The movie appears to be LITTLE DARLINGS, which would place the photo sometime around 1980. Many of these “transit fan” sites have good pictures of theatres too! These sites have vintage buses and streetcars photographed by then-well-known landmarks.
Here’s a photo that contains a portion of the vertical marquee back in the Plitt days View link
But check out what was playing at the Shangri-La across the street! I think that the Loop is better off without places like that! But it is better off with places like the Chicago!
I’ve been meaning to add my 2 cents to this for awhile. Look at some of the films that have done surprisingly well over the past few years. Last year THANK YOU FOR SMOKING did very well. I saw it twice and both times the theatres (the Lake and the Piper’s Alley) were packed for that film. It was not a big-budget film and it was an intelligent, well-written satire. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE was another that did well too.
In 2005, THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and MARCH OF THE PENGUINS were two of the biggest films. This was a year of big-buck films that bombed if I’m not mistaken. Both were also intelligent films. Even the comedy newspaper THE ONION took note of PENGUIN’S success with an “article” about Hollywood’s dismay over this (ie. “We come out with these big budget "blockbusters” yet all you people want to see is a French documentary about aquatic birds").
This summer, the best movie I’ve seen so far is RATATOUILLE, which is doing well at the box office. Compare that to the disappointing (but predictable) numbers for SHREK THE THIRD. Both animated films, the Sun-Times praised the former while stating that everyone in SHREK THE THIRD seemed to be doing it for the paycheck.
Here’s a bit of trivia about Marina City, although not related to the theatres. Marina City is prominent on the cover photos of which two major compact discs?
Hints:
1 One CD is by an Illinois based band. The other is by a band formerly based in IL (but for many, many years has been based in CA).
2 One CD has a partial, semi-looking-up view. The other is a downward view and is heavily style-ized!
When exactly did AMC take over from General Cinemas? The only movie I saw here was SPIDERMAN in 2002 and I’m wondering if it was still a GC at the time.
Per fedoozle’s comment above, I used to live near the Hollywood Theatre in Pittsburgh. A single-screener, it was closed for many years. But now it has re-opened as a single-screener 2nd run house and has been a success!
I saw two movies here, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and THE TAILOR OF PANAMA. The latter was in 2000 or 2001. I recall the place being tiny and it reminded me of the 3Penny or the Village. Now it’s been renovated? How?
BW, you are right. I forgot about those theatres. And I did forget that CC hasn’t closed a cinema since 2003 and has been working very hard on maintaining its image. I once called Classic Cinemas a class act and I stand behind that. I wish that they’d take over some places in the City like the Patio.
I would like to see Village Theatres succeed too and I wish they’d listen to the movie-going public.
Oh, LTS, one more item. You stated “Classic Cinemas is an organization that most on this web site hold in extremely high regard. I would be careful when it comes to thowing around unsourced, vague statistics about their operation.” In all fairness, Cinema Employee did praise CC, saying “As to Classic Cinemas (which does an excellent job) I believe they have closed five or six locations in the very recent past, as has Nova, another smaller and very well run chain.”
Cinema Employee is correct when (s)he states that it was unfair of me to call Village a “Crash and Burn Operation” if I dont have all of the facts. I am not an industry insider, after all. Cinema Employee is also correct in stating that Classic Cinemas has closed locations. But let’s look at the CC locations which have closed:
Barrington Square—Closed because of competition from the nearby South Barrington 30. Also likey because the shopping mall management wanted to re-do the center.
Casino—Closed when the casino wanted to expand.
Foxfield—closed when CC had the opportunity to take over the nearby Charlestown.
Tradewinds—Closed when the area around it became run-down and the theatre started to lose money.
The Park Forest South and the Arcada were sold to other operators.
Now let’s look at the remaining Village Theatres.
Bloomingdale Court—Cinemark Fan said that this theatre should be turned into a 2nd run supersaver house. And he’s right. If you think that 2nd runs can’t get movies and pack in good houses, look at the La Grange.
Glenwood—I’ve never been here, so I can’t comment.
Lincoln Village—Could be good again if only money could be invested into it. Ample parking is available (although the lot needs to be re-paved). The adajacent Lincoln Village Shopping Center has recently been overhauled and seems to be doing well. The building is only about 20 years old. The nearest competing theatres are the Village North, The Century (Evanston), the Crown (Skokie/Niles) and the Davis.
