We all have such short memories. Don’t we remember how in the 1980s Japanese companies tried to buy up Hollywood? This is a business deal, pure and simple. Maybe Wanda’s investment will pay off. Maybe it won’t. It always amuses me that when an Asian country makes a big investment in an America, people get all heated up. As far as I know, the biggest investment in the US has been from the UK.
Stan, are you the guy who wrote that great story about the Belmont in The Nashville Retrospect in Feb 2012? If so, would you give permission to quote part of it on this site? Or post it yourself?
I saw many movies at the (then) Avco Embassy back when it was new. It was an OK place, but reminded one that movie palaces were a thing of the past. It was a lot more enjoyable going to the Westwood or the Bruin. I remember thinking that movie theaters were not headed in a good direction.
For the record, I have not lived in LA for many years. My memeory about the National may be a bit blurry, as I was very young when it was built. So please feel free to correct me!
The National was built during changing times for the movie business. South of Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood, one or two theaters like the Avco had been constructed. These were small boutique cinemas. One of them may have had two screens. In any case, the era of the multiplex was in its infancy. Mann Theaters built the National as if in a reaction to this trend. This would have been about 1970. I saw “The Exorcist” there in 1971.
I remember that The National was big, but not as big as older theaters. It was rather plain compared to theaters down the street – The Village, The Bruin. It totally paled in comparison to older venues in Hollywood, such as The Chinese, The Egyptian, The Pantages and The Paramount [now El Capitan]. The National always seemed to sit on some lonely island of its own.
But here is what I think: Its very isolation in the evolution of movie theaters is reason enough to save it. The only other eample of this period still standing that I can think of is the Ziegfeld in New York, which has thankfully been saved.
I think the whole venture was built upon the false premise that “if you build it, they will come.” Carmike continued to build non stadium miltiplexes in the Nashville metroplex well into the 1990s. It was easily unseated as the dominant chain in Nashville by Regal Cinemas, which constructed the amazing [at the time] Regal Hollywood 27 in 1996, then later the more sedate but in some ways more successful Green Hills Commons 16.
Loew’s Vendome was an amazing space. It was apparently a legitimate theater when it opened in 1903. It was square shaped, as opposed to the rectanglular shape of many movie palaces. It had several balconies. Probably the upper balcony was for ‘colored only’.
The Vendome was set back from Church street. At the entrance was the marquee and box office. From there one walked down perhaps a hundred feet to the actual entrance to the theater. The lobby was rather small but had a high ceiling and the most amazing crystal chandelier.
It was essentially a wooden structure, so the fact that it burned was not so surprising. It burned on a Thursday night in 1967. The film playing was “The Dirty Dozen”. Ads in the local papers the nexy day proclaimed “HELD OVER! 2ND HOT WEEK”! Hot indeed.
In the ensuring months, Loew’s unveiled a plan to construct a mammoth theater on the site. But the time of the movie palace had passed, and the project never happened. Instead, Lowe’s leased a small, rather plain theater down the street. I think they leased it from Cresent Amusement, which ran most of the theaters then. [it might have been from Martin Theaters which took over Crescent about
that time.]
Loew’s had a very successful run at the Cresent for several years. The chain also leased the Melrose Theater on Franklin Road.
My girlfriend and I sat through “A Hard Day’s Night” twice at Loew’s Vendome in 1964.
After sitting idle for several years. the Vendome property was built into a downtown mall by a private developer. This brilliant scheme failed.
Today the site it the home of the Nashville Public Library. While obviously not a movie palace, it is an awesome structure – monumental and grandiose. Unintendably, it is a tribute to structure that once stood there.
The Franklin may close at the end of 2006 because the new landlord needs to increase the rent to recoup his investment. Loyal fsns of the theater are looking at ways to prevent the Franklin’s demise. Franklin is one of the richest cities in the country, both finanacially and historically, so let’s hope the Franklin will survive.
