In 1993 our head projectionist shot himself after coming home from work. His apartment was located behind the theatre and he was always at the theatre building prints, tweaking the projectors and performing general maintenance. My former manager reported that soon afterwards theatre was odd events occurring in booth. On several occasions he saw a person walking towards the make up bench and they would disappear. Several other events would commonly occur whnever he saw Rocky but they died down (no pun) about a year or so later.
In the fall of 1996 our head projectionist flew down the step to the lobby and she insisted that for the rest of the night the GM switch positions with her. Given that Kayte was a rather tough chick everybody wondered what rattled her. By the end of the night she finally confessed that she saw a little boy in the booth. Given that our building is your cookie cutter Litchfield theatre design it was very easy to be at projector 1 and look down to projector 7. That’s what she did and that’s whenever she saw a little boy run across the booth from 7 to 8. Naturally she thought it was reflection from the film in theatre 7 but
whenever she walked down to check the film she realized that nowhere in the film was there ever a kid running. That kind of fazed her but what really got her was whenever
she saw the kid at the other end of the booth running from 2 to 1.
Later on our security system began to go nuts. Each night I and the manager would make sure that the house was clear yet there would always be “zone violations†leading from theatre 7 to the front door. The sensors and electrical systems were checked but nothing appeared to be abnormal. Things went quiet for a while. Maybe it had to do with the mall completing renovations….
Then again I can’t help but recoomend the Film Tech website. Click on the “Products” link and you should be set. I bought many of my theatre’s supplies from companies endorsed by this site and I was never disappointed.
Pardon me if I am reading this incorrectly but…42 new screens?
According to Fandango there are already 171 screens in that area. Last time I was in St. Louis the market was a bit saturated. Hopefully AMC will close down some of their lesser performing theatres. I noticed that they still have a few rare 7 plexes holding on for life.
BTW, if the market goes sour and these cinema factories of mass consumption close then what could they be used for? Not much because of their particular designs…. I have seen several mega plex cut in have and divided up into store but that looks really ugly and is killer on the HVAC. The few mom and pop plex that I have seen cut up did ok as other thnigs simply because they didn’t go to stadium seating. ( Then again that’s why they closed now isn’t it kids?) :/
sigh
Why can’t these chains wise up and stop building? Just assess what you’ve got, close what is draining from your company and and revamp what is paying your bills and payroll.
Oh my gosh… I didn’t know that this building was a theatre! Everytime I got to Charleston I take a photo of this building. I don’t know what it is but the construction of this theatre is very alluring. I sincerely hope that someone can do something with it. :(
Wow… I’m taken away. This place is beautiful. What does the front look like? Thank you for putting the money, the time and effort into restoring this theatre.
There has to be some damaging effect of inhaling grease coated steam.
Just let the big cool down a little bit, open it away from your face and pour it into a bowl. Taaa daa! Besides who wants steam grease on their glasses or face? :P
This sounds too familiar. I’m fairly sure it had to do with the cost of maintaining the building v/s the actual cash flow. In truth the opening of the 12 plex would have ultimately closed the theatre. :( Can anyone get pictures of this theatre? I am keeping a photos data base of theatre that have “closed” since our merger.
I understand the whole idea of restoring thr city to protect our future by demolishing older buildings but gads… these photos are really depressing. I agree this theatre looked really. What was wrong with it?
Hey, is that a Ben Hur mural/movie ad painted on the side of that building? Also,what was the lay out of the screens?
The Manor is the the theatre for Charlotte’s independant film fans. Not only does Eastern Federal Theatres and the Charlotte Film Society host several film series but they also bring a a good many directors and rarieties to the area.
The manor originally was a single screen theatre and several years later was twinned. Although the twining created small theatres it has given the Manor a feel that goes hand in hand with the series of films that she hosts. Just recently EF remodeled the theatre with very comfortable chairs and excellent, but not over bearingly loud, sound. The bathrooms still remain the same with the hand laid tile and the stairwells and balcony are just charming. All in all a great place to catch a smaller film. If you miss a certain film, don’t worry. The Manor’s sister theatre, Movies at Birkdale, is just up the highway in Hunterville.
