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An alarming update on Seal Beach’s Bay Theatre being for sale. According to the 5/11 Orange County Register, the theatre is definitely on the market, for $3.3 million. Unfortunately, the article also suggests that the property might not be sold for use as a cinema.

Sadly, with the site being open to non theatre use, one has to suspect the Bay’s days as a cinema are numbered.

After nearly a decade of sitting vacant and partially gutted, San Juan Capistrano’s Franciscan Plaza theatre has finally found a suitable operator. Last week, Regency Theatres formally signed on to reopen the theatre by Thanksgiving of 2009.

 

A former Edwards, the Franciscan Plaza was operated, as a five screen cinema, from late 1989, until 2000, when Edwards pulled out, shortly before the company’s 2001 bankruptcy filing. While the theatre had never managed to pull in adequate business, a new suitor took over, shortly after Edwards’ departure, promising to reopen the theatre as a luxury cinema and dining venue. Unfortunately, this venture never managed to gain any significant momentum, falling in to a series of broken promises, unfinished work, and lawsuits. Coupled with the theatre’s demise, the entire Franciscan Plaza complex had languished under unsteady finances and management, for the better part of a decade.

 

Now, with Regency stepping in, having secured a $450,000 loan and the full backing of the city, plans are underway to remodel the theatre as a three screen cinema, with an upstairs bar. Considering the company’s successful track record of refurbishing older theatres, not to mention that the city is currently lacking a local movie going destination, one has to remain optimistic about the Franciscan Plaza’s future as a cinema. 

The first week of May is well known for a series of justice, human rights, and independence celebrations; via the Law Day, May Day, and Cinco de Mayo holidays. Interestingly enough, this week also marks a historic breakthrough in film distribution and the proverbial “beginning of the end” for the Hollywood studio system.

 

Prior to the late 1940’s, the Hollywood film industry was run by five studios, which controlled every aspect of major film production, distribution, and exhibition. Of particular note in this system was the practice of “block booking” films (i.e. forcing theatres to purchase numerous films, as a package deal) and studio ownership of prime theatre locations; effectively allowing studios to monopolize theatres with their product. In retaliation to this non competitive system, a series of complaints were lodged against the five studios, by independent producers; culminating in the Hollywood Anti Trust Case of 1948 (aka the “United States v. Paramount Pictures”).

 

On May 4, 1948, the United States Supreme Court handed down a decision on the “United States vs. Paramount Pictures” anti-trust case. The ruling basically held that the established film distribution system was in violation of U.S. anti-trust laws, forcing studios to abandon “block booking” and divest themselves of theatre ownership. While there would be several more court cases, before the studio system was officially broken, the Paramount Decision proved to be the turning point, that eventually “opened” the industry.

 

In addition to eroding the studio system and opening the film industry to a greater degree of competition, the Hollywood Anti Trust Case of 1948 also resulted in a drastic alteration to the business model of cinemas. No longer being directly tied in to studios, theatres were faced with higher film fees and decreased percentages of ticket sales, forcing a move towards concession as a primary means of revenue; the separation of studio and theatre pushed theatres out of the film business and in to the food business. In turn, cinema design, operations, and the overall movie going experience were set on a new path, ultimately leading to what we see today.

 

This weekend marked the twelve year anniversary of one of the more notable passing’s in Orange County cinema history, with the death of Edwards Theatres founder, James Edwards II. On 4/26/97, the ninety year old Edwards was found floating in Newport Bay, having suffered a fatal heart attack.

 

In the wake of Mr. Edwards’ death, the Orange County cinema landscape underwent a drastic transition. Edwards’ once highly profitable, family owned, chain slipped in to bankruptcy, under the leadership of his children; this financial failure ultimately forcing the closure of numerous county theatres and resulting in the chain being absorbed by, cinema conglomerate, Regal Entertainment Group. After thirty two years of Orange County’s cinemas being defined by Edwards’ independent, “giant killer”, approach, the county fell in line with the national chains James Edwards had fought off throughout his career. 

San Juan Capistrano is well known for it’s rich historic heritage, that spans over two hundred and thirty years. The city is home to California’s first winery, oldest residential neighborhood, oldest occupied building, famous swallows, and, of course, Mission San Juan Capistrano. However, few know that the area was also the site of the first film shot in Orange County.

 

On March 25, 1910, a cast and crew of fifty arrived, from New York’s Biograph Studios, to shoot the western film short “The Two Brothers” in and around the city’s (then barely a town) historic Spanish mission. Headed up by legendary director, D.W. Griffith, the cast included a, then unknown, Mary Pickford; who would go on to become one of the silent film era’s most celebrated actresses and producers, eventually co founding both United Artists and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Hampered by inclement weather, the shoot was delayed for three days and the film would ultimately prove less than memorable in the annals of notable movies, but the groundwork was set for the future of movie production in Orange County.

 

Over the ensuing twenty years, some 500 films were at least partially shot in Orange County and the county continues to be a popular backdrop for Hollywood productions up to the present day. San Juan Capistrano, on the other hand, would shy away from it’s early brush with cinematic notoriety. Lost in the multitude of “firsts” and historical significance that, deservingly, define the city, San Juan Capistrano’s role, as the county’s cinematic trailblazer, exists as little more than an obscure bit of trivia.

I took this photo last year, during one of my final visits to the South Coast Plaza Theatre. By the time of this picture, the original South Coast Plaza Theatre was down to little more than an empty shell and the Plaza III was in the process of being gutted; the auditorium had just been stripped of it’s seats, which were laying in a massive pile, just outside this door. A week later, the entire complex was gone.

 

 

I always felt this picture captured the theatre’s passing rather well.

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 (previous county sites had been acquired through Fox West Coast/National General). Typical of the chain’s initial multiplex expansion, the theatre’s design cut far too many corners and failed to utilize a prime piece of real estate properly. As a result, the Plaza never managed to capture a sizeable audience, during it’s first run days, and became known as a movie going destination of last resort. Rather than closing up shop, the theatre would fall under the management of Edwards in 1991 and attempt art film booking, to boost ticket sales, with equally poor results. Following Edwards’ bankruptcy, the Plaza was one of the chain’s first theatres to go dark and there was talk of converting the building in to a warehouse for a near bye furniture store. Then, in a last ditch effort, the infamous Captain Blood’s Family Theatres took on the site in 2001, as a discount venue. Blood would basically run the theatre in to the ground, allowing the facility to fall in to extreme disrepair, before being evicted in 2006.

 

Following Blood’s departure, the Brea Plaza stood vacant and forgotten, failing to attract any further interest from operators; the theatre’s awkwardly compact lobby, severely undersized concession stand, and hidden location calling for far too great a remodeling investment to make the site worthwhile as a cinema. Yet, true to the Plaza’s “never say die” history, the theatre managed to briefly reopen, as a “haunted attraction”.

 

Licensing the “Saw” film franchise, from Lionsgate, a local special effects aficionado turned the vacant theatre in to a, “Saw” theme, haunted house in the Fall of 2008. While only open for a month, the event managed to, temporarily, bring some attention back to the Brea Plaza. Heavily modified with horror props and set pieces, the theatre’s interior was barely recognizable from it’s years as a cinema, but the reworking was a vast improvement from the vandalized mess that had existed previously. However, the attraction’s decorating efforts also placed one more hurdle to be overcome for any future suitors.

 

Between the Plaza’s original design shortcomings, years of neglect, and remaining horror theme decor, there seems little chance anything further will become of the tiny theatre. But, considering it’s almost phoenix like ability, to rise from the ashes, one can never truly write off the Brea Plaza.              

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 few managed to find great success in the exhibition industry, many more found themselves stopped well short of their goals and fantasies, failing to even get a foot in the proverbial door. A situation that laid the groundwork for a doomed chain and concept, that was fronted by an unlikely “get rich guru”.

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In 1969, entertainer Jerry Lewis (yes, that Jerry Lewis) partnered with the Network Cinema Corporation to form a chain of theatre franchises, via “Jerry Lewis Cinemas”. The concept was to open the possibility of theatre ownership to anyone who was able to meet initial investment requirements (a $15,000 to $50,000 downpayment), through franchising both individual cinemas and territories. Jerry and company would provide the know how, name recognition, and marketing; franchisees would put up the money and man hours. Promising “if you can press a button, you can own a Jerry Lewis Cinema”, the company appeared to be the “turn key” answer to owning your own movie theatre.

