Cine Roble

Almost forgot. I found a couple of links you might enjoy related to the theater.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOoyUx6fh-k

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=3oSxcZMTjME

Ken,Chuck,Elizabeth,Evaldez, everybody, The CINE ROBLE" its being remodeled as we speak…. ( Or tipe) This big boy is undergoing a mayor overhaul from the inside to the outside,including the main facade, front access theatre box the whole nine yards. There is even a YT video (sorry, no link at this time) were it shows the whole remodeling and comments from the architecture firm and contractors. Wooow, who would it thought , they talk about some private deal , making this a wonderful reality… Much more to come, thats for sure….

Hola Elizabeth, Mario, Ken and others,

My namer is Hunter and I’ve been working in motion picture production for 26 years, some of it in Mexico. I have always loved the old movie theaters in the US and Mexico. The other day I was in Agua Prieta, Sonora and saw Cine Arie, which has been closed for many years. It’s across from a plaza and I have to wonder how many people really notice it anymore. I’m sure people miss the matinees and memorable evenings spent there.
I may not be able to re-open an old Mexican cinema but I do intend to bring my mobile cinema to many cities in Mexico. I’ll be
screening films from Mexico’s Gran Epoca de Oro(the golden era of
cinema). This includes films by Tin Tan, Cantiflas, Jorge Negrete,
Sara Garcia, Maria Fleix, Pedro Infante, Lola Beltran and others.
I’ll be screening most of the films outdoors, all shows will be
free. Yes, there may be some problems in presenting such screenings.
The films technically belong to studios and distributors, though most of these films have long ago moved from cinemas to the home video market. These classics can be seen on spanish language TV but
they are usually shorter than the original and have lots of
commercials every 15 minutes. Who really owns these movies? The
Mexican people, that’s who. Beyond traditional ownership of movies,
these are national treasures and a very significant part of Mexican
history & heritage.
My traveling cinema is called Highway Cinema. So far, I’ve
presented 650 free screenings. My tours have been in the US, Canada
and on the west coast of Mexico. In Mexico my cinema is called Mi
Cinito(my little cinema). Imagine the delight for a poor Mexican child to tell everyone where he’s going, “A mi cinito!”. However
brief, this child has his own cinema, his own cinema paradiso. It’s
not mine, I’m just the delivery person who turns the projector on…
Though most of my shows were on the beach in small towns in
Mexico, I also showed movies in Mazatlan while I was teaching at the university there(Taller de Cine). One memorable screening there was in the open air lobby of the Angela Peralta Theater, a restored opera house. While living in Guadalajara I showed movies at the Cafe La Opera, at an art gallery and even on a few rooftops.
I’m presently completing my first feature film script, which I'll
be directing, co-producing and co-starring in. It’s a spanish-language comedy about tourists in Mexico…
A note on Mexican cinemas: In Puerto Vallarta there is the Sala Elizabeth Taylor, a cinema that has been there for over 30 years. Though it was an elegant cinema with current feature films in it’s heyday, during the past 15 years it’s been an adult movie theater. How embarrasing for Liz Taylor, si? I’ve heard rumors that they are trying to revive it as a premiere movie house and to even
have La Muestra de Cine come to PV from Mexico City. La Muestra is
the annual international film festival presented by Cineteca
Nacional.
A note on US cinemas: In Douglas, Arizona, work is finally underway to restore the Grand Theater. Architect/builder Bruce Endres is presently restoring the ticket booth, next will be the new roof. The whole project will cost over $7 MIL. It’s a wonderful old movie palace that’s worth seeing when you’re in the Tucson area.
A toast to the old cinemas,
Hunter
I have a small website if anyone wants to see it: www.HighwayCinema.homestead.com

Mario(white); here is a link to another cinema website where I have posted some photographs (click on ‘Tour’ against each theatre to see them):
http://www.cinematour.com/theatres/fo/MX/1.html

Ken,
You are absolutely right about the abandonment of the theaters in Tijuana. I will try to find out the seating capacity for Cine Roble.
Thanks for your feedback.
Elizabeth

The correct spelling of this theater is Cine Roble and my beloved father was the District Manager of Operadora de Teatros in northern Baja California. His legacy is well remembered amongst the pioneers of Tijuana and when my father retired back in the late 70’s, Operadora de Teatros went bankrupt and sold the majority of the theater buildings to chilangos “residents of Mexico City”. The chilangos have not done anything to revive or even use the property. My father’s name was Don Aurelio Valdes Romero and he passed away on October 11, 2000.
I was a child when my father re-inaugurated Cine Roble in the late 60’s and during this event, several movie stars and government officials came to this elegant inauguration. One of the celebrities was Robert Stack of Unsolved Mysteries and one of my family members has pictures of this event. Unfortunately, I’m not in speaking terms with this relative.
If you are interested in finding out more details, send me an email and I can give you the name of one of my older siblings that can provide more history details, because I was very young. I mainly focused on my father’s love and not on all of his accomplishments within the northern baja california community. My father managed all of the theaters in Tijuana, Tecate, Ensenada, Mexicali and San Luis Rio Colorado from 1952 to 1979. He later became a well respected business man and continued to be pro active within the community. I am so honored to be his daughter.

Thank you,
Elizabeth Valdes