Eastland 5 Theatres
2504 E. Workman Avenue,
West Covina,
CA
91791
2504 E. Workman Avenue,
West Covina,
CA
91791
1 person
favorited this theater
Back in the 70’s and 80’s this was the place to go, if you wanted to see a new release in 70mm. Screens 1, 2, and 3 were all equipped to screen 6 track Dolby stereo, 70mm films. Three large auditoriums with giant clean screens and good Dolby sound. I do remember one auditorium, it might have been theater 5, it was so small, that were you walked into it, you felt like you were inside a closet with a screen.
In the 80’s when most of the new releases would come out in 70mm, most of the time, the Eastland would present them in 70mm. Films that I saw there in 70mm included “Close Encounters”, “Tron”, “Die Hard”, and one of the many re-releases of “Star Wars”.
The Eastland was demolished in February 2006.
Contributed by
Roy Gonzales
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
The passage from my post above regarding the installation of Dolby Stereo should be revised as:
Eastland did not install Dolby Stereo in 1977 for “Star Wars.” The original first-run of that film in West Covina was at Wescove. Dolby was installed in the fall of ‘77 in anticipation of “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.”
Also, the company name change —– from Sanborn to SoCal —– took place during 1984, at least as far as newspaper advertising is concerned.
Eastland opened “Star Trek IV” in 35mm dolby stereo over the Thanksgiving weekend of 1986, and picked up a 70mm print in early 1987 (not 1988 as I posted)….Michael is right, “Star Wars” did not open at the Eastland (what was I thinking? I saw SW at the Wescove), but per the Eastland manager I got to know in the mid 80’s, CEO3K played in mono for the first 5 days of the run.
As for “Star Wars”, it was moved-over to the Eastland for it’s 1978 “re-release” from the Wescove and again in 1979 for a 3-weeks run in 35mm dolby.
(SW never played at any of the 2rd run theaters in the Covina booking area like Plaza Glendora, Canyon San Dimas, or the Covina Cinema durring the original release AND the two re-releases before Empire in 1980. Empire Strikes Back did play at the Plaza with a 2nd feature of SE version of CEO3K in 1981 in mono)
I saw the movie that changed my life at the Eastland Theater, 1982 “Making Love” I was 23 at the time, My wife wanted to go see it, I had no clue it was about a guy who was living a double life. I watched the movie in horror, it all came together I then knew I was gay. Me the Butch HS Football player (Charter Oak) found out what was missing in my life. I soon Divorced and moved to NYC where I have lived ever since. Funny how things come to light.
The Eastland opened in 1961, with the John Wayne movie, “The Comancheros.” I went to junior high and high school with the daughter of the theater’s owner. It was a terrific theater — Doris Day romantic comedies played there, as did movies direct from roadshows in Beverly Hills and Hollywood. “The Sound of Music” and “Doctor Zhivago” seemed like they kept coming back to the Eastland. I even saw “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” there. When it opened, the admission price was slightly higher than that at the musty old Covina Theatre (which showed “Dr. No” and Jerry Lewis' “The Nutty Professor” on a double feature, I vividly remember). I am very sorry to read of the demise of the Eastland, but I am not surprised. Perhaps my favorite movie there: “Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.” Since I left West Covina (at age 17, in 1969), I’ve been a movie critic, film historian and entertainment editor — all in New York City. But I owe a lot to what I saw as a kid in West Covina.
The Eastland Center neighborhood suffered some long delays before it got its movie house. A local exhibitor named Sid Pink had plans to build a 1000 seat theater there as early as 1956, according to the April 7, 1956, issue of Boxoffice Magazine, which said that ground was to be broken soon for the new theater.
Then the March 3, 1958, issue of Boxoffice published a drawing of Sid Pink’s new 1,100 seat theater, with a caption saying it was “…now being built.” The announcement was a bit premature, it seems.
When construction of the Eastland Theatre really began at last, in 1961, it was a project of the Sanborn Theatres circuit. I guess everybody got tired of waiting for Sid Pink to get his show on the road.
Here is a PDF file of the Winter, 1992, issue of SoCal Cinemas' house organ, with a brief article about the 30th anniversary celebration for the Eastland Theatre, which was held on November 21 that year. It mentions that Jayne Mansfield had made a personal appearance for the Eastland’s opening night.
Turns out that The Temple Of Doom did play in 70mm, but the run didn’t start until August 31st.
Saw FATAL ATTRACTION here in ‘87, and THE DEAD POETS SOCIETY two years later. Does anyone remember Joe Pirrelli, who was an usher here in the late 80s? Lol, I had a crush on him!
Hey matineeidol, I know Joe! You can contact me at for more info.
Here is a May 1970 ad from the Pomona Progress-Bulletin:
http://tinyurl.com/ygnmmk6