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Lewis’ theatres, branded “mini cinemas”, followed a standardized model that called for 1-3 auditoriums, seating 200 to 350 patrons each, focusing on operations efficiency. While similar to the “cracker box” design of most 70’s multiplexes, mini cinemas were generally a notch above their peers in decor and featured what could best be described as mid level amenities (i.e. neither cheap nor luxurious). Perhaps, the key sales point to these venues was the promoted automation of projection, concession, and box office, which was alleged to make the theatre an ease to operate. Billed as requiring as few as two individuals to run a theatre, the Jerry Lewis business model was targeted to increase profit, through lower overhead costs.

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Implementing a heavy sales push, throughout the early 70’s, franchise seminars were held across the country, instantly pulling from the long standing pool of want-to-be cinema owners. Franchisees were given the option of either owning an individual site or becoming an “area director”, who oversaw a protected territory and licensed cinemas within their area. By mid decade, the chain had grown to include some 200 sites, with another 100 slotted for development. Yet, despite the company’s rapid growth, cracks in the Jerry Lewis business model soon became apparent.

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Almost as quickly as the chain had spread throughout the country, mini cinemas began to fold at an alarming rate. Initially, owners cited the company’s policy of only booking “family friendly” films as the trouble spot, but, the decline continued, even after the policy was expanded to include more competitive booking practices. The finger pointing then turned to the company’s lack of continued support and lackluster marketing of venues; with owners feeling that they were left out in the cold once a cinema had been purchased and opened. Additionally, owners had discovered, much to their dismay, that the “push button automation” fell well short of what was advertised, leaving many sites in a continuous state of chaos. The end result of all these issues being a growing series of lawsuits and the company grinding to a near halt towards the close of the decade. By 1980, the chain was completely defunct, with both Jerry Lewis and the National Cinema Corporation filing for bankruptcy.

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While a host of poor business decisions likely played a role in the failure of Jerry Lewis Cinemas, the most glaring flaw was the very concept that anyone could own a theatre and operate it with minimal effort. As with far too many “get rich” schemes, all of the involved parties had been “blinded” by their fantasies and failed to consider the practical realities of running a successful business, let alone a business as unique as a movie theatre. Most franchisees entered in to the venture without the skills or experience to properly operate their theatres; in turn, Lewis and company failed to adequately prepare or support their, primarily inexperienced, cinema owners. The “ease” of running a movie theatre had been highly exaggerated, the extensive demands of operating a successful  business had been overlooked.

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There were few positive notes left In the wake of Jerry Lewis Cinemas’ disastrous run. Former franchisees tend to reflect on shattered dreams, broken promises, and ruined finances; one particular individual I corresponded with relayed that, even thirty plus years after the fact, Lewis’ yearly telethon appearance never fails to anger him. Mr. Lewis went on to release the dreadful 1981 film “Hardly Working”, to aid in his financial recovery, managing to emerge from bankruptcy shortly thereafter. The former mini cinemas, once touted as “a big money making business”, are all but gone, with only a handful of structures still standing in any form. At best, Jerry Lewis Cinemas’ overall legacy stands as part cautionary tale, part obscure trivia on a legendary entertainer’s biography.

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 operators attempted to overcome this issue through various gimmicks, such as the distribution of paper fans and free ice water (Anaheim’s Grand Theatre even advertised “perfumed” air, as a means of overcoming the unpleasantness that often accompanied an auditorium full of over-heated patrons), but the problem persisted until Willis Carrier introduced air conditioning to the industry in 1925.

First installed in New York City’s Rivoli Theatre, the new technology was initially met with skepticism, as movie goers attended a memorial day weekend test run with hand fans at the ready. However, by the end of the film, Paramount Pictures’ chief, Adolf Zukor, summed up the experience of air conditioning with, “Yes, the people are going to like it.” Within five years, Carrier had installed his system in an additional three hundred cinemas and the hot summer months had transformed in to the movie industry’s top grossing season.

