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Sunday, February 1, 2009

MANILA'S FIRST-RUN THEATERS IN THE 50s and 60s



Avenida Rizal circa 1960/

See: Señor Enrique's Wish You Were Here

Photo courtesy of University of Wisconsin - Madison Libraries

Lining the stretches of Avenida, Escolta and Quiapo during the glorious days of Philippine cinema in the 50s and 60s were movie houses, theaters, opera houses, music studios, movie production outfits and entertainment centers.
“The owners of these establishments tried to outdo one another by hiring the country’s best architects (National artists Juan Nakpil, Leandro Locin, etal) to design their buildings, which were constructed when Art Moderne and the earlier Art Deco architectural styles reigned.”
Most of these movie houses were exclusive homes of Hollywood movie production outfits. Ideal theater, for example, carried only MGM movies. Likewise, Avenue showed movies made by Paramount and Lyric, only movies by Warner Bros. Other first-run theaters like Capitol, Ever, Galaxy, Universal, Odeon, State, Roman Super Cinerama, and later Maxim and Miramar in late 60s were only showing Hollywood movies.

Tagalog movies then were assigned to only four theaters--- Life, Dalisay, Center and Globe. Life was the home of Sampaguita Pictures; Dalisay for LVN Pictures; Globe and Center for Premiere and other movie studios. A total of 10 screening days were allotted to a movie shown. A movie was shown only in one theater at a time, unlike today where a movie could be shown simultaneously in over 60 theaters.

See: Inquirer's "Preservation, Modernity come together in Manila"
See: Manila's Movie Theaters by Senor Enrique



Updated detailed location map of Manila's theaters/cinemas:
courtesy of our good friend Rod Samonte

It’s always been a delight and wondrous sight to see the wonderful theater logos everytime we browsed the newspapers’ movies sections. Hopefully, seeing these logos again could bring back memories of the golden years past.






































20 comments:

TheCoolCanadian said...

Yes, Simon. I remember these logos when I was in RP in the 70s.

There's one theater along Quezon Blvd near the Central Market. I think it was called WORLD theater and it was the first one with dancing fountain, (a minute version of Bellagio Hotel in Vegas. He-he) at the lobby, or in-front of its entrance, I can't be certain now. It was close to FEU where I went to school in the 70s.

James DR said...

Simon, yun bang site ng Dalisay Theater, yung Jennet at Lords ngayon, na kailan lang eh ni-raid ng mga pulis dahil nagiging pugad ng mga prostitutes?

Anonymous said...

Simon,

Sa Makati, wala na rin yung RIZAL at Magallanes theaters, napasama pati yung Wind Mill ni Don Quixote. Biktima sila ng urban renewal program.


Auggie

Dennis Villegas said...

Wow thank you for sharing all of these Simon! This is an important contribution to our local cinema history.

Rodolfo Samonte said...

Simon,
Good of you to feature my map. That took a long time to do, exchanging notes with other movie addicts, it's still unfinished, as I can't find anybody who remembers the names of the theaters on Morayta. Wow ang galing ng mga logo. Oh, those were the days of movie going bliss. Usually, pag Sabado de Gloria, after we're starved for movies by the Holy Week, I'm out there on Avenida at 8 am, hahaha, already in line. And I'd watch 2 to 3 movies that day. On one such day Danny Florencio, the basketball star was right in front of me in line at Odeon for a James Bond movie. I also see office mates doing the same thing.
Yes, JM, I think that was either World or New World, it's in my map as New World.
Rod

James DR said...

Ang natatandaan kong kauna-unahang pelikulang ipinalabas sa EVER Theater ay isang Susan Roces starrer, "Kulay Rosas Ang Pag-ibig", in 1968. Tama kaya ako?

Anonymous said...

James DR,

Ang pagkakaalam ko, hindi nagpapalabas ng Tagalog movies sa EVER Theater. Exclusive ito sa 20th Century Fox lang.....




Auggie

Video 48 said...

James, Auggie--- Nagsimula magpalabas ng tagalog ang mga sinehan na ito ng inilunsad ng dating Mayor Antonio Villegas and Manila Film Festival noong 1966.

Anonymous said...

