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This month marked the forty-fifth anniversary of the long gone Fountain Valley Drive In.      While grand opening boasts of “world’s largest” and “most spectacular” were typically exaggerated exhibitor hype (check out the Westminister 4 for a humorous example), Fountain Valley truly lived up to the marketing spin.

Regency Theatres has taken over operation of the former Edwards Westminster 10 and will mark the transition with a grand reopening celebration this weekend, 6/22 – 6/24. The twenty year old theatre, located on the former site of Edwards Cinema West (66’-91’), had been in decline for quite some time and, while not facing any […]

On this day in 1933, Richard Hollingshead (along with Willie Warren Smith, Edward Ellis, and Oliver Willets) opened the world’s first drive-in theater, in Camden, New Jersey. Built for $30,000, the aptly named “Drive-In Theatre”, featured inclined slots for 400 cars and a “60 foot talkie screen”; unlike later drive-ins, sound was produced via large […]

In recognition of the 85th anniversary of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (May 18, 1927), I wanted to share a couple of pictures from the grand opening dedication/“King of Kings” premiere program.      As with the Grauman’s Egyptian program, I will be posting a PDF file of the full program soon.

The Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation conducted another one of their fascinating “All About” tours this past weekend; covering Grauman’s Chinese this time around. Among the numerous non public areas featured was the theatre’s subterranean level. While presently serving as a standard basement (storage and support system duties), prior to the theatre’s late 50’s “Windjammer”/Cinemiracle […]

The excellent Orange County history site O.C. History Roundup currently features a post about the 1979 destruction of downtown Anaheim, including several pictures of the Anaheim Fox Theatre’s demolition. The post and pictures can be viewed here.

As several county multiplexes currently undergo transformations in to luxury boutique cinemas, Orange County’s original boutique venue has fallen vacant once more. Earlier this year, the onetime Brookhurst Loge was vacated by long time resident, The James Albert Beauty School. Opened in 1970, the Brookhurst Loge offered an experience which was quite similar to the […]

The former Edwards Rancho Santa Margarita 6 has officially been green lighted for conversion in to a luxury boutique cinema.  Earlier this month, the Rancho Santa Margarita planning commission signed off on remodeling plans by new operator, Cinepolis. Much like the outfit’s current effort in Laguna Niguel, the theatre will be gutted and transformed in […]

Today marks the 103rd anniversary of the Temple Theatre. Opened on February 1, 1909, at a cost of a then whopping $15,000, the theatre was among the first cinemas to operate in Orange County. The first county cinema title belongs to either the “opera house” of the 2nd Spurgeon Building or the Santa Ana Electric […]

In what could easy be viewed as one of the more surprising of survival stories, the Santa Ana/South Coast Metro area’s Village Theatre turned forty last week. Opened on December 22, 1971, this modest triplex has managed to outlast all of its area peers and currently stands as Orange County’s fifth oldest theatre, in continuous […]