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Author Topic: Northpark (Dallas) Theatre Question Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-24-2003 10:41 PM                     Never trust anything in a newspaper as being right hell they can't even get the showtimes right let alone the format  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-25-2003 06:12 PM                     Errors in newspapers are one reason why I posed my questions about THX to Tomlinson Holman himself. Nothing better than getting the word from the original source. The first time I talked to him years ago, I didn't know the GCC Northpark #1 was one of the original THX sites. I only told him how great the theater was and he replied about having personally put together the sound system for the initial THX launch.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 02-25-2003 06:43 PM                     The Fashion Square Theatre in Orlando, Florida was that other THX house. In a double full page ad that THX ran in the Daily Variety on Nov. 1st of 1984. They listed theatres that had installed THX and planned theatres. [LIST] MANN THEATRES Mann's Century 21 Denver , CO Mann's Chinese Hollywood, CA Mann's Christown Phoenix, AZ Mann's National Westwood, CA Mann's Bruin Westwood, CA Mann's Village Westwood, CA Mann's Cinema 21 San Diego, CA (11/84) UNITED ARTISTS COMMUNICATIONS, INC. UA Coronet Westwood, CA UA Egyptian Westwood, CA UA Galaxy San Francisco, CA UA Buena Park Buena Park, CA UA Warner Center 6 Woodland Hills, CA (Spring '85) UA El Segundo, CA (Summer '85) UA Citrus Heights, CA (Summer '85) UA Clovis, CA (Summer '85) UA Cinema 6 Amarillo, TX UA South 8 Dallas, TX UA Prestonwood Creek 5 Dallas, TX UA Skillman 6 Dallas, TX UA Walnut Hill 6 Dallas, TX UA Hulen 6 Fort Worth, TX UA Las Vegas Trail 8 White Settlement, TX UA Cinema 6 Hurst, TX UA Phelan 6 Beaumont, TX UA Towneast 6 Mesquite, TX UA East Town 8 Knoxville, TN UA Northstar 8 Garland, TX (12/84) UA Northpark Plaza Odessa, TX (Winter '84) UA Springcreek Parkway Plano, TX (5/85) UA Arlington, TX (Summer '85) PRESIDIO ENTERPRISES, INC. Southpark Cinema San Antonio, TX (12/84) GENERAL CINEMAS CORPORATION GCC Avco Center Cinema Westwood, CA GCC Essex Green Cinema West Orange, NJ GCC Har Mar Cinema Roseville, MN GCC Northpark Cinema Dallas, TX GCC Springfield Cinema Springfield, VA ...and coming in '85/'86 - 23 Screens Dallas, TX Los Anageles, CA Minneapolis, MN Chicago, IL Rochester, NY Houston, TX Sacramento, CA Detroit, MI Tampa, FL Ft. Lauderdale, FL Atlanta, GA Buffalo, NY Baltimore, MD PROFESSIONAL FACILITIES Warner Hollywood Hollywood, CA Goldwyn Studios (Stage A) Glen Glenn Sound Hollywood, CA Studio 1 Amblin Productions Universal City, CA Panavision Hollywood, CA MGM Main Theatre Culver City, CA CBS/FOX Studio Center Studio City, CA Glen Glenn Studio S The above were sites that were named in that ad.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-26-2003 01:05 AM                     quote: Paul's postings are based on information included in a newspaper article (whether factual or not) Is this what they mean by "factual fiction"? I would sooner believe what Tom H. had to say about it. I have to admit that I'm damned curious why this is so important..?  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-26-2003 10:00 AM                     In the grand scheme of things, which theaters were which in the original group of THX sites probably isn't all that important. But for the topic of the sadly lost yet legendary GCC Northpark theater, this is an appropriate point of prestige. I cannot recall any premiere class movie theater I visited in the five years I lived in New York being as good or any better than the GCC Northpark in Dallas. In all the stadium seated megaplex sites I have visted since, I have yet to see any of them come anywhere close to the caliber of quality dependably displayed at Northpark. Throughout the 1990's, I had no problem at all driving 200 miles to watch a movie there. The Northpark theater had an excellent reputation, but with it being one of the original THX sites, that has certainly added to its legend. And it also makes an even stronger case for the Northpark Mall's owner to be strung up by his thumbs for allowing such a grand theater to be demolished. Regarding the Fashion Square theater in Orlando, if that is the Florida site Tomlinson Holman visited for the THX launch, then yes it did get improved. However, according to Holman, it did not get THX certified. He said it just wasn't a very good house.  |  IP: Logged Michael Coate Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1904 From: Los Angeles, California Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-26-2003 01:15 PM                     quote: Never trust anything in a newspaper as being right Give me a break! That comment is such a generalization.  |  IP: Logged David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 02-26-2003 01:51 PM                        This seems like a special case since THX was new. If an ad at that time said "THX" it was probably accurate. The ad would simply be for corroboration anyway, right? Of course if Tom H. says one thing and the ad says the opposite, then it's still up in the air.  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-26-2003 03:17 PM                     quote: Of course if Tom H. says one thing and the ad says the opposite, then it's still up in the air. Especially since Tom H. said one thing to Michael Coate and another thing to Bobby Henderson at different times. As far as the ads in the LA Times were concerned, very little was made of THX. All that appeared in the display ads for JEDI was a small type "THX Sound" (no logo).  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 02-26-2003 09:07 PM                     Ah, yes. The Fasion Square theater. Very nice. Owned by GCC, Then closed, raped by EFW, now abandoned. =TMP=  |  IP: Logged Paul Linfesty Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1383 From: Bakersfield, CA, USA Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-26-2003 10:09 PM                     quote: Nothing better than getting the word from the original source. This kinda reminds me of the reminisces made by the patriarch of the Edwards theatre chain back in the 90's. He talked about how DOCTOR ZHIVAGO was the first time an Orange County theatre got a movie first-run day-and-date with the L.A. first run at his new Newport Cinema in Newport Beach. Now, according to the newspaper ads at the time, Doctor Zhivago actually played at another chain's theatre, a chain which, BTW and certainly been playing first-run day and date before Zhivago. As a matter of fact, the Newport Cinema wasn't to open for another few years, according to the ad evidence. Now, am i to take the word of Edwards (it WAS his chain), over the newspaper ad evidence? If so, its no wonder the chain eventually went belly-up, if they placed ads for the wrong theatre (AND wrong theatre chain) and continued to run those ads for months and months without getting a correction made. But Bobby, in honor of your standard, from this point on I will assume those years of theatre ads run at the time are wrong and Mr. Edwards was right when thinking back 30 some years.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-26-2003 10:35 PM                     Newspaper ad mistakes are very very common. Just recently here in my town, our local rag botched the times for the sneak previews of "Chicago". The Carmike 8 was sneaking the movie with "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind." The paper simply deleted that title and only showed "Chicago," making everyone think there was a full, all day slate of showings. Lots of people got mad and they wrongly blamed the theater management for the mistake. Certainly the memories of some folks can get fogged by time. But it would seem pretty difficult to believe Tomlison Holman would forget which theaters were certified THX in that first slate of screens in 1983. We're talking about perhaps the most notable point of his career here. I don't know what he has told Michael Coate. But his comments to me have been pretty consistent (the big screens of the Avco and Northpark being the original two THX certified theaters).  |  IP: Logged William Hooper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1879 From: Mobile, AL USA Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-27-2003 01:05 AM                        quote: Give me a break! That comment is such a generalization. *Every* time I've given an interview or provided information to a newspaper reporter, I've afterwards looked at the story & found myself *quoted* as saying something I never did, or the most insane garbled or just fabricated information presented as coming from me. It makes you very angry the first couple of times, then you just roll your eyes & try to assess whether it's created some significant damage that needs to be taken care of.  |  IP: Logged Michael Coate Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1904 From: Los Angeles, California Registered: Feb 2001 posted 02-27-2003 12:36 PM                     quote: *Every* time I've given an interview or provided information to a newspaper reporter, I've afterwards looked at the story & found myself *quoted* as saying something I never did, or the most insane garbled or just fabricated information presented as coming from me. Sounds like you've been the unfortunate victim of an unskilled or unethical reporter or editor. But you're not actually suggesting that *every* quote or *every* piece of information that has ever appeared anywhere in print has been incorrect, are you??? I stand by my comment about newspaper mistakes being a generalization. Gordon is certainly entitled to an opinion and privilege to contribute to this thread, but my comment was based on my opinion that his comment didn't add anything substantial to the discussion at hand. Apparently, some here seem to have misunderstood my question about looking up the original movie ads as "proof" rather than simply as a "curiosity." I suspect my remark about people and the possibility of poor memories went over some heads too.  |  IP: Logged Gordon McLeod Film God Posts: 9532 From: Toronto Ontario Canada Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-27-2003 12:57 PM                     Well the number of times I have had discussions with people over the 70mm tags in adds where they say you couldn't have played it in 70mm becasue the ad didn't say so. Basically I have yet to find that by the time a newspaper has finished cutting it to printed soundbytes it is usually more editorial than fact  |  IP: Logged Michael Coate Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1904 From: Los Angeles, California Registered: Feb 2001 posted 03-19-2003 01:20 AM                     Okay, for those still keeping score.... I recently obtained photocopies of the original opening day newspaper ads of Return Of The Jedi from the Dallas Morning News and the Orlando Sentinel. There were *two* Dallas area engagements being advertised in THX, the GCC Northpark and the UA Prestonwood Creek. As for the Orlando area, there were two engagements noted in the paper, though neither noted anything about THX. So....  |  IP: Logged

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