Looks like the city and the developer voted to tear the 1932 UA Theatre down at last nights board meeting. For a college city now there are no movie theatres left in downtown Berkeley. The new condo people say they will keep the front and some of the art deco lobby. What a shame they need to look at cities like NYC and others that keep buildings and build above to roof. This could happen at the strong steel cement UA Theatre. Just add some extra steel and go up on top for the 17 floor new building. The extra large cinema can be used for so many stage events and even movies for a new generation to enjoy. The city rushed this deal just for the extra tax money they will get with all the condos and apartments. The original 1932 art deco decor is hidden behind all the twin cut up space that was done by UA Theatres many years ago to make more money. Just down the street another cinema the Shattuck Theatre is gone and a empty lot just sits there. The new condo or rental people will just have to sit in their new spaces on the former UA Theatre property and watch streaming TV. Not much movie or stage entertainment around anymore downtown once the wrecking ball hits the UA.
Thanks DB54 —Disney never seemed to advertise STEREO In their few early stereo 4 track mag movies at all. I wonder If the Disney press ad sheets for Mary had stereo on some of the ads? ‘Mary Poppins’ had a great stereo track and was shown in a few theatres in stereo surround. Some cinemas put in the ad in ‘4 TRACK MAGNETIC STEREO SURROUND SOUND’. Disney did not use wide screen or CinemaScope much either in the early 50’s just a few titles in wide screen. ‘Mary Poppins’ was flat too bad, but at least I got to see it as a kid while working at the Fox Oakland Theatre a block away on the small flat screen at the Roxie Theatre in Oakland in stereo sound owned by the Blumenfeld family. Most of the Blumenfeld theatres never put in CinemaScope wide screens they just lowered the masking down from a square screen. The Roxie is still up but now turned into offices. They always take off the nice neon marquees like the Lux Theatre on Broadway in Oakland now a Goodwill store.
This new Screen X system looks great when It Is used as a segment of a movie but only in a big auditorium not so hot in a small screen venue. It’s no Cinerama. If the film is in scope It won’t light up all the front screen or sides top to bottom like a 1.85 movie will. If the surround speakers on the white screen side walls have not been moved up to the ceiling tilting down you will have them show on the side screen walls when the special effects come on. Thanks Ridethetrain for the image.
Thanks for the classic photo. The RKO Golden Gate was SF’s second Cinerama house for a time when they went 70mm, Did a bad job putting a smaller curved screen on the back of the stage with flat curtains. Twined the upstairs loge area and ran 70mm roadshow on top on a flat screen with a bad keystone.
Thanks Darren great photo by Fred. Must have looked great on the semi curved CinemaScope screen and all the side wall stereo speakers the SF Fox had. A sad time for all the people of San Francisco when they tore the Fox Theatre down. Many of the other large Fox Theatres are still standing like in Atlanta, St Louis and Detroit making money with live stage events.
Like so many cinemas they put the white lights so close to the front they leak onto the screen during the pre show ads or trailers. Do the light people even care?
Very few theatres had a CinemaScope 55 projector, I think the Roxy NYC had one along with the Fox West Coast Hollywood Chinese? Most ‘King And I’ prints were just regular CinemaScope 35mm film taken from the 55 negative. Thanks Cineast for the photo
I liked the UltraVision Theaters. We had a Plitt ABC one near San Francisco in Daly City. Torn down for a parking lot. This photo in this ad makes It look like the screen was not that curved but It was.
Todd-AO was a great 70mm curved screen system. But after Mike Todd died they let theatres show the system in any 70mm screen flat or curved. This took away the exclusive nice curve It had at first. They brought in the 70mm print of ‘South Pacific’ to the UA Alexandria Theatre in San Francisco and ran It on a almost flat screen and advertised It as Todd-AO. UA was running out of roadshow 70mm cinemas in SF as just up the street on Geary ST The UA Coronet Theatre had a true deluxe original curved Todd-AO screen used for ‘Oklahoma’ and other Todd-AO productions. The Coronet was torn down many years ago when UA was money hungry. The old UA Alexandria still stands in very bad shape.
Thanks Cineast for the classic photo. Too bad the city of New York took out so many of the grindhouse theatres on 42nd St. They needed to keep just one open so a new generation could experience the B movie triple bill grindhouse 24/7 times.
terrywade
commented about
1957 on
Oct 17, 2024 at 9:34 pm
Thanks Swamp for the great ad. Too bad a few of the old larger theatres still left in the USA don’t do a big Halloween stage show like this anymore. Get the kids out of the streaming house and scare them silly.
Nice lights but the Cineworld chain never has nice black light glow rugs. They put in cheap way to dark not lit carpets. Same with their UA theatres in the USA. I guess they do this as not to show all the dirt and grime on the rugs as so many slops spill everything on the floors. They spend all the lighting money on LED or neon color lobby lights and skimp on the carpets.
Kino nice photo but ugly surround speakers. Too boxy looking. Like for a rock show not a movie theatre. I remember many theatres that put in stereo surround speakers in the 50’s/ 60’s hid the surround speakers in the side walls or ceiling. You heard the effect surround sound but did not see the small speakers.
Looks like the city and the developer voted to tear the 1932 UA Theatre down at last nights board meeting. For a college city now there are no movie theatres left in downtown Berkeley. The new condo people say they will keep the front and some of the art deco lobby. What a shame they need to look at cities like NYC and others that keep buildings and build above to roof. This could happen at the strong steel cement UA Theatre. Just add some extra steel and go up on top for the 17 floor new building. The extra large cinema can be used for so many stage events and even movies for a new generation to enjoy. The city rushed this deal just for the extra tax money they will get with all the condos and apartments. The original 1932 art deco decor is hidden behind all the twin cut up space that was done by UA Theatres many years ago to make more money. Just down the street another cinema the Shattuck Theatre is gone and a empty lot just sits there. The new condo or rental people will just have to sit in their new spaces on the former UA Theatre property and watch streaming TV. Not much movie or stage entertainment around anymore downtown once the wrecking ball hits the UA.
