Glenwood Theatre
9100 Metcalf Avenue,
Overland Park,
KS
66212
9100 Metcalf Avenue,
Overland Park,
KS
66212
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3 photos added courtesy James Alan George. From: www.billyjackrights.com/ Billy Jack Day, Kansas City (part 3) written on 12/07/10 by frank laughlin in history, pictures
Leading up to the premiere in each city, was the same Billy Jack circus: karate demonstrations, live bands, and the girls holding the cards that spelled B-I-L-L-Y-J-A-C-K. Below the circus is staged out front of the Glenwood Theaters outside Kansas City, Kansas. The picture on the bottom shows some of the incredible turnout. The end result of the advertising and promotional blitz were crowds, massive, never ending crowds. Remember, Billy Jack had already been the second-highest grossing film of 1971 behind Fiddler on the Roof, bringing in an earth-shattering $32,500,000. This was 1972-1973, about 12 months later. And Billy Jack is on its way to earning an additional $60,000,000, which will make it the highest grossing film in history by the end of 1973 with a grand total of $92,500,000. Beating out monster hits like The Godfather ($86M), The Exorcist($89M), and The Sting ($78M).
Facebook album with 51 photos of the Glenwood Theatre’s final days in 2000, and 10 November 2000 demolition photos in the 2nd album. Credit Brad Moore.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.163294887092839&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.163298607092467&type=3
Here is the link to a new “Hello, Dolly!” 50th anniversary retro article featuring a historian Q&A and roadshow chronology (which includes mention of its North American record-length run at the Glenwood).
Two page ad at https://www.genealogybank.com/nbshare/AC01110225224715029151525647325
and https://www.genealogybank.com/nbshare/AC01110225224715029151525647348
Also in photo section. but unreadable there.
February 5th, 1969 grand opening ad for the Glenwood II in photo section
Went to Planet of the Apes as an 8 year old in 1968. It was the first time I was in a true theater and I remember being impressed. Previously my family only took us kids to drive-ins.
Here are fresh links to the March 20, 1967, Boxoffice article about the Glenwood Theatre:
Page one
page two
Patton had an exclusive run at the Empire Theater and it was probably the last 70 mm film there with the curved very large Cinerama screen.
“The Rocketeer” was presented at the Glenwood in 70mm 6-Track THX Dolby Stereo SR beginning on Friday June 21, 1991 (the film’s nationwide release date).
I worked at Glenwood Theater from February 1977 to October 1977. I started in the concession stand and moved to ticket sales sometime after the Star Wars opening. I remember Star Wars there fondly. We had a Kansas City premier for the movie the night before it opened nationwide. Several employees dressed as characters from the movie, an usher as Chewbacca and the head cashier as Princess Leia. I dressed in a formal and handed out roses to all of the ladies attending. Smitty was the projectionist at the time and we all swore he lived in the projection booth – he had a bed and bathroom there and we rarely saw him leave. Every night after the last show had started, we would total the ticket receipts and then call in our total sales to each distributor. The lobby design was not meant for sell-out shows. As the crowds would build, the lobby would fill and completely surround the concession stand and ticket booth, both round, and once you had served everyone closest to you, there wasn’t much to do until they started seating for that show. The manager was named Pat, don’t recall his last name, and the assistant manager had been an owner or manager for one of the drive-ins, Shawnee Drive-In perhaps. Great memories! Loved that theater and was very sad to see it go!
The Glenwood was demolished but the marquee was saved and moved a short distance to just east of 95th and Metcalf Ave. It is being used for the new Glenwood Arts Theatre located inside Metcalf South Shopping Center.
Anyone remember if PATTON played here in original run?
The thief was caught the next morning and the print was returned to the theatre.
I’m wondering about the stolen “Return of the Jedi†70mm prin. Is this still an ongoing investigation?
Now was the pyrite version of “Return of the Jedi†scored from the stolen 70mm print or 35mm?
The only way to tell is to look at any still existing VHS/Beta tape and look for que dots.
(Circularly) for 70mm
(Oval shaped) for 35mm prints
Que dots appear around every 15 to 20 minutes depending on each reel length.
Also any privately brought new/second hand 70mm projects in the past 10 years leading up to the theft at gunpoint in 1983, or any stolen 70mm projectors for this persons needs to make dodgy pyrite copies.
Chances are the print today would be so far, gone faded colour magnetic stripe would be fragile if not flaked away by now, due to poor storage.
Was there also a similar case in the UK of stolen “Return of the Jedi†print as I remember reading on huge poster at video library around 1983, and the theft in the US wouldn’t concern the UK.
So was the simultaneous coordinated theft by two parties working on different sides?
