yea the UA Marina, I even remember when they had that ET sneak preview. Used to hang out at the “Westworld” arcade quite a bit back then, they seemed to have a bigger more cutting edge selection of new games than the one in Westwood. Now we’re really getting off subject of the the Avco, btw does anyone know of or have any vintage pics of places like The National or Avco from the 70’s/80’s? I would love to see some National pics when they had those huge marquee’s and murals.
Ok so how about that evil german guy who used to manage the Avco back in the early 80’s, every now and then he’d catch me waiting at the exit doors (to sneak in) and shout out “Hey get away from there!” in a vicious nazi-like voice
now i could sware Dragonslayer opened at the National are you sure?? I know i did see it there (at a later midnight screening when er, whats his name from the Plaza was doing those midnight shows)
Maybe i’m getting alzheimers, jeesus.
The Avco seemed to get all the sword & sorcery films, if you guys were around or working in westwood in those days i’m sure we must have crossed paths. Well back to editing SpaceDisco One.
DP www.reflectionsofevil.com www.myspace.com/choogo
no no, i was just saying i worked at the Coronet at that time (during engagements like Aliens and Legend—which I believe originally opened at the Avco) Labyrinth i vividly remember seeing at the Plitt. Also I meant Crest when i said Coronet re: CE3K, was gettig theatres mixed up, I was 10 years old when that came out (in ‘77) and saw it in the valley somewhere but you’d think they would’ve opened a spectacle like that at the National or Village. Now i could sware there were more 70mm prints of Poltergeist in release in '82 but maybe not, I think 1982 and '85 had more 70 engagements in all of history. I just recall the sound was TREMENDOUS, and remember in those days there was a huge difference between optical dolby and magnetic 6 track, and i do seem to recall those Marina theatres had a 70mill advert somewhere but heck i could be wrong. We were having so much delerious fun in those days playing video games maybe i saw somewhere else and am confusing it.
Westwood was like a 2nd home for me in the 80’s, I worked at the National (in '84-85) and the Regent, Village, 4-plex, Festival even the Plitt and Shubert in Century City all through that decade, making lousy money but seeing thousands of movies free, many fond memories. It really was the last “exciting” era for cinema in many ways, even though the 70’s was certainly the last golden era, i think of the early 80’s as an extension, and even the mid 80’s was a slight trickling over. By the end of the 80’s it was over though. We’ve basically been stuck in that time ever since. NOW I recognize your name, i’ve seen your lists up on in70mm.com, did you work as a projectionist at that time? You might know some of the same folks i do.
Seeing Dragonslayer in 70 at the National, now that was inspiring, too bad it was trampled over by Raiders
Michael—
yea i didn’t think Poltergeist played there, and your right i can’t even remember it playing in Westwood at the time, (I saw it in Marina Del Rey in 70mm) Though the Plitt would’ve been a better place. I only mentioned it because Heather O Rourke is buried in that cemetary and thought it would have been fitting. I do quite vividly remember seeing John Carpenters The Thing at the Crest (one of the only existing 70mm engagements) about 6 or 7 times before it left, really surprised CE3K opened at the Coronet (i worked there there in ‘86, and so did Alan) but i’m getting off subject since this is a board about The Avco. I think my fondest memory of the Avco was that '85 SW trilogy re-release, that was a blast
The parking isn’t any worse there than anywhere else in Westwood, the 1970 decor is part of it, most of the new generation hate that time and execs are scared of it. They want to erase our memories of a time when GOOD intelligent movies used to exist, a time when things were looser and more sensible, a time when there was still genuine excitement, still possibilities and new horizons to explore, when originality flourished, and things weren’t oversaturated, over-done and burned out. A time before LAPD units infested the streets of Westwood driving around like sharks looking for prey, Looking for petty traffic violators, looking for anyone acting suspicious or out after cerfue to ruin more lives and make things more difficult in an already over-stressed world. A time when there was good music and great music stores, and searching for records was like a treasure hunt. A time when there were projectionist’s who cared about presentation, not apathetic management pushing buttons. A time when movies played for months and months, before 10,000 cable channels and DVD players turrned us into vegetables. A time when SFX meant hand crafted models and miniatures, beautiful matte paintings and new innovations, a time when trailers weren’t cut the exact same way over and over and over and over (fade’s and flashe’s for every cut) from the same marketing factory for more forgettable films with ridiculous titles (as we’ve run out of titles) a time when actors were interesting, when directors were a bit more in control, before committee’s and executives controlled everything, when entrepreneurs and moguls bought chains not corporations, a time when you could smoke everywhere, including theatre lobby’s, when buildings and spaces were inviting and more relaxed, not monitered by security camera’s and looking for suspicious behavior, a time when..well i could go on and on
The Ex? Oh jeez yea thats gonna draw big crowds, I’m glad it’s re-opening but again the problem is (and has been) they simply WILL NOT send first run big summer movies to this theatre. If they opened Spider Man or Transformers there, people would re-discover the place exists and it would do business
I’m always surprised this theatre is still open, again another example of a once thriving spot, now few know it exists. Yea i saw the original SW films there too, fondly remember the first THX system demo, and camped out in line to see various things over the years. Remember the 1985 StarWars trilogy release in 70mm, and Back to the Future Trilogy release. I too was at the first midnight show for “Jedi” at the Egyptian in ‘83, (camped out for 24hrs) boy what madness was that. Everyone snuck in on the line and people were going nuts. I’ve always loved the location of the Avco, settled next to the haunting Westwood cemetary. I’ll never forget walking thru the place one dark windy night (back when they left the gate open late into the eves) Didn’t the Poltergeist films play there? and I probably snuck into that place more times than any other to see Return of the Jedi. Hey Alan it’s been a long time, we used to work together, send me an email.
DP
I worked at the National in ‘84-85 during engagements like Temple of Doom and Beverly Hills Cop, and saw many films there in the early 80’s (Brainstorm, Krull, Star Trek II, etc) it’s always been my favorite theatre of Westwood but this was the last heyday of Westwood, when movies were still an exciting and inspiring event. We’ve witnissed the death of single house cinema’s over the last 10-15 years and it’s been an inevitable slow death. At that time the manager was a young guy named Mac Carter, long time figure Harry Francis was at the Bruin (“paying customers aren’t complaining sir”) Famous LAPD cop Marc Fuhrman patrolled Westwood on foot and the theatres were rife with embezzlment I saw entire staff’s fired at several chains, ahh but that was the chaotic fun of the times and we had so much fun.
I spent a lot of time hanging out in the projection booth with the projectionist (Burt) admiring Doug Trumball’s 70mm showscan equipment, which they left there for years. Of course seeing anything in 70mm at the National was always a treat, at some point in the 90’s they basically wrote that theater off diverting first run movies to the Village or Bruin and sending dumb comedies or substandard fare to the National.
I don’t agree the theatre needed renovation, i personally liked the orange interior and curtains, what they needed were better movies, not a newly remodeled interior. And as for Spielberg saving the place, it’s a romantic notion but it’ll never happen. The true movie scene is dead, plain and simple, We don’t even have projectionsists left fer’ christ sakes! It can and never will be what it was, these are the last days, it’s over.
DP www.reflectionsofevil.com
yea the UA Marina, I even remember when they had that ET sneak preview. Used to hang out at the “Westworld” arcade quite a bit back then, they seemed to have a bigger more cutting edge selection of new games than the one in Westwood. Now we’re really getting off subject of the the Avco, btw does anyone know of or have any vintage pics of places like The National or Avco from the 70’s/80’s? I would love to see some National pics when they had those huge marquee’s and murals.
Ok so how about that evil german guy who used to manage the Avco back in the early 80’s, every now and then he’d catch me waiting at the exit doors (to sneak in) and shout out “Hey get away from there!” in a vicious nazi-like voice
now i could sware Dragonslayer opened at the National are you sure?? I know i did see it there (at a later midnight screening when er, whats his name from the Plaza was doing those midnight shows)
Maybe i’m getting alzheimers, jeesus.
The Avco seemed to get all the sword & sorcery films, if you guys were around or working in westwood in those days i’m sure we must have crossed paths. Well back to editing SpaceDisco One.
DP www.reflectionsofevil.com
www.myspace.com/choogo
no no, i was just saying i worked at the Coronet at that time (during engagements like Aliens and Legend—which I believe originally opened at the Avco) Labyrinth i vividly remember seeing at the Plitt. Also I meant Crest when i said Coronet re: CE3K, was gettig theatres mixed up, I was 10 years old when that came out (in ‘77) and saw it in the valley somewhere but you’d think they would’ve opened a spectacle like that at the National or Village. Now i could sware there were more 70mm prints of Poltergeist in release in '82 but maybe not, I think 1982 and '85 had more 70 engagements in all of history. I just recall the sound was TREMENDOUS, and remember in those days there was a huge difference between optical dolby and magnetic 6 track, and i do seem to recall those Marina theatres had a 70mill advert somewhere but heck i could be wrong. We were having so much delerious fun in those days playing video games maybe i saw somewhere else and am confusing it.
Westwood was like a 2nd home for me in the 80’s, I worked at the National (in '84-85) and the Regent, Village, 4-plex, Festival even the Plitt and Shubert in Century City all through that decade, making lousy money but seeing thousands of movies free, many fond memories. It really was the last “exciting” era for cinema in many ways, even though the 70’s was certainly the last golden era, i think of the early 80’s as an extension, and even the mid 80’s was a slight trickling over. By the end of the 80’s it was over though. We’ve basically been stuck in that time ever since. NOW I recognize your name, i’ve seen your lists up on in70mm.com, did you work as a projectionist at that time? You might know some of the same folks i do.