Thanks DB54 —Disney never seemed to advertise STEREO In their few early stereo 4 track mag movies at all. I wonder If the Disney press ad sheets for Mary had stereo on some of the ads? ‘Mary Poppins’ had a great stereo track and was shown in a few theatres in stereo surround. Some cinemas put in the ad in ‘4 TRACK MAGNETIC STEREO SURROUND SOUND’. Disney did not use wide screen or CinemaScope much either in the early 50’s just a few titles in wide screen. ‘Mary Poppins’ was flat too bad, but at least I got to see it as a kid while working at the Fox Oakland Theatre a block away on the small flat screen at the Roxie Theatre in Oakland in stereo sound owned by the Blumenfeld family. Most of the Blumenfeld theatres never put in CinemaScope wide screens they just lowered the masking down from a square screen. The Roxie is still up but now turned into offices. They always take off the nice neon marquees like the Lux Theatre on Broadway in Oakland now a Goodwill store.
Thanks JK I wonder If the giant curved Cinerama screen was still up when they showed Earthquake at the Warner?
Thanks JK I wonder If the giant curved Cinerama screen was still up when they showed Earthquake at the Warner?
Must have looked and sounded great on the giant curved Cinerama screen at the RKO Warner Cinerama Theatre in NYC. Thanks CC for the image ad.
This new Screen X system looks great when It Is used as a segment of a movie but only in a big auditorium not so hot in a small screen venue. It’s no Cinerama. If the film is in scope It won’t light up all the front screen or sides top to bottom like a 1.85 movie will. If the surround speakers on the white screen side walls have not been moved up to the ceiling tilting down you will have them show on the side screen walls when the special effects come on. Thanks Ridethetrain for the image.
Thanks for the classic photo. The RKO Golden Gate was SF’s second Cinerama house for a time when they went 70mm, Did a bad job putting a smaller curved screen on the back of the stage with flat curtains. Twined the upstairs loge area and ran 70mm roadshow on top on a flat screen with a bad keystone.
No mention about 70mm Todd-AO or 6 track stereophonic sound. Must have been just a mono 35mm scope showing?
Thanks Darren great photo by Fred. Must have looked great on the semi curved CinemaScope screen and all the side wall stereo speakers the SF Fox had. A sad time for all the people of San Francisco when they tore the Fox Theatre down. Many of the other large Fox Theatres are still standing like in Atlanta, St Louis and Detroit making money with live stage events.
Like so many cinemas they put the white lights so close to the front they leak onto the screen during the pre show ads or trailers. Do the light people even care?
Very few theatres had a CinemaScope 55 projector, I think the Roxy NYC had one along with the Fox West Coast Hollywood Chinese? Most ‘King And I’ prints were just regular CinemaScope 35mm film taken from the 55 negative. Thanks Cineast for the photo
I liked the UltraVision Theaters. We had a Plitt ABC one near San Francisco in Daly City. Torn down for a parking lot. This photo in this ad makes It look like the screen was not that curved but It was.
Thanks CC looks like they had black light glow wall art. Wish they used some today in new cinemas.
Todd-AO was a great 70mm curved screen system. But after Mike Todd died they let theatres show the system in any 70mm screen flat or curved. This took away the exclusive nice curve It had at first. They brought in the 70mm print of ‘South Pacific’ to the UA Alexandria Theatre in San Francisco and ran It on a almost flat screen and advertised It as Todd-AO. UA was running out of roadshow 70mm cinemas in SF as just up the street on Geary ST The UA Coronet Theatre had a true deluxe original curved Todd-AO screen used for ‘Oklahoma’ and other Todd-AO productions. The Coronet was torn down many years ago when UA was money hungry. The old UA Alexandria still stands in very bad shape.
Now a gym but could be turned back into a theatre very easy.
Now a gym but could be turned back into a theatre very easy.
Too bad the city of SF tore the Fox down. I often wonder who bought the CinemaScope neon sign or did they trash It.
This theatre showed 70mm TOOD-AO but was It on a curved screen? Can’t find any photos of the curved screen inside. Does any one know thanks.
This 3D movie had some of the best 3D pop off screen effects. Looks great in Blu Ray 3D on a 3D TV. Not like the fake 3D you see in theatres now.
Thanks Cineast for the classic photo. Too bad the city of New York took out so many of the grindhouse theatres on 42nd St. They needed to keep just one open so a new generation could experience the B movie triple bill grindhouse 24/7 times.
Thanks Swamp for the great ad. Too bad a few of the old larger theatres still left in the USA don’t do a big Halloween stage show like this anymore. Get the kids out of the streaming house and scare them silly.
Nice lights but the Cineworld chain never has nice black light glow rugs. They put in cheap way to dark not lit carpets. Same with their UA theatres in the USA. I guess they do this as not to show all the dirt and grime on the rugs as so many slops spill everything on the floors. They spend all the lighting money on LED or neon color lobby lights and skimp on the carpets.
You can see what was left of the D-150 curved screen curtain track on the sides in this photo.
You can still see in the top B&W photo of this search what was left of the curved curtains on the sides when they had D-150 installed.
Kino nice photo but ugly surround speakers. Too boxy looking. Like for a rock show not a movie theatre. I remember many theatres that put in stereo surround speakers in the 50’s/ 60’s hid the surround speakers in the side walls or ceiling. You heard the effect surround sound but did not see the small speakers.