Anyone who frequented the Drexel North probably remembers the giant art deco poster case which sat in the back of the auditorium between the restroom entrances, advertising whatever movie was currently playing at the Drexel Bexley. I bought that case when the North was gutted, and for several years it graced my apartment in Los Angeles. Had to store it for a while when I moved to a place without room for it, but now it’s proudly back on display in my bigger living room. One of my most prized possessions, it brings back memories of the countless horror and sci-fi marathons my friends and I attended there.
There’s a theater that’s not on the site which should be. A twin screen arthouse called “The Flicks at Larimer Square”, which I seem to remember being at the Northeast corner of Larimer and 15th St. It had large white windows with caricatures by Al Hirschfeld all over them. I saw many movies there, like “If”, “Performance”, “King of Hearts”, that sort of stuff. How can I add a theater to the site?
I lived around the corner from this theater for a while (1981-87) and at that time it was being used as a gay nightclub called “Rudely Elegant”. Being straight, I never saw the need to go in, but being a fan of John Waters' films, I certainly wished I had one day when I read a newspaper article about the one and only Divine being there the night before and putting on what was described as an incredible show. That was a really rough, out of the way neighborhood, and it was strange to find out that Divine had been right around the corner and I didn’t know it until the next day.
People, yes; the city planners and folks who program entertainment downtown, not so much. There’s just a palpable sense of “look how sophisticated we’re becoming” in Columbus that seems to be sapping some of the fun out of the city. But maybe it’s just my perception.
Sorry, Chuck, didn’t mean that to come out as hostile as I now realize it sounded. I just thought it was kind of strange that every theater I was landing on had you giving a date, then someone else saying “it was open longer than that”. No problems. We’re all just trying to share what we know; sorry for sounding snotty.
Check out this music video, circa 1990, for lots of views of the Linden Air, which was abandoned but still standing at that time. I worked on this video, and we shot lots of it around the drive-in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAG3a6UrA-U
I still have a big red marquee letter “Z” which I picked up off the ground during the shoot.
As someone who’s lived in Columbus for a long time, I keep noticing that “Chuck” has a habit of listing closing years for theaters that are early by a year or two, yet he says it with such concise authority, like he’s certain of it. I also, like a poster above, saw Terminator 2 here, so it was still open at least into 1991.
My fondest memory of the theater is taking a break from the film project I was editing at OSU late one evening, walking down the hill to Ackerman Road, and catching “Return of the Living Dead”, which I didn’t really expect to be any good. Turned out I loved it, and was humming the closing song to myself while walking back past the gigantic cemetery which is on the north side of Dodridge. Appropriate.
To posters above: this theater did NOT close in the early 80s, nor in 85, as I saw the Polanski comedy “Pirates” there in July of 86. I believe it closed shortly thereafter. In fact, that may very well have been the last film to play there, as I seem to think I went because I had heard the place was about to close. Not sure about this. But at any rate, it was most definitely still there for “Pirates”.
It was always a strange place, sitting out at the north end of the parking lot all by itself. Seemed a very lonely and unfriendly location somehow.
A wonderful theater; I saw many films there. Some were giant Hollywood blockbusters, while some were just strange things to be playing on such a majestic screen, like the Columbus premiere of Fred Williamson’s cheesy “The Messenger”, with Williamson in attendance, and “Troma’s War”. Have fond memories of seeing “Monty Python’s Meaning of Life” there, too.
Last time I was at this theater was for “Beverly Hills Cop 2”, which my wife and I were finding unbearable. Luckily for us (not for the theater) lightning struck and the speakers exploded with the loudest sound I’ve ever heard, then silence. Everyone got a comp ticket to come back but as I recall, the place closed before we ever happened to go back.
Yes, it is demolished now. The Eastland Plaza 6, across the road, is now a tiny strip mall occupying the shell of the theater building which is still intact.
