‘Classics’ getting another shot in LV

Kirk Baird

Friday, Sept. 1, 2000 | 10:37 a.m.

What: "Saturday Night Fever."

When: 10:45 a.m., 1:15, 3:45, 6:00, 8:30, 10:45 p.m., Friday through Thursday.

Where: Paradise 6, 3330 E. Tropicana Ave.

Cost: $3.

Call: 434-8103.

Movies are a cultural heritage, meant to be shared in a communal experience.

At least, so say Mike Copley and David Schwartz.

Never mind that they're general manager and owner, respectively, of two Las Vegas second-run movie theaters (Paradise 6 and Cinema 8), the duo really seem to believe that certain movies are best seen on the big screen and not on television.

So they decided to do something about it.

Beginning today the Paradise 6, 3330 E. Tropicana Ave., will show "Saturday Night Fever," which in 1977 launched John Travolta's career and made disco cool, for a weeklong run. The film will play six times per day -- unlike most "special screenings," which run mainly at midnight.

It's all part of a sort of "cinema classics" program the theater is beginning, where once a month it will show a "classic" film, such as "The Godfather," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Ten Commandments" or "Star Wars," alongside its five other second-run features (movies that have already played full-price theaters and are now at the "dollar cinemas") six times daily for a week.

The Paradise 6 is the only local theater to offer this type of program.

"It's a nice, nostalgic thing," Copley said. "People just want to come see the movies."

The idea began last year shortly after Schwartz bought the Cinema 8, 3205 E. Desert Inn Rd. It was nearing Halloween, so he brought in several classic horror films -- including "Halloween," "Night of the Living Dead" and "Freaks" -- for a fright-film fest.

And when Copley came aboard recently the two talked about expanding that idea to monthly showings to include all genres.

"Rocky" or "Jaws" are screening possibilities for October, with Christmas-themed films, such as "Christmas Story," "Miracle on 34th Street" (both the 1947 and '94 versions) and "Santa Claus" (also known as "Santa Claus: The Movie"), possible to screen during the holidays.

As for future films, Schwartz and Copley said they would like patrons to decide, perhaps via the Internet on some future theater website or with old-fashioned pen and paper.

Based on the verbal response from banners and posters advertising the "Saturday Night Fever" showing, they both said the films should do well.

"We hear people say, 'Wow, we're going to come in and see that,' " Copley said.

And he quickly added that he had been in contact with Travolta's agent, Paul Bloch, who Copley said liked the idea of bringing back Travolta's dancing epic to the big screen.

"He thinks it's fantastic and he's going to pass it along to Travolta," Copley said.

Wayne Lewellen, president of distribution at Paramount Pictures, said this type of program is not necessarily unusual.

"There's a number of theaters around the country that do it," Lewellen said. "We refer to them as repertory theaters. We have folks we have designated in our office to handle that business. It's a combination of older classic movies -- 'Citizen Kane,' films of that nature -- and more recent pictures, like 'Grease' and 'Saturday Night Fever.'

"I don't know if that occurs (in second-run theaters) but in some cases all the (theaters) show are classic films."

He also said that the demand for these films to be shown on the silver screen hasn't changed -- for better or worse -- but that the theaters that offer these films "must be doing OK or they would discontinue the policy."

No matter how the Paradise 6 program fares, expect Schwartz to be in the theater watching the films.

"I don't care if I'm the only one in there or with an audience, as long as I'm enjoying it, that's great," he said.