What's lost in all these historical facts is that the Cooper Theater was a Denver icon. Movie viewers sometimes traveled from all over the country, just to see the Cinerama process displayed at the Denver Cooper Theater. Travel agents in other states would purchase tickets for their customers, when booking travel arrangements for people coming to Denver (the Denver Cooper had 17 ticket offices in the Rocky Mountain region). Friday, Saturday, and Sunday performances were almost always sold-out; performances during other days were either sold-out or close to being sold-out. The theater staff sat movie viewers in the aisles just to accomodate more people in the theater (until the Fire Marshall threatened to shut down the theater for this practice). The Denver Cooper garnered a reputation for being the "show piece" for the Cinerama process. It was indeed a special event to view Cinerama at the Denver Cooper Theater, and audiences knew it.

In 1994, the Denver Cooper was torned down because (1) the land that it was built on became more valuable than the theater itself, (2) movie viewers were more attracted to newer multi-screen "mega-theaters," and (3) the building was over 30 years old and maintenance costs were increasing to the point that it was no longer profitable to keep the theater open. A large, retail book store now occupies the site. It was certainly Denver's loss when the Cooper was razed.

Add to it's demise the fact that United Artists was running it, they let the Cinema 150 here in Syosset slip away.

The Cinema 150 which took on the Syosset name after that fine RoadShow and Cinerama Theatre was triplexed and then closed and demolished. The Broadway Multiplex led to its' demise. The National Amusements Theatre chain (Redstone Theatres) have descimated the Main Street moviehouses in towns and villages on Long Island that were our neighborhood theatres. The seem to rule the Island now with their bland and non-descript multiplexes. Even their Cinema-du-Lux in Holbrook is a joke, Who goes to the movies where the focal point is the food court incorporated into the lobby concession stands. The director's seat theatres are a little more money for what you should be getting for the regular admission price in the first place. I was glad to see their Brookhaven Multiplex fail and close. Brookhaven lost a few theatres when they opened that multiplex. Fighting crowds for movies playing in 250 seat theatres or less, parking delays and quickly sold out popular movies is not my idea of a night out at the movies.

Had the 150 been treated like The Dome, it could have survivied. So many people had no idea what the theatre was and would gasp when they walked in. I introduced it to friends who lived in the city and they used to take the LIRR out there after that. There was no Manhattan theatre that was finer, including The Ziegfeld.

Seeing Titanic at the D-150 was awesome, especially in the front row of the balcony, when the boat made it's final plunge into the ocean, you felt like you were on board for the ride. I worked the theatre in 1977 during the "Coma" engagement. An ice storm which knocked out power on Long Island for several days left me snowbound at the nearby Syosset Theatre. When checking up on the Cinema 150 property, I entered the lobby and remember the promotinal cardboard corpse's that were suspended from the ceiling. It was ice cold due to no heat and it was an eriee feeling to the place. I also saw the place being totally gutted except for the exterior walls which were punched with holes for the office building that will be occupying the theatre site. In this case, it is possible that the landlord did not want to extend the lease because of his developement plans for his property. I understand businesses in the industrial park where also asked to vacate. However, any chance of seeing Cinerama movies now that "How The West Was Won" was re-issued is completely lost in all New York. What a shame and tragedy this is.

It seems that Syossett, NY, Denver, and Minneapolis have all been blended here. Isn't this page about the Denver Cooper only?

I remember seeing "Silence of the Lambs" at the Denver Cooper, in 1991. Even that late in the theater's life, it was well-maintained and felt very "cool" and beautifully designed.

Even unpretentious 35mm films often had a sense of presence at the Cooper. I can recall seeing Clint Eastwood's "White Hunter, Black Heart" there in 1990 or so and some POV shots from an out-of-control an airplane managed to generate some oohs and ahhs.

An even better participatory sequence occurred when "The Empire Strikes Back" played at the Cooper in 1980. An over-the-shoulder POV from within a Rebel rescue ship produced dizzying results as the ship sped roller-coaster style down an undulating series of snow-capped hills.