The last really great, first run exploitation drive-in show I attended was in the late 80s at this place. “Hellhole”, “Women’s Prison Massacre” and “Violence in a Women’s Prison”. Good friends, lots of beer and illegal smoke, and memories of a fun evening.
Of course, I’ve seen some drive-in retro shows in the years since, but this was the last time I saw this kind of show when it was simply the regular programming for the week. Soon after, home video would take over as the primary medium of exploitation films, and the CCC closed. Replaced by a shopping center anchored by a Kroger grocery store.
In this music video on youtube, there is a glimpse of the marquee, barely visible in the smoke, at the 51 second mark. A smaller portion of the marquee (showing the letters “OLN”) is more clearly seen in the background of a couple of shots afterward. This was in the days when the neighborhood was VERY run down and dangerous. I know because I worked on this video.
The drive-in theater seen many times throughout the video is the long gone Linden Drive-In way up on the North Side.
They used to have a yearly Three Stooges show at the theater; it was always 8 shorts with an intermission halfway through. One year Moe’s son-in-law Norman Maurer was in attendance and told some great stories. In recent years they’ve become too “upscale” for that sort of thing. That’s a major problem I’ve seen in Columbus for the last couple of decades; they’re trying so hard to be gentrified and sophisticated that the old-fashioned fun side of the city is nowhere to be found. The decision makers in this town today would consider something like a Stooges show to be beneath the city’s dignity or something. Sad.
This street view is of the vacant lot where the theater used to be. The Discount Liquors, visible if you pan to the right (West) used to be a mom and pop restaurant that had a sign on the side of the building advertising frog legs!
Anyone who frequented the Drexel North probably remembers the giant art deco poster case which sat in the back of the auditorium between the restroom entrances, advertising whatever movie was currently playing at the Drexel Bexley. I bought that case when the North was gutted, and for several years it graced my apartment in Los Angeles. Had to store it for a while when I moved to a place without room for it, but now it’s proudly back on display in my bigger living room. One of my most prized possessions, it brings back memories of the countless horror and sci-fi marathons my friends and I attended there.
Thanks, Chuck.
There’s a theater that’s not on the site which should be. A twin screen arthouse called “The Flicks at Larimer Square”, which I seem to remember being at the Northeast corner of Larimer and 15th St. It had large white windows with caricatures by Al Hirschfeld all over them. I saw many movies there, like “If”, “Performance”, “King of Hearts”, that sort of stuff. How can I add a theater to the site?
Saw Led Zeppelin’s “The Song Remains the Same” here, as well as “The Big Bus”.
Saw many films there. The ones that come to mind are “Close Encounters”, “Marathon Man”, and “Silent Movie”.
Saw “The Omen” here when it was released.
Now I see that the pictures in lostmemory’s post already made that clear.
Was a porn theater during the short time I lived in Denver; this would be 1976.
I lived around the corner from this theater for a while (1981-87) and at that time it was being used as a gay nightclub called “Rudely Elegant”. Being straight, I never saw the need to go in, but being a fan of John Waters' films, I certainly wished I had one day when I read a newspaper article about the one and only Divine being there the night before and putting on what was described as an incredible show. That was a really rough, out of the way neighborhood, and it was strange to find out that Divine had been right around the corner and I didn’t know it until the next day.
People, yes; the city planners and folks who program entertainment downtown, not so much. There’s just a palpable sense of “look how sophisticated we’re becoming” in Columbus that seems to be sapping some of the fun out of the city. But maybe it’s just my perception.
Sorry, Chuck, didn’t mean that to come out as hostile as I now realize it sounded. I just thought it was kind of strange that every theater I was landing on had you giving a date, then someone else saying “it was open longer than that”. No problems. We’re all just trying to share what we know; sorry for sounding snotty.
Last time I went to this theater was to see “Shutter Island”.
Walt Peterson! Ace of C.A.R.D.S.!
Saw “Amadeus” here.
