The El Rey, was Suyfy’s 4th theatre in Vallejo. I recall seeing my first movie at this theatre the “Sound of Music” back in the late 60s, you couldn’t sit up in the balcony seats unless you were 18 years or older. Then when the named changed to Cine 21,(must have changed around 1968 or so) I remember seeing “Enter the Dragon around 1973 and “Star Wars” in 1977. They ended up closing off the balcony seating area in the early 70s. The last film I saw as Cine 3 and triplex conversion was “Beverly Hills Cop”, I remember seeing that movie twice back in the 80s, but I’m thinking they already converted the theatre into a duplex back in 1977 because I vaguely remember seeing the film “You Light up my Life” not in the main large screen but a screen in another room, to the right once you walked into the place. I miss this nostalgic movie theatre, where I grew up watching most of the films as a kid and teenager.
I recall double dating with my girlfriend back in 1987 at the Varsity theatre. Remembering that it was a really small theatre with stadium type seats if I recall correctly. A screwball comedy film that we watched called “Ishstar” with Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman. The film was not one of their best, it was the first time and last time I ever saw a movie at this theatre.
The Vallejo Auto Movies was the drive-in I grew up watching outdoor films during the early 70s. I remember seeing a lot of Martial Arts shows like Duel of the Iron Fist, Chinese Connection and one of the last films I saw here was Beyond the Door, the Italian American horror film. It was the film that Warner Bros. tried to sue the producers because it resembled the Exorcist. Actually, it was the last film I saw from beginning to end, later I went here to see other films with girlfriends, never watched the full length shows here again, well at least not at those times :) . The Syufy Enterprise and Century did away with the two screen drive-in like a lot of the others that they owned such as (there are still some that are Open):
Island Auto movie Drive-In, Alameda – Open 1950 Synfy, Closed 1991
Vallejo Drive-In, Vallejo – Open 1950, operated later by Century theatre and Syufy 1960s
El Rancho 4 Drive-In, Sparks, Nv. – Open 1950, operated later by Century theatre and Syufy, now by West Wind.
El Rancho Drive-In, San Pablo, Richmond – Open 1951 Homer Gray, 1953 by Richmond drive-in Inc. & Syufy
Mission 2 Drive-In, San Francisco, – Open 1951, operated later by Century theatre and Syufy, Closed 1976
Concord Auto Movies – Open 1957 by Enea Bro. Syufy took over 1960s?
Union City Drive-In, Union City – Open 195x Synfy, Closed 1998
Hilltop 8 Drive-In, Richmond – Open 1960 by Syufy, Closed 1984
Coliseum Drive-In, Oakland – Open 1961, by Syufy, Closed 1990s
Winchester Drive-In, Campbell – Open 1963, by Syufy, Closed 1984
Solano 2 Drive-In, Concord – Open 1964, Century & Syufy 2005, West Wind, 2007
Geneva 4 Drive-In, Daily City – Open 1950 Synfy, Closed
Moffett 3 Drive-In, Mountainview – Open 1964, Century & Syufy, Closed 1985
Santa Barbara Twin Drive-In, Goleta – Open 1966, Century & Syufy, Closed 1991
Spurce 4 Drive-In, San Francisco – Open 1960s, Century & Syufy, Closed 1980s
Burlinggame 4 Drive-In, Burlingame – Open 1960s, Century & Syufy, Closed 2003
Capital 6 Drive-In, San Jose – Open 1971, Syufy
Sacramento 6 Drive-In, Sacramento – Open 1973, Century & Syufy
Desert 5 Drive-In, Las Vegas – Open 1970s, Century & Syufy, Closed 1980s.
Glendale 9 Drive-In, Glendale, Az. – Open 1979, Century & Syufy, run by West Wind now. (one of the last drive-in’s built by Syufy)
Here is the article that you mentioned (just in case they take it off the internet), published by the “The Moving Picture World”, January 22, 1916 -page 609, titled among the picture theatres. News and Views of Photoplay houses everywhere.
THE STRAND THEATER, VALLEJO, CAL. One of the most up-to-date moving pictures houses in the State of California is the Vallejo Strand theater. As it can be seen from the accompanying illustration it has a pretty entrance, and the name of the house has been worked into the three sides of the drop of the glass canopy, which is studded with incandescent lights and which extends to the edge of the sidewalk. An artistic lamp-post, surmounted with five big frosted globes, stands on each side of the entrance and adds to the brilliancy of the lighting effect of the exterior. The front of the Vallejo Strand is faced with glazed brick.
