I had only a limited time with the National when I lived in LA from 1998 to 2007, and I am emotionally attached to a few other theatres of this era, but the National is and always will be my favorite theatre. I am just glad I got to experience it before its demise. I am back in LA on business and was driving through Westwood but I could not bear to drive by the National. I saw a movie at The Grove tonight, and still the highest per-screen b.o. theatre in the nation seemed to have no movie-going soul compared to the National. Let’s remember it in all it’s 70’s glory: http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=2134
If only I could travel back in time and catch “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 70mm there. Those days are gone. Showmanship is gone. Even film itself is going by the wayside in favor of crappy “Digital Presentation”. And why go through the hassle when it will be on DVD in 3 months? Heck, steal it off the internet! I am happy to have grown up in the 70’s and 80’s when movie going was magical, and a treat. When we sat wide eyed, knowing we might not see Han Solo for another 3 years (my parents did not have a VCR). To me the demise of the National represents the demise of movie-going as being something special. (and not “Arclight special”). My cohorts in their 20’s have no idea what this means.
Long live the National in the hearts of those who made an effort to see a movie there.
Very cool. Thanks Michael. Could you explain how you obtained all this info? I know you are tempted to do the Village next, then the Bruin, the Chinese…………
I really think the blame should fall less with Mann and more with the City of Los Angeles and bad planning in Westwood Village. (Bad Parking, Zoning, rules for # of seats allowed in the area etc.). Plus most movie goers are not theatre geeks like we are and would not understand why the National was an infinitely better place to see a movie than an AMC. Convenience wins the day. Mann might have been lacking the foresight to keep the chain strong and weather the megaplex boom better than it did, but it is a business and because of the prohibitive dynamics of Westwood Village they probably had no other viable solution for National than to shut it down. Any other chain would have had to do the same. You can’t “Arclight” a property that is completely surrounded by tenants in a neighborhood that nobody wants to visit.
Here is my complete list cut and paste from above:
02/05/99 … SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (RE, 4 weeks, Dolby Digital) What an intro to the National!!
05/05/00 … GLADIATOR (6 weeks, Dolby Digital)
07/13/01 … THE SCORE (5 weeks, Dolby Digital)
11/16/01 … HEIST (MO, 1 week, Dolby Digital)
05/31/02 … THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (4 weeks, Dolby Digital)
12/13/02 … STAR TREK: NEMESIS (2 weeks, Dolby Digital)
08/26/05 … MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
07/28/06 … SUPERMAN RETURNS (MO, 1 week, Dolby Digital)
12/20/06 … ROCKY BALBOA (3 weeks, Dolby Digital)
04/06/07 … SHOOTER (MO, 2 weeks, Dolby Digital)
Wish I could have been there more.
What a great history created by Michael Coates above. I wish he were able to do a grid of all the Westwood theatre bookings during that timeframe. Does any exist out there?
I am curious as well about the “millions”. If anything I would think he’s been operating at a loss for most of his ownership of the theatre. But that is pure speculation on my part.
That was here in Seattle at the old Ballard Denny’s. (Building was not originally a Denny’s) View link
Seattle saves a Denny’s. LA and Santa Monica can’t save the National and the NuWilshire. Glad I left. The whole Denny’s deal here in Seattle triggered a slew of newspaper articles about the need to preserve post-war modern architecture from the 40’s to 70’s as well the debate that “just because it ain’t old doesn’t mean it isn’t significant”. That’s what I have been saying about the National all along. I used to live a few blocks from the NuWilshire and loved it (split and all!) because it was my neighborhood theatre and it had charm, but my heart was with the National. I have to travel to LA next week and I know I’ll find a hole in the ground.
I got some photos of the downstairs lobby under deconstruction as well as he blueprints sitting near a door mentioned above. I’ll send them to Cinemaour for posting soon. Sad. I am in the process of relocating back to Seattle and the closing of the National and the NuWilshire in my old neighborhood in Santa Monica felt like a signal to leave LA. I’ll be in LA frequently for work, but when I am not I’ll have my beloved Cinerama in Seattle which was spared the National’s fate.
I called the phone number above and the message said they are under new management and are maintaing the double feature policy. It said they are not showing any films this week but are open for church services and rentals. Amusingly they refer to their Dolby Stereo sound system as one of the best in LA! Who knows if/when they’ll start showing movies again.
I had only a limited time with the National when I lived in LA from 1998 to 2007, and I am emotionally attached to a few other theatres of this era, but the National is and always will be my favorite theatre. I am just glad I got to experience it before its demise. I am back in LA on business and was driving through Westwood but I could not bear to drive by the National. I saw a movie at The Grove tonight, and still the highest per-screen b.o. theatre in the nation seemed to have no movie-going soul compared to the National. Let’s remember it in all it’s 70’s glory:
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=2134
If only I could travel back in time and catch “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in 70mm there. Those days are gone. Showmanship is gone. Even film itself is going by the wayside in favor of crappy “Digital Presentation”. And why go through the hassle when it will be on DVD in 3 months? Heck, steal it off the internet! I am happy to have grown up in the 70’s and 80’s when movie going was magical, and a treat. When we sat wide eyed, knowing we might not see Han Solo for another 3 years (my parents did not have a VCR). To me the demise of the National represents the demise of movie-going as being something special. (and not “Arclight special”). My cohorts in their 20’s have no idea what this means.
