Cinema 150
El Camino Real & Bowers Avenue,
Santa Clara,
CA
95051
El Camino Real & Bowers Avenue,
Santa Clara,
CA
95051
3 people
favorited this theater
The Cinema 150 opened in August 1966 in Santa Clara’s Moonlite Shopping Center. The exterior was a giant square building with a metal escutcheon around the perimeter of the building. Inside, the spacious 901-seat theater had a curved 85 by 32 foot curved screen for the Dimension 150 process. The glass-enclosed lobby had a very tall ceiling that conformed to the open feeling of the cinema. The theater opened with the film, “How To Steal A Million.”
The cinema closed down in 1991 and the rocking seats were removed by UA and installed in a Santa Rosa, CA theater.
The theater, like most D-150 houses, was later demolished and a medical center was built on the former site.
Contributed by
Mike Croaro, Cinema Treasures
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 23 comments)
At the end, the Regency operated as a short-lived revival house under independent operation. Lasted less than a year.
Some vintage photos of the Cinema 150 can be seen here. That site gives the architect as George Raad and Associates.
Wow! This would be the Anti-Multiplex…
I was the assistant mananger there in the late 80’s and maybe 1990. It was a great place to see movies – unless it was full and you were late and had to sit in the front and to the side. The curvature of the screen made the films almost unwatchable. I remember seeing “The Black Hole” in that way and it was rather unpleasant. I believe I also saw Flash Gordon – the one with music by Queen. A classic.
We had this older gentleman working there as the doorman named Peter. He only had one arm so he would have you hold your half of the ticket while he tore it with his good hand. I learn how to run projectors, make up and break down films there. Those were the days.
Folks:
FYI….the exterior of this theatre is identical to that of the UA Stonestown in San Francisco which continues to operate as an art house.
Mike
Nostalgia prompts me to mention that I recall seeing a horror fest at Cinema 150 as a kid in the mid-1970s that included “The Lost Continent” and “The Valley of Gwangi.” “Continent” creeped me out royally—seeing that constricting seaweed and whatever that toothy-vegetative thing in the pit was on 150’s giant screen will do that to you. It seemed that for years 150 had “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” as a permanent midnight flick. I’m pretty sure I saw “Cinerama,” which was already old when I saw it, at 150. Haven’t lived in the Bay Area for ages but 150 is still a cherished memory.
The first time I walled in to this theatre was for Return Of The Jedi. Seeing that 70 MM print on the gigantic screen was an experience that has not been duplicated since. You really lived the movie.
Pictured in this 1966 trade report: Boxoffice
Probably also in this trade ad, though no ID is given: Boxoffice
I saw Dances With Wolves there.