I fondly remember seeing a 70mm DTS print of "Titanic" at the GCC Northpark with a group of other Kodak
engineers on February 3, 1998. "Perfection" --- what more can I say? Great sound, flawless print, bright and
steady picture. The theatre's modest "mall" exterior and tiny lobby hid the gem that was inside. After the show,
Ron Beardmore graciously gave us a tour of the booth, and shared his love of the 70mm format and projection with
us.

AFAIK, that 70mm print of "Titanic" was the same one screened at the White House, and personally approved by director James Cameron --- which shows how much distributors appreciated the quality of presentation at the Northpark.

A perfect example of "Film done RIGHT!"

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Mr. Nasher... I don't know you.... but I'm pointing at you.
 

And to Mr. Nasher, I am also pointing at you. However, unlike Joe, I am using a different finger.
 

In those days, it had the "classic" General Cinema Corp shadowbox design. Dallas has lost too many excellent movie theaters. I still lament over the loss of the "Palace" downtown.
 

Mr. Nasher, Thank you for taking such an awaited, historical experience away from everybody. Your greed has exceeded you. what an ass!!!

I have heard several stories about other people's experience at Northpark. I wonder if there could be anybody else out there that could share some more with me.

------------------
--"That's my story and i'm sticking to it!"--

It is a black eye to Dallas to loose such a great theatre for good. Many people throughout the area were hopeing for its triumphant return. What is even MORE sad is that we have not only lost a great theatre but opened the door for a new AMC mulitplex. Thats right, AMC has been in talks with Mr. Nasher about building a new google plex near the Northpark Mall.
 

For those who remember Harry Truman, he said it correctly. Mr. Truman said, "The problem with the people in this country is they worship money."

I'll be almost willing to bet that Nasher is one of those who worships money.

Maybe they had excellent projection and sound, comfortable seats, were clean and many of them even had a curtain. But where was the showmanship, and more then that, where was the theatrical invionment? A bland box for auditoriums, lobbies that were no better. It's a shame that we brought up a generation thinking that these were great theatres. We can't blame that generation as it wasn't their fault. They were robbed of the opportunity to experience really great theatres. Some of them are still around, but are now Performing Arts centers. If you want to see some magnificent theatres which were built for the presentation of movies, go visit the Fox's in St Louis, Detriot, or Atlanta, the Shea's Buffalo in Buffalo, Radio City in New York, the Chicago in Chicago, the Los Angelas in LA, the Paramount in Oakland and the list goes on and on. Every city and town had a theatre or theatres of that caliber, maybe much smaller, but just as flamboyant.

I never thought that I would see the day that anyone would miss a theatre built in the sixties or later. My generation thought of them as depressing substitutes for the real thing.

I do realize that they represent the best of the post TV generation... so forgive me for my comments. I will let you mourn your loss as we mourned ours. I'm just saddened that you didn't have the opportunity to experience the movie palace era. There will never be another like it.
 

On second thought, I have something to say even without the "F" word:

I will not patronize the Northpark Mall ever again!

I would suggest that anyone else who lives in Dallas do the same.

I was born in the Dallas area, I grew up there, and lived never more than an hour's drive away until just three short years ago. I frequently go back for a visit. Ever since I moved away, I have waited to do my Christmas shopping until after I returned to Dallas to visit my family, and the Northpark mall was always part of that shopping trip. Not anymore. Not ever again.

The Northpark 1-2 theater was responsible for my love of movies, for my love of 70mm, and for my love of the theatrical experience. Before I was able to drive I would beg and plead with my parents to take me to the Northpark to see movies. After I was able to drive, I rarely went to see movies anywhere else. I had other theaters that I liked, but none compared to Northpark.

Yes, it really was that good. I recently exchanged e-mail with someone who would regularly drive 200 miles to visit the Northpark theater.

If I close my eyes, I can still see and hear in my mind the magnificent presentations that took place there. I do not believe these memories are enhanced by nostalgia. As I grew up and my perceptions and tastes became more sophisticated, the Northpark still continued to impress me.

I actually liked waiting in line at the Northpark 1-2, even in the rain. I've still not seen another theater that has picture quality quite like it. And with 70mm dead as a doornail and TI's crappy 1280x1024 digital "cinema" system threatening to take over everything, I guess I never will again.

My hands are shaking as I type this. I feel like someone just killed my dog.

Brad, I am curious about these parties who were wishing to revive the theater. Were you involved with them? Can you give us more information? Also, I thought the equipment had been removed and sold. If so, unless the exact same equipment was taken back and installed and tuned the same way, it would not have been the same.

