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Blue Springs, MO —
Growing up, Carol Journagan saw a lot of movies, but it didn’t matter if her family was on time for any of them.
Her father, Stan Durwood, wanted to see the faces of the patrons as they left the theaters. Were they happy? Did they enjoy themselves? How efficient were the theater’s operations?
“It wasn’t about taking his family out to the movies,” Journagan says, chuckling. “That was almost a byproduct.”
Now a woman in her 60s who has called Blue Springs home for years, Journagan has these memories of being Stan Durwood’s daughter in Shawnee, Kan.
When Durwood died of cancer in July 1999 at the age of 78, his obituary in The New York Times called him the executive who is credited with inventing the multiplex movie theater.
Stan Durwood possessed intense energy, Journagan says of her father. He was bright and innovative as an expert negotiator – “a man’s man.” He could look at a city’s layout, and he envisioned the potential for new theaters.
The year was 1920. In the same year as Stan’s birth, his father, Edward Dubinsky – a vaudeville performer whom Journagan called “E.D.D.” instead of “Grandfather” – changed his name and founded Durwood Theatres with his two brothers, Maurice and Barney.
When E.D.D. died in 1961, Stan took over the business, renaming it American Multi-Cinema Inc. Behind Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Theatres or AMC Entertainment Inc., as it is known today, is the second largest movie theater chain in North America.
“He has some profoundly devoted followers,” Journagan says. “Some of the people who used to work with him are just devoted. He really struck them like that.”
More than a decade after Durwood’s death, his impact is still felt in Kansas City. This week, two former AMC Entertainment executives announced their plans to open a new restaurant and movie theater in Prairie Village, Kan.
Its name? Standees, in part to honor Stan Durwood.
“It’s the biggest compliment ever, doing something like this,” Journagan says of the Prairie Village project. “It’s creating an experience, in the movie theater, creating a reason to get out of the house. He always believed that people really do want to go somewhere.”
Even prior to this week, AMC is a company that has been no stranger to the headlines in the last two years. A year ago, AMC announced it would jump the state line and move its headquarters from downtown Kansas City to Leawood, Kan. In June, the company announced it would no longer run the Mainstreet 6 theater in Kansas City’s Power & Light District.
Growing up, Carol Journagan saw a lot of movies, but it didn’t matter if her family was on time for any of them.
Her father, Stan Durwood, wanted to see the faces of the patrons as they left the theaters. Were they happy? Did they enjoy themselves? How efficient were the theater’s operations?
“It wasn’t about taking his family out to the movies,” Journagan says, chuckling. “That was almost a byproduct.”
Now a woman in her 60s who has called Blue Springs home for years, Journagan has these memories of being Stan Durwood’s daughter in Shawnee, Kan.
When Durwood died of cancer in July 1999 at the age of 78, his obituary in The New York Times called him the executive who is credited with inventing the multiplex movie theater.
Stan Durwood possessed intense energy, Journagan says of her father. He was bright and innovative as an expert negotiator – “a man’s man.” He could look at a city’s layout, and he envisioned the potential for new theaters.
The year was 1920. In the same year as Stan’s birth, his father, Edward Dubinsky – a vaudeville performer whom Journagan called “E.D.D.” instead of “Grandfather” – changed his name and founded Durwood Theatres with his two brothers, Maurice and Barney.
When E.D.D. died in 1961, Stan took over the business, renaming it American Multi-Cinema Inc. Behind Regal Entertainment Group, AMC Theatres or AMC Entertainment Inc., as it is known today, is the second largest movie theater chain in North America.
“He has some profoundly devoted followers,” Journagan says. “Some of the people who used to work with him are just devoted. He really struck them like that.”
More than a decade after Durwood’s death, his impact is still felt in Kansas City. This week, two former AMC Entertainment executives announced their plans to open a new restaurant and movie theater in Prairie Village, Kan.
Its name? Standees, in part to honor Stan Durwood.
“It’s the biggest compliment ever, doing something like this,” Journagan says of the Prairie Village project. “It’s creating an experience, in the movie theater, creating a reason to get out of the house. He always believed that people really do want to go somewhere.”
Even prior to this week, AMC is a company that has been no stranger to the headlines in the last two years. A year ago, AMC announced it would jump the state line and move its headquarters from downtown Kansas City to Leawood, Kan. In June, the company announced it would no longer run the Mainstreet 6 theater in Kansas City’s Power & Light District.
And, this week, the Chinese firm Wanda closed on its acquisition of AMC Entertainment, making it the world’s largest owner of cinemas and representing the largest takeover to date of a U.S. company by a Chinese firm.
Like a good movie, Durwood told a wonderful story. He loved the romance of business, Journagan says. He didn’t tell a story aloud until it had a good ending.
Movies have changed a bit since Durwood’s death. Tickets are more expensive. Digital technology has impacted the screen’s clarity. One of his favorite actors, Charlton Heston, also has died.
Journagan laughs, thinking about whether her father would be busy if he were still alive.
“Constantly. I’m sure there are multiplexes in heaven.”
