Avalon Theatre

This theater does indeed sound very beautiful going by all your descriptions of it. And I found out about it today because I got one of those Cinema Treasures e-mails sent to me today saying “Somebody just replied to your comment” (or something to that effect.) Needless to say, I never posted any comment at this page, but that technical glitch happens once in a while.

Anyway, now that I’ve learned of this beautiful theater — located 22 (or 26!) miles out on California’s scenic Catalina Island no less! — while I’m greatly enamored of the surface things being said of it, at the deeper level I’m wondering, is this yet another one of those sunny entertainment venues for the pleasure of shady people? For there seems to be an awful lot of that these days. Since it’s assumed we’re all movie buffs here, we all remember that movie “The Dirty Dozen,” right? Particularly that scene where the Nazi officers and their associates, wives, mistresses, etc., are in attendence at that gala ball that the dirty dozen are assigned to target? If you recall, without their awareness, everyone inside the bunker (or wherever the ball is being held) is sealed in and then a series of explosions is set off once they’re fully trapped. What follows next could be described as a scene of great horror. But we hardly view it that way, given how it’s Nazis plus those who religiously support the Nazi cause being killed. In brief, it’s a sunny place for shady people that suddenly becomes a not very sunny place for anyone to be trapped inside of.

Now I’m not saying that a dirty dozen be newly formed to do in the many sunny places for shady people that are in such vast abundance throughout the United States today. But I am greatly troublied that in today’s America there are scant few (indeed if any) sunny places for good people, while at the very least I would like to think that the Avalon Theatre on Catalina Island is such.

Catalina Island is uniquely beautiful, and certainly there’s no practical way to bring every single spot throughout the U.S. to being just as beautiful. However, there’s no intelligent or morally right excuse for not having theaters every bit as beautiful as the Avalon easily accessible by good people all throughout the U.S.

As some of you reading this might know, I myself reside in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where over a year now I’ve been campaigning heavily to bring at least one or two of our historic cinemas back to life as full scale movie theaters once more, but have been slammed hard in my efforts at every single turn, even by those allegedly trying to bring the Boyd Theatre — Philadelphia’s last standing movie palace — back to life. For around here the thought of having anything uplifting for good people — as opposed to those who are shady — is treated as if “unthinkable,” and to many privileged folks in these parts, even as “offensive.” Such is the new America, or this part of it, at least.

Anyway, over a year into my campaign, maybe it’s desparation, I don’t know. But I do have to wonder, is it more than mere coincidence that by some technical glitch my attention was brought to the Avalon Theatre on Catalina Island?

I found this page with a calendar listing including shows at the theatre: http://www.ecatalina.com/calendar.cfm

Is there a Season in Southern CA? lol

The Avalon Theatre screens the latest movies. Programmes change every Friday. The film screens once nightly (no matinees) and twice nightly on a Friday and Saturday when the Page theatre organ is played prior to showtime.

The reason there are no Matinee performances is because the Avalon Theatre is part of the Casino Building tour which can be taken during the daytime.

My father was the manager ca. 1950. He met his wife while changing marquis.

The “Grill” mentioned in the caption of the photo refers to the grill-work in the cieling directly above the pipe organ console, there is another grill on the other side of the auditorium. The pipe chambers for the organ are located behind and speak thru these grills. When the lighting is correct one can look up thru these grills and see the swell shutters for the organ opening and closing while the Page pipe organ is being played. There are also colored lights that can be turned on so there is a soft red or blue glow behind the grills.

Everyone should know that when it comes to the Avalon Theater “HALF THE FUN IS GETTING THERE”

From downtown Avalon it’s a short walk down Casino Way along Avalon Bay. The incredible Casino Building that houses the theater, ballroom and a great museum sits on a point at the entrance of the bay. The salt air, private yachts resting on bouys, the surge of the ocean on the rocks and the view of the Casino all combine to make a visit to the Avalon Theater very special. At night it’s majic.
The whole place is fantastic and the Avalon Theater is a true Cinema Treasure.

and no, I don’t work for the local Chamber of Commerce, but maybe I should. LOL

Patsy;
I know there are so many wonderful theaters in the USA, I have visited many of them over the years. I just haven’t had time to sit here and contemplate which are my real favourites, I spend far too much time on here updating and adding comments! LOL I will share my USA favourites with you all one day soon, I promise.

Now I am off to CA for four weeks (doing some theater research) so you wont be seeing me online for a while, but I Will Be Back!

sam_e: Funny post! When I read about the Avalon I, too, hear those lyrics and that song in my head! I recall it being “26 miles” also, but then again it seems that lyricists sometimes take special license to rhyme words or in this case….numbers to make them flow better in a song.

Patsy;
Well it’s the only one in the USA on my favourites list>>>so far>>> lol

The Avalon Theater is a beautiful movie palace which has been lovingly restored to its original 1929 appearance. Plus, its a magic moment when you enter the auditorium to the strains of ‘I Left My Heart in Avalon, Beside the Sea’ being played on the mighty Page organ.

The Avalon Theater opened on 29th May 1929, with the attraction on screen; Douglas Fairbanks production “The Iron Mask”.

The theater is located on the first floor of the Casino Building, which has the 2,000 dancers capacity, Casino Ballroom above.

The Casino Building was built at a cost of $2m by William Wrigley Jnr, multi-millionaire and founder of the Wrigley chewing gum company. It is still owned by the Wrigley family under a company known as the Santa Catalina Island Company and they embarked on a $1,535,000 renovation of the building commencing in 1988. The beautiful murals on the exterior of the building and in the Avalon Theater auditorium were by John Gabriel Beckman and these were fully restored in 1994.

The theater was equipped from its opening with a Page theater pipe organ, which is still in use today to entertain the movie-going audience at weekends. Manufactured by Page organs of Lima, Ohio, it has 4Manuals and 16Ranks and was the largest organ manufactured by Page.

Santa Catalina Island is located 22 miles off the California coast and can be reached by ferry boat from Long Beach. It is well worth the trip to view the island and the stunning Avalon Theater, Casino Ballroom & Building.

The address should be 1 Casino Way, Avalon, Catalina Island 90704.

When touring this theater pay close attention to the fact that while the tour guide is standing center stage in front of the screen that every word can be heard perfectly clear thoughout the house without amplification. The accoustics of this theater were technically way before their time and indeed are not matched in theaters today. The majesty of the surroundings and grandness of the building take you back to when seeing a movie was social, elegant event and one to be remembered your entire life. This is absolutely beatiful.