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Author Topic: General Cinemas Jeff Stuckey Film Handler Posts: 62 From: Oklahoma City, OK, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 06-11-2003 10:47 AM                     Okay...so am I a hopeless movie geek because I miss anything General Cinema? I grew up with that company, visiting the Village I & II cinemas in my neighborhood just about everyday. What can I say? I miss the way their theaters were setup. I miss the lettering on the marquees. I miss the policy trailers. I miss the door marquees. (Man...I really do need help.) In any case, do you know if anyone on the web has any video of the policy trailers? I really have enjoyed looking at the pictures of the theatres here on the website. But I was curious if anyone knew of other places to look up GCC stuff. I found a discussion board with a few posts, and a wav copy of the "drummer" policy trailer. If you guys know of any other resources, please let me know. I visited a theater here in OKC that was an old GCC theater converted into a new stadium seating monstrosity. When the manager took me on the tour, he told me they threw away just about anything that had General Cinema on it. He also showed me the "popper room", and he said he'd "heard stories" about how people would pop popcorn all day then bag it up. Of course, he was only about 18 and doesn't even remember having General Cinema here in Oklahoma. Sorry to drool on and on about GCC. In my opinion, it was one of the great circuits. Thanks for the ear.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 06-11-2003 11:00 AM                     It was a nice company to work for when I was in California. I have one of those signs they had in the lobby. That was for one of our THX auditoriums that lights up. I have a few policy trailers around here on a reel.  |  IP: Logged Eric Hooper Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 532 From: Fort Worth, TX, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 06-11-2003 05:31 PM                     Jeff, You are not alone. I too miss General Cinema. They were the best Circuit EVER. Very high standards. (I used to be a 'mystery shopper' for them - they even wanted me to check to make sure the employee's shoes were polished!) I have been collecting GCC stuff here and there from what I can find on Ebay. I have a 'dater' with the GCC logo hanging in my living room. (This is the thing that went in the poster boxes and signs). I also got a copy of the candy band trailers on 16mm and had them converded to DVD. I miss their clean theatres. I miss their red blue and gray colors. I miss their hi-back blue comfy seats and the metallic gray and red walls and screen lights. I miss the Candy Band.... I am glad I'm not alone.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 06-12-2003 09:46 AM                        The famous old GCC theme: http://members.aol.com/psymanteum/gcc.wav And a GCC BB: GCC Bulletin Board  |  IP: Logged Jesse Skeen Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1517 From: Sacramento, CA Registered: Aug 2000 posted 06-12-2003 01:45 PM                     Their Sacramento Inn theatre finally got knocked down a couple weeks ago after sitting vacant for several years.  |  IP: Logged Daniel Fuentz Expert Film Handler Posts: 230 From: Fresno, CA, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 06-13-2003 01:28 AM                     I only got to go to a GCC theatre once, when I was visiting relatives in Florida. I absolutely loved the candy band trailer -- it's right up there with the UA "Magician"! I'm told GCC had a theater here in Fresno in the 60's at Manchester Mall. When I started going there in the 80's, UA was running it as a sub-run house and it was a dump. They remodeled it in the late 80's, but the presentation was still terrible. (Even though I was only a kid at the time, I would rather stay home than go to that theater since the scratched films bothered me THAT much!) The theater still sits abandoned, though I doubt it will be revived as a theater since there is a new Signature 16 screen complex at the other end of the mall.  |  IP: Logged Bill Gabel Film God Posts: 3873 From: Technicolor / Postworks NY, USA Registered: Jan 2002 posted 06-16-2003 02:56 PM                     Daniel As of 1969, these were the GCC California locations. San Mateo-----Hillside Cinema Concord-------SunValley Cinema Fresno--------Mall Cinema Hayward-------Southland Cinema 1 & 2 Sacramento----Sacramento Inn Cinema 1 & 2 The first GCC in Southern California was in Montclair  |  IP: Logged Betsie Beadling Expert Film Handler Posts: 178 From: Fairfax, Virginia, USA Registered: Sep 2000 posted 06-16-2003 08:02 PM                     I Miss that Company Also even that one Policy Trailer where Popcorn Guy Goes out on a Date with his Soda Girlfreind  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 06-16-2003 08:05 PM                     They may have had some nice locations in some cities, but Chicago was not one of the "nicer" General Cinema locations. They were known there as Genneral Enema. Mark  |  IP: Logged Kenneth Wuepper Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1026 From: Saginaw, MI, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-16-2003 08:38 PM                     In SAGINAW MI we had two General Cinema houses. The Green Acres Cinema and the Fort Saginaw Mall Cinema. They were single screen reel houses when they opened and then later twined and plattered the green acres but closed the Fort Saginaw. What was so great about these houses was their lobbies. They were very large and bright and each had a display area for local artists and their work. As a photographer, I posted many of my framed prints there over the years. Later owners of the Green Acres did not see the need for the "gallery" lobby and so it disappeared. The Green Acres Cinema is now a fabric store. KEN  |  IP: Logged Daniel Fuentz Expert Film Handler Posts: 230 From: Fresno, CA, USA Registered: Apr 2003 posted 06-17-2003 03:50 AM                     Bill, thanks a lot for posting that list! Like I say, the Manchester Mall cinema is still there, waiting to be gutted and turned into a Dollar Tree or a MacFrugal's... From what I can tell UA stripped it pretty good -- the only things left in the lobby are a Coke fountain type dispenser in the snack bar, the snack bar counter itself and a glass partition from the box office.  |  IP: Logged Eric Hooper Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 532 From: Fort Worth, TX, USA Registered: May 2003 posted 06-17-2003 10:11 AM                     In the SF Bay Area: GCC Southland 1 + 2 was turned into a 5 plex. The building is still standing vacant since they closed in 1999. GCC Hillsdale was turned into a 4-plex. Closed in 1998 (the first one to close). Since been turned into a home furnishings store (I believe). We also had the: GCC Dublin Place in Dublin (the last of 'em in the area to close in 2000)- building has been demolished. GCC Fremont - built in 1989 w/8 screens and THX. Closed in 1999 when Century opened a 25 screener down the street. - was run as an Indian movie theatre for a while but now standing vacant.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-17-2003 12:45 PM                     TouchStar Cinemas (local company) has reopened the former GCC Colonial Promenade in Orlando. This theater became an EFW shortly after GCC closed it. TouchStar is running it as a sub-run, and showing Bollywood movies on the weekdays. A lot of the GCC stuff was stripped away when EFW took over, but there's still plenty of the trademark decor left. It's a typical 6-plex, 3 on each side, Cinemeccanica booth with AW3's. Booth is in remarkable condition, and all the 70mm stuff is still there and working AFAIK. (Now only to convince the owner to book some 70mm for when ShowEast rolls into town! ) The "big" house has curtains and was originally up to THX specs but couldn't get certified because it was too close to an airport. TouchStar did a great job cleaning and fixing up the place after EFW let it go to hell. No more smell!! There's something about GCC theaters that makes you "feel" like your at the movies. Even at their standard plexes, the colors and lighting make for a cool, but not in-your-face ambiance. =TMP=  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 06-17-2003 01:11 PM                        The GCC Projection Website is still on-line: http://zulugruv.home.texas.net/gcc/ I believe Tim Reed and Steve Geiger had a role in originally developing the site.  |  IP: Logged Thomas Procyk Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1842 From: Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 06-18-2003 06:55 PM                     From the GCC Projection Website: "WD-40 works very well for cleaning sprockets and rollers" =TMP=  |  IP: Logged

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