THE SCREENING ROOM
A year-by-year, film-by-film history of 70-millimeter wide gauge exhibition in Southern California
Compiled by Michael Coate and William Kallay
70mm Equipped Theatre Pictures
BROOKHURST / MOVIES 4 BROOKHURST / BROOKHURST 4 DISCOUNT CINEMAS
Theatre Specifications:
Chains:
Vinstrand / American Family Theaters/ Globe Theaters / Interstate
Theatres / Starplex Cinemas / TriStone Cinema Group
Opened:
April 5, 1961
Remodeled:
Brookhurst auditorium split into four auditoriums; Re-opened in the
early 1990s
Closed:
January 8, 2006 -
Re-opened 2009 -
Closed 2011*
Seats: 944 (original configuration)
The second 70mm theatre in Orange
County, the Brookhurst Theatre opened on April 5, 1961 with the
film, “The World Of Suzie Wong” and featured the showing of a
70mm demonstration reel. The first 70mm theatre in Orange
County, according to Box Office and our records, was the
La Habra Theatre,
which opened in 1956.
[1] William Kallay
[1] Photos © William
Kallay. All
rights reserved.
Special thanks to Arnold Fuerstein, Anaheim
Public Library, Cinema Treasures and Cinema Tour
*Even though I lived fairly close to the
Brookhurst, I did not tally every official closing/reopening of the
theater from 2006-2011. I don't recall if the theatre reopened
between 2006-2009. If time permits, I will check newspaper records
(if available) to see if the theatre did reopen in those years.
(William Kallay)
More 70mm
Built by the Vinnicof family through their company, Vinstrand
Theaters, Inc., the theatre featured 944 seats in a rectangular
building facing Ball Road. Arnold Construction Company, which
also owned the land on which it sat, had its offices next door
to the Brookhurst. Headed by owner Arnold Fuerstein, they built
the theatre by itself on a large parcel of land with plenty of
parking spaces. It would eventually be joined by a shopping
center that was built piecemeal. The theatre was designed by
Leon Glucksman of the Martin Stern architectural firm, according
the Anaheim Bulletin newspaper.
Before the theatre’s grand opening, ads in the Anaheim Bulletin
touted “Stereophonic Sound; 70mm projection; Comfortable Seats;
Wide Screen and Café service.” This was the only place in Orange
County to see 70mm presentation for a few years.
The theatre itself wasn’t as ornate or immaculate as some other
theatres in Southern California. In comparison to many existing
movie palaces of the 1920s and 1930s, like the Fox Fullerton and
Fox Anaheim, the Brookhurst was rather plain. Its main
architectural feature was the A-frame sign in the driveway.
Fitting in with much of the Space Age “Googie-style” signage in
and around Anaheim at the time, the sign was in good company.
Anaheim was known for the “gaudy” Space Age-themed hotels,
motels and strip malls that were all around the city for a time.
The Brookhurst held a few 70mm presentations, and was the
exclusive venue in Orange County for such presentations until
the Edwards, Statewide and Syufy companies opened roadshow-style
theatres during the mid-to-late 1960s. The Los Angeles Times
listed the Brookhurst in their Independent Theater Guide, and
due to the tiny text, the reader needed to look very carefully
to see if something was being advertised in 70mm. The (Orange
County) Register and Anaheim Bulletin, on the other hand,
promoted the Brookhurst with larger and more informative display
ads. "Ben-Hur,"
"Oklahoma!",
“Cleopatra,”
"My Fair Lady,"
“El Cid”
and
“Gone With The Wind”
were among the theatre's 70mm presentations.
The 400-seat Loge theatre was added in 1970 next door to the
Brookhurst. This smaller luxury theatre had very comfortable
seating and was built to cater to the “adult” audiences.
"X-rated" films did occasionally play at the Loge, while next
door at the original Brookhurst, more general audience films
played.
By the early-1990s, the theatre fell into disrepair and was
closed for a short time. For some residents, it was known not to
be a good place to attend with the “riff-raff” and “gangs” going
there. It later re-opened, but had been subdivided into four
smaller auditoriums. (The Loge was used for awhile still as a
theatre, then converted into a beauty school, which has closed.)
The theatre was cleaned up, refurbished, and operated as a
second-run discount theatre until January 8, 2006. Even though
it seemed to do respectable business, perhaps the discounted
admission prices ultimately closed the Brookhurst.
Yet, the Brookhurst would not go away. It was reopened in 2009
and seemed to do reasonably good business. The parking lot was
crowded with cars and people lined up at the box office once
again. But by 2011, the theatre closed once again.
It still stands as a reminder of 1960s-era luxury theatres.
[1]
Anaheim
Brookhurst Theatre (c. 1992)
[2]
Brookhurst
grand opening ad
(1961)
[2]
Brookhurst ad (1961)
[2]
Brookhurst ad for "Oklahoma!" (April 4,
1962) [Enlarge]
[2]
Brookhurst ad for "Ben-Hur." (1962)
[1]
Brookhurst (2004)
[1]
Brookhurst
seen from across Ball Road — The theatre actually sits about a block
away from Brookhurst Street
[1]
Seen at night
[1]
Brookhurst
"modern" sign
[2]
Construction of the Loge
[1]
As seen as a beauty school. This
was actually the second theatre in
Orange County to be changed into a
beauty school. The Cinema in Costa
Mesa was gutted and changed into
the Paul Mitchell School.
[3]
Final
flyer handed out at the box office prior to the Brookhurst closing
on January 8, 2006 [Enlarge]
[1]
The fate
of the theatre is unknown
[1]
The
theatre was the oldest operating theatre in Orange County after the
Fox Fullerton closed in the 1980s
[1]
After 45
years of operation, the Brookhurst was in remarkably good shape
until its closure in 2006
[1]
The
1960s-era theatre was fairly popular up until its final day of
operation
[1]
The
lobby and snackbar (left) with the four auditoriums straight ahead —
The two smaller auditoriums handled approximately 167 patrons each,
while the two larger auditoriums (located down the center aisle and
middle door seen in the picture) held approximately 268 patrons each
— These small auditoriums were carved from the single auditorium
that held 944 patrons
[2] The Anaheim Bulletin / Vinstrand
[3] Starplex Cinemas
70mm In New York
70mm In
Los Angeles