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The latest movie theater news and updates
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April 18, 2008
Apollo Theater for sale
OBERLIN, OH — The 85 year old Apollo Theater is for sale after generations under the same family.
Offering low-price entertainment in downtown Oberlin for years, the theater has been operated by the Steel family since being purchased in 1923 by Gerome Steel. His sons William and Sandy Steel have run the theater since their father’s death in 1960, according to Sandy Steel.
William’s wife, Arlene Steel, who still sells tickets in the old-fashioned glassed-in ticket booth by the sidewalk, said the next generation of her family is not interested in continuing the family tradition.
Read more in the Morning Journal.
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Seats for sale
Selling several different styles of used theater seating. All products from theaters that have closed. Everything in excellent condition. Some seats for as low as $35 a seat. Large quantity discounts.
Please if interested.
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April 17, 2008
Alexandria theater a dying breed
ALEXANDRIA, IN — The Fifties gem, the Alex Theatre, is still packing them in with its huge screen and plush seats a throwback to the old days.
The Alex Theatre in Alexandria has been serving Madison County bargain-hunting movie-goers for the better part of 50 years with $3 ticket prices and a unique concession stand.
While the theater shows just one movie a week on its massive screen, the historic location is a big draw for area families looking for a cheap night out.
Elwood sisters Terina (Decker) Ball and Christy (Decker) Bashum bought the location in 2000 from Jim McClary. He’d owned the theater since 1988 and brought it back to life after it had been closed by its original owners, according to Ball.
Read more in the Herald Bulletin.
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Norwalk Main Street Theatre Looking For New Owner
NORWALK, OH — The Norwalk Main Street Theatre is for sale. The theatre is a Schine theatre built in 1941 in the art deco style. All original wool carpet and light fixtures still remain.
A stage, orchestra pit and dressing rooms were added in the 1970’s for Community Theatre to be performed. The movie screen still remains along with the Carbon Arc projectors to show movies. The main floor seats 724 and the Balcony seats 200. Building is in good condition and has a great “feel” and atmosphere. Marquee is the largest working marquee in the state of Ohio!
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A brief history of “Movie Pests”
I recently purchased from amazon.com, a VHS copy of “A Guy Named Joe” (1944), starring Spencer Tracy, Irene Dunne, Van Johnson and directed by Victor Flemming (he also did two other “small” films called “Gone with the Wind” and “The Wizard of Oz”). The film was remade as “Always” in 1989 by Steven Spielberg. To date, “A Guy Named Joe” is not yet available on U.S. Region 1 DVD.
Anyway, on this tape, preceeding the film, was a short film called “Movie Pests”, filmed around the same time. It was a comically-narrated piece that poked fun at the so-called “movie pests” of the time; actors re-enacting what could be considered a typical “pest” situation in a movie theater, circa the 1940s. Those of you who own this VHS tape will know what I’m talking about.
For those of you who don’t, here are some highlights: -
April 16, 2008
AEG Live to buy Keswick Theater for $2.8 million
GLENSIDE, PA — AEG is buying another theatre, the Keswick.
AEG Live, the Los Angeles company that is the world’s second-largest concert promoter, behind Live Nation Inc., has won tentative approval to buy the Keswick Theater in Glenside for $2.8 million, according to concert-industry publication Pollstar. The seller of the 1,374-seat theater, which opened in 1928 and was designed by Philadelphia Museum of Art architect Horace Trumbauer, was promoter Jack Utsick’s Worldwide Entertainment. AEG, which books the annual Coachella Festival, to be held April 25 to 27 in Indio, Calif., is making an East Coast move. The company is also promoting All Points West Festival, which is to feature headliners Radiohead, Aug. 8 to 10, in Jersey City. And longtime Philadelphia booker Jon Hampton is now booking the Trocadero for AEG. – Dan DeLuca
Courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
(Thanks to Many Cats 4 Me for providing the photo.)
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Kansas Fox thrives
HUTCHINSON, KS — The majestic Fox Theatre lives on as a center for the arts.
“The marquee was the first flashing display of neon in Kansas,” Hemmings said. “And it’s one of the few surviving, original, functioning marquees in the country.”
Besides adding to the ambience of downtown, the Fox – which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places -has an economic impact on the community, said Hemmings.
“It’s a place of beauty, a regional center for the arts, and a treasure to our community,” she said.
Get the full story in the Hutchinson News.
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New drive-in theater to open in Davenport this summer
DAVENPORT, IA — Randy and Terri Lorenz will be opening “Reel to Reel” this summer. It’s been 20 years since the last drive-in in the Quad Cities closed.
A nostalgic summer pastime will be available in the Quad-Cities this summer.
Randy and Terri Lorenz and their grown son, Arron, found that a trip to the drive-in movies was a trip indeed — to such places as Maquoketa or Grandview, Iowa.
To bring the experience closer to home for Quad-Citians, they plan to open a two-screen drive-in theater at the west edge of Davenport, just off West Locust Street and north of West Lake Park.
Read the full story in the Quad-City Times.
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April 15, 2008
NuWilshire currently an eyesore in Santa Monica
SANTA MONICA, CA — One of the oldest theatres in Santa Monica, the NuWilshire has been closed since November 2007. As of now, nothing has changed, and it still is just a great theatre, with the soul gone.
It is hard to believe that this time last year, the theatre was filled with happy moviegoers, ready to see a good independent film. However now, it is just a block of nothing. When looking at it, all I see is a reminder of what once was…and is now just a vacant building covered in graffiti and trashed, with a gate across the entrance so as not to allow homeless to sleep under the marquee.
A few months ago, after hearing about how the front of the theatre became a city landmark, I have yet to see anything touched on it. I will keep you posted on any new information I have on the status of this great place!
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Braden back in business
PRESQUE ISLE, ME — With three screens and some slightly less mainstream fare, the Braden Theatre is back and appreciated by a new audience.
The Braden Theater has been vacant for quite some time now. Arlen Dow had an itch to invest in a new business. Chris Dow, the former 12 year assistant manager for FYE, was getting tired of waiting for a movie theater to open up in town. With Arlen’s drive for something new, and Chris’s drive to introduce some culture into Aroostook County, Presque Isle became blessed with a brand spankin' new theater.
The Braden has three classically styled viewing rooms. One holds 144 springy red cushioned seats, the other 161, and the largest holds 171. The theater has radiant heating.
“Having the floors heated makes it very comfortable in here. The floors are warm, so the seats are warm, and it saves on energy costs, too,” Dows said.
For more of the story, visit the University Times.