UCLA Nimoy Theatre
1262 Westwood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
1262 Westwood Boulevard,
Los Angeles,
CA
90024
45 people
favorited this theater
Showing 251 - 275 of 313 comments
Why does the theater description call El Capitan the Crest’s “smaller sister” when I believe El Capitan has about 1000 more seats?
To Roadshow – The Crest has a link to my 4 slideshows from their site (you will need popups enabled). Or you can go directly to http://www.jamesgordongallery.com/crestslides/, or via my blog at http:www.itookthat.com, then click on the link on right: Stunning Art Deco Cinema. I did it as a freebie to showcase the Westwood Majestic Crest interiors. Enjoy.
I’ve seen the headline “Magificent photos of the Majestic Crest” somewnere… ; )
Very nice to hear someone else finds ArcLight’s lackluster boxes unimpressive, and that the theatrical showmanship of the Majestic Crest can greatly enhance the quality of the moviegoing experience.
To hollywood90038 – thanks. Yes, I like “exquisite”.
James G, Yes Simon Overton is quite a character and by reading his emails is is a showman. The trait that Simon posses is something that is truly ABSENT in todays theatre onwers/managers. Looking forward to your pictures of the concession area/lobby of the Crest. I do have one picture of the concession area, and that was from a magazine article.
Hey John M – James G here. We (JaneD and I) got to meet and talk with Simon Overton – quite a character and a showman. We just loved the Ceremony of the Curtains – with lighting and multiple curtain effects in his pocket-sized theatre.
JaneD..John Messick here. I have never met Joe Musil, I do email a really good friend of his, Simon Overton. From what Simon tells me Joe is quite a guy. I am sure that you had a great time speaking with Joe and an equally great time at his Salon of Theatres.
Hollywood90038 – as a fellow fan of the Crest, it is great to see yet another person become a devotee. With my husband (JamesG) having photographed and studied the murals, I would have chosen a less violent adjective than “killer”. How about “magnificent”, “stunning”, “glorious”, “breathtaking”. Just not a word whose origins are in the taking of the life of a competitor.
On a more positive note, we had a wonderful coversation last night with the designer of the Crest remodel – Joe Musil. We attended his fascinating presentation and boutique museum down in Santa Ana, in the Santora Arts building.
Before the Metro remodel and the Disney fancy remodel. The Crest Theatre was a very plain non-movie palace theatre. The only classic thing that is original is the facade of the theatre. Every thing else is from that Disney remodel. Without that remodel the theatre would be just a standard shooting gallery type theatre.
Michael Coate:
I find a four-plex theatre named the Coronet listed in the United Artists Theatres section of the movie listings in the L.A. Times Calendar section for August 24, 1986. Its location is given as Westwood Boulevard one block south of Wilshire. It isn’t listed in the Times' movie listings in the issue of February 10, 1971, but that issue does contain a listing for a theatre called the U.A. Westwood, with no street name given. The same place perhaps? I can’t find hide nor hair of either theatre listed at Cinema Treasures. You must be right about it being missing from the site.
There’s a small photo of a U.A. Westwood Theatre on this page at Roadside Peek, but again the exact location is not given. The photo appears to be more recent than either of the moive lisings I’ve cited.
Justin:
The 1988 “Hairspray” did not play its Westwood first-run engagement at this theatre; it played at the nearby CORONET, a theatre which has gone under several names and, unless I’m not looking hard enough, does not have a Cinema Treasures page.
Again James those pictures are GREAT. Now pictures of the lobby and concession would be sweet.
Latest additions to slideshows of Westwood’s Majestic Crest Theatre interior and murals!!
I just finished a major upgrade to the slideshows of The Crest online, and am pleased with how it looks and works.
There are now four separate slide shows, all accessed off www.westwoodcrest.com (you need to enable popups), or directly on my site: www.jamesgordongallery.com/crestslides
The original set of slides is now revised and expanded with new views. Four panoramas have been added, another of some of the art deco details, and a fourth set devoted to showing many of the murals.
There are identical Flash and HTML versions of each, and a cool new index page with access to both the Flash and the HTML pages.
I am not affiliated with the theatre, or engaged to do this work. It is simply a labor of love for this wonderful cinema in my neighborhood. People deserve to see the murals.
btw, did the original Hairspray play at this theater?
Michael, we agree on a lot.
Okay Mr. Newman, you’ve made a good point. I have just submitted a correction with enough detail (and passion) to convince the Powers that Be at CT. Being webmasters themselves, they must realize how difficult is is to change the domain name and page graphics of an established website. My point in that message was that Mr. Bucksbaum’s efforts to keep the theatre exemplify the very mission of Cinema Treasures, so they should at least list it under his chosen name.
While we’re giving so much impassioned attention to The Majestic Crest, let’s all remember that it’s well worth a drive far beyond your local uglyplex to enjoy the superior moviegoing experience of this classic theatre. Let’s put our money where our mouths are and go SUPPORT the place.
HAIRSPRAY opens at the Majestic Crest on Friday July 20th. Can you imagine the fun of watching it in such a theatrical environment? See you there.
The staff of CinemaTreasures do not read every comment made on every theatre. I don’t know if any of them live in Los Angeles where they would see newspaper advertising or marquees. If you want them to change the name of this, or the National, or any other theatre, send them an e-mail or fill out the correction form.
“To anyone paying attention, it is obvious that this theatre is officially named the Majestic Crest, yet Cinema Treasures insists on listing it as the Westwood Crest.”