The address for the Cooper Cinerama Theatre was 1410 Douglas Street, Omaha, Ne. Seating was 814.

The Denver Cooper was on Colorado Boulevard. I grew up with the Cooper and have 8x10 professional photos of it during construction. I would be happy to share them (scan them) with all the other Cooper fans if there is any interest.

I would absolutely love to see your pictures of the Denver Cooper being constucted. Could you email me at cloeser@earthlink.net to discuss? Thanks.

What a treat to go to The Cooper. Humongous screen, magnificent sound, great sight-lines. My friend and I would go frequently just to watchtthe drapes move. My favorite experience there was watching "Thats Entertainment" playing to a full house and participating with the audience as we broke out into spontaneious applause during the film while watch scenes like Gene Kelly splashing around in "Singing in the Rain" etc. etc. I'm filled with gratitude for having had those moments. BobnDenver

I remember the HUGE line that wrapped around the theater when Star Wars premiered Memorial Day weekend 1977. Afer the movie we would go up the street and grab a burger from the 'oldest McDonalds west of the Mississippi', then pop back down the hill and go to Celebrities' Sport Center for some bowling and video games.

I remember seeing "Empire Strikes Back" on opening day at the Cooper, and winning a contest and t-shirt (as my ticket) to get to see "Return of the Jedi" on opening day. People camped out around the building, it was great.

I was the projectionist at the Colorado Plaza 6 that opened down the street in June of 1988. The Colorado 4 was still around then too. While the Colorado Plaza 6 + Colorado 4 added some competition to the area, the Cooper still got the "big" pictures because of the bigger house, and could run 70mm easier. We only ran one film at the Colorad Plaza 6 in 70mm, which was Backdraft and it didn't draw any additional revenue because it was in 70mm. Most "70mm" pictures back then were acutally shot through an anamorphoc lens and then "blown up". I remember hearing that "Blues Brothers" was the last real picture shot in 70mm, but I could be wrong.

Anyway, the addition of the Colorado Plaza 6 in 1988 and the Mann Cherry Creek 8 in 1990 lead to the demise of both the Cooper and the Century 21 (a real THX house that is now a Sountrack electronics store). They just couldn't compete for bookings, and the land got too expensive.

Gone are the days of going to a movie at the Cooper, then walking down a block to Celebrity Sports Center to play some video games.

BTW, my favorite theatres in Denver were the Cooper and the Century 21. I remember seeing movies at the Century 21 in THX such as Gettysburg that sounded awesome. Never was a big fan of the Continental, the screen always seemed so far away.

Hi, whatever happened to the photos of the exterior & interior of the Denver Cooper that were mentioned here late last year?

Pictures of the Denver Cooper Cinerama can be found at the following link:

http://cinerama.topcities.com/ctcooper.htm

Have fun!

Are there any other pictures of the Cooper that anyone has ahold of? That above mentioned website is great, but I'd like to see more of the lobby. Anyone?

Seating for this theater was 814.

I worked at the Cooper (actually the Cooper/Cameo at that time) during the 1977 Star Wars frenzy. I have some great memories of the theatre and staff. If there are other photos of the interior, I would also enjoy seeing them.

I was lucky enough in the summer of '68 to have seen the 70mm Denver premier of Stanley Kubricks "2001" at the Cooper. It was unforgettable. I also saw "How the West was Won" and other Cinerama films there. What a shame it is gone. The inside lobby and the theater itself was also gorgeous. Much thanks to Cary (above) for sharing the link to the beautiful photographs. http://cinerama.topcities.com/ctcooper.htm
Thanks Cary! and thanks to owners and webmaster of this site.

I saw the first "Star Wars" at the Cooper. I walked there from Lowry Air Force Base when I was stationed there. I hadn't yet learned the finer points of public transportation, coming from a rural area where the only buses I knew took you to school. This past Saturday, I saw "Revenge of the Sith" at the UA Colorado 9, just a few blocks. Kind of nice, because they have the big IMAX type tall format curved screen like the Cooper used to. Just 35mm projection though I think, not 70mm.

