sombrero


I’m fascinated by the work that’s been done to chronicle the work on the Vanishing Phoenix front; you can read Yuri’s thoughts on it here and here.

Today I’m beginning a four-part interview with Gary Gohring, who longtime Phoenicians will remember was an early film critic of New Times, waaay back in the 1970s.

Gohring was also the manager of the Sombrero Playhouse, a former live theater that became, in the late 1970s, the city’s most vibrant movie theater.

There’s not much about the Sombrero in the archives of the local papers, thought I did find this bit of comments on it on a site called Cinema Treasures.

I recently contacted Gohring, who now lives in San Diego; he was kind enough to agree to the following interview, which I’ll post in chunks over the next few days.

As I note in the chat below, the Sombrero was a key part of the Valley’s cultural life in the barren 1970s, and deserves a more prominent place in our cultural memory.

*-- Bill Wyman*



PHXated: Gary, thanks much for answering a few questions about the Sombrero Playhouse.  

Gary Gohring: You’re welcome.

PHXated: Can you tell me something about the Sombrero during your time there? When did it turn into a movie theater? What was the sort of mission statement? Am I right in remembering it was really the only place to see art films like that in Phoenix proper? (Leaving aside the Valley Art and occasional movies at the museums.)

G.G.: I think the Sombrero Playhouse became a movie theater sometime in 1977.  I am not really sure about the exact date as I became involved after it was already established.  Morey Levine was the owner of the theater, and he could probably provide the exact date.  (I do not know how to get in touch with him.)  I don’t recall a particular mission statement, but he may be able to provide that as well.  We were the only repertory movie theater in the Phoenix area (outside of the Valley Art) from when it opened to when we finally shut down in 1981.  

PHXated: The owner was Richard Charelton, right? Didn’t he have something to do with the Woolworth family? Do you know where he is now? 

G.G.: Richard Charelton owned the property on which the theater was located.  I have no knowledge of either his connection to the Woolworth family or where he is now.

rocky_horrorPHXated: What were the logistics of the place? What did it cost to rent a Fellini movie for a couple of showings? How did you get the films… were they flown in or mailed in? Any showings that were notable or that you were particularly proud of? Did you ever book films no one was interested in? Besides Rocky Horror, what were the most popular things you showed?

G.G.: I cannot recall the exact logistics of the place.  I want to say we could seat 350 or so maximum for a showing, but that is just a poor remembrance.  We used a booker out of Los Angeles to get our films, but I did most of the programming through him when I started working at the theater, first as assistant manager, then as manager, in 1977-78.   (Morey and our booker deserve all the credit, though, for bringing in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, which was already playing before I started.)   We received the majority of our films just as other theaters did; they were flown in (often the night before).   Occasionally, a non-major distributor like New Yorker Films would mail a 16mm title to us.  Costs varied, depending on the popularity or availability of the film itself. 

 We tried to bring a diverse lineup of movies to the Phoenix area, most notably those American, cult, and foreign films that had been popular or overlooked in previous limited runs n the Valley.  We also occasionally brought in a few premieres, and we would have festivals around a particular actor, director, or theme.  In fact, I basically became the programmer because I suggested they do a Woody Allen film festival, which proved a big success for the theater.  My own particular tastes ran (and still run) towards the more obscure, out of the mainstream foreign films, and (not too surprisingly) these generally proved to be the movies not too many people were interested in.  Off the top of my hear, our biggest successes, outside of the Friday and Saturday midnight showings of Rocky Horror Picture Show, were the double-bills of King of Hearts/Harold and Maude and Emmanuelle 2: Joys of A Woman/Story of O.

More tomorrow ….