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<title>blogTO Recent Comments: Toronto's Forgotten Landmarks: A Night at the Roxy</title>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/feed/recentcomments/?11669</link>
<description>Comments recently made in this post on blogTO</description>
<copyright>Copyright 2009</copyright>
<lastBuildDate>Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:21:51 PST</lastBuildDate>
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<title>Zephed</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Used to go and watch the Zeppelin film The song remains the same in the late seventies and early eighties on Friday nights from waht I recall. The smoke was always thick.]]>
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<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c722260</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c722260</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:36:30 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Kris</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Well, i mus' be old, cos when I went there it was the '99 cents Roxy', as I believe it was called, back from 76/77 onwards, it would have two evening shows which changed every other day or so, double bills, and it was my true night school, taught me more than my day school ever did, for it carried all the weird and great and baaad films mainly from Europe ('cept for the early Kurosawa, tho they'd have various international film fests....) that rarely saw the light of projection in the 'odeons' of the day ..... and was an education about the world...at least that of celluloid...i musta seen almost 200 films there.....or so it seems.....the owners seemed to like jodrowsky .... and decameron...harold and maude ..... and king of hearts...etc....totally disoccidented me...i dont think i remember ever knowing who was actually in the theatre...tho yeah i remember some of the staff....who were kinda pre early punk...but i thought the building was quite a fine place...it was towards the end that it became kinda dedicated to the rocky horror pix show...it was as if the repressed suburbs re-emerged thru this hole in the danforth... it should be honored....rather than demolished ..then again, colonial toronto is indeed 'facadiotomy'...and it is perhaps fitting that it will go from celluloid to esso...wonder why it was called allenby before?..and therein lies another colonial tale...]]>
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<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c720157</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c720157</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:07:19 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Jacquie Swan</title>
<description><![CDATA[
LOL@ Jimmy. Yes, one could get high just breathing the air. It's a wonder it never got raided by the police. They had to have known what was going on in there.

I LOVED that place. The ticker price then was $3.00 and they had 2 showings of Rocky Horror every Fri and Sat night and then closed for the rest of the week.]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c643618</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c643618</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:19:22 PDT</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Jacquie Swan</title>
<description><![CDATA[
I remember the Roxy well from the late 70's /early 80's when I went to Rocky Horror every week end as a teenager. It was not really that run down then and I had no idea it was so old. There was The Peanut Gallery adjacent to it ,which sold confetti and Rocky Horror posters, roach clips etc.

One could smoke cigs and dope in there and the people were all regulars who knew each other and would do acid and sing and dance infront of the screen. The place would be covered with confetti afterwards.
The lines to get in were all up the street with drug dealers making a mint[but it was all innocent, really]. Even the ushers ,a long haired, hot one,Byron, who wore a tux jacket and jeans, would sit and have a toke with the young girls.He wore a button on his jean zipper which read:' Ask me. I might.' I am 44 now but recall him from when I was 16.
The architecture and ambiance of this theatre were amazing and it's sad it's fallen into disrepair and have all those ugly  paintings in it[which were not there in early 80's]
The Roxy alone made the whole street come alive with excitement.]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c643616</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c643616</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:14:56 PDT</pubDate>
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<title>larry</title>
<description><![CDATA[
As always - thank you...]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c641994</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c641994</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:29:14 PDT</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Mary</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Thanks, Jonathan, for the memories... 
I spent more than one weekend at the Roxy's all nighters, watching silliness such as Pink Flamingos.  It wasn't about the movies, it was the ambiance!]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c566260</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c566260</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:11:59 PDT</pubDate>
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<title>Jason</title>
<description><![CDATA[
for anyone who is interested here is what it looked like in 1930's:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-9419.pdf
and here is some drawings from the initial building plan (although probably will change slightly, especially since they bought one of the adjacent houses)
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-9422.pdf
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/te/bgrd/backgroundfile-9421.pdf

]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c463278</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c463278</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Tue, 17 Feb 2009 14:19:23 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Jimmy R'eh</title>
<description><![CDATA[
I have fond memories of going to the Roxy. There were weekend movie marathons featuring gems like "Reefer Madness" and free chili was served to quench the "munchies". You could get high by just walking into the theatre, sometimes films would get interrupted by a seat bursting into flames after a "roach" feel between the cushions and a stoned patron wouldn't notice it until almost fully engulfed. Ah yes..good times, good times. :)]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c334684</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c334684</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:33:15 PST</pubDate>
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<title>Zed</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Great work - research and pix!]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333659</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333659</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:00:22 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Michelle</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Love this entry and looking forward to more like it. My family has been in Toronto for many generations and we all have a soft spot for this kind of thing. I'm going to show my dad this entry and I'm sure he'll enjoy it. 