There are 585 upholstered seats in the theater, which was opened recently. The decoration of the interior is most pleasing to the eye, and the front row of the seats has been placed at a respectable distance from the screen to obtain an undistorted view of the picture. Perfect sight lines, in fact, can be secured from any seat in the auditorium. The air is the house is changed every three minutes by the ventilation system which consists of five ventilators and one three-foot exhaust fan. The operating room is spacious. Tow Power’s 6A, motor driven machines are used and a dissolver. The Vallejo Theatre located on Virginia St. is also equipped with a motor generator. The program is changed from four to five times a week. P.J. Hanlon is the presiding spirit of the Strand theater. (I thought this article was very interesting in that it gives specific details of the theater itself, you can view the photo at the link above from Joe’s post)
From a Vallejo Yesterday news column, 20 years ago from a Chronicle Files:
From the 20 Years Ago Column (40 Years Ago Today): “Charles McCauley and Peter J. Hanlon have closed a deal with William Acock, owner of the property where the Bell Theater is now located, for a lease on the place following the removal of the Bell people to the new location on Virginia street. They contemplate establishment of a motion picture house.”
They never mentioned the name of the theatre but we know it is the “Empress”, by process of elimination there was only one theatre there during this timeframe on Virginia st.(or was there another?) They did not mention where exactly was the Bell theatre located at in Vallejo.
It seems with the documentation that I have read about Peter J. Hanlon is that they mention that he established the Bell theatre but never said he was the manager but only a Promoter of the Bell and Strand. You may be correct in that he, Dennis J. Moran and Charles McCauley took over as manager later when Gus Cohn left to manage the Empress. They were only promoters of the Strand in 1915 then on May 25, 1920 opened and managed the Virginia Theatre. Just wondering how all this ties in, there is a photograph of the Virginia theatre building that looks pre 1920, if that is true to my thinking then maybe it had a different theatre name like the Novelty, Star or even the Bell itself. Interesting however because the Virginia theatre was also located on Virginia St. in Vallejo.
On another note it’s funny how all the theatre house managers did a merry go round in supervising theatres. Gus Cohn has the Bell then goes to the Empress, W.C. Maupin has the Star then goes to the Bell and back to the Star, Peter J. Hanlon gets the Bell promotes the Strand then goes to the Virginia. Just for reference, counting there were six Bell Theatres around the beginning of the 1900s in Northern California. (In Oakland – 1903, Sacramento – 1907, Livermore – 1909, San Francisco – 1911, Redwood City – 1915 and Vallejo maybe 1908, I see a listing that Gus Cohn is manager in the Billboard vol.20).
More good information Joe, lets try to put the puzzle together. The theatre the news clipping is talking about that opened on New Years 1912 that Gus Cohn managed with his San Francisco partner Abe Marks, it’s Vallejo’s oldest running theatre today. The “Empress Theatre”, the theatre was constructed by the independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF)at the time opened with promoters of the Sullivan & Considine Vaudeville entertainment. In 1913, the theatre changed management, Bert Levi circuit came in and the Empress name was changed to the Republic (managed by W.C. Maupin).
Getting back to your doc above, you mentioned that they were thinking about replacing the Bell Theatre but later just decided to renovate it. That brings the question to was the Empress Theatre building there on Virginia St. prior to 1910 and was it called the Bell Theatre?
We have to remember that any theatre that was open during the early 1900s or prior ending 1800s were probably small Vaudeville Burlesque and coin operated Kinetograph machines, store front type theatres.
I use to work in the Tishman building on N California Blvd., don’t believe the theatre was torn down in 1981, because I do remember going here in 1994 to watch Quentin Tarantino’s film ‘Pulp Fiction’ with a friend.
I remember the Century dome theatre at the Cross Road Shopping Center,(Monument and Buskirk)it was gigantic in side and a huge screen. Back in 1975 I watched ‘Jaws’ there with my brother for the first time and in ‘79’ saw ‘Apocalypse Now’ then afterwards going to Leatherby’s creamery to get a Banana Split with my girlfriend. The shopping center had a bunch of stores to like Montgomery Wards and Thirfty’s. Will never be the same not seeing the art house dome anymore while driving to work.
It is sad we lost another historical theatre, the Syufy family have owned so many theaters in the past as well, in Vallejo they had the Rita, Victory, El Rey, Vallejo Drive-In plus others and none of those are around today. I heard they owned other theatres in Concord and Oakland etc. back in the day as well. I know they Syufy Enterprises goes by the Century name but I guess their new business is just real estate and not their once foundation of moving picture houses anymore.
