What a sad story here in the Toronto area yesterday as my favourite childhood movie theatre, the Uptown, toppled during demolition yesterday. Unfortunately, it didn't topple because of demolition, but for reasons unknown at this time, and it happened to topple on a neighbouring school, killing one man and sending another dozen (including three kids) to hospital.

I remember weekends heading downtown to watch movies on the Uptown in the days before the super theatre centres I tend to go to now. The Uptown held hundreds of people, it was massive, and the best seat in the house was right up front due to the presence of a stage between the audience and the screen. It had "big screen, big sound" before people even knew what that was, for the most part. I caught my first glimpse of Charlize Theron there, in 2 Days in the Valley, and even got to make a "Woody" joke during Beavis and Butt-head Do America. Good times.

Rob sent along something rather humourous - an excerpt from the local news:

In regards to the building collapse: "The whole thing just came down like a rocket," said witness Harry Lesik, 65. "It just came down like a ton of bricks." Rob's reply: Should we tell him that it WAS a ton of bricks?

Comments

It was quite sad to see this theatre go. It was just down the street from where I work. I was planning to go that exact area yesterday at lunch - so I still did. Tons of fire trucks and firemen. Craziness. I think it looks a lot worse, since it was alreay partially demolished.

One memory of the Uptown I have was back in 1995 or 1996. Going at lunch time to get 8 tickets to the evenings premiere showing of The Jerky Boys:The Movie. Fully anticipating that it'd be a packed house that night....not quite....about 50 people were watching that night. Oh well.