PS Personally, I'd sooner see a movie in a charming place like this any day. :)]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333584</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333584</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:38:57 PST</pubDate>
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<title>bslow from www.cakeinthekitchen.com</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Hey Lou, its not pam anderson's-boobs nickname....it's ton ton.

b]]>
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<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333564</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333564</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Sun, 14 Dec 2008 16:38:44 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Zaira</title>
<description><![CDATA[
ahh, i always love these. and how much nicer they look now that the photos are not being saved as gifs!
lovely work, as always.]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333301</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333301</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:50:53 PST</pubDate>
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<title>Philip Elliott</title>
<description><![CDATA[
I stumbled into this by accident.

This is a wonderful document and you've done a wonderful service.

As I also try to document what's left of Toronto's history, this should be archived, I didn't even know this existed]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333110</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333110</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:47:07 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Lou</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Wow.  I always wondered what the inside of that place looked like.  I've lived around the corner for about a year.  Who would have thought the place held a Yoda door and a Tan-Tan mural.
Seriously tough,  it is a shame it couldn't have survived as a revue theatre like the Bloor.  I suspect that with the influx of new people buying homes in the area, a theatre could have survived.
 Thanks Jonathan.]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333100</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333100</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:02:26 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Jonathan</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Wow, what great stories! Feedback like this makes me want to go check out some other theatres I've had my eye on...hmm...

Steve - you are technically correct about Tim Hortons, as one will be 'inside' the 'On The Go' :  )

Jonathan.

]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333086</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333086</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:45:51 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Steve</title>
<description><![CDATA[
I remember when they renovated it back in the late 90s.  A whole bunch of money was poured into it to put in DTS sound, stadium seats and curved screens.  They made three theatres and was gearing up for a huge opening as the new Roxy Laxmi.

They opened by screening Lake Placid.  Yeah, Lake Placid.  A bombed aquatic monster movie.  They continued to screen that single film in all three auditoriums for well over a month, and then moved to Star Wars Episode I.  They had three screens and showed one movie.  Those were the only two films I ever saw screened at that theatre.

I went there when they did in hopes of seeing them, but they had just started their final show for the night, and this was at like 9 o'clock.  The owner was working there, and was all but pleading for me and my friends to come in and see a movie.

Eventually, around 1999, the theatre was shut down.  Officially, the distributors of films apparently found their theatre to be in geographical conflict with the Silver City at Yonge and Eglinton (?!?!), so refused to show movies.  They turned into a Tamil theatre, and then went derelict.

Why they didn't decide to stay alive and do what the Bloor & Festival chains did, I'll never know.  As I understand it, the owners of the Bloor looked into buying the theatre out, which would have been a godsend, but the owners were asking an insane amount due to the restaurant above it.  Four years later and they were still desperate to sell... I didn't know Esso bought it, I had heard Tim Hortons was going to do so.

Goodbye, the Roxy :-(]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333081</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333081</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:26:55 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>oterry</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Jonathan, thanks for posting this. I saw "200 Motels" here in the late 70s and smoked pot watching it.

I remember there were so many theatres on College St. especially in the Bathurst and Spadina areas.

Does anyone remember the theatre below the TD Centre?

Also, there's still a sign on a building on Spadina just north of Queen St. where there's a big Golden Harvest theatre in the basement. ]]>
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<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333060</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333060</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:10:04 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Jonathan</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Eric - it's amazing how many there are! I found 2 in Little India just by looking at the roofline-styles of the older buildings (the graduated step-down toward the back) - walked in, took some back passages and stairs, and lo and behold, found myself looking at theatres either abandoned, or used for storage-

There was a HUGE one in the basement of the old Sheraton (now a banquet centre), and there is/was a really neat one buried below yonge and bloor (as well as a disco). 

China Town has its fair share as well...

I will definitely check that site, thank you!

Jonathan.]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333046</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333046</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:02:04 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Eric Veillette</title>
<description><![CDATA[
What a fantastic post. The Roxy is one of many derelict theatres in our city that needed to be explored. There are plenty of ground-level and basement theatres hiding behind long-gone facades.

Anyone interested in the history of Toronto's forgotten theatres should check out 32elvismovies.com!]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333045</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333045</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:51:30 PST</pubDate>
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<item>
<title>Jonathan</title>
<description><![CDATA[
Thanks guys!

I hope to get back in there soon to get some artistic shots (as opposed to mere documentation...which is fun but not as aesthetically pleasing); I am going to try and contact the contractors when work begins, so that I might save some of those tacky (yet oddly nostalgic / beautiful) paintings (I have my eyes on the 'around the world...' one).

:  )

Jonathan.]]>
</description>
<link>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333044</link>
<guid>http://www.blogto.com/city/2008/12/torontos_forgotten_landmarks_a_night_at_the_roxy/#c333044</guid>
<category>Toronto, City</category>
<pubDate>Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:50:43 PST</pubDate>
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