Beach Theater
2500 Atlantic Avenue,
Virginia Beach,
VA
23451
2500 Atlantic Avenue,
Virginia Beach,
VA
23451
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I had the pleasure of running movies here in 1967-68, while serving in the Navy and as a part-time IATSE projectionist with the now disbanded Local 550 of the Motion Picture Machine Operators union. It was a fun theater to work and the projection booth was impeccably maintained. The theater practiced the strict art of “showmanship,” which dictated exact points to open the main curtain, dim the houselights and when necessary, position the screen masking. The booth was somewhat unusual as it contained 3 (instead of 2) machines. The leftmost was an ancient but perfectly maintained Simplex model and the 2 “main” machines were either Century’s or may have been X-L’s. I can’t recall now over 50 years later. But the two primary units used the Ashcraft Cinex rotating positive carbon lamp houses. They were my first experience with the lamp house and the model I grew to love.
The “old” projector was reserved for the trailers, cartoon etc while the two latter models were for the feature. During the times I worked there, they were running “You Only Live Twice.” The interior and main curtain were lit by colored lights and the house sported a beautiful interior. It was a true pleasure to work this venue as the management and staff were great people to work with and treated me with the utmost respect as in those days, a projectionist’s position was both somewhat “mysterious” and coveted. I look back at the Beach as one of the nicest venues I had the pleasure to show movies at.
Sometime in the late 70s or early 80s I saw a double feature of Hitchcock’s “Notorious” and “Spellbound” at the Beach. It was a great experience seeing those two classics in a theater from the era of those films. But mall cinemas were killing the old theaters in those days, just as the multiplexes are closing rapidly today as viewing modes and habits change.
Listed as the Beach Repertory Theatre in the 1987 city directory.
That’s how I recall the theater through the 1970’s. The more popular films seemed to be at the Beach and the not as popular at the Bayne. I saw many movies at the Beach. I remember seeing The Empire Strikes Back, the Goodbye Girl, as well as revivals of The Sound of Music and Pinocchio at The Beach. The parking on 25th Street could also be easier which I’m sure made the theater more popular.
The opening to the left of the large window with the small glass panes(Atlantic Ave side) was the access to the office portion of the building. At one point my parents dentist was there. The large opening on the 25th Street side under the three side by side windows is where patrons exited following a movie. The three windows were for the lounge. The theater had a stage but I suspect it was for community productions or corporate events. I was never in the theater to see the stage used for anything other then to house the screen.
I saw “American Wearwolf in London” at the theatre, when it was released. It was very dark in the theatre on that Halloween Night. And only a few people were attending. I almost jumped out of my seat if I heard a pin drop behind me. It was a great movie.
I grew up in Va Beach during the 60s and have many happy memories of the Beach and the Bayne. The Beach got the better movies, the Bayne the “B” features. The Beach was parent-approved and the Bayne was “off limits” as 16th street was the “bad section” of town. All the more fun to sneak down there. The 1st movie that I saw at the Beach was “The Misadventures of Merlin Jones” and at the Bayne, “King Kong vz. Godzilla”.
PREVIOUSLY OPERATED BY:
ABC SOUTHEASTERN THEATRES, INC.
PLITT SOUTHERN THEATRES
Haunted house photo here. Also seen on the map view.
http://tinyurl.com/28fvtnk
According to an article of 8 January 1982, the Beach Theatre would be closing within a week. Plitt Southern Thaters, which had been leasing the building, had decided not to renew its lease because attendance was only about 50% of what the management needed to draw to break even. The same article indicates that the Beach had been opened in 1947 in “a shiny marble and brick building” and relates that the marble had soon been replaced with more brick after being damaged by an automobile collision. “For most of itse existence, the beach specialized in ‘family-type Disney movies’ that catered to the interests of vacation families, the article stated, but had lately switched to "more adult, contemporary fare.” Relatively high ticket prices, changing entertainment tastes, and competition from local “shopping center theaters” were cited as contributing the Beach’s demise.
There was a short lived attempt to turn the Beach into a repertory theatre with foreign and classic films in the early 1980s. I don’t think it lasted more than a year but they did do a nice job, even if the audience just wasn’t there for it.
Beach Theater is scheduled to become another cheesy Souvenier Shop on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The Haunted Funhouse locked up shop 2 years ago this Halloween and the VB Fire Marshall has declared it as Fire Hazard and the building is slowly but surely crumbling away. Already drafty spots have been found letting in outside air. This theater needs a multi million dollar face lift and needs a patron who will keep it open as a movie house.