Lost Angeleno

A sad day for L.A. filmgoers

I read the news yesterday at Dennis Cozzalio’s blog, then it started cropping up all over the film blogosphere.  Sherman Torgan, the owner/operator of the New Beverly Cinema, died unexpectedly Wednesday of a heart attack.

The New Beverly Cinema has been a staple in my filmgoing life for the last several years.  It’s just a few short blocks from Scotty Dude’s house, and together there we have seen such classics as Double Indemnity, Singin’ in the Rain, The Big Lebowski, The Palm Beach Story, A Very Long Engagement, Ace in the Hole, La Mala Educacion, Children of Men and tons more—too many to list here.  My head spins when I consider the number of hours I have spent at the New Beverly, and the amount of money I have spent on hot dogs, popcorn, Diet Cokes and candy (even though the Beverly has one of the cheapest concessions of any movie theatre in the L.A. area).

The New Beverly Cinema is located on Beverly Drive near La Brea, just a little too far south to be considered Hollywood.  That’s actually kind of apt—it’s not in the heart of Hollywood; it’s on the outskirts.  It has a fairly storied history:  in the 1940’s, it was a night club owned by Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom.  I remember hearing an episode of the Jack Benny show in which they had a lengthy discussion about spending an evening at Slapsy Maxie’s club, where the Phil Harris Orchestra performed, and Jack was seated behind a pole in the back so he couldn’t see anything the whole night.

In the 1960s and early ‘70s, it was reportedly a porn moviehouse, and the interior of the Beverly still gives off a very heavy porn vibe.  The houselights are never much brighter than half-lit, probably to distract the customers from noticing how filthy it is in there.  The ceiling is caked in some spots with thick black gunk, mostly around the HVAC vents.  I like to fantasize that there was a fire in the air ducts once, smoke billowing from the vents, and they never got around to cleaning it up.  A commenter over at LAist remarked on the sticky floors, uncomfortable chairs, and “stains of a thrown soft drink on the screen.” The sound system was average at best, and the prints were often second-rate.  I remember one night viewing Young Frankenstein in the original English—with Spanish subtitles.  Because, as Sherman told us when we bought our tickets, “They screwed up and sent the wrong one.”

So why did we all keep going back there?  The answer is simple.  Sherman Torgan had a passion for films, and he passed it on to his customers.  He programmed the films himself (except for a three-month period earlier this year when guest programmer Quentin Tarantino programmed a series of grindhouse flicks—QT is another faithful fan of the New Beverly), he took care of the prints, he worked the box office.  He was there every single time I went by the theatre.  I don’t know if he ever had a day off.

And it makes me sad now that I never thought to thank him.  I mean, I always said “Thanks” when he handed over my tickets (my mother raised me right), but I never said, “Hey, this place is great, I’m so glad you’ve provided this service to all us cinegeeks out here.” I wish I had.  Thanks Sherman, wherever you are, for feeding my habit all these years.  The world is a sadder place today.

1. Ugh… I hope you guys did a RIP for him in HB this week.  I haven’t listened yet.  But man, what a depressing thing!  And I beg to differ with a lot of the criticisms you quoted, Sten.  The stained screen, the sticky floors and the uncomfortable seats have all been replaced in recent years.  Granted the sounds system still sucks, but find me another house that shows movies like they did.

   It’s so very sad to hear that he’s gone.  I’ve been going there since I moved here back in ‘94.  Their Strangelove/Lolita double feature was my favorite.

   The New Bev was just going through a bit of a renaisance, too.  What with QT’s help (him just showing up would have helped promote the place, let alone programming stuff) and I saw they had started selling T-shirts and pins and there was just a sense of vitality over the past few months whenever I’d go.

   FUCK…

   That’s the only word I have left for it.

   FUCK.

   Thanks for posting.  I don’t know when I’d have heard about this if I didn’t absent-mindedly checked Google Reader while bored at TheDayjob.

   FUCK.

