Regency Village Theatre

Celebrate the salvaging of the Village and Bruin? Give me a break!

The Village and Bruin theatres were never in any danger. A number of companies were in talks with the owners to take over the buildings once Mann announced they weren’t renewing their lease.

All About the Regency Village, Regency Bruin & Majestic Crest Theatres
A free, comprehensive history presentation and insider’s tour of three beloved landmark historic theatres
A chance to see and appreciate these theatres as never before…

Saturday, April 17, 9:15am; doors open at 9:00am
Event begins at the Regency Village Theatre, 961 Broxton, L.A., 90024 and
Ends at the Majestic Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood, L.A., 90024
www.regencymovies.com & www.westwoodcrest.com
Plentiful parking in Westwood
Free Admission. The Public is Invited.

Celebrate Regency Theatres’ recent salvation of the Village and Bruin and learn about their rich histories – including several “face-lifts”. Take an insider’s tour to generally forbidden off-limits areas. Then, walk over to the Majestic Crest â€" slightly detouring en route to say hello to Marilyn Monroe and friends â€" and discover how this former legit house reinvented itself via Disney, Pacific Theatres, and Robert Bucksbaum.
Three amazing single screen historic theatres, a cemetery chockfull of the famous and dead, and a chance to rediscover Westwood – all in one Saturday morning!

POWERPOINT HISTORIES â€" researched and presented by theatre historian Ed Kelsey. See how the Village, Bruin and Majestic Crest have changed over the years. What’s original? What’s Skouras? What’s Disney? Hear the stories of these great theatres from their beginnings through today.
TOUR BEHIND-THE-SCENES â€" get a real insider’s look.
DISCOVER â€" how you can support the continuing successful operation of these historic gems.
EDUCATE & ADVOCATE â€" find out how you can become actively involved in LAHTF’s ongoing theatre preservation work around SoCal. Brief updates on the Friends of the Fairfax, Inglewood Fox Theatre Alliance, Grauman’s Chinese, Golden Gate, Atlantic, and LA’s Broadway Theatres.

Regency Village Theatre (1931 â€" Percy Parke Lewis) formerly Village, Fox Westwood Village, Mann Village
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Regency Bruin Theatre (1937 â€" S. Charles Lee)
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Majestic Crest (1940 â€" Arthur W. Hawes) Westwood, UCLAN, Metro, Pacific Crest, Crest, Westwood Crest
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Join the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation on FaceBook – View link

Many people are fascinated by the architecture of fantasy so beautifully on display in Southern California’s great historic theatres. People are also curious about how the theatres work. What does it look like backstage? What do the performers see when they look out across the footlights? Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation’s “All About” series gives the public an insider’s look at these wonderful theatres and share parts of their histories – good and bad – as a way to encourage people to become actively involved in protecting and ensuring their futures.
The LAHTF is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting, preserving, restoring and supporting the operation of Southern California’s historic theatres. For more information visit www.lahtf.org

LAHTF’s next “All About” will be a celebration of Regency Theatres taking over the Village and Bruin theaters. April 17, 9 a.m. Details to follow.

Regency website has posted THE LOSERS as coming April 23rd to the Village, A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET April 30 at the Bruin.

That’s more like it-

xaverian, Ted Mann purchased the troubled 276 screen National General Theatre chain in 1973 and sold it in 1986.

Thanks Chris and William for the info on Lyndon Golin. I have also heard that he has been an extraordianry caretaker and protector of the Lido in Newport Beach. So I feel that these crown jewels of the once great Mann chain are now in good hands.

I know how enormously proud Ted Mann was of all his theaters, especially the Bruin and the Village. Sad to see that Mann Theaters is now just a shell of its former self. Once the 8th largest theater chain in the country and arguably the most prestigious and important of all the chains for much of the time from 1970-2000, it has fallen far.

Brad… 15, your right. I always think of the 14 as the total number and not just the new screens.

But you didn’t really read what I wrote. I said regardless of the technical merits of The Dome. I was speaking of the pure Arclight experience. Not the movie viewing experience, but the overall experience (which I assume you agree with since you have nothing but praise for Arclight otherwise).

Now imagine if they took all of the best from the Arclight experience and utilized it at The Village and Bruin? I hope Regency treats The Village and The Bruin better than other theaters because they are.

Village & Bruin will remain THX Certified. That’s good to hear!

