Mann Old Towne 6
19800 Hawthorne Boulevard,
Torrance,
CA
90503
19800 Hawthorne Boulevard,
Torrance,
CA
90503
7 people
favorited this theater
This was a standard boxy multiplex inside Old Towne Mall. It featured 4 small houses and 2 larger ones. Character actor Chill Wills presided over the opening and was so drunk he could hardly stand up. At least one auditorium was equipped for 70mm.
Contributed by
Manwithnoname
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Recent comments (view all 30 comments)
Man, I haven’t thought about this place in years. For a while in the late 70s and early 80s, I used to go to the Old Towne for movies. I know I saw many movies there, but the only two I definitely remember seeing at that specific location are 10 and Meteor.
I was born in 1970, I remember going there around the age of 10-11 quite often, my favorite ride was the Phantasia ride, I remember very little of it, it was very surreal, I remember the mall was beautiful when you look at it now compared to the bland decor of modern day malls, the mall had personality… I don’t remember the movie theater, I remember a toy store, I wish I could find more pics of that place especially the Phantasia ride. I remember 2 large wood like toy soldiers in it, a purple spinning thing, damn, I wish there was some video of the actual ride… I am sure it is somewhere in someones 16mm box of films collecting dust.
RIP Old Town Mall.
BTW I can’t remember when I went back, some years later, and most all the stores were boarded up, that was sad and the demise of a great mall.
Ha— I was also born in 1970 and remember the haunted house and some other rides.
Also remember seeing Jaws 3D, Fright Night and Weird Science in the theaters there.
Great time of life…
I moved here, Torrance, in 1972 when I was 8 years old. Growing up we had the South Bay Center Cinemas, Del Amo 6, Rolling Hills, UA Torrance, Marina, and the Cove. Old Towne was so fun for the overall experience. It was always getting dropped off by the parents and then ‘doing’ the mall either before of after a movie. One of my first multi-plex experiences of buying a PG ticket and going to an R film. I did this for The Jerk, 10, Friday the 13th, etc… Also that back door at the south end where you could always sneak people in to when their wasn’t an usher. The mall itself was fun too, from the two tacky rides, the pot lover’s haven of the Scorpio Shoppe, Leyland’s Gifts, and the arcade, Kingdom of Oz I believe. Old Towne was a true growing up experience for kids in the 70’s and early 80’s.
Wow! My parents took me here all the way from the Westside, back in the mid to late 70’s, when I was a little kid, and we went there quite a few times. I honestly don’t remember the theatres though, because we never saw any movies there, but I remember just about everything else that everyone here on this site is mentioning, the rides, the great places to eat. I remember a GREAT pizza place, in the food court, by the front entrance. I remember buying a couple of the old 45 records here. Or maybe, it was at the K-Mart(or was it a Zody’s?)next to the mall. I could swear they had a record store in the mall in the mid to late 70’s though. I remember the Haunted House Ride being there in the mid to late 70’s. Wasn’t there also a spinning ride, like the tea cups at Disneyland? I think it was near the carousel, or it may have been part of the carousel itself. Wow! Great, great memories!
Status should be closed.
I was confused by the location of this multi-plex because there was a second Mann’s Old Town (no E) 6 plex in Reno NV. It was small, boxy, and the auditoriums were strictly shooting galleries. Lobby was strictly functional with no personality. This theatre was supposed to be the “replacement” for the demolished CREST THEATRE downtown. It was no match, and did not last long. This was the end of Mann Theatres in Northern Nevada.
Here is a December 1975 ad from the LA Times:
http://tinyurl.com/ye62olq
Status should be CLOSED
I saw “Beverly Hills Cop” here, not sure about anything else, but the mall itself was unique (as you all know) and I wish I’d discovered it earlier, but in the early 1980s, my interest in decent stereo equipment led me to a wonderful high end shop there (which I believe was called Dimensions in Stereo), and I owe them much for introducing me to what I now know were some great components. Also recall the Federated Group store there, where coincidentally I was also pointed in the right direction — toward the new Toshiba BETA Hi-Fi — when I went shopping for my first VCR.