The idea of AMC building one of their horrible "theaters" in its place just adds insult to injury. If anyone from AMC is reading this: Don't even try. You will never be as good.

Richard, Brad is right. This theater was not known for its decor. It was known for its presentation. And when the lights go down, that's all that matters. A full-blown "palace" design would have been nice, but that's not what made this theater great.

------------------
Aaron Haney
Professional Complainer
Apple Computer, Inc.
 

I honestly have to say that Mr. Nasher is a complete and total BASTARD! I apologize to the members of the forum for using such a vulgar term but BASTARD seems to be the only adjective suitable enough to describe this BASTARD’S actions without getting into some really heavy language. But I don’t expect Mr. Nasher (a.k.a. BASTARD) to understand the effects of his actions. I know I’m not alone on this. There were several letters in one of the Dallas Morning News papers in October of ‘98 sharing the common viewpoint that shutting down the Northpark 1 and 2 was disheartening as well as a mistake. But as I understand it Mr. BASTARD doesn’t like movies that much to begin with. It’s his mall. Let the BASTARD do what he likes. It doesn’t mean I have to like it though.

But that mall seems to cater only to the rich or extremely snobby. Anyone on this forum who has ever been inside the mall will know what I’m talking about. There are clothing stores galore along with expensive interior restaurants. But I don’t remember seeing any bookstores inside. At least none worth talking about. Oh but they got Abercrombie, Pier One Imports, and several other high fashion clothing outlet stores. Now that I think about it, I don’t think there’s anything inside that costs less than six fifty. That’s why the movie theater has to go! Come to think about it, most paperbacks are about six dollars, so maybe that’s why there’s hardly a bookshop in sight inside that mall. Just because Mr. Nasher’s preferred clientele enjoy epicurean raiment and edible delights is no reason to expect they’d enjoy broadening their imagination with a good book, is there? Oh but these people are willing to shell out fifty dollars for a stinking aromatherapy candle!

Anyway many thanks Nasher for dozing down my childhood memories like so much clutter. Thank you for marring and tainting Northpark’s sacred ground so you can service the hundreds of snobby customers while denying the thousands upon thousands of movie customers a place to enjoy a truly remarkable film presentation. You grumpy old BASTARD!

------------------
The man with the magic hands.

About ten years ago my wife and I became involved with a project to try and save a single screen 1940's movie house that had recently closed. It was the town's only theatre and the owner of the property had decided that it wasn't making enough money to suit him so he wanted to redevelope it into retail and office space. To my knowledge the owner never personally ran the theatre, he had managers do that for him as he had other non-film related businesses to run. The theatre was merely a real estate investment.

When the plan to redevelope became known, some of the locals got together and approached the property owner about keeping the theatre alive as a performing arts center. Town folk provided testimonials to the local newspaper about how much the theatre meant to them. Many had gone there all their lives and some had met their spouses there or even became engaged there. It was an emotional issue.

A local architect joined the committee and volunteered his professional labors, committees were formed, grants were sought, and volunteers went to work trying to come up with a workable business plan. We thought we had a shot but in the end we lost. We found out that not only had the property owner been toying with us, when demolition began he instructed the contractor to take absolutely EVERYTHING to a landfill. He didn't want any of us to get anything. Not one theatre seat, wall sconce or scrap of cloth from a curtain or wall covering, not even to purchase. He wanted it all discarded and his orders were followed to the letter. The place is now a large chain owned pharmacy.

It's too bad that so many developers subscribe to this mindset. If they didn't, maybe our world wouldn't be so bland and people wouldn't have such low expectations.
Now days every town seems to have the same "big box" retail outlets so all towns sort of look the same. There isn't much room for things that dare to be exciting and different and really stand out.

We discuss the issue of the corporate mentality in the exhibition industry on this forum all the time. Millions of dollars spent to build a multi-plex but presentation is lacking and a lot of people still stay home because they're more wowed by the picture and sound they get at home with their home theatre set-ups. Either that or they begin to believe that ALL movie theatres present product in a mediocre fashion.

There is indeed room for places like the Northpark 1 & 2. I just wish those of us on this forum, people who have a love for the biz and the dedication to meet the challenge, had the financial means to make it happen.

The Monroe, a sister theatre of the Riviera, is now an adult book store, with the owner threatening to tear it down for what else, but a drug store!

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com
Web site: http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

Evans A Criswell
http://home.hiwaay.net/~criswell/theatre/

(that was the theater I was referring to when I called the automation as junk because the projectionist had nothing but troubles with it.)

However, I thought it was a beautiful theater sporting a well-maintained booth and auditorium.

