I was there when it opened, with a reserved-seat enagagement of “Hello, Dolly”. I too remember it as smaller (my guess would about 750 seats). The seat count above probably includes the seats in the original theater (later twinned) and the later five-screen part that was not physically attached to the original theater.
It was a fairly typical new suburban house of the later 1960s; at the time a theater in a mall was somewhat of an innovation, and Severance was still a class act at the time. The walls, if memory serves, were patterned concrete block painted a chocolate brown. There were two light fixtures left and right of the screen above the emergency exits that were like a row of electric candles of different heights. The screen was just about wall-to-wall; I don’t remember if there was a screen curtain or just masking panels. The theater had no balcony but there was a VIP or party viewing room on one side of the projection portals.
This theater closed in December, 2009, but will be reopening as the Poconos Movieplex on January 15, 2010. The mall will now be known as Poconos Square. View link
You may be thinking of the Odeon Danforth (also known at one time as the Rex) which is listed at 635 Danforth, very close to Pape. The Pape was at 336 Pape.
I heartily agree with Dublinboyo; I don’t know whether it was ego, the need to exert total creative control or a blind faith in CGI on Lucas’s part that led to those three blah prequels, but I so wish he had had Kasdan back to work on the scripts. I don’t fault Lucas’s vision, but Kasdan’s screenplay for “The Empire Strikes Back” is what, IMHO, made it such a great film, one that I can see over again for its great storytelling and depth of characterization – elements so glaringly missing from from those prequels.
Cleveland’s Cinerama history and 70mm was a bit like Toronto’s in that 3-strip Cinerama films played downtown at the Palace which also played the first few of the 70mm films. After the Palace stopped showing Cinerama films, Cinerama moved out to the western suburb of North Olmsted at a purpose-built Cinerama theater called the Great Northern (although the older Vogue in the eastern suburb of Shaker Heights was considered as plans were drawn up but not executed). Cinerama then returned to downtown at Loew’s State for ‘2001’ and ‘Grand Prix’. A number of former neighborhood theaters became roadshow houses after the grand downtown theaters closed (the Colony and the Mayland, for instance) and a few new suburban theaters in the 60s also began life as roadshow venues such as the original Severance.
Here’s an article about the Swan, with history and a picture of it as it is today: View link
I was there when it opened, with a reserved-seat enagagement of “Hello, Dolly”. I too remember it as smaller (my guess would about 750 seats). The seat count above probably includes the seats in the original theater (later twinned) and the later five-screen part that was not physically attached to the original theater.
It was a fairly typical new suburban house of the later 1960s; at the time a theater in a mall was somewhat of an innovation, and Severance was still a class act at the time. The walls, if memory serves, were patterned concrete block painted a chocolate brown. There were two light fixtures left and right of the screen above the emergency exits that were like a row of electric candles of different heights. The screen was just about wall-to-wall; I don’t remember if there was a screen curtain or just masking panels. The theater had no balcony but there was a VIP or party viewing room on one side of the projection portals.
UPDATE: The Landmarks Commission unanimously voted to give landmark status to the theater’s facade: View link
This page has a 1959 magenta-tinted picture of The New Yorker’s marquee showing a triple-feature: View link
Is this picture of the New Yorker what Grainger and JBUSHLOW are looking for? View link
This theater closed in December, 2009, but will be reopening as the Poconos Movieplex on January 15, 2010. The mall will now be known as Poconos Square. View link
Here’s another view of the theater as it is today: scroll down to see it:
http://wildrivers101.com/venues.html
This page has an historical exterior view of the Arcata; scroll down to see it: http://wildrivers101.com/venues.html
According to news reports, the earthquake of 01-09-10 has closed the theater at least temporarily and that damage has been done to its marquee.
City officials are raising concerns about the physical condition of this theater: View link
There’s a history of the Crump on this blog page: View link
The Pape was on Pape at 336. I think you are thinking of the Palace.
You may be thinking of the Odeon Danforth (also known at one time as the Rex) which is listed at 635 Danforth, very close to Pape. The Pape was at 336 Pape.
Another fire occurred on 01-09-10 in whatever still remained of the Kimball: View link
Here’s an updated link to the picture I posted above:
View link
I heartily agree with Dublinboyo; I don’t know whether it was ego, the need to exert total creative control or a blind faith in CGI on Lucas’s part that led to those three blah prequels, but I so wish he had had Kasdan back to work on the scripts. I don’t fault Lucas’s vision, but Kasdan’s screenplay for “The Empire Strikes Back” is what, IMHO, made it such a great film, one that I can see over again for its great storytelling and depth of characterization – elements so glaringly missing from from those prequels.
Here’s an additional article about the reopening and the amenities the theatre will offer: View link
This theater has added a fourth screen:
http://www.tacomaweekly.com/article/3927
Here’s an article about the sentencing of the arsonist: View link
Cleveland’s Cinerama history and 70mm was a bit like Toronto’s in that 3-strip Cinerama films played downtown at the Palace which also played the first few of the 70mm films. After the Palace stopped showing Cinerama films, Cinerama moved out to the western suburb of North Olmsted at a purpose-built Cinerama theater called the Great Northern (although the older Vogue in the eastern suburb of Shaker Heights was considered as plans were drawn up but not executed). Cinerama then returned to downtown at Loew’s State for ‘2001’ and ‘Grand Prix’. A number of former neighborhood theaters became roadshow houses after the grand downtown theaters closed (the Colony and the Mayland, for instance) and a few new suburban theaters in the 60s also began life as roadshow venues such as the original Severance.
Here’s an updated link to the photo posted by ken mc on September 29, 2004: View link
Here’s an updated link to the 1929 photo I posted on June 4, 2008: View link
Elgin/Winter Garden prior to restoration: View link
Exterior shot when ‘The Return of the Jedi’ was playing: View link
As the Imperial, showing ‘The Godfather:’ View link