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The latest movie theater news and updates
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April 22, 2010
Lansdowne Theatre in suburban Philadelphia on path to restoration
LANDSDOWNE BOROUGH, PA — The historic 1927 Landsdowne Theatre is on the road to restoration. Closed for over two decades, fundraising efforts have now begun after volunteers helped clean the theater and return it to a minimally usable condition. Designed by William H. Lee in a Spanish Mission/Spanish Baroque style, it was once a part of the Stanley-Warner chain.
Schultz eventually envisions the theater as a showplace for movies, theater, stage acts and concerts.
But the miracle behind the restoration is the support from the community and the borough as well as the county and businesses. “The people have really stepped up!”
The effort has seen some 200 people volunteering their time to get down and dirty to clean the theater since October.
There is more here, with a video, in the Daily Times.
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1936 Art Deco Rogers Theater can be restored with your help
SHELBY, NC — An amazing plan that won’t cost you a cent, yet you can be a major factor in the success of the restoration of this amazing art deco theater. The Rogers Theater once sat 650 people to view everything from “Gone With The Wind” to “Grease”.
The theater has sat empty for 25 years, and now has a chance at a rebirth with your help. The theater is in a competition for a $250,000.00 grant from the Pepsi Co. It all depends on who gets the most votes before the end of April. All you need to do is to log on to www.refresheverything.com/rogerstheater, sign in, then vote for The Rogers. Remember, you must sign in BEFORE you vote or your vote won’t count. You can vote once a day, everyday during April. You can also vote for other good causes, but please only vote for The Rogers Theater in the $250k category. Vote for whoever you like in the other cash categories, and remember to vote everyday during April.
You can also leave your contact info by email at and we’ll keep you posted on our restoration progress. Please log on to the site and give the Rogers Theater the chance it deserves.
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April 21, 2010
Movies to return to Chalmette, LA
CHALMETTE, LA — Seventeen feet of water, as a result of Hurricane Katrina, destroyed the only movie house in St. Bernard Parish five years ago – the Chalmette Cinema 9. A new theater is being constructed at the site, a six-screener to be opened in June and operated by the South Louisiana Entertainment Group.
The new theater will feature stadium seating in all six of its auditoriums, with one of them boasting a 3-D-compatable digital projector, according to company spokesman Wendeslaus Schulz.
Seats, screens and projection equipment still must be installed in the building, which was stripped down to the structural steel and which has been under construction for several weeks in The Mall shopping center. If everything goes according to plan, however, the new Chalmette Cinema is expected to open by June 18, in time for the release of Disney’s 3-D “Toy Story 3.”
The full story is in the Times-Picayune.
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Racine man’s basement is home to a Mighty Wurlitzer and movie palace recreation
RACINE, WI — You would not guess it look at his house, but Fred Hermes basement is a temple to movie palace nostalgia. Over fifty years ago, Fred bought, restored, and installed one of only three known Wurlitzer five manual theater organs that the company ever built, Opus 1531, originally installed 1926 in the Rapp & Rapp Michigan Theater in downtown Detroit. It is set in a 150 seat replica of a movie palace created out of elements from over four dozen now gone theaters.
There’s also a full complement of real percussion instruments: cymbals, a marimba, a harp, a glockenspiel—all controlled from the keyboard console. Thirty-five hundred wires connect the organ console to its thousands of voices. A room-sized fifteen horsepower blower powers the organ’s air supply. A separate two horsepower motor powers the current to the pipes and other instruments.
Hermes spent 46 years restoring this unique artifact of musical, cinematic, and technological history. His remarkable achievements have been recognized by the American Theatre Organ Society and other groups.
There’s a news clip at Fox 6 and more details in Real Racine.
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Mack Theatre renovation
IRVINE KY — The historic Mack Theatre was an intricate part of many peoples lives in Irvine, KY. Unfortunately the once popular movie theatre has not been functioning for more than 20 years and is currently being used as a storage facility. Nonetheless it has an excellent location and can once again be a pillar for the community.
The early stages of the renovation are underway, but we need estimates on all relevant material. We are also willing to accept any donated material. Please help the community of Irvine, KY.
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April 20, 2010
Theatre seats for sale
170 American Desk theatre seats available. Seats parts are black with burgundy upholstery. Cup holders attached. All legs are level, no pitched legs. In good condition.
Located in a trailer in New Jersey.
Lillian
917 880-9664 -
The Terrace Theater switches hands
CHARLESTON, SC — An article in the Charleston City Paper discusses the recent sale of the Terrace Theater to the Tranter family from longtime Cinema Treasures Michael Furlinger. Although he sold this theatre, Furlinger will continue to operate the Hippodrome Theater.
If you’re worried about any drastic changes to the Terrace, don’t bother. Brown and Tranter have no immediate plans to make revisions or additions, wanting to live with it for a little while and see how it goes. They’re going to start on a learning curve; they’ll figure out how the theater functions and stick with what works. They like the atmosphere that Furlinger created at the Terrace, Tranter says. They’re also looking to continue the Charleston Film Festival, which had its first run last month.
The concessions (including all the types of beer and wine) will stay. They’ll continue to counter program the multiplexes (with the exception of the occasional high-quality studio film), choosing pictures that will appeal to their core audience, but also challenge them. The couple and their bookers travel to festivals, attend conferences and conventions, and read industry publications, all in the search for the best movies. They have direct access to the organizers of the Toronto International Film Festival (where Slumdog Millionare and Ray premiered).
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Repertory Series at historic Somerville Theatre begins with Jeff Bridges retrospective
SOMERVILLE, MA — Repertory cinema makes a return to the historic Somerville Theatre this April and May with a retrospective series “Spanning Bridges” that celebrates the work of Academy Award winning actor Jeff Bridges. All features are on 35mm film and will be presented on the theater’s big screen in its recently restored main theater, making use of as many archival prints as possible with the return of a changeover system in the booth.
Afternoon admission is just $5 and evening is just $8; all co-bills are double features.
The schedule is as follows:
MON —– TUE – WED
APR. 27-28-29
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW ® 2 hours
3:30p 7:30p
Playing as a double feature with:
FAT CITY (PG) 1 hour, 40 mins.
5:45p 9:45p
Please Note: No matinee shows on Wed. April 28. -
April 19, 2010
Pasadena grants landmark status to Washington Theatre
PASADENA, CA — The City Council has accorded the 1925 Washington Theatre landmark status.The designation protects the building from demolition but not from non-theatrical use nor from changes to its interior. The owners would like to see some theatrical reuse, but lack of parking nearby is seen as a deterrent.
The current developer, Jacqueline Buickians, who owns the property with her husband, has said that the building will be used for a mixed retail and residential project that could also involve a new theater in the building.
The lack of parking in the neighborhood may make the plan to open a theater or other cultural use infeasible though, she added.
The historical landmark status will not affect the renovation project, she said, since it will still allow the inside of the building to be renovated.
There is more in the Pasadena Star-News.
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Critic thinks movie intermissions should be revived
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle thinks that intermissions should be a part of certain films once again. The last film that he can recall that had one was “Gandhi” in 1982.
One of my favorite Chronicle stories involved waiting in the lobby of the theater during an advance screening of the third “Lord of the Rings” movie, and interviewing the Tolkien fans running — no sprinting — from the theater to the bathroom in the last half of the marathon film. Every one of them wished it had an intermission. I also found a professional movie critic with one kidney, Chris Gore, who has to urinate more than most and has become an outspoken advocate of the return of the intermission.
With a greater number of popular movies approaching and sometimes exceeding three hours in length (even the lightweight “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” lasted 2 ½ hours) bringing the intermission back seems logical. Contrary to popular belief, the theater owners I’ve spoken to say they would like to have the option — they could sell more concessions, where they make the real money — but their contracts with the studios prohibit intermissions.
Read more in the San Francisco Chronicle.