Hey, major congratulations to the Art’s 2nd anniversary (since re-opening). This place has really grown to be a centerpiece of Retro Row…I couldn’t imagine Long Beach without the Art!
I live right down the street from this place and as of this week the whole front is covered in scaffolding and tarp. It is good to see that the work is going quickly. I’m very much looking forward to being walking distance from a restored 1920’s movie theatre!
Hey! I’m moving into an apartment right down the street from the Farigrounds and I for one am very exited about this drive in. The last time I saw a drive-in movie was 1994, Lion King at Highway 39 Drive In in Westminster, CA. It’s now a Wal-Mart…..blech…
Anyway, I will try to make it to the first show, should be fun. Good luck to you!
Wow, I couldn’t have said it better myself! This is a well above average megaplex with good sound, presentation, and very few ads played before the movie (usually a max of 1 ad before the previews) It is much, much better than the AMC 30 at the Block, probably this theatres main competitor. It’s too bad, the place is usually pretty empty, with the exception of friday and saturday nights. The last flick I saw there was World’s Fastest Indian. Seeing a movie about an old man and his motorcycle, with a theatre full (and I mean FULL) of rowdy bikers was a very cool experience….
In reference to the 22 miles vs. 26 miles argument: The closest point to Catalina island, 22 miles, is the South-western corner of San Pedro. However, the place most boats leave from, in Long Beach, is probably closer to 26 miles away. So the song is kind of accurate in a way. Anyway, the theatre is beautiful and, as mentioned, has insane acoustics. The whole building is gorgeous and is one of the highlights of a trip to catalina.
There is an old theatre on 4th (i believe) in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego that is now an Urban Outfitters. I wonder if they specifically seek out theatres, or if its just a coincidence?
This is an ok place. I live right down the street, but I haven’t seen anything here in years. The main info above is right, the new Century theatre (really nice by the way) is probably going to take away the dwindling business this theatre already does. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just boring. I did see the first Jurassic Park here, in the largest auditorium. Good memories of that.
I think I went to this theatre only once. It was bigger and nicer than the crummy little place inside the mall. I saw some sort of crappy family movie about a kid’s dad who dies and his soul ends up in a toy robot the kid builds. I had very poor taste in movies at this time, as you can clearly see.
One of the last things I remember about this place is that they showed “Showgirls” on both screens at once, probably to combat the problems of kids paying to get into a G rated flick and sneaking into the other screen for some low-grade smut. The place sat empty for years until the offensivly massive Babies-R-Us was built in it’s place. Why does a store that sells nothing but baby clothes and accesories need to be several cubic miles in size?
Oh, and by the way, this should be listed as closed/demolished, as the theatre was completely torn down and its structure was not used for the above monstrosity.
Well, Bill, your hunch is pretty much right. I went to this theatre several times as a kid to see some really awful “family” type movies (anyone remember the “Babe” ripoff “Gordy?” ugh…
Anyway, the choice of films aside, this place was a dive. I still remember that, even as a kid, I realized this theatre was a dump. I don’t remember for sure if there were 3 or 4 screens, but for some reason I’m leaning towards 3. One of the last times I went I can remember a good number of seats being broken and covered with black trash bags, and some whole sections of concrete flooring torn up and in pieces, surrounded by yellow tape.
It has been replaced by 2 or 3 retail stores, and there is really no indication that it ever existed. Maybe it should be listed as closed/demolished?
Here is the official website, http://www.egyptiantheatre.org
According to the website, this theatre opened with 1600 seats and now has 1449 with 905 on the floor and 544 in the balcony. There are some nice pictures on the site and a good history.
I was at the first “Movies on the Fox” event a couple months ago. It was a great event! They showed a video about the theatre, a couple of classic movie previews, a warner brothers cartoon, and the original “War of the Worlds”. As stated above, there was a very good crowd attending the first event. The next show is “Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein” on OCT 27th. I plan to be there and I encourage anyone in the area to come and support the foundation and their work.
I stopped by the Save the Fox office a couple weeks ago. There were 3 or 4 volunteers there, all very friendly, with several conceptual drawings, vintage photos, and other info about the theatre. If you are in the area, you should drop by the office and say hi, I’m sure they’d appreciate it. I forget the exact address, but it’s on commonweath just west of Harbor on the north side of the street.
No, I think what Manwithnoname means is that the live show that precedes the movie is a generic “Disney” one, that is not related to The Incredibles. The ticket for a movie alone is $11 (i think) which is the same as the regular price ticket at the Chinese.
This place is incredible. It is so ornate and opulent that it made me feel very, very poor just being there. or maybe it made me feel very, very rich…i dunno, i guess i was just in awe…
This is still a great place to see big “event” movies, but unfortunately they no longer open and close the huge red curtains. They just sit open while an absolutely horrific “pre-show entertainment” (blatant and irritating advertising) film plays.