Here are links to the Manor’s website and to the CharLotte Film Society:
Ohmigosh…the site is wonderful!
The navigation is very cool and
extremely friendly for the eyes.
I too have photos for theatres that I have submitted
plus I have like 30 more NC theatres that I don’t have
listed. I also need to ammend one of the names of the theatres that I
submitted. I found out what her real name is.
Yep, this is the same one. :) He picks up prints from my theatre all of the time. The recording number is (336)226-1488. This guy runs his theatre really well and it shows.
Good news! Badin will re-open in Feb. The new owners currently own a single screen theatre and another ozoner in NC. Their plans are to totally revamp the theatre and add a play ground in front of the screen. Just like old times! ;)
As much as I dread to say it the focus of United Artist Theatres, while under the Anshutz ownerships, is strictly business. When it comes down to the line if a theatre is not making money then it has the high potential for closure. Look for more of these horrible headlines soon. So far in this post summer season I personally know of three UA and Regal theatres that will be slated simply b/c this summer’s movies didn’t perform as well as expected and the renovation costs exceeded what those three made in box office.
In a time where money is being watched, history and nostalgia are put on the far back burner. :(
MAJOR CORRECTION: What I am calling the Piedmont Theatre was actually the Cabarrus Theatre. I was recently show a photograph of the building and it’s very obvious that the marquee reads “Cabarrus”.
Not to start any form of spat, but I’d love to correct Mr. Favarille’s information. United Artists, Regal Cinemas and Edwards had all of their debit bought out at and extremely cheap rate by the Anschutz Investment Company.
If there are any more question concerning this please e-mail me folks. I have worked for UA for 8 years and can give you a better perspective of the situation.
I have watched many a parade from this same location and was not awar until several years ago that this is all that is left of this grand theatre.
You honestly cannot tell that it once was a grand movie house. As of today 12/14/01 there have been no more plans proposed about this historic Charlotte landmark.
The Gem theatre is quite possibly the crown jewel of the city of Kannapolis, NC. She is located in Cannon Village across from Cannon Mills plant #4.The Gem Theater was built in 1938. She was burned down in 1942 and was rebuilt in 1948.
The auditorium has a seat count of 960. The auditorium itself has beautiful dark draperies flowing down the main wall. The deco sections nearest to the screen/stage are covered in these two brilliantly illuminated phoenix birds. She ceiling is a grand domed top with very simplistic yet decorative stucco designs. Inside concession area and box office are in a stream line styling with beautiful silver highlights. The upstairs balcony lobby is surrounded with mirrors on all of the walls.The carpet is a lovely burgundy/purple hue. All original signs and lights remain. Her booth contains a Cristie projector and platter system. The sound is standard Dolby surround
Function wise she plays second films 60% of the time and first runs 40% of the time. I believe that on Sundays though a local church has service in the theatre.
I will provide the site with more photos as I get my film developed.
Hope this helps, UAGirl *the other theatre manager down the street in Concord,NC :)
Sorry if this is long but whenver your theatre is located behind a mall w/ a cemetery things get weird…
The theatre that I skipped in/worked at/then managed has a very interesting past. The land that both the mall and the theatre sit on was once a huge plantation. In fact the side driveway leading to the theatre is the original drive for the plantation house. The mall is probably one of a kind because there is a 20 plot cemetery located right beside of the new food court. Whenever the mall was built in 1974 the family insisted that the cemetery not be moved and maintained by the mall. As cinema clichéd as it might sound things began to happen at the mall and at the theatre whenever three graves were relocated to another state.
In 1993 our head projectionist shot himself after coming home from work. His apartment was located behind the theatre and he was always at the theatre building prints, tweaking the projectors and performing general maintenance. My former manager reported that soon afterwards theatre was odd events occurring in booth. On several occasions he saw a person walking towards the make up bench and they would disappear. Several other events would commonly occur whnever he saw Rocky but they died down (no pun) about a year or so later.
