Cool News
Hats off... a moment of silence, please... for the death of yet another Grand Theatre, the Indian Hills Cinerama
Father Geek here with a different kind of OBIT. Its not for the passing of a great star, or a famous Director, or Screenwriter. No... this time it is for a place... an institution... a type of entertainment. I received a handful of E-mails about this today, but this one moved me... reminded me of all the theaters and drive-ins of my own youth that have vanished from the cinema landscape forever.
But this was no ordinary out-of-date movie theater... this is a Buffalo
of cine palaces, or more aptly the Dodo because you can count the existing Cinerama houses in the WORLD on one hand. We've written about this problem a couple of times in the past.
First, in our 1021st story Just click here to visit that one. Then awhile later in the 5241st report on the site. See it by Clicking right Here.
Now to the current story... a goodbye to The Indian Hills Cinerama... from A FAN...
of cine palaces, or more aptly the Dodo because you can count the existing Cinerama houses in the WORLD on one hand. We've written about this problem a couple of times in the past.
First, in our 1021st story Just click here to visit that one. Then awhile later in the 5241st report on the site. See it by Clicking right Here.
Now to the current story... a goodbye to The Indian Hills Cinerama... from A FAN...
News has just emerged that the owners of the Indian Hills Cinerama theater have filed
Chapter 11, and Indian Hills is closing effective immediately.
I'd like to say I'm surprised, but I'm not. Each time I've gone there the
theater has been in a progressively worse state of disrepair. I mentioned it
to my mother a year or so ago, she shrugged and said, "oh, they're going to
close the place." I suppose deep down I knew it would happen. But that
doesn't lessen the shock.
Another landmark from our child hood is destined to become another strip
mall, and they wonder why our generation is so jaded..
When I stop and think about it, I want to get weepy. I know its just a
place, but it is a place where so much of the magic of my childhood happened.
I could list all of the movies I've seen there, from The Hindenburg, to Star
Wars, to Lawrence of Arabia. All of the summer afternoons as a grade
schooler watching kid flicks. Taking my son Conrad to those same kid flicks
years later. Grease and Goonies. Star Trek 2, Aliens. My mother crying
when Spock died. Dreaming of the day when I'd accept an Oscar for my first
film...Wanting to kiss Harrison Ford.
Stadium seating before anyone knew what that was..Being 8 years old and not
having to worry if a grown-up sat in front of me. The smell of popcorn, the
funky bubble patterns on the carpet. The soft, plush purple seats. Dimming
lights, the faint hiss of the curtains opening..
The bass rattle of a Star Destroyer passing over my head, the sand storm from
Close Encounters, the flutter of my heart upon seeing a young Peter O'Toole
for the first time in glorious cinemascope. The attack of the white blood
cells in Fantastic Voyage...
The Indian Hills is one of only four Cinerama theaters left IN THE
WORLD...
So, what is a building worth? What are memories worth? What is the value of
dreams...I'm afraid those things aren't worth much to the world at large, at
least not as much as another useful strip mall...
A FAN
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Sep 28, 2000 12:20:49 AM CDT
Hey! What about the UC Theater in Berkeley? That's closing in
by lenny nero
The UC Theater in Berkeley is a landmark of cinema, around long before most movie houses. On September 30, they will show their final two movies, the oddly-mainstream-for-the-theater pairing of High Fidelity and American Beauty. I will never forget this theater. Never. Long live the Rocky Horror Picture Show that played there for so many years, only to be shut down in December '98.
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Still the worst movie theatre in Austin. My first job, cleaning theatres, working for movie posters. Got fired when the manager found out they were worth $10 a piece at Northcross Mall and places like Austin Books. Got rehired for minimum wage but free movies at any theatre in town. Those were the days. California sucks for movies. Austin is still the best city in America for movies and live music.
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Gorgeous old-skool movie palace down on Hawthorne. Among other things, they serve pizza with their flicks; it's where I saw STARSHIP TROOPERS for the third time. May it never shut down. Oh, and the Hollywood, another classic, is still going strong--I believe it even got renovated a few years back. I love the old theaters; the architecture is glorious. Portland's nice that way--they still care about *real* architecture and quality of life things, not just slapping together another string of strip malls and upended glass shoeboxes.
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The Minor theatre, in my home town of Arcata Ca. Built in the earliest part of this century. The oldest continuiosly running movie theatre in the US. And going very strong. In fact, the local theatre owner bought out the Signature Theatres (The stupid-ass corporation). How is that for a change? Local business defeats corprate interest. I wonder if all my boycotting helped?
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I meant, earliest part of last century. Damn 2000.
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Actually the UC Theatre isn't closing, I don't think. At least not the program that's going on itself. The theatre, most likely. It just a shame that it apparently doesn't have enough money to fix itself in better condition. Now it has to find a new home in Berkeley. I think the empty lot on Shattuck would be perfect, but still, UC Theatre is one of those rare Nickelodeon theatres. To see the UC Theatre go out makes me wanna die.
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...first the drive-in's, now the movie palace's. Most people have become lemmings and flock en mass to the coffin-like enviroment of the multiplex because they don't know any better. Most never will. Programmed like Pavlov's dogs to salivate at the sight of them with their overpriced popcorn and forty-weight motor oil butter. Like the majority of the films today, there is nothing left but rebuilt refuse on a foundation of a forgotten, glamorous past.
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I have fond memories of the original Woodfield 1/2, Woodfiel 3/4, and One Schaumburg Place theatres out here in Illinois. Sure, they weren't technically movie palaces, but they meant a lot to me as a kid. Woodfield 1/2 was one of those great, big moviehouses of the '70s that Harry Knowles would've loved. The great old 70mm experience. I remember everything from "The Empire Strikes Back" to "Titanic." I have a fond memory of waiting in a huge line for "A View To A Kill" in 1985. It was my first midnight show. At least I made sure that the last film I saw there was a masterpiece - Malick's "The Thin Red Line." It was flattened into an extra parking lot for the mall.
The 3/4 was a lot smaller, but it was a funky little theatre that got all the exploitation flicks. One of my friends worked there for awhile, and we all got to screen the new releases like "Mars Attacks." It was a great little house run by a couple of kids. They'd let you up onto the roof to smoke. It was demolished, and is now home to a tiny, hideous strip mall of forgetable stores instead of showing the latest New Line release.
Across the street used to be the 9 screen One Schaumburg Place. It was relatively new. It opened in 1991 with Star Trek VI. It had nice, large screens, great projection quality, and solid sound. It was in the center of the food court of what was once an interestingly designed strip mall - that was entirely enclosed in glass in the front like a greenhouse with parking garages on either side. It was a great place to hang out as a teen. I could pay for a film and stick around for three. But when the big chain stores closed the rent increased on the smaller ones, and they disappeared even quicker. Then it became my favorite movie theatre because it was like a huge empty building. The garages were fun for skaters and kids looking for trouble. The empty strip mall inside leading to the theatres became this surreal, empty walkway of empty storefronts and white tile. Every time coming out of a film, you felt like you were walking on the moon. It closed and was radically redeveloped. Sony Loews bought Cineplex Odeon, and it's now a two-story, 20 screen smelly Sony behemoth with Quesidillas. The only thing good about it is the sound. The seating is small and really uncomfortable. It's bad stadium seating design because there's not enough room. So you get a headache watching a movie because your back is up against the wall, and your knees are scrunched against the back of the seat in front of you.
It's all too bad. I wish Spielberg hadn't started DreamWorks, and instead invested in developing a theatre chain that focused more on delivering the grand Cinerama experience than bringing in different food varieties that are increasingly more messy and expensive that really have no place in a theatre. People should really eat at a restaurant either before or after a film. They shouldn't eat a three course meal during a movie. But that's just me. I don't even eat popcorn anymore because I'd rather concentrate on the film. -
Sorry Ivan, Showplace 6 is dead as well. It was purchased by the Round Rock Independent School District to use as office space and extra parking for Westwood HS.
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The one in Century City went out of business. No wonder, the service was terrible and the food was bad.
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A report in one of the Bay area weeklys (SF Weekly, I think) reported that the UC Theater, in danger of closing due to a six-figure bill for seismic retrofitting, has a reprieve until December 31, 2000. However (and to me this is a big "however"), for reasons that may or may not have to do with the possible closing (I don't know), the UC is changing it's format from nearly daily turnover of movies (often double features) to weekly runs of single movies, the first of which is the new Abbas Kiarostami film. Personally, it's as though the UC has been replaced by a clone of some other theaters in the Bay Area. But so it goes.
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Sep 28, 2000 12:34:17 PM CDT
Agent's comments and my urging for all residents in the Bay Area
by pips orcille
Ok, Agent, you say that UC Theatre has until December 31, 2000 to retrofit itself. I think that what we should be doing, instead of just sitting on our asses and preying that the theatre doesn't close, is donating money. All of us. Everyone who lives in the Bay Area should do it. If not, they can kiss my ass. If no one is doing anything about helping the UC Theatre, then what's the point of it being in Berkeley? I do not want the lot that UC Theatre is in to be replaced by a goddamn multiplex cinema like Metreon, which has no sense of history.
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have no fear, my dear friends. if you can hold on until the Spring of 2002, THE MECCA OF FILM (Hollywood, that is) will have true 3 camera Cinerama when the new and improved Cinerama Dome Entertainment Center opens on Sunset Blvd. the original Cinerama Dome was never retrofitted for real 3 camera Cinerama. so they closed up the joint with screenings of T2, Ben Hur (with Charlton Heston in attendance) and Lawrence of Arabia at the end of July. but, once again, in the Spring/Summer of 2002, it'll be back with a bigger screen, the 3 Cinerama cameras, digital sound AND THX (i think) along with 15 additional theatres behind it. i'm excited. are you?
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I saw "2001 A Space Odyssey" when I was about 10 years old at the Indian Hills theater. As you can imagine it was quite an experience for a young boy to see a film such as that on that huge screen! I also remember the often times outrageous publicity stunts used at the Indian Hills theater including the construction of a volcano over the driveway entrance canopy for the film "Krakatoa, East of Java", that on opening night erupted into flames and nearly caught the building on fire, as the legend goes! I will definitely miss that theater.
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From the article, you'd have no idea, but as an Omaha native, I've been in there many times. Indian Hills is owned by Carmike Cinemas, a chain. There was talk that the Omaha owners may lease the building to another theater operator chain--so there is a chance for it. However, I'll tell you something: when I saw Star Wars special edition, there were bright green lines across the whole screen and the sound was terrible. The theater is also in an area that has mostly medical buildings, i.e. not much for the public. Also, only a couple miles down the street from it is a much cooler, albeit smaller theater, the Dundee Theater, that has much more of a reputation for screening smaller/independent/artsy movies than the mainstream ones that Indian Hills plays.
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CaptBlack, I will say this about Indian Hills Omaha, it has parking. I don't go to Dundee very often because there is no where to put my car.
Anyway, I am terrified that this could be the end of our Indian Hills (could we PLEASE determine which theater is closing in what city?) Indian Hills was the home of my first foray into independent movies, and the place I wanted to see Star Wars most of all. Sure, the sound wan't that great, but the image...my God, the image. Seeing Darth Vader take up more square footage than my squallid hellhole of an apartment, well, it did something special for me.
Anyway, save our grand old movie houses. -
Back in the early 90's I managed the Cinema Center in Omaha and we were always in competition with the Indian Hills. But I saw many films at that theatre (got to love professional courtesy...lots of free movies). I always loved the Indian Hills. But it has gone through about four owners the past decade and each owner cared for it less than the last, which is to bad. In '95 I moved to San Francisco so I hadn't been there in a while. But last March I was home visiting family and I went to see "Mission From Mars" there. There was maybe five other people in the auditorium. The news of its closing doesn't surprise me. We've lost another great theatre. Yes it was falling apart, but it didn't need to die a slow death. on another subject, didn't the UC Berkely get a second chance?
