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Post by The Phantom on Nov 17, 2011 3:27:36 GMT 8
Nice photo of the early Cinema fots. In the photo I notice the following.............
A/ The bench type that you see in other locations on Corregidor, appears out in front of the cinema, concrete sides with wood slates for the back and the seat.
I have seen the remaining concrete sides by the swimming pool on Topside. Also along a road, in front of the narrow, steep, concrete and stone sided staircase leading up to the Corregidor Elementary School, which is west of the stockade area.
B/ There appear to be supplies for the theater stacked against the wall by the door in the last picture.
C/ From the way the theater looks today............. in the earliest theater photo posted LAST by fots in this thread, it appears when you walked into through front doors, you went right into your seat.
The section that was added on later, in front of the actual viewing section of the theater, accomplishes several things.
1/ It gives them bathrooms. No hurried trips to Mile Long Barracks bathrooms. 2/ A ticket office inside instead of what looks like one on the outside front wall. 3/ A concession stand inside to sell cokes, popcorn etc.? 4/ A place to receive deliveries to the inside of the theater.
There appears to be a dock on the current addition that butts right up against the trolley track. It makes sense as a dock area if seen today, though I always assumed it was a exit from the theater, but a curious one.
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Post by The Phantom on Nov 20, 2011 22:39:35 GMT 8
Another interesting thing about the Cinema.............. I Know, shut up already...........
It has a large Stage that would hold a lot of people if a production was called for. High ceiling, expansive floor area. It had off Stage areas on the Stage platform and probably had a large curtain system that could be used.
Also appears to have had a small orchestra pit just below the stage, or area for lights?
There is no entrance leading under the Stage area but it appears that one may have been there in the past but is buried in now by dirt and debris?
The Stage is raised and they would have needed a location to store props etc that is not evident today. (Even my high School had a room under it's Stage.)
I doubt the Cinema building was used for just movies.
What else would such a structure have been used for in the pre-war days?
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Post by okla on Nov 21, 2011 2:11:36 GMT 8
Hey Phantom....Well, for one thing, I can just see groups of soldiers from the "Mile Long Barracks" or "Middleside" being marched from their living quarters and filing into the Cine for "Technicolor" renditions of Venereal Disease Prevention films, courtesy of the Medical Corps. I betcha, on a completely quite evening that one can still pick up the sound of some of the unfortunate viewers "upchucking" in their Campaign Hats. Seriously, depending of the seating capacity of the structure, it was probably used for all kinds of "Training Lectures, etc" in addition to Movies or other live entertainment for the troops. Maybe, prewar, there was something akin to USO shows going around our Pacific installations. I don't know when Bob Hope started his tours, but I am sure, in my own mind, that his overseas junkets probably began when the fortunes of the Allies had taken an upward turn in late 1942, early 1943. I still maintain that serving a hitch or two on "The Rock" would have been great duty in prewar days. As for the Cine, it surely was a "superior", on Base, facility. I, in my 4 years enlistment, was never assigned to an installation that had anything comparable to the Corregidor Cine. Cheers Postscript...Wonder what the actual Base Fire Marshall allowable seating capacity was??? Battery Boy...where are you?
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Post by The Phantom on Nov 22, 2011 7:13:44 GMT 8
Very good comments okla, that tells the story from one who knows.
Not sure of the capacity of the theater but a bunch of troopers could fit in there at once.
There was the Orchestra you can see in the color photo preceding. The Orchestra floor area itself seems to have been simply concrete, no tiles, will have look again. Will check for seat bolts.......
What you can't see is that the Cine also had a Balcony section above. (Speculation on my part)..... (Officers territory?)
The stairway up to the Balcony is still partially visible today, on the left hand side, at the back of the Cine as you come in. The Balcony area appears to have been blown away with most of the staircase. It had been substantial if what's left of the steps is any indication.
(The steps up seem wider than you would need to just get to the film projection area in the back of the Cine.)
Wonder where all the rubble went from the Cine?
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Post by okla on Nov 22, 2011 9:34:26 GMT 8
Hey Phantom....I would bet that "Officer's Country", would have been "Front Row, Center". The Orchestra pit, when regular movies were being shown, probably hosted the 59th CA Orchestra for concerts, attended by Officers and their Wives. The Regimental Concert Band, probably, gave outdoor concerts under the tropical moon to larger groups. The Balcony would have been closed, except for overflow, enlisted, crowds from the ground floor. Just conjecture on my part. I was stationed at 4 different stateside bases and not one of the base theaters had a balcony. Of course, no theaters, as such, in Korea. Renovated warehouses served us very well, even if we did have to sit on wooden benches or the cement floor. As for the Cine. I would venture that it wasn't surpassed by many, if any, stateside base theaters. Long live the Cine, I say. Cheers.
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Post by The Phantom on Dec 3, 2011 9:32:41 GMT 8
A little history of the Cine pre-war by Selma--- this site.......... Thanks Selma.
To keep children busy, there was a Cub Scout troop and a Boy Scout troop (one was Filipino). Church services and church school were held on Sunday. The chaplains also had the duty of leading "sing-alongs" in the popular cine, or movie theater. Shows were daily at 6 PM and 8 PM. The sing-alongs were held before the 6 PM show. It was only 15 cents to go to the movies. Officers and their families sat in rattan chairs and wore evening clothes to the 8 PM showing. Finally, a show was put on each year at Christmas by the Bilibid prisoners. Most Army people attended.
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Post by Karl Welteke on Jan 23, 2013 20:54:11 GMT 8
2013-01-17. Corregidor Cine on Topside is now reinforced and should last many more decades. On this day my partner John and I wanted to visit Battery Cushing and Geary Point by going down to Crockett Ravine. We got a ride to Topside and looked at the Cine which is now reinforced so it does not crumble anymore. Corregidor Foundation Incorporated (CFI) received monies from the Philippine Government in 2012 and was able to contract out the reinforcement of the cine walls. A major portion of the cine south wall had collapsed and it seemed only a matter of time before more damage would occur until only a heap of rubble would remain. These are 21 pictures of the completed job in my Photobucket Image Sharing Account: app.photobucket.com/u/PI-Sailor/a/8045dfa6-43f0-48cc-bba1-adebd22ba208?field=TITLE&desc=ascI don’t know what is happening! It seems this link only works if you copy it and paste into another browser. If you like to look at all the pictures of this walk on Corregidor on this day, they are here. They are 128 pictures, have short titles and can be downloaded at a higher resolution while using the slideshow mode: (This photo sharing company went out of business!) pisailor.multiply.com/photos/album/155/Corregidor-the-Cine-Battery-Cushing-and-Geary-Point-areas-2013-01-17. Here are some sample pictures from the reinforced Cine: Fort Mills Cine, the inside with the walls reinforced 2012. The walls are certainly strengthened now. Corregidor, -Ft. Mills Cine. Our track and landmarks for our walk today on Corregidor Island. This part of the south wall was very shaky and certainly now will last a lot longer. Fort Mills on Corregidor Island, the Cine. The Fort Mills, Corregidor Cine front section from the inside. Corregidor Cine, east end or the theatre stage end. Last look of the Cine from the SW
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Post by okla on Jan 24, 2013 6:37:38 GMT 8
Hey Guys....Great stuff. I am most happy that the powers that be have decided to do some "shoring up" on the "old lady" rather than knocking her down and building a replica. To my notion, that endeavor would have been a travesty. Better to preserve those crumbling walls than build a "glitzy" imitation. I have said it numerous times, but how I envy the idyllic existence you two guys lead. Prowling the sacred ground of Corregidor/Bataan and swilling cerveza at MacArthur's after a rigorous day "beating the bushes". How do you stand it? ? Postscript....the photo from the SW of the front facade of the Cine seems to depict it as being of a blue hue. Is this an optical illusion due to said front being in the shade, etc or am I losing my, formerly excellent, vision? No big deal, but am just curious. Surely they ain't gonna slop blue paint/preservative stuff on the facade. I will now go thru all 100 plus shots taken on the remaining portion of your trek and most likely come up with more stupid questions. You lucky devils.
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Post by okla on Jan 24, 2013 7:38:51 GMT 8
Hey Guys....More excellent stuff contained in the trek down to Geary Point. Every time I view the formidable bluffs that ring most of Topside, I am prompted to wonder just how many troops were positioned on these ramparts and never utilized during the fighting on the invasion beaches. With bluffs being such formidable obstacles to any invader, one wonders what would have happened if a sizeable number of the guys could have been shifted to the critical areas on the Tail. I realize that the vast majority of the Topside troops were "gunners" and not "grunts", with the 4th Marines being the only Infantry trained force available, but the Coast Artillery guys could use .03 rifles and American/Filipinos being in a numerical superiority position could, by sheer nmbers, might have been able to repel the invaders and force them to make a second attempt at a later date. Of course, we know, with hindsight, that the final verdict would have been unchanged. I suppose, as things actually played out, much Amer/Filipino blood was saved. As 'ole Harry said, "hindsight is 20-20". I never tire of quoting Mister Truman when it comes to rehashing "after action reports". Thanks again for this "combined operation" Fantastic Foto Tour. Cheers.
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Post by darthdract on Jan 24, 2013 15:54:09 GMT 8
okla I have noticed that blue hue as well. But I have been color blind for years so who knows.
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