cinelog.org

This week marks the anniversary of the Brea Plaza opening. An undersized and unassuming theatre, the Plaza never made much of a mark on Orange County, but the venue has somehow managed to survive for thirty two years.   Opened on April 1, 1977, the Plaza was the first theatre built by Mann in Orange County […]

Cinemas have stirred the entrepreneurial spirit in want-to-be moguls and dreamers since the dawn of commercial film. Be it the perceived excitement and glamour of being involved in the entertainment industry or merely the draw of a potentially lucrative cash cow, countless individuals have looked on theatre ownership as somewhat of a fantasy business venture. While a […]

Prior to the 1920’s, movie going was more of a cool weather pastime, as the stuffy confines of theatre auditoriums didn’t particularly lend themselves to personal comfort during the summer months. With the arrival of hot weather, one was more likely to frequent the park or a ball game than the local cinema, sending box office receipts plummeting. Theatre […]

  This past weekend marked anniversaries for both the beginning and closing chapters to one of the more storied periods in Orange County movie going. On March 13, 1968,  Fox West Coast/National General opened the South Coast Plaza Theatre, marking the theoretical start to Costa Mesa’s “golden era” of movie going. Forty years later, the same week saw the demolition […]

. Mention the name “Yost”, in Orange County, and most will either reference the recently reopened Yost Theatre or the venue’s many years as a Spanish language cinema. Sadly, few know of the theatre’s namesake or his former role as Orange County’s “Mr. Show Business”. .   Born in Pennsylvania, circa 1875, Edward D. Yost entered […]

  A year has now passed since Huntington Beach’s Pierside Pavilion 6 closed and, to the best of my knowledge, the site has received minimal interest from potential operators. Having taken part in a speculative walk-through, this past October, I can attest to the theatre’s “turn key” condition; remarkable for an ocean side property, that is nearing twenty years in age. However, […]