In the fall of 1996 our head projectionist flew down the step to the lobby and she insisted that for the rest of the night the GM switch positions with her. Given that Kayte was a rather tough chick everybody wondered what rattled her. By the end of the night she finally confessed that she saw a little boy in the booth. Given that our building is your cookie cutter Litchfield theatre design it was very easy to be at projector 1 and look down to projector 7. That’s what she did and that’s whenever she saw a little boy run across the booth from 7 to 8. Naturally she thought it was reflection from the film in theatre 7 but
whenever she walked down to check the film she realized that nowhere in the film was there ever a kid running. That kind of fazed her but what really got her was whenever
she saw the kid at the other end of the booth running from 2 to 1.
Later on our security system began to go nuts. Each night I and the manager would make sure that the house was clear yet there would always be “zone violations†leading from theatre 7 to the front door. The sensors and electrical systems were checked but nothing appeared to be abnormal. Things went quiet for a while. Maybe it had to do with the mall completing renovations….
Here’s one:
http://www.geocities.com/projector1163/
*Please note this is reel to reel.
Then again I can’t help but recoomend the Film Tech website. Click on the “Products” link and you should be set. I bought many of my theatre’s supplies from companies endorsed by this site and I was never disappointed.
http://www.film-tech.com
Oh my gosh… that theatre looks to be in perfect condition! Does anyone happen to know anything about the interior of the theatre?
sighs
Well, if the folks in that town want to replace theatre memories with discounted root beer floats and fish then so be it.
A truely sad sight indeed…. shakes head
Pardon me if I am reading this incorrectly but…42 new screens?
According to Fandango there are already 171 screens in that area. Last time I was in St. Louis the market was a bit saturated. Hopefully AMC will close down some of their lesser performing theatres. I noticed that they still have a few rare 7 plexes holding on for life.
BTW, if the market goes sour and these cinema factories of mass consumption close then what could they be used for? Not much because of their particular designs…. I have seen several mega plex cut in have and divided up into store but that looks really ugly and is killer on the HVAC. The few mom and pop plex that I have seen cut up did ok as other thnigs simply because they didn’t go to stadium seating. ( Then again that’s why they closed now isn’t it kids?) :/
sigh
Why can’t these chains wise up and stop building? Just assess what you’ve got, close what is draining from your company and and revamp what is paying your bills and payroll.
Oh my gosh… I didn’t know that this building was a theatre! Everytime I got to Charleston I take a photo of this building. I don’t know what it is but the construction of this theatre is very alluring. I sincerely hope that someone can do something with it. :(
Wow… I’m taken away. This place is beautiful. What does the front look like? Thank you for putting the money, the time and effort into restoring this theatre.
There has to be some damaging effect of inhaling grease coated steam.
Just let the big cool down a little bit, open it away from your face and pour it into a bowl. Taaa daa! Besides who wants steam grease on their glasses or face? :P
What a cool name for a theatre.
This sounds too familiar. I’m fairly sure it had to do with the cost of maintaining the building v/s the actual cash flow. In truth the opening of the 12 plex would have ultimately closed the theatre. :( Can anyone get pictures of this theatre? I am keeping a photos data base of theatre that have “closed” since our merger.
Not to too vampy but I posted the “soon to reopen comment” in Jan 2003. Badin has been open under the new management for quite sometime now.
I understand the whole idea of restoring thr city to protect our future by demolishing older buildings but gads… these photos are really depressing. I agree this theatre looked really. What was wrong with it?
Hey, is that a Ben Hur mural/movie ad painted on the side of that building? Also,what was the lay out of the screens?
Here is an excellent pictorial history of the theatre:
View link
The Manor is the the theatre for Charlotte’s independant film fans. Not only does Eastern Federal Theatres and the Charlotte Film Society host several film series but they also bring a a good many directors and rarieties to the area.
