Muzac For Munsters

[Megaterio Llamas]

[Carl Yagro]

There was a second, even older, smaller Pantages theater farther up Hastings near Main. It was finally destroyed in 2011 but not before the city dicked around for a while going through the motions of trying to save it. This one was still open in the mid seventies as the City Nights and my friends and I used to like to go down there to watch movies once in a while. It was a really cool old place with ornate plaster sculpture and great balconies and it used to run a lot of cult movies. I first saw The Night of the Living Dead there. It stayed open as a Chinese theater for quite a few years after that but it sat empty for a long time in a state of decay. Too long I guess.

The one on Hastings near Main was the Shaw theatre, showing mostly films produced by the Shaw Brothers. The one on Main near Hastings was the Golden Harvest (still there) which showed mostly films produced by, you guessed it, Golden Harvest.

We used to watch double features of some of Jackie Chan's first kung-fu movies. They were pretty much all kung-fu flicks in the 70s. They look laughably bad now, but at the time, they were so cool.

My dad took me to see Enter The Dragon for the first time in one of those theaters. Not the original release, but that was the most bad-ass flick a kid could ever watch.

[Megaterio Llamas]

The one on Hastings near Main was the Shaw theatre, showing mostly films produced by the Shaw Brothers. The one on Main near Hastings was the Golden Harvest (still there) which showed mostly films produced by, you guessed it, Golden Harvest.

We used to watch double features of some of Jackie Chan's first kung-fu movies. They were pretty much all kung-fu flicks in the 70s. They look laughably bad now, but at the time, they were so cool.

My dad took me to see Enter The Dragon for the first time in one of those theaters. Not the original release, but that was the most bad-ass flick a kid could ever watch.

Nah the second Pantages did become a Chinese theater but it was across from the Balmoral. the other one that's still there is up across the other side of Main.

[Megaterio Llamas]

It’s curtains for the Pantages Theatre, Vancouver’s oldest vaudeville and movie house


http://www.vancouversun.com/year+vaudev ... story.html

The century old landmark at 144-150 East Hastings near Main will probably be torn down in the next couple of days, after the city issued a demolition permit for the site.

“They’ve been chewing away next door, so [demolition is] imminent,” said Don Luxton of Heritage Vancouver. “They’ve already started ripping out the backs of the buildings.”

Several groups have attempted to revive the Pantages, which was the oldest theatre remaining from a legendary chain of vaudeville palaces that Alexander Pantages built across North America.

It has been vacant since 1994, and has been rotting inside from rain seeping in through a damaged roof, a textbook case of what heritage activists call “demolition through neglect.”

“I think it’s a tragic and irreversible loss,” said Luxton. “We’re losing what was clearly recognized as a historic theatre. We can’t get it back now, it’s gone.”

Demolition permits have also been issued for the four adjacent properties at 130, 132, 134 and 138 East Hastings, which means there will soon be another big empty lot in the troubled Downtown Eastside.

Will Johnston of the city’s licences and inspections department said no plans have been approved to redevelop the site.

The Pantages was built in 1907-08 in the middle of Vancouver’s original downtown.

It was converted to a movie house in the late 1920s, and in the early ’30s survived a fire in the projectionist’s booth and a bomb that was thrown into the theatre during a labour meeting. It had several names over its lifetime, including the Royal, State, Queen, Avon and City Nights. It last operated as the Sung Sing, a Chinese-language theatre.

[Carl Yagro]

Sorry, mang. You're right. I was remembering the Shaw theater east of Main on Hastings.

[Chef Boi RD]

The Golden Harvest is now The Imperial which is a very cool live music venue now completely renovated. Saw a show there last fall.

[Chef Boi RD]

There was a second, even older, smaller Pantages theater farther up Hastings near Main. It was finally destroyed in 2011 but not before the city dicked around for a while going through the motions of trying to save it. This one was still open in the mid seventies as the City Nights and my friends and I used to like to go down there to watch movies once in a while. It was a really cool old place with ornate plaster sculpture and great balconies and it used to run a lot of cult movies. I first saw The Night of the Living Dead there. It stayed open as a Chinese theater for quite a few years after that but it sat empty for a long time in a state of decay. Too long I guess.

I think this was the one where my Noni worked at a very long time ago

[Megaterio Llamas]

[Megaterio Llamas]

[Strangelove]

There was a second, even older, smaller Pantages theater farther up Hastings near Main. It was finally destroyed in 2011 but not before the city dicked around for a while going through the motions of trying to save it. This one was still open in the mid seventies as the City Nights and my friends and I used to like to go down there to watch movies once in a while. It was a really cool old place with ornate plaster sculpture and great balconies and it used to run a lot of cult movies. I first saw The Night of the Living Dead there. It stayed open as a Chinese theater for quite a few years after that but it sat empty for a long time in a state of decay. Too long I guess.

Yeah, I've mentioned before here about how my pals and I used to watch the occasional flick at City Nights.

Marx Brothers and The 3 Stooges and other classics.

Twas great cuz we were free to light-up and pass the mickey around whilst sprawled out over a few seats each.

Each of us with hair down to there. Good times!

[Megaterio Llamas]

There was a second, even older, smaller Pantages theater farther up Hastings near Main. It was finally destroyed in 2011 but not before the city dicked around for a while going through the motions of trying to save it. This one was still open in the mid seventies as the City Nights and my friends and I used to like to go down there to watch movies once in a while. It was a really cool old place with ornate plaster sculpture and great balconies and it used to run a lot of cult movies. I first saw The Night of the Living Dead there. It stayed open as a Chinese theater for quite a few years after that but it sat empty for a long time in a state of decay. Too long I guess.

Yeah, I've mentioned before here about how my pals and I used to watch the occasional flick at City Nights.

Marx Brothers and The 3 Stooges and other classics.

Twas great cuz we were free to light-up and pass the mickey around whilst sprawled out over a few seats each.

Each of us with hair down to there. Good times!

Jeezus man you where there too. How about that Yeah, I know the look, my little hoodlum crew and I looked like roadies for Dr Hook. Really, really fun place though, I didn't discover it until maybe a year before it converted into a Chinese movie theater but if I had known they were going to sell it I'd have gone a lot more often.

[Chef Boi RD]

Great photo. Inside info, famed Granville Street street photographer - Foncie Pulice was my uncle. My Noni’s Brother

[Chef Boi RD]

There was a second, even older, smaller Pantages theater farther up Hastings near Main. It was finally destroyed in 2011 but not before the city dicked around for a while going through the motions of trying to save it. This one was still open in the mid seventies as the City Nights and my friends and I used to like to go down there to watch movies once in a while. It was a really cool old place with ornate plaster sculpture and great balconies and it used to run a lot of cult movies. I first saw The Night of the Living Dead there. It stayed open as a Chinese theater for quite a few years after that but it sat empty for a long time in a state of decay. Too long I guess.

Yeah, I've mentioned before here about how my pals and I used to watch the occasional flick at City Nights.

Marx Brothers and The 3 Stooges and other classics.

Twas great cuz we were free to light-up and pass the mickey around whilst sprawled out over a few seats each.

Each of us with hair down to there. Good times!

Then to the Five after

[Megaterio Llamas]

Great photo. Inside info, famed Granville Street street photographer - Foncie Pulice was my uncle. My Noni’s Brother

That's really interesting, I wasn't really aware of him until just now, so, thanks. I'm obviously interested in this kind of stuff.

[Megaterio Llamas]

There's tons of info Mr Pulice on the web Chef Boi RD, including his own site with a lot of great photos

Here's a tragic bit of Vancouver history in keeping with the musical theme of this thread: