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Another Conversion on the Horizon

August 11th, 2011 by ccrouch
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Word has leaked out that Edwards Rancho Santa Margarita 6 will be heading for a luxury remodel/upgrade, under the operation of Cinepolis, in the near future. Unlike the makeover about to be undertaken at Laguna Niguel’s Ocean Ranch 7, the Rancho Santa Margarita site doesn’t have any concrete plans in place yet. However, the changeover has been termed as “inevitable”, once Cinepolis finalizes the paperwork and Edwards’ lease expires (at an undisclosed date).
 
 
While most will welcome this conversion to luxury boutique cinemas, the change will also mark the loss of two pristine examples of early 90′s era Edwards multiplexes. In a somewhat bizarre bit of cyclical history, fully intact, pre stadium, multiplexes are becoming increasingly rare; succumbing to the same sort of progress their single screen predecessors suffered through decades earlier.     

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Theatre Organ Event

August 10th, 2011 by ccrouch
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Interested in a chance to sit behind the console of a Mighty Wurlitzer pipe organ? This Saturday (8/13), the Orange County Theatre Organ Society will be holding an open console event at Fullerton’s Plummer Auditorium. Whether you are a theatre organ fan on just curious about these increasingly rare instruments, this is a great opportunity to see Orange County’s only active theatre pipe organ up close; installed in 1930, this is also one of the few theatre organs that remains at it’s original location.
 
 
The event runs from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm and is open to everyone. Plummer Auditorium is located at 301 North Chapman, in Fullerton, Ca. For more information, please visit the OCTOS site.

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A New Era For The Yost Theatre

August 4th, 2011 by ccrouch
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This Friday, August 5, the Yost Theatre celebrates it’s grand reopening. The ninety-nine year old Yost has sat semi dormant for the past two decades; serving as a church and sporadic host of live events during that period. Now, fresh off a pricey remodel and upgrade, Orange County’s oldest standing theatre will once again open it’s doors for full time entertainment purposes. Thus far, plans don’t seem to include any cinematic offerings, as the venue has been earmarked for live concerts and club use in this latest incarnation.
 
 
The Yost’s rebirth has also come with a bit of controversy, as local activists and politicians have pointed to the venue as a flagship of downtown Santa Ana’s alleged gentrification. A hotspot for Latino culture and commerce, for some fifty years, the downtown area has been undergoing a transformation over the past decade; transitioning in to what critics have labeled an affluent “hispster” scene. As longtime Hispanic businesses begin to disappear, in favor of trendy outlets and art lofts, some have come to question the motives behind these changes. Still, there are others who feel this is a welcome change from the “armpit of Orange County” reputation the area had suffered through and welcome downtown’s possible return to glory.
 
In any case, the Yost reopening it’s doors to the public is certainly welcome news. For more information on the theatre’s namesake, please take a look at our earlier post on Ed Yost. For more information on the downtown Santa Ana theatre scene refer to our post here.     

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Laguna Niguel to See Luxury Cinema Soon

July 28th, 2011 by ccrouch
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Edwards Ocean Ranch 7, in Laguna Niguel, will be converted in to a high end boutique cinema this fall. The Latin American chain, Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas, has announced that they will be taking over the lease and conducting a five to six month remodel; with plans to reopen the site in April of 2012.
 
 
Once completed, the theatre will feature leather recliner seats, in theatre dining/alcohol service, and digital projection. Representatives of Cinepolis have stated that the theatre’s exterior will remain relatively unchanged, but the interior will receive a “cleaner and sleeker” look. Ticket prices will be bumped up in to the $13.50 to $18.00 range, with food prices “comparable to the average restaurant menu”.
 
Founded in 1947, Cinepolis is currently the largest theatre operator in Latin America. Laguna Niguel will mark the company’s third venture in to the United States, with two locations already underway in the San Diego area. 

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Disneyland’s Main Street Cinema

July 20th, 2011 by ccrouch
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A novel anniversary, as Disneyland’s Main Street Cinema opened on this week, back in 1955. Some might argue that this is more of a theme park attraction than true cinema, but, when one gets down to it, the Main Street Cinema is actually a throwback to the storefront nickelodeons of movie going’s founding years.
 
 
Today, the theatre runs classic Mickey Mouse shorts on a continuous loop, but, as can be seen in this picture from the cinema’s early days, the Main Street once featured William S. Hart westerns and Keystone Kops comedy short subjects (both highly popular staples of 1915 – 1920 cinema).

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A Completist View

July 11th, 2011 by ccrouch
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As mentioned in an earlier post, restrooms are likely the least documented feature of cinemas. Despite this long standing decorum fueled omission, here are two pictures of what might be the most famous cinema restroom in existence; the men’s room of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
 
        
 
Nothing fancy or truly unique to be seen, just your run of the mill facilities. However, at a theatre that has been thoroughly photographed from top to bottom, for over eighty years, this is one area that hasn’t received much attention. If for nothing else, a submission for completist sake.

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Do It Yourself Cinema in 1907

July 10th, 2011 by ccrouch
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Pictured below is an advertisement which ran somewhat regularly in “Popular Mechanics” throughout 1907. Capturing the novice, “do it yourself”, attitude, which drove the early years of film exhibition, the ad promotes one of the many outfits that offered “start your own motion picture business” packages.

Companies like Amusement Supply and the Miles Brothers (profiled in an earlier post) sold all of the equipment and promotional materials necessary to launch your own cinema (initially more portable than permanent), but their true business was in renting films. A lucrative business model, once they had sold an aspiring exhibitor the startup supplies, they pulled in a steady revenue through regularly supplying the new operator with films to screen.

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Orange Drive-In 70th Anniversary

June 15th, 2011 by ccrouch
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This week marks the 70th anniversary of Orange County’s first drive-in, the aptly branded Orange Drive-In. Opened on June 18, 1941, the Orange enjoyed a fifty-three year run as a cinema, was the launching pad for Robert Schuller’s ministry, and hosted a popular weekend swap meet for nearly thirty years. Today, the location is little more than another heavily developed area beside the I-5, but the memories created there remain a cornerstone of Orange County cinema history.
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The Big Snip: Spring VIP Ceremonies

June 7th, 2011 by ccrouch
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Today’s pictures capture the VIP ribbon cutting (for theatres it’s film) of two spring openings from the past.
 
May 1997 opening of the AMC Fullerton expansion to twenty screens.
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May 2003 opening of the Krikorian Buena Park Metroplex 18.
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The Fullerton VIP night was a standard AMC corporate affair; involving dry speeches and a modestly catered dinner in the courtyard. In stark contrast, the Buena Park VIP night was quite the social event; industry/city dignitaries, champagne, open bar, sushi chef, gourmet buffet, luxurious ”swag” bags, and a live big band.

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Fox Fullerton’s Return to the Past

May 31st, 2011 by ccrouch
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Today, the Fox Fullerton will begin removing the 50′s era marquee and box office that most have come to identify the theatre with. While many will surely morn the loss, of what has come to be a downtown Fullerton landmark, the work is part of an ongoing effort to restore the theatre to a more accurate representation of the original structure.
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Below is a picture of the (then known as the Chapman Theatre/Alician Court) original look and a more recent view of the theatre.
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For more information on the renovation, please visit the Fox’s site.  

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