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After a near two month delay, the Brookhurst Theatre has finally set a re opening date of Friday, 8/28/09. This will mark the forty-eight year old theatre’s third reopening and fifth operator (possibly sixth). The Brookhurst had been sittng dormant for three and a half years, since the previous operator, Starplex Cinemas, closed the venue in January […]

This week’s random photo is of the, generically named, “Drive-In”, that once sat on the corner of Pico and Westwood Blvd., in Los Angeles (now the site of the Westside Pavilion shopping center). Opened as L.A.’s first drive in, on September 9, 1934, the Drive-In claimed to possess the world’s largest screen (40′ X 50′).  .   Of […]

These days, the Mann Theatres chain exists as a mismanaged handful of leases, in search of new operators. Yet, in the not so distant past, Mann was a major player in the exhibition industry; for a time, the nation’s largest independent chain. . Mann’s story begins with the chain’s namesake, Ted Mann. Born on April 15, 1916, Mann first […]

In keeping with the recent announcement that Mann is selling off theatres, including Grauman’s Chinese, here is a picture from the last time the Chinese changed hands. .   The picture comes from a 1970-1971 souvenir brochure National General Theatres released; although the photo was likely taken a few years earlier. Then part of Gene […]

This week, Cinemerica (the co venture of Warner Brothers and Viacom, which owns Mann Theatres) officially announced intentions to sell off Mann sites piecemeal, including the legendry Grauman’s Chinese. While the company had been quietly shopping the dying chain for a number of years, this public acknowledgement, that they have decided to sell off remaining theatres as individual lots, surely marks […]

Thirty five years ago, Orange County braced itself for “the beginning of the most exciting development in entertainment since sound was introduced to motion pictures.” What was this groundbreaking event? The grand opening of United Artists’ Westminister Mall 4. .   In what might be the most exaggerated statement in county cinema history, United Artists actually introduced their Westminster […]

Fifty four years ago this week, Orange County welcomed it’s fifth ozoner with the grand opening of the Anaheim Drive-In. Once billed as “Orange County’s most luxurious super drive-in theatre”, the venue had a thirty-five year run, before closing in the spring of 1990. The Anaheim Drive-In also had a rather unique after life, being the site […]

Back in 1939, inventor Aston Moore proposed a new popcorn container for moviegoers, which added the convenience of a built in napkin dispenser. Similar to a cereal box, the cardboard container was lined with a wax paper bag for the popcorn; the napkin was housed below the bag and accessed via a small slit in the box. There is no evidence […]