Last Saturday, I was driving south on Wilmot Road when I saw another piece of my childhood come tumbling down.
The Buena Vista had been closed for ages and had not been a theater for years, so I knew its fate was either a major remodel or death by excavator. And there is was, an excavator parked in the back, and most of the back wall going down in a heap of bricks. Along with those bricks are these wonderful memories going to the movies with my cousins–Star Wars, Saturday Night Fever (and its terrible sequel), Grease, and a few others from my coming-of-age decade.
I’m not in denial. I knew something would happen with that empty building, but I think I’m just a little sensitive since the fate of the De Anza Drive-In was recently discussed in the local dailies. When the drive-in’s possible closure was first announced last month, I instantly went back to the days when my cousins would sneak me in via the trunk of one of their cars (I am the youngest and shortest). I also got to see movies my mother would never have allowed. The two that came to mind was a 1978 double feature of Midnight Express and Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke–both viewed with my cousins at the De Anza. I was in 6th or 7th grade.
There was some good news in Anne Denogean’s column on May 30–it seems the developers can’t find eager tenants to occupy a proposed retail development at the De Anza site. In this day of soaring gas prices and economic recession talk, it just makes more sense to keep a drive-in==a better entertainment bargain for most families, recession or no recession. A better bargain than another retail development. In Tucson we seem to have enough retail, but only one De Anza.
This article appears in May 29 – Jun 4, 2008.
That is too bad. I’m old enough to remember my elation when they added the second theater sometime in the early ’70’s. The Uncle Bob Show, with Bob Love, was shot there I believe. It was an old KZAZ show that was on after school and showed cartoons and had a live audience of kids. Theaters like that are now obsolete and I believe only the Loft remains open from that era.
Uncle Bob did live on into the 1990s, right? My husband’s claim to fame is being the former mascot for the Bear Essential News – Benson, and appearing on the Uncle Bob show in costume and tap dancing with Uncle Bob during cartoon breaks. I’d love to get footage from that time. Alas the husband never took me up the challenge to streak up and down the UA mall with just Benson’s head on. I think he regrets it, but won’t admit it. Alas, I don’t think the children’s’ newspaper even uses Benson anymore. Sigh.
Uncle Bob went dark in ’75. But Channel 18 (then KDTU now KTTU)had Love doing a very brief kids show in ’86 called the Friendship Club. That was a 2 hour show where Love would do segues in between 30 minute long cartoons. The show lasted 3 or 4 years but had a big following. That may be what you’re thinking of. There was Marshall K-gun that Bob Love did before that. Part of Tucson’s funky past that’s quickly fading away.
It’s very sad as years ago voters approved a bond for a new library for the city/county only to have the funds redirected to another remodel for the existing site north of this huge potential point of actual assembly.
As even movies get smaller and smaller (the blu-ray of “the eye” includes a copy of one for your ipod… imagine that????) chairswise we are losing all of our meeting places.
It didn’t need major remodelling the library just needed to adapt it it’s charm and allow laptops to be checked out and used in the big room etc. not just meetings. We already have bookless branches and it’s time for stacks to be automated not self service nor only staff accessed.
The day they knocked down the palais
My sister stood and cried
The day they knocked down the palais
Part of my childhood died, just died.
–“Come Dancing,” The Kinks
Rest in Peace, BV – but for a great theatre, you sure took a long time to give up the stage. Your legacy ought to be more than decades of urban blight.
I remember seeing a great John Hiatt show there back in…man, it must have been ’94? I don’t think there were many concerts there, but it was fun was it lasted.