Century Drive-In Theater

Above, a view of the Century Drive-In with its Cinerama screen erected in front of the old screen in 1964.

One noteworthy theater in the Los Angeles area was Pacific Theaters' Century Drive-In Theater. It opened on July 2, 1949.

It was noteworthy for having a curved Cinerama screen (erected in 1964) to show Cinerama movies and being under the approach to Los Angeles International Airport with resulting jet engine noise from approaching planes. It was located near Hollywood Park Racetrack.

The first Cinerama feature shown there was This Is Cinerama. 

The theater had spaces for 918 cars. It originally was a single screen drive-in, but a second screen was added in the 1970s.  

When the theater was to start showing Cinerama movies, a curved screen was erected in front of the old standard screen. 

I never saw a Cinerama movie there, but I did see other movies at the Century Drive-In such as Gone With The Wind. We generally tried to avoid the Century due to the jet noise from planes on approach to LAX. Before the advent of jets, airplane noise was not a problem.

The drive-in was demolished in 1984.

To read more, go here.

"Gone With The Wind" Tonight

Tonight, I showed my ex-roomie (and current house guest) Jessica the 1939 classic, Gone With The Wind.  She had never seen the movie before.

Her reaction after it was over: "That was a long-ass movie!"

Yes, it clocks in at 3 hr 58 min.

Oh, well.

Classic Movie Sunday With Gable and The Duke

Since I have no interest in football, particularly the Super Bowl, and my "other half" was in Santa Barbara for a family gathering, I elected to spend a relaxing day watching a couple of classic movies.

When I went out to lunch, I decided to go across the street to CD Trader to see if they had a copy of She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949) available to buy on DVD. It was just my luck that they had one for $5.99, so I bought it.

While standing in line to pay for it, there was a display of DVDs near the cashier. One of the movies in the display was Gone With The Wind (1939). Since I didn't have a copy, and I hadn't seen the movie in ages, I decided to buy it.

Once I got home, I plopped on the sofa with some chips and guacamole to munch on.

The first movie I watched was She Wore A Yellow Ribbon. One of my favorite John Ford/John Wayne cavalry movies. It had plenty of colorful Monument Valley scenery to enjoy.

After that, I then watched Gone With The Wind. I was surprised at how much of the movie I had forgotten about. The first time I ever saw the movie was around 1969 when it was released to theaters. I went with my parents to see it at a drive-in. Although I've always liked Clark Gable as an actor, it was a surprise to see George "Superman" Reeves at the beginning of the movie as one of the Tarleton Twins.

George Reeves's 101st Birthday

Regular readers of this blog know that last summer, a plaque was placed in Tarzana, California commemorating the 100th birthdays of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and television's first Superman, George Reeves.

Today is Reeves's 101st birthday.

He was born George Keefer Brewer in Woolstock, Iowa. He later moved to Pasadena, California with his mother, who married Frank Bessolo. Bessolo later adopted George.

Reeves, known then as George Bessolo studied and acted at the historic Pasadena Playhouse where he was discovered by Hollywood. His first acting role (as George Reeves) in a motion picture was in 1939's Gone With The Wind.

Above, Sgt. George Reeves in the U.S. Army.

Reeves's career was just beginning to take off when World War II broke out. Like many other Hollywood actors, Reeves enlisted into the service.

Following the war, Reeves had a difficult time re-establishing himself in Hollywood and his marriage also failed.

Above, Lawrence Ryle and George Reeves in "The Star of Fate" (1953).

It was in 1951 that Reeves was selected to portray Superman and Clark Kent in the Adventures of Superman that would be broadcast in a new entertainment medium, television.

Through television, Reeves achieved the stardom he sought through the Adventures of Superman, for better or for worse.

Above, the Superman plaque in Tarzana, California. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

"Gone With The Wind" and the "Adventures of Superman"

Above, George Reeves as Clark Kent changing into Superman with Tara (below left) in the background in 1951.

In 1951, the first season of the Adventures of Superman was in production in and around the studio called "40 Acres" in Culver City, California.

One of the season's episodes was "The Mind Machine," which involves a machine that was developed to aid in the treatment of people with mental illnesses. The machine was stolen, and its inventor kidnapped, by crime boss Lou Cranek, played by Dan Seymour.

In one sequence in the episode, the former bookkeeper of Cranek was to testify before an investigating committee. During the man's testimony, his mind was "invaded" by the machine, which causes him to flip out (and eventually die).

During the chase of the machine's victim, Clark Kent (George Reeves) had to change into Superman as the man hijacked a school bus with several children inside. Just before Kent ducked out of sight to change, a shot of the former plantation, Tara, from Gone With The Wind could be seen in the background. The sequence was shot atop of the Baldwin Hills, which is above Culver City. (The location where Kent began changing into Superman was not too far from the site of the Baldwin Hills reservoir that burst in December 1963.)

Above, Vivien Leigh with Tara in the background in 1939.

George Reeves's first movie role just happened to be in Gone With The Wind in 1939. It is as if his past caught up with him 12 years later.

"Gone With The Wind" Rarity

Here's a rarity (thanks to Lee Pecue for finding it).

The above photo is a behind-the-scenes shot taken during filming of the Gone With The Wind opening scene featuring Fred Crane (near the camera), Vivien Leigh (fixing her make-up) and George Reeves. Crane and Reeves portrayed the Tarleton Twins (or Tarleton Brothers) who were wooing Scarlet O'Hara and discussing the upcoming barbecue at the Wilkes's plantation during the beginning of the movie.

Note the size of the the three-strip technicolor camera used. The movie was produced in 1939.

Above, the familiar publicity shot of Fred Crane, Vivien Leigh and George Reeves.

Toho Cinemas Bringing Clark Gable and George Reeves To Japan

Above, Fred Crane (left), Vivien Leigh and George Reeves.

Toho Cinemas in Roppongi Hills in Tokyo will be screening the 1939 classic, Gone With The Wind, starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. The movie also features the screen debut of actor George Reeves as one of the Tarleton Brothers (also called the Tarleton Twins). Reeves went on to fame as television's first Superman. Gone With The Wind will be screening February 8-21, 2014.

According to Time Out Tokyo:

Toho's popular 10am Film Festival – a season of morning movie screenings that allowed audiences to revisit classics from Belle de Jour to Back to the Future – looked set to bow out in 2013, yet another victim of the switchover from celluloid to digital. But fret not, cineastes: after some last-minute wrangling, the event will be continuing in a new, all-digital format. That's not the only change, either – there are now four Tokyo-area cinemas taking part, with each film now getting an extended, two week run.

 For details, go here.

George Reeves's 97th Birthday

97 years ago today, actor George Reeves was born in Woolstock, Iowa.

His birthdate was January 5, 1914.

Reeves's first film role was in the 1939 classic Gone With The Wind as one of the Tarleton twins. He went on to become an icon of the baby-boomer generation as Clark Kent/Superman in the 1951-57 Adventures of Superman.

Reeves died on June 16, 1959 of an alleged self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in his home in Benedict Canyon.