The Bethesda was my go to neighborhood theater in the late ‘50s and into the 1970s. It had a gorgeous auditorium with a nice screen. In the early 1960s, they played some Disney features like “101 Dalmations” and they often had kiddie double features on Saturdays and Sundays. They’d mix a horror picture like “Tarantula” with “Abbott and Costello Go To Mars” and include a few cartoons as well. I vividly recall seeing both “The Sting” and “Barry Lyndon” at The Bethesda on their first runs. It was an excellent theater.
I lived in Emmaus in the ‘60s for a few years and again briefly in the 2010s. Trains go by regularly on the tracks that run along side the theater during screenings, though it was more amusing than annoying. During LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, when Lawrence is wandering alone in the desert, the train coming by gave many of us in the Emmaus’ audience a chuckle. So many memories there, and so many great movies! CHARADE, A HARD DAY’S NIGHT, THE GREAT ESCAPE, MARY POPPINS, GOLDFINGER, IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, BEACH BLANKET BINGO, MAJOR DUNDEE, MARNIE, THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER, THUNDERBALL, THE MARTIAN and FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL were among many films I got to see there. The concession stand was reasonably priced as were the tickets. It’s an awesome theater and was close enough to walk to. They now do live shows but still show movies. It was always a large part of the Emmaus community and nice to see it still is.
As a young kid, I saw my first movie here in 1959, John Ford’s “The Horse Soldiers” starring John Wayne, William Holden and Constance Towers. Other films I saw at the Avalon include “The Guns of Navarone”, “Ben-Hur”, “Rocky”, “The Black Stallion" and in the early ‘60s, “Safe at Home” starring Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris! It was honor to work as a relief projectionist at the Avalon when I was in Local 224 in the 1970s and ‘80s. Hal Malone was the manager, and starting in the ‘80s, Clarence Crews was the projectionist. There were separate booths for Avalon 1 & 2, operated by two projectionists. To access the booth for theater 1, you had to climb a long ladder. Eventually, a hall was constructed so the projectionist could access both booths, and you didn’t have to climb that ladder anymore! The Avalon was, and is, a gorgeous theater and I am so happy to see it is still operating.
Sad to hear this cinema is closing, along with a lot of other Regal theaters. Saw “Ford Vs. Ferrari” here in IMAX on a visit to the area and it was spectacular.
The Avalon is in D.C. near the district line on Connecticut Avenue adjacent to Chevy Chase, Maryland. Mr. George Senda, the theater you are remembering is likely The Uptown Theater, which was also on Connecticut Ave. and closer to the National Zoo. The Uptown was a larger theater with a giant screen, and I’m fairly certain “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and “How the West Was Won” each played there. The Uptown held the World premiere of “2001: A Space Odyssey” in 1968. The Uptown has closed permanently, though the Avalon is still operating.
The Bethesda was my go to neighborhood theater in the late ‘50s and into the 1970s. It had a gorgeous auditorium with a nice screen. In the early 1960s, they played some Disney features like “101 Dalmations” and they often had kiddie double features on Saturdays and Sundays. They’d mix a horror picture like “Tarantula” with “Abbott and Costello Go To Mars” and include a few cartoons as well. I vividly recall seeing both “The Sting” and “Barry Lyndon” at The Bethesda on their first runs. It was an excellent theater.
I lived in Emmaus in the ‘60s for a few years and again briefly in the 2010s. Trains go by regularly on the tracks that run along side the theater during screenings, though it was more amusing than annoying. During LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, when Lawrence is wandering alone in the desert, the train coming by gave many of us in the Emmaus’ audience a chuckle. So many memories there, and so many great movies! CHARADE, A HARD DAY’S NIGHT, THE GREAT ESCAPE, MARY POPPINS, GOLDFINGER, IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD, BEACH BLANKET BINGO, MAJOR DUNDEE, MARNIE, THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER, THUNDERBALL, THE MARTIAN and FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL were among many films I got to see there. The concession stand was reasonably priced as were the tickets. It’s an awesome theater and was close enough to walk to. They now do live shows but still show movies. It was always a large part of the Emmaus community and nice to see it still is.
As a young kid, I saw my first movie here in 1959, John Ford’s “The Horse Soldiers” starring John Wayne, William Holden and Constance Towers. Other films I saw at the Avalon include “The Guns of Navarone”, “Ben-Hur”, “Rocky”, “The Black Stallion" and in the early ‘60s, “Safe at Home” starring Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris! It was honor to work as a relief projectionist at the Avalon when I was in Local 224 in the 1970s and ‘80s. Hal Malone was the manager, and starting in the ‘80s, Clarence Crews was the projectionist. There were separate booths for Avalon 1 & 2, operated by two projectionists. To access the booth for theater 1, you had to climb a long ladder. Eventually, a hall was constructed so the projectionist could access both booths, and you didn’t have to climb that ladder anymore! The Avalon was, and is, a gorgeous theater and I am so happy to see it is still operating.
Sad to hear this cinema is closing, along with a lot of other Regal theaters. Saw “Ford Vs. Ferrari” here in IMAX on a visit to the area and it was spectacular.
The Avalon is in D.C. near the district line on Connecticut Avenue adjacent to Chevy Chase, Maryland. Mr. George Senda, the theater you are remembering is likely The Uptown Theater, which was also on Connecticut Ave. and closer to the National Zoo. The Uptown was a larger theater with a giant screen, and I’m fairly certain “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” and “How the West Was Won” each played there. The Uptown held the World premiere of “2001: A Space Odyssey” in 1968. The Uptown has closed permanently, though the Avalon is still operating.