Co-sign 100% w/Cliff.

I’ve only encountered Lyndon Golin via email, but it’s clear to me that he is truly passionate about film. He REALLY helped out my (former) Orange County film club and my (current) LA area film club by granting us access to the Regency line of theaters – discounts on concessions, club shoutouts before the film, etc. In OC we stood with amazement as he & his team resurrected the South Coast Village 3 from the hands of Regal – new seats, digital sound & adapting Arclight’s famous trademark of introducing the film to the audience before it starts. The place has brand new life because of his work.

I am confident that Mr. Golin will do all he can to breathe new life back into these twin towers of Westwood Village.

The Dome has 14 theatres adjacent to it. As much as I like the Dome I have to disagree about it being the greatest movie experience. Personally, I always hope that a film is showing at one of the Arclight theatres also. To me the Dome does not always provide the best experience. It was not designed for alot of films. The curved screen sometimes hides information, once it hid subtitled dialog from view when I was watching a film. But that is my opinion. To me The Village is still the best overall movie viewing experience of the L.A. BIG SCREENS.

I have to say I do like the regular Arclight screens. The high ceilings, the perfect distance from the screen and the overall layout if quite pleasing for a multiplex. It obviously was designed for ‘the experience’ and not to just fill seats. Unlike The Grove and the AMC Century 15, which I find both just flat out terrible places to watch films.

segask,
Not that I don’t totally love the outright doom and gloom you’re pontificating (and before the change has even taken place, no less), but I’m hopeful that Regency might be a bit more aggressive than Mann has been for the past decade. Mann spent the first decade of the new millennium letting their once great dynasty wither away one closure and demolition at a time. The worst part is Mann operates a great many of the Cinema Treasures this site is devoted to and they singlehandedly put almost all of them in danger. While I think that there are things that have happened that were outside Mann’s control, I think an overriding lack of enthusiasm and aggression on Mann’s part were directly responsible for the slow hemorrhaging they have seemed content to allow. I’ll provide a pair of examples…

Los Angeles has a handful of theaters that people are willing to go out of their way for… The Dome, The Chinese, The Village, The Bruin, The Vista (and a list that used to include The Festival and The National). Yet The Village would almost always mirror the showings over at The Dome or Grauman’s leaving several films without a premiere screen engagement. The Chinese and The Village are both theaters I would enjoy seeing a movie at. Why make me decide between them rather than giving me an option at both? Now I know that the reason for this is because those films are typically the most popular, but if something’s playing at The Village and also at The Dome, I’m more inclined to drive the extra 20 or so minutes to hit The Dome. Which brings us to point number 2-

Regardless of what anyone thinks of the technical pros and cons of the Cinerama Dome, I don’t think very many could dispute that it is probably the greatest movie experience in Los Angeles: reserved seating purchased with no service charge online, no on-screen advertising, great presentation (movie props and costumes in the lobby, the curtains always operate as part of the show), excellent staff, exciting alternative programming (Cinerama presentations, great Q&As), and a generally well-mannered, enthusiastic crowd. Mann took all the things people loved most about the Arclight experience and implemented NONE OF IT (and they had the better part of a decade to do so). Arclight took moviegoing and classed it up for a new era. Mann stuck to the same old rigid theatrical dogma that served them well in the 80s… except it’s no longer the 80s. Think about it- In late 2001, Mann added 6 adjacent screens to Grauman’s. A few months later, Arclight reopened The Dome with 13 additional adjacent screens. Which one of those two theaters was more forward thinking and which on is currently reaping the benefit?

As the market changed… Mann didn’t, plain and simple and that’s why they were losing money.

Now I do think there needs to be some kind of move over complex built in Westwood. The closing of all of those old screens (again, mostly Mann it seems) needs to be replenished somehow. It may not be possible behind The Bruin, but I know there’s space available on Gayley and Lindbrook (both east and west side of the street- which could put a complex right on Wilshire). Unless the studios suddenly stop demanding a film play for more than a week, it’s gonna be a necessity.

But I believe Regency knows the financials for these theaters (they wouldn’t have taken then over if they didn’t) and are prepared to work hard to make The Village and The Bruin the flagships of their organization (probably with an eventual eye towards The Chinese as well). But if anyone from Regency is actually reading this… Don’t simply continue to run these houses same old same old as the classics they are (and how Mann ran them) but rather give people reasons to return time and time again.