Glenwood Theatre
9100 Metcalf Avenue,
Overland Park,
KS
66212
9100 Metcalf Avenue,
Overland Park,
KS
66212
8 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 52 comments found
Here is a fresh link to the first page of the March 20, 1967, Boxoffice article about the Glenwood Theatre. The article continues on the magazine’s next page.
The Glenwood was demolished but the marquee was saved and moved a short distance to just east of 95th and Metcalf Ave. It is being used for the new Glenwood Arts Theatre located inside Metcalf South Shopping Center.
Anyone remember if PATTON played here in original run?
The thief was caught the next morning and the print was returned to the theatre.
I’m wondering about the stolen “Return of the Jedi†70mm prin. Is this still an ongoing investigation?
Now was the pyrite version of “Return of the Jedi†scored from the stolen 70mm print or 35mm?
The only way to tell is to look at any still existing VHS/Beta tape and look for que dots.
(Circularly) for 70mm
(Oval shaped) for 35mm prints
Que dots appear around every 15 to 20 minutes depending on each reel length.
Also any privately brought new/second hand 70mm projects in the past 10 years leading up to the theft at gunpoint in 1983, or any stolen 70mm projectors for this persons needs to make dodgy pyrite copies.
Chances are the print today would be so far, gone faded colour magnetic stripe would be fragile if not flaked away by now, due to poor storage.
Was there also a similar case in the UK of stolen “Return of the Jedi†print as I remember reading on huge poster at video library around 1983, and the theft in the US wouldn’t concern the UK.
So was the simultaneous coordinated theft by two parties working on different sides?
I’m, sure the FBI would like to catch these people? Maybe they are STAR WARS nuts or just pair of serious pyrites that wouldn’t care about shooting someone.
Excellent find, Joe. Thank you!!!
Two interior photos of the Glenwood illustrate this article in Boxoffice of March 20, 1967. Richard Wells of William Behrman and Associates engineered the building and designed the exterior of the Glenwood, but the interior was designed by architect Mel Glatz.
2007 photo of the Glenwood Marquee courtesy Keith Wondra.
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I saw Cloak and Dagger here in 1984 or 1985. I only saw this one movie here, but I drove past the theatre many, many times, as my stepmother’s folks lived just a short distance north of the building. It was a very eye-catching mid-century building. Sorry that another strip mall in Overland Park was more important than a unique theatre like this one was.
Thanks for the link, Chuck. As you stated, the picture dates back to 1984, shortly after screens 3 and 4 were added to the north side of the building in 1983.
Thank you for the additional info Michael. I had almost forgotten how long that movie played. That would be unheard of now.
Here’s some information to clarify the boxoffice performance of “Star Wars” at the Glenwood. Industry trade VARIETY in their July 21, 1978 issue listed the markets where “Star Wars” grossed more than $1 million. Kansas City came in 18th place with a gross of nearly $1.3 million. The top gross was at New York City’s Astor Plaza where it topped $3 million.
$3,291,362…New York (Astor Plaza)…59 weeks
$2,499,049…Denver (Cooper + Continental m/o)…54 weeks
$2,490,955…San Diego (Valley Circle)…56 weeks
$2,414,972…Los Angeles (Chinese)…51 weeks
$2,335,941…San Francisco (Coronet)…29 weeks
$2,171,394…Seattle (Cinema 150)…59 weeks
$2,153,790…Phoenix (Cine Capri)…59 weeks
$1,833,710…San Jose (Century 22)…59 weeks
$1,826,060…Dallas (Northpark)…53 weeks
$1,651,372…Portland (Westgate)…59 weeks
$1,608,402…New York (Orpheum)…28 weeks
$1,542,802…Newport Beach (Newport)…53 weeks
$1,344,879…Los Angeles (Century Plaza)…53 weeks
$1,343,736…Sacramento (Century 25)…59 weeks
$1,336,450…Los Angeles (Avco)…23 weeks
$1,310,251…Washington, DC (Uptown)…54 weeks
$1,282,621…Houston (Galleria)…59 weeks
$1,279,771…Kansas City (Glenwood)…55 weeks
$1,253,062…Salt Lake City (Centre)…54 weeks
$1,205,123…Honolulu (Cinerama)…57 weeks
$1,166,741…Boston (Charles)…45 weeks
$1,140,014…Cincinnati (Showcase)…58 weeks
$1,102,741…Louisville (Showcase)…59 weeks
$1,070,998…Dayton (Dayton Mall)…59 weeks
The claim from a few posts back that the Glenwood had a Kansas City area exclusive for the original “Star Wars” is only partially correct. The fact is the Glenwood played the movie exclusively for only its first ten weeks. Beginning the film’s eleventh week, a second booking was added at the Antioch.
