Lippert was one of those circuit owners (like Gordon McClendon in Texas) that eventually got into producing and distribution, mostly grade B westerns and sci-fi pictures. He was eventually hired by Fox to run Regal Films, which was their "B" picture division, but he kept his screens going all the while.
Incredible, seeing these old names. Ain't consolidation grand? Pretty soon, it's going to be AMC, Regal and that's it.
Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 07-05-2012, 11:15 AM:
Sam: Chakeres is still very much with us/small towns. National Amusements bought them out in Dayton Ohio when they launched there. Louis
Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 07-05-2012, 02:21 PM:
I worked for Sterling Theatres in the Seattle area Bill and they were headquartered there. What's left of that company still exists. I believe they are now a real estate outfit.
Posted by Jim Henk (Member # 3628) on 07-05-2012, 03:01 PM:
Sterling Theatres (otherwise known as Sterling Recreation Organization. They also ran some Southern California cinemas. I got called on the extra board for the Pasadena Hastings periodically. Nice huge single screen place then. Their grand drape spanned the entire front of the building, and ran on a track actually around and *behind* the screen on opening, it was so massive. Ran 70 on their Norelco AA's there more than once. Fun. Ghost building now. Read a mention once about a guy that assisted with the AA removals.
They also had the Colorado Theatre, and the Covina Drive-In. (twin - condos now) Plus a few more that I can't remember offhand.
Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 07-05-2012, 03:09 PM:
A small independent from the 70's and 80's in Colorado K-Theaters worked for them in Longmont as CM. God that was a lifetime ago.
Also worked for Commonwealth and Mann hum I see a pattern here.
Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 07-05-2012, 10:52 PM:
Oh hell, let's not forget Pussycat Theaters. How many porn chains could there have been? Wikipedia says there is one Pussycat Theatre left, so no longer a chain.
Posted by Christopher Crouch (Member # 3784) on 07-06-2012, 04:12 AM:
A couple of small Southern California chains from the past:
Vinstrand Theatres
Captain Blood’s Family Theatres/Captain’s Family Theatres
Posted by Joe Elliott (Member # 4006) on 07-06-2012, 08:25 AM:
Mid-America Cinemas, and then later after a hostle take over, it was only
KC Area Drive-ins.
Also found an interesting blog that is mostly about Mid-america Cinemas. If you dig a little, he also has ads from Durwood Cinemas, before Dick Durwood started AMC, and Stan Durwood stared Crown.
Mid america Cinema blog.
Posted by Ron Funderburg (Member # 4561) on 07-06-2012, 04:56 PM:
There was some discount chain that was either family owned in Denver or based in Denver but can't remember for the life of me. I never worked a discount house in my life. What was that outfit called? It would have been the late 70's and early 80's.
Redifer your in Denver and from do you remember from when you was an itty bitty baby?
Posted by John T. Hendrickson, Jr (Member # 849) on 07-08-2012, 12:25 PM:
Here's an old one for you- Walter Reade Theatres. They had a big presence in New Jersey way back when (1940's thru the 70's). My first job as a projectionist was Reade's Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, NJ.
Robert Allen and Jim Henk mentioned Sterling Theaters, and that jogged my memory, because I think I recall that they may have merged with Reade at one time to become Reade/Sterling Theaters. Can anyone else shed some light (carbon arc ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
) on that?
Posted by Geena Phillips (Member # 3726) on 08-11-2012, 11:43 PM:
Trademark Cinemas.
Not sure how many there were in its prime, but, by the time I started at one in 2010, they had three locations. Then the CEO/guy who was arranging the financing for desperately-needed improvements found out he had terminal cancer, and that was the beginning of the end.
Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 08-12-2012, 08:36 AM:
Around NC we had Irvin-Fuller Theatres... gone.
Fuqua Theatres... gone.
There were more.
Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-12-2012, 09:50 AM:
Regards Walter Reade Sterling; Sounds like an ad firm. Mad Men comes to mind.
I was a big fan of SRO as it was also known. I worked for Walter Reade way back when for a short term but I don't recall any merger.
Posted by Martin McCaffery (Member # 37) on 08-12-2012, 10:46 AM:
Bruce, did you actually have Fuqua theatres?
According to Wikipedia: Carmike was founded when Carl L. Patrick, Sr. acquired Martin Theatres from Fuqua Industries in 1982.
I'm curious to know if Fuqua ever put their name on anything exclusively,ie not Martin Theatres
Posted by Bruce McGee (Member # 131) on 08-12-2012, 03:31 PM:
In the 1970's we had the Biltmore Cinema, which was a Fuqua Theatre. Later became Martin Theatres. Then, it was gone.