I posted a similar comment on this page in August of 2005. It is apparent to me that this issue of primary and alternate theatre names is not one of Cinema Treasures' strong points despite the useful and informative contributions of its readers.
A similar thing exists with the NATIONAL in Westwood. I pointed out on two separate occasions the situation with the venue’s name, in one case even answering another reader’s question on how the venue was promoted in local newspaper advertising and on the building itself. Yet, amazingly (and insultingly) one of the CT staff ignored (or dismissed) my posts and chimed in stating the name needed to be the NATIONAL WESTWOOD!
Fine, list it as NATIONAL WESTWOOD…but as one of the small-print alternate names! I’ll argue that the primary name should be NATIONAL. Same here with the CREST. The main name ought to be MAJESTIC CREST since that is its current and official name; all other names (UCLAN, CREST, METRO, WESTWOOD CREST, etc.) should be alternates.
Roadshow, I’ve worked the Crest Theatre during it’s Pacific Theatre/Disney days. Yes, I enjoyed the Crest Theatre the many times I’ve been there. From the article Homeboy posted, It looks like Mr. Bucksbaum has had problems with a deal with Disney and Fox over booking disputes. One problem is the Crest is a single screen theatre. The studios want the screen for their product, but as a single screen house, you are very limited to time a feature can play and for how long. A lot of the deals now a days the studios want for the First Run market are three weeks or longer. As a single screen and a Independent theatre you are up againist a high wall. Your stuck with that feature most of the times for the full term of the contract. Till the next booking. I know the Crest can kick ass with business and I’ve been there during that time. So it’s not a theatre that under performs normally. But the studios make it very hard sometimes for the single screen to make money, by the terms of the contract. The National Theatre is another story. It sits on a large piece of land, that Mann Theatre just leased.. Like Mann Theatres does not own the Village or Bruin Theatres too, they are both owned by the same family and are just leases.
I get it that the owner loves the Crest, but he’s not going to live forever and accidents (God forbid) do happen. Also, from the LA Times article, it seems as though he’s at the mercy of forces over which he has no control (supply of new product, the success of other theaters, a rise in electric rates, etc.) It seems like such a labor of love (given what that real estate is worth and what his expenses are) that it’s not going to make financial sense to anyone else. I guess what I have in mind is a succession plan. Does he have kids? Do they love theaters or developer money? Better than he will the theater to the Crest Historical Society. (No need to set it up now, but the plans for it, how it would work, how the theater would sustain itself, etc. should be firmly in place.) I’m going on about this using the Crest as my subject, but I think all too often we rest easy because a theater is being run as a labor of love with no thought as to what will happen when the owner is no longer around. If possible, nothing should ever been done under the pressure of a last minute deadline.
Personally, I don’t think the National is especially distinctive. But that’s just me, and I know that the goal is to save all theaters.
Yes William, we know that the website for the Crest is not fully up to date. That is no reason for Cinema Treasures not to be up to date. And despite what the theatre was before, it is now a gem worth saving.
Homeboy, the owner of the Crest loves the theatre and has clearly announced that he has NO INTENTION of closing. The National in Westwood is in much more immanent danger of being lost in just the scenario you describe than the Crest is.
Before what Disney did to remodel the theatre in that El Capitan way. The Crest Theatre was no thing more than a long shoot galley type theatre with very little interior decor that would make it special.
Well the website calls the theatre “The Westwood Crest Theatre”.
And in the history of the theatre section, he has the wrong decade listed as when the theatre was named the Metro. He posted on the site: “In the 1970’s it was temporarily renamed the Metro, and MGM made minor design changes.” It was named the Metro around 1983, before that it was known as SRO’s Crest Theatre.
Typically when a classic theater sitting on expensive real estate closes or announces its intention to close the community rallies to try to save it. Meanwhile a developer already has his permits and is chafing at the bit to tear it down. Under the pressure of time, it often doesn’t work and wrecking ball does its thing.
Despite Bucksbaum’s best efforts, it seems clear to me that the Majestic Crest’s days as a single-screen movie theater are numbered. Shouldn’t someone RIGHT NOW be working with Bucksbaum to form a non-profit to buy it, or convince the City of Los Angeles to make it a performance venue, or do whatever the things a community does when a theater closes and they try to save it? Why wait? Isn’t it easier to do it now with a bit of time rather than at the last minute?
To anyone paying attention, it is obvious that this theatre is officially named the Majestic Crest, yet Cinema Treasures insists on listing it as the Westwood Crest.
Let’s examine the evidence, shall we? Mr. Bucksbaum has stated in an interview that he was fond of the movie THE MAJESTIC and its depiction of a family run movie palace. He has spent a lot of money adding the name MAJESTIC to the marquee, it is in all the advertising, the telephone recordings, everywhere – except for Cinema Treasures, and his own website, which hasn’t changed a bit in years.
With unreliable bookings, unsteady business, serious damage done to the theatre by careless film crews, the high cost of running the place, and a daily struggle to keep it open, clearly he is much too busy to buy and register a new domain name, cross-link it with the current domain name, and update the graphics on his website. Anyone who has tried to run a website while also trying to support himself can empathize.
This man is a hero to us for fighting against all odds to preserve a real Cinema Treasure. The least you could do is list it under the name he obviously prefers!
Well “Hairspray” is a fun film and the prints look great from Deluxe. It’s in scope and also it has a very lively soundtrack too.