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Forgotten Cinema: Century 21

February 4th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Be it the result of a theatre’s lackluster later years tainting memories or an “out with the old, in with the new” mentality, many, formerly popular, cinemas fade from the public’s collective consciousness soon after closing. Then, one finds a theatre, like Anaheim’s Century 21, which never managed to enter this public awareness in the first place.
Opened in June of 1965, Anaheim’s Century 21 had all the ingredients for a highly successful movie theatre. Featuring a cavernous 1,200 seat auditorium, high end amenities, and an eye catching modern exterior, the Century 21 should have been a local movie going hotspot. Even the location, near the five freeway and adjacent to the, then popular, Anaheim Plaza mall, pointed towards potential success. Yet, the theatre never managed to capture a sizeable audience during it’s brief run.
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Century 21 Euclid Marquee
Struggling, almost from the onset, the Century 21 rotated through four separate chains over the course of it’s fourteen years of operation. These chains attempted county exclusive film engagements and, in 1974, the theatre was twinned, to keep pace with the burgeoning multi-screen era. However, the efforts never proved fruitful, as the Century 21 was quietly closed in the Spring of 1979.
Shortly after closing, the property was redeveloped in to a set of fast food restaurants and an office complex; a Taco Bell, on the corner of Euclid and Glenn Oak, is now positioned where the Century 21’s lobby once stood. Today, few locals know their neighborhood was formerly the home of a luxurious theatre and even lifelong residents strain to recall a memory of the Century 21.

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Automaticket

February 2nd, 2009 by ccrouch
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Pictured below is a close up of an Automaticket machine. Evolving from being gear and lever driven, to powered by electric motors, these ticketing machines served as somewhat of an industry standard for over eighty years (if you have ever received a carnival/raffle style ticket, at a theatre, it was likely distributed via an Automaticket machine). While there are still a few of these machines in use, the theatre industry generally abandoned such ticketing systems, in favor of computerized ticketing, by the late 1980’s.
Automaticket Machine
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Aside from cinemas, Automaticket was also heavily involved in early twentieth century bus and railway ticketing; especially in the United Kingdom, where the company licensed with the Bell Punch corporation. In later years, Automaticket focused primarily on mechanical business equipment (partnered with Bell Punch, Automaticket manufactured some of the earliest mechanical calculators), but failed to transition successfully in to the computer age. By the new millennium, Automaticket’s product line was relegated primarily to the world of collectors and museums.
In Orange County, a functioning  Automaticket machine still distributes tickets at Newport Beach’s Lido Theatre.

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The Cry Room

January 29th, 2009 by ccrouch
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While disruptive children are often portrayed as a modern hassle of movie going, this problematic issue has likely been around as long as parents have been taking children to the movies. These days, the problem is generally taken for granted or occasionally addressed through alternative admissions programs (21 and over only, “mommy Mondays”, etc.). However, there was once a rather simplistic answer to this issue, the “cry room”. 

 
The first theatre to utilize the idea is lost to history, but, beginning in the 1940’s, many cinemas featured a small, soundproof, room or booth, in the back of their auditoriums, that allowed parents with disruptive children to watch films without bothering fellow moviegoers. These cry rooms, usually seating no more than a half dozen people, featured a large viewing window and often an independent audio source. Occasionally, the space was set up in a more casual “living room” fashion, but, more often than not, they provided amenities that mirrored the adjoining auditorium. This seemingly ideal feature never caught on as an industry standard, but, for several decades, the cry room was a luxury amenity for many modern cinemas.
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Rancho Niguel 8 Cry Room
 
By the 1970’s, cry rooms went the way of “smoking lounges”, loge seating, and other luxury features; virtually disappearing by the end of the decade. With the advent of the multiplex, cinema operators began to approach their venues with an eye towards economically efficient use of square footage (AMC, somewhat notoriously, began utilizing an attendance per square foot formula in their theatre design/operation). “Cry rooms” were simply viewed as a waste of space in the efficiency model of the multiplex era.
 
Over the ensuing decades, this idea has popped up from time to time, as a novelty, and, even today, there are chains which have revisited the concept, as many operators search for ways to recapture fickle audiences. In Orange County, the sole remaining example can be found at the Rancho Niguel 8, in Laguna Niguel; a late 80’s, Mann build, that features a number of novel design features (for the time), including an early attempt at stadium seating. Considering that disruptive children remain a common complaint among movie goers, and that theatre operators have begun to look back towards their showmanship roots, one wonders if the “cry room” might just make a comeback in the near future.

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Cinema Viejo: Fleeting Notoriety

January 25th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Demonstrating how swiftly the tides of notoriety shift with cinemas, we have Cinema Viejo. Opened in 1970, as the area’s fist movie theatre and one of the only modern cinemas south of Newport Beach, Cinema Viejo was, for a time, a heavily cited selling point in literature for the, then new, community of Mission Viejo.
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Community Literature Featuring Cinema Viejo
 
Twinned and renamed the “Viejo Twin” in the mid 70’s, the theatre remained popular throughout the decade. However, by the 1980’s, an influx of competition and the popularity of multiplexes began to take their toll. By the 1990’s, the Viejo was looked on as a bit of a dinosaur by locals and ever declining attendance forced it’s closure in 93′.
 
These days, the former “Saturday Night Destination”, sits quietly, on a secluded Mission Viejo side street, serving as a youth ministry.  

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The Notorious Valuskis Theatre

January 24th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Pictured below is a 1951 photo of Buena Park’s Valuskis Theatre (once known as the Grand); a venue with a sorted history that included one of the darkest moments in Orange County cinema.
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Valuskis Theatre Circa 1951
 
On May 19, 1951, a ten year old girl, Patty Jean Hull, was abducted from the theatre and murdered by a convicted sex offender, Henry Ford McCracken. The search for Hull, and eventual murder trial of McCracken, would go on to become one of the earliest, nationally televised, media circuses, setting the groundwork for future national sensations, such as the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald and O.J. Simpson murder trial. While more the result of timing (i.e. television emerging as a popular media form) than any shortcoming on the theatre’s part, the murder would prove to be a turning point for the Valuskis. 
 
The formerly popular Valuskis Theatre would never recover from the massive negative publicity and was soon forced in to showing Spanish language films, with limited success. By the 1970’s, the theatre would turn to pornographic booking and became part of the Pussycat Theatre circuit. As an adult cinema, the theatre was the site of frequent vice raids and suffered through a series of well publicized court cases, throughout the 70’s; most notably a battle with a local woman, who sued on the basis of being “offended and outraged”, utilizing the California “Red Light Abatement Act”. Despite coming out victorious in these cases, with the emergence of home video, and facing stiff competition (no pun intended) from near bye Studio Adultland, the theatre was shuddered in the mid  80’s and razed by the 1990’s. Today, a Ford car dealership sits on the Beach Blvd. site.

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A Modern Idea: The Brookhurst Loge

January 19th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Following up on the Brookhurst post the other day, I thought it might be worthwhile to take a closer look at the Brookhurst Loge.
 
Opened on February 18, 1970, with a screening of “Oliver!”, the Loge was intended as a luxury, “adults only”, option for patrons of the Brookhurst Theatre. The theatre featured a small, level auditorium (i.e. loge seating), with oversized seats, that brought to mind a private screening room. While run by the operators of the Brookhurst Theatre and located next door to the larger theatre, the Loge always maintained an independent concession stand and box office, along with separate film booking. The basic concept was to provide movie goers with a more serious, “adult”, environment for watching films (initially charging a higher ticket price for the service).
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Brookhurst Loge Construction
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Following the Brookhurst Theatre’s quading, in the early 90’s, the luxury, “adults only”, concept was dropped and the Loge was operated as the theatre’s fifth auditorium (reflected in the Theatre’s early 90’s marquee and newspaper listings as the Brookhurst 5). Unfortunately, as the Brookhurst’s popularity continued to slide, the Loge was shut down in 1996 and converted in to a beauty school shortly thereafter. Today, the exterior of the former Brookhurst Loge has changed little from it’s days as a cinema; the poster cases remain intact, now advertising the beauty school’s literature, rather than upcoming films. However, the interior bares little resemblance to what was once there and few realize the building was ever utilized for film.
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Present Day Brookhust Loge
 
While the Brookhurst Loge was ultimately a failed venture, the concept was somewhat ahead of it’s time, when one looks at the number of cinemas attempting a similar idea in today’s market. Just this past year, Anaheim’s Garden Walk Theatre opened with a set of “adults only” auditoriums and a number of other chains have begun to experiment with the idea around the country; most notably the “Gold Class” cinema chain which operates their theatres entirely on this admission approach. These modern cinemas have included bars and additional luxury services in their operations, but the general idea remains the same.
 
Separated by nearly forty years, today’s theatre goers and operators apparently continue to have the same concerns as their predecessors. Whether this revived concept will succeed, meeting adult movie goers’ alleged needs, or simply prove to be a fruitless effort/gimmick again, remains to be seen.  

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The First?

January 17th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Conventional theatre lore has generally hailed Santa Ana’s Temple theatre as the first cinema in Orange County, having opened in 1909. However, I recently stumbled across a picture that suggests the first movie theater in Orange County was possibly opened a few years earlier and at a different site all together. The Santa Ana Theatre (alternatively billed as the “Electric Theatre”), located on East Fourth Street, in Santa Ana, apparently opened around 1906 (possibly 1908), under the ownership of one “Doc” Roberts (Mr. Roberts is standing at the far left of the picture, beside his wife). 

First Orange County Theatre?

Thus far, I haven’t been able to find a great deal of information on this theatre, outside of an anecdote that Mr. Roberts was said to have stood behind the cinema’s screen and provided dialog/sound effects for the silent films being played.

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The Forgotten Brookhurst Theatre

January 16th, 2009 by ccrouch
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Opened on April 5, 1961, Anaheim’s Brookhurst Theatre was the first Orange County cinema to feature 70mm films and was one of the county’s finer movie going destinations, well in to the 1970’s. At the time of the theatre’s opening, the design was termed “ultra modern” and the amenities were considered a step above other county movie going options. As a result, the theatre’s early popularity was such that an all loge seating satellite venue was added in the early 70’s (the Brookhurst Loge) and the cinema’s googie style, a-frame, street sign was an often referenced area landmark.

Brookhurst Theatre Circa 1992

 
Unfortunately, by the mid 80’s, the theatre had begun to suffer from a declining neighborhood demographic and the industry’s conversion to a multi screen business model. Attempting to stay viable, the theatre was briefly closed in the early 90’s, remodeled, and divided in to four auditoriums. This new configuration, while losing much of the theatre’s former grandeur, allowed the venue to stay afloat for another ten years. However, the Brookhurst’s reputation continued to decline, as the site fell in to disrepair, under a revolving door of operators. Even a brief attempt at offering discount booking failed to attract a sizeable audience, forcing the theatre’s final operator, Starplex Cinemas, to shudder the venue, under mounting maintenance expenses, in early January of 2006.
 
Despite having served the Anaheim area for forty-five years, the Brookhurst’s passing garnered little notice from locals or the media. Having been the theatre’s keyholder/caretaker, for the past three years, I can attest that interest in the site was limited to a mere four halfhearted inquiries (none in regard to use as a cinema). Now, with Starplex’s lease having run out, I can only speculate as to the fate of the Brookhurst. More than likely, it’s decay will continue unchecked, until there is no other option but to demolish the site. 
 
Today, the Brookhurst Theatre sits, virtually forgotten, near the corner of Brookhurst and Ball. There are few reminders of what the theatre once was; the a-frame sign was removed long ago, the covered drive up entrance was remodeled in to a Filipino restaurant, the formerly notable 944 seat auditorium is cheaply divided in to four irregularly shaped shoebox theatres, and the “ultra modern” design is best described as “ultra dingy”. Few even realize the beauty school, that stands beside the theatre, was once the Brookhurst’s loge luxury movie going option. These days, the Brookhurst is little more than another fading cinema memory.
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Nrookhurst Theatre 2007

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2008 In Review

January 9th, 2009 by ccrouch
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With the arrival of a new year, it’s time to look back on the year that was in Orange County cinema:
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New Arrival
 
The Movie Experience at the Anaheim Garden Walk/Cinema Fusion – Veteran Southern California chain, Sanborn/SoCal/The Movie Experience, returned to the Orange County market with an equally branding challenged cinema, across from the Disneyland resort. Offering an IMAX screen and “adults only” theatre option, along with retro “Googie” decor, the Movie Experience at the Anaheim Garden Walk/Cinema Fusion holds a great deal of promise as an alternative to standard megaplex faire. However, rather typical of this chain, the theatre also suffers from a host of logistical issues. Time will tell if this cinema finds it’s niche or suffers the same fate as the “here today, gone tomorrow” Cinemaland. 
 
Changing Hands
 
Rancho Niguel 8 – Back in February, the eternally mismanaged Niguel 8 quietly changed operators from Mann to Regency. Over the years, Laguna Niguel’s under appreciated cinematic gem has rotated between Mann and Edwards, never quite managing to capture area movie goers for any significant length of time. Here is hoping Regency finally takes full advantage of this excellent site.  
 
Fond Farewell
 
Pierside Pavillion 6 – After some two decades of struggling under three different operators, Huntington Beach’s Pierside Pavilion was closed. Left in turn key condition, the cinema could easily be reopened on short notice, but no suitors have stepped up to take on the challenge of this unique location yet.  
 
South Coast Plaza Theatres – March saw a low point in Orange County cinema, with the demolition of the South Coast Plaza theatres. Once standing as an area landmark and the cornerstone of the “Westwood of Orange County”, these cinemas were an area favorite for over thirty years. After having been shuttered, following Edwards’ bankruptcy, many held out the hope that at least one of the buildings would be saved for use as a theatre. Unfortunately, after a decade of languishing in obscurity, the complex was razed to make way for yet another Costa Mesa office building.
 
Mann Theatres – With Regency Theatre taking over the Niguel 8, Mann has officially exited the Orange County market, after a thirty-five year run in the county. Once having, somewhat notoriously, taken over the classic palaces of Fox West Coast/National General and having built four venues of their own, Mann was, for a time, a county heavyweight. However, much like their overall chain, the company has drifted out of significance over the ensuing years.     
 
Back From The Brink
 
Port Theatre – After sitting vacant for a decade and facing an announced meeting with the wrecking ball, Corona Del Mar’s Port theatre was saved at the last minute. While no concrete opening date has been made public, renovation is currently underway to convert the Port in to an upscale lounge style cinema.
 
Four Star Cinema – In 2008, Garden Grove’s small, independently operated, Four Star Cinema received a much needed remodel and upgrade to digital projection. Under new ownership and re christened the “Family Four”, this theatre has made a valiant attempt to reinvent itself as a viable cinema destination.  
 
Fountain Valley Twin – While not finding new life as a cinema, the long abandoned Fountain Valley Twin was remodeled in to an Asian performing arts center this past Summer.
 
Strange Days
 
Fullerton 20 stabbing – Literally, like a scene right out of a horror movie, two Fullerton 20 patrons were stabbed by a deranged man, while watching the horror film “The Signal”. In August, a suspect, twenty four year old Steven Robinson Jr., was taken in to custody and charged with the crime.
 
Krikorian Buena Park robbery – Covered in an earlier post, Krikorian’s Buena Park location fell victim to a creative criminal, who managed to clean out the theatre’s safe through posing as a Buena Park police detective. Unlike standard theatre robberies, which usually involve a degree of force, this criminal not only talked his way in to the office, but actually convinced the theatre’s manager to open the safe and reveal facility security equipment. To date, no suspect has been named in the robbery.
 
Changes
 
Newspaper print adds – A sign of the times, Cinemark/Century theatres dropped their daily block advertisements in the Orange County Register and scaled back the Los Angeles Times to a small “see city listings” note. Other major operators have significantly downsized from their once full page adds and Regal Entertainment Group has announced plans to drop print advertising in the near future.
 
Digital projection – To date, only four Orange County theatres currently offer all digital projection, but, with the development of a digital cooperative between the industry’s “big three” (covered in an earlier post), there are promises that we’ll be seeing far more digital screens in the near future. Additionally, studios are beginning to pick up on the latest cinematic gimmick, digital 3-D, with Dreamworks announcing that all of their animated releases will be made available in the format this year. Whether any of this will live up to the “digital revolution” or industry “turning point” hype remains to be seen.
 
And, there you have Orange County’s 2008 cinema scene in a nutshell. There have certainly been more eventful years, and those that were far less. Personally, I view the year as the beginning of a transition period for both the industry and county scene. Much like the country at large, cinema is looking to find it’s place in a rapidly changing world.

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HAPPY NEW YEAR

January 1st, 2009 by ccrouch
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We here at Cinelog wish you all a happy new year. May you have fond memories of the year that was and make some wondeful new ones in the year to come.

Happy New Year

Pictured above is a view of the South Coast Plaza Theatre’s auditorium (circa 1969). The former Fox West Coast venue was later twined by Mann Theatres and finished out it’s days under Edwards’ management (closed in 2000, shortly before Edwards’ bankruptcy). Sadly, the theatre, along with it’s sister Plaza III screen, was demolished this past spring. 

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