Billed as everything from “refrigerated air” to “cool comfort”, air conditioning became a key marketing tool for cinemas, often appearing as prominently on marquees and in print advertisements as the features being shown. There might even be an argument made that air conditioning played a greater role in cinema’s mid twentieth century boom than the Hollywood machine that fueled the industry, as movie theatres stood as one of the few public outlets, that uniformly featured air conditioning, well in to the 1950’s. 

While “AC” would begin to proliferate the urban landscape by the 60’s, becoming a standard feature in most businesses and even a common household amenity, cinemas remained a summer time staple. Even today, movie goers flock to theatres during the summer months; not only to escape in to a blockbuster film, but to escape from the heat in a “cool movie”.

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 of the South Coast Plaza cinema complex.

 

Prior to the late 60’s, Orange County had been relegated to somewhat of a B market, for film distribution. While the Santa Ana area had once been host to first run bookings and even a few movie premieres, the county cinema scene had slipped dramatically by the dawn of the second world war. Known more for agriculture and bedroom communities, than a thriving entertainment scene, studios had begun to view the county as a secondary film market, that was far less sophisticated than it’s northern neighbor. While Orange County would receive all the latest titles, booking would come after runs in the “big city” markets.

 

The early breakthrough in Orange County’s re emergence, as a moving going powerhouse, came when James Edwards sought to take advantage of the county’s ever growing, yet under served, movie audience. Edwards, who had previously operated a theatre chain in Los Angeles, opened his first Orange County theatre on the corner of Adams and Harbor, in 1963; the modern,1,000 seat, Costa Mesa Cinema. Recognizing the potential of more lucrative bookings, Edwards initiated a practice of guaranteeing box office receipts, in order to secure early film releases. The approach proved to be an immediate success and the groundwork for a rejuvenated county cinema scene was in place.

 

    

Following on the heels of the Costa Mesa Cinema’s early success, a host of larger operators began to eye the Costa Mesa area and Edwards began expansion plans of his own. This cinema boom officially getting under way with the opening of the South Coast Plaza Theatre. Within a few years, a second theatre was added to the South Coast Plaza, Edwards opened an additional cinema in Costa Mesa, and a string of venues appeared along the Costa Mesa/Santa Ana border. In turn, the entire county began to see an influx of theatres, overseen by the “Westwood of Orange County”, Costa Mesa.  

By the mid 1970’s, studios began to consider Costa Mesa the “Westwood of Orange County”, in reference to the area’s collection of highly popular theatres and demographically desirable movie going audience. No longer viewed as an unsophisticated after market, the former open fields of Costa Mesa had given way to a burgeoning movie going hub.  Be it a “sure bet” blockbuster or “want to be” contender, the area was coveted as a place films simply had to play. And, amid the numerous theatres that dotted the area, the South Coast Plaza stood as the high profile centerpiece; the venue’s tower signage acting as a proverbial movie going beacon. While the county box office crown would rotate between various theatres over the ensuing twenty years, the South Coast Plaza, and it’s landmark tower, remained the symbolic capitol  for cinema throughout the era.

 

The era finally drew to a close by the early 1990’s. While still a popular movie going destination, Costa Mesa had fallen victim to Orange County’s success on a larger scale. Having seen multiplexes spring up throughout the county, Costa Mesa’s aging cinemas no longer had the drawing power of years past. The county had become a movie going hub, as a whole, and Costa Mesa just another city within this cinema hot bed. Over the decade, each of the “Westwood era” cinemas began to slip in to irrelevance and close; the South Coast Plaza shutting down by the new millennium, to make way for the near bye Edwards Metro Pointe 12.   

 

After sitting vacant for nearly a decade, the centerpiece of this era was torn down in March of 2008. Sadly, as the bulldozers and demo crews hacked away at the South Coast Plaza theatre complex, few even noted the passing. The “Westwood era” was long forgotten and the South Coast Plaza Theatre was little more than an unwelcome eyesore, buried amidst the glass and steel towers of “progress”. Movie goers had moved on to their local mega-plexes and stadium seating. Yet, despite vanishing in relative obscurity, the South Coast Plaza Theatre and it’s long gone peers had left a legacy. Today, Orange County exists as one of the country’s top grossing film markets, all set in motion by the former “Westwood of Orange County”.