PASADENA another POTTERSVILLE

Admittedly like most everyone out there my movie viewing for the last two years has been primarily through streaming services. However, going to the cinema has always been a special treat. From the days when my brother Alfred and I would bike over to the Garmar, to being taken by Dad as a family on Sunday afternoons to the Garfield, and in my teens Mom and I would go just us girls to see romantic films at the Edwards. As a young woman living in Los Feliz to get out of the dumps, I would head to Santa Monica and see a film, it was my escape; that along with buying nail polish. It was a special moment, discovering art films. They resonated with who I am. When a man I dated gave me the book, How the Jews Invented Hollywood, I got teary-eyed that Producer Carl Laemmle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Laemmle) sponsored his village to escape Nazi Germany and best of all; he gave them jobs at his studio. He was affectionately known as Uncle Carl for his benevolence. That in my opinion is better than a hand-out because it instills self-esteem. Now that’s a mensch!

In 1999 the Laemmle also known as the Playhouse 7 finally made it to Pasadena. But now the Design Commission has revealed that they will demolish the building and will convert the theater into a multi-tenant commercial building. It is not known if the movie theater will relocate in Pasadena or not. There certainly are plenty of vacant buildings along Lake Avenue.

The Laemmle theaters began in 1938 but it wasn’t until 1964, that the Laemmle chain opened the Esquire Theater on Colorado Boulevard near San Gabriel Boulevard. The chain also ran The Colorado, which was located a block west of there, on Colorado Boulevard near Vinedo Avenue. That’s where I negotiated with the Manager that my film, The Trouble with Tonia be shown. It was shown late at night, nevertheless, because it was I was able to enter it into competitions. When the Laemmle Playhouse 7 on Colorado Boulevard opened in 1999, the Esquire and The Colorado theaters were shuttered the following year.

I feel this is a very bad decision. Pasadena keeps losing its charm and has become a city of massive ugly housing developments popping up all over the city. Everywhere you look another multi-story project desecrating neighborhoods adds congestion to the streets. Adding insult to injury is the ridiculous price of this housing making it unaffordable to the working class. Running out institutions like the Laemmle Theater is short-sided and foolish. What’s next? Locally owned bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants.

Developers have been making out like bandits, moving to their next project, stripping the local community of the institutions it values. Fiscally, the city isn’t hurting. They take in over a million dollars a year from parking tickets alone. At what point will it be enough?

In the late 90s when I lived in the West part of the city near Orange Grove, I protested against Ambassador College being sold off. At the time the Conservancy still was a component to be reckoned with. But today it’s merely a sham, made up of people who didn’t grow up in the city or appreciate its character. With a continuation of aggressive expansion plans, it appears ever more likely that the ultimate condo showdown will take place right in the San Gabriel Valley's most populous city, Pasadena. And just like the Frank Capra classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, without the denizens who have the backbone of George Bailey, the city will collapse Potter will take over simply because not enough people put up a fight.