Why is the facade so massive? What lies behind it? A very interesting structure. Have fun with it. I agree that non profit is NOT a bad idea. But, of course, I don’t even know where in TX San Angelo is! Best of luck!
Odd remarks from the owner of a chain like Landmark? Or one should ask this: All the vast money is in the hands of those 35 and older. Why don’t they go out to movies? Could it be the movies themselves? Well, duh, yes.
Suggest a campaign in which the loss of the theater is emphasised. The historic value of the town WILL be impacted by the loss of the structure. The value of preservation is the saving of at least one example of of a period in history.
That the Keith Albee survived to 2006 as a functioning theater seems amazing to me. I live in a city much larger and more successful than Huntingdon, and the last palace closed here in the 1970s. In fact, all have been demolished here. Doesn’t sound like there are any plans to tear down this theater, which is the good news.
This is an interesting and important thread. Rarely do we get get family stories about the people who built chains. More postings would be greatly appreciated.
Ken Roe – Thanks for adding these cinemas. This Odeon looks like a great venue. The exterior Art Deco design is fine in its understatement. Churches are great tenants for old cinema treasures. Ironic that in the old days, movie theaters were a target for many Christian denominations!
I have never seen this theater, but the passion of this thread makes me believe that it is something very special. Best of luck to you fighting to save it.
I think these retail installations can serve a purpose if they value the old theater venue they take over.
For example, years ago, Bookstar book sellers took over the exquisite Belle Meade suburban theater [circa 1938] in Nashville. They gutted the auditorium, but kept the mirrored ceiling lobby much like it was originally. They also preserved the amazing sign, the marquee, etc. This preserved the facade for more than a decade. A few years ago, Bookstar itself went under, and the theater was again vacant. The present plan is to preserve the facade of the theater and built a grandiose building behind it.
My point is that if a thinking retail outlet had not moved into the space, NONE of the Belle Meade would exist today.
The facade of the Belle Meade is a magnificent example of the suburban theater of the 1930s. At least that much as benn preserved.
It seems like b.s to me. It is not likely that exhibitors believe that mediocre movies help business. If that were true, then it would imply that the business is in the hands of people so dumb that the business will end in the near future.
My observations of exhibtion are:
Concessions have been priced beyond what some customers are willing to pay. The law of supply and demand has been ignored. More than once I have entered a theater with a friend who has proclaimed he or see won’t pay those prices. I will because I like popcorn and because I know how a theater makes its profits, but the average consumer could care less about how profits are made.
Few theater managers seem to know how to staff concession stands. Theater food service is by nature fast food. The time between buying a ticket and finding a seat is limited. Often, I bypass concessions because I don’t have time to stand in line. Sometimes, once we have found a seat, I’ll go back to the lobby. Point is that I often see concession stands undermanned and overwhelmed.
You are right Danny. A photographer and I once considered doing a book based on hidden interiors in old buidings in downtoen Nashville. In the 1960s and 1970s many of these buildings were boarded up above the ground floor, with only the ground floor rented out for commercial space. Above the abandoned floors were sealed off in time. But we waited to long and many of the buildings are now destroyed or renovated.
One of my biggest regrets was not doing photgraphs at the old SuperX drug store on 6th Ave. Opened in the late 1960s I think, it was carved out of the old Knickerbocker. Above the false ceiling the upper reaches of the theater stood untouched, unloved and no longer remembered.
cary, that was an excellent view on what it takes. Showmanship is NOT an easy thing. You have to work hard at it, knowing all the while that much of what you do will never be appreciated – well. it actually is, but not at the level one expects.
Some may not appreciate you in your monkey suit, but who cares? You accomplished what you set out to do. You absolutely DO know what you are doing!
what was the original seating capacity of this version of the theater. Facade implies if was a lot more than 350.
We all have such short memories. Don’t we remember how in the 1980s Japanese companies tried to buy up Hollywood? This is a business deal, pure and simple. Maybe Wanda’s investment will pay off. Maybe it won’t. It always amuses me that when an Asian country makes a big investment in an America, people get all heated up. As far as I know, the biggest investment in the US has been from the UK.
