The history of this theatre is well documented in both text and photographs. It was built in 1920 for the Gore Brothers and Sol Lesser, operated by their company, West Coast Theatres, for several years as the California Theatre, and later was renamed the Fox Theatre, operated by the successor circuit Fox-West Coast. Here’s a 1923 photograph of the theatre when it was the site of the premier of the movie Main Street.
It is possible that there was a later theatre in Anaheim also called the California, opened after this theatre was renamed, but this theatre definitely bore the name California Theatre before it became the Fox Theatre.
I would report this link (see “report” link above) but the report feature is either broken, or doesn’t work with the latest version of my web browser (Opera), which is the only thing that’s changed on my computer since the last time I reported a spam link to the site.
This cinema closed on August 19, 2007,part of a contraction of the operator, Regal Cinema Group, which has taken place over the last year. However, this particular cinema is slated to be reopened in early November by an independent Michigan-based chain called Phoenix Theatres, which plans a complete renovation.
The 1965 photo linked by Chuck1231 on March 23, 2006, doesn’t appear to be Toledo’s Ohio Theatre, which looked like this when it was running Elvis Presley’s 1967 movie, “Easy Come, Easy Go”. They’re obviously two different buildings, but I’ve been unable to find the location of Chuck1231’s Ohio Theatre.
At the Laemmle Theatres website, clicking on the “Laguna, Laguna Beach” link takes you to the Laguna South Coast Cinemas page at the website of Regency Theatres, apparently the current operators of this twin. There are a couple of small photos of the theatre’s exterior on the page.
According to the Trolley Square page at the Utah Theatres website, this house operated under the name Madstone Theaters from August 2003 until it closed in June 2004. (That page also gives the number of seats in this quadraplex as 747.)
In December of 2004, the name Trolley Square Cinemas was restored when the house was reopened by the current operator, California-based Regency Theatres.
Does that “50c” next to the theatre’s name denote the price of admission or the price for parking? 50 cents seems a bit low to get into the Orpheum in 1950, especially to see “The Gay Lady” and Phil Spitalny’s All-Girl Orchestra and Choir.
If Arclight’s management has made up a secret meaning for their theatre’s name, then I’m as clueless about that meaning as anybody else who doesn’t belong to their special club. For all I know, those who named the place might simply have been bad at spelling, and actually meant for the place to be called Ark Light, in oblique homage to Spielberg. Or maybe the current staff members are bad at spelling and actually think the place is named in oblique homage to Spielberg: “It’s, like, the Arc is full of light, dude. You open the Arc and the light comes out! It’s an Arc of light!”
Arclight refers to the method used to produce light for projecting movies, and also for those big searchlights which are so closely associated with movie premiers. In an arc lamp, electricity arcs, or jumps, between two electrodes, generating an intense but harsh light as the electrodes are consumed. Arc lights were actually invented in the early 19th century, but didn’t become practical until later. Early electric lighting systems were based mostly on arc lights, but during the late 19th and early 20th century arc lamps were displaced by single-filament incandescent lamps for most uses other than movie projectors and searchlights.
It’s being called the Pix Theatre once again, according to it’s website. The foundation is now called the Pix Entertainment Foundation. As the Pix/Frontier was “renamed” the Majestic after it closed, and the name has now been abandoned before the place has even been reopened, I wonder if Majestic should even be listed as an aka, let alone as the actual name of the theatre?
There apparently was a Majestic Theatre which once existed in Nampa, though, operating at the same time as the Pix.
In its early days, this house was called the Florence Theatre, after nearby Florence Avenue. A Southwest Builder & Contractor article of March 4, 1921, announced the letting of the construction contract to L.E. Campbell, and described the planned building as a one-story brick theatre and store building, 42x129 feet. The owner was named as F.A. Richey, and the projected cost was $15,000. The name Florence Theatre appears in the 1924 city directory.
The L.A. city planning department’s zoning information system says the building at 7228 S. Broadway was built in 1922, and is currently in use as a grocery store.
Somehow we’ve so far overlooked a fascinating photo of this theatre from the L.A. library collection. It depicts (as it is clearly captioned) the full auditorium as seen from the stage in 1898, during the period when the Grand was the Orpheum. Specifically, it is the matinee audience of Wednesday, August 9, 1898. All apparently survived the performance that afternoon, despite the obvious fact that the house was packed, even the aisles. A modern fire code enforcer would have the fantods over such a sight. My nose is practically having the fantods over the odor which I imagine must have filled the place on that August day.
I don’t think this photo has been posted here yet: This is a ca1930 photo from the California State Library website. It depicts Desmond’s clothing store a few doors north of the Palace, but there’s an interesting view of the Palace’s painted wall sign and its vertical sign, both of which bear the name Fox. Fox West-Coast must have begun operating the Palace within a couple of years of the opening of the new Orpheum down Broadway south of 8th Street.
The zoning information system of the L.A. planning department lists this property at 8610 S. Broadway, but it’s definitely the same building: just under 5000 square feet, and currently serving as a church. The building was erected in 1921.
A Southwest Builder & Contractor item about this theatre, in the issue of April 4, 1924, says that the construction of the 50' by 137' building was frame and stucco. That would have made quite simple the eventual alterations (such as widened second floor windows) which can be seen by comparing the recent and historic photos linked from comments on July 27.
In 1914 there was also a theatre called the Elite operating in Merced. In that year the manager of the Elite, C.H. Douglas, formed a company with plans to build a new theatre.
To add still more confusion, the L.A. library’s California Index includes this card referencing a 1914 Southwest Contractor & Manufacturer article about plans for a new theatre to be built for a C.H. Douglas, who is named as the manager of the Elite Theatre. I don’t know of the planned theatre got built or not, but now we know that Merced had a theatre called the Elite operating in 1914.
Another card in the index, headed with the name Strand Theatre, contains the two references I noted in my first comment on December 11, 2006 (where I erroneously said that they were both from Motion Picture Herald, but in fact the 1928 reference is from Exhibitor’s Herald & Moving Picture World.) These suggest that a Strand Theatre was operating in Merced in 1928, and that a (closed) Merced Theatre was renamed the Strand Theatre in 1936. Maybe there were two theatres called the Strand at different times, as well as two theatres called the Merced?
The parcel profile report for this address from the L.A. city planning department gives a construction date of 1914 for the building now on the site. It doesn’t reveal whether the building was built specifically as a theatre or not.
According to a report generated by the L.A. city planning department’s zoning information system, the building currently on this site was erected in 1912. The listing as Globe Theater in 1914 thus must refer to this same building.
My comment of October 20, 2005 above contains and error of fact. Architect Clifford Balch was not the father of William Glenn Balch, but his (considerably) older brother. This is not related to the Tumbleweed Theatre, but since I have no way of editing the older comment I wanted to point out the error so as to reduce the chances of it being perpetuated.
What does have to do with the Tumbleweed Theatre is the current classification of its style as “Oriental” at the top of this page. Oriental is no more accurate than was its earlier classification as “Atmospheric”.
While it is true that the plant after which this theatre was named is native to the steppes of Asia (and is also known as Russian thistle), there was nothing else about this theatre that was characteristic of the east, far or near. I still say that the style of the Tumbleweed could best have been described as Rustic.
The history of this theatre is well documented in both text and photographs. It was built in 1920 for the Gore Brothers and Sol Lesser, operated by their company, West Coast Theatres, for several years as the California Theatre, and later was renamed the Fox Theatre, operated by the successor circuit Fox-West Coast. Here’s a 1923 photograph of the theatre when it was the site of the premier of the movie Main Street.
It is possible that there was a later theatre in Anaheim also called the California, opened after this theatre was renamed, but this theatre definitely bore the name California Theatre before it became the Fox Theatre.