Actually this first opened at the Fairfield theater on July 1921, on the corner of Jackson and North Texas streets. Later named the Solano Theater, the movie house was completely remodeled in 1945.
In 1974, the theater changed from Solano Theater to Fairfield Cinema I and across the street was Fairfield Cinema II.
Went to UA Drive in theatre in the early 70s and watched the film ‘Paint your Wagon’. They also played cartoons like ‘Felx the Cat’ and ‘Fritz the Cat’ movies that were made in the 60s and considered X-rated by that era standards. I remember it was sometimes annoying trying to watch movies there because of the old Vallejo Speedway going on in the background, a lot of loud engine noise going on back then. The drive in was located on Flosden Road but later named Fairgrounds Dr., considered the City of American Canyon. There are now track houses and trailer parks in that location today.
The great old Roxie Theatre, been to this movie house several times and took my kids there to. A venue to watch S.F. IndyFest, independent and shorts films. It was used by the Film Arts Foundation (FAF) back in the day (fused with another film group), had one of my films I produced and Michael Hankinson directed “Heart of the Warriors” showcased at this theatre. It’s small and old but it has a lot of spirit and history to go with it. The little theater that’s been around since 1909 and gone through some incredible adventures and now surviving off independent film and a Comedy Club. The Roxie- http://roxie.com/events/toc.cfm
Went to this walk in theatre with some friends back in the 1988 to watch Dennis Hoopers film ‘Colors’, as I recall it was not a big movie house. The seating were angled in sort of a slope, I remember climbing stairs to get to an open seat. I also went here in the mid 2000s to see a dinner comedy show in one room and remember a dance club with a DJ in another room.
A good friends memory of M.I. theatres (Vicky), mentions: When we were on base in 1972 They were already reducing the number of showings at the Mare Island theatre, and started using the Rodman Theater (the other movie theater on base) as part of the social activites center. She remembers, the Olympic sized pool was located there and alon with a really nice bowling alley.
The Studio Theatre tuned into a GrandAuto Service store in the mid 1950s, then later a Furniture place in the later years.
The El Rey, was Suyfy’s 4th theatre in Vallejo. I recall seeing my first movie at this theatre the “Sound of Music” back in the late 60s, you couldn’t sit up in the balcony seats unless you were 18 years or older. Then when the named changed to Cine 21,(must have changed around 1968 or so) I remember seeing “Enter the Dragon around 1973 and “Star Wars” in 1977. They ended up closing off the balcony seating area in the early 70s. The last film I saw as Cine 3 and triplex conversion was “Beverly Hills Cop”, I remember seeing that movie twice back in the 80s, but I’m thinking they already converted the theatre into a duplex back in 1977 because I vaguely remember seeing the film “You Light up my Life” not in the main large screen but a screen in another room, to the right once you walked into the place. I miss this nostalgic movie theatre, where I grew up watching most of the films as a kid and teenager.
I recall double dating with my girlfriend back in 1987 at the Varsity theatre. Remembering that it was a really small theatre with stadium type seats if I recall correctly. A screwball comedy film that we watched called “Ishstar” with Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman. The film was not one of their best, it was the first time and last time I ever saw a movie at this theatre.
The Vallejo Auto Movies was the drive-in I grew up watching outdoor films during the early 70s. I remember seeing a lot of Martial Arts shows like Duel of the Iron Fist, Chinese Connection and one of the last films I saw here was Beyond the Door, the Italian American horror film. It was the film that Warner Bros. tried to sue the producers because it resembled the Exorcist. Actually, it was the last film I saw from beginning to end, later I went here to see other films with girlfriends, never watched the full length shows here again, well at least not at those times :) . The Syufy Enterprise and Century did away with the two screen drive-in like a lot of the others that they owned such as (there are still some that are Open):
Island Auto movie Drive-In, Alameda – Open 1950 Synfy, Closed 1991
Vallejo Drive-In, Vallejo – Open 1950, operated later by Century theatre and Syufy 1960s
El Rancho 4 Drive-In, Sparks, Nv. – Open 1950, operated later by Century theatre and Syufy, now by West Wind.
