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The latest movie theater news and updates
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December 3, 2009
Playbills available
I have four playbills available for free, just pay the postage. They are A Chorus Line-Shubert Thretre, JB-Anta Theatre, Mary, Mary-Helen Hays Theatre, and Inherit The Wind-National Theatre. All four are individually framed in 7x10 black frames.
Anyone interested can contact me at
Thanks, John
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December 2, 2009
Raging fire destroys Historic Central Texas Theater in Hamilton
HAMILTON, TX — The nearly 60 year old Texan Theater perished in a fire last Friday.
The historic Texan Theatre in downtown Hamilton was destroyed Friday night by a raging fire that also damaged adjacent buildings.
Fire units from every Hamilton County department, as well as Jonesboro and Gatesville, in Coryell County and units from Erath and Comanche counties, battled the blaze into the early hours of Saturday morning.
Fire units and investigators remained on the scene at 110 South Bell St. as late as 10:30 a.m. Saturday cooling off hot spots and making a preliminary investigation of the scene.
Read the full story at KWTX.
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Two more former Cinema North Theaters reopen in NY and MA
AUBURN, NY — The Movieplex 10 has now re-opened, operated by Jason and Jeff Yantz, whose father Bill, is also a theater operator. This was one of Cinema North’s theaters; the company shut down its operations in October, but some of its theaters are finding new management.
The new owners are brothers Jason and Jeff Yantz, who are taking on their first independent venture after years of combined experience in the movie business. They are sons of Bill Yantz, owner of Rochester Theatre Management, which runs the cinema at Fingerlakes Mall in Aurelius.
Jason Yantz said Monday that they will do some basic cleanup in the building, but much of the cinema will initially remain the same. There will be improvements within the next year throughout the facility, he said.
Here’s the full story from the Citizen.
In addition, the Movieplex 8 in North Adams, MA has also reopened; read more here.
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AMC and Regal ban outside food from theaters
DENVER, CO — According to the Denver Business Journal, AMC and Regal are prohibiting outside food from being brought into movie theaters.
“AMC recently reviewed its company policy regarding outside food and drink and will no longer be permitting guests to bring in these items, as is the case with many entertainment venues,” said Sun Dee Larson, vice president of corporate communications at Kansas City, Mo.-based AMC Entertainment.
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December 1, 2009
Four proposals for Senator Theatre
BALTIMORE, MD — The Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC), currently holding the keys to the Senator, has received four proposals from developers interested in the currently closed theater. Two of them would either focus on or provide for movie showings.
Local leaders still point to the Senator as a key neighborhood asset. The BDC specified in its request for reuse proposals that the property at 5904 York Road be used primarily as a “movie theater and/or performing arts venue” and complement the nearby Belvedere Square shopping area and Govanstowne business district.
“What I’d like to see go in there is something that continues to keep the Senator Theatre the economic heart of the York-Belvedere area,” said City Councilman Bill Henry, whose district includes the theater. “It has been our anchor business.”
This article in the Daily Record provides some detail.
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Nonprofit group wants to buy the Rosendale Theater
ROSENDALE, NY — A group called the Rosendale Theater Collective has been created with intent of raising funds to purchase the Rosendale Theater, which opened in 1949. The theater currently offers a mix of film and live performances and has been one of the venues for the Woodstock Film Festival.
The Rosendale Theatre Collective is collecting tax-deductible donations under the auspices of the Children’s Media Project, which is located on Academy Street in Poughkeepsie.
The $20,000 is needed for a binder, which serves as a deposit in a real estate transaction. The total cost of the theater was not available.
Read more in the Poughkeepsie Journal.
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$7.5 million in renovations converts Jefferson Theater to live music venue
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Opened in 1912, the Jefferson Theater which over its long history has been a vaudeville house and movie theater, will now be a music venue focusing on rock and country artists. Millions of dollars have been spent upgrading the building while restoring much of its original chararacter.
“We’re taking it back to the original purpose of the theater, which was live performances rather than films,” Kirby Hutto, of Red Light Management, told a tour group Monday as carpenters, electricians and laborers hammered, glued, measured and sawed. “It’s going to be really cool when it’s done.”
Former Jefferson owner Hawes Spencer, editor of the Hook weekly newspaper, said he is pleased with the results of the renovation and the return of live performances to the venue.
Read more in the Daily Progress.
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November 30, 2009
70th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz and Holiday Titles at ArcLight
HOLLYWOOD, CA —
70th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz and Holiday Titles
To celebrate the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, ArcLight Hollywood will hold a special screening on Tuesday, December 1 at 7:30pm in the iconic Cinerama Dome. This will be the only screening in Los Angeles and it is surely not one to miss.
The Wizard of Oz
December 1 at 7:30pm
ArcLight Hollywood —– Cinerama Dome
Tickets – $13
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Renovated Strand Theater in Tiptonville reopens
TIPTONVILLE, TN — First opened in 1915, the Strand Theater is reopening as a mixed use venue after a thorough renovation. Movies were shown there for many years and it later served as a Masonic hall.
Davis said the renovations wouldn’t have been possible without $80,000 worth of grants from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and the now-disbanded Kiwanis Club as well as generous donations from local building supply companies.
Citizens also purchased plaques for each of the 259 seats in the theater. At $50 each, the plaque fund-raiser generated another $12,950 for the renovations.
Now, Main Street is selling spots on a wall plaque in the lobby for $25 a name.
An article with pictures is here in the Star Gazette.
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Memories of Tulsa’s theaters
TULSA, OK — In a recent article, columnist David Jones shares memories of Tulsa’s theaters, including the Ritz, Majestic, Orpheum, and Rialto in downtown Tulsa, and the Will Rogers, Delman, and others further away from the city center.
Back in those World War II days, there was a schedule for Hollywood’s product that seemed etched in stone. The four grand theaters were the Ritz, Orpheum, Majestic (just south of Fourth Street on Main) and the Rialto (between Boulder and Main on Third). They were all owned by the same firm, and every Thursday they would change their features. That meant, for a movie-mad tyke like me, the Wednesday Tulsa Tribune was a treasure indeed. Each Wednesday evening would feature lavish advertisements of a quarter page or more enticing fans to the theaters. The Ritz and the Orpheum got the cream of the crop. The Majestic got the best of the lesser product (the B movies) while the Rialto featured Roy Rogers or Hopalong Cassidy or my favorite: “Two-features-two Brought Back to Thrill You Again.”
Most new movies played the downtown theaters a week. Occasionally one would be held over a week. Not until “Quo Vadis” played the Ritz in 1951 did I see a feature last more than two weeks, although I’m told “Gone With The Wind” managed a triple week booking.
The whole article is here in GTR News.