these are a few of my favorite things

there is one moviehouse in los angeles that overwhelms all other moviehouses in all aspects of greatness. i once heard that this theater was the sole strictly retrograde theater in the entire united states. and even better, it is right around the corner from my parents' house in hancock park--it's an anomaly how close it is to me, since i don't even have to drive there.

anyway, it called the new beverly cinema and its on beverly blvd. and detroit, one block away from la brea blvd. every show there is a double feature and runs for 2-3 days. for the past 30 years, they have been showing the best in independent, foreign, classic, and cult cinema. it's a ritual for me to check their schedule every time i come home. and the theater is straight out of another era, with crickety, wooden seats, and an intimate, non-corporate sized screen.

unfortunately, when i just went on to their website, i came across this sad article in the l.a. times, about the sudden death of cinema owner sherman torgan at the age of 63.

From the time "the Beverly" opened in 1978 with a Marlon Brando double bill — "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Last Tango in Paris" — Torgan did everything from plan the programs to work the box office.

His limited budget didn't allow for flashy decor. He said he would rather keep ticket prices down than redecorate. Currently, general admission is $7, less for students and senior citizens.

When Torgan took over the theater, he and friends tore out the runway that had been used for erotic dance acts and replaced it with seats. Over time all of the theater's 300 seats became battered, and the projection room was "held together by spit and glue," said Rosen, who sometimes was the theater's projectionist. Torgan acknowledged that the place was "a little rough around the edges." -- from the l.a. times article