I frequently went to this theater in the late 1980s, as this was the closest Mann Theater while I was attending nearby California State University, Northridge. This was important because the university sold discount tickets to Mann Theaters. Mann Tarzana West Valley was never too crowded when compared to the options such as the Mann Theaters in Westwood.
In the late 1970s I lived in Newbury Park in Ventura County. We lived across the street from the Thousand Oaks Drive-in. Most weekends my family would see a film at the Thousand Oaks Drive-in but when we wanted to see something that was not playing there we would drive up Highway 101 and see a film at the 101 Drive-in which had multiple screens.
I saw “Born on the Fourth of July” at the Rustic Theater while camping in the San Jacinto Mountains. That was not my usual activity while camping but it was enjoyable. I remember a video rental in the lobby of the theater.
I would love to help if I can. I am an avid fan of movie theaters. One of the highlights of my year is the annual Los Angeles Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats program. In addition I volunteered for their Broadway Theaters tour. On the technical side, I was an editor of wire stores for a legal newspaper and I have taught essay writing and grammar.
The only film I ever saw at the Colordao Theater was “The Remains of Day.” Nothing really stood out about this theatre except for its Quonset hut style auditorium. That style was truly was unique among the theaters I have been to and the theater was memorable for that fact alone.
I went to the Crest for the first time today and saw “Munich.” The Crest is a theater that I have known about for some time now and have wanted to go to but had actual just never gone to. I do not know why I had never gone to this theater before because in the late 1980’s, during the heyday of Westwood Village, I was watching movies in Westwood every weekend. Maybe it was because the Crest is south of Wilshire Boulevard and therefor really out of Westwood Village. I did however once make it next door to the now defunct Coronet Theater to see “The Doors.” The Crest is a gem of a theater worth making a trip to. The auditorium is very nice with murals of the old Hollywood skyline on the walls. It is great this single screen theater survives.
In the early 1980’s my aunt worked at this drive-in and I remember going here many nights because she would get us in for free. A large retail complex with a Pavilions Market is now located on the site.
I recently drove by Wendy’s which is front of where the Sepulveda Drive-in used to be located. The small marquee that was still there as of three years ago is in fact now gone. There appears to be have been a lot of new construction on the site.
This theater came along with the building of the Valencia Town Center – of which it was attached – in the early 1990s. I lived in the Santa Clarita Valley in the late 1980s but I had long since left before this mall and theater were built. In any case, I did have an occasion or two to see a film at the Edwards Town Center 20. In particular I remember seeing “The Ghost and the Darkness.” The mall came along at the end of the three decades-long mall building craze. The theater was typical of mall theaters but was also indicative of the time period in that it was a large multiplex.
I lived in the Santa Clarita Valley from late 1985 to early 1990. My summer and weekend job for part of that time was at nearby Magic Mountain. I had to pass by the Mann Valencia 10 on my way to and from work. I remember fondly seeing numerous films here after work and even going here until my first couple of years in college after I no longer worked at Magic Mountain but still lived in the Santa Clarita Valley. By then the Plaza in Newhall showed second run films and the Mustang Drive-in had closed so the Mann Valencia 10 was the only first run theater in the Santa Clarita Valley.
I went to this theater many times in the late 1980s when Westwood Village was the place to see movies for people from miles around. I would even drive down to Westwood from the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley because the large concentration of single screen theaters ensured I would be able to see something. In the 1980s the eastern side of Westwood Village along Glendon Avenue where the Mann Plaza Theater was located was just as busy as any other street in Westwood Village. However, the eastern side of Westwood Village was the first area of Westwood Village to feel the pinch as theatergoers and visitors moved to other areas beginning around 1990. There were many stores, including a Tower Records on Glendon Avenue. The Tower Records moved west to Westwood Boulevard (and is now closed) and many other shops on Glendon Avenue closed. This left Glendon Avenue and the eastern side of Westwood Village as something of a ghost town in recent years.
I went to this theater many times in the late 1980s when Westwood Village was the place to see movies for people from miles around. I would even drive down to Westwood from the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley because the large concentration of single screen theaters ensured I would be able to see something. In the 1980s the eastern side of Westwood Village along Glendon Avenue where the Mann Plaza Theater was located was just as busy as any other street in Westwood Village. However, the eastern side of Westwood Village was the first area of Westwood Village to feel the pinch as theatergoers and visitors moved to other areas beginning around 1990. There were many stores, including a Tower Records on Glendon Avenue. The Tower Records moved west to Westwood Boulevard (and is now closed) and many other shops on Glendon Avenue closed. This left Glendon Avenue and the eastern side of Westwood Village as something of a ghost town in recent years.
