Millbrae Theatre

According to the google maps, it’s a Comerica Bank and Chien Vintage. Looks like the EM Beauty Nail Spa and Madame Rosinka’s Psychic Boutique are in another building.

This opened on July 14th, 1949

The recent opening of the Millbrae Theatre was announced in the August 13, 1949, issue of Boxoffice Magazine. The house was originally operated by Golden State Theatres.

Golden State had been planning a theater in Millbrae since late 1945, and intended to start construction in early 1946 on a house slated to be called the Tower, according to various contemporary issues of Boxoffice. Architect of the proposed house was Otto A. Deichman, but as construction was so long delayed I don’t know if his plans were ultimately used or not. The Tower was described as a 1200-seat theater with a stadium section.

I managed the Millbare when it was a single screen what a beautiful
theatre the wood paneling all around the lobby two sets of double doors as you entered, the Box office to the side as you entered the marquee room was behind the box office the managers office was hugh it had high ceilings, itwas a Grand single screen. i remember always
keeping the neon lighted nothing was burned out when i was there , the United artists decided to triplex it so I moved back to the UA TANFORAN 4 until the triplex was complete i was at the Mall Cinemas before I went to Millbrae, When it was triplexed they did a good job the Lobby stayed the same the only thing was I had all the Lobby neon
replaced so it would be brighter, almost lost my job over it but the Naify’s were the best to work for, My boss Jim Gallager was the tops in my book. he gave me full run of managing there theatres i was there floating Manager , I was to clean up theatres that were in need
of a change in Management to bring the revenues and condition of poorly run theatres. sadly enough after cleaning up many lcations after I left one the next Manager ruined again. Running a Single screen was the most enjoyable experience I ever had when you sold out
and lines around the corner for the next performance it was great, the best thing was you had an hour to re coup, and then start all over again. with 20 screens you never have time to breathe. I did run an 18 plex Universal in LA , that was an experience , Again the Company I worked for was very good to there Managers [Cineplex-Odeon}
we also had the Plaza Twin and Northpoint two theatres I over saw for them and the St Francis Theatre downtown.

Yes they sure did a number here.
Once again one of my memories that includes The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

At the end of the Theater they had a really cool team of young people managing the place. To the last days of the Theater the HUGE red curtian still raised and lowered for each show. The only way to start a proper Theater experience.

As they were demoing the Theater I walked right into the shell of the Theater I loved, with the sun washing in I asked outloud. “What are you doing, you don’t fell bad at all?” to the stunned demo crew.
I guess the did not expect a young kid to wonder in and chalange them, or they just really did not care.

As it states above it is now a big grey box, there are still a fue small marks of the past. Look for them. Last I noticed was the Theaters Parking neon still in the parking lot across the streat. But lost was the inlayed concrete entrance, they swirled around and out to the streat.

The “tacky grey box” mentioned above is the plain concrete shell of the auditorium, with the Hollywood Video neon logo applied to it. I agree that the vertical sign was applied to the building without any attempt to tastfully join it to the surface. However, had the city and other concerned citizens not fought to save the sign—with the idea that it was good advertising to have a landmark sign proclaiming the name of the city visible from both El Camino Real and the new transit station—all the property owner would have saved was the “grey box.” From what I understand, the city maintains and operates the vertical sign, with no involvement from the property owner.

What a beautiful Art Deco masterpiece the Millbrae Theater is! Thank God the marquee and Deco tower were saved in the renovation. I went to this theater many times in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and I’ll never forget the night we went to see Spielberg’s “CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND” here in 1977. It was so good I rushed up to the Coronet Theater in San Francisco a week later to see it in 70mm.