Holiday Six Theatres
3801 Union Road,
Buffalo,
NY
14225
3801 Union Road,
Buffalo,
NY
14225
2 people
favorited this theater
A Cinerama twin, with a smaller outlying building containing four screens. Unknown opening date, closed summer 1995.
Contributed by
Paul Somerfeldt
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
Was previously the Aero Drive-In Theatre which was demolished in the late 1960s.
I can’t believe that nobody has commented on these theaters so far
To be certain, the outlying 4-screen building, put up years after the major structure, was little more that the traditional cookie-cutter multiplex of the day. But the original 2 theaters were absolutely fantastic.
Wish I knew more about them technically, but they were originally called the Holiday Showcase Theaters. They shared the land parcel with the Holiday Showcase Restaurant, a circular building which was very unusual at the time.
Each theater was an enormously plain rectangle – one slightly smaller than the other – but getting beyond that, inside you found a massive floor to ceiling curved screen and a sound system that blew all others away. A scope film in here was a true experience!
The big theater ran the local premier of Ken Russel’s “Tommy” which, I believe, was the first film to utilize the forerummer of 5.1 Dolby sound. They squeezed in gigantic speakers at each rear corner of the auditorium which forced patrons to squeeze by THEM while coming and going. The resultant auditory assult would never have made a Lucasfilm THX certified best-of list, but was perfect for the crowd of the day.
These houses would sell out on weekends, and during the showing of “Alien” that I attended, I hit the late show after a sold-out 8PM crowd came staggering out. As I entered the auditorium, a sense of ‘fear’ after the hugh crowd had seen the film on that huge screen was actually palpble – something I’ve yet to ever re-experience in any theater again.
Management was also fond of holding events in the parking lot to attract attention – like the old car show at the opening of “Grease 2”.
Let’s hear more memories of this popular cinema — anyone remember seeing “Johnathan Livingston Seagull” wall-to-wall here???
I saw Poltergeist, The Right Stuff, Temple of Doom, among others there. First movie I saw there was Empire Strikes Back. It is the theater I miss the most, of all that I have been to around the country. Of course, I miss the Putt-Putt that used to be across the street, too. Oh, well. “Progress”.
I saw Tommy and couldnt hear for a week. I saw several other movies as well. I tried to avoid the back 4, they were to small (like the Evans in Williamsville—which isnt mentioned here. The Plaza North on Niagara Falls Blvd isnt mentioned either) The curtains were closed and would open like the old shows did, but not up and down but across instead.
Valu 5 on Clinton isn’t mentioned either
I can’t believe there aren’t any photos of this theatre anywhere, especially of the original twin cinemas. Even movie-theatre.org which often will have the opening ads or photos doesn’t have any. Too bad since this sounds like it was once an important theatre in the Buffalo area.
Here ya go telliott – it’s the only photo I have of the 1 & 2 theaters, taken during the old car rally promo for “Grease 2” (that’s my ‘58 Caddy Limo hogging up the parking lot!). As you can see, the buildings were ultra 60’s bland – just huge boxes connected by a popcorn lobby, but once inside you were in giant curved-screen heaven………..
You’re right psmith102006 – the Plaza North was, I believe, the last huge ‘big box’ theater built in W.N.Y., but it was more or less hidden in the middle of suburban sprawl. I think it opened with “Goodbye Mr. Chips” with Peter O'Toole. I have no photos of it, or of the Valu 5 which someone told me became a Valu Hardware store or something equally commercial.