I saw a rock show (The Hives) here in august of 2004 and was really impressed. Very nice, well managed and beautiful. They have a rooftop lounge with a bar, and the balcony still has the seats. I will definately go back and I urge anyone who wants to see a rock show in a great converted movie house to check out the Music Box.
Forgot to mention one crucial element: they still have a curtain, and they still open it before the movie. Cool huh? Also, most of the shows I have been to recently have had increasingly larger audiences. Still not enough in my opinion, but encouraging nonetheless.
This theatre displays large poster-sized photos of other Whittier theatres that did not escape the wrecking ball. The pics are located along the theatre building south on Greenleaf.
This is easily the best theatre, revival or otherwise, that I have been to. The quality of presentation is second to none, and I mean that. The picture is bright, clear, and framed properly (the latter is a HUGE pet peeve of mine). Best of all, the screen is massive. I sat in the 6th to the last row at the top of the balcony and the screen filled my entire range of vision. The owners have kept the old time feel of the place, but they do not put that ahead of the quality of the overall experience. There is almost unnoticable sound dampening material on parts of the walls and cieling so it does not have the awful echo of many large old theatres. I could go on for pages about this place (i.e. it has 3 lobbies with couches, overstuffed chairs and a piano, they let you bring glasses of wine into the theatre, the army of ushers who make sure you are seated in the best seats available, etc, etc, etc.) but I’ve taken up enough space already. I know it is out of the way for most people, but if you happen to be near Melbourne, you must pay a visit to the Astor.
Last week I happened to walk by this place and there was a sign advertising free tours. They do them Fridays from 12 – 5 I believe. This theatre is worth a look due to the unique and impressive cieling design thats very hard to describe, the pic above really doesn’t do it justice. The theatre itself is in ok shape, but the volunteers have a long road ahead of them to get the Capitol back in use as a movie theatre. Currently it is used as a lecture hall for RMIT and ocassionally throughout the year for film festivals. The tour was pretty good, so check it out if you’re in Melbourne.
This was the first Drive-in I ever went to! In 1994, I was 11 years old and my family went to see “The Lion King” here. I wish I had gone back before it closed. I despise the Wal-Mart that now sits on the site. As if the world needs another Wal-Mart.
Hey, major congratulations to the Art’s 2nd anniversary (since re-opening). This place has really grown to be a centerpiece of Retro Row…I couldn’t imagine Long Beach without the Art!
Just saw “Doubt” here. A bit dingy inside, but good sound and picture, and a decent crowd. Nice place! Worth a look.
I live right down the street from this place and as of this week the whole front is covered in scaffolding and tarp. It is good to see that the work is going quickly. I’m very much looking forward to being walking distance from a restored 1920’s movie theatre!
Hey! I’m moving into an apartment right down the street from the Farigrounds and I for one am very exited about this drive in. The last time I saw a drive-in movie was 1994, Lion King at Highway 39 Drive In in Westminster, CA. It’s now a Wal-Mart…..blech…
Anyway, I will try to make it to the first show, should be fun. Good luck to you!
Hey! I’m getting married here in about a month! It’s apparently the first wedding ever held at the Warner Grand.
It’s extra cool because my dad went to his first movie here in the 50’s….keeping it in the family.
Wow, I couldn’t have said it better myself! This is a well above average megaplex with good sound, presentation, and very few ads played before the movie (usually a max of 1 ad before the previews) It is much, much better than the AMC 30 at the Block, probably this theatres main competitor. It’s too bad, the place is usually pretty empty, with the exception of friday and saturday nights. The last flick I saw there was World’s Fastest Indian. Seeing a movie about an old man and his motorcycle, with a theatre full (and I mean FULL) of rowdy bikers was a very cool experience….
I found this page with a calendar listing including shows at the theatre: http://www.ecatalina.com/calendar.cfm
In reference to the 22 miles vs. 26 miles argument: The closest point to Catalina island, 22 miles, is the South-western corner of San Pedro. However, the place most boats leave from, in Long Beach, is probably closer to 26 miles away. So the song is kind of accurate in a way. Anyway, the theatre is beautiful and, as mentioned, has insane acoustics. The whole building is gorgeous and is one of the highlights of a trip to catalina.
There is an old theatre on 4th (i believe) in the Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego that is now an Urban Outfitters. I wonder if they specifically seek out theatres, or if its just a coincidence?
This is an ok place. I live right down the street, but I haven’t seen anything here in years. The main info above is right, the new Century theatre (really nice by the way) is probably going to take away the dwindling business this theatre already does. There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just boring. I did see the first Jurassic Park here, in the largest auditorium. Good memories of that.
I think I went to this theatre only once. It was bigger and nicer than the crummy little place inside the mall. I saw some sort of crappy family movie about a kid’s dad who dies and his soul ends up in a toy robot the kid builds. I had very poor taste in movies at this time, as you can clearly see.
One of the last things I remember about this place is that they showed “Showgirls” on both screens at once, probably to combat the problems of kids paying to get into a G rated flick and sneaking into the other screen for some low-grade smut. The place sat empty for years until the offensivly massive Babies-R-Us was built in it’s place. Why does a store that sells nothing but baby clothes and accesories need to be several cubic miles in size?
Oh, and by the way, this should be listed as closed/demolished, as the theatre was completely torn down and its structure was not used for the above monstrosity.
Well, Bill, your hunch is pretty much right. I went to this theatre several times as a kid to see some really awful “family” type movies (anyone remember the “Babe” ripoff “Gordy?” ugh…
Anyway, the choice of films aside, this place was a dive. I still remember that, even as a kid, I realized this theatre was a dump. I don’t remember for sure if there were 3 or 4 screens, but for some reason I’m leaning towards 3. One of the last times I went I can remember a good number of seats being broken and covered with black trash bags, and some whole sections of concrete flooring torn up and in pieces, surrounded by yellow tape.
It has been replaced by 2 or 3 retail stores, and there is really no indication that it ever existed. Maybe it should be listed as closed/demolished?
Here is the official website, http://www.egyptiantheatre.org
According to the website, this theatre opened with 1600 seats and now has 1449 with 905 on the floor and 544 in the balcony. There are some nice pictures on the site and a good history.
I was at the first “Movies on the Fox” event a couple months ago. It was a great event! They showed a video about the theatre, a couple of classic movie previews, a warner brothers cartoon, and the original “War of the Worlds”. As stated above, there was a very good crowd attending the first event. The next show is “Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein” on OCT 27th. I plan to be there and I encourage anyone in the area to come and support the foundation and their work.
I stopped by the Save the Fox office a couple weeks ago. There were 3 or 4 volunteers there, all very friendly, with several conceptual drawings, vintage photos, and other info about the theatre. If you are in the area, you should drop by the office and say hi, I’m sure they’d appreciate it. I forget the exact address, but it’s on commonweath just west of Harbor on the north side of the street.
No, I think what Manwithnoname means is that the live show that precedes the movie is a generic “Disney” one, that is not related to The Incredibles. The ticket for a movie alone is $11 (i think) which is the same as the regular price ticket at the Chinese.
This place is incredible. It is so ornate and opulent that it made me feel very, very poor just being there. or maybe it made me feel very, very rich…i dunno, i guess i was just in awe…
This is still a great place to see big “event” movies, but unfortunately they no longer open and close the huge red curtains. They just sit open while an absolutely horrific “pre-show entertainment” (blatant and irritating advertising) film plays.
I saw a rock show (The Hives) here in august of 2004 and was really impressed. Very nice, well managed and beautiful. They have a rooftop lounge with a bar, and the balcony still has the seats. I will definately go back and I urge anyone who wants to see a rock show in a great converted movie house to check out the Music Box.
Great to hear! All your hard work is very much appreciated.
Forgot to mention one crucial element: they still have a curtain, and they still open it before the movie. Cool huh? Also, most of the shows I have been to recently have had increasingly larger audiences. Still not enough in my opinion, but encouraging nonetheless.
This theatre displays large poster-sized photos of other Whittier theatres that did not escape the wrecking ball. The pics are located along the theatre building south on Greenleaf.
This is easily the best theatre, revival or otherwise, that I have been to. The quality of presentation is second to none, and I mean that. The picture is bright, clear, and framed properly (the latter is a HUGE pet peeve of mine). Best of all, the screen is massive. I sat in the 6th to the last row at the top of the balcony and the screen filled my entire range of vision. The owners have kept the old time feel of the place, but they do not put that ahead of the quality of the overall experience. There is almost unnoticable sound dampening material on parts of the walls and cieling so it does not have the awful echo of many large old theatres. I could go on for pages about this place (i.e. it has 3 lobbies with couches, overstuffed chairs and a piano, they let you bring glasses of wine into the theatre, the army of ushers who make sure you are seated in the best seats available, etc, etc, etc.) but I’ve taken up enough space already. I know it is out of the way for most people, but if you happen to be near Melbourne, you must pay a visit to the Astor.
Last week I happened to walk by this place and there was a sign advertising free tours. They do them Fridays from 12 – 5 I believe. This theatre is worth a look due to the unique and impressive cieling design thats very hard to describe, the pic above really doesn’t do it justice. The theatre itself is in ok shape, but the volunteers have a long road ahead of them to get the Capitol back in use as a movie theatre. Currently it is used as a lecture hall for RMIT and ocassionally throughout the year for film festivals. The tour was pretty good, so check it out if you’re in Melbourne.
This was the first Drive-in I ever went to! In 1994, I was 11 years old and my family went to see “The Lion King” here. I wish I had gone back before it closed. I despise the Wal-Mart that now sits on the site. As if the world needs another Wal-Mart.