North Riverside—This one’s problematic. Why go to this location when you can either go to a wonderful old theatre (The Lake) or a new megaplex (The Hawthorne)
Village North—As stated elsewhere, this seems to be the one theatre that Village is doing correctly. It is popular with students (Loyola is nearby), the locals (gets good walk-ins) and it does things like midnight movies. It may look a little run-down, but has anyone ever seen pictures of it when it was the 400 Twin? It was twinned, then quadded while remaining open and it was a shambles! In short, this theatre seems to know its market and caters to it very well.
So, yes, Cinema Employee is correct in stating that there are difficulties in maintaining a cinema operation and LTS is correct in stating that there are innovative ways to get around these difficulties. Village needs to listen to its customers.
Cinema Employee, is there a way to contact Village and forward them my suggestions from my earlier post? One more suggestiong: Have “How Can We Serve You Better Cards” in your theatre lobbies and page for people to leave their suggestions on your website. Hold a contest and the winner could receive passes or concession stand vouchers.
While I certainly wouldn’t want to get into “flaming” on this website, I do wish to make a few things clear. I certainly want Village Entertainment to succeed. I try to patronize local businesses whenever possible. I used to go to the Burnham and the Village Art all the time. My movie experiences at these places have always been good if not great.
On the other hand, I see no concrete business plan from Village. I see little promotion fromt he company other than the occasional ads in the Sun-Times for the Lincoln Village and North Riverside. Village didn’t even have a website for awhile, although it is back in operation. To Village’s credit, the company does seem to keep its theatres clean, however there has been little money invested in renovating its theatres (Cineplex-Odeon logos are still very much in evidence).
Again, I’d like to see Village Entertainment prosper because I believe alternatives to AMC-Loews are necessary. And if Village can’t compete with the big boys, why try in the first place? As Village is locally and independently owned, the company could do somethings different. Why not midnight movies? Film festivals? Before the merger, the 600 North theatre did a free movie every Thursday night at 8:00 as part of the LOEWS' FAN FAVORITE SERIES. Granted, these were films 1 to 30 years old, but the series was popular. Why not revive an idea like that? There are things like that which Village could do, which don’t cost a lot of money, which could say “Hey moviegoers! We’re Village Entertainment and this is what we have to offer!”
How did this theatre end up in the AMC Chain? Was it orginally a Plitt, General Cinema, M&R, or Essaness? I found some movie listings for 1985 on microfilm and this place was not shown under any of those chains.
I’m not doubting that Village Entertainment has faced numerous hurdles. But, using your arguement, how do you explain that a small cinema like the LaGrange still packs ‘em in? How do you explain how Classic Cinemas, a local chain about the size of Village at its peak, does very well?
I saw the pictures of this place in the Classic Cinemas website. Was it ever a General Cinemas theatre? The lettering on the signs is similar to other GCs.
I ride my bike on the Illinois Prairie Path which runs behind where the casino entrance (I usually get on the path in Elmhurst or Villa Park and I ride to Elgin and back). I always used to see the sign for this theatre. Then, one day, there it wasn’t!
I checked out your website and found it fascinating. All of that Chicago history is in those photos. I know that many people might think that this company is a bunch of vultures. But think about it. Because of companies like this, portions of the Nortown can live on. The Lake Theatre in Oak Park, IL has a lot of pieces from other, now demolished theatres. And I’ll bet that at least some of those pieces were bought from a salvage company!
Riis Park,
Did you see the original Svengoolie there, or did you see Rich Koz’s Son of Svengoolie (although he now uses simply Svengoolie)?
My girlfriend, now my fiancee, saw Koz/Svengoolie at the Portage in October, 2006.
Here is a partial photo of the Esquire. View link
The movie appears to be LITTLE DARLINGS, which would place the photo sometime around 1980. Many of these “transit fan” sites have good pictures of theatres too! These sites have vintage buses and streetcars photographed by then-well-known landmarks.
Here is a mid-1970s view of the Shangri-La.
View link
That the bus is in CTAs “Bi-Centennial” paint scheme would place the photo from 1974 to 1978.