   Posted by ThePete  on  07/20  at  05:10 PM

2. He’ll get a RIP next week; I didn’t hear about it until after we’d recorded the show this week.  I don’t even want to think about the future of the theatre just yet… Sherman’s son is very dedicated to the theatre also (that tall guy with long dark hair who’s always working the popcorn stand), though, so I hope that he will be carrying on—but also couldn’t really blame him if he decided not to.

   Posted by  on  07/20  at  05:34 PM

3. With the arrival of huge flat panel tvs and DVDs, a person can watch most anything they want. The beauty of places like the Bevery isn’t as a movie theater. I doubt they show much you couldn’t watch at home now. Rather, it’s the personal touch of the owner who loved movies and gave you a little bit of himself with each program. When you entered his theater it was more than a movie. It was something he wanted to share with you on a personal level.

   There are so few places like that. I couldn’t find one within 1,000 miles of me. You’re lucky to have access to them. Maybe his son will continue. Either way it’s still a great loss.

   Posted by Duke  on  07/20  at  07:20 PM

4. And another recent crappy RIP…

   http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0816348/

   Posted by  on  07/21  at  12:10 AM

5. Khan! You! Bloodsucker!

   Posted by  on  07/21  at  12:13 AM

6. Thank you very much for your touching comments about the New Beverly Cinema and Sherman, Stennie.

   I am Sherman’s son, Michael, and, needless to say, I am in complete and utter shock and full of sorrow beyond words.  My father was a wonderful man and the best father a son could ask for.  We were the closest of friends, and I spent nearly every Saturday working with my dad at the New Beverly since graduating from college in 1993. ( I am actually not that tall guy with long dark hair working behind the stand.  That is our longtime employee Pete.  I used to have long brown hair, but now I have much shorter thinning hair.) I am an only child, and my mom and I are so distraught.  My dad had just turned 63 and was still so full of life.  He watched what he ate, didn’t smoke and was very fit. The night before he passed, I was at the theater to watch two gorgeous prints of The Crimson Pirate and The Sea Hawk.  He changed the marquee as he’s done 1000s of times since 1978, we discussed booking the Sept/Oct calendar, and then we said goodnight.  The next day at my day job I received the most horrible phone call I’ve ever received in my life.  I am so, so, so very sad, and I am in a state of shock. I can’t sleep, so I’ve been reading all of the kind words people have posted about my dad.

   In defense of the legacy of the New Beverly and my dad, I must correct one statement in your tribute. I don’t know how often you’ve attended the New Beverly in the last 5 years, but the prints have been anything but second-rate.  Most have been excellent.  Furthermore, prints that play in movie theaters all come from the exact same source, the studios or distributors that own the theatrical rights to them, and print quality is not a factor of a particular theater.  It is a factor of the studios’ inventories.  Theaters do not own their prints, and they do not rent them from collectors or third parties.  Chinatown is rented from Paramount, and Paramount only, Casablanca is rented from Warner Bros. and Warner Bros. only, etc.  (Both of these titles now exist in great prints, by the way, and we’ve played those prints).

   While it is true that in the 70s, 80s and 90s, many classic titles only existed in original theatrical prints that may have been faded or scratched, the studios have been restoring more and more of their inventories in recent years, and repertory venues like the New Beverly have benefited as a result.  Furthermore, because the New Beverly is still on a change-over projection system, we are permitted to play the very best prints from the studios’ archives that wouldn’t go to a platter house.  Great independent distributors like Rialto Pictures have also been restoring many foreign titles.

   In the past 5 years or so, HUNDREDS of gorgeous, pristine studio prints have passed through the New Beverly, the exact same prints that play at other repertory venues like the American Cinematheque, the Film Forum in N.Y., etc.  It is extremely rare to get a problematic print these days.  In fact, one of my dad’s greatest frustrations with running the New Beverly these past few years was that we were getting the most beautiful prints ever available in 29 years of business, yet attendance at the New Beverly had reached abysmal levels that didn’t come close to covering the expenses.  Titles that once easily drew 185 people a night in the 1980s or early to mid 90s, when the only print in existence may have been an original release print that was pink, these days were bringing in maybe 35 or 50 people, and the prints being projected were the most beautiful prints you’ll ever see! The quality of the prints these past few years has been just fantastic and this is a fact.  I’ve witnessed nearly every one of them projected, and I’ve seen all of the cans in the booth that were marked “archival”, “show print”, etc.

   The black sustance you refer to on the ceiling near the air vents, while unsightly indeed, was simply years of dirt from the air outside.  There was never a fire.  You’d be amazed how much dirt I would clean off the ticket counter ledge by Beverly Blvd. everyday from the cars driving by.  Sadly, my dad and I discussed having the ceiling painted just recently, although he were constantly discouraged by how horrible business was these past years.  Believe it or not, the theater thrived until around 2002, but the advent of DVDs and other entertainment options has truly hurt the last remaining revival theatres. 
   
   Finally, while the sound system wasn’t digital, we did install a Dolby stereo system with 8 JBL surround speakers about 2 years ago (regular Dolby films like Raiders of the Lost Ark sounded pretty darn good), and we installed top-of-the-line lamphouses on our two projectors that improved the brightness of the image greatly.

   The New Beverly was truly a lobor of love for my dad, and I’m going to miss him SO much.  Thank you so much for thinking of him.

   Sincerely,

   Michael Torgan

   Posted by  on  07/21  at  03:41 AM

7. Michael, having recently lost my father I know what you are going through. I wish you the best in these difficult times.

   Posted by Duke  on  07/21  at  06:56 AM

8. Michael --

   I’m so sorry for your loss; my sympathies are with you and your mother right now.  Your dad brought a lot of happiness to so many filmgoers over the years.  I feel fortunate that he was here.  Although I rarely spoke with him much more than “One please,”—“Enjoy,”—“Thanks” with him, he really had a great influence over the types of movies I’ve been exposed to, and broadened my viewing horizons.

   I want you to know that although my remarks about the interior of the New Beverly undoubtedly came off sounding harsh, I meant them with affection.  My impression when viewing the dark spots on the ceiling was always, “Sherman would prefer to put money into bringing us the best movies than some upscale cleaning crew—and I’m all right with that.” Sorry if it came off sounding like I was bashing the place—nothing could be further from the truth.

   Michael, if you need anything—a helping hand at the ticket counter or the box office—I’d be happy to volunteer.  Hell, I will repaint that ceiling for you if you want.  My deepest sympathies to you and your mother.

   Posted by  on  07/21  at  10:46 AM

9. To me it’s not about just the movies.  To me it’s about the theater experience.  And even though I didn’t feel the sound system was that great (I guess it wasn’t the system but the source material, then) I still thoroughly enjoyed each and every experience I had there.  The biggest TV set can’t come close to matching the effect of an actual movie screen.  It’s truly a dying art and I’m depressed to hear that ticket sales have dropped so much in recent years.

   People are forgetting what it’s like to see a moving on a truly big screen in a room full of like-minded individuals.  There’s something supremely communal about seeing a movie in a crowded theater.

   Michael, if you’re reading this, I truly hope you’ll continue with the New Bev.  It is a genuine gem in Los Angeles and, as I said in my blog, Hollywood will not be the same without your dad on the scene and it would be even worse if the New Bev were to close up shop.

   I’d love to volunteer, also, but I have no vehicle, so I end up stranded on the westside most of the time.  But please keep us up to date.  I, and I’m sure many other Angelenos, will help where we can.

   Condolences, of course, and good luck to you.

   Posted by ThePete  on  07/21  at  01:09 PM

10. Michael,
    I have had the great pleasure of working with your dad for the past 5 years. Sherman was a very kind man, and I truly enjoyed speaking with him when he called or stopped by my office. I too was very close to my dad, best friends in fact and its nice you mentioned that about Sherman. I think that is the best complement a man can give to his father. I hope my son can say the same about me someday. We all have alot to learn from Sherman. Sincerely, Joe Gieson

    Posted by  on  08/03  at  08:58 AM
Page 1 of 1 pages