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Twenty five years ago, Edwards opened a trio of theatres on the Southern California market, just in time for the holiday season of 1985. All three venues offered the latest in multiplex amenities and met with instant success, but each experienced differing fates, following Edwards’ millennium implosion.

 

Exemplifying the mid/late 80’s multiplex movement, the Charter Centre 5, Foothill Center 6, and Village Center 6 were a significant step up from the sub par shoe boxes that had dominated the multi screen cinema scene of the previous decade. Offering larger auditoriums and higher quality presentation standards, these venues sought to raise the bar on the multiplex experience, while still taking advantage of the format’s efficient business model. Designed, in what would come to be Edwards’ 80’s through early 90’s signature style, the three venues fell within the company’s two stock layouts of the era; featuring two story glass front lobbies, that were either traditional in-line (Foothill 6 and Village 6) or angled (Charter Centre) floor plans, with auditoriums accessed off of a single hallway. Between these improved facilities, high traffic locations, and a string of 80’s blockbusters, all three sites became top draws for their respective areas, setting the tone for Edwards’ multiplex heyday.

 

As with most county multiplexes of the time, these three cinemas had a somewhat short run as top tier attractions. By the turn of the decade, theatre standards had been raised further and a host of new, more expansive venues had taken over (often Edwards’ own builds). Additionally, Edwards exercised a problematic pattern of neglecting earlier builds, in favor of their “latest and greatest” creations; frequently allowing “older” theatres to languish in disrepair, further alienating the site’s customer base. By the time the megaplex era hit and Edwards began a quick spiral in to bankruptcy, all three sites had fallen in to near irrelevance.

 

Fortunately, at least for two of the sites, Regency Theatres stepped in and took over both the Foothill Center and Charter Centre, after Edwards (fresh off of their Regal Entertainment Group takeover) shuddered the sites. The Foothill ultimately garnered a full makeover, expansion, and stadium seating upgrade, as the theatre experienced a rebirth under Regency’s management. The Charter Centre, while never regaining past glories, found a new life, as one of Orange County’s top grossing discount houses. Meanwhile, Stanton’s Village Center never managed to procure a new operator and sat vacant for a number of years, finally surrendering to being gutted and converted in to an auto parts store.

 

While the full history of the Foothill and Charter Centre has yet to be written, the journey these three theatres have taken over the past twenty five years exemplify the drastic fluctuation and constantly changing fortunes of the modern cinema world.

For those theatre-centric individuals looking for something to do today, Regency Theatres is hosting a holiday movie carnival in Westwood from 9 AM to 1 PM. In addition to standard carnival faire, the event includes tours of both the historic Bruin and Village theatres.

Today’s picture exemplifies the unidentified and forgotten bits of cinema history that are floating around out there. While sold to me as a “paperweight”, this chunk of metal is actually a piece of the structural steel that went in to building Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. A left over punching from the manufacturing process, the piece was affixed to a McClintic-Marshall Corp. medallion and issued as a construction commemorative, at the time of the theatre’s completion (a common practice of the period). McClintic-Marshall was a major steel fabricator/erector for bridges and commercial buildings during the early twentieth century; Grauman’s Chinese being one of their many projects.

One can only wonder about the journey that saw this item go from high profile keepsake to discounted castoff. Fortunately, it’s true significance has once again been rediscovered.

Today’s picture is a bit of a cinema documentation rarity, capturing one of the Fountain Valley Drive-In’s restrooms (circa late 1960’s). Hardly surprising, restrooms were/are seldom documented for posterity. This particular photo comes from a 1969 “Motion Picture and Theatre Presentation Manual” discussion on proper sanitation facilities.

Pictured below is a promotional foldout postcard, sent to a San Bernadino theatre operator in 1907, from the Miles Brothers Exchange. The Miles Brothers Exchange was an industry defining business model that both revolutionized film distribution and made full time movie theatres possible.

In the early 1900’s there was an exploding interest in motion pictures, but exhibitors were having a difficult time successfully running full time cinemas. With film costs high and there often being an erratic supply of new product (especially in areas outside of large cities), most exhibitors were forced to rotate between motion pictures, glass slide presentations, and live performances or operate as traveling tent shows.

Seeing a business opportunity, Harry, Herbert, Joseph, and Earle Miles began purchasing films from production companies, in bulk, and renting them out to theatres on a weekly basis (supplying a new film as each old title was returned); creating the film exchange concept in 1903. This simple idea allowed exhibitors to have a steady supply of films, at one fourth of the cost, and production companies a standardized distribution outlet for their product. In turn, the standardized availability of affordable films made formal movie theatres possible; the nickelodeons, traveling shows, and part time venues gave way to the cinemas we’ve known for the past one hundred years.   

Apologies for the sporadic and lackluster posts as of late. I’m just wrapping up the bittersweet task of converting to digital projection at my full time pursuit.  

 

Pictured above are two of the Cinemeccanica Victoria 5 35mm projectors that were removed to make way for our theatre’s leap in to the digital age. These particular projectors entertained moviegoers for twenty one years, in two states. Now, they are off to sit, virtually forgotten, in out of the way corners.

In the spirit of the holiday, today’s picture is a still from the 1920 silent film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”.

 

We here at OC Cinema and Cinelog wish all of you a Happy Halloween.

In recognition of Hollywood’s Egyptian Theatre (currently run by the American Cinematheque) turning eighty-eight this Monday, I thought I would share a few pages from the opening night souvenir album. While never having achieved the noteriety of Sid Grauman’s later endeavor (the world famous Grauman’s Chinese), the Egyptian was a groundbreaking masterpiece in it’s own right, ushering in an era of grand Hollywood movie palaces. Equally noteworthy, the theatre’s opening night hosted the first ever ‘Hollywood Premiere’ (for “Robin Hood”), initiating a tradition which remains a staple of the film industry to this day.

               

                 

Make sure to click on the pictures for a larger view and glimpse in to a by gone era of cinema grandure. Also, if you have never made the trek, attempt to visit the American Cinematheque the next time you are in Hollywood. While the theatre has been heavily remodeled and lost some of what it once was, the venue’s cinephile programming  is well worth the effort.

This is excellent news, I’ll update the database and definitely obtain some current pictures asap.

Today’s photo captured a rare moment in the Star Vu Drive-In’s history; a night when the ill-fated venture was actually open for business.

 

Lasting only one summer, Costa Mesa’s Star Vu was a well intended attempt to bring the magic of drive-in movie going back to Orange County. Utilizing an inflatable screen and temporary set up, the operation sought to circumvent the problematic real estate issues which had driven the viewing format from the county in previous decades. However, this modern spin on the ozoner quickly fell victim to many of the same pitfalls which had doomed it’s predecessors. Between a summer of inclement weather and scheduling conflicts with various events at the Orange County Fairgrounds site, the Star Vu never managed to establish a consistent presence, nor steady revenue flow. In October of 2007, after only a handful of sporadic screenings, the Star Vu’s equipment was removed and the venture was unceremoniously abandoned.