The manor originally was a single screen theatre and several years later was twinned. Although the twining created small theatres it has given the Manor a feel that goes hand in hand with the series of films that she hosts. Just recently EF remodeled the theatre with very comfortable chairs and excellent, but not over bearingly loud, sound. The bathrooms still remain the same with the hand laid tile and the stairwells and balcony are just charming. All in all a great place to catch a smaller film. If you miss a certain film, don’t worry. The Manor’s sister theatre, Movies at Birkdale, is just up the highway in Hunterville.
Here are links to the Manor’s website and to the CharLotte Film Society:
Eastern Federal’s Manor Theatre:
http://www.easternfederal.com/movies.asp?ID=2
The Charlotte Film Society:
http://www.charlottefilmsociety.com/
Ohmigosh…the site is wonderful!
The navigation is very cool and
extremely friendly for the eyes.
I too have photos for theatres that I have submitted
plus I have like 30 more NC theatres that I don’t have
listed. I also need to ammend one of the names of the theatres that I
submitted. I found out what her real name is.
Yep, this is the same one. :) He picks up prints from my theatre all of the time. The recording number is (336)226-1488. This guy runs his theatre really well and it shows.
Good news! Badin will re-open in Feb. The new owners currently own a single screen theatre and another ozoner in NC. Their plans are to totally revamp the theatre and add a play ground in front of the screen. Just like old times! ;)
Their website is:
http://www.dailynetworks.com/movies/about_us.htm
Badin went black this past weekend (Oct. 11th, 2002). The land is for sale but the screen and equipment have been given to other NC ozoners.
As much as I dread to say it the focus of United Artist Theatres, while under the Anshutz ownerships, is strictly business. When it comes down to the line if a theatre is not making money then it has the high potential for closure. Look for more of these horrible headlines soon. So far in this post summer season I personally know of three UA and Regal theatres that will be slated simply b/c this summer’s movies didn’t perform as well as expected and the renovation costs exceeded what those three made in box office.
In a time where money is being watched, history and nostalgia are put on the far back burner. :(
MAJOR CORRECTION: What I am calling the Piedmont Theatre was actually the Cabarrus Theatre. I was recently show a photograph of the building and it’s very obvious that the marquee reads “Cabarrus”.
Not to start any form of spat, but I’d love to correct Mr. Favarille’s information. United Artists, Regal Cinemas and Edwards had all of their debit bought out at and extremely cheap rate by the Anschutz Investment Company.
If there are any more question concerning this please e-mail me folks. I have worked for UA for 8 years and can give you a better perspective of the situation.
The fund raiser was a huge success. Thanks to everyone that came out.
There will be a fund raiser for the Carolina Theatre on June 8th, 2002.
Please follow this link for ticket details.
View link
The Gem has now stopped playing first run films. Management lost too much money having long contract times with Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
Just a side note on United Artists…
The chain filed for bankruptcy protection. As of January 14th,2001 they had successfully restructured and paid off their debtors.
I have watched many a parade from this same location and was not awar until several years ago that this is all that is left of this grand theatre.
You honestly cannot tell that it once was a grand movie house. As of today 12/14/01 there have been no more plans proposed about this historic Charlotte landmark.
The Gem theatre is quite possibly the crown jewel of the city of Kannapolis, NC. She is located in Cannon Village across from Cannon Mills plant #4.The Gem Theater was built in 1938. She was burned down in 1942 and was rebuilt in 1948.
The auditorium has a seat count of 960. The auditorium itself has beautiful dark draperies flowing down the main wall. The deco sections nearest to the screen/stage are covered in these two brilliantly illuminated phoenix birds. She ceiling is a grand domed top with very simplistic yet decorative stucco designs. Inside concession area and box office are in a stream line styling with beautiful silver highlights. The upstairs balcony lobby is surrounded with mirrors on all of the walls.The carpet is a lovely burgundy/purple hue. All original signs and lights remain. Her booth contains a Cristie projector and platter system. The sound is standard Dolby surround
Function wise she plays second films 60% of the time and first runs 40% of the time. I believe that on Sundays though a local church has service in the theatre.
I will provide the site with more photos as I get my film developed.
Hope this helps, UAGirl *the other theatre manager down the street in Concord,NC :)