There was a Cooper 7 south of Columbine High School, near Coal MIne and Pierce. It has since been converted to a church but if anyone wants to drive over there, the circular roof is still visible, but it's blue now.

"I worked at the Cooper during the 1977 Star Wars frenzy. I have some great memories of the theatre and staff. If there are other photos of the interior, I would also enjoy seeing them." (GaryJB)
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Did you work in the projection booth? Do you recall the Cooper upgrading to a 70mm presentation in August 1977, then giving up the print to the Continental in December to make way for "Close Encounters"?

I don't have any photos of the theater's interior, though I do have a copy of the Denver Post from the day after "Empire" opened which included a great picture of a massive line of fans with the theater and its marquee visible in the shot.

No, I was not a projectionist. In the summer of '77 I was the manager of the Continental. I transferred over to the Cooper/Cameo that same summer as the manager (Star Wars had been playing about a month). I honestly do not remember upgrading to 70mm; to the best of my recollection it was 70mm throughout the time that I was there. I left the theatre business in November of that year.

There was a startup paper in Denver in '77, WestWord (it is still published). The feature story for the inagural edition was on the toll that the Star Wars crowds had on the theatre and staff. I have a copy stashed somewhere -- if you contact WestWord, they may have photos in their files.

"I transferred over to the Cooper/Cameo that same summer as the manager (Star Wars had been playing about a month). I honestly do not remember upgrading to 70mm; to the best of my recollection it was 70mm throughout the time that I was there." (GaryJB)
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Well, if you tranferred to the Cooper during the month of August, then by then the theater would have been running the 70mm print of "Star Wars."

I wonder if perhaps you thought I implied the *theater* upgraded to 70mm that summer, whereas I was referring to the *print* of "Star Wars." (The theater, of course, had had 70mm projection capability dating back to the mid '60s.)

The Cooper was among the theatres included in the original limited-market launch of "Star Wars." The Cooper's 5/25/77 opening-day gross, according to Daily Variety, was a house record $7,966.

One of the interesting things about this theater (or maybe not as I don't know how common this was) is that the screen was actually made up of hundreds of 2" ribbons of screen hung top to bottom. During the late 80s, early 90s I worked for United Artists and all managers were invited down to the Cooper for special early exhibitor screenings (Black Rain, Total Recall, Die Hard 2). At one of these screenings we were taken all over the theater and up close to the screen where you could more easily see these ribbons (at normal viewing distance they were invisibly blended). It was explained to us that because of the Coopers' deeply curved screen, it had to be fashioned from these ribbons in order to not have the screen bow in the center. I've never seen that in any other theater, but perhaps it is more common than I know.

Cliff:

The strip screen you referto was not unique to the Cooper but was essential to proper showing of the original Cinerama films; such screens were installed in all of the original theaters that showed 3-projector Cinerama and in many that showed so-called single lens Cinerama. The angled strips prevent light from bouncing off the left side of the screen to the right (thus partially washing out the image)and vice versa; it did not have anything to with screen bowing. A fine discussion of this phenomena can be found at:
http://www.redballoon.net/~snorwood/book/
where the original Cinerama souvenir book is reproduced; there is a picture of a man behind the screen taken from an angle that reveals the strips. There is also a (sad) picture at:
http://webserve.govst.edu/users/gaskrau/cinestage.html
showing the tattered remains of the strip screen that was at Chicago's Cinestage Theatre (nee Selwyn) which was Chicago's third Cinerama house as well as a link to another picture that shows the anchoring plates and the precise angle at which each strip had to be set.
When the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood was restored and remodeled, many of us Cinerama purists were disappointed that the decision was made by Pacific Theaters not to restore the original strip screen. If you ever have the chance compare seeing "How the West Was Won" at the Dome versus seeing it at the restored Cinerama theatre in Seattle, you will see the difference. They are both great places to see a film though.

Cliff:

The strip screen you refer to was not unique to the Cooper but was essential to proper showing of the original Cinerama films; such screens were installed in all of the original theaters that showed 3-projector Cinerama and in many that showed so-called single lens Cinerama. The angled strips prevent light from bouncing off the left side of the screen to the right (thus partially washing out the image)and vice versa; it did not have anything to with screen bowing. A fine discussion of this phenomena can be found at:
http://www.redballoon.net/~snorwood/book/
where the original Cinerama souvenir book is reproduced; there is a picture of a man behind the screen taken from an angle that reveals the strips. There is also a (sad) picture at:
http://webserve.govst.edu/users/gaskrau/cinestage.html
showing the tattered remains of the strip screen that was at Chicago's Cinestage Theatre (nee Selwyn) which was Chicago's third Cinerama house as well as a link to another picture that shows the anchoring plates and the precise angle at which each strip had to be set.
When the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood was restored and remodeled, many of us Cinerama purists were disappointed that the decision was made by Pacific Theaters not to restore the original strip screen. If you ever have the chance compare seeing "How the West Was Won" at the Dome versus seeing it at the restored Cinerama theatre in Seattle, you will see the difference. They are both great places to see a film though.

I, too, saw "2001, A Space Odessey" in the summer of 1968 at the Denver Cooper theatre. I was spending the summer in Aspen doing an art summer school. Some buddies of mine drove down to Denver to see the film. While we were inside, being blown away by Kubrick's amazing film - there began a forest fire on nearby Mount Evans! When we exited the theatre - we were stoned on the film - we walked into a hazy, smoky landscape. We were in hardly any shape to drive back to Aspen until we pulled ourselves together. Great theatre - they don't, and never will, make 'em like that anymore.

I was one of the lucky ones who managed the Cooper/Cameo in the late 70's. I would love to trade any phots of the Cooper. Please email me at terrysalty@verizon.net

Thanks in advance

Being a native of Denver and lived here all my life, I am very lucky as a young boy to see a wide variety of films at the Denver Cooper Theater.
The first film I remember seeing at the Cooper in 1974 was
That’s Entertainment! I was eight or nine years old, sitting in the balcony with my mother and was blown away by the experience. The screen was enormous and seemed that it never ended. The sound was coming from all areas of the auditorium. By the way, does anyone know if this presentation was 70mm 6-track? I was too young to know the difference.
Over the years I seen the original Jaws, Lucky Lady, Airport 1975, Silent Movie,
Star Wars (70mm 6-track), Close Encounters (70mm 6-track) the original Alien (70 mm 6-track) the Empire Strikes Back (70mm 6-track) I seen it the first day, first showing at 10:30am May 20th, 1980,
Return of the Jedi (70mm 6-track) it was also showing at the Continental before it caught fire, the Die Hard movies, and many more before we lost it to a Barnes and Noble book store.
I pass by the old Cooper theater site every so often and can’t help but reminisce and remember how lucky I was to be introduced to the world of cinema in such a first class way. By far this was, and will always be my favorite movie theater in Denver.

Monty-Denver:
"The Empire Strikes Back" opened on May 21, 1980, not the 20th (although some cities ran benefit screenings on the 20th). Also, if you saw the original "Star Wars" at the Cooper in its first three months, you saw it in 35mm; they didn't get a 70mm print until August '77.

I too had a highly enjoyable experience watching Empire Strikes Back at the Cooper. I was 13 at the time(seemed to be the perfect target age for the "Star Wars" series)and was invited by my cousins who could pull some strings. Coming from a place where an auditorium is no more than 300-400 seats and seeing a film on 70mm was unheard of. It was an unforgettable experience, even by todays standards. Experiencing a movie as great as Empire in the Cooper with the sound and visual effects and to pull them off on such a huge screen is something that is not soon forgotten.
Hearing later in my adult life that the Cooper had been torn down was no less than a travesty.

I've not seen this posted:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070120/news_1m20crowther.html

Richard Crowther; Denver architect; 96

Denver architect and author Richard Crowther, who died Dec. 26 in Denver, achieved international renown for his progressive holistic compositions, particularly his pioneering designs employing passive solar energy. He was 96.