El Rancho Drive-In, San Pablo, Richmond – Open 1951 Homer Gray, 1953 by Richmond drive-in Inc. & Syufy
Mission 2 Drive-In, San Francisco, – Open 1951, operated later by Century theatre and Syufy, Closed 1976
Concord Auto Movies – Open 1957 by Enea Bro. Syufy took over 1960s?
Union City Drive-In, Union City – Open 195x Synfy, Closed 1998
Hilltop 8 Drive-In, Richmond – Open 1960 by Syufy, Closed 1984
Coliseum Drive-In, Oakland – Open 1961, by Syufy, Closed 1990s
Winchester Drive-In, Campbell – Open 1963, by Syufy, Closed 1984
Solano 2 Drive-In, Concord – Open 1964, Century & Syufy 2005, West Wind, 2007
Geneva 4 Drive-In, Daily City – Open 1950 Synfy, Closed
Moffett 3 Drive-In, Mountainview – Open 1964, Century & Syufy, Closed 1985
Santa Barbara Twin Drive-In, Goleta – Open 1966, Century & Syufy, Closed 1991
Spurce 4 Drive-In, San Francisco – Open 1960s, Century & Syufy, Closed 1980s
Burlinggame 4 Drive-In, Burlingame – Open 1960s, Century & Syufy, Closed 2003
Capital 6 Drive-In, San Jose – Open 1971, Syufy
Sacramento 6 Drive-In, Sacramento – Open 1973, Century & Syufy
Desert 5 Drive-In, Las Vegas – Open 1970s, Century & Syufy, Closed 1980s.
Glendale 9 Drive-In, Glendale, Az. – Open 1979, Century & Syufy, run by West Wind now. (one of the last drive-in’s built by Syufy)
Here is the article that you mentioned (just in case they take it off the internet), published by the “The Moving Picture World”, January 22, 1916 -page 609, titled among the picture theatres. News and Views of Photoplay houses everywhere.
THE STRAND THEATER, VALLEJO, CAL. One of the most up-to-date moving pictures houses in the State of California is the Vallejo Strand theater. As it can be seen from the accompanying illustration it has a pretty entrance, and the name of the house has been worked into the three sides of the drop of the glass canopy, which is studded with incandescent lights and which extends to the edge of the sidewalk. An artistic lamp-post, surmounted with five big frosted globes, stands on each side of the entrance and adds to the brilliancy of the lighting effect of the exterior. The front of the Vallejo Strand is faced with glazed brick.
There are 585 upholstered seats in the theater, which was opened recently. The decoration of the interior is most pleasing to the eye, and the front row of the seats has been placed at a respectable distance from the screen to obtain an undistorted view of the picture. Perfect sight lines, in fact, can be secured from any seat in the auditorium. The air is the house is changed every three minutes by the ventilation system which consists of five ventilators and one three-foot exhaust fan. The operating room is spacious. Tow Power’s 6A, motor driven machines are used and a dissolver. The Vallejo Theatre located on Virginia St. is also equipped with a motor generator. The program is changed from four to five times a week. P.J. Hanlon is the presiding spirit of the Strand theater. (I thought this article was very interesting in that it gives specific details of the theater itself, you can view the photo at the link above from Joe’s post)
From a Vallejo Yesterday news column, 20 years ago from a Chronicle Files:
From the 20 Years Ago Column (40 Years Ago Today): “Charles McCauley and Peter J. Hanlon have closed a deal with William Acock, owner of the property where the Bell Theater is now located, for a lease on the place following the removal of the Bell people to the new location on Virginia street. They contemplate establishment of a motion picture house.”
They never mentioned the name of the theatre but we know it is the “Empress”, by process of elimination there was only one theatre there during this timeframe on Virginia st.(or was there another?) They did not mention where exactly was the Bell theatre located at in Vallejo.
It seems with the documentation that I have read about Peter J. Hanlon is that they mention that he established the Bell theatre but never said he was the manager but only a Promoter of the Bell and Strand. You may be correct in that he, Dennis J. Moran and Charles McCauley took over as manager later when Gus Cohn left to manage the Empress. They were only promoters of the Strand in 1915 then on May 25, 1920 opened and managed the Virginia Theatre. Just wondering how all this ties in, there is a photograph of the Virginia theatre building that looks pre 1920, if that is true to my thinking then maybe it had a different theatre name like the Novelty, Star or even the Bell itself. Interesting however because the Virginia theatre was also located on Virginia St. in Vallejo.
