Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part II (Houston: safe area, Cuban)

[SATX56]

Adding to his entrepreneurial resume, John Santikos introduced San Antonio to its first multi-screen indoor theatre, the Century South Theatre multiplex.

Now known as the "Mayan".
Taken from this ....

Olmos Theatre in San Antonio, TX - Cinema Treasures

seems Outafocus is a contributor ..

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by albert soliz

I certainly do.They had great food.I liked there Chiken Fried Steak with the yellow chiken cream gravy.This was back in the early '80's.Now its a MEXICAN REST.,they also have good food.

So ...the one at New Laredo Hwy?? I may have been wrong about the vertical sign. But i could have sworn.

[outafocus]

The Wonder wasn't the first to "twin". It was twinned (very badly) in 1977, after 11 years as one of the nicest theatres in San Antonio. The first single screen to go multi screen was Aztec in 1970 when they split the balcony into two screens, and kept the downstairs as the large auditorium, The Fox Twin was made into the Fox 3 in 1974 by splitting one auditorium, and later the other original large auditorium was split making it a 4plex. The Woodlawn was split "piggy back style" in 1975 by making the balcony one auditorium, and the downstairs another.

San Antonio's first multi screen (twin) indoor theatre was North Star Cinema, built in 1964. (in 1979, Cinema I was split). The Fox Twin, and Century South 4 followed in 1969.

I thought of a couple of more suburban theatres. There was the South San, and the Uptown. The Uptown is still standing on Fredericksburg Road as the St Anne's Parish Hall.

I just thought of another, the Sunset on Nogalitos!

And another: Centeno's Cine Mexico Twin on Castroville Road.

[SATX56]

I have a CD with the Grand Opening of the Harlandale Theater brochure in it. I believe it was 1928 a year before the Majestic opened if i recall. I'll dig it up and post it when I find it.

I guess the Century South theater was the first multi screen, meaning more than two screens (twin), theater. It had more than two for sure when it first opened.

[outafocus]

Century South was the first San Antonio theatre with more than two screens. We thought John Santikos was nuts when he announced a 4 plex for the south side. The south side kept drive ins busy, but all the south side indoors went away with the dawn of TV. Santikos definitely got the last laugh! Century South was a hit from day one. When Century South first opened, it ran American movies on three screens, and Spanish language films on one. That policy lasted a few weeks, and nothing but American films were shown from then on. Century South eventually added two screens, then later split two of the larger auditoriums to make it an 8 plex.

I was working at North Star Cinema at the time. Century and North Star were running "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" day and date, which was rare for the time. Most theatres had exclusives runs. We had to dump the VERY popular Butch Cassidy after only a couple of months to get "The Reivers" as our Christmas feature. Century South kept Butch Cassidy, ran it exclusively, and it had a run there of more than a year! That's when it dawned on everyone that more screens were better. "The Reivers", while a good movie had just a six week run, and Butch Cassidy outgrossed it handily.

[Paka]

Originally Posted by outafocus

Century South was the first San Antonio theatre with more than two screens. We thought John Santikos was nuts when he announced a 4 plex for the south side. The south side kept drive ins busy, but all the south side indoors went away with the dawn of TV. Santikos definitely got the last laugh! Century South was a hit from day one. When Century South first opened, it ran American movies on three screens, and Spanish language films on one. That policy lasted a few weeks, and nothing but American films were shown from then on. Century South eventually added two screens, then later split two of the larger auditoriums to make it an 8 plex.

I was working at North Star Cinema at the time. Century and North Star were running "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" day and date, which was rare for the time. Most theatres had exclusives runs. We had to dump the VERY popular Butch Cassidy after only a couple of months to get "The Reivers" as our Christmas feature. Century South kept Butch Cassidy, ran it exclusively, and it had a run there of more than a year! That's when it dawned on everyone that more screens were better. "The Reivers", while a good movie had just a six week run, and Butch Cassidy outgrossed it handily.

OMG! Talk about memories...I remember driving all the way up (it seemed at the time like it was hours!!!) to the North Star Cinema to see "The Sound of Music" with my Girl Scout troop....we grew up poor on the south side, so I NEVER had been to North Star Mall before....I remember thinking how beautiful and fancy it was...but SOOOOO far away! LOL

[SATX56]

I saw it all at Century South Theaters.. Ice Station Zebra, Easy Rider, Billy Jack, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid...the Getaway. Watched some of those many, many times. Of course my greatest movie memories are from the Majestic, Texas and Aztec Theaters downtown. The movies didn't matter so much as the atmosphere was surreal.

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by outafocus

Century South was the first San Antonio theatre with more than two screens. We thought John Santikos was nuts when he announced a 4 plex for the south side. The south side kept drive ins busy, but all the south side indoors went away with the dawn of TV. Santikos definitely got the last laugh! Century South was a hit from day one. When Century South first opened, it ran American movies on three screens, and Spanish language films on one. That policy lasted a few weeks, and nothing but American films were shown from then on. Century South eventually added two screens, then later split two of the larger auditoriums to make it an 8 plex.

I was working at North Star Cinema at the time. Century and North Star were running "Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid" day and date, which was rare for the time. Most theatres had exclusives runs. We had to dump the VERY popular Butch Cassidy after only a couple of months to get "The Reivers" as our Christmas feature. Century South kept Butch Cassidy, ran it exclusively, and it had a run there of more than a year! That's when it dawned on everyone that more screens were better. "The Reivers", while a good movie had just a six week run, and Butch Cassidy outgrossed it handily.

I'm sure many watched Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid many times as i did. Great insider info ...thanks for sharing.

[outafocus]

Originally Posted by Paka

OMG! Talk about memories...I remember driving all the way up (it seemed at the time like it was hours!!!) to the North Star Cinema to see "The Sound of Music" with my Girl Scout troop....we grew up poor on the south side, so I NEVER had been to North Star Mall before....I remember thinking how beautiful and fancy it was...but SOOOOO far away! LOL

"The Sound Of Music" STILL holds the record for the longest run in San Antonio. It played at North Star Cinema II for 88 weeks! That's sixteen weeks short of two years! There was a teenage boy who came to see TSOM virtually once a week throughout it's run. The San Antonio Light did a story on this young man, and his obsession with the movie. There was a picture with the story of the manager giving the young man a pass to see the movie for free, good for the rest of it's run.

I just thought of another drive in not mentioned. The Rigsby Drive In. It opened in 1950, and closed in 1964. It was San Antonio's only segregated drive in. It had separate facilities for black, and white customers. It was closed before my foray into the theatre business, and I never even saw a show there, but it was built at the same time, by the same company, and the screen tower was identical to the one at the South Loop 13 Drive In.

[SATX56]

I remember the Rigsby too and am sure we went there. I've been to most of SA's Drive-in's and many neighborhood indoors. I think the Rigsby was located where the housing was that attracted lots of attention years back. High crime and such. May have been here..

Google Maps

But, I truly have no memory of where precisely it was (at least not now). Strangely I had a dream about it sometime ago. I recall how it was laid out in the dream. If I could just dream reality.