Mr. Crowther designed the Cinerama Cooper theaters in Denver, Minneapolis and Omaha, Neb. All were the first theaters designed around the then-new Cinerama technology, with cushioned seats on curving risers.

Michael Coate

I forgot that Empire opened on Wed May 21st, 1980 and not the 20th. (Thanks for the correction) I do remember, and I was 13 at the time, Empire opened in 70mm.
In 1977 when I seen Star Wars, I did see it in both formats, 35mm and 70mm.
Thanks Monty-Denver.

Monty-Denver:
Sounds like you're a "Star Wars" fan. I predict you'll enjoy this article:

http://www.fromscripttodvd.com/star_wars_a_day_long_remembered.htm

With regard to the Cooper in St. Louis Park, Minnesota (Minneapolis): The building was torn down in 1992 for an Olive Garden, which was so worth the demolition of building of historical significance in the film industry. I say that sarcastically....Last presentation was "Dances With Wolves" in January, 1991.

With regard to the Cooper in St. Louis Park, Minnesota (Minneapolis): The building was torn down in 1992 for an Olive Garden, which was so worth the demolition of building of historical significance in the film industry. I say that sarcastically....Last presentation was "Dances With Wolves" in January, 1991.

I saw Return Of The Jedi here in 1983 and was completely blown away. What a magnificent theater. It's a shame it was torn down for a bookstore.

What great memories of that theater.

I too saw 2001 at that theater, twice. It made me totally fall in love with movies (well, back then, not now.) We lived in southwest Denver so going to the Cooper was not an every day thing, but we would always then go over to some place like Furr's Cafeteria or all the way down to Top of the Rockies to cap off a matinee.

I think I saw Krakatoa East of Java (sp?) there, although sometimes I get confused between films I saw there and another theater that is gone, which I think was called the 21st Century.

Hi KPRESTON, The other theatre you are thinking of is the Century 21 which was also on Colo. Blvd. The Century 21 building actually is still standing but has been converted to the Soundtrack store which is next to Hooters restaurant. In my opinion the Century 21 was OK but couldn't hold a candle to the fabulous Cooper.

I've been told that Cooper Cinerama Chain was vaguely connected to Paramount/Publix.
Oklahoma City also had a Cooper Cinerama with a ribbon-strip screen. This operation was a remodel of the old (Publix) Liberty Theatre, which was an easy conversion process since the original projection booth was located on loge level, a necessity for 3 strip/70mm equipment.
http://cinerama.topcities.com/coopercinerama.htm
Vintage views
http://www.dougloudenback.com/downtown/vintage/1.movies2.htm#3
Seen on Robinson Ave. looking North (Ramsey Tower was designed by W.W. Alschlager who created the NYC Roxy Theatre)
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/ok/oklahoma/postcards/ppcs-okco.html
1926 exterior shot of old Liberty
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a49/DougLoudenback/movies/libertytheater1926.jpg

I have incredible memories of seeing Die Hard 2 and a revival showing of Ben Hur at the Cooper in its later years when it went by the name "United Artists." The interior was absolutely spectacular, including the semi-circular apparent one-time smoking lounges located to the sides of the main seating area as seen here:

http://cinerama.topcities.com/ctcooper.htm

My strangest memory is when I tried to get permission to take pictures of the interior when they announced it would be closing, and was DENIED permission to do so by UA management! I've no idea what they were concerned about or why they had an issue with my request.

Since that time I've learned to just take photos at palaces after the last showing of the night as there is usually no one around and if there are the 18 year-olds working clean-up couldn't care less. :-)

What a fantastic theater, and how sad that it's gone -- for yet another same-as-it-ever-was strip center. Blah! When will people realize that mid-century modern architecture, such as the Cooper, is worth preserving, and, if Barnes & Noble wanted the site so badly, why couldn't they have revamped the old theater? Sad.

