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.

Southside Theater In Los Angeles

Above, the Southside Theater in 1949.

On Vermont Avenue near Imperial Highway in Los Angeles stood the Southside Theater. Well, the building still stands as a church, but it looks largely unchanged since it opened on September 21, 1949.

It was the closest theater to where I lived in Los Angeles from 1958 to 1966. 

The design of the theater looked like a giant quonset hut, but it was a big theater that had 1,466 seats.

Above, I went with friends to see this movie at the Southside Theater.

I have been to the theater many times with my parents in the 1960s. But the only movies I remember seeing there were The War Lord (1965) with Charlton Heston and  Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) with Melvin Van Peebles.

To read more about the Southside Theater, go here.

Rio Theater In Los Angeles

Above, the Rio Theater circa 1970. The Gospel Records shop once
 was a novelty shop with magic tricks, masks, jokes and other items.

Back around December 1961, Walt Disney's Babes In Toyland with Annette Funicello and Tommy Sands was released. 

Earlier that year (March),  Eugène Lourié's giant monster in London flick, Gorgo was released by MGM. 

I saw both movies on a double-bill at the Rio Theater in Los Angeles on Western Avenue near Imperial Highway with my parents and an aunt and cousins. I don't remember much of Babes In Toyland, but Gorgo is one of my favorite monster movies.

The Rio Theater opened on December 25, 1948 with Red River starring John Wayne and Montgomery Clift. 

The theater closed in 1971 as the neighborhood deteriorated due to gang activity. It was demolished in the 1990s.

"Godzilla vs. Kong": My Best Bet Is Window Rock, Arizona

Above, Window Rock, where the town gets its name. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since theaters will be closed for the foreseeable future in New Mexico and with Godzilla vs. Kong slated to open on March 31, it appears that my best chance to see it (since I don't have cable or satellite to get HBO Max) will be to go into neighboring Arizona.

Since I live 40 miles from the Arizona-New Mexico border, the nearest theaters that will likely show it are in Window Rock, Arizona.

Window Rock is the capital of the Navajo Nation, but it is a large enough town to have theaters. The Navajo Nation has been a hot spot for coronavirus, but I shouldn't worry too much since I will be fully vaccinated by then and the usual precautions (mask and gloves) will be taken.

I have been to Window Rock once. It is less than an hour's drive (about 48 miles away).  

New Mexico Governor Orders Closings

Above, Denny's and other restaurants are closed to dining until April 10. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It looks like it won't be until April 10 (for now, anyway) that our usual morning gathering at Denny's at the Flying J can resume as the Governor has closed restaurants to take-out only.

It is possible that we would be able to get coffee in the Flying J part of the travel center and migrate over to the tables at the truckers' lounge. We'll see. If we can't, we can always meet up at one of our homes.

The Governor's press release is as follows:

SANTA FE – New Mexico Health Secretary Kathy Kunkel will strengthen her previously issued public health order to include additional mandatory closures and guidelines to stem the spread of COVID-19 in New Mexico.

The new public health emergency order, which will take effect Thursday, March 19, prohibits gatherings of more than 10 people. ...

The order mandates the following:

​Restaurants, bars, breweries, eateries and other food establishments must close to dine-in customers; take-out and home delivery are permitted

​Indoor shopping malls must close

​Recreational facilities, health clubs and resort spas must close

​Theaters must close, including movie theaters

​Flea markets must close

Important stipulations within the order include:

​​Typical business environments that are not engaged in the provision of an essential service should limit operations to the greatest extent possible and minimize employee contact.

“Typical business environments” are defined as businesses, governmental organizations, political subdivisions and other entities engaged in commercial, industrial, charitable or professional activities.​

Hotels, motels and other places of lodging shall not operate at more than 50 percent of maximum occupancy. This restriction does not apply to operations providing lodging to health care workers who are engaged in the provision of care to New Mexico residents or those businesses providing temporary housing to individuals employed and working in New Mexico.​​​

In addition to the above stipulations, these places are exempt from the order and may remain open:

​Grocery stores and pharmacies

​Shelters

​Courthouses

​Banks

​Correction and detention facilities

​Hospitals and other health-care facilities

​Places of worship (during regular hours)

​Restaurants with exterior entrances that are situated in shopping malls may offer delivery and takeout services.

ON HOARDING: The order, in an effort to limit hoarding, directs grocery stores and other retailers to limit the sale of over-the-counter medications, durable medical equipment, baby formula, diapers, sanitary care products and hygiene products to three packaged items per individual.

INTENT: The new public health order is a means of temporarily limiting person-to-person contact in New Mexico. The order should be construed narrowly; the overriding guidance to New Mexicans is to avoid contact with others in all scenarios except those essential to public health, safety and welfare.

The order is in effect until April 10, 2020, but can be extended as needed.

“We are taking every single step we must take to limit the spread of this virus,” said Kunkel. “The more aggressive we are, the better our state’s response to COVID-19 will be, and the more lives we will save. We all have to take this threat seriously and, bottom line, stay home.”

“Many businesses had already taken these steps, and I thank them,” said Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. “But New Mexicans must simply stay home in order to mitigate the risks of this virus, and closing non-essential establishments where people gather is an essential step toward achieving that. This is hard; it has real consequences on every New Mexican, and we don’t take lightly our responsibility to keep you safe. We will take every single step we can to limit the spread of this virus and save lives in our state.”

ENFORCEMENT: The state will ramp up surveillance of businesses to ensure compliance. Violators of the public health order could lose their licenses to operate, face fines or even jail time. New Mexicans wishing to report a violation of the order may call their local non-emergency number and make a report.

“We will enforce compliance. We take this very seriously. There are still far too many New Mexicans who are coming into contact with one another,” the governor said.

Additional advisories and orders will follow as conditions warrant.

On Wednesday, the number of infected people in New Mexico reached 28, including, for the first time, a case presumed to be based on community spread – the term for cases in which the cause cannot be determined.

“That would mean a need to institute social distancing and mitigation techniques. Thankfully, we’ve already started those initiatives, said Dr. Chad Smelser of the state Department of Health. “We’re counting on everyone in the state to continue those strong efforts in order to minimize our person-to-person interactions. That’s what’s going to help us slow the spread and combat this pandemic,” Smelser said.

New Mexico health officials strongly advise residents to stay home and to undertake only those outings that are essential to health, safety and general welfare in order to stop person-to-person contact.

New Mexicans who develop symptoms of COVID-19 infection – fever, cough or shortness of breath – should call their health care provider or the NMDOH COVID-19 hotline immediately (1-855-600-3453).

People without those symptoms do not need to be tested for COVID-19 at present. New Mexicans are asked to widely distribute this information about testing and travel guidelines.

New Mexicans who have non-health-related questions or concerns can also call 833-551-0518 or visit newmexico.gov, which is being updated and finalized as a one-stop source for information.

"Elvis" Screenings August 16 and 20

It appears that if I want to see the theatrical screening of Elvis (known today as the "'68 Comeback Special"), I would have to go to Albuquerque on either August 16 or 20 to do so.

Rolling Stone posted an article on the special's 50th anniversary screenings.

It begins with:

When Elvis Presley was filming the intro to his fabled “’68 Comeback Special,” the program’s director had an unusual problem. “I ended up having too many Elvises in the background,” filmmaker Steve Binder tells Rolling Stone. “I hate to fire anybody, so I decided to use them all. We were afraid the scaffold was not gonna hold the weight. We were sure we were gonna have a major lawsuit if it collapsed.” 

Today, the image of the King, flanked by dozens of Elvises and wearing black clothing and a tough look on his face, has become iconic. The special, known then simply as Elvis, relaunched his singing career and proved that, after nearly a decade of making movies, he was still one of the most thrilling performers around. Now Binder is hoping the film reaches a new audience when the special gets a theatrical release this month to mark its 50th anniversary. Fathom Events will screen the film on August 16th and 20th at various theaters around the world.

To read more, go here. 

Getting Toho Cinemas Discount Tickets

Above, a giant movie poster at the Yurakucho Mullion. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

There have been three occasions where I screened a movie in Tokyo.

The first time was when Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-out Attack premiered at the 2001 Tokyo International Film Festival at Orchard Hall in Shibuya's Bunkamura. The second time was in 2006 when Gamera The Brave (listed on the ticket as Gamera: The Little Braves) premiered at the Marunouchi Piccadilly Theaters in the Yurakucho Mullion. The third time was also in the Yurakucho Mullion at the Toho Cinemas Nichigeki for Space Battleship Yamato in 2010.

Going to a movie theater is a little different than going to one in the U.S. In Japan, I was able to pick out what seats I wanted and the row and seat number would then be printed on the ticket. I also noticed that ticket prices for movies in Japan were higher than in the U.S., around ¥1,800 (roughly $18.00).

Current ticket prices in the U.S., I've noticed, have also shot up to the $15.00-$18.00 range as well. But, cheaper tickets can be obtained by going to a daytime matinee screening where the prices are cut to about half.

Gaijinpot.com has a new article on getting discounted movie tickets. Their recommended theaters to see Hollywood movies are Toho Cinemas. They prefer Toho's theaters because "the digital picture and sound quality are top notch – so clear and crisp. The seats are clean, well-tiered, and extremely comfortable. Hollywood movies are shown in English with Japanese subtitles, so you don’t need to worry about awkward dubbing."

On getting discounted movie tickets, the article says:

Ticket prices start at 1,800 yen, but there are opportunities each month to watch movies at a discounted rate! The public can watch movies for 1,000 yen every first and fourteenth of each month. Women have additional benefits; every Wednesday is Lady’s Day for 1,000 yen.

To read the full article, with information on ordering tickets online from Toho Cinemas (which is a little tricky as some knowledge of Japanese is necessary), go here.

Kaiju in long-gone theaters in the San Fernando Valley

Above, the San Val Drive-In Theater in Burbank, California.

Kaiju in long-gone theaters in the San Fernando Valley:
A 50th Anniversary Remembrance

by Armand Vaquer

(Originally Published in G-FAN #64, Summer 2004)

Recently, I came across a website (http://www.geocities.com/bijoumanager/burbank-theaters.html) concerning long-lost movie houses and drive-in theaters in the San Fernando Valley of California by Ron Strong of Delphian Productions.

My interest was further aroused then Mr. Strong mentioned that he saw Destroy All Monsters at the San Val Drive-in Theater in Burbank. I then contacted him and asked him what he remembered about this screening and whether or not he saw other kaiju films at this theater.

Stong replied, "I saw Destroy All Monsters at the San Val Drive-in during the month of March, 1969. The co-feature at the drive in was the disinteresting (to me at the time), The Terrornauts. The film played for one week at the drive-in, opening the same week at Disney's The Love Bug (which was playing at the opposing drive-in in Burbank, The Picwick)."

When asked about any other Japanese giant films he may have seen at the Sun Val, Stong said, "That, unfortunately was the only rubber suited film I saw at the San Val as the drive in closed a few years later." However, although he didn't see other kaiju films at the Sun Val, he did manage to see some at other local theaters. "But as for other Burbank theaters, the double feature of War of the Gargantuas and Monster Zero played at the Cornell Theater during the summer of 1970, and Destroy All Monsters screened there as well as a co-feature with The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant. Later, the Cornell screened Godzilla's Revenge with Island of the Burning Doomed in the summer of '71. That was pretty much it for the rubber suit films that I can recall in Burbank."

According to Strong's website, "On June 16, 1938. Burbank became the home of the largest outdoor theater in North America. In an area that once was home to Burbank's winery and grape fields, the San Val Drive-In opened (below) with a flourish usually given a palace like Grauman's Chinese. The San Val Drive-In had a long and glorious run until the early 1970's when the land surrounding the Burbank Airport became much more valuable. Now resting on the site are production houses, manufacturers and offices."



The Sun Val had an unusual speaker system (photo below) during its first ten years of operation (the theater was closed and demolished in the 1970s). Each parking space in the theater had a speaker positioned stationary on a pole in front of each car. Obviously, this system proved to be bothersome to the theater's neighbors and the speaker system was replaced by individually wired speakers that drive-in theater enthusiasts are more familiar with (the speaker box that hung on the patron's door window).



The Cornell Theater (below) in Burbank, built in 1949, was demolished in 1980 after closing in 1978. The Cornell had an "art moderne" architectural style with a huge neon "Cornell" sign and marquee.



Strong adds, "And say hello to J.D. for me. It's been quite a few years." Will do! (Small world, eh?)

While it is sad to see favorite and historical theaters get razed "in the name of progress" (and skyrocketing real estate values), it is nice to know that the films that played in them still exist for our continued enjoyment.

Photos herein are courtesy of Bijou Memories and its URL, Delphian Productions and The Burbank Historical Society. Our thanks to Ron Strong for sharing his memories with G-FAN.