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The latest movie theater news and updates
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October 11, 2002
New Photos: UK Photos
Cinema Treasures superstar Ian Grundy returns with an awesome batch of over 20 new theater photos from the United Kindgom.
Among the highlights… shots of the endearing Cottage Road Cinema in Leeds, the aptly-named Cosy in Tadcaster, the late Victorian Harrogate Theatre in Harrogate, the Bradford Imax Cinema in Bradford, the diminutive Rex in Elland, and an updated shot of the Odeon in Harrogate.
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Today’s Newsreel
WEST HARTFORD, CT — The Hartford Courant is reporting that the Elm Theatre is definitively closed despite the theater’s “Closed Until Spring” sign. According to the Courant, the 902-seat theater is “under contract to be sold” and “has shut its doors for good.”
The 1947 movie house was once one of the highest grossing theaters in the country playing long runs of everything from “The Sound of Music” to “Lawrence of Arabia.” Unfortunately the Elm was done in by the era of the multiplex.
The Perakos family, which owned the Elm, once operated a 358-screen chain which ran up and down the east coast. Today, only the Southington Drive-In in Southington, Connecticut remains. But for how long?
Read the Hartford Courant article
(Thanks to Roger Katz for sending in this epitaph.)
PASADENA, CA — This Sunday, October 13th, Friends of the Raymond Theatre will host a booth at the enormous Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena. The space will be donated by RJ Canning Enterprises which produces the show.
The Friends of the Raymond will be selling raffle tickets, passing out flyers, and selling items to raise money for their cause. In addition, some music memorabilia will also be sold to raise money for the Friend’s fight to save the Raymond.
The Rose Bowl flea market begins at 7:00 am and ends at 3:00 pm. Admission is $7.00.
For more information or to donate to the Friends of Raymond
(Thanks to Gina Zamparelli for the announcement.)
HOLLYWOOD, CA — The 3-strip presentation of the first Cinerama film ever produced, “This Is Cinerama”, has been extended through next Thursday, October 17th! The film is currently playing only at the Cinerama Dome at Arclight Cinemas. (Note: TIC will not be screened next Tuesday, October 15th.)
For tickets and showtimes, visit the Arclight website
STATEN ISLAND, NY — Preservation Magazine has just published a small story on the restoration of the St. George Theatre in Staten Island. According to the article, the 2,800-seat movie palace will need at least $12 million to be restored, but is currently being aided by a group of volunteers.
(Thanks to Jean Siegel and Gregg Anderson.)
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October 10, 2002
New Photos: Southern Theaters
Cinema Treasures takes a trip down south with today’s batch of theater photos.
Today, we bring you recent pics of the Charlotte, NC’s Carolina Theatre; Dekatur, GA’s innocent-looking Belvedere Theatre; Statesville, NC’s Newtowne 1 & 2; Atlanta, GA’s Tara, a local arthouse fav; and several other great shots.
Thanks to Tammy Conner/UA Girl for providing many of these images.
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October 9, 2002
New Photos: Vintage Shots!
We’ve just posted our latest batch of theater photos!
These new images include vintage shots of the Cine Rubens in Antwerp, Belgium (courtesy of Serge Bosschaerts); the Colonial Theatre in Hagerstown, Maryland; the Harris Theatre in Findlay, Ohio; the Orpheum Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin; and the Worth Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas.
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October 7, 2002
Lots Of New Theaters!
We’re continuing to add theaters at a blistering pace with 50 new entries added this week and 200 in the last month alone.
Thank you again to all of you who are helping us document this important part of movie history with your fond memories of those theaters which have gone dark, and a celebration of those remaining Cinema Treasures.
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Today’s Newsreel
SAVANNAH, GA — A new $2 million storage facility is being erected on the site of the former Tara Cinemas, according to a report in the Savannah Morning News. The once popular movie house closed in 1999 and was demolished less than a year ago. The Tara had stood on the site since 1964.
NEW YORK, NY — Yet another Upper East Side cinema has closed in Manhattan as Clearview’s twin Park & 86th Street theater has gone dark. Clearview’s parent company, Cablevision, is still mulling a sale of the entire Clearview circuit.
In other Clearview news, Chelsea Classics have returned with more revival screenings at the Chelsea Cinemas. Still remaining this month are “Serial Mom” on October 10th, “Misery” on October 17th, followed by “The Exorcist” on the 24th, and “The Bad Seed” on Halloween (Oct. 31).
