Old Movie 35mm Theatre Ads Chabot Theatre Castro Valley CA

[Terry Monohan]

Here are some rare movie theatre policy trailers for the soon to re open Chabot Theatre in Castro Valley CA across the bay from San Francisco CA. They are on the Jack Tillmany You Tube site .

The local Castro Valley movie matinee kids must have been rowdy in the 1950's.

The single screen Chabot Theatre will be re opening soon. They need to program some of these old campy 35mm spots to DCP with todays crowd! Good luck to our friends at the Chabot Theatre welcome back.

The children that tore up the Chabot seats many years ago probably have kids of their own now. Let's hope they are not gang kids.

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

Wow. I only made it halfway through that mess..the former owners come across as sour old biddies from a rather totalitarian upbringing. Definitely NOT the kind of people who should be in any type of business that serves the general public, or have any children.

Policy trailers have NEVER worked when they are worded/presented in a punitive or negative way. The whole tone was just like the current batch of millennials' attitude of "I'm telling on you."

If the current owners were to put some of those on screen today, they would be put out of business in a heartbeat.

It was an interesting insight to how they operated for sure.

[Kenneth Wuepper]

Here is the sound that accompanied a slide show before the movie:

"Notice that your feet do not stick to the floor in this theatre.

Please help our hard working volunteers to keep it that way by bringing your trash to the containers in the lobby on your way out.

Thank you for your assistance and enjoy the show."


This was very effective and not threatening in any way.

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

Here is the sound that accompanied a slide show before the movie:

"Notice that your feet do not stick to the floor in this theatre.

Please help our hard working volunteers to keep it that way by bringing your trash to the containers in the lobby on your way out.

Thank you for your assistance and enjoy the show."


This was very effective and not threatening in any way.

Indeed, and a good example of how to make a point and do it right.

[Terry Monohan]

The original owners of the Chabot Theatre had these policy & kid matinee spots that are showcased here. The current owners probably have no idea that these trailers were shown at one time at the this Castro Valley CA theatre.

Many cinemas in the 1950's and 60's had to close because of damage done to the inside especially to seats that got cut/sliced and torn all the time by kids and some adults.. Same with the bathroom mirrors many got ruined. The owners and managers tried their best but the destruction still took place in the dark when the movie was showing.

That was the main reason I read that the Burl Theatre in Boulder Creek CA and many others closed up many years ago because of all the seat fabric material that got ruined. The Burl Theatre building is still around today but Is now a pizza place with offices with no seats to ruin.

I think the parents in the 1950's that left off their bratty kids all day for a movie kiddie matinee would be shocked if the door people or managers at that time frisked the little delinquents for knives and blades at the entrance.

[John Eickhof]

The Chabot theatre was opened by James Tohler who had the Empire theatre in Placerville Ca., and the drive in in El Dorado, Ca. After Jim's passing in the 1970s, his son Jerry operated the Chabot until it closed. His Widow Arlah operated the Empire into the 1980s, and the drive in until it closed in the mid 1980s. Jim was a business associate of Robert Dominic in Oakland Ca. And Dominic lived in Castro Valley. Jim with Dominic toyed around with shooting 35mm, although a few of the snipes resemble those of Motion Picture Service Co. of San Francisco, theres a possibilty that some of the policy trailers were actually shot by him, they had a full lab with processor, printer and sound recording equipent ( variable density ) at their studio (United Independant Productions) on E. 14th St. in Oakland, ca. They shot a number of screen ads in the bay area. Jim was quite a showman... contrary to Dominic! He loved a big bright picture and the best in sound...I removed the original XL heads and installed a pair of Supers for Jerry in the mid 1980s (he needed some cash!) and took the XLs to Tahoe and installed them in the Incline Village cinema to replace the E7s there. The poor Supers had Excelite 135 lamps behind them and you could fry eggs on the shutter housings as they were air cooled and he was running 135 amps at the arc!! All of Jim's locations had full mag/optical sound ! Even the drive in!!!! If I remember correctly, the screen was about 70 feet wide as well as the one at the Empire. Both of the theatres had operating Brenkert Master Brenograph effects projectors too! I have the one out of the Chabot in my museum.