I was TAD with the navy attending the NASA minature component repair school to obtain a NASA certification on repair of miniature components. SPACO, Inc. - Are they still there?

I'll have to ask Ralph about the Norelco and Cinemation automation. He managed it at least from 1982 until it closed in 1986, so it might not have had the same equipment during that time as it did in the 1960s.

Was the theatre you remember on Memorial Parkway in the Parkway City shopping center, with a Murphy's store? If so, that was the Madison. Or was it on Airport Road on Queensbury? If so, it was the Westbury Cinerama. If it was downtown, it was either the Lyric or Martin. If it was on the Parkway just north of where Univeristy Drive intersected it, at a mall called "The Mall", then it was the Alabama Theatre. Those were the only theatres we had, other than the drive-ins, at the time, in Huntsville.

Evans A Criswell
http://home.hiwaay.net/~criswell/theatre/

 

CLICK HERE

As of the morning of March 8th, the magnificent auditorium #1 which everyone remembers the Northpark for is now being demolished.

I also used to work the the manager who ran Interstate's Place Theatre in downtown Dallas. I'm not sure of the years, He showed us pictures of the theatre, it was magnificent. Today only the lesser Majestic still stands downtown, and it is only used for live venue performaces, not film.
 

Of the many theatres that I actively projected or managed, 90% are shuttered or torn down. I don't like it, but such is life.

A word of advice: Take lots of pictures on Kodak film, and sneak in a video camera with Kodak video tape before you favorite locations are history. While you're at it, take pictures of the staff at your place of employment and write down their names. Trust me, twenty-five years later, you'll be happy you did.

I just emailed a scanned copy of a photo to an old friend co-worker showing him with hair and in his disco outfit. Life changes. Everything has a lifespan and then dies. IIRC, the death of disco was celebrated. Now if rap "music" would just shuffle off the stage of life...

I hope I do not say anything that will get me in trouble here, but he's an ASSHOLE!
 

From what I have been told, the Northpark's sound system was one of the first two THX installations, and was personally designed by Tomlinson Hollman. (I've heard that the letters THX refer not only to Lucas's "THX-1138", but also to "Tomlinson Hollman's eXperiment" -- perhaps Ted Costas can confirm that?) Never in my life heard a sound system so powerful yet accurate. It was truly one-of-kind. I seriously doubt another theater will ever be built that has such a good installation.

If AMC really does throw up one of their horrible googleplexes in its place it will be a travesty. I don't for a minute believe the mediocre sound systems and lousy acoustics that characterize AMC theaters can ever match the Northpark.
 

___________________________________________

Thanks John. I had heard that. With the Avco having been twinned and
the Florida site never having worked out, the first three THX
installations are all gone, and these are the only ones I did myself.

There were problems in North Park. The GCC picture frame box combined
with high-frequency screen spreading to cause lots of early reflections
that changed timbre, so it would not be considered to be great by today's
standards, but I'm sure it was way ahead of its time. BTW, it had a
peculiar problem at first: there was a lot of hiss coming from the
screen. So I asked the projectionist to turn off parts of the sound
system, one at a time, starting from the input, to see what was wrong.
When he got done turning it all off, the hiss was still there! It turned
out to be reflected sound from the air conditioning diffuser slots in the
ceiling, causing a discrete reflection off the high-frequency reflecting
screen. Cleaning the ducts cured the hiss. Also, the North Park had an
unboxed in sump pump behind the screen that would come on audibly during
the movie. I asked for it to be boxed in, but was never back myself to
confirm that.

We also learned a great deal in that theater. I had anticipated hgih
frequency reflections off the screen returning to the wall nearby the
loudspeakers, so had put absorbing material around the horns for several
feet. What I didn't anticipate was a fore-to-aft reflection in that
auditorium between the back wall of the theater and the "THX" wall, so
Jim Kessler and I had to go out to a Home Depot like store and buy lots
of thick fibreglass and go in in the middle of the night and drop it over
from the top of the wall, since the space between the screen and the wall
was small. We "unfurled" the absorber from the top of the wall, and
voile, the problem was fixed.

Another story is that we learned the hard way that speakers behind the
screen can't have shiny parts in the North Park, because you'll see
twinkle of light that are brighter than white shining through the screen.
So a THX requirement became flat black loudspeakers!

Feel free to post this.

Best regards.

Tom

www.tmhlabs.com
email: tomholman@tmhlabs.com
___________________________________________
 

Regardless of any other particular details of Cinema I, it was still the best combination of acoustic design and equipment I have ever heard.
 

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