Hi David, Thanks much for providing the entire story.
ad On Fri, Apr 16, 2021 at 4:45 AM David Kusumoto <davidmkusum...@hotmail.com> wrote: > Used to attend screenings there - required for awards consideration in a > calendar year - (which AMPAS will likely rescind permanently as COVID > hastened the death of in-person screenings - and - with the industry > letting streaming services bankroll their own productions before 2020 > regardless, bypassing exhibitors except for tent-pole films). I wished I > could've seen "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" at the '63 world premiere > of both the film and the Dome itself - which is recounted in rich detail in > Criterion's restored boxed version of the film - complete with scratches > and sound drops and all. I also saw "Apocalypse Now" there like others in > 1979 - and was struck not only by the roadshow "reserved seating" still in > place - but also by Coppola's baffling ending at the time. I remember the > movie just ended, like BAM! - with no credit scroll at all. My last visit > to the Dome was in 2016 to see "La La Land" - and director Damien Chazelle > came out and introduced the picture. Only later did I learn that celebrity > visits and intros were "commonplace" at the Dome. > > The Dome's demise became national news everywhere this week. The WSJ > finally took its turn today, putting this on its front page. (As a > public service, just in case its restrictive paywall is in place, I've > copied the text below.) - d. > > > https://www.wsj.com/articles/hollywood-mourns-the-loss-of-its-beloved-movie-theater-11618506514 > > <https://www.wsj.com/articles/hollywood-mourns-the-loss-of-its-beloved-movie-theater-11618506514> > Hollywood Mourns the Loss of its Beloved Movie Theater - WSJ > <https://www.wsj.com/articles/hollywood-mourns-the-loss-of-its-beloved-movie-theater-11618506514> > Hollywood Mourns the Loss of its Beloved Movie Theater The flagship > ArcLight Cinema on Sunset Boulevard had long served as L.A.’s clubhouse for > the city’s most ardent movie lovers, where a ... > www.wsj.com > ** > ** > > ============= > > *FRONT PAGE - THE WALL STREET JOURNAL - FRIDAY, APRIL 16, 2021 * > <https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/2130/z320RH.jpg> > Hollywood Mourns the Loss of Its Beloved ArcLight Cinema > > *The flagship theater on Sunset Boulevard had long served as L.A.’s > clubhouse for the city’s most ardent movie lovers, where a ticket might > land a seat next to the same star appearing on the screen * > > <https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img924/1895/MtCaS1.jpg> > > PHOTO BY Bing Guan/Bloomberg News > *By Eric Schwartzel for the Wall Street Journal* > > LOS ANGELES— Nicole DeGraaf was several episodes into the TV show > “Felicity” this week when friends grew concerned about her well-being. “Are > you OK?” several texted. > News was spreading throughout the nation’s filmmaking capital that > Hollywood’s unofficial theater chain, the ArcLight, wouldn’t be reopening > its auditoriums when the pandemic ended. > Ms. DeGraaf, a hard-core movie lover in a city full of them, was still > processing the revelation. > “It’s like someone was saying your second home is closing forever,” > said Ms. DeGraaf, a 42-year-old Los Angeles native who lost her job as a > salon manager when Covid-19 forced the shop to close. > Similar scenes are playing out across America. As the nation re-emerges > from 14 months of shutdowns, beloved diners, music venues and other > community landmarks are informing customers that there will be no life > after the pandemic. > Few notices have rippled through Los Angeles like the announcement > Monday that the screens operated by ArcLight Cinemas would be among them. > The ArcLight, and in particular its flagship location on Sunset Boulevard, > doubled as a Kiwanis Club for cinephiles, its lobby a celebrity-filled > haven and its auditoriums marked by a quiet, almost religious, reverence. > *Still illuminated this week, but padlocked.* > > <https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/6789/QdQjzY.jpg> > > <https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/74/Oi5iet.jpg> > > When it opened in 2002, the ArcLight was among the first in the nation > to offer assigned seating. Earnest ushers—their own favorite movies > featured on their nametags—introduced each movie by identifying its > director and running time. Each month featured Q&A sessions with filmmakers > after the show. In the lobbies, costumes from blockbusters like “The > Avengers” were often on display, not far from a cafe and restaurant. > Next door to the ArcLight’s flagship location is the Cinerama Dome, an > iconic single-screen orb that the chain operated and had screened such > epics as “2001: A Space Odyssey.” > The 58-year-old theater could seat more than 800 moviegoers and often > dressed the part, getting covered in yellow tarp for the opening of a new > “Minions” movie. > It was displayed in Technicolor glory in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 ode > to midcentury Los Angeles, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” It, too, will > close, the chain announced. > > *Charles de Lauzirika in 1978 on his first trip to see the re-release of > "Fantasia"* > > <https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/6531/UURMAo.jpg> > > “Yet another L.A. temple or cathedral to movies that’s fading away,” > said Charles de Lauzirika, a filmmaker whose first visit to the Cinerama > Dome was as a young boy for a rerelease of Disney’s “Fantasia.” Its closure > is a sign of the times, he said, “and the times have sucked.” > The 300 screens operated by ArcLight parent company Pacific Theaters > compose a fraction of the 41,000 operating before the pandemic, but they > loom large in the home of Hollywood. These ArcLight-branded multiplexes > were a film-geek’s paradise, also defined by what they didn’t offer—sticky > floors, bad lighting—and didn’t tolerate: Talking or texting during the > show and tardy arrivals. > “Not letting people in late, what a dream!” Ms. DeGraaf said. > There are other theaters in Los Angeles, of course, whether those > operated by major chains or boutique operators that specialize in luxury > food and special seating. > > <https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/24/V3NX8F.jpg> > > <https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/5782/3bu2fJ.jpg> > > But Ms. DeGraaf’s experiences at the big chains, when she must attend > them, are characterized by “20 minutes of commercials with the lights on,” > she said, and at fancier auditoriums by a constant flow of servers > delivering appetizers and cocktails in the auditorium. “Which is great > for people who don’t care about movies,” she said. > Pacific Theaters said in a statement: “This was not the outcome anyone > wanted, but despite a huge effort that exhausted all potential options, the > company does not have a viable way forward.” > News of its closure sent Los Angeles film fans into a citywide shiva, > with filmmakers like Rian Johnson and Barry Jenkins joining in the > commiseration. “Nooooooooooooooooooooooo,” wrote actress and director > Olivia Wilde. > On Wednesday morning, Michael Horton, a 35-year-old TV researcher and > writer, marked the sad occasion. He loaded CineStill 50 film into his > camera and drove to the Cinerama Dome, Located less than 5 miles south of > the Hollywood sign, it was where Mr. Horton saw “Men in Black” as a child, > and where he fell asleep during an 11 a.m. screening of “Batman v > Superman.” > The Dome he photographed this week, though, looked much different than > it did back then. Plywood covered the doors. The only people outside were > cleaning the sidewalk. > As he took in the scene, Mr. Horton sounded like a man older than his > 35 years as he recalled the old days. “So much movie culture is leaving > Hollywood,” he said. > If the Dome, a historic landmark built out of 316 interlocking concrete > panels, doesn’t reopen, “the next time I go to L.A., will it even feel like > the same city to me?” asked Mr. Lauzirika. He now lives in Atlanta, where > movie and TV producers have flocked in search of lucrative film-tax credits. > > *In December 2017, every screen but one showed "The Last Jedi"* > > <https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/2350/UnPe0s.jpg> > ----------------------------- > *In July 2019, Nicole DeGraaf and Kurt Meyers attended an advance > screening of "Once Upon A Time in Hollywood"* > > <https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/2151/7lXxvs.jpg> > > The ArcLight was one of the few places where moviegoers have a chance > at a celebrity sighting, and where stars were left largely alone. Mr. > Lauzirika saw “Back to the Future” sitting next to Thomas F. Wilson, who > played the bully Biff in the movie. Ms. DeGraaf speaks in awe of watching > Keanu Reeves whip off his motorcycle helmet at the ArcLight bar “like it > was in slow-motion.” > The ArcLight was also a gathering spot for the less celebrated in a > city that can feel atomized. “You run into people you know, you run into > people you don’t want to run into,” said Peter Avellino, a 49-year-old > ArcLight devotee who writes about films on a personal blog. > Several ArcLight locations were among the top-performing in the U.S., > yet theaters everywhere