Ticket prices are $4.00 and all shows begin at 7:30 pm.
HOLLYWOOD, CA — Don’t miss your chance to see “This Is Cinerama” in its glorious 3-projector format playing right now at the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight Cinemas. It’s an experience not to be missed!
In other Cinerama news, a new full-length documentary on the birth and death of this widescreen cinema phenomenon has recently been screened at the Telluride Film Festival and this past week Cinerama Adventure also received a glowing review from Daily Variety film critic, Todd McCarthy.
Director David Strohmaier is currently looking for a distributor.
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October 4, 2002
Aero Theatre On Its Way Back; Benefit Screenings Scheduled
SANTA MONICA, CA — The Aero Theatre is becoming more and more fiscally sound thanks to a new publicity and fundraising campaign aimed at keeping the theater in business for years to come.
Scheduled to become part of the failed Sundance Cinemas project, the theater has seen rough times since General Cinema walked away during its bankruptcy reorganization. Luckily, the Aero’s owner, Chris Allen, has worked tirelessly during 2002 to save this Montana Avenue jewel.
Now in addition to the theater’s daily film progtamming, the Aero has also hosted a number of fundraising events with dinner, catered by the Wolfgang Puck Cafe, and a classic film screened for the general public.
If you already missed “Rebel Without A Cause”, “On The Waterfront”, or “Casablanca”, there’s still time to see “Dr. Strangelove” on October 16th at 6:00 or 9:00 pm. Tickets are $20 and include food and beverages. This is the best way to show your support for this single screen gem.
The Aero is also hosting a series of family films on Saturday and Sunday mornings with Shirley Temple in “The Little Princess” (1939) to be screened on October 5th & 6th at 11:00 a.m. Tickets are only $5.
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MoMA Film Screenings Return At The Historic Gramercy Theatre
NEW YORK, NY — With the Museum of Modern Art’s Manhattan location currently closed for a massive renovation and expansion effort, the theater’s much heralded film and media department has temporarily moved its screenings to the historic Gramercy Theatre.
The Gramercy will host its first MoMA series, “To Save and Project: The MoMA International Festival of Film Preservation” beginning October 11th. The series will run until November 7th.
The next series will be “Variations on an Enigma: The Billy Rose Tribute to Delphine Seyrig,” followed by “Isn’t It Romantic? Richard Rodgers: at the Movies” which opens in November and features six films from the 1930s and six contemporary international motion pictures.
Movies at the Gramercy are a throwback to the New York of the 1970s and 1980s when the theater was a key venue for repertory film programming before it switched to off-broadway and other live productions.
Visit the MoMA film website
Read the New York Times article on MoMA’s move to Queens -
UTCA Granted Extension On Purchase Of Uptown Theatre
CHICAGO, IL — The Uptown Theatre and Center for the Arts has been granted an extension on their $2.5 million purchase agreement for the Uptown Theatre. The following letter was sent in from the UTCA and is written by CEO Mark Zipperer:
As you are likely aware, today marks the expiration of the agreement we entered into for the … purchase of the historic Uptown Theatre. In the purchase agreement, our not-for-profit organization, the Uptown Theatre and Center for the Arts (UTCA), agreed to pay the current owner of the Theatre $2.5 million dollars.
We made a down payment of $250K and agreed to purchase the property in 120 days. Yesterday, on behalf of the UTCA, I signed an agreement with the owner of the theatre to extend our deadline to October 21. … We still do not have the funds to complete the purchase.
Our staff, board, volunteers, supporters, and community leaders remain hopeful that we can make this happen in the not-too-distant future. I ask you not to lose faith in our endeavor. We’ve accomplished much in a short period of time.
For the full text of the letter and additional press release, please visit our Uptown Theatre page’s comments section
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October 3, 2002
Elm Theater Closes After 55 Years
WEST HARTFORD, CT — The Elm Theater has finally closed down after five and a half decades of delighting suburban Hartford audiences. According to Cinema Treasures' Connecticut theater expert, Roger Katz, the theater closed this past Sunday, September 29, 2002.
No shows are listed for this coming weekend and a call to the theater confirms the sad news with the following recording: “We regret to inform you that the Elm Theater is closed. Thank you for your patronage.”
The theater had been struggling for the last few years and had been relegated to showing second-run features and was only open on the weekends. The now-twinned cinema opened as a single screen movie house in 1947 and was one of the oldest operating movie theaters in the area.
It will be missed.
(Thanks to Roger Katz for the sad news.)