I’m, sure the FBI would like to catch these people? Maybe they are STAR WARS nuts or just pair of serious pyrites that wouldn’t care about shooting someone.
Excellent find, Joe. Thank you!!!
Two interior photos of the Glenwood illustrate this article in Boxoffice of March 20, 1967. Richard Wells of William Behrman and Associates engineered the building and designed the exterior of the Glenwood, but the interior was designed by architect Mel Glatz.
I saw Cloak and Dagger here in 1984 or 1985. I only saw this one movie here, but I drove past the theatre many, many times, as my stepmother’s folks lived just a short distance north of the building. It was a very eye-catching mid-century building. Sorry that another strip mall in Overland Park was more important than a unique theatre like this one was.
Thanks for the link, Chuck. As you stated, the picture dates back to 1984, shortly after screens 3 and 4 were added to the north side of the building in 1983.
Thank you for the additional info Michael. I had almost forgotten how long that movie played. That would be unheard of now.
Here’s some information to clarify the boxoffice performance of “Star Wars” at the Glenwood. Industry trade VARIETY in their July 21, 1978 issue listed the markets where “Star Wars” grossed more than $1 million. Kansas City came in 18th place with a gross of nearly $1.3 million. The top gross was at New York City’s Astor Plaza where it topped $3 million.
$3,291,362…New York (Astor Plaza)…59 weeks
$2,499,049…Denver (Cooper + Continental m/o)…54 weeks
$2,490,955…San Diego (Valley Circle)…56 weeks
$2,414,972…Los Angeles (Chinese)…51 weeks
$2,335,941…San Francisco (Coronet)…29 weeks
$2,171,394…Seattle (Cinema 150)…59 weeks
$2,153,790…Phoenix (Cine Capri)…59 weeks
$1,833,710…San Jose (Century 22)…59 weeks
$1,826,060…Dallas (Northpark)…53 weeks
$1,651,372…Portland (Westgate)…59 weeks
$1,608,402…New York (Orpheum)…28 weeks
$1,542,802…Newport Beach (Newport)…53 weeks
$1,344,879…Los Angeles (Century Plaza)…53 weeks
$1,343,736…Sacramento (Century 25)…59 weeks
$1,336,450…Los Angeles (Avco)…23 weeks
$1,310,251…Washington, DC (Uptown)…54 weeks
$1,282,621…Houston (Galleria)…59 weeks
$1,279,771…Kansas City (Glenwood)…55 weeks
$1,253,062…Salt Lake City (Centre)…54 weeks
$1,205,123…Honolulu (Cinerama)…57 weeks
$1,166,741…Boston (Charles)…45 weeks
$1,140,014…Cincinnati (Showcase)…58 weeks
$1,102,741…Louisville (Showcase)…59 weeks
$1,070,998…Dayton (Dayton Mall)…59 weeks
The claim from a few posts back that the Glenwood had a Kansas City area exclusive for the original “Star Wars” is only partially correct. The fact is the Glenwood played the movie exclusively for only its first ten weeks. Beginning the film’s eleventh week, a second booking was added at the Antioch.
In terms of comparing the Kansas City gross with that of New York City, keep in mind that during the second half of the Glenwood’s 56-week run of “Star Wars,” it played in the smaller #2 auditorium.
The theatre in the Metcalf shopping center was originally an NGC theatre and then became a Mann house it was twinned by the Mann Group. If I remember right it was called the Metcalf South.
The curved screen in the Glenwood was the number 1 or original auditoriam and was approximately 90 foot wide, an awesome experience.
Just so no one forgets there was a single screen theater in the Metcalf shopping mall up until around 1979. I think it was called the Metcalf Theater. It might have been a Mann Theater and while it was decent sized it was not near as big or nice as the Glenwood.
The reason the Glenwood did so well with Star Wars was that it held exclusive rights to that movie for the entire Kansas City area. Thus, it sold out nearly every show for many months. I doubt any NY theater would be granted an exclusive but I would'nt be surprised if a NY theater outgrossed the Glenwood.
I think we called him Smitty, but the projectionist around the time of Star Wars was an older man that had been there many years when star wars came around. God bless him for allowing employees to once in awhile sit in the theater when he screened new movies around midnight.
Few may remember but the larger theater at the Glenwood had a slightly curved screen.
I went to the Glenwood Arts recently and it was a great arthouse with some of the above mentioned Glenwood memories (the auditorium entrances were decorated with lobby cards and posters of old Glenwood engagements). I saw Young@Heart at the theatre and the auditorium I was in (Auditorium 1) also had an original one-sheet of the Star Wars “circus” poster.
I never went to the Glenwood but the Glenwood Arts was the next best thing.