have struggled to return. The impact appears to be > disproportionately hitting small-town locations. Last weekend, about 55% of > theaters were open, but those locations, mostly in larger cities, represent > about 92% of the nation’s box-office receipts. > Many fans are holding out hope that a deep-pocketed benefactor—or a > streaming service or major studio—will step in and keep the ArcLight open. > Lee Trovillion, a 35-year-old facilities manager for a production > company, is cautiously optimistic. Before he moved to Los Angeles in 2008, > film-school buddies who already lived there told him he would be spending a > lot of his time at the ArcLight. He keeps the ticket stubs to every movie > he has seen since he was 16, and he is heartbroken to think that the > disappointing 2019 release “Terminator: Dark Fate” will be the last one he > sees in an ArcLight auditorium. > “I still can’t think people would let that theater die,” he said. > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* MoPo List <mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> on behalf of Susan Heim < > filmfantast...@msn.com> > *Sent:* Wednesday, April 14, 2021 12:25 PM > *To:* MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU <MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> > *Subject:* Re: Cinerama Dome to close permanently > > I would have loved to see How the West Was Won. It's one of my favorite > movie. I just watched it the other day on TCM.. I have a customer, Tom > March from Canada, that is part of a HWWW group that did a video years ago > tracing all the locations that the movie was filmed in. Showing the > current location next to the original filmed location. A lot of it out in > Convict Lake and Lone Pine. Here is the youtube video of that film he > made. It's a wonderful watch. > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73draiaEIMg > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D73draiaEIMg&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cc34362eb82364998098c08d8ff7b1b34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637540251486729974%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=zoAgqMKpBaq1ZoB477K9p%2BW8pNputzmpGISFVtO4IR4%3D&reserved=0> > > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D73draiaEIMg&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cc34362eb82364998098c08d8ff7b1b34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637540251486729974%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=zoAgqMKpBaq1ZoB477K9p%2BW8pNputzmpGISFVtO4IR4%3D&reserved=0> > "How the West Was Won". Locations: Then and Now > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D73draiaEIMg&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cc34362eb82364998098c08d8ff7b1b34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637540251486739976%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=V0FSAVZeRHa7jPNu85bjgBFRsnQaGY13SHuDiAXQZyQ%3D&reserved=0> > \"How the West Was Won\". Locations: Then and Now. Photographed by Tom > March. Edited by Dave Strohmaier. Produced 2007. > www.youtube.com > Sue > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Rudy Franchi <r...@posterappraisal.com> > *Sent:* Wednesday, April 14, 2021 6:59 PM > *To:* Susan Heim <filmfantast...@msn.com> > *Cc:* MoPo-L@listserv.american.edu <MoPo-L@listserv.american.edu> > *Subject:* Re: [MOPO] Cinerama Dome to close permanently > > Great post Sue. When I heard the news I tweeted the following: > > Mega Bummer.The Dome was my favorite place to watch movies.Few years ago > saw How The West Was Won in three strip true Cinerama&a new perfet print of > The Searchers. > > --------- > After the HWWW screening the audience was invited up to the projection > room. Only a few of us took advantage of the invitation and the visit was a > real treat. We got to talk to the projectionists as they went over their > clean machines and I got to see the 4th "projector" in the booth: the large > unique device that ran the sound on its own dedicated track. The God Of > Cinema ( who lives in Hollywood ) will save this iconic movie palace > dedicated to the technique of showing films. rudy > > On Wed, Apr 14, 2021 at 7:33 AM Susan Heim <filmfantast...