I grew up around Los Angeles but I have no memory of ever going to the Chinese Theater as a child in 1970s or as a teenager in the 1980s. I do however remember going to the Chinese Twin Theaters – to see what I cannot I remember – that were formerly located next to the Chinese Theatre. Even then I was curious about the Chinese Theater however I did not see a film at the Chinese Theatre until I saw “12 Monkeys” in the mid 1990s. I have since seen two other films here, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and very recently “The Dukes of Hazard.” On both occasion I saw the films mainly to see the theater. It is an amazing theater with a stellar past. However after going to many other classic movie palaces in Los Angeles that have ceased being regularly operating cinemas and are now used for stage theaters, special events or numerous other uses, I feel the Chinese Theatre benefits from its history, location and continuos operation to give it its larger than life mystique. The many other movie palaces around Los Angeles, and even in Hollywood, match the Chinese Theatre in opulence and grandeur. That is no means demeans the Chinese Theatre, which is an amazing movie palace, but places it in its proper place among a historic group of truly wonderful theaters with the Chinese being the only one to have never succumbed. And that is a grand feat.
In the 1980s Westwood was the place to go see movies. Even for someone living, like myself, in the San Fernando Valley. The Avco supplemented the theaters in Westwood Village. It was a short walk down Wilshire Boulevard to the Avco from Westwood Village but it still always managed to be busy. I remember seeing “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in 1988 at the Avco and it was extremely crowded. The line for the film stretched down Wilshire Boulevard. However by the 1990s the massive crowds that had flocked to Westwood for the movies had gone elsewhere.
On a recent trip on the Filmore and Santa Paula Railway from Filmore to Santa Paula I had the opportunity to walk along Main Street in Santa Paula during the hour lay over. During the stay I noticed the Tower Theatre. The marquee was still intact but the entrance was entirely boarded up. There is not much to see of the theater but the train trip was enjoyable.
This theater was truly a flagship in the revitalization of downtown Burbank. Until this mid 1980s revitalization the nearby area along San Fernando Road was closed to traffic and was called the Golden Mall. It was a sleepy little area of small retail shops with playgrounds in the middle. Little different from its birth in the 1960s. After the AMC Burbank 14 was built many new business and restaurants, including an enclosed mall, came to the area and San Fernando Road was reopened to traffic. The first film I saw here was in 1986. It was some classic Disney re-release. Today the area is quite different form those days.
The Century 8 is very typical of multiplexes built in the late 1980s. Lots of mirrors and lots of red. The theater is aging and does show signs of its age and poor maintenance. But in all fairness many very new megaplexes, notably the Winnetka 21 in Chatsworth, have extremely poor janitorial quality. Much worse than the Century 8 considering their respective ages.
The Madrid Theatre that is now located on the site of the old Canoga Theater is a nice place to see performing arts. Their productions of “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Cabaret” were all solid performances. The nearby area along Sherman Way in Canoga Park is in the nascent stages of an attempted redevelopment. This is a nice change for a formerly blighted area.
I never visited this theater much less knew about it. However it must have been located across the street from a now closed theater I did frequent, the Peppertree, at 10155 Reseda Boulevard.
I am sorry “William” but in December of 1996 “Evita” did only play at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles before its general release in early 1997. Sometimes reality differs from an idolized, isolated view of history.
I saw “Evita” at the Cinerama Dome (however the first movie I saw here was “Fletch” while I was in high school). It was the only place in Los Angeles where “Evita” was playing before its general release. I remember it was very crowded and we waited for hours. I returned recently to see “The Phantom of the Opera” and the place is much better after the remodel.
I first went to the Rialto Theater in 1992 to see the Director’s Cut of “Blade Runner.” After that I went a few more times during that period but did not go again until recently, almost a decade later, to see “A Very Long Engagement.” In the intervening years it does look like much was done to the theater. This is a mixed blessing. The theater is really a great old theater and it is good serious alterations have not been performed. However the theater needs a massive renovation. It has prospect of being one of the grandest theaters in operation if a renovation were to be performed.
I first went to the Royal Theatre in the late 1980s during my first years in college to see Ayn Rand’s “We the Living.” This was the first art house I ever visited. I did not return to the Royal Theatre again until very recently to see “Beyond the Sea.” I have to say even though I appreciate a good single screen theater like the Royal Theatre, I do not find it to be one of the better theaters in Los Angeles. It has a rather dull lobby and exterior with an auditorium with some character but nothing superlative. Sadly however it maybe one of the better theaters still regularly showing films.
I frequently went to this theater in the late 1980s, as this was the closest Mann Theater while I was attending nearby California State University, Northridge. This was important because the university sold discount tickets to Mann Theaters. Mann Tarzana West Valley was never too crowded when compared to the options such as the Mann Theaters in Westwood.
In the late 1970s I lived in Newbury Park in Ventura County. We lived across the street from the Thousand Oaks Drive-in. Most weekends my family would see a film at the Thousand Oaks Drive-in but when we wanted to see something that was not playing there we would drive up Highway 101 and see a film at the 101 Drive-in which had multiple screens.
I saw “Born on the Fourth of July” at the Rustic Theater while camping in the San Jacinto Mountains. That was not my usual activity while camping but it was enjoyable. I remember a video rental in the lobby of the theater.
I would love to help if I can. I am an avid fan of movie theaters. One of the highlights of my year is the annual Los Angeles Conservancy’s Last Remaining Seats program. In addition I volunteered for their Broadway Theaters tour. On the technical side, I was an editor of wire stores for a legal newspaper and I have taught essay writing and grammar.
The only film I ever saw at the Colordao Theater was “The Remains of Day.” Nothing really stood out about this theatre except for its Quonset hut style auditorium. That style was truly was unique among the theaters I have been to and the theater was memorable for that fact alone.
I went to the Crest for the first time today and saw “Munich.” The Crest is a theater that I have known about for some time now and have wanted to go to but had actual just never gone to. I do not know why I had never gone to this theater before because in the late 1980’s, during the heyday of Westwood Village, I was watching movies in Westwood every weekend. Maybe it was because the Crest is south of Wilshire Boulevard and therefor really out of Westwood Village. I did however once make it next door to the now defunct Coronet Theater to see “The Doors.” The Crest is a gem of a theater worth making a trip to. The auditorium is very nice with murals of the old Hollywood skyline on the walls. It is great this single screen theater survives.
In the early 1980’s my aunt worked at this drive-in and I remember going here many nights because she would get us in for free. A large retail complex with a Pavilions Market is now located on the site.
I recently drove by Wendy’s which is front of where the Sepulveda Drive-in used to be located. The small marquee that was still there as of three years ago is in fact now gone. There appears to be have been a lot of new construction on the site.
The small marquee is – or was – just behing Wendys parking lot.
This theater came along with the building of the Valencia Town Center – of which it was attached – in the early 1990s. I lived in the Santa Clarita Valley in the late 1980s but I had long since left before this mall and theater were built. In any case, I did have an occasion or two to see a film at the Edwards Town Center 20. In particular I remember seeing “The Ghost and the Darkness.” The mall came along at the end of the three decades-long mall building craze. The theater was typical of mall theaters but was also indicative of the time period in that it was a large multiplex.
I lived in the Santa Clarita Valley from late 1985 to early 1990. My summer and weekend job for part of that time was at nearby Magic Mountain. I had to pass by the Mann Valencia 10 on my way to and from work. I remember fondly seeing numerous films here after work and even going here until my first couple of years in college after I no longer worked at Magic Mountain but still lived in the Santa Clarita Valley. By then the Plaza in Newhall showed second run films and the Mustang Drive-in had closed so the Mann Valencia 10 was the only first run theater in the Santa Clarita Valley.
I went to this theater many times in the late 1980s when Westwood Village was the place to see movies for people from miles around. I would even drive down to Westwood from the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley because the large concentration of single screen theaters ensured I would be able to see something. In the 1980s the eastern side of Westwood Village along Glendon Avenue where the Mann Plaza Theater was located was just as busy as any other street in Westwood Village. However, the eastern side of Westwood Village was the first area of Westwood Village to feel the pinch as theatergoers and visitors moved to other areas beginning around 1990. There were many stores, including a Tower Records on Glendon Avenue. The Tower Records moved west to Westwood Boulevard (and is now closed) and many other shops on Glendon Avenue closed. This left Glendon Avenue and the eastern side of Westwood Village as something of a ghost town in recent years.
I went to this theater many times in the late 1980s when Westwood Village was the place to see movies for people from miles around. I would even drive down to Westwood from the San Fernando Valley and the Santa Clarita Valley because the large concentration of single screen theaters ensured I would be able to see something. In the 1980s the eastern side of Westwood Village along Glendon Avenue where the Mann Plaza Theater was located was just as busy as any other street in Westwood Village. However, the eastern side of Westwood Village was the first area of Westwood Village to feel the pinch as theatergoers and visitors moved to other areas beginning around 1990. There were many stores, including a Tower Records on Glendon Avenue. The Tower Records moved west to Westwood Boulevard (and is now closed) and many other shops on Glendon Avenue closed. This left Glendon Avenue and the eastern side of Westwood Village as something of a ghost town in recent years.
I grew up around Los Angeles but I have no memory of ever going to the Chinese Theater as a child in 1970s or as a teenager in the 1980s. I do however remember going to the Chinese Twin Theaters – to see what I cannot I remember – that were formerly located next to the Chinese Theatre. Even then I was curious about the Chinese Theater however I did not see a film at the Chinese Theatre until I saw “12 Monkeys” in the mid 1990s. I have since seen two other films here, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and very recently “The Dukes of Hazard.” On both occasion I saw the films mainly to see the theater. It is an amazing theater with a stellar past. However after going to many other classic movie palaces in Los Angeles that have ceased being regularly operating cinemas and are now used for stage theaters, special events or numerous other uses, I feel the Chinese Theatre benefits from its history, location and continuos operation to give it its larger than life mystique. The many other movie palaces around Los Angeles, and even in Hollywood, match the Chinese Theatre in opulence and grandeur. That is no means demeans the Chinese Theatre, which is an amazing movie palace, but places it in its proper place among a historic group of truly wonderful theaters with the Chinese being the only one to have never succumbed. And that is a grand feat.
A Goodwill Store is now located in this building. Not much except for maybe the shape of this building indicates that is was ever a movie theater.
In the 1980s Westwood was the place to go see movies. Even for someone living, like myself, in the San Fernando Valley. The Avco supplemented the theaters in Westwood Village. It was a short walk down Wilshire Boulevard to the Avco from Westwood Village but it still always managed to be busy. I remember seeing “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in 1988 at the Avco and it was extremely crowded. The line for the film stretched down Wilshire Boulevard. However by the 1990s the massive crowds that had flocked to Westwood for the movies had gone elsewhere.
On a recent trip on the Filmore and Santa Paula Railway from Filmore to Santa Paula I had the opportunity to walk along Main Street in Santa Paula during the hour lay over. During the stay I noticed the Tower Theatre. The marquee was still intact but the entrance was entirely boarded up. There is not much to see of the theater but the train trip was enjoyable.
This theater was truly a flagship in the revitalization of downtown Burbank. Until this mid 1980s revitalization the nearby area along San Fernando Road was closed to traffic and was called the Golden Mall. It was a sleepy little area of small retail shops with playgrounds in the middle. Little different from its birth in the 1960s. After the AMC Burbank 14 was built many new business and restaurants, including an enclosed mall, came to the area and San Fernando Road was reopened to traffic. The first film I saw here was in 1986. It was some classic Disney re-release. Today the area is quite different form those days.
The Century 8 is very typical of multiplexes built in the late 1980s. Lots of mirrors and lots of red. The theater is aging and does show signs of its age and poor maintenance. But in all fairness many very new megaplexes, notably the Winnetka 21 in Chatsworth, have extremely poor janitorial quality. Much worse than the Century 8 considering their respective ages.
The Madrid Theatre that is now located on the site of the old Canoga Theater is a nice place to see performing arts. Their productions of “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat” and “Cabaret” were all solid performances. The nearby area along Sherman Way in Canoga Park is in the nascent stages of an attempted redevelopment. This is a nice change for a formerly blighted area.
I never visited this theater much less knew about it. However it must have been located across the street from a now closed theater I did frequent, the Peppertree, at 10155 Reseda Boulevard.
I am sorry “William” but in December of 1996 “Evita” did only play at the Cinerama Dome in Los Angeles before its general release in early 1997. Sometimes reality differs from an idolized, isolated view of history.
I saw “Evita” at the Cinerama Dome (however the first movie I saw here was “Fletch” while I was in high school). It was the only place in Los Angeles where “Evita” was playing before its general release. I remember it was very crowded and we waited for hours. I returned recently to see “The Phantom of the Opera” and the place is much better after the remodel.
I first went to the Rialto Theater in 1992 to see the Director’s Cut of “Blade Runner.” After that I went a few more times during that period but did not go again until recently, almost a decade later, to see “A Very Long Engagement.” In the intervening years it does look like much was done to the theater. This is a mixed blessing. The theater is really a great old theater and it is good serious alterations have not been performed. However the theater needs a massive renovation. It has prospect of being one of the grandest theaters in operation if a renovation were to be performed.
I first went to the Royal Theatre in the late 1980s during my first years in college to see Ayn Rand’s “We the Living.” This was the first art house I ever visited. I did not return to the Royal Theatre again until very recently to see “Beyond the Sea.” I have to say even though I appreciate a good single screen theater like the Royal Theatre, I do not find it to be one of the better theaters in Los Angeles. It has a rather dull lobby and exterior with an auditorium with some character but nothing superlative. Sadly however it maybe one of the better theaters still regularly showing films.