Stan, are you the guy who wrote that great story about the Belmont in The Nashville Retrospect in Feb 2012? If so, would you give permission to quote part of it on this site? Or post it yourself?
What a beautiful facade – simple, clean, elegant. Wish The Apex was still around.
Congratulations!
NOW I remember where I saw “The Exorcist”! Thanks!
It appears in this case that Malco was a victim of a dying mall. Big empty malls are really creepy places, and business must have been affected.
I saw many movies at the (then) Avco Embassy back when it was new. It was an OK place, but reminded one that movie palaces were a thing of the past. It was a lot more enjoyable going to the Westwood or the Bruin. I remember thinking that movie theaters were not headed in a good direction.
I agree. Playhouse Square is outstanding! So there is Seattle and Cleveland and ??????
A splendid collection of photos. If only only other cities had the sense of history that apparently thrives in Seattle.
For the record, I have not lived in LA for many years. My memeory about the National may be a bit blurry, as I was very young when it was built. So please feel free to correct me!
The National was built during changing times for the movie business. South of Wilshire Blvd. in Westwood, one or two theaters like the Avco had been constructed. These were small boutique cinemas. One of them may have had two screens. In any case, the era of the multiplex was in its infancy. Mann Theaters built the National as if in a reaction to this trend. This would have been about 1970. I saw “The Exorcist” there in 1971.
I remember that The National was big, but not as big as older theaters. It was rather plain compared to theaters down the street – The Village, The Bruin. It totally paled in comparison to older venues in Hollywood, such as The Chinese, The Egyptian, The Pantages and The Paramount [now El Capitan]. The National always seemed to sit on some lonely island of its own.
But here is what I think: Its very isolation in the evolution of movie theaters is reason enough to save it. The only other eample of this period still standing that I can think of is the Ziegfeld in New York, which has thankfully been saved.
I think the whole venture was built upon the false premise that “if you build it, they will come.” Carmike continued to build non stadium miltiplexes in the Nashville metroplex well into the 1990s. It was easily unseated as the dominant chain in Nashville by Regal Cinemas, which constructed the amazing [at the time] Regal Hollywood 27 in 1996, then later the more sedate but in some ways more successful Green Hills Commons 16.
Loew’s Vendome was an amazing space. It was apparently a legitimate theater when it opened in 1903. It was square shaped, as opposed to the rectanglular shape of many movie palaces. It had several balconies. Probably the upper balcony was for ‘colored only’.
The Vendome was set back from Church street. At the entrance was the marquee and box office. From there one walked down perhaps a hundred feet to the actual entrance to the theater. The lobby was rather small but had a high ceiling and the most amazing crystal chandelier.
It was essentially a wooden structure, so the fact that it burned was not so surprising. It burned on a Thursday night in 1967. The film playing was “The Dirty Dozen”. Ads in the local papers the nexy day proclaimed “HELD OVER! 2ND HOT WEEK”! Hot indeed.
In the ensuring months, Loew’s unveiled a plan to construct a mammoth theater on the site. But the time of the movie palace had passed, and the project never happened. Instead, Lowe’s leased a small, rather plain theater down the street. I think they leased it from Cresent Amusement, which ran most of the theaters then. [it might have been from Martin Theaters which took over Crescent about
that time.]
Loew’s had a very successful run at the Cresent for several years. The chain also leased the Melrose Theater on Franklin Road.
My girlfriend and I sat through “A Hard Day’s Night” twice at Loew’s Vendome in 1964.
After sitting idle for several years. the Vendome property was built into a downtown mall by a private developer. This brilliant scheme failed.
Today the site it the home of the Nashville Public Library. While obviously not a movie palace, it is an awesome structure – monumental and grandiose. Unintendably, it is a tribute to structure that once stood there.
