The monthly classic movie nights are back at the Avalon Theatre, starting on Oct. 30 and just in time to get you in the mood for Halloween with a screening of “The Bride of Frankenstein.”
The idea to bring some family entertainment to the historic Casino Building at an affordable, old time price began last year, according to Scott Moyse, who runs the movie theatre for the Santa Catalina Island Company.
The monthly classic movie nights are back at the Avalon Theatre, starting on Oct. 30 and just in time to get you in the mood for Halloween with a screening of “The Bride of Frankenstein.”
The idea to bring some family entertainment to the historic Casino Building at an affordable, old time price began last year, according to Scott Moyse, who runs the movie theatre for the Santa Catalina Island Company.
“Admission is still $5 and will remain that way,” Moyse said. “I see this as a great opportunity to see a great old classic on the ‘big screen.’ The Classic Movies are run monthly on the last Wednesday of the month at either 7 or 7:30 p.m., depending upon the length of the movie. Right now the movies are chosen by a committee of one (me!) but I am planning on bringing back the community voting on five to six different titles to determine the movie shown.”
When they first started, “Grease” was the first movie screened and then they showed “The Wizard of Oz.” Moyse said that modern innovations actually helped him decide to start the classic movie programming in the historic theater.
“It first occurred to us when we upgraded our projection system that we could play DVDs or BluRay on the big screen. At first we made this an employee only benefit and we showed ‘Young Frankenstein.’”
Moyse said that while the turnout was good, in a theatre the size of the Casino it still seemed empty.
“We then decided to admit the public for a minimal price,” he said. “Many of our people had said in the past how cool it would be to see some of the old movies again or for the first time on the big screen and I agreed. The first show with the public was ‘Grease’ and it probably had twice as many visitors as employees. I thought it was pretty successful since we did not have time to get it in front of the public other than through avenues such as Facebook and flyers on the movie poster kiosks.”
Moyse said he has received positive feedback on the idea.
“This past July we saw our biggest crowd yet at 268 for The Mutiny on the Bounty (1935),” Moyse said. “Many scenes in this film featured Catalina locations and were easily recognized (at least by Islanders). We have run comedies (‘Some Like it Hot,’ ‘It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World’), horror (‘The Shining’), fantasy (‘The Wizard of Oz’), musicals (‘South Pacific,’ ‘Sound of Music’), drama (‘Casablanca,’ ‘The Godfather,’ ‘Gone With the Wind’), and of course our Christmas movie last year, ‘White Christmas.’ The program is now a little over a year old and we have seen a steady rise in attendance.”
Moyse said he would also like to mention a few other promotional items that he does not believe are widely known by the community.
“First of all is the Islander Movie Discount Card,” Moyse said. “This card can be purchased at our Mini Golf ticket booth for $80 to any local (official Avalon resident) presenting the cross channel subsidy card provided by the City of Avalon.”
The card proves “local” status and qualifies the Islander to eight movies for $80.
“Second, is our new Tuesday Night at the Movies,” Moyse said. “Admission price for all is only $8 on all Tuesday movies until the end of March 2014. Third is our matinees offered on Thursday and Saturday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. Admission price is only $10 for adults and $8 for children and seniors.
The Avalon Theatre is located in the lower level of the Catalina Casino. It features first-run movies and seats 1,184 people. The theatre is 138 feet across and 43 feet high. Art deco murals by John Gabriel Beckman adorn the walls and create a glamorous ambiance.
For more information on the Avalon Theatre’s classic film program, call the theatre at (310) 510-0179.
