Lurid Marquees Catch the Eye and a Little Hell, Too

The Mitchell Brothers Theatre marquee Saturday advertised the showing of “Pretty Girls” and “Love of Silk.”

The billing brought afternoon moviegoers, but it also irked some of those doing their Saturday errands at a shoe store, doughