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Presidential Cinema

August 31st, 2008 by ccrouch
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Considering the looming presidential election, I thought a look at the White House cinema might be appropriate. 

Film had a rather inappropriate (by today’s standards) debut at the White House, via the screening of D.W. Griffith’s racially controversial “Birth of a Nation”, in 1915. The film, which depicts extreme racial stereotypes and the Klu Klux Klan as heroic figures, was viewed by then president Woodrow Wilson and his cabinet, in conjunction with a visit from Thomas Dixon (author  of the film’s source play “The Clansman” and former classmate of Wilson’s). Wilson is infamously claimed to have remarked, “It is like writing history with lightning. And my only regret is that it is all so terribly true.”, in reaction to the film. However, later historians have cast some doubt as to the validity of this statement’s origin and speculated that it was actually a marketing fabrication by Dixon. For the next twenty-seven years, sporadic film screenings would be held in the White House’s second floor Central Hall.
 
A formal movie theatre wasn’t constructed at the White House until 1942, when president Roosevelt had a former cloakroom converted. The original theatre was little more than a long, narrow room with parlor chairs and a small screen, but this makeshift setting was eventually expanded upon by Dwight Eisenhower. President Eisenhower, who was a fan of western films, upgraded the projection equipment and installed four oversized executive armchairs in the front row (this executive seating remains the cinema’s hallmark to the present day). The only variance to the front row came with John F. Kennedy, for whom an orthopedic bed  was set up, to aid his chronically bad back. 
 
Initially, the White House Cinema featured an olive green and gold decor, but this was eventually remodeled in to a white and red floral design. The white and floral decor remained in place until 2004, when the Bush’s conducted a substantial remodel, converting the color scheme to a bright red. Oddly enough, the Bush’s remodel was the most extensive since Roosevelt’s original construction; former actor and well known film enthusiast, Ronald Reagan, who would seem the most likely candidate for a cinema expansion/remodel, actually preferred to watch films at presidential retreat, Camp David. The present day White House theatre features forty plush seats, set behind the Eisenhower executive armchairs, in a thoroughly modern, luxury home cinema, setting.
White House Theatre 1948    White House Theatre 1958    White House Theatre 1992    White House Theatre 2005
 
In part two, we will take a more in depth look at the films that have been shown at the White House and the genre preferences some of our presidents have had.

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Build It And Someone Else Will Step In

August 29th, 2008 by ccrouch
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At 12:29 PM, on February 8, 1980, Mann’s Woodbridge 5 sat ready to open, as the city of Irvine’s first movie theatre. At 12:30 PM, the theatre opened it’s doors, as Edwards’ latest entry in the Orange County market.

A cinema changing operators is normally a matter of little note. Be it a merger, buyout, bankruptcy, loss of lease, or any number of mundane business decisions, theatres often pass around the industry like a hot potato. On occasion, such transactions occur before the site has even broken ground. However, few theatres turn over in the fashion the Woodbridge 5 did.
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Back in 1977, regional powerhouse, Mann Theatres, had engaged in a heated battle with Orange County titan, Edwards Theatres, over the cinema rights to a small Irvine retail development. At the time, the Woodbridge Village Center was an empty meadow and Irvine was little more than an up and coming planned community. Yet, the opportunity to obtain an early foothold, in tightly managed Irvine, was something neither company wanted to pass on. The fact that each company was headed up by individuals who were well known for their egos, Mann’s Ted Mann and Edwards James Edwards, only added to this sense of competition.
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After a drawn out bidding war and show of “one-ups-manship”, Mann won the rights to the cinema, breaking ground in 1978. While planned for a 1979 opening, the center soon became bogged down in a series of mistakes and setbacks (one such delay coming in the form of a santa ana wind blowing down the center’s framework). Ultimately, the center wouldn’t be completed until early 1980 and the cinema a few months later.
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Having persevered the “challenging” James Edwards and worked through a near two year construction process, Mann was finally ready to tap in to it’s hard won new market. Then, without notice, the Mann Woodbridge 5 officially became the Edwards Woodbridge 5, as the doors opened for business.
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The reasons and details were never public, leading locals to create an urban legend of Edwards “stealing” the theatre from Mann, via last minute political wrangling; but, the reality was likely far less dramatic. Surely, there was a standard business transaction, that involved a greater degree of negotiation and time than appearances reveal. Somewhere, the true story is documented in yellowing paperwork. However, the fact that Mann publicized the grand opening, as late as a day before the theatre changed hands, leads one to believe the deal wasn’t finalized until the final hour.
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Mann Woodbridge 5 2/7/80          Edwards Woodbridge 5 2/8/80

In any case, the “complicated” Woodbridge 5 opening came to foreshadow what was ahead for each of the chains, in Orange County. Edwards would go on to create a near cinema monopoly in the county, while Mann would struggle to establish a stable presence; all three of Mann’s future county sites, along with the established Brea location, eventually came under Edwards ownership.
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The Woodbridge 5, a theatre that seemingly changed ownership with the push of a door lever.
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Update (2/15/09): Looking through some old Los Angeles Times articles, the Woodbridge “mystery” was solved. According to a 1988 Edwards profile, James Edwards Sr. “made an offer Mann couldn’t refuse”. As speculated, in the original post, Edwards simply decided that he wanted the theatre at the last minute and was willing to pay top dollar for the site.

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The Notorious Captain of Orange County Cinema

August 28th, 2008 by ccrouch
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Today marks yet another cinematic anniversary in Orange County; the closing of the Village Theatre, in Orange, and the demise of “Captain Blood’s Family Theatres”.
 
For those unfamiliar with the Orange County theatre scene, yes, there really was a small Orange County cinema chain that went by the “Captain Blood’s Family Theatres” moniker (later shortened to the more PR friendly “Captain’s Family Theatres”). The name was based on owner Todd Blood and his being an alleged descendant of the pirate. The chain was notable for being one of the more “colorful” and notorious operations in the county.
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Back in 1995, after years of being an aspiring theatre mogul/film maker, Blood and a partner remodeled Orange’s long dormant Villa Theatre (re christened the Village Theatre), in to an eclectic, “movie fan” inspired cinema. Oddly subdivided in to a three plex and decorated with a hodgepodge of movie memorabilia, Christmas lights, and hand painted murals (including a Star Wars collage and glow-in-the-dark pirate ship), the theatre exemplified Blood’s film enthusiast over businessman approach.
 
After five years of fluctuating business and tepid customer reviews, Blood caught a break, via the millennium theatre industry implosion. Stepping in to pick up the leases of recently abandoned cinemas, his burgeoning chain acquired the Brea Plaza 5, Woodbridge 5, and Mainplace 6 theatres. In short order, the want-to-be became Orange County’s largest independent theatre chain. Unfortunately, this move also marked the chain’s slide in to local infamy.   
 
Continuing the chain’s signature decorating style and “controversial” approach to operations, Blood’s theatres quickly became known for being decrepit, customer service nightmares (all be it in a bizarre funhouse sort of fashion). Well publicized plans for extravagant renovations, film festivals, and the development of a hub for local filmmakers, failed to materialize in any significant fashion. Even the vision of creating a place for movie lovers gave way to sites that were more unsupervised  hangouts for teenage staffers than truly functional cinemas (visiting the Brea Plaza, one was likely to find the staff utilizing the lobby video projector for gaming purposes, rather than showing coming attractions). To compound matters, the chain had also far exceeded it’s financial means, resulting in frequent issues with creditors and a further decline. Never one to acknowledge such shortcomings, Blood became well known for his verbal sparing with angry customers, local critics, and disgruntled employees.
 
Hardly surprising, Captain’s Family Theatres began to fold in 2005, as landlords and city officials stepped in to stop the grand intentions gone horribly wrong. While not going out quietly, the Captain was evicted from each of his venues; the last being his first theatre, with the Village, on 8/27/06.
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While you’ll find a great deal of negative feedback on this former chain and it still has somewhat of an infamous reputation in Orange County cinema circles, I prefer to remember “Captain Blood’s Family Theatres” as a colorful chapter in Orange County theatre history. Perhaps, a cautionary tale of one’s fantasies clouding better judgement.

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The World’s First Free Standing Four Plex

August 27th, 2008 by ccrouch
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 This week marks the thirty-ninth anniversary of the world’s first free standing four-plex, the Fashion Square 4, in La Habra, CA. Built by AMC, the venue was an early entry in the company’s emergence as a national powerhouse and a precursor to the “mulit-plex era”.

While not having invented the multi-plex (depending on your definition of “multi-plex”, that honor goes to either Nat Taylor’s expansion of the Elgin Theatre in 1957 or Jame Edwards’ Alhambra Theatre in 1939), AMC is generally recognized as having pioneered/refined the concept. Allegedly, AMC’s Stanley Durwood came up with the modern multi-plex, in 1962, while standing in the empty lobby of a theatre; noting what an inefficient business model the classic single screen theatre was. A year later, Durwood expanded his Kansas City, MO. Parkway Theatre in to a twin, moving on to four and six plexes within a few years. By the time AMC opened the Fashion Square 4, plans were already underway for a twelve screen theatre in Cincinnati, OH. Of course, this would ultimately lead up to the 20+ screen mega-plex era of the mid to late 90’s. 
 
Some might view the Fashion Square 4 as somewhat of a dubious milestone, as the theatre exemplified the industry’s movement in to a more homogenized, “mass consumption” direction. The decade that followed saw classic movie palaces either subdivide their once grand auditoriums or give way to the sterile, “shoebox”, multi’s all together; the “big” theatre experience turned in to an assembly line of efficiency. Yet, this milestone also marked a step in the industry’s modernization, after having remained relatively unchanged for the better half of a century. For better or worse, the Fashion Square 4’s 1969 grand opening helped to herald in a new cinematic era. 
 

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A Most Unlikely Adult Film Venue

August 26th, 2008 by ccrouch
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The 1970’s saw quite a few family friendly theatres and cinema landmarks turn to pornography as a means of financial survival. However, few know that Knott’s Berry Farm’s Independence Hall replica once held a two day adult film “festival”. Yes, the home of world famous fried chicken, fruit preserves, and “America’s first theme park”, was host to eight hard core films and two of adult cinema’s most notorious impresarios.
 
Controversy? Well, not exactly. The actual screening was far less salacious in nature than my introduction implied. In October of 1978, Knott’s Independence Hall was utilized in the second Orange County obscenity hearing, involving the Mitchell Brothers’ Santa Ana theatre. Lacking an appropriate site to screen  35mm prints of the films in question (the Mitchell Brothers had decline to use their own theatre), Knott’s allowed the court to temporarily convert Independence Hall in to a screening room. The screening was not open to the public, nor was the “event” publicized, but, for two days, a superior court judge and his staff viewed tittles, such as “Deep Throat” and “The Devil in Miss Jones”, in a place better known for wholesome family fun than titillation.
 
While it almost seems befitting for a free speech case to involve a replica of Independence Hall, one has to chuckle at the idea of Knott’s Berry Farm screening adult films. At least it didn’t take place in their “Good Times Theater”.

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Theatre or Theater?

August 24th, 2008 by ccrouch
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Is it a “theatre” or “theater”? While most could care less and generally utilize “theater”, the subject does raise questions with some. Look the words up in a dictionary and you are likely to find that either is acceptable. Ask someone within more serious/hardcore circles and you are likely to hear some strong opinions on the matter (especially within the live theater community). Many divide the two between “theatre” for films and “theater” for live performances. As if to add to the confusion, some divide the two further; “theatre” for the art form and “theater” for the venue. And, less we forget the use of “cinema” within this ever growing confusion. 
 
Personally, I stick with NATO’s (National Association of Theatre Owners) official stance of “theatre” for use with film. Thus, you will find “theatre” utilized on this site, along with the old stand bye “cinema”. Of course, you are free to utilize whatever you prefer and I won’t fault you for it…even if you dare to choose “movie theater”.

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Hot Dog Horror

August 24th, 2008 by ccrouch
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There has long been a certain stigma attached to the “movie theatre hot dog”. For the most part, the jokes and urban legends are completely unwarranted, as there is truly no difference between the hot dogs served in movie theatres and those served by any other concessionaire. The meat sources, brands, preparation methods, and product ages are the same at your local theatre as they are at the ballpark. However, just as there are unscrupulous vendors at any of the more “reputable” outlets, there are theatres that more than live up to the myths. Thus, I present three tales of hot dog horror:
 
“Resurrection dogs” – One of the unwanted side effects of a “dogeroo” cooked hot dog (a somewhat dated rotisserie style machine) is that the franks tend to dehydrate over time. Left rotating for a day, the once plump red wieners, begin to lose their color and take on a shriveled appearance. While still completely edible, the accepted practice is to discard such franks. Yet, one particularly frugal theatre owner developed a rather dubious method for “resurrecting” his dried frankfurters. At the conclusion of each business day, this individual would take the unsold dogs and place them in a jar filled with red Kool-Aid. Soaking overnight, the concept was to both re hydrate and dye the franks a reddish color; thus, “resurrecting” the old dogs to a more visually appetizing state.
 
“Yesterdogs” –  A normally upscale venue, which has been mentioned in an earlier post here, pinches a few pennies via the “yesterdog”. After closing, any unsold hotdog is removed from the bun and stored in the freezer overnight. The following morning, the franks are reheated and sold as new. Not surprisingly, the “yesterdogs” are lacking the taste and appearance of their fresh grill mates, but the difference is rarely noted by customers. The “yesterdog” moniker is entirely internal in nature and not something the theatre advertises to the public.
 
“Green side down” – Perhaps, the most shockingly distasteful hot dog horror tale took place at one of the major chains, in the mid 90’s. At the time, this chain maintained their prepared hot dogs in plastic “clamshells”, kept in warming cabinets. A perfectly acceptable procedure, as long as the hot dogs were sold in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, theatres with slower business levels began to encounter a problem with the franks turning a pale greenish/gray color, after sitting out for a few hours. Being that this discoloration tended to only occur on the side exposed to the air (i.e. the top), someone in the corporate office came up with a quick fix to the problem; “green side down.” The idea, which was sent out in an official memo, actually titled “green side down”, involved rotating the offending franks, so that the discolored side was facing in to the bun (i.e. downwards). Fortunately, more logical minds eventually prevailed and the company adopted another method for preparing their hot dogs, circumventing the issue all together. But, for a brief time, there was an unpleasant surprise hiding within far too many buns.
 
On a novel side note, one  of the major suppliers of hot dog franks once approached several chains with the idea of burning corporate logos in to their franks, via a laser. To the best of my knowledge, nobody took them up on this offer, so we missed out on biting in to a dog emblazoned with “AMC”, “General Cinemas”, “Pacific Theatres”, etc. 

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Icelandic Movie Ratings

August 22nd, 2008 by ccrouch
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Every country has it’s own take on movie ratings. However, I find Iceland’s ratings system one of the most unique.

Iceland Ratings Chart

Interesting, that there is such a specific age breakdown; 7, 12, 16, and 18. I’m assuming the pictograms are violence, sex, drug use, fright, and language.

Mystery IconThe meaning of the pictogram with three people is a mystery to me; content not suitable for some?, not suitable for children?

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Theatre Robbery

August 20th, 2008 by ccrouch
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Reflecting on the Buena Park Mall/theatre proved to be rather timely. On Monday, the Krikorian Metroplex 18 fell victim to a rather well planned robbery. According to the Los Angeles Times:

Krikorian Exterior Art PanelA man who robbed a Buena Park theater this week took the time and care to convince his victims that he was a police detective and that he was there to help solve a crime, authorities said Tuesday.

He wore a gun on his hip and a badge on his shirt and had a business card identifying him as a Buena Park police officer. He made phone calls to supposed supervisors in front of the victims.

Then he turned the gun on the unsuspecting manager and fled with the cash.

The incident was reported about 2:30 p.m. Monday at the Krikorian Theatres in the Buena Park Mall, said Buena Park Police Sgt. Bill Kohanek.

About 1 p.m., the impostor walked into the theater, asked for the manager and told him that he was investigating a recent string of robberies in the area, Kohanek said. The man handed the manager a phony card with the name of an actual Buena Park patrol officer, the sergeant said.

Convinced, the manager invited the phony detective into his office to talk about the investigation. He opened the safe and allowed him to inspect the theater’s money.

The man, who wore black pants, a white dress shirt and a green tie, said he was looking at serial numbers to match them with stolen bills.

He also spent some time on the phone with a person he said was his supervisor, Kohanek said.

The robber then pointed his gun at the manager and the assistant manager, tied them up, removed the hard drives from computers that operated video surveillance equipment and fled with the cash.

“We’ve certainly all heard of impersonation crimes before,” Kohanek said. “But this time it was so in depth. He was just running with this guise for a very long time.”

The man was last seen driving away in a white sedan.

Truly  one of the more unique theatre robberies I’ve heard of. About the closest story I can recall involved the Long Beach United Artists theatre, which was once robbed by a person posing as a UPS driver. Most theatre robberies are far less creative.

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UA Buena Park & The Pass Relationship

August 17th, 2008 by ccrouch
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UA Buena Park Grand OpeningTwenty four years ago today, United Artists opened the Buena Park 8, in the lower level of the, then highly popular, Buena Park Mall. Long since closed and gutted, this venue had a brief “hot” run, but quickly fell victim to the fragile dynamics of mall life cycles. By the mid 90’s the Buena Park Mall was a virtual ghost town and area joke. The mall would receive a substantial remodel, circa 2002; the former UA 8 site being taken over by a Burlington Coat Factory (which also closed in short order), and an impressive eighteen screen “flagship” cinema would be constructed, by Krikorian Theatres, where JC Penny’s once stood (roughly fifty yards from the old UA site). However, the remodeled mall, and most would argue the new cinema, have yet to recapture a substantial piece of the area market. These days, the mall is better known for hosting failed businesses and the Krikorian Metroplex 18 for being “that nice theatre in a crappy mall”; the United Artists 8 is little more than a hazy memory for most.   

About my only memory of the old UA is the “pass relationship” the venue had with my first management post, the AMC Fullerton 10. Prior to the mega-plex boom of the late 90’s, many competing theatre chains had an unofficial arrangement, where in employees were permitted to watch movies for free at each other’s cinemas. A different time and attitude, there was a general feeling of being in an extended family of sorts; there was even a sense of pride in showing your theatre off to the employees of another. The only exception, in Orange County, was Edwards theatres, which operated as somewhat of a hostile cousin (perhaps grumpy old uncle) to the likes of AMC, Century, United Artists, and SoCal Cinemas. Where in most chains recognized an “I’ll scratch your back, if you scratch mine” agreement, Edwards always went out of their way to make competitors feel unwelcome.

Sadly, this arrangement, not to mention the spirit behind it, was one of the many “mega-plex era” casualties. With an expansion explosion came an increased sense of competition and some stressed relationships between exhibitors.  In short order, the extended family was in the midst of a cold war and the pass agreement was unceremoniously ended. Even today, long after the mega-plex boom turned in to a bust, you would likely hear a sarcastic chuckle, followed by the hum of a dial tone, if you were to enquire about passes with a competitor. But, there was a time when such a call would result in a friendly conversation.

 

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