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New Life For The Brookhurst

June 29th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Against all odds, it appears the Brookhurst Theatre has risen from the ashes once again. Work is currently underway to reopen the theatre on July 3rd, as the Brookhurst 4 Discount Cinemas.
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7/2/09 Update: Due to, what the new operator terma as “unforseen circumstances”, the theatre’s opening has been delayed to a “future time”.

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The Many Births of the Multiplex

June 27th, 2009 by ccrouch
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The theatre industry has long been rather “creative” with it’s own history; especially when it comes to who was first to reach a specific milestone. Be it the result of exhibitors attempting to “one up” each other or simply classic showmanship, there are usually numerous parties holding claim to the same industry breakthrough. One such multi storied first is found with the multiplex concept.
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Perhaps, the most well publicized multi screen pioneer was AMC’s Stan Durwood. Often referred to as the “father of the multiplex”, Durwood opened his first multi screen theatre in 1963, via Kansas City’s Parkway Twin; company folklore stating that the idea came to him a year earlier, while standing in the empty lobby of the Roxy theatre (realizing that multiple auditoriums would provide a more advantageous business model). Mr. Durwood would go on to refine and popularize the concept over the ensuing three decades, eventually pushing venue screen counts to their late 90’s megaplex peak. However, despite his name being forever linked with the concept (even headlining his obituary), Stan Durwood was more modern multiplex innovator than inventor.
The commonly cited inventor of the multi screen theatre is Canada’s Nat Taylor, who twined the Elgin Theatre on December 31, 1947 (the 800 seat Elgin and 350 seat Little Elgin). Initially, showing the same feature on both screens, the Elgin would eventually screen two separate features, which many consider to be the true birth of multi screen theatres (the key difference being multiple features screening in the venue). The Elgin would last until 1994 and Taylor would go on to co found Cineplex Odeon, a company that would set several screen count milestones and temporary records over the years.
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A lesser known early multiplex pioneer was a name that would go on to become rather well known in Southern California, James Edwards. Long before Edwards carved out a monopoly in the greater Orange County area, he was a successful theatre operator in Los Angeles. Among his cinema holdings at the time was the 900 seat Alhambra Theatre, which he twinned in 1937; through purchasing a neighboring storefront and converting the space in to the smaller, Alhambra Annex. As with other multi screen theatres that emerged in the 1940’s, the complex initially screened a single feature title in both auditoriums; one screen showing a double bill (feature teamed with a lesser film), while the smaller screen ran the feature as a stand alone. While predating most other claims to being the “first”, Edwards’ multi has often been overlooked, due to it’s later conversion to more than one feature being shown. None the less, the Alhambra stood as one of the earliest multi screen theatres, until earthquake damage forced the cinema’s demolition in the late 80’s.
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Ultimately, the “inventor” of the multiplex concept depends on one’s definition of a multiplex (more than one screen verses more than three, whether the number of screens or films is the defining factor, etc.) and which particular exhibitor’s story has managed to gain the wider degree of acceptance at any given time. In addition to the three named previously there are numerous other theatres and individuals that lay claim to the title. In the end, we are left with a novel idea, that has been developed and exploited (for better or worse), by numerous individuals over the past seven plus decades.

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The Electric Eye Theater & Captain EO

June 26th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Considering the day’s news, I thought we’d take a quick look at Michael Jackson’s place in the history of Orange County cinema, via “Captain EO”, at Disneyland’s Magic Eye Theater.
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Opened in the Spring of 1984, the Magic Eye Theater was designed as a multimedia cinematic attraction in Tomorrowland. Located near “Space Mountain”, the theater had an understated exterior, that gave little hint as to the large auditorium that stood within the complex. Featuring 3-D projection and multi sense special effects, the theater ran “Magic Journeys”, until September 18, 1986, when Michael Jackson’s “Captain EO” debuted. Clocking in at seventeen minutes, the $17,000,000, sci fi musical, was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and executive produced by George Lucas. With performances of the songs “We are here to change the world” and “Another part of me”, the film was reminiscent of the extravagant music videos Jackson had become known for, but with the added experience of Disney’s imagineering (in addition to 3-D, physical effects were tied in to key scenes). While initially drawing large crowds, the film ultimately followed Jackson’s career curve, experiencing waning business by the turn of the decade. “Captain EO” was quietly discontinued in the late 90’s and replaced by “Honey, I shrunk the Audience”.
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While “Captain EO” finished out it’s run playing to sparse audiences, who often found humor in the film’s timely, but unintentional, subtext, there has long been an underground effort to revive the film. Whether “Captain EO” will ever see the light of day again remains to be seen, but, for those who managed to see the film in it’s heyday, there remain the memories of an over the top cinematic experience, from an individual that was equally bigger than life.   