On another note it’s funny how all the theatre house managers did a merry go round in supervising theatres. Gus Cohn has the Bell then goes to the Empress, W.C. Maupin has the Star then goes to the Bell and back to the Star, Peter J. Hanlon gets the Bell promotes the Strand then goes to the Virginia. Just for reference, counting there were six Bell Theatres around the beginning of the 1900s in Northern California. (In Oakland – 1903, Sacramento – 1907, Livermore – 1909, San Francisco – 1911, Redwood City – 1915 and Vallejo maybe 1908, I see a listing that Gus Cohn is manager in the Billboard vol.20).
More good information Joe, lets try to put the puzzle together. The theatre the news clipping is talking about that opened on New Years 1912 that Gus Cohn managed with his San Francisco partner Abe Marks, it’s Vallejo’s oldest running theatre today. The “Empress Theatre”, the theatre was constructed by the independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF)at the time opened with promoters of the Sullivan & Considine Vaudeville entertainment. In 1913, the theatre changed management, Bert Levi circuit came in and the Empress name was changed to the Republic (managed by W.C. Maupin).
Getting back to your doc above, you mentioned that they were thinking about replacing the Bell Theatre but later just decided to renovate it. That brings the question to was the Empress Theatre building there on Virginia St. prior to 1910 and was it called the Bell Theatre?
We have to remember that any theatre that was open during the early 1900s or prior ending 1800s were probably small Vaudeville Burlesque and coin operated Kinetograph machines, store front type theatres.
Any thoughts on this:
I use to work in the Tishman building on N California Blvd., don’t believe the theatre was torn down in 1981, because I do remember going here in 1994 to watch Quentin Tarantino’s film ‘Pulp Fiction’ with a friend.
I remember the Century dome theatre at the Cross Road Shopping Center,(Monument and Buskirk)it was gigantic in side and a huge screen. Back in 1975 I watched ‘Jaws’ there with my brother for the first time and in ‘79’ saw ‘Apocalypse Now’ then afterwards going to Leatherby’s creamery to get a Banana Split with my girlfriend. The shopping center had a bunch of stores to like Montgomery Wards and Thirfty’s. Will never be the same not seeing the art house dome anymore while driving to work.
It is sad we lost another historical theatre, the Syufy family have owned so many theaters in the past as well, in Vallejo they had the Rita, Victory, El Rey, Vallejo Drive-In plus others and none of those are around today. I heard they owned other theatres in Concord and Oakland etc. back in the day as well. I know they Syufy Enterprises goes by the Century name but I guess their new business is just real estate and not their once foundation of moving picture houses anymore.
Actually this first opened at the Fairfield theater on July 1921, on the corner of Jackson and North Texas streets. Later named the Solano Theater, the movie house was completely remodeled in 1945. In 1974, the theater changed from Solano Theater to Fairfield Cinema I and across the street was Fairfield Cinema II.
Went to UA Drive in theatre in the early 70s and watched the film ‘Paint your Wagon’. They also played cartoons like ‘Felx the Cat’ and ‘Fritz the Cat’ movies that were made in the 60s and considered X-rated by that era standards. I remember it was sometimes annoying trying to watch movies there because of the old Vallejo Speedway going on in the background, a lot of loud engine noise going on back then. The drive in was located on Flosden Road but later named Fairgrounds Dr., considered the City of American Canyon. There are now track houses and trailer parks in that location today.
The great old Roxie Theatre, been to this movie house several times and took my kids there to. A venue to watch S.F. IndyFest, independent and shorts films. It was used by the Film Arts Foundation (FAF) back in the day (fused with another film group), had one of my films I produced and Michael Hankinson directed “Heart of the Warriors” showcased at this theatre. It’s small and old but it has a lot of spirit and history to go with it. The little theater that’s been around since 1909 and gone through some incredible adventures and now surviving off independent film and a Comedy Club. The Roxie- http://roxie.com/events/toc.cfm
Went to this walk in theatre with some friends back in the 1988 to watch Dennis Hoopers film ‘Colors’, as I recall it was not a big movie house. The seating were angled in sort of a slope, I remember climbing stairs to get to an open seat. I also went here in the mid 2000s to see a dinner comedy show in one room and remember a dance club with a DJ in another room.
A good friends memory of M.I. theatres (Vicky), mentions: When we were on base in 1972 They were already reducing the number of showings at the Mare Island theatre, and started using the Rodman Theater (the other movie theater on base) as part of the social activites center. She remembers, the Olympic sized pool was located there and alon with a really nice bowling alley.
This photograph was taken circa 1949 and was named the “Fox Virginia” previously.