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Greetings from the backwater known as Iowa. Dead Moines has also lost its one and only cinerama theater, the River Hills, thanks to the theatrical equivalent of a fast-food chain known as Carmike. Well, I suppose that to qualify as a cinerama theater said theater would have to have the original projectors and play cinerama flicks, which the R.H. hasen't had for ages. Still even without having experienced true cinerama for a long time I hate to see this place go since it's where I fell in love with film seeing Star Wars in its original 70mm release. Lately my brain has been tickled with the hope of a re-opening, if perhaps only temporarilly for the re-release of 2001:A Space Odessy (as you know was filmed in ToddAO - aka "cinerama outa' one hole"). But this week the city planners revealed that they are considering demolishing the building pending plans for a new massive auditorium to be moved closer to the river front. This seemed like a slap in the face of hope. I suppose it's inevitable that cinerama would end up a novelty limiting itself to a handful of places, mostly because there aren't any films being made anymore with aspect ratios wider than 2.35:1 (Dammed 35mm anamorphic!Curses!) So the projection of modern films onto the curved cinerama screens has inherent problems anyway. First, 70mm prints just aint made anymore; the resolution on a 70 foot screen isn't what it was. Second, and even worse, since the projector is so much higher than the center of the screen in these theaters, combined with - this is the real problem here - the curvature of the screen causes an inherent alignment problem on these screens (I believe called "keystoning"?) That is, a significant portion of the image is lost, more on the bottom than the top, because of a difference in the angle of the screen curvature and the straight line of the image being projected on it. Ever see a film with subtitles or credits roll up the screen in a cinerama type theater? They get cut off at the bottom especially at the center. Anyway, since Dead Moines doen't even have an IMAX theater for chrissakes this is the last straw. I guess I have to move to rainy Seattle (yes, godbless microsoft and fyi, the only real monoply in the US is the damn government.) So goodbye Indian Hills. Goodbye River Hills. Goodbye cinerama and any films over the 2.35:1 width being presented again (or made for that unthinkable matter). And goodbye Dead Moines. I hope the theater corp's choke on their popcorn (while watching a damn rice crispy treat ad in their not-so-profitable micro theaters).
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And when I walk in this Sunday and watch The Adventures of Robinhood, I will smile and be proud that my own town has one of the last remaining "Grand Movie Palaces" in wondrous condition...
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I'm from Richmond, VA and we are very luck to have our two historic movie houses preserved, renovated and still in use. Lowe's Theater is now the Carpenter Center for Preforming Arts, but can still show movies and they have. It was built in the 20's and has a machine that projects cloud pictures on the ceiling like an outdoor sky. Unfortunately one of the machines is broken and they have been trying to find someone to repair it. Our other theater is The Byrd, which still shows 2nd run movies for $0.99 and is a lot of fun. I'm glad we didn't tear these places down and still have two grand movie houses from the "Golden Age of Movies". I hope you have someone in your community who would be willing to restore those theathers.
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Hey guys...the theater is far from dead!! NP Dodoge company is the owner NOT Carmike Cinemas..they just retned the place and operated it...Mr.Dodge himself said on TV, "We want to preserve it as a theater, and thE MOST economical use of the building is to KEEP it a theater",
And this man is a Multi millionaire and he OWNS the place. Carmike went bankrupt and had to give it up , along with 65 other theaters...they just don't have the money...and .. the theater has all new seats, curtains, and sound system. They also said they are actively seeking another company to operate the theater! Lets sit tight and see what happens...there has been a GREAT outcry for the theater...it is great to see such a response.
Even a man from Cinerama in Seattle was in town taking pictures etc...so far so good!
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