I would report this link (see “report” link above) but the report feature is either broken, or doesn’t work with the latest version of my web browser (Opera), which is the only thing that’s changed on my computer since the last time I reported a spam link to the site.
Spam link to a company which hires out temporary shelters (called “marquees” in Britain) for weddings and other events.
This cinema closed on August 19, 2007,part of a contraction of the operator, Regal Cinema Group, which has taken place over the last year. However, this particular cinema is slated to be reopened in early November by an independent Michigan-based chain called Phoenix Theatres, which plans a complete renovation.
The 1965 photo linked by Chuck1231 on March 23, 2006, doesn’t appear to be Toledo’s Ohio Theatre, which looked like this when it was running Elvis Presley’s 1967 movie, “Easy Come, Easy Go”. They’re obviously two different buildings, but I’ve been unable to find the location of Chuck1231’s Ohio Theatre.
Here’s another, earlier view of LaGrange Street and the Ohio Theatre.
Is open. I think Regency has been running it for a few years now.
The Westlake Village Twin Cinemas is opening and being operated as an art house by the small, California-based chain, Regency Theatres.
At the Laemmle Theatres website, clicking on the “Laguna, Laguna Beach” link takes you to the Laguna South Coast Cinemas page at the website of Regency Theatres, apparently the current operators of this twin. There are a couple of small photos of the theatre’s exterior on the page.
The Redondo Beach Cinema 3 is one of fifteen houses currently operated by Regency Theatres.
According to the Trolley Square page at the Utah Theatres website, this house operated under the name Madstone Theaters from August 2003 until it closed in June 2004. (That page also gives the number of seats in this quadraplex as 747.)
In December of 2004, the name Trolley Square Cinemas was restored when the house was reopened by the current operator, California-based Regency Theatres.
Does that “50c” next to the theatre’s name denote the price of admission or the price for parking? 50 cents seems a bit low to get into the Orpheum in 1950, especially to see “The Gay Lady” and Phil Spitalny’s All-Girl Orchestra and Choir.
If Arclight’s management has made up a secret meaning for their theatre’s name, then I’m as clueless about that meaning as anybody else who doesn’t belong to their special club. For all I know, those who named the place might simply have been bad at spelling, and actually meant for the place to be called Ark Light, in oblique homage to Spielberg. Or maybe the current staff members are bad at spelling and actually think the place is named in oblique homage to Spielberg: “It’s, like, the Arc is full of light, dude. You open the Arc and the light comes out! It’s an Arc of light!”
Arclight refers to the method used to produce light for projecting movies, and also for those big searchlights which are so closely associated with movie premiers. In an arc lamp, electricity arcs, or jumps, between two electrodes, generating an intense but harsh light as the electrodes are consumed. Arc lights were actually invented in the early 19th century, but didn’t become practical until later. Early electric lighting systems were based mostly on arc lights, but during the late 19th and early 20th century arc lamps were displaced by single-filament incandescent lamps for most uses other than movie projectors and searchlights.
Wikipedia has a fairly decent article about arc lamps.
I don’t know anything about the slide they project on the screen at Pacific’s Arclight Cinemas, as I’ve nver been there.
It’s being called the Pix Theatre once again, according to it’s website. The foundation is now called the Pix Entertainment Foundation. As the Pix/Frontier was “renamed” the Majestic after it closed, and the name has now been abandoned before the place has even been reopened, I wonder if Majestic should even be listed as an aka, let alone as the actual name of the theatre?
There apparently was a Majestic Theatre which once existed in Nampa, though, operating at the same time as the Pix.
In its early days, this house was called the Florence Theatre, after nearby Florence Avenue. A Southwest Builder & Contractor article of March 4, 1921, announced the letting of the construction contract to L.E. Campbell, and described the planned building as a one-story brick theatre and store building, 42x129 feet. The owner was named as F.A. Richey, and the projected cost was $15,000. The name Florence Theatre appears in the 1924 city directory.
