Home Feedback Contents Search

                                News        

 

Home

COMING SOON!!  "My Home Cinema" a new product and service offered by CinemaTECS.  We will offer, for your home or studio, the same cutting edge technology in State-of-the-Art Sight& Sound that we offer to our Pro-Cinema customers.  Contact us now for a first come first served analysis of your home cinema or studio needs!!

Web Changes

This is where we'll announce the most recent additions to our web site. If you've visited us before and want to know what's changed, take a look here first.

Recent Media Coverage of Cinema & Theatre Equipment,Construction & Service

Mary Pickford Theatre opens May 25 with the debut of ‘Pearl Harbor’
 Curtain almost ready to rise

By Marie Leech
The Desert Sun
May 18th, 2001

CATHEDRAL CITY -- From its vintage sign hanging over the doors to the dark paisley carpet and grandiose staircases, the Mary Pickford Theatre and Experience takes you back to the days of silent films.

The 60-foot ceilings and early 1900 Spanish mission Hollywood architecture foster to a truly unique experience.

For would-be patrons from across the valley silently awaiting the opening of the theater, the night is finally near.

A week from today, the theater will pack in residents from all over the valley when North American Cinemas opens the doors to the theater for the first time.

"As it gets closer to the opening, the more real it seems to get," said TECS General Manager Kyle Conner, who has been working with the project for three years for the opening.

"This will be a beautiful thing for this community because there’s an older audience here in the Coachella Valley, and it will bring them back to an era they remember," he said.

Premiere: The opening happens to fall on the same night as the premiere of "Pearl Harbor," this summer’s blockbuster movie.

As part of its grand opening, "Pearl Harbor" will play on three screens in the theater.

Although almost completed, construction crews continue working around the clock adding finishing touches for the big night.

On Thursday, carpet still had to be laid in the lobby and chandeliers hung from the ceiling.

The building features 14 theaters -- the biggest theater seating 400 and the smallest holding 125. Each theater offers curved rows of stadium seating. The one-of-a-kind chairs were designed by Conner, which he refers to as "high-back lounge rockers."

Impact: For nearby business owner Eveleen Farzaneh, owner of Eveleen’s cafe, the opening couldn’t happen soon enough.

"Everybody’s very anxious," she said. "It should make business even better, and I’ll do whatever I can to help."

Jim Bentley, operations manager of Desert Imax, has a similar view.

"I think it will help the block we’re in," he said.

The Imax Theater has had its share of problems recently, as attendance numbers dropped dramatically and the city had to take over operations of the failing Imax.

"An Imax Theater is not meant to be alone, and I think this will boost business," he said.

For resident Bill Cohen, the opening of the theater means the overall atmosphere of the city is improving.

"I think it’s been a long, hard fight," Cohen said. "But I think it’s been well worth the wait."

Conner hopes all Coachella Valley residents are as forgiving as Cohen.

"I think once people experience this theater, they’ll understand why it took so long," he said.

"It’s truly a vintage experience in state-of-the-art sight and sound."

Pickford Theatre opens in Cathedral City
By Kimberly Trone
The Desert Sun
May 26th, 2001

CATHEDRAL CITY -- The Mary Pickford Theatre rolled out a red carpet Friday evening to welcome local dignitaries and the public to its long-awaited opening.

By all accounts, the scalloped vintage design of the 14-screen theater created the kind of impressive showing city officials had hoped for.

"This is the crown jewel of the valley," said a proud Mayor George Stettler, as he stood in the packed theater foyer. "This is the cornerstone of our downtown redevelopment."

City leaders who were flying high with optimism weren’t alone on the theater’s opening night.

Local residents, too, saw the new cinema as an important turning point for a city that has suffered its share of bumps and bruises during its effort to reshape itself.

"This is great that people can come and be together. It’s very beautiful. Just look at the view from here," said Ishmael Elizondo. "See the (city center) fountain and the mountains highlighting the desert."

Elizondo said he doubted he would be traveling out of town to visit the Rancho 16 Theater anymore.

Special screenings of "Pearl Harbor," "Shrek," and "Return of the Mummy" were shown before the doors officially opened to the public at 7 p.m.

Long lines had formed hours prior to the first movie as people soaked up an atmosphere of celebration.

"It’s exciting to have a theater near the neighborhoods," said Gloria Campa, 16, who lives just blocks from the downtown center. She was waiting with friends to see "Pearl Harbor."

Several survivors from the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 enjoyed a special salute before the movie as they made a small parade down the red carpet, lined with American flags.

Leo Tocchini, general manager, said the Pickford Theatre’s opening was the smoothest of any he’d seen among North American Cinemas.

Some who turned out for the grand opening simply chose to stroll through the park in front of the theater, where water spills from a colorful fountain set among flowers and a sculpture of the late actor George Montgomery.

Not all the parking near the theater has been completed, but a new three-tiered parking structure alleviated any parking difficulties.

Former Mayor Dave Berry, who was among city leaders to formulate the downtown redevelopment plan, said he was very encouraged by what he saw at Friday’s opening.

"At the beginning we all saw a grand picture, but now the pieces are finally coming together," he said.

City officials have said they believe the Pickford Theatre will help boost the sagging attendance at the nearby Imax Theater as well.

  • Curtain almost ready to rise, The Desert Sun, May 18th, 2001
  • Pickford Theatre opens, The Desert Sun, May 26th, 2001
 

 

[ Home ]

Send mail to kconner@theatreservices.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2001 Cinema & Theatre Equipment,Construction & Service
Last modified: June 27, 2001