Doing a rewatch of CHiPs which I probably haven’t watched since back then. Love looking up filming locations then and now. Never went to the theater but thought some of you might like it. Season 1 episode 12.
I grew up in Montebello, I would drive by it all the time on the way to Whitwood or Lovells, although I only went to this theater once in 1983 and saw Flashdance and Porkys 2 double feature. I remember the place just always seemed run down to me and discount movies, wasn’t it like $1.99 for a double feature?, I was 13 at the time, the decor was interesting, it is something we don’t see anymore. I just remember the place smelled like dirty socks, I was looking at the ceiling and balconies wondering if someone hung smelly socks there, for 4 hours, it wasn’t pleasant. It is too bad so much of Whittiers style and history is being thrown away, I remember some beautiful buildings in Montebello on Whittier were damaged in the quake, all gone.
I used to work across the street around 94 or so. I could swear it used to have Love Connection on the marquee, I had assumed they did the taping of the show there… Am I remembering this wrong?
I was born in 1970, I remember going there around the age of 10-11 quite often, my favorite ride was the Phantasia ride, I remember very little of it, it was very surreal, I remember the mall was beautiful when you look at it now compared to the bland decor of modern day malls, the mall had personality… I don’t remember the movie theater, I remember a toy store, I wish I could find more pics of that place especially the Phantasia ride. I remember 2 large wood like toy soldiers in it, a purple spinning thing, damn, I wish there was some video of the actual ride… I am sure it is somewhere in someones 16mm box of films collecting dust.
RIP Old Town Mall.
BTW I can’t remember when I went back, some years later, and most all the stores were boarded up, that was sad and the demise of a great mall.
Thanks for the photos Jim, I had posted above that I had worked in one of the stores there, I loved that theater, it was just storage, all the seats were removed and the original signs for shops and .10 cent ice cream hung in tatters from the stage… I also remember the ceiling being cracked, it looks like someone tried some restoration of it, what is the story of that?
I loved this place!!
I hung out here alot with friends when we were 15 (1985)
We would get our money together, get 1 person in, open the exit, put a lighter to keep the first door open, and open it for us outside, then we would rush in and find a seat, they had an alarm up front so it was usually a 50/50 chance depending how quick we were or them.
I liked this place alot, they didnt kick us out, we would watch a film, sit on the stairs, talk and smoke and make way for people going up and down the stairs to the bathroom and arcade, then see another movie, we could be there from open till close. For being bad 15 year old kids, they were always oblivious to us.
The movies that stand out here seeing was Return Of The Living Dead, The Goonies, Gremlins, Break Dancing.
I dont know how it is now, I worked at a computer store in the location in the early mid/90s, it had been sectioned off into shops, but that theater area remained, our upstairs storage area was the projectionist booth, nothing special, painted floor, a cover over the projection window, the theater area was beautiful in a neglected forgotten past kind of way, if I remember painted ceilings, lots of cracks, the stage area still had banners for ice cream for .10 cents. I wish I had taken a camera and explored it. What is the status of this place now?
I know somewhere in my family there is a pic of me at the preschool across the street, with the garmar in the background, I will have to look it up… I was sad to see it go, but movies playing a month was too much.. I loved the replacement The Electric Planet arcade… If memory serves me correctly Robert Blake owned it, yes THE RB. I would talk to the repair guy on the machines, he told me, and I thought Beretta COOL!. I saw his name as owner on an out of order sign. Pumping MTV from day 1, the disco look to it, the nachos. It was featured in a game magazine, anyone have a scan of that?
Doing a rewatch of CHiPs which I probably haven’t watched since back then. Love looking up filming locations then and now. Never went to the theater but thought some of you might like it. Season 1 episode 12.
Check out the GARMAR in Montebello. Grew up at that one.
I remember a few movies here as a kid, Close Encounters and Time Bandits. And probably many Disney films in the 70s.
I remember the old theater, saw Back to the Future, Breakfast Club, Splash, and others I don’t remember there.
I grew up in Montebello, I would drive by it all the time on the way to Whitwood or Lovells, although I only went to this theater once in 1983 and saw Flashdance and Porkys 2 double feature. I remember the place just always seemed run down to me and discount movies, wasn’t it like $1.99 for a double feature?, I was 13 at the time, the decor was interesting, it is something we don’t see anymore. I just remember the place smelled like dirty socks, I was looking at the ceiling and balconies wondering if someone hung smelly socks there, for 4 hours, it wasn’t pleasant. It is too bad so much of Whittiers style and history is being thrown away, I remember some beautiful buildings in Montebello on Whittier were damaged in the quake, all gone.
I used to work across the street around 94 or so. I could swear it used to have Love Connection on the marquee, I had assumed they did the taping of the show there… Am I remembering this wrong?
I was born in 1970, I remember going there around the age of 10-11 quite often, my favorite ride was the Phantasia ride, I remember very little of it, it was very surreal, I remember the mall was beautiful when you look at it now compared to the bland decor of modern day malls, the mall had personality… I don’t remember the movie theater, I remember a toy store, I wish I could find more pics of that place especially the Phantasia ride. I remember 2 large wood like toy soldiers in it, a purple spinning thing, damn, I wish there was some video of the actual ride… I am sure it is somewhere in someones 16mm box of films collecting dust.
RIP Old Town Mall.
BTW I can’t remember when I went back, some years later, and most all the stores were boarded up, that was sad and the demise of a great mall.
Yes that is it, it use to be the travel agency.
View link
Thanks for the photos Jim, I had posted above that I had worked in one of the stores there, I loved that theater, it was just storage, all the seats were removed and the original signs for shops and .10 cent ice cream hung in tatters from the stage… I also remember the ceiling being cracked, it looks like someone tried some restoration of it, what is the story of that?
I loved this place!!
I hung out here alot with friends when we were 15 (1985)
We would get our money together, get 1 person in, open the exit, put a lighter to keep the first door open, and open it for us outside, then we would rush in and find a seat, they had an alarm up front so it was usually a 50/50 chance depending how quick we were or them.
I liked this place alot, they didnt kick us out, we would watch a film, sit on the stairs, talk and smoke and make way for people going up and down the stairs to the bathroom and arcade, then see another movie, we could be there from open till close. For being bad 15 year old kids, they were always oblivious to us.
The movies that stand out here seeing was Return Of The Living Dead, The Goonies, Gremlins, Break Dancing.
BTW if you type the address into google maps, and hybrid for satalite view, you can still see the theater going north to south.
I dont know how it is now, I worked at a computer store in the location in the early mid/90s, it had been sectioned off into shops, but that theater area remained, our upstairs storage area was the projectionist booth, nothing special, painted floor, a cover over the projection window, the theater area was beautiful in a neglected forgotten past kind of way, if I remember painted ceilings, lots of cracks, the stage area still had banners for ice cream for .10 cents. I wish I had taken a camera and explored it. What is the status of this place now?
All I remember was seeing King Kong in the late 70s. Was this the one that had the huge painting for Heaven Can Wait?
I know somewhere in my family there is a pic of me at the preschool across the street, with the garmar in the background, I will have to look it up… I was sad to see it go, but movies playing a month was too much.. I loved the replacement The Electric Planet arcade… If memory serves me correctly Robert Blake owned it, yes THE RB. I would talk to the repair guy on the machines, he told me, and I thought Beretta COOL!. I saw his name as owner on an out of order sign. Pumping MTV from day 1, the disco look to it, the nachos. It was featured in a game magazine, anyone have a scan of that?