The Franklin may close at the end of 2006 because the new landlord needs to increase the rent to recoup his investment. Loyal fsns of the theater are looking at ways to prevent the Franklin’s demise. Franklin is one of the richest cities in the country, both finanacially and historically, so let’s hope the Franklin will survive.
Why is the facade so massive? What lies behind it? A very interesting structure. Have fun with it. I agree that non profit is NOT a bad idea. But, of course, I don’t even know where in TX San Angelo is! Best of luck!
Odd remarks from the owner of a chain like Landmark? Or one should ask this: All the vast money is in the hands of those 35 and older. Why don’t they go out to movies? Could it be the movies themselves? Well, duh, yes.
Suggest a campaign in which the loss of the theater is emphasised. The historic value of the town WILL be impacted by the loss of the structure. The value of preservation is the saving of at least one example of of a period in history.
That the Keith Albee survived to 2006 as a functioning theater seems amazing to me. I live in a city much larger and more successful than Huntingdon, and the last palace closed here in the 1970s. In fact, all have been demolished here. Doesn’t sound like there are any plans to tear down this theater, which is the good news.
This is an interesting and important thread. Rarely do we get get family stories about the people who built chains. More postings would be greatly appreciated.
Ken Roe – Thanks for adding these cinemas. This Odeon looks like a great venue. The exterior Art Deco design is fine in its understatement. Churches are great tenants for old cinema treasures. Ironic that in the old days, movie theaters were a target for many Christian denominations!
I have never seen this theater, but the passion of this thread makes me believe that it is something very special. Best of luck to you fighting to save it.
I think these retail installations can serve a purpose if they value the old theater venue they take over.
For example, years ago, Bookstar book sellers took over the exquisite Belle Meade suburban theater [circa 1938] in Nashville. They gutted the auditorium, but kept the mirrored ceiling lobby much like it was originally. They also preserved the amazing sign, the marquee, etc. This preserved the facade for more than a decade. A few years ago, Bookstar itself went under, and the theater was again vacant. The present plan is to preserve the facade of the theater and built a grandiose building behind it.
My point is that if a thinking retail outlet had not moved into the space, NONE of the Belle Meade would exist today.
The facade of the Belle Meade is a magnificent example of the suburban theater of the 1930s. At least that much as benn preserved.
It seems like b.s to me. It is not likely that exhibitors believe that mediocre movies help business. If that were true, then it would imply that the business is in the hands of people so dumb that the business will end in the near future.
My observations of exhibtion are:
Concessions have been priced beyond what some customers are willing to pay. The law of supply and demand has been ignored. More than once I have entered a theater with a friend who has proclaimed he or see won’t pay those prices. I will because I like popcorn and because I know how a theater makes its profits, but the average consumer could care less about how profits are made.
Few theater managers seem to know how to staff concession stands. Theater food service is by nature fast food. The time between buying a ticket and finding a seat is limited. Often, I bypass concessions because I don’t have time to stand in line. Sometimes, once we have found a seat, I’ll go back to the lobby. Point is that I often see concession stands undermanned and overwhelmed.
You are right Danny. A photographer and I once considered doing a book based on hidden interiors in old buidings in downtoen Nashville. In the 1960s and 1970s many of these buildings were boarded up above the ground floor, with only the ground floor rented out for commercial space. Above the abandoned floors were sealed off in time. But we waited to long and many of the buildings are now destroyed or renovated.
One of my biggest regrets was not doing photgraphs at the old SuperX drug store on 6th Ave. Opened in the late 1960s I think, it was carved out of the old Knickerbocker. Above the false ceiling the upper reaches of the theater stood untouched, unloved and no longer remembered.
A fire destroyed the building a few years ago.
cary, that was an excellent view on what it takes. Showmanship is NOT an easy thing. You have to work hard at it, knowing all the while that much of what you do will never be appreciated – well. it actually is, but not at the level one expects.
Some may not appreciate you in your monkey suit, but who cares? You accomplished what you set out to do. You absolutely DO know what you are doing!