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The latest movie theater news and updates
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October 27, 2006
Malibu Theater reopens
MALIBU, CA — Filling a void created by the theater’s fire last year, the Cross Creek Plaza Theater will reopen next month.
Hollywood Theaters, owner of the Cross Creek Plaza movie theater, announced this week that the facility will reopen on Nov. 17. The theater has been closed since April 2005, when a fire destroyed it and several other businesses in the mall.
An official from the Portland, Ore.-based Hollywood Theaters said she could not disclose anything beyond that the theater would be opening. She said she might have more information next week.
To read more on this story, go to Malibu Times.
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October 26, 2006
Garden Theate facade unveiled
WINTER GARDEN, FL — Here is a computer realization by Phil Baker of the completed facade of the Garden Theatre, now undergoing restoration. The Garden is an atmospheric theater, incorporating a Spanish garden theme. A theater organ has also been donated for it.
The theater is being renovated by the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, and is expected to open in December, 2007.
(Thanks to Irv Lipscomb for providing the photo.)
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Pearl River Theater purchased by town
PEARL RIVER, NY — With plans to hopefully revitalize the Pearl River Theater, the city is saving it from the wrecking ball. At the moment, they are entertaining proposals for its future.
Orangetown may soon purchase a vacant theater for less than the cost of a matinee movie ticket.
Town Supervisor Thom Kleiner said the town reached a tentative agreement this week to buy the Pearl River Movie Theater building on Central Avenue for $1 from Skyview Plaza Development Corp. All the board has to do is grant a zone change for another project the developer has in town.
To read more, visit the Journal News.
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Strand and Europa Theaters in New Brunswick
NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — By the mid-1940’s, the Strand had become pretty seedy. We kids sometimes went there for the Saturday 9-cent double bills—usually cowboy films, as I remember.
In the late 1940’s, the Europa Theatre in the Hungarian residential district of New Brunswick already seemed to have become an “art house.” As a young student, I saw Olivier’s Henry V there. This was for the time pretty exotic film fare for New Brunswick.
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October 25, 2006
Mary Holliday event in Waco
WACO, TX — A great tribute to radio announcer, Mary Holliday, will be at the Waco Hippodrome next month.
Holliday (1901-1969), believed to be the first female radio announcer in Texas, broadcast a 30-minute youth talent show each Saturday for more than 30 years. She started in radio in 1925, working as a studio pianist at WJAD-AM, which became WACO-AM in 1927. The show launched shortly thereafter.
Jennifer Warren of Waco, a Holliday fan since she started researching her a few years ago as historian of the Waco Hippodrome Theatre, is bringing back some of those thrilling days of yesteryear with the help of the Waco History Project.
Warren will impersonate the pioneer broadcaster in the free show, “An Evening with Mary Holliday,” set for 7 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Hippodrome. The event will include students from the Waco Children’s Theater and the G.W. Carver Academy Band, as well as several “graduates” who got their start in Holliday’s program.
For more, visit the Waco Herald Tribune.
For photos relating to this event, visit the Waco Herald Tribune Mary Holliday Tribue Photo Page.
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Garden Hills Theatre to close
ATLANTA, GA — The Garden Hills Theatree is closing after about 65 years of near constant operation. This is yet another example of the inability of old single screen theatres to compete with the megaplexes of today, even in the “art house” niche.
To read more about this, visitAccess Atlanta. Registration is required and it is good through 10/30/06 when it will move to the archives where you will have to pay to see it.
Several personal histories and a detailed description of this site are in the comment section of its Cinema Treasures page.
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October 24, 2006
Amarillo Drive-in history
AMARILLO, TX — This piece discusses the history of drive-ins in Amarillo with the vital stats as well.
According to Robert Forrester, chairman of the Potter County Historical Commission, there were seven drive-in movie theaters in Amarillo.
The Palo Duro Drive-in theater was located at 3900 S. Georgia St. where the Randall County annex is currently located.
To learn more, visit Amarillo.com(reg. reqr’d).
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Santa Clarita theater shortage
SANTA CLARITA, CA — As evidenced by the number of articles you see on this website, new megaplexes are popping up all around the country to fulfill the growing suburbia. However, with a constantly rising population, the Santa Clarita Valley is not seeing a rising number of screens.
Every year, throngs of movie crews flock to the Santa Clarita Valley to capitalize on the area’s photogenic suburban streets and mountainous topography.
But these days the rapidly growing city is missing a key component in the film business: movie screens.
Santa Clarita has just two movie theaters and 22 screens for an area of nearly 168,000 residents.
To read more about this, visit the San Fernando Valley Business Journal.
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Ground broken for Texas theater
BURLESON, TX — The growing Burleson Commons area will soon have a modern movie theater with flashy additions such as a jazz bar and amphitheater.
Burleson Partners LLC and a company called Screenworks broke ground last week on a 12-screen movie theater that is regarded as one of the main anchor businesses in the commercial development here known as the Burleson Commons.
“This is a great day for the city of Burleson,” Mayor Ken Shetter said at Thursday morning’s groundbreaking ceremony at the site. “We believe it’s a good deal for the city. This is going to be an asset for Burleson families and the city of Burleson.”
Burleson Commons, a 38-acre property on the southeast corner of Texas 174 and Farm-to-Market Road 714, is under development by Burleson Partners through its parent company Cullinan Properties in Peoria, Ill.
For more, read the Burleson Crowley Connection.
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October 23, 2006
Vintage theater shopping to purchase
How’s everyone in the theater industry today? I’m in the market to acquire historic or vintage theaters for sale in the United States. There have been some opportunities where you may purchase them for a dollar, but you have to fully restore them. Cities have been known to give them away, but they have to generate tax revenue. Please keep me posted on such underlying opportunities. I would highly appreciate it very much. You may e-mail on viable prospects to or ..