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The latest movie theater news and updates
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December 4, 2007
Regent Theater For Sale/Lease
WELLINGTON, KS – The Regent Theatre is for sale or lease. Currently opening showing first run movies. It also has capabilities for dinner theater or other entertainment. Please for more information. Price negotiable.
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Three Generations…….
Probably not unique – but my family spent 90 years working in the industry – that is me, my father and my grandfather – all members of the British Cinema Veterans [qualification is to have worked for more than 30 years in the industry].
If you are interested do have a look at: Picasa Web Albums.
Best regards to all,
James -
December 3, 2007
Fully restored Balboa Theatre reopens January 31, 2008
SAN DIEGO, CA — Finally, the Balboa Theatre is returning next month.
After more than 2 years of restoration and $26.5 million, the curtain is almost ready to rise again at the Balboa Theatre in Horton Plaza. The old vaudeville venue, which originally opened in 1924, has been restored to its original glory. The theater was gutted and seismically retrofitted to modern standards. Then, a team of architects, historians, artists and craftsmen refurbished the interior, restoring the original color scheme and replacing broken fixtures with recreations of the originals.
The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of the ornate interior decoration, project manager Gary Bosse said. Workers have taken special care to remain faithful to the original design in all of the public spaces, he said.
A full article along with a video and 47 pictures of the interior and exterior restoration can be found at the NBCSandiego.com web site.
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Grand Theater presents “Miracle on 34th Street” and pipe organ preview
EAST GREENVILLE, PA — The historic 1924 Grand Theater which underwent a complete and total restoration in 2005, is screening “Miracle on 34th Street” as part of the Grand’s 3rd Annual Christmas Tradition Show.
The theater’s Christmas Tradition shows have rapidly become one of the most talked about Christmas events in Southeastern PA. This year the feature is the 1947 classic “Miracle on 34th Street”, being presented in its original B&W daily from Friday, December 14th thru Thursday, December 20th. Showtimes are available at the Grand Theater Website or by calling the theater at 215-679-4300.
In addition to the film, each show will feature the theater decked out in its Christmas finest and the Grand’s in-house organist, Mr. Carl Black playing Christmas organ music prior to showtime. One song is planned to be played on their 2/6 Marr and Colton 1923 Pipe Organ. While the pipe organ is not 100% ready, the Grand is proud to offer a small preview of what is to come.
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Uptown Theater ornament for sale
GRAND PRAIRIE, TX — To ring in the holidays, the Uptown Theater is selling an ornament to benefit the continued renovations on the theatre.
Grand Prairie has created a Grand Prairie holiday ornament that commemorates the city’s historic Uptown Theater, which is in the process of being restored.
This fourth in a series of annual ornaments celebrates the completion of the exterior renovation of the Uptown Theater in downtown Grand Prairie. The interior renovation will be complete by 2009, when the former movie theater will reopen as an arts center after having been restored to its former glory.
A full article along with a picture of the facade prior to restoration can be found at the Pegasus News.
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November 30, 2007
Meet Me in St. Louis at the Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES, CA — The rarely open Los Angeles Theatre will be showing Meet Me in St. Louis this Sunday. It’s at 2PM and tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children. More details are at the Los Angeles Conservancy website. Don’t miss your chance to visit this cinema treasure!
The theatre will also be part of the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival.
Photo courtesy of jfer.
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The Quo Vadis Preservation Foundation needs your help
WESTLAND, MI — Why save the Quo Vadis Entertainment Center? This is a great question to ask and a better place to start.
Well… to get all the negative out of the way, first of all, its an old, run down building. It needs work, obviously. But people tend to ignore the history it has in favor of “its old, tear it down, build a generic drug store”. No, drug stores and condos aren’t what Westland needs. Michigan’s economy is bad enough, we need something to bring revenue into the city.
The old Quo Vadis Entertainment Center (herein refered to as QV) stands empty, much like many other buildings, such as the BP station on Wayne and Warren, the Denny’s and Sams Club on Central City Pkwy. There are many potential uses for this old building, it could be turned into a meeting place for teens, an arcade, a theatre, or even used as a movie theater again. We’ve seen one local theatre (George Burns Theatre) meet a dreadful end as a Walgreens (which closed less than 2 years afterwards and sits vacant, mind you) and condos.
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Loew’s Jersey Call for volunteer ushers(12/1)
JERSEY CITY, NJ – On Saturday evening, December 1st, the Landmark Loew’s Jersey Theatre will be hosting a Holiday Concert – volunteer ushers are still needed to “work” this live show. With the busy winter holiday season upon us, finding extra help at this time of year is always difficult.
However, ‘tis the season…for giving – with this thought in mind, the theatre is asking its patrons and others for support by donating their time, effort and enthusiasm to make this show a success. In return, as a special “thank you”, all volunteers scheduled to work that evening are invited to see the show for free (tickets are valued at $50 to $65 per seat)! Each volunteer staffer is also allowed to bring a guest helper along, so they can take part too (additional assistance is appreciated).
If you (or anyone you know) are interested and would like to assist with ushering, please contact the theatre in advance by calling (201) 798-6055 or by e-mailing a message to (attention: Patricia Giordan, Friends of the Loew’s). Please provide the following personal contact information regarding you and your guest (if applicable): full names, telephone numbers and return e-mail addresses – so that your name(s) can be confirmed and added to the volunteer roster. Advance notice is necessary in order to determine staffing needs and establish a head count.
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Redstone criticizes cinemas
Here’s an interesting story on the differing views of cinema in the Redstone family.
Precisely what caused the rift between Sumner Redstone and his daughter, Shari, may never be known, despite vague suggestions of disagreements over “corporate governance.” But one major source of friction between the 84-year-old chairman of National Amusements, the company that controls Viacom and CBS, and his 53-year-old daughter is clear: She’s sanguine about the movie-theater business, while he thinks it’s on its last reel.
Amid the glamour of assets like Paramount and MTV, it’s easy to forget that privately held National Amusements, started back in 1936 by Sumner’s father, remains an important player in the theater business, with about 1,500 screens around the world. Shari, who owns 20 percent of the company (her father controls the remaining 80 percent), has run the theater unit since 1999 and is relentlessly upbeat about it, even as insiders speculate that Sumner would rather sell the whole thing off. Does Shari know something about the popcorn economy that her father doesn’t?
Read the full story in Conde Nast Portfolio.
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World’s First Movie Theater in Buffalo: recognized by Buffalo News November 25, 2007
BUFFALO, NY — An article in the Buffalo News claims that Vitascope Hall was the first movie theater ever.
Buffalo lays claim to the air conditioner, grain elevator, windshield wiper and pacemaker. It may be time to add another: The first motion picture theater.
Mitchell Mark and his younger brother, Moe, opened Vitascope Hall in the basement of Ellicott Square in October 1896. Moviegoers entered through the Marks' first-floor Edisonia Phonograph Parlor, an early penny arcade using inventions of Thomas Alva Edison’s factory.
“This is one of those very hazy areas of theater history. Really, no one can say with any certainty what was the very first purpose-built movie theater,” said Karen Colizzi Noonan, president of the Theatre Historical Society in Elmhurst, Ill., which records and preserves the history of America’s theaters.