Comments about Century Theatre in Oakville, CA

William Mewes on March 5, 2012 at 2:32 am

Thank You for responding!

I am heading down to the basement to look through my copies of the Beaver and the Record Journal…

velveteen71 on February 29, 2012 at 4:24 pm

No it’s from a special edition of the Oakville Beaver in 1977, commemorating the town’s 150th birthday.

William Mewes on February 27, 2012 at 9:44 pm

Cool pamphlet. Was that a hand out you actualy got at the cinema?

velveteen71 on February 24, 2012 at 9:01 am

Oh, I was there alright! I was 10 in 1981 when you left. I loved the Playhouse!

Now please check this out:

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/9308/playhouse1977.jpg

dpellarin on February 18, 2012 at 5:11 pm

Just looked at the clip on youtube. Thanks velveteen71 for sharing. Brought back a lot of memories. Don’t know if you went to the Playhouse when I was managing it or not but I hope you had a good time going there.

dpellarin on February 18, 2012 at 5:00 pm

I took a picture of the Playhouse when I was managing it. Don’t know if I still have it but will look for it and will let you know if I find it. I will also look at the clip on youtube.

velveteen71 on January 21, 2012 at 7:39 pm

I was happy to find that clip on youtube, since as far as I can see, that’s the only image of the theatre we’ve got…

William Mewes on January 17, 2012 at 12:33 am

For a while in the 1980s and 1990s a lot of movies were filmed in Oakville but I think it got over exposed.

I had never heard of “Alex: The Life of a Child” I will have to see if I can find a copy.

velveteen71 on January 14, 2012 at 6:50 pm

Hi guys. I was a manager for several years at Cineplex and Empire. I was the first kid hired to work at the Mews when it opened in 1987. I trained at the Plaza before the opening. I ran the Mews as Manager for a few years in the mid-90’s.

I used to go to the Playhouse/Palm all the time.

One night I went to see “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure” (‘85). When we got out of the show, we found that there was a film-shoot going on in the street out front. We were made to get across the street and stand behind barriers. Then Craig T. Nelson pulled up in a car.

It was a made-for-tv movie called “Alex: The Life of a Child” and it came out in ‘86. I remember watching it, just to see the part where they filmed at the Palm.

I’ve found it on Youtube. Go to 9:51 into it…

http://youtu.be/zA8ZnlMdNdA

dpellarin on October 2, 2011 at 5:25 pm

I remember the “Candy Cupboard”. There was also “Licks” burger place across the street. A lot of people would go there also. That was the original location for the “Licks” franchise.

William Mewes on September 10, 2011 at 8:47 am

Thank You for posting. I don’t remember the balcony I guess I just never looked up.

I do remember a place called the “Candy Cupboard” located where “Corks” is now.

They did a roaring trade on Friday and Saturday nights with everyone waiting to enter the cinema.

Walking along Lakeshore Road on a Friday or Saturday night always gave me a small town feeling.

dpellarin on August 29, 2011 at 11:33 am

This was an Odeon theater in the 1960s and into the mid-1970s. In the late 1970s a group of local businessmen turned it into an independent cinema called “The Playhouse”. I managed it from around 1976 until 1981. It had a single screen and we would show double features for $2.00. A combination of first and second run movies. A lot of fond memories of the place. The projectionist Bill was a master at running the machines. We always had problems with the boiler room. But we had great popcorn. Still have some of the original movie posters (Jaws, Rollerball, Chinatown) from the day. It held about 600 people and had a balcony but would only use it if we sold out the first floor. Great small cinema for the Oakville downtown. Had a lot of regulars and employed students from the local high schools. Glad to see this theater listed on this site.

William Mewes on October 30, 2010 at 4:40 pm

Here are some photos I took today October 30th 2010

View link

The left side is now a Home Furnishings Store and the Right Side is a Jewelry Store.

William Mewes on October 30, 2010 at 11:05 am

The Century Theatre was located at “309 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville, ON L6J1J3” That stretch of Lakeshore Road would have been called “Colborne Street” when the cinema opened.

When I moved to Oakville in 1982 it was operating as an independant cinema called “The Palm” the last movie to show there was “Accidental Tourist” in 1989

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094606/

After that it became a “Night Club” “The Ozone” and Radio Station CING 107.9fm in Burlington Ontario broadcast live from there on Saturday Nights.

The building is now divided into two seperate retail units.

Century Theatre

309 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville, ON L6J 1J3

309 Lakeshore Road East,
Oakville, ON L6J 1J3