Okay, I have a question for those of you who are from Denver. My grandfather was an Oklhahoma City architect back in the late 40s - 50s, and I found an old resume of his that states that he designed the Tower Theater in Denver. I haven't found that theater on this website. His resume says that he designed it in 1949, and he describes it as follows:

"Economical utilitization of steel rigid frames and roof system of standard manufacture for wide auditorium span" and "First moving picture theater with television projection booth"

It seated 1,000 patrons and cost $90,000 to build, so I don't think that it was a big glamour palace -- maybe just a small suburban theater.

Does anyone know of this theater, have photos of it, etc.?

Lynne,

I do remember a movie theater in downtown Denver called The Towne. It was located on Welton Street between 15th and 16th street. I never seen any movies there but do remember it. I was demolished sometime in the mid to late 70’s.
The Denver public library may have some pictures of the building.

Monty-Denver

Here's a scan of a book I bought I bought a few years ago with a bunch of Star Wars ticket stubs stapled inside. Most are from the Glenwood Theatre in Overland Park, KS but one is from the Cooper.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18822933@N00/2502546269/

I well remember the Towne.

During the mid- to late 1970s, I attended Metropolitan State College and frequently took in shows at the Towne. The theater had the feeling of a small-town cinema. I remember few of the films I saw there, but I know I saw "Slither" with James Caan and "Wicked, Wicked" with Tiffany Royce. The latter is an interesting movie that I've never seen since. It was presented in "Duo-Vision" -- a scope ratio image split down the middle throughout almost all of the picture.
What I remember most about the Towne is that a number of aisle seats were double-sized -- presumably for couples.

I never had seen a movie at the Towne. I only remember the outside of the theater. I think it was a porn movie house late in it's life.

Somehow, the topic has strayed away from The Denver Cooper Theater. Cen we return our comments to where they belong?

Does anyone know were I can obtain a list of what movies played at the Denver Cooper Theater during it beautiful existence?

You can obtain by researching the local newspapers on microfilm at the library or newspaper. That's how many people here find that info out.

GaryJB, and Other Employees of the Denver theatres,

Mom and Dad managed a small theatre in a mall in Arvada off I-25 and what is now Thorton. When I returned to Denver for college I was also worked at several of the theatres in Denver. I was employed by the Continental, while under Common Wealth. I was then “Lent” out to various Denver Theatres from the Cooper5 to the Cooper7, and every Cooper between them. Yes even the Copper Twin. After getting to know several employees, union projectionists, Managers, and District Managers, I moved to CA and worked at a Fox theatre for 2 years. When I moved back, I worked again at the Continental, before opening the Greenwood Plaza 12 (as an assistant). After a few years there I transferred to The UA Corporate Offices. I moved back to CA and Managed the “Golden State” theatre (Complete with Pipe Organ), until UA sold it to become a historical landmark. I love the Motion Picture theatre business, or at least I did.

What I miss the most is how close everyone was. It really was like family. Yet I have been in contact with no one. It makes me so happy to see past employees checking on places where they were, and how much they still mean to them… even if most of them are nothing more than a reminder.

I would like to be found by those who I’ve come to miss. Those who remember me and those worked at the same theatres, around the same time. I would even like to hear from someone who has worked at “My” theatres before, or after, me.
Tim Quealy

A couple of not-so-great shots of the exterior of the late Cooper Twin in Denver, circa 1993. The main auditorium was something to see...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34152329@N06/3473522713/in/set-72157617054310351/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34152329@N06/3474331416/in/set-72157617054310351/

Re-new link.

Michael Coate, can I get your email address again.....I had it once but cannot locate it and would like to talk about the Cooper Denver.

Monty-Denver.

I am almost positive this is a shot of the concession stand - newly renovated at the time - at the Cooper Twin, circa 1993. If anyone can verify that from this unfortunately dark exposure, I'd appreciate it!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34152329@N06/3600311981/

Monty-Denver...my email address is listed under Contact Info in my profile. Just click on my name at the bottom of this post to access the profile page.

Why couldn't Barnes & Noble convert this spectacular theatre to a book store as was done with the Alabama in Houston and the Runnymede in Toronto. What a great book store that would have made!

Denver's complete CINERAMA exhibition history has been included in the "Remembering Cinerama" series and is posted here.