When it was a single screen, I saw JAWS there with a full house crowd. I was looking out the port glass, and when the severed head came through the hole in the boat, I could see the reaction of heads snapping back in the seats from the front row to the back row!!
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 08-12-2012, 04:29 PM:
Storyteller Theaters(Southwest US, bought by Hollywood Theaters; names still on buildings-for now)
Wallace Theaters
Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 07-19-2015, 08:51 AM:
It has been 1070 days since the last post.
Posted by Buck Wilson (Member # 5885) on 07-19-2015, 08:51 AM:
-Crown Cinemas(Stan Durwood, Founder of AMC- his brother Richard(Dick) Durwood started this chain, later bought by Hollywood Theaters out of Dallas TX in mid 90s, then bought by Portland OR based Wallace Theaters(Listed in previous post) which then assumed the name Hollywood Theaters)
-Hollywood Theaters(Purchased by Regal in 2012)
-Starplex Cinemas(Dallas based, 33 theaters w/ 346 screens in 12 states, purchased by AMC in 2015)
-Dickinson Theatres(Very old chain dating to 1920, purchased by Missouri based B&B theaters in 2014. Was based in Overland Park, Kansas. Operated 18 theaters with 210 screens in seven states: Arkansas, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas at time of buyout) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dickinson_Theatres (If content in link ever disappears please PM me for info)[I KNOW OF ONE COMPANYAHEMREGALAHEM WHO MAKES WIKIPEDIA PAGES DISAPPEAR]
Other fun facts...
Scott Wallace was the founder of Act III, sold it, started Wallace Theaters... Ended up using the same home office in Portland and even some of the same staff I believe... all the way up until the Regal buyout of Hollywood Theaters
Posted by Mark Campbell (Member # 4411) on 07-19-2015, 10:59 AM:
In the Northwest:
Galaxy Theatres - in the 70's and early 80's ran the Roxy (now Pantages), Temple, Rialto, Bijou (now Blue Mouse), Parkland, Narrows and Lakewood theaters, all single screens in the Tacoma area. Roxy had the original run of Star Wars in 1977. The chain shut down in 1984.
Star Cinemas - picked up the Rialto, Temple and Parkland in 1984. The Temple closed as a cinema in 1985 with a triple feature of Star Trek I, II & III. The Temple also had 2nd run 70mm engagements of Dune & 2010 and a 1 week 70mm run of Apocalypse Now.
Cascade Cinemas - There were ads for the South Tacoma Village Cinemas and Lakewood Theatre under this banner in the early 80's. Possible related to the art house Seven Gables chain in Seattle. The newspaper ads had a the same look as the Seven Gables newspaper ads and the Village Cinemas had a mixture if mainstream and art house films.
Seven Gables - ran several art house theaters in Seattle that gave way to Landmark Theaters. The original Seven Gables theater is still open under Landmark.
SRO Theaters - I know this was mentioned earlier. In the 80's Sterling ran the best chain of theaters in the northwest, most of which featured Dolby Stereo and many capable of 70mm. Cineplex Odeon took over SRO Theater operations in late 1986, though SRO still owned many of the theaters and land. SRO-built theaters still open are the Factoria Cinemas and Oak Tree Cinemas under AMC, and the Uptown under SIFF. The Cinerama was run by SRO when Cineplex took over.
United Drive-Ins - Not sure if that has been mentioned elsewhere. Ran the Starlite, Autoview, Fife, Midway and Valley 6 drive-ins to name a few. Also at some point operated the Cinerama and Varsity under the banner "United Walk-Ins".
Luxury Theaters - Tom Moyers notoriously bad chain of shoddy theaters. Cheaply built, mono sound, fixed screen masking etc. But in the late 80's things began to change and Luxury built the awesome Crossroads 8, Alderwood 7 and Lloyd Center all of which featured at least 1 massive house with THX, Dolby Digital etc. ACTIII took over in the early 90's. Then Regal. IMO Regal ruined the big house at the Alderwood 7 when gave it the RPX treatment.
Posted by John Eickhof (Member # 323) on 07-19-2015, 02:27 PM:
There was Westside Valley Theatres in northern Cal, and the Blumenfeld circuit based in San Francisco plus Fox WestCoast Theatres that went the way of all the Fox houses.
Posted by Mike Rivest (Member # 5500) on 07-19-2015, 06:01 PM:
http://movie-theatre.org/usa/tx/c
Texas circuits and their location.
check my other states and provinces.
Posted by Lyle Romer (Member # 1266) on 07-19-2015, 07:18 PM:
![[Smile]](smile.gif)