Ford City 14 Theaters
7601 S. Cicero Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
7601 S. Cicero Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
5 people
favorited this theater
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Sorry I took so long to respond! The Ford City East shopping center (still called that, I think), which included the theaters, now has a Gertie’s Ice Cream/Lindy’s Chili restaurant and some other small businesses. It’s partially empty and looks kind of desolate (except for Gertie’s). It’s not in a very good location for businesses.
Here’s a realtor’s link with info on the property:
View link
Thanks for the info Bob. And say, what sits on the site of Ford City East?
Yes, as of last summer, the space once occupied by the old theaters contained some stores which are part of the Ford City Mall: Marshall’s, Famous Footwear and Old Navy. This is at approximately 74th St., just east of Cicero Ave.
Does anyone know what sits on the site of the old Ford City Cinemas?
Gccguy – No.. It was not my mom.
I stumbled onto an interesting web site:
http://generalcinematheatres.com/
When it first loads, it even plays the old GCC music that started every feature presentation. The links on the left still work. Under Corporate Info there are a lot of pictures, including Dick Smith, President, and Howard Spiess who spent a lot of time at Ford City Cinema.
The locations link has locations as they existed in 1999 and in 1983 complete with addreses. Be sure to click the Shoppers World link to see the story and links to lots of pictures of the original GCC in Framingham Mass.
There was only one woman who went into labor during the showing of Earthquake at Ford City Cinema while I was there. I hope it was not your mom!
I grew up on the south side and took the #79 bus to Ford City Theatre. I have many fond memories of the original theater. ANd I do remember the tornado incident as well as a smoke bomb incident in the theater. When my mom was pregnant with my brother in 1974, I remember the movie Earthquake! was shown in theater #3 with the new “Sensurround” surround sound. I heard that the fire marshal ordered the sound turned down because of the vibration causing structural damage.
I worked at Ford City for a few months in the late ‘80’s, under Tom…I forget his last name…Greenan?. Anyway, by then, the District Office was at Woodgrove Festival Cinema, in Woodridge, and was occupied by Charles Wesley.
Anyway, working at Ford City was great. It was always busy, and I enjoyed it. If I ever win the lottery, I will work at a theater somewhere, selling popcorn…what a great time.
I just remembered, Vince moved the DM office out to Yorktown Cinema during his tenure.
Yeah, Jack Springer! That’s the name. I remember Bernie very well. He had a deformity to one of his arms and did everything with one hand. I started under Vince Tripodi, so I never knew Mr. Craig. When Vince became the DM, my mother became his secretary until he quit. He died a few years later I heard.
You will probably recall listening to Boots Randolf’s Yakety Sax during every intermission. It is the only thing Vince ever allowed to be played during his time as manager. I think one Christmas season he did have some holiday music for a few days, but quickly changed his mind and went back to Boots.
GCC Guy: The Booking Manager on the second floor was my Father, Jack Springer. He was originally Division Manager, and then became “Buyer and Booker”. He was succeeded as Division Manager by Bernard Depa, who you probably knew. Vince Tripodi (who as I recall transferred to Ford City from the Studio inddor/Starlight Drive-In on 95th Street) took over as Division Manager after Bernie retired. You may have known the first Manager at Ford City, whose last name was Craig. I believe his first name was John.
All of the GCC seats were red vinyl seat and red fabric backrest. They snapped in and out of a white enamel metal shell. When the seat got cut, we used to remove the seat, uncover and recover it, and snap it back in. When the back of the seat got grafitti on it, we had a fast drying, alcohol based, white paint to cover it. It was the carpet in all GCC cinemas that was a red plaid.
I worked at Ford City Cinema in 1971-1973 when it was only a twin, and before the Division Manager moved his office there. Vince Tripodi was the manager. He later became a Division Manager. I remember that the Booking Office was on the second floor. The booking manager, I forget his name, was responsible for booking all of the movies in all of the GCC theaters in the division area which included all of Chicagoland and southern Wisconsin.
