There was another Electric Theatre in San Francisco on Market Street. I don’t know if it’s still there or not. The last time I saw it was in the 1980s.
I spent almost thirty years in the movie theatre business as a projectionist and a technician. Edwards was the last outfit I worked for and I was with them for five years. I too miss the old days of the title drapes. When I was a trainee in November of 1972, a white screen was something that was never to be seen. I was always trained that a screen should be covered with either a drape or a picture. My how things did change!! I would like to say that, in my opinion, Edwards built the very best of the multi-screen cinemas.
I maintained the projection and sound equipment in this theatre beginning in the early ‘80s when it was purchased by Walnut Properties (along with the Crest, Star and Towne). The projection booth was very tiny and the only access to it was up a straight iron ladder. It was a little hard to get up that ladder with a heavy tool case. There was a dry cleaning plant next door and the booth always reeked of dry cleaning fluid.
I maintained the projection and sound equipment in this house starting in the early ‘80s when it was purchased by Walnut Properties (along with the Palomar, Star and Towne). It was a very nice house. It ran as a spanish speaking house for a while.
I was intimately involved with this theatre from the time it was purchased by Walnut Properties (along with the Crest, Palomar and Towne) in the early ‘80s until April of 1994. It was one of my favorite houses.
I worked as the day projectionist of this theatre from 1974 to 1978 for Mr. Wesley Andrews and Mr. Charlie Smith. We showed three featrues and changed features twice a week. Admission was .99 cents and hours of operation were from 9:30A to 5:30A. It was later bought by Walnut Properties (Pussycat Theatres). Those were good days.
I was working for Walnut Properties (aka Pussycat Theatres) when they bought this theatre. At that time it was called the Savoy and had been closed for a long time. We changed the name to the Bijou. I installed all of the projection equipment as the theatre had been completely stripped. I was intimately connected with the following downtown theatres from November of 1972 through April of 1994: Plaza, Cabrillo, Balboa, Off-Broadway, Pussycat, Aztec, Casino and Bijou (which, as I say, was known as the Savoy when Walnut bought it and had been many other names over the years). All these theatres closed one by one and I removed the projection equipment from many of them. Ah, those were the days.
I hung around OB in the days of my youth in the early ‘70s. At the request of the manager of the Strand, a lady named Marie Mahre (spelling?), I was the projectionist at a special showing of “Woodstock” in 1974 (I think it was '74; that was so long ago now). At that time I was the day projectionist at the Aztec Theatre which was on the corner of 5th and “G” Streets downtown. I did a lot of shopping at The Black and my favorite restaurant was a mexican place across the street from the Strand called Margarita’s. Ah, those were the days.
I am delighted that the Ken Cinema is still a single screen house and that they still operate in the old fashioned way with changeovers and carbon arc lamps. That is how things were when I learned to run “the booth” back in November of 1972 at the old Cabrillo Theatre on Plaza Street at Horton Plaza (both the Cabrillo and Plaza Street are long gone). Somewhere back in the ‘70s Mr. William Rankin and I motorized the masking at the Ken. Boy, that sure was a long time ago.
There was another Electric Theatre in San Francisco on Market Street. I don’t know if it’s still there or not. The last time I saw it was in the 1980s.
Also, just for the record, Edwards had an excellent engineering department which took a back seat to no one.
I spent almost thirty years in the movie theatre business as a projectionist and a technician. Edwards was the last outfit I worked for and I was with them for five years. I too miss the old days of the title drapes. When I was a trainee in November of 1972, a white screen was something that was never to be seen. I was always trained that a screen should be covered with either a drape or a picture. My how things did change!! I would like to say that, in my opinion, Edwards built the very best of the multi-screen cinemas.
My Aunt and Uncle lived in Berkely. I saw “Five Easy Pieces” in this house in 1970 just before I graduated from high school.
Dan Whitehead
Irving, Tx.
I maintained the projection and sound equipment in this theatre beginning in the early ‘80s when it was purchased by Walnut Properties (along with the Crest, Star and Towne). The projection booth was very tiny and the only access to it was up a straight iron ladder. It was a little hard to get up that ladder with a heavy tool case. There was a dry cleaning plant next door and the booth always reeked of dry cleaning fluid.
I maintained the projection and sound equipment in this house starting in the early ‘80s when it was purchased by Walnut Properties (along with the Palomar, Star and Towne). It was a very nice house. It ran as a spanish speaking house for a while.
I was intimately involved with this theatre from the time it was purchased by Walnut Properties (along with the Crest, Palomar and Towne) in the early ‘80s until April of 1994. It was one of my favorite houses.
Does anyone out there remember the downtown San Diego theatres of the 1970s?
Does anyone out there remember the downtown San Diego theatres of the 1970s?
Does anyone out there remember the downtown San Diego theatres of the 1970s?
Does anyone out there remember the downtown San Diego theatres of the 1970s?
I worked as the day projectionist of this theatre from 1974 to 1978 for Mr. Wesley Andrews and Mr. Charlie Smith. We showed three featrues and changed features twice a week. Admission was .99 cents and hours of operation were from 9:30A to 5:30A. It was later bought by Walnut Properties (Pussycat Theatres). Those were good days.
I was working for Walnut Properties (aka Pussycat Theatres) when they bought this theatre. At that time it was called the Savoy and had been closed for a long time. We changed the name to the Bijou. I installed all of the projection equipment as the theatre had been completely stripped. I was intimately connected with the following downtown theatres from November of 1972 through April of 1994: Plaza, Cabrillo, Balboa, Off-Broadway, Pussycat, Aztec, Casino and Bijou (which, as I say, was known as the Savoy when Walnut bought it and had been many other names over the years). All these theatres closed one by one and I removed the projection equipment from many of them. Ah, those were the days.
I hung around OB in the days of my youth in the early ‘70s. At the request of the manager of the Strand, a lady named Marie Mahre (spelling?), I was the projectionist at a special showing of “Woodstock” in 1974 (I think it was '74; that was so long ago now). At that time I was the day projectionist at the Aztec Theatre which was on the corner of 5th and “G” Streets downtown. I did a lot of shopping at The Black and my favorite restaurant was a mexican place across the street from the Strand called Margarita’s. Ah, those were the days.
I am delighted that the Ken Cinema is still a single screen house and that they still operate in the old fashioned way with changeovers and carbon arc lamps. That is how things were when I learned to run “the booth” back in November of 1972 at the old Cabrillo Theatre on Plaza Street at Horton Plaza (both the Cabrillo and Plaza Street are long gone). Somewhere back in the ‘70s Mr. William Rankin and I motorized the masking at the Ken. Boy, that sure was a long time ago.