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Old Posted Jul 17, 2008, 8:40 PM
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Any Movie Palaces and Drive-in Theatres Remaining...??

There is only one old movie Palace in Downtown Denver called "The Paramount" which is mostly a concert venue, but has shown some ski movies. The only other is "The Mayan" on South Broadway, but its divided into 3 theatres now and mostly shows foreign, art, and limited screen movies...

There was a double screen drive-in on South Sante Fe, but its closed just this year to be replaced by condos. Only one drive-in theater remains...it's in Commerce City.

Are there any open and running in your city??
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Old Posted Jul 17, 2008, 8:47 PM
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Broadway Street in Los Angeles was the town's "Theater District" until most of the theaters closed in the late 1960s. Today most still stand, but are occupied by vendors hawking cheap trinkets (with the occasional good deal mixed in for good measure)


Source
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Old Posted Jul 17, 2008, 8:50 PM
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Interesting....

Wow...that kind of looks like "The Great White Way" on Curtis Street in Downtown Denver 60+ years ago. Urban renewal took what was left of the theatres in the 70's.
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Old Posted Jul 17, 2008, 8:57 PM
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I have no idea what condition the theaters are in (anyone from LA know if there's any tours offered?), but at least some of them are still standing. Its part of "downtown" but not the part most people visit or even know about unless you're with someone who knows the area.

Oddly enough, Broadway is usually packed with people, especially on the weekends. More often than not, you could take a picture of it from ground-level, remove any street signs, and it could easily be mistaken for a New York street scene. God knows its been done countless times in movies...
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Old Posted Jul 17, 2008, 9:57 PM
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Are those trolley overhead wires in that LA picture?


Here in Fort Lauderdale,FL there is still a drive in theater located at the Swap Shop Flea Market. There are 10 Screens!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1104/...52454d.jpg?v=0
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Old Posted Jul 17, 2008, 10:09 PM
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Are those trolley overhead wires in that LA picture?
I reckon so. I don't know when that picture was taken, but I believe LA started to dismantle its streetcar system in the early-to-mid 1960s.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 1:56 AM
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While there are only a few still functioning as restored, all-out "Movie Palaces," we've got literally dozens of the old Balaban and Katz movie palaces standing and being used in way or another (sometimes multiplexed, sometimes gutted, sometimes abandoned, sometimes some strange new use...)

Actually one of the occasional SSP forumers (BWChicago) is one of the definitive knowledgebases of this stuff.

But in the meantime, just browse here:
http://cinematreasures.org/search/qu...hod=n&show=all
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 2:44 AM
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Well I saw the latest Raiders of the last ark crap at a drive in in the last month or so with my family.


http://www.mchenrydrivein.com/




I recommend lawn chairs and what not. Treat it as a pick-nick and not a movie going experience. Enjoy yourself and treat the movie as only an added benefit.

Defiantly not HD for our HD dependant nature of the weak youth growing amongst our more mature members of this forum that remembers when Drive-ins in the summer were a great excuse to go out drink some beer, play with the girls and have fun.



Oh the stories I could wax and wane about.......

Well that was a long time ago.



Also I am sure that the Chicagoland area has more than a few other drive-ins too.



Quote:
"Illinois had more than 120 outdoor theaters in its heyday in the late 50’s but only 12 remained continuously open, with two reopening after the year 2000."
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 2:44 AM
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There is the Highway Drive-In off of Route 30 in Latrobe, PA still.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 4:13 AM
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There's also some big drive-in out in Kane County, I think, in addition to the big Cascade in West Chicago.

There's also a dormant 2-screen drive-in in Cicero, IL, that last I heard was possibly getting replaced with a Wal-mart.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 4:42 AM
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Here in the Valley of the Sun, we only have one remaining movie palace, but its mostly used for live performances now (Im seeing Eddie Izzard there on Wednesday). Its the Orpheum in downtown. Here are a few pictures:
















Sadly we knocked down the incredible Fox Theater (and replaced it with a parking lot!). Pictures courtesy of AC Meron.com:





Notice that the building having AC was as big of a selling point as the movies themselves.



I LOVE the desert scene on the curtain.













We also knocked down the Cine Capri, an 800 seat, single screen theater with a giant screen. It showed Star Wars almost exclusively for almost 2 years, and was torn down after Titanic. I couldn't find many good pictures, but here's the exterior:



Which the new, nice but bland Cine Capri in far NE suburban Phoenix tried to copy when it reopened in the early 00's:



Harkins (our local chain) has now completely diluted the Cine Capri brand name by putting one in Tempe, as well as in other states. The company seems set on building nothing but bland multiplexes in the 'burbs and tearing down nice urban theaters (like the still newish complex in Downtown Tempe. Its been replaced by the Tempe Cine Capri which is in the middle of a gigantic new strip center a few miles east).

They do operate the Valleys only 2 art theaters (its extremely sad that a metro area of over 4 million only has 2 art houses), the Valley Art in Tempe and the Camelview in Scottsdale. Both are nice small theaters and are about the only thing Harkins does right.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 5:13 AM
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The Capitol Centre in downtown North Bay was originally a 1000+ seat movie palace that was converted into a performing arts centre in the 1980's, however they still screen second run and occasional classic movies there on off nights.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 5:28 AM
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Detroit has quite a few of its old movie palaces still around. They're mostly used for live performances now.

The most famous is the Fox Theatre which seats over 5,000 and consistantly ranks as one of the top-grossing live theatres in the nation. Another famous one is the old Michigan Theatre which was converted into a parking deck after it was learned that demolishing it would harm the structural integrity of the connected building.

As far as Drive-In theatres, the only historic one that I know of is the Ford-Wyoming a few miles from downtown.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 5:59 AM
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I saw "Dirty Hairy", the original Clint Eastwood thriller at the Denver Theater in Downtown Denver with its probably 3,000 seats and two balconies, it was nearly sold out. About halfway through the movie somebody cuts the loudest fart I have ever heard and it echoes through this gigantic movie palace. Everyone in the theater broke out laughing. I was one of the funiest things I have ever witnessed......
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 6:36 AM
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Riverside, CA. still has two operating drive-in theaters, The Rubidoux and the Van Buren. I went to both of them as a kid. The Rubidoux had real carnival rides in its playground area. The rides are gone now (thanks to lawyers and lawsuits).


drivemovie.com

According to this website:

www.driveinmovie.com

there are 20 operating drive-ins in California.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 12:25 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Top Of The Park View Post
There is only one old movie Palace in Downtown Denver called "The Paramount" which is mostly a concert venue, but has shown some ski movies. The only other is "The Mayan" on South Broadway, but its divided into 3 theatres now and mostly shows foreign, art, and limited screen movies...

There was a double screen drive-in on South Sante Fe, but its closed just this year to be replaced by condos. Only one drive-in theater remains...it's in Commerce City.

Are there any open and running in your city??
Isn't the main auditorium for the Mayan equal to the original? I thought that the two small theaters took advantage of a balcony level?

How about the Esquire Theater off of 6th?

H
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 12:52 PM
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There's quite a few drive-in's around Iowa and Illinois.

Nothing worth taking pictures of, and mostly in cornfields, but us cityfolk make the drive out there, and I think they'll be around for a while, unless gas continues its trend.


I always wanted to just sneak through the surrounding cornfield and get in...someday.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 1:11 PM
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Originally Posted by wong21fr View Post
Isn't the main auditorium for the Mayan equal to the original? I thought that the two small theaters took advantage of a balcony level?

How about the Esquire Theater off of 6th?

H

Yeah...The Mayan main floor is the original....of course w/o the balcony it isn't a big screen palace any more.

The Esquire was never that big. Nothing like The Denham, RKO Orpheum, The Denver, The Aladdin or even The Centre. Or The Cooper, The Continental or The Century 21 on S. Colorado. The Weber on South Broadway was pretty big...but it became Kitty's South.

I haven't been inside the theatre on Sante Fe or The Oriental on 44th for many years. I think they do plays now. The Federal and The Holiday were fairly good sized.....The Federal served as a church for awhile. The Woodlawn in Littleton was decent sized. The tiniest threatre I was ever in was The Alameda located at Alameda and Pearl. The old Victory Theater at Larimer and 16th which showed nudie movies was nice sized.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 3:36 PM
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San Antonio as several restored theatres palaces and one drive inn.
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Old Posted Jul 18, 2008, 6:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hudkina View Post
The most famous is the Fox Theatre which seats over 5,000 and consistantly ranks as one of the top-grossing live theatres in the nation. Another famous one is the old Michigan Theatre which was converted into a parking deck after it was learned that demolishing it would harm the structural integrity of the connected building.
What no pictures? Usually you are well armed with Detroit pictures.

Here are a couple of my pictures of the Detroit Fox and Michigan Theaters:

Fox exterior:


Fox lobby:


As Hudkina mentioned the Fox does mostly live shows. I will be going to see Kathy Griffin there in october.

Remains of the Michigan Theater (once a 4,000 seat theater, now a three story parking garage):

(I took all of these pictures)
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