There once was a time when a tornado hit the roof of the bowling alley and theater, bounced off and came down on the hotel just west of the cinema and removed the wall and roof from the top floor at the southeast corner. It also did some damage to the Red Baloon restaurant that was right in front of the hotel. It crossed Cicero avenue and damaged a Golden Bear pancake house too.
The roof of the building was described to me as a tornado resistant roof because of its corregated design. I don’t know if it was true or not, but it seemed to have worked that time. We never even stopped the movie and the people inside did not know until they came out and saw the damaged hotel.
Actually the Mt. Prospect still stands as a banquet hall.
This Theater was General Cinema’s first 2-screen theater in the Chicago area. It was GCC’s 3rd area indoor theater, following single screen houses in Mt. Prospect (now gone)and at Randhurst (now a 14 screen AMC Theater). (GCC’s first area theater was the 66 Drive-In in LaGrange). The original theater was on the north side of parking lot on the east side of Cicero. I was at the opening in 1966, and watched many movies there from my Father’s upper floor office (he was GCC’s Division Manager) which had windows and speakers for each auditorium. There were no plaid seats in this or any other GCC theater. At the time, all of GCC’s screens were illuminated with blue lights.
The Ford City was always one of General Cinema’s best grossing theatres, for many years number 1. The information on dates comes from GCC records. If you find some photos, we’d love to see a link to them.
Thanks guys. I’m going to look up those opening dates when I go back to the library.
But who else thinks the 14 plex should get a makeover?
Ford City opened on May 27, 1966. It was originally a twin, then became a triple, and eventually a five-plex. Ford City East 6-8 opened 7/17/81. The 14 plex opened on 8/1/90. The blue lights described by Bob Hanson, illuminated the white shadow box, which was common of GCC theatres of the 1960’s and into the ‘70. They were eliminated when auditoriums were split.
The old ones were on the east side of Cicero Avenue, set back maybe half a block. I’m pretty sure the Best Buy is on the west side of Cicero. Sorry, I don’t remember the seats – I guess it was too dark! I’m not sure I understand about the shadow box. I do remember that they were the first theaters I’d been to that didn’t have a curtain over the screen. Before the movie started, they just had blue lights illuminating the screens.
The location you guys speak of wouldn’t happen to be where Best Buy is now? Because that’s what my brother says. Also, he said something about the theatres having plaid color seats, and one of the theatres being set up in a shadow box, is that true? I’ve only been to the new one which needs an extreme makeover.
When the theaters were on the North side of the mall parking lot, these were a premiere place to see movies. I saw Posiedon Adventure and The Rose in 70mm here. I hate to admit that I also saw the musical version of Lost Horizon here. The auditoriums were nice and large…carbon copies of other General Cinema screens that dotted the Chicago area. The theater is now located in the South Parking Lot and is like any other mega plex.
The original theaters weren’t exactly inside the mall. There were two parts to the mall – one like a normal enclosed mall, and behind it and across a large parking lot was another large structure (or structures) which was more like a large strip mall. Each business in this second, northernmost structure had to be entered from the outside. There was a bowling alley, some stores, a restaurant, and the theaters, plus some other things I can’t remember.
I also wanted to emphasize that there were originally only two screens (auditoriums) making up the original theaters. A third screen was added later, and then I lost track of how much the original theaters expanded. Ford City East theaters were opened much later, and of course they are now gone too.
Was there a theater inside the mall before this one opened?
The multiplex is actually separate from the mall (just south of it), and 4440 W. 77th sounds just right for the actual theater location. The old, original theaters were very close to 76th St. and Cicero Avenue, but this newer structure is actually a few blocks' distance from the old one.
Yeah, it is strange. I’ve never been there, maybe you have to enter through the mall lot entrance? But anyway, the Cicero address on google brings up all sorts of listings for stores in the mall, but the 77th address only shows the theater, so I would imagine it’s correct. Unless it’s somehow carried over from one of the predecessor theaters, but I doubt that.