@msn.com> wrote: > > When I was a kid growing up in the 1960's, going to the Dome to see a > movie was an event. You got dressed up and you behaved yourself, unlike > the local theater where you could get up and smack your brother or your > friend in the head when they were talking too loud!! It was a treat and it > cost a bit more than going to your local neighborhood theater. We never > got concessions because the cost of getting into the theater pretty much > tapped your parents out. Since we were a large family, we mostly went to > drive -in's where the entrance fee was by the carload and there was always > a playground up front, under the screen, that you could play on until the > movie started. I miss the drive - in's too!! By the time my children > were born, the drive - in's were pretty much closed all over Los Angeles > and surrounding areas. It was such a great venue for a family outing or > for date night!! > > While I moved out of Los Angeles 5 years ago, I still go down every year > to see friends and family (with the exception of last summer because of > Covid). I would pass the Dome as I traveled down Vine Street to my > daughter apartment, never imagining one day it would be closed and possibly > gone forever. I do hope some corporate entity comes in and buys it and > does something wonderful with it. It would be a great place to not only > show new films, but old films and perhaps a film history museum and > learning facility. > > Sue > Hollywood Poster Frames > HollywoodPosters.com > (800) 463-2994 > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* MoPo List <mopo-l@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> on behalf of Alan Adler < > m...@charter.net> > *Sent:* Wednesday, April 14, 2021 2:18 PM > *To:* MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU <MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> > *Subject:* Re: [MOPO] Cinerama Dome to close permanently > > I remember how thrilled I was to see APOCALYPSE NOW at the Dome. I knew it > was going to be the best venue I could possibly see the film. The thing > about the Dome for me was that everything was so memorable when seen there. > It was the modern movie palace - one of the last temples to the old gods. > > Alan > > > On Apr 14, 2021, at 6:03 AM, Roland Lataille < > roland.latai...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > > Petition Launched To Help Save Hollywood’s Cinerama Dome (msn.com) > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.msn.com%2Fen-us%2Fmovies%2Fnews%2Fpetition-launched-to-help-save-hollywood-e2-80-99s-cinerama-dome%2Far-BB1fCsez%3Focid%3Duxbndlbing&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cc34362eb82364998098c08d8ff7b1b34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637540251486739976%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=j%2BQGPdM%2BUAq%2F06JrzTrB6ohKaFJ4%2F0PVG8sBsH1K%2FB8%3D&reserved=0> > > > On Tuesday, April 13, 2021, 10:19:17 PM EDT, Toochis r < > zimorri...@gmail.com> wrote: > > It’s terrible. Don’t understand why they didn’t get Covid19 help. So many > worse businesses got $. > > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 6:57 PM Christopher Quarles <chrisqua...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Very sad! > > > On Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 9:40 PM Susan Heim <filmfantast...@msn.com> wrote: > > Sad news from Hollywood. Due to pandemic losses, Pacific and ArcLight > theaters, which includes the iconic Cinerama Dome on Sunset Blvd. will > close permanently. Having grown up in Los Angeles, we arrived in July of > 1963. The Dome opened in November, 1963 with the premiere of It's a Mad, > Mad, Mad, Mad World. We lived closeby and went down to see all the > hoopla.....I saw so many movies there growing up and more recently, the > American Film Institute would have a yearly event where they show about 10 > or 12 movies and had people associated with the movie in attendance > discussing it. With so many movies to choose from, the last time, I opted > for Spartacus and Kirk Douglas was in attendance and was wonderful. I took > my then teenage daughter as it was one of her favorite movies too from > growing up with her movie crazy Mom......I'm so sad to hear of it..... > > Sue > Hollywood Poster Frames > HollywoodPosters.com > <https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhollywoodposters.com%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cc34362eb82364998098c08d8ff7b1b34%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637540251486749961%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=U8RyJslxj6r%2FU1LkJAawB9m0%2BH7zKwG7oVdVFFakL00%3D&reserved=0> > (800) 463-2994 > > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MoPo-L list, click the following link: > https://listserv.american.edu/scripts/wa-american.exe?SUBED1=MoPo-L&A=1 > Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com ___________________________________________________________________ How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List Send a message addressed to: lists...@listserv.american.edu In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