Check out this music video, circa 1990, for lots of views of the Linden Air, which was abandoned but still standing at that time. I worked on this video, and we shot lots of it around the drive-in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAG3a6UrA-U
I still have a big red marquee letter “Z” which I picked up off the ground during the shoot.
As someone who’s lived in Columbus for a long time, I keep noticing that “Chuck” has a habit of listing closing years for theaters that are early by a year or two, yet he says it with such concise authority, like he’s certain of it. I also, like a poster above, saw Terminator 2 here, so it was still open at least into 1991.
My fondest memory of the theater is taking a break from the film project I was editing at OSU late one evening, walking down the hill to Ackerman Road, and catching “Return of the Living Dead”, which I didn’t really expect to be any good. Turned out I loved it, and was humming the closing song to myself while walking back past the gigantic cemetery which is on the north side of Dodridge. Appropriate.
To posters above: this theater did NOT close in the early 80s, nor in 85, as I saw the Polanski comedy “Pirates” there in July of 86. I believe it closed shortly thereafter. In fact, that may very well have been the last film to play there, as I seem to think I went because I had heard the place was about to close. Not sure about this. But at any rate, it was most definitely still there for “Pirates”.
It was always a strange place, sitting out at the north end of the parking lot all by itself. Seemed a very lonely and unfriendly location somehow.
A wonderful theater; I saw many films there. Some were giant Hollywood blockbusters, while some were just strange things to be playing on such a majestic screen, like the Columbus premiere of Fred Williamson’s cheesy “The Messenger”, with Williamson in attendance, and “Troma’s War”. Have fond memories of seeing “Monty Python’s Meaning of Life” there, too.
Last time I was at this theater was for “Beverly Hills Cop 2”, which my wife and I were finding unbearable. Luckily for us (not for the theater) lightning struck and the speakers exploded with the loudest sound I’ve ever heard, then silence. Everyone got a comp ticket to come back but as I recall, the place closed before we ever happened to go back.
Yes, it is demolished now. The Eastland Plaza 6, across the road, is now a tiny strip mall occupying the shell of the theater building which is still intact.
The last really great, first run exploitation drive-in show I attended was in the late 80s at this place. “Hellhole”, “Women’s Prison Massacre” and “Violence in a Women’s Prison”. Good friends, lots of beer and illegal smoke, and memories of a fun evening.
Of course, I’ve seen some drive-in retro shows in the years since, but this was the last time I saw this kind of show when it was simply the regular programming for the week. Soon after, home video would take over as the primary medium of exploitation films, and the CCC closed. Replaced by a shopping center anchored by a Kroger grocery store.
In this music video on youtube, there is a glimpse of the marquee, barely visible in the smoke, at the 51 second mark. A smaller portion of the marquee (showing the letters “OLN”) is more clearly seen in the background of a couple of shots afterward. This was in the days when the neighborhood was VERY run down and dangerous. I know because I worked on this video.
The drive-in theater seen many times throughout the video is the long gone Linden Drive-In way up on the North Side.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAG3a6UrA-U
They used to have a yearly Three Stooges show at the theater; it was always 8 shorts with an intermission halfway through. One year Moe’s son-in-law Norman Maurer was in attendance and told some great stories. In recent years they’ve become too “upscale” for that sort of thing. That’s a major problem I’ve seen in Columbus for the last couple of decades; they’re trying so hard to be gentrified and sophisticated that the old-fashioned fun side of the city is nowhere to be found. The decision makers in this town today would consider something like a Stooges show to be beneath the city’s dignity or something. Sad.
My high school was directly across the street. Saw too many movies to count at the Ridge Plaza. Sad to see it gone.
Saw “Trial of Billy Jack” there.
This street view is of the vacant lot where the theater used to be. The Discount Liquors, visible if you pan to the right (West) used to be a mom and pop restaurant that had a sign on the side of the building advertising frog legs!