I found and uploaded the photographs I had of the Hollywood Cinema in Hollywood, Florida and the December 2004 benefit premier of the “Towering Inferno'.
I worked at the Hollywood Cinema from 1972 until 1975 when it was a General Cinema Corporation theatre. I have two pictures of the theatre from about 1973 when the theatre hosted a World Premier of the Towering Inferno as a fund-raiser for the Starting Place, a local drug treatment facility. Hollywood firefighters were in attendance and there were spot lights tilted towards the sky and a fire truck with its red lights flashing as patrons made their appearance in semi-formal to formal attire. One picture was of the marquee and fire truck and the other was of the inside where patrons where enjoying a reception for the event of champagne and hors d’oeuvres.
It was an old, but grand theatre with, if I recall, either 1012 or 1013 seats in the house (the house was sold out on numerous occasions). The inside of the building was repainted in 1973 by the theatre manager and the staff who were working for the theatre at the time (including myself). Behind the concession stand, there was a thick vinyl black strip of wall paper about 12-15 feet wide and it went all the way up the wall to the top of the high ceiling. This strip of vinyl was painted a cerulean blue (AKA General Cinema Blue). There was a also a bright red, recessed, wooden telephone booth with a telephone just off the lobby and just off the bright red carpeted walkway to the theatre entrance. Possibly installed in the 1956 renovations of the theatre. I recall it was considered an old and novelty telephone booth in the 1970’s. After work hours, it wasn’t uncommon for co-workers to all cram into the telephone booth to aggravate you as you were making a call!!
The movie projectors were the old carbon projectors and it wasn’t uncommon to see film melt as you watched a movie. If I recall the projectionist had to switch between projectors about every fifteen minutes. If the projectionist wasn’t paying attention and didn’t catch the visual indicators that a reel was about to end, the film would stop playing and patrons would be out the door telling whomever was in the lobby about it.
The concession stand drink dispensors were from the 1950’s as well. One had to stand on a step ladder and pour concentrated soda syrup from glass gallon jugs into the top of the dispensor and connect the CO2 dispensors for the fizz. There were rarely any more than two concession attendants to serve sold out houses with everyone served before the movie started. Something I have never seen occur at theatres in Florida since that time! We actually ran to grab popcorn around the end of the counter and filled the drink order as we added all the items sold to a customer in our heads!! By the time we set a drink down, the customer knew what they owed and were handing us the money and we were making change. Concession items were counted nightly and if the drawer was short, it came out of your pay. It was rarely short. There was only ONE cashier to sell the tickets and it wasn’t uncommon for managers to remove the cash in a trash basket as one could take in thousands of dollars every two hours. Tickets were $3.00-$4.00 in the evening.
About 3-4 years ago, I was in the area and stopped by to reminisce. The theatre was still there, but the sad part is that where the theatre once supported the recovery of drug addicts in the 1970’s, it was being used by homeless addicts as a night time place to sleep (not officially). The glass exit doors were painted over and had loose chains, but it was still possible to see inside the theatre. I was surprised to see that the inside had not been repainted in 32-33 years! The cerulean blue backdrop to the concession stand was still there!!
Hollywood, Florida recently re-developed the area where the theatre was located (the Young Circle Band Shell), so hopefully, it was restored as I did see a sign on the doors that spoke of renovations.
According to the History of Hollywood (1929-1950)by Virginia Elliott TenEick, published by the City of Hollywood and printed by McMurray Printers, Miami, Florida, 1966, there was a theatre built in 1924 at 1921 Hollywood Boulevard with Thomas M. McCarrel the contractor and Arthur Enos the owner-manager. Most of Hollywood, Florida at that time was a sand-lot as most of the trees were razed in the 1920’s photographs in the book. There was only one other building a lot away from the 1924 theatre and it was the Hollywood Furniture Company.
I found and uploaded the photographs I had of the Hollywood Cinema in Hollywood, Florida and the December 2004 benefit premier of the “Towering Inferno'.
I worked at the Hollywood Cinema from 1972 until 1975 when it was a General Cinema Corporation theatre. I have two pictures of the theatre from about 1973 when the theatre hosted a World Premier of the Towering Inferno as a fund-raiser for the Starting Place, a local drug treatment facility. Hollywood firefighters were in attendance and there were spot lights tilted towards the sky and a fire truck with its red lights flashing as patrons made their appearance in semi-formal to formal attire. One picture was of the marquee and fire truck and the other was of the inside where patrons where enjoying a reception for the event of champagne and hors d’oeuvres.
It was an old, but grand theatre with, if I recall, either 1012 or 1013 seats in the house (the house was sold out on numerous occasions). The inside of the building was repainted in 1973 by the theatre manager and the staff who were working for the theatre at the time (including myself). Behind the concession stand, there was a thick vinyl black strip of wall paper about 12-15 feet wide and it went all the way up the wall to the top of the high ceiling. This strip of vinyl was painted a cerulean blue (AKA General Cinema Blue). There was a also a bright red, recessed, wooden telephone booth with a telephone just off the lobby and just off the bright red carpeted walkway to the theatre entrance. Possibly installed in the 1956 renovations of the theatre. I recall it was considered an old and novelty telephone booth in the 1970’s. After work hours, it wasn’t uncommon for co-workers to all cram into the telephone booth to aggravate you as you were making a call!!
The movie projectors were the old carbon projectors and it wasn’t uncommon to see film melt as you watched a movie. If I recall the projectionist had to switch between projectors about every fifteen minutes. If the projectionist wasn’t paying attention and didn’t catch the visual indicators that a reel was about to end, the film would stop playing and patrons would be out the door telling whomever was in the lobby about it.
The concession stand drink dispensors were from the 1950’s as well. One had to stand on a step ladder and pour concentrated soda syrup from glass gallon jugs into the top of the dispensor and connect the CO2 dispensors for the fizz. There were rarely any more than two concession attendants to serve sold out houses with everyone served before the movie started. Something I have never seen occur at theatres in Florida since that time! We actually ran to grab popcorn around the end of the counter and filled the drink order as we added all the items sold to a customer in our heads!! By the time we set a drink down, the customer knew what they owed and were handing us the money and we were making change. Concession items were counted nightly and if the drawer was short, it came out of your pay. It was rarely short. There was only ONE cashier to sell the tickets and it wasn’t uncommon for managers to remove the cash in a trash basket as one could take in thousands of dollars every two hours. Tickets were $3.00-$4.00 in the evening.
About 3-4 years ago, I was in the area and stopped by to reminisce. The theatre was still there, but the sad part is that where the theatre once supported the recovery of drug addicts in the 1970’s, it was being used by homeless addicts as a night time place to sleep (not officially). The glass exit doors were painted over and had loose chains, but it was still possible to see inside the theatre. I was surprised to see that the inside had not been repainted in 32-33 years! The cerulean blue backdrop to the concession stand was still there!!
Hollywood, Florida recently re-developed the area where the theatre was located (the Young Circle Band Shell), so hopefully, it was restored as I did see a sign on the doors that spoke of renovations.
According to the History of Hollywood (1929-1950)by Virginia Elliott TenEick, published by the City of Hollywood and printed by McMurray Printers, Miami, Florida, 1966, there was a theatre built in 1924 at 1921 Hollywood Boulevard with Thomas M. McCarrel the contractor and Arthur Enos the owner-manager. Most of Hollywood, Florida at that time was a sand-lot as most of the trees were razed in the 1920’s photographs in the book. There was only one other building a lot away from the 1924 theatre and it was the Hollywood Furniture Company.
Charla