Seeing Dragonslayer in 70 at the National, now that was inspiring, too bad it was trampled over by Raiders
Michael—
yea i didn’t think Poltergeist played there, and your right i can’t even remember it playing in Westwood at the time, (I saw it in Marina Del Rey in 70mm) Though the Plitt would’ve been a better place. I only mentioned it because Heather O Rourke is buried in that cemetary and thought it would have been fitting. I do quite vividly remember seeing John Carpenters The Thing at the Crest (one of the only existing 70mm engagements) about 6 or 7 times before it left, really surprised CE3K opened at the Coronet (i worked there there in ‘86, and so did Alan) but i’m getting off subject since this is a board about The Avco. I think my fondest memory of the Avco was that '85 SW trilogy re-release, that was a blast
The parking isn’t any worse there than anywhere else in Westwood, the 1970 decor is part of it, most of the new generation hate that time and execs are scared of it. They want to erase our memories of a time when GOOD intelligent movies used to exist, a time when things were looser and more sensible, a time when there was still genuine excitement, still possibilities and new horizons to explore, when originality flourished, and things weren’t oversaturated, over-done and burned out. A time before LAPD units infested the streets of Westwood driving around like sharks looking for prey, Looking for petty traffic violators, looking for anyone acting suspicious or out after cerfue to ruin more lives and make things more difficult in an already over-stressed world. A time when there was good music and great music stores, and searching for records was like a treasure hunt. A time when there were projectionist’s who cared about presentation, not apathetic management pushing buttons. A time when movies played for months and months, before 10,000 cable channels and DVD players turrned us into vegetables. A time when SFX meant hand crafted models and miniatures, beautiful matte paintings and new innovations, a time when trailers weren’t cut the exact same way over and over and over and over (fade’s and flashe’s for every cut) from the same marketing factory for more forgettable films with ridiculous titles (as we’ve run out of titles) a time when actors were interesting, when directors were a bit more in control, before committee’s and executives controlled everything, when entrepreneurs and moguls bought chains not corporations, a time when you could smoke everywhere, including theatre lobby’s, when buildings and spaces were inviting and more relaxed, not monitered by security camera’s and looking for suspicious behavior, a time when..well i could go on and on
The Ex? Oh jeez yea thats gonna draw big crowds, I’m glad it’s re-opening but again the problem is (and has been) they simply WILL NOT send first run big summer movies to this theatre. If they opened Spider Man or Transformers there, people would re-discover the place exists and it would do business
I’m always surprised this theatre is still open, again another example of a once thriving spot, now few know it exists. Yea i saw the original SW films there too, fondly remember the first THX system demo, and camped out in line to see various things over the years. Remember the 1985 StarWars trilogy release in 70mm, and Back to the Future Trilogy release. I too was at the first midnight show for “Jedi” at the Egyptian in ‘83, (camped out for 24hrs) boy what madness was that. Everyone snuck in on the line and people were going nuts. I’ve always loved the location of the Avco, settled next to the haunting Westwood cemetary. I’ll never forget walking thru the place one dark windy night (back when they left the gate open late into the eves) Didn’t the Poltergeist films play there? and I probably snuck into that place more times than any other to see Return of the Jedi. Hey Alan it’s been a long time, we used to work together, send me an email.
DP
I worked at the National in ‘84-85 during engagements like Temple of Doom and Beverly Hills Cop, and saw many films there in the early 80’s (Brainstorm, Krull, Star Trek II, etc) it’s always been my favorite theatre of Westwood but this was the last heyday of Westwood, when movies were still an exciting and inspiring event. We’ve witnissed the death of single house cinema’s over the last 10-15 years and it’s been an inevitable slow death. At that time the manager was a young guy named Mac Carter, long time figure Harry Francis was at the Bruin (“paying customers aren’t complaining sir”) Famous LAPD cop Marc Fuhrman patrolled Westwood on foot and the theatres were rife with embezzlment I saw entire staff’s fired at several chains, ahh but that was the chaotic fun of the times and we had so much fun.
I spent a lot of time hanging out in the projection booth with the projectionist (Burt) admiring Doug Trumball’s 70mm showscan equipment, which they left there for years. Of course seeing anything in 70mm at the National was always a treat, at some point in the 90’s they basically wrote that theater off diverting first run movies to the Village or Bruin and sending dumb comedies or substandard fare to the National.
I don’t agree the theatre needed renovation, i personally liked the orange interior and curtains, what they needed were better movies, not a newly remodeled interior. And as for Spielberg saving the place, it’s a romantic notion but it’ll never happen. The true movie scene is dead, plain and simple, We don’t even have projectionsists left fer’ christ sakes! It can and never will be what it was, these are the last days, it’s over.
DP www.reflectionsofevil.com