I’m glad that places like this aren’t in the Loop (Chicago’s Downtown) anymore. The Loop is certainly a far nicer place than it was 25-30 years ago.
Here’s a photo that contains a portion of the vertical marquee back in the Plitt days View link
But check out what was playing at the Shangri-La across the street! I think that the Loop is better off without places like that! But it is better off with places like the Chicago!
I’ve been meaning to add my 2 cents to this for awhile. Look at some of the films that have done surprisingly well over the past few years. Last year THANK YOU FOR SMOKING did very well. I saw it twice and both times the theatres (the Lake and the Piper’s Alley) were packed for that film. It was not a big-budget film and it was an intelligent, well-written satire. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE was another that did well too.
In 2005, THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN and MARCH OF THE PENGUINS were two of the biggest films. This was a year of big-buck films that bombed if I’m not mistaken. Both were also intelligent films. Even the comedy newspaper THE ONION took note of PENGUIN’S success with an “article” about Hollywood’s dismay over this (ie. “We come out with these big budget "blockbusters” yet all you people want to see is a French documentary about aquatic birds").
This summer, the best movie I’ve seen so far is RATATOUILLE, which is doing well at the box office. Compare that to the disappointing (but predictable) numbers for SHREK THE THIRD. Both animated films, the Sun-Times praised the former while stating that everyone in SHREK THE THIRD seemed to be doing it for the paycheck.
And yet another examples of why chains like Classic Cinemas and small independents like the LaGrange do so well.
Here’s a bit of trivia about Marina City, although not related to the theatres. Marina City is prominent on the cover photos of which two major compact discs?
Hints:
1 One CD is by an Illinois based band. The other is by a band formerly based in IL (but for many, many years has been based in CA).
2 One CD has a partial, semi-looking-up view. The other is a downward view and is heavily style-ized!
When exactly did AMC take over from General Cinemas? The only movie I saw here was SPIDERMAN in 2002 and I’m wondering if it was still a GC at the time.
Per fedoozle’s comment above, I used to live near the Hollywood Theatre in Pittsburgh. A single-screener, it was closed for many years. But now it has re-opened as a single-screener 2nd run house and has been a success!
The description above implies that this place expanded to 12 screens when it was operated by Village Theatres. Is this true?
That marquee is u-g-l-y!
I saw two movies here, LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL and THE TAILOR OF PANAMA. The latter was in 2000 or 2001. I recall the place being tiny and it reminded me of the 3Penny or the Village. Now it’s been renovated? How?
Correction to the above. I HAVEN’T forgotten that CC has worked hard to maintain its image!
BW, you are right. I forgot about those theatres. And I did forget that CC hasn’t closed a cinema since 2003 and has been working very hard on maintaining its image. I once called Classic Cinemas a class act and I stand behind that. I wish that they’d take over some places in the City like the Patio.
I would like to see Village Theatres succeed too and I wish they’d listen to the movie-going public.
Oh, LTS, one more item. You stated “Classic Cinemas is an organization that most on this web site hold in extremely high regard. I would be careful when it comes to thowing around unsourced, vague statistics about their operation.” In all fairness, Cinema Employee did praise CC, saying “As to Classic Cinemas (which does an excellent job) I believe they have closed five or six locations in the very recent past, as has Nova, another smaller and very well run chain.”
To LTS:
Cinema Employee is correct when (s)he states that it was unfair of me to call Village a “Crash and Burn Operation” if I dont have all of the facts. I am not an industry insider, after all. Cinema Employee is also correct in stating that Classic Cinemas has closed locations. But let’s look at the CC locations which have closed:
Barrington Square—Closed because of competition from the nearby South Barrington 30. Also likey because the shopping mall management wanted to re-do the center.
Casino—Closed when the casino wanted to expand.
Foxfield—closed when CC had the opportunity to take over the nearby Charlestown.
Tradewinds—Closed when the area around it became run-down and the theatre started to lose money.
The Park Forest South and the Arcada were sold to other operators.
Now let’s look at the remaining Village Theatres.
Bloomingdale Court—Cinemark Fan said that this theatre should be turned into a 2nd run supersaver house. And he’s right. If you think that 2nd runs can’t get movies and pack in good houses, look at the La Grange.