In terms of comparing the Kansas City gross with that of New York City, keep in mind that during the second half of the Glenwood’s 56-week run of “Star Wars,” it played in the smaller #2 auditorium.
1984 photo of the Glenwood Theatre.
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The theatre in the Metcalf shopping center was originally an NGC theatre and then became a Mann house it was twinned by the Mann Group. If I remember right it was called the Metcalf South.
The curved screen in the Glenwood was the number 1 or original auditoriam and was approximately 90 foot wide, an awesome experience.
Just so no one forgets there was a single screen theater in the Metcalf shopping mall up until around 1979. I think it was called the Metcalf Theater. It might have been a Mann Theater and while it was decent sized it was not near as big or nice as the Glenwood.
The reason the Glenwood did so well with Star Wars was that it held exclusive rights to that movie for the entire Kansas City area. Thus, it sold out nearly every show for many months. I doubt any NY theater would be granted an exclusive but I would'nt be surprised if a NY theater outgrossed the Glenwood.
I think we called him Smitty, but the projectionist around the time of Star Wars was an older man that had been there many years when star wars came around. God bless him for allowing employees to once in awhile sit in the theater when he screened new movies around midnight.
Few may remember but the larger theater at the Glenwood had a slightly curved screen.
I went to the Glenwood Arts recently and it was a great arthouse with some of the above mentioned Glenwood memories (the auditorium entrances were decorated with lobby cards and posters of old Glenwood engagements). I saw Young@Heart at the theatre and the auditorium I was in (Auditorium 1) also had an original one-sheet of the Star Wars “circus” poster.
I never went to the Glenwood but the Glenwood Arts was the next best thing.
Here’s the KC Star ad for Star Wars' opening on 5/26/77.
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I forgot to post this scan of a piece of the carpet my buddy and I ripped out after the last movie I saw there in 2000. I feel it’s a one little piece of my favorite theater. I also have a piece of rock from one of the rock gardens by screen #2. Sure it’s vandalism but we didn’t care.
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And here are some stubs from Superman The Movie which played at the Glenwood in December 1978.
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Here’s a scan of a bunch of Glenwood ticket stubs from Star Wars in 1977. They were stapled in a book I bought a few years ago.
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Here are a couple of ads for the Glenwood Manor motel complex, of which the theatre was part of when it first opened.
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Reading Lost Memory’s post is the first thing that makes me glad this theatre got torn down. Putting stadium seating in that big auditorium would have been sacriledge and totally destroyed all the charm that auditorium had. Let’s face it, the Glenwood was killed by the fact that it was setting on an insanely valuable piece of property. Maybe the Fine Arts Group could have done something with it had they ben around then, but even with their skill at rehabbing old theatres they couldn’t have got around the fact that the Glenwood was sitting on frontage property at 91st and Metcalf.
The last manager of the Glenwood told me that Overland Park refused to grant Goodrich any further building permits and essentially forced them to sell. Overland Park wanted the $$$ a different business would generate.
I was also a huge Glenwood fan. I saw Star Wars there the night it opened in 1977 and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I was seven at the time and had never seen a movie in such grand surroundings. I became a fairly frequent visitor there in the early ‘90’s and it was still a great moviegoing experience. Granted, the place wasn’t maintained as well as in its glory days but it was still a very nice theater with great sound. My friends and I went there the last weekend it was open and I cut out a small piece of the carpet as a souvenier of my favorite theater. I posted some more thoughts on the theater on my friend’s blog in honor of Star Wars’ 30th Anniversary.
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It’s a real shame there aren’t any theaters like the Glenwood in Kansas City anymore.