< a href="/art/images/orinda-08-big.jpg">The Orinda Theatre

by Roger Leatherwood

The film USHER was shot in the Orinda Theatre, in Orinda California, just 2 miles north of Berkeley through a tunnel that runs under the Los Diegas Colorados foothills. The late deco-style theatre, featuring a vertical “fin” marquee and rounded neon streamline design elements, was built in 1937 by architect Alexander Aimwell Cantin (who also designed the famous Fox Oakland Theatre). It opened on Dec 27th, 1941, reportedly with a double bill of “The Maltese Falcon” and “Tarzan's Secret Treasure,” although another source says it was “Wyoming Wildcat” and “Texas.” Paramount stars Bob Hope and Jerry Colonna were on hand for the opening celebrations.

The theatre was built on land acquired by Donald Rheem (the water heater mogul) in the mid '30s in what was called the “crossroads.” For years the theatre was the most visible and vibrant cultural centerpiece in an otherwise sleepy suburban community. In the '40s the architect built a bank next to the theatre, blending it architecturally, as the business district grew.

By 1970, the Orinda Theatre had fallen into disrepair through neglect and changing tastes of the public, and was closed for a number of years while a buyer was sought. In 1985 a local developer purchased the land and almost succeeded in demolishing it to make way for an office complex, until Orinda residents rallied to save it, getting it declared a National Landmark.

Local theatre chain Renaissance Rialto Theatres took over the operation of the theatre, helping to restore and extensively renovate the entire structure, including all new carpets (rewoven to the original design, based on old black and white photos), restoring the large “nude” murals inside the main auditorium with archival paints, and rewiring the neon work outside on the marquee.

The theatre was reopened in 1999. It currently runs a combination of art house films and first-run fare, and is the home to the Orinda Film festival, now in its third year.