Glenwood—I’ve never been here, so I can’t comment.
Lincoln Village—Could be good again if only money could be invested into it. Ample parking is available (although the lot needs to be re-paved). The adajacent Lincoln Village Shopping Center has recently been overhauled and seems to be doing well. The building is only about 20 years old. The nearest competing theatres are the Village North, The Century (Evanston), the Crown (Skokie/Niles) and the Davis.
North Riverside—This one’s problematic. Why go to this location when you can either go to a wonderful old theatre (The Lake) or a new megaplex (The Hawthorne)
Village North—As stated elsewhere, this seems to be the one theatre that Village is doing correctly. It is popular with students (Loyola is nearby), the locals (gets good walk-ins) and it does things like midnight movies. It may look a little run-down, but has anyone ever seen pictures of it when it was the 400 Twin? It was twinned, then quadded while remaining open and it was a shambles! In short, this theatre seems to know its market and caters to it very well.
So, yes, Cinema Employee is correct in stating that there are difficulties in maintaining a cinema operation and LTS is correct in stating that there are innovative ways to get around these difficulties. Village needs to listen to its customers.
Cinema Employee, is there a way to contact Village and forward them my suggestions from my earlier post? One more suggestiong: Have “How Can We Serve You Better Cards” in your theatre lobbies and page for people to leave their suggestions on your website. Hold a contest and the winner could receive passes or concession stand vouchers.
Cinema Employee,
While I certainly wouldn’t want to get into “flaming” on this website, I do wish to make a few things clear. I certainly want Village Entertainment to succeed. I try to patronize local businesses whenever possible. I used to go to the Burnham and the Village Art all the time. My movie experiences at these places have always been good if not great.
On the other hand, I see no concrete business plan from Village. I see little promotion fromt he company other than the occasional ads in the Sun-Times for the Lincoln Village and North Riverside. Village didn’t even have a website for awhile, although it is back in operation. To Village’s credit, the company does seem to keep its theatres clean, however there has been little money invested in renovating its theatres (Cineplex-Odeon logos are still very much in evidence).
Again, I’d like to see Village Entertainment prosper because I believe alternatives to AMC-Loews are necessary. And if Village can’t compete with the big boys, why try in the first place? As Village is locally and independently owned, the company could do somethings different. Why not midnight movies? Film festivals? Before the merger, the 600 North theatre did a free movie every Thursday night at 8:00 as part of the LOEWS' FAN FAVORITE SERIES. Granted, these were films 1 to 30 years old, but the series was popular. Why not revive an idea like that? There are things like that which Village could do, which don’t cost a lot of money, which could say “Hey moviegoers! We’re Village Entertainment and this is what we have to offer!”
Was this theatre a Plitt at one time?
Why are the lights being left on (on the marquee)? Is it so that they’ll burn out?
How did this theatre end up in the AMC Chain? Was it orginally a Plitt, General Cinema, M&R, or Essaness? I found some movie listings for 1985 on microfilm and this place was not shown under any of those chains.
Cinema Employee,
I’m not doubting that Village Entertainment has faced numerous hurdles. But, using your arguement, how do you explain that a small cinema like the LaGrange still packs ‘em in? How do you explain how Classic Cinemas, a local chain about the size of Village at its peak, does very well?
I saw the pictures of this place in the Classic Cinemas website. Was it ever a General Cinemas theatre? The lettering on the signs is similar to other GCs.
Thanks Mustang Mike.
I ride my bike on the Illinois Prairie Path which runs behind where the casino entrance (I usually get on the path in Elmhurst or Villa Park and I ride to Elgin and back). I always used to see the sign for this theatre. Then, one day, there it wasn’t!
A great clip of Styx circa 1982 performing ROCKIN' THE PARADISE can be seen here View link
Urbanremainschicago,
I checked out your website and found it fascinating. All of that Chicago history is in those photos. I know that many people might think that this company is a bunch of vultures. But think about it. Because of companies like this, portions of the Nortown can live on. The Lake Theatre in Oak Park, IL has a lot of pieces from other, now demolished theatres. And I’ll bet that at least some of those pieces were bought from a salvage company!
No if I only had $100,000.00 or so……..
Was this the last Meridian Theatre to close?