Mary Pickford Theatre grand opening

Public Record, The, May 25, 2001

CATHEDRAL CITY - The Mary Pickford Theatre will open in time to debut the summer blockbuster Pearl Harbor.

Singer/actor Howard Keel will cut the ribbon on behalf of Beverly Rogers, who is carrying on the legend of the star of the silver screen.

"In all my years in the movie business, dating back to 1957, I've never been involved with a theatre as elegant and outstanding as this one," says theatre operator Dan Tocchini, president of North American Cinemas. "It is one of the top theaters in Southern California."

The 14-screen theater features curved rows of stadium seating, a tiled lobby, private reception areas, THX sound, balconies, mezzanine and a soon-to-open exhibit featuring memorabilia of the actress.

Custom features include wooden railings, seating that provides plenty of leg room - in fact, almost "four feet for your two feet," gilded frames for display cases, and specially designed sconces and drapes inside the auditoriums.

Kyle Conner, vice president/general manager of the Theatre Services Group of North American Cinemas, and operator of the facility, designed an extra wide seat that rocks especially for this theater. Each seat has a curved back that permits the patron to gently rock back and forth without bumping into the riser behind. This custom design is becoming known in the industry as the Conner seat.

The auditoriums range in size from 400 to 120 seats; one has a stage for live performances.

On opening weekend, the theater is offering moviegoers a promotional special of popcorn and a drink for $1 each.

The city's new parking structure west of the Civic Center will be open, supplying 1100 parking spaces for patrons of the theatre and other businesses.

Access to the parking structure from the west is East Palm Canyon Drive to Cathedral Canyon north to Civic Center and into the structure; from the east, the best route is East Palm Canyon to Monty Hall which turns into Civic Drive N and into the structure.

Mary Pickford won the first Academy Award, in 1929. She began performing on Broadway as a child and since the age of six, supported her mother and sister. Even though she had very little formal schooling, she was an astute businesswoman and was one of the founders of United Artists.

The downtown core is named after Pickfair, the Beverly Hills estate where she lived and entertained fellow celebrities and movie moguls in the 1920s, 30s and 40s.