Long live the National in the hearts of those who made an effort to see a movie there.
Wow! Invasion USA! A Cannon Film has played at the Village!
Very cool. Thanks Michael. Could you explain how you obtained all this info? I know you are tempted to do the Village next, then the Bruin, the Chinese…………
I really think the blame should fall less with Mann and more with the City of Los Angeles and bad planning in Westwood Village. (Bad Parking, Zoning, rules for # of seats allowed in the area etc.). Plus most movie goers are not theatre geeks like we are and would not understand why the National was an infinitely better place to see a movie than an AMC. Convenience wins the day. Mann might have been lacking the foresight to keep the chain strong and weather the megaplex boom better than it did, but it is a business and because of the prohibitive dynamics of Westwood Village they probably had no other viable solution for National than to shut it down. Any other chain would have had to do the same. You can’t “Arclight” a property that is completely surrounded by tenants in a neighborhood that nobody wants to visit.
I was at the last show for the National as a Mann Theatre. Film was “Shooter”. Lousy movie, superb presentation. (pictures on CinemaTour):
http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=2134
Here is my complete list cut and paste from above:
02/05/99 … SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (RE, 4 weeks, Dolby Digital) What an intro to the National!!
05/05/00 … GLADIATOR (6 weeks, Dolby Digital)
07/13/01 … THE SCORE (5 weeks, Dolby Digital)
11/16/01 … HEIST (MO, 1 week, Dolby Digital)
05/31/02 … THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (4 weeks, Dolby Digital)
12/13/02 … STAR TREK: NEMESIS (2 weeks, Dolby Digital)
08/26/05 … MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
07/28/06 … SUPERMAN RETURNS (MO, 1 week, Dolby Digital)
12/20/06 … ROCKY BALBOA (3 weeks, Dolby Digital)
04/06/07 … SHOOTER (MO, 2 weeks, Dolby Digital)
Wish I could have been there more.
What a great history created by Michael Coates above. I wish he were able to do a grid of all the Westwood theatre bookings during that timeframe. Does any exist out there?
I am curious as well about the “millions”. If anything I would think he’s been operating at a loss for most of his ownership of the theatre. But that is pure speculation on my part.
I wish a strong chain would come in and take over.
Very sad.
Chris, how many people in the crowd would you say?
What is fly space? (I considered the old Westside Pavillion cinemas to be fly space because of all the flies in the theatre) :)
Is the marquee considered part of the facade?
How torn up is the inside at this point? Is the wall down the middle still up?
I bet it looks like a disaster, but they could remodel…
Great News. Perhaps they’ll give up the retail idea and let it be a theatre again.
That was here in Seattle at the old Ballard Denny’s. (Building was not originally a Denny’s)
View link
Seattle saves a Denny’s. LA and Santa Monica can’t save the National and the NuWilshire. Glad I left. The whole Denny’s deal here in Seattle triggered a slew of newspaper articles about the need to preserve post-war modern architecture from the 40’s to 70’s as well the debate that “just because it ain’t old doesn’t mean it isn’t significant”. That’s what I have been saying about the National all along. I used to live a few blocks from the NuWilshire and loved it (split and all!) because it was my neighborhood theatre and it had charm, but my heart was with the National. I have to travel to LA next week and I know I’ll find a hole in the ground.
Seattle Area: (I include ANY single screener, “Palace”,“Art House” or “Sub-run” or not):
Cinerama – http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/2571.html
Columbia City Cinema – http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/26113.html
Egyptian – http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/2574.html
Guild 45th – http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/2578.html
Guild 45th Addition – This might be cheating but it is a completely separate building – http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/15076.html
Neptune – http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/2583.html
Seven Gables – http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/2591.html
Blue Mouse (Tacoma) – http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/2613.html
Des Moines Cinema – http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/11237.html
Big Picture Seattle
Big Picture Redmond
Chalet Cinema (Enumclaw)
Enumclaw Cinema (Enumclaw)
Not that bad (although some great losses). We have a few twins and triplexes as well.
NorthBend Theatre ( North Bend)
got some bad (and sad) news for you movie534:
/theaters/799_0_2_0_C/
More vacant retail space?
What exactly are they doing? Wrecking or remodeling?
Great Photos
I got some photos of the downstairs lobby under deconstruction as well as he blueprints sitting near a door mentioned above. I’ll send them to Cinemaour for posting soon. Sad. I am in the process of relocating back to Seattle and the closing of the National and the NuWilshire in my old neighborhood in Santa Monica felt like a signal to leave LA. I’ll be in LA frequently for work, but when I am not I’ll have my beloved Cinerama in Seattle which was spared the National’s fate.
Is the performance public if you are showing a film to your friends. Just like having some friends over and watching a movie?
longislandmovies, what is your definition of a landmark?
yup. thats the national
I called the phone number above and the message said they are under new management and are maintaing the double feature policy. It said they are not showing any films this week but are open for church services and rentals. Amusingly they refer to their Dolby Stereo sound system as one of the best in LA! Who knows if/when they’ll start showing movies again.