The L.A. city planning department’s zoning information system says the building at 7228 S. Broadway was built in 1922, and is currently in use as a grocery store.
Here is the link to CT’s page for the World Theatre, Hollywood.
Somehow we’ve so far overlooked a fascinating photo of this theatre from the L.A. library collection. It depicts (as it is clearly captioned) the full auditorium as seen from the stage in 1898, during the period when the Grand was the Orpheum. Specifically, it is the matinee audience of Wednesday, August 9, 1898. All apparently survived the performance that afternoon, despite the obvious fact that the house was packed, even the aisles. A modern fire code enforcer would have the fantods over such a sight. My nose is practically having the fantods over the odor which I imagine must have filled the place on that August day.
I don’t think this photo has been posted here yet: This is a ca1930 photo from the California State Library website. It depicts Desmond’s clothing store a few doors north of the Palace, but there’s an interesting view of the Palace’s painted wall sign and its vertical sign, both of which bear the name Fox. Fox West-Coast must have begun operating the Palace within a couple of years of the opening of the new Orpheum down Broadway south of 8th Street.
The zoning information system of the L.A. planning department lists this property at 8610 S. Broadway, but it’s definitely the same building: just under 5000 square feet, and currently serving as a church. The building was erected in 1921.
A Southwest Builder & Contractor item about this theatre, in the issue of April 4, 1924, says that the construction of the 50' by 137' building was frame and stucco. That would have made quite simple the eventual alterations (such as widened second floor windows) which can be seen by comparing the recent and historic photos linked from comments on July 27.
In 1914 there was also a theatre called the Elite operating in Merced. In that year the manager of the Elite, C.H. Douglas, formed a company with plans to build a new theatre.
To add still more confusion, the L.A. library’s California Index includes this card referencing a 1914 Southwest Contractor & Manufacturer article about plans for a new theatre to be built for a C.H. Douglas, who is named as the manager of the Elite Theatre. I don’t know of the planned theatre got built or not, but now we know that Merced had a theatre called the Elite operating in 1914.
Another card in the index, headed with the name Strand Theatre, contains the two references I noted in my first comment on December 11, 2006 (where I erroneously said that they were both from Motion Picture Herald, but in fact the 1928 reference is from Exhibitor’s Herald & Moving Picture World.) These suggest that a Strand Theatre was operating in Merced in 1928, and that a (closed) Merced Theatre was renamed the Strand Theatre in 1936. Maybe there were two theatres called the Strand at different times, as well as two theatres called the Merced?
The parcel profile report for this address from the L.A. city planning department gives a construction date of 1914 for the building now on the site. It doesn’t reveal whether the building was built specifically as a theatre or not.
According to a report generated by the L.A. city planning department’s zoning information system, the building currently on this site was erected in 1912. The listing as Globe Theater in 1914 thus must refer to this same building.
My comment of October 20, 2005 above contains and error of fact. Architect Clifford Balch was not the father of William Glenn Balch, but his (considerably) older brother. This is not related to the Tumbleweed Theatre, but since I have no way of editing the older comment I wanted to point out the error so as to reduce the chances of it being perpetuated.
What does have to do with the Tumbleweed Theatre is the current classification of its style as “Oriental” at the top of this page. Oriental is no more accurate than was its earlier classification as “Atmospheric”.
The Tumbleweed had an American farm-style windmill out front!
Wagon wheels were featured as part of the decoration!
The walls were decorated with cartoons of such icons of the American west as an Indian on a pony, cacti, and a burro harnessed to a Mexican carreta! Not to mention the fact that the chandeliers repeated the wagon wheel motif!
While it is true that the plant after which this theatre was named is native to the steppes of Asia (and is also known as Russian thistle), there was nothing else about this theatre that was characteristic of the east, far or near. I still say that the style of the Tumbleweed could best have been described as Rustic.