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A Sign Of The Times

June 20th, 2009 by ccrouch
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A sign of our changing times, AMC has now downsized their daily print ad, in “The Orange County Register”, to a less than 2″ square, which directs readers to the company’s website and show time phone line. This comes on the heels of a similar downgrade by Cinemark and hints at where Regal’s ever shrinking block ad might be heading. Hardly “front page news”, as print media advertising has been in decline for over a decade, but the theatre industry had been one of the few newspaper holdouts.
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Time was, a given newspaper’s entertainment section was a reliable gauge of success. From the full page ads of major chains, to the co-op block listings of independents, the local paper provided a visual ranking of exhibitors in your area. A near stock ticker, one could track the rise and fall of operators/theatres by the changing size, quality, position, and frequency of their print ads. Even the rise of the industry, as a whole, could be seen, as cinemas slowly replaced live theatre and vaudeville listings, during the early twentieth century; moving on to fully dominate the entertainment section by the close of the century. Now, with most independents having fully abandoned the format and the “big three” moving away from print advertising , we are witnessing the literal end of an era.
 
The cinema industry may finally be joining the digital revolution, on numerous fronts, but, I, for one, will miss the days of paper and ink.
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6/28/09 Update:  By pure chance, I managed to scan AMC’s final Orange County Register listing. Within a day of this post, the company discontinued their ads altogether, including weekends. There still remains a sizeable print ad in The Los Angeles Times, but the company seems to have forsaken the more localized Register.
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On a personal note, I can’t help but recall the countless mornings I cut out the Register’s showtime listings, as part of my daily management duties. Edwards, Mann, SoCal Cinemas, United Artists, Century, and even Studio  Adultland (as a humorous gesture) would be neatly sniped from the paper and posted on a box office clipboard, alongside AMC’s ad. Now, a task that has slipped in to memory, along with the very print ads that were involved.

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Rancho Niguel 8: A Transitional Marker At 20

June 15th, 2009 by ccrouch
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This past weekend marked the twentieth anniversary of the Rancho Niguel 8, in Laguna Niguel. Built with spacious, THX certified, auditoriums and a host of higher end amenities, the theatre was a dramatic departure from Mann’s tradition of more budget conscious multiplexes; this upgrade in quality was likely reflective of Mann Theatres having changed ownership shortly before the Niguel 8 was built (namesake Ted Mann sold the chain to Gulf & Western in 1986). The Rancho Niguel was sold to Edwards Theatres in 1991, but temporarily returned to the Mann fold, following Edwards’ bankruptcy. In an odd twist of fate, the theatre had opened at a time when Mann was still a major player within the exhibition industry, but, by the time the Niguel 8 returned to Mann, the company was a mere shadow of it’s former self.

While no longer “state of the art”, the Rancho Niguel 8 remains relatively unchanged from it’s June 13, 1989 opening and continues to aptly serve the Laguna Niguel market. Currently operated by Regency Theatres, the venue stands as a pristine example of late 80’s cinema and historical marker from Mann Theatres’ evolution.

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Grand Start Sad Ending

June 13th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Ninety three years ago, Anaheim’s Grand Theatre opened to great fanfare, with a sold out showing of “Romona”, that was eagerly attended by the county’s top dignitaries and VIPs. Being one of the first Orange County theatres built outside of Santa Ana, the June 12, 1916 opening was a source of great pride for the city of Anaheim. Yet, the Grand’s prestigious start was a far cry from how this “modern wonder of engineering and beautiful luxury” would spend the second half of it’s sixty seven year run.

By the 1950’s, the Grand had begun a rather dramatic slide from prominence, falling victim to the common challenge of being an aging attraction in an ever expanding market of “newer”, “bigger”, and “better”. Facing increasing hardship, the Grand was briefly closed in 1955, before being reopened, as the Garden Theatre; moving in to the realm of B film booking for the next two decades. In an attempt to stay financially viable, this move also resulted in the theatre finding the need to keep pace with a demand for mature content; B schlock gave way to softcore “adults only” films, which ultimately resulted in hardcore pornography by the late 70’s.

In 1978, the theatre was added to the Pussycat chain of adult cinemas and renamed the Pussycat Garden. While only staying open for another four years, the venue became notorious for both the pornographic films being shown and a series of legal battles between the City of Anaheim and the theatre’s controversial operators. In 1983, the city finally managed to shutter the theatre, via condemnation powers, razing the site for newly zoned housing usage. The legal battles continued until the Summer of 1986, when Anaheim managed to reach an out of court settlement with Pussycat for $800,000 (the chain had previously demanded $1.2 million). The one time “pride of Anaheim” was paid to simply go away.

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General Cinema Art Galleries

June 6th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Today’s photo depicts a unique lobby amenity that was once a signature feature of the, now defunct, General Cinema Corporation. The GCC chain, once one of the biggest names in the exhibition industry, was an early pioneer in the multiplex era and an innovator of many cinema features we currently experience. However, General Cinema’s lobby art galleries were an innovation that never quite caught on with the industry.
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As seen in the picture, dating from the late sixties, these galleries held a prominent position in the lobby and were intended as somewhat of a facility showpiece. Yet, also evident in the photo, the galleries were often rather sparse and the quality of art varied greatly between theatres; relying on local artists, exhibitions were subject to the particular area’s art “scene” and availability of locals who were interested in having their work displayed in a cinema lobby. Concerning the overall quality of art exhibited, former GCC theatre manager, Phil Epstein, commented, “There were always a couple of nice paintings, but most of it was stuff you’d see in a motel…I remember a lot of oil painting landscapes.” While never an overwhelming success, these galleries were featured in select GCC theatres throughout the 60’s and 70’s, before being fazed out in the early 80’s.

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Fox Fullerton Beginning & Future

May 28th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Fullerton’s Fox Theatre turns eighty four today (the theatre opened as Chapman’s Alician Court). While the Fox has been closed for roughly twenty two years now, renovation efforts continue and the public will be afforded the rare opportunity to see this grand old palace up close, next month.
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On June 27th, the Fullerton Historic Theatre Foundation will be holding it’s 6th annual “Hollywood in Fullerton” night, to raise money and awareness for the Fox. In addition to dinning, dancing, and a silent auction, the theatre will host a “70’s Flashback” show. Further information can be found on the FHTF website.

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Twenty Years of Cinemapolis

May 25th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Yet another anniversary, with Anaheim Hills’ Cinemapolis celebrating twenty years of operation. These days, the theatre is independently owned and known as “Cinema City”, but, back in May of 1989, “Cinemapolis” opened as So Cal Cinemas’ cutting edge flagship venue.
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The first theatre built in the burgeoning Anaheim Hills area, Cinemapolis was an early flag bearer for the rebirth of cinema “showmanship”. Opened at the tail end of the multiplex era, which was defined by generic, “function over experience” cinemas, So Cal’s Cinemapolis offered movie goers something a bit different. Featuring large auditoriums, thematic decor (styled after classic movie palaces So Cal’s Sanborn family had previously operated), high end sound/projection, and unique marketing, the theatre was a daring step forward, during an otherwise bland era of exhibition. The venue’s efforts were such that the cinema industry’s trade group, NATO, recognized Cinemapolis with a string of showmanship awards. Equally notable, the theatre was well known for regularly upgrading with the latest industry technologies and repeatedly winning marketing awards for various film promotions, throughout the 90’s.
 
By the new millennium, Cinemapolis had slipped from being a county frontrunner and was somewhat lost, amidst the onslaught of megaplexes. Changing ownership, the theatre began to fall in to disrepair, under the operation of Galaxy Theatres, and seemed heading towards an unavoidable decline in to obscurity. Fortunately, in 2005, a new operator stepped in, remodeled the venue (including the addition of stadium seating), and re instituted the theatre’s legacy of excellence. In addition to cosmetic and operational upgrades, the re christened “Cinema City” became the first county theatre to feature all digital projection and first to experiment with an exclusively automated box office. While no longer one of the county’s premiere cinema destinations, Cinema City managed to reestablish itself as one of the more unique movie going choices in Orange County.

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The Orange Theatre at 80

May 22nd, 2009 by ccrouch
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Today marks the eightieth anniversary of the Orange Theatre opening, in downtown Orange. Started in 1924, the Orange Theatre had a rather turbulent construction process, passing through a series of owners and court battles, that left the building closed and incomplete for nearly five years. Then, in 1929, a former “dirt farmer”, Michael Eltiste, stepped in and managed to complete the venue for a May 22nd opening. The Orange went on to have a forty two year run as a cinema, before briefly closing and reopening as an ill fated live theater.
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By the mid seventies, the Orange Theatre was closed once again, but, unlike so many other classic cinemas, the Orange didn’t fall victim to the era’s urban renewal movement. In the spring of 1976, the Son Light Christian Center purchased the theatre and has remained the venue’s tenant for the past thirty three years. Particularly commendable, the Son Light group has maintained the building’s classic splendor and celebrates the theatre’s history, via annual tours and archival efforts. While no longer screening films, the Orange stands as a fine example of a classic theatre finding a new use, while still honoring it’s past. 

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