Old Movie Theatres

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dalangdon

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In my hometown, we had the Strand Theatre, which seemed quite swank. Sadly, it burned to the ground when I was in sixth grade.

Omaha has two great movie houses that were saved from the wrecking ball: The Orpheum and the Paramount. The Orpheum has touring companies of Broadway shows and things like the Symphony, and the Paramont is now the Omaha Children's Theatre.

Unfortunately, the Omaha theatre and the Indian Hills theatre (one of the few cinerama theatres constructed) were not so lucky. By the time I came along, the Omaha Theatre showed "blacksploitation" films - foxy brown and the like. Our babysitter used to take us. I loved those films. It was torn down in the 80's.

The Indian Hills was where all the blockbusters were shown. It was a fun pink building that looked like a gigantic pillbox hat. It was torn down a while back.
 
The Uptown Theater in MInneapolis (on Hennepin Ave.) is one of the few 'one screen' auditorium-sized theaters left in that city. It's my favorite.

I also love The Neptune (on 45th St. near the U District) in Seattle. Like The Uptown, it's part of the Landmark chain, so it plays all the great alt/indie films.
 
The Prytania in New Orleans

That was the LAST of the old school neighborhood theaters. I'm not sure how it fared in Hurricane Katrina but it was alot of fun to go. I saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban and LOTR pt 3 there. The theater also has a stage in front of the screen which I guess is good for acting out Mommie Dearest.
 
In Atlanta, we lost the Roxy, but saved the FABULOUS FOX. For decades before the Civic Center was built in the late 60s, the Metropolitan Opera visited Atlanta for a week around Mothers' Day and performed at the FOX. In the levels below the auditorium, the people who moved the sets and equipment had marked various hallways and corners with their orientation to the streets around the opera house in New York.

The FOX has an atmospheric auditorium with twinkling stars and drifting clouds above an area that looks like a walled courtyard. The proscenium arch has "street lights" above it to make it look like a bridge. The Mighty Moeller organ is better than new and plays principally through grills on both sides of the screen. I have attended silent movies there where the horses galloped from one side of the screen to the other and the galloping sound effects moved from one side of the screen to the other to follow them. In The Son of the Sheik, there is a sandstorm scene when the couple return to his palace or palace-like tent. As he enters, he pulls a heavy fabric panel across the opening and the sound of the blowing wind ceases the instant that the panel was fully closed. That always brought the organist applause.
 
GOOD NEWS!

The Prytania is still open and showing movies! YAY!!!!! Thank God.

Now whenever Helen and I go to New Orleans we can go to the Prytania.
 
An usher at the local movie house here was my first real job at 16. I lied that I was 18 but I think the manager knew anyways. That was in 1972 and a terrible time for movies like Dan said above, yes we had all those black sploitation films like Super Fly and even worse were the ones from Dimension Pictures, mid grain porn done on shoe string budgets. The theatre itself was quite nice 30's deco gone shabby. It closed down a number of years ago but has since reopened as the cities local theatre for plays etc, no movies anymore. The ticket booth is still out front where Dorothy (this persnickity old English broad ruled, now passed on I hear) but the very interesting ticket dispenser machine and its keyboard are gone.
I used to change the marquee and downstairs where all the letters were kept was an old ticket shredder used long before I ever worked there.. I always wanted it but never had the nerve to ask the manager if I could have it.. wished I had now.
 
I remember an old movie theater at Holloman AFB in the early 60'sMy brother and I watched movies there all the time.Cost only a quarter-and the concessions were cheap as well-could get great candies such as Life Savers,Necchos,Sweet Tarts,Jaw Breakers,and Atomic Fireballs.Watched the movie "Day of the Triffids" there-On the night walk home any plant gave us the shudders!We had to cross a large flat vacant feild to get to our house from the theater.there was a telephone-communications building in the middle of it.During the Cuban Crisus there was a guard that was at the building.One of our night walks back home-we passed by that building and heard the sound of a M1 carbine bolt being cocked-and "WHO GOES THERE?"I answered-Just Rex and Don-coming back from the movies"the guard uncocked his rifle-and says"MOVE ON"Then one time got to see inside that mysterious building-was full of tlephone equipment.
 
Beautiful! Our big movie theater in my home town was built by //FOX in 1940. I still remember the mixed smells of popcorn, Pepsi, and mohair upholstered seats.
 
I remember the Gothic Theater on Broadway in Englewood Colorado. I don't think it has been functioning for quite sometime.
 
It's hard to get investors, even in New York, because part of the problem is that people don't go out for entertainment in mass numbers the way they used to, and certainly not to see ONE type of show!

The Loews Jersey in Jersey City was beautifully restored and is now occupied by a very large Jehovah's Witnesses congregation.

The Loews Paradise on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, near where I lived at one time, has been redone as well (even to the point of restoring the twinkling stars on the midnight-blue ceiling!

They stage sporting events like boxing matches, and a lot of Latino-themed entertainment there now.

I'm fascinated by the idea of movie palaces on "Main Streets" in little towns in the Midwest and out West, and what it must have been like in the 30s and 40s.
 
Wait a minute!!

oxydolfan1 wrote:
"The Loews Jersey in Jersey City was beautifully restored and is now occupied by a very large Jehovah's Witnesses congregation."

This is not correct. Loews Jersey is being restored by volunteers. It's open and they show films there. See link below.

The theater owned by Jehovah's Witnesses is across the street.

Ken

http://www.jcedc.org/loews.shtml
 
In many of the small towns in New Mexico the old downtown theatres are still operating. They are mostly not restored but have just kept plugging along all of these years. Artesia, Lovington, and Santa Rosa are among some of the towns with the old theatres. If you ever drive through this area a lot of the things are just like they were in the "good old days"...also a lot of these little towns still have a working soda fountain at the drugstore where you can sit on the stools at the counter.
There are still towns without Wal-Mart where the Western Auto stores sell appliances,etc.
 

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