Oo nga pala, nakalimutan ko yung gimmick ni Mayor YEBA, Nationalistic yun eh......but by and large pang 20th Century Fox lang talaga ang Ever. Yung IDEAL, pang MGM, AVENUE, pang Warners, Roxane, pang Columbia, Odeon, pang United Artists....


Auggie






Auggie

James DR said...

Auggie, oo, yung Ever panay English films ang pinapalabas nuon, pero yun yatang pelikula ni Susan Roces ang unang Tagalog film na pinalabas dun, kung tama ako. I remember, meron akong picture nung premiere night ng "Kulay Rosas Ang Pag-ibig" na bumababa sina Susan, Ramil Rodriguez, Norma Blancaflor, etc. sa stairs. I think, naka-post yun sa blogsite ko sa "Pelikula, atbp.". Di ko lang alam kung kelan itinayo ang Ever. Parang halos kasabay yata yun ng State Theater?

Anonymous said...

Anyone knows where Inday Theater was located in Manila? This used to be burlesque theater in the 50's.

Rodolfo Samonte said...

Manny M,
Inday Theater does ring a bell. I would have been between 10 to 13 years old at that time, so I would not have gone to that theater. However, I have a strong suspicion, that Illusion Theater (it's in the map off Carriedo) used to be Inday Theater.
Rod

Anonymous said...

Can you post some movie ads of James Bond movies and the theaters that showed those movies? I'm a James Bond fan and I would like to see where those films were shown in Manila. Thanks.

I remember, Odeon, Avenue, Maxim, State, Roxan and Ideal were the theaters that showed the Bond flicks, especially the Roger Moore era.

daddyjohn said...

Maybe I can share something too. First, Warner Bros. films were exclusively shown at Avenue, Paramount Pictures at Galaxy, State used to be the home of Columbia Pictures before Roxan opened. Afterwards, it showed Rank Organisation and Allied Artists films. Lyric and Capitol along Escolta were not exclusive to any Hollywood film company, but they showed films simultaneously with any first-run theater along Rizal Avenue. (No simultaneous showing though with "Super Roadshow" films. Incidentally, Globe used to be a second-run movie house showing Hollywood - it just started showing first-run Tagalog films in the 70s. Center was the exclusive home of Premiere, Peoples Pictures, and Tagalog Ilang-Ilang.

Rodolfo Samonte said...

daddyjohn,
Actually Globe was a first-run theater in the late 50's. One of the longest running movies ever shown in the Manila at that time, I think it showed for half-a-year in first-run, was Horror of Dracula with Christopher Lee in the title role. I saw the movie there.

Anonymous said...

Gerry de Leon's film adaptation of Noli Me Tangere was the first Filipino-made film to be shown in the Galaxy theater (designed by National Artist Pablo Antonio) in August 1961.

It's a coincidence that the Galaxy is situated near the Recto avenue, named after the statesman who sponsored the Rizal bill in 1956.

Unknown said...

I wrote an article in "The Old Philippines" regarding moviehouses in Manila before the '60s . Our articles jibes in many things.

http://on.fb.me/bGQO9t

ilanomd said...

I remember Ideal theatre when i was growing. My aunt who loved american musicals to see Thats Entertainment.I remember the beautiful marble lobby with the marble MGM seal on top of the billboard. Apparently it exclusively showed MGM movies when it was built. It is sad that this building along with the other cinemas along agenda rizal were demolished. I was lucky to have seen it before it was demolished. They were beautiful and it should have been restored and maintained as a historical site.

Unknown said...

the locations of jennet, dilson and podmon theaters are incorrect. dilson is nearer rizal avenue than podmon. podmon is now the lrt terminal near isetann recto. jennet and lords theaters are located between universal and avenue theaters not recto cor f. torres st. the theaters in that location are recto cinema and recto mini theaters.

Anonymous said...

I definitely like what you are doing trying to reminisce the GOLDEN YEARS of MANILA. I have been surfing the web for months now searching for the Manila I grew up with everything including the classic cars, tv shows and advertisements, movies and memorable buildings and your site helped me a lot. I am still surfing for more and surprisingly I have learned and discovered some things that I have never thought I would. Good luck with your site!

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