UC Theater
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The UC Theater was a movie theater in Berkeley, California on University Avenue near Shattuck Avenue in the United States of America. Opened in 1917, the 1,300 seat theater was acquired in 1974 by theater owner Gary Meyer as one of the first theaters in his Landmark Theatres chain. The theater had no relation to the nearby University of California, Berkeley. The theater closed in March 2001 when Landmark -- no longer owned by Meyer -- made the decision to close the theater rather than spend the reported $350,000 needed for a seismic upgrade. As of early 2006, plans to convert the theater to a jazz club have been submitted to the City of Berkeley.
The theater was the site of the premiere of Errol Morris' first film Gates of Heaven, an event at which filmmaker Werner Herzog ate his shoe before the audience in fulfillment of a bet made with Morris. This event was recorded in the documentary Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe.
For many years, it was locally famous for its showings of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
[edit] External links
- Berkeley Landmarks: UC Theater, Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association.
