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Today’s photo captured a rare moment in the Star Vu Drive-In’s history; a night when the ill-fated venture was actually open for business. .   Lasting only one summer, Costa Mesa’s Star Vu was a well intended attempt to bring the magic of drive-in movie going back to Orange County. Utilizing an inflatable screen and temporary set up, the […]

On October 1, 1919, the Garden Theatre opened in La Habra, originally operating as both a vaudeville and motion picture venue. The theatre was later renamed the “La Habra” and managed to last until the mid 1950’s, when Lippert Theatres announced that they would be opening their own “La Habra Theatre” in town. The former Garden […]

Walking past Costa Mesa’s bustling Orange County Performing Arts Center this evening, I took a shortcut which unintentionally brought me to a site of cinema loss and waste.   This grass covered clearing was once a movie going Mecca for Orange County, the South Coast Plaza Theatre. Some two decades removed from the “Westwood of […]

Anaheim’s identity challenged Garden Walk theatre has been re branded the “Garden Walk 14” by  new operator, Ultra Star Cinemas. However, holding true to the venue’s somewhat confusing branding past, the location is also being labeled as an “UltraLuxe” theatre. While the extra name is likely nothing more than an acknowledgement of the higher end amenities available at the theatre […]

Today’s picture captures the Orange Drive-In’s snack bar and staff (circa late 1940’s?). As with most drive-ins, the Orange operated a cafeteria style snack bar, with patrons passing along a stationed service line, before checking out at the register; another, larger, stand was built when the venue added a second screen in the late 60’s. A […]

Anaheim’s Gardenwalk theatre is scheduled to reopen under the management of San Diego based Ultrastar Cinemas today (8/20). The former Sanborn/Movie Experience Cinemafusion had been tied up in rather contentious bankruptcy proceedings, after investors lost an estimate $5 million on the theatre, with much of the venue closed and partially stripped of fixtures for the […]

After five years of vacancy and sporadic use as a horror theme attraction, the Brea Plaza 5 has reopened as a cinema. .   I stopped bye the Brea 5 this past week and was pleased to see that the new operators, Tristone Cinemas, have placed a great deal of work in to refurbishing the thirty three year […]

The young man pictured below is Lyndon “Lynn” Aufdenkamp (circa 1916). In addition to having been a prominent figure in Laguna Beach’s early twentieth century development, Mr. Aufdenkamp was also the  city’s first cinema operator and the namesake for all of the movie theatres which have operated in Laguna Beach over the past ninety five years. .   Laguna’s […]

Orange County’s newest movie theatre, Cinema Fusion (aka Gardenwalk 14, The Movie Experience 14, and a few other monikers), is preparing to close after a two year run. Opened in July of 2008, the self promoted “future of movie going”, never managed to capture a sizeable share of the movie going market and struggled to even […]

This week marks the 95th anniversary of Santa Ana’s West End Theatre. In addition to being Orange County’s second oldest remaining theatre structure (the Yost being the oldest), the West End was the first county venue built expressly for use as a cinema. Prior to the West End’s construction, Orange County cinema venues were comprised […]