Hey Steelerb!
Thanks for sharing your cool “Old Towne” experiences. Thanks also for the links. I have some friends who may want to see those… Wow, thank goodness for the Internet! I love seeing those old pictures of that great mall. I totally remember bad mouthing the mall as I got older. It’s sad that all the current shopping malls have become so cookie cutter and “corporate”. I love the cheesiness of the 70’s now that I look back on it all. I’m still living in the neighborhood, and it’s sad to see how little has been preserved from my childhood.
Take care!
I love reading about the history of my stomping grounds! I believe the food court in Del Amo was featured in “Valley Girl.” I remember when Jackie Brown was being filmed at the mall as well… It will be interesting to see what happens to good ol' Del Amo. In the 70’s, I hung out mostly at Old Towne Mall because it was smaller and had alot of really cool shops, rides and that great theater. I was reading about the South Bay Center in this thread, remembering “Newberry’s”, the “Orange Julius” stand, and seeing Santa Claus, who was stationed in that area of shopping center. What a great time… As I mentioned in another post, I feel like a little old lady reminiscing about the good old days. Really, alot has changed in the South Bay, and it’s sad to see the “small town” feeling go away with the “Corporating” of the beach cities.
We now call this theater the “$3 theater”, because it’s only $3 to see the second run movies. We do go to the kid flicks here, because it’s cheap and I don’t want to see this place get knocked down like the rest of the area. In the 70’s I remember seeing two of the greatest blockbusters during that decade at the (now torn down) theater: “Jaws” and “Star Wars”. It’s funny how to this day, I remember when I was 10 years old, standing in that line that wrapped around the building. I also saw a b-movie called “Grizzly”. Not sure if anyone else had seen this one. The South Bay Center was very hip during the 70’s with the theater, bowling alley, and outdoor mall located where the current “South Bay Galleria” is. Anyone remember “Newberry’s”? The small “Orange Julius” stand? I remember visiting Santa Claus when he was stationed in that area of the mall. Wow, what a different time that was, eh?
Great old theater… I saw “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at this theater. Big red, velvet seats; the large awesome velvet curtain; and a funky circular restroom entrance. Unfortunately, alot of charm, including this theater, has been lost in all the South Bay’s beach cities. At least the building still stands…
Old Towne Mall was an awesome place for us kids growing up in the 70’s! Back in the day, when our parents thought life was safe, they would drop me and my friends off there so that we had a place to hang out and be cool and not pester our parents. I remember getting the lemon/salt cucumbers on a stick; the very cool poster shop; the pet shop where I bought my first hamster; the magic shop; and the roller skating shop. I think there was some killer spaghetti/pizza restaurant at the main entrance. I do remember that there was a ton of food! I loved the arcade and the tacky rides: those would kill time before seeing a movie. I remember seeing “Jaws III” and “The Jerk” at that theater, as well as countless other gems. I need to go see the postings about the old South Bay Center, the other “neighborhood” theaters that were located at Artesia/Hawthorne. Wow, alot has changed in our area… I’m feeling so OLD!
Hey Steelerb!
Thanks for sharing your cool “Old Towne” experiences. Thanks also for the links. I have some friends who may want to see those… Wow, thank goodness for the Internet! I love seeing those old pictures of that great mall. I totally remember bad mouthing the mall as I got older. It’s sad that all the current shopping malls have become so cookie cutter and “corporate”. I love the cheesiness of the 70’s now that I look back on it all. I’m still living in the neighborhood, and it’s sad to see how little has been preserved from my childhood.
Take care!
I love reading about the history of my stomping grounds! I believe the food court in Del Amo was featured in “Valley Girl.” I remember when Jackie Brown was being filmed at the mall as well… It will be interesting to see what happens to good ol' Del Amo. In the 70’s, I hung out mostly at Old Towne Mall because it was smaller and had alot of really cool shops, rides and that great theater. I was reading about the South Bay Center in this thread, remembering “Newberry’s”, the “Orange Julius” stand, and seeing Santa Claus, who was stationed in that area of shopping center. What a great time… As I mentioned in another post, I feel like a little old lady reminiscing about the good old days. Really, alot has changed in the South Bay, and it’s sad to see the “small town” feeling go away with the “Corporating” of the beach cities.
We now call this theater the “$3 theater”, because it’s only $3 to see the second run movies. We do go to the kid flicks here, because it’s cheap and I don’t want to see this place get knocked down like the rest of the area. In the 70’s I remember seeing two of the greatest blockbusters during that decade at the (now torn down) theater: “Jaws” and “Star Wars”. It’s funny how to this day, I remember when I was 10 years old, standing in that line that wrapped around the building. I also saw a b-movie called “Grizzly”. Not sure if anyone else had seen this one. The South Bay Center was very hip during the 70’s with the theater, bowling alley, and outdoor mall located where the current “South Bay Galleria” is. Anyone remember “Newberry’s”? The small “Orange Julius” stand? I remember visiting Santa Claus when he was stationed in that area of the mall. Wow, what a different time that was, eh?
Great old theater… I saw “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at this theater. Big red, velvet seats; the large awesome velvet curtain; and a funky circular restroom entrance. Unfortunately, alot of charm, including this theater, has been lost in all the South Bay’s beach cities. At least the building still stands…
Old Towne Mall was an awesome place for us kids growing up in the 70’s! Back in the day, when our parents thought life was safe, they would drop me and my friends off there so that we had a place to hang out and be cool and not pester our parents. I remember getting the lemon/salt cucumbers on a stick; the very cool poster shop; the pet shop where I bought my first hamster; the magic shop; and the roller skating shop. I think there was some killer spaghetti/pizza restaurant at the main entrance. I do remember that there was a ton of food! I loved the arcade and the tacky rides: those would kill time before seeing a movie. I remember seeing “Jaws III” and “The Jerk” at that theater, as well as countless other gems. I need to go see the postings about the old South Bay Center, the other “neighborhood” theaters that were located at Artesia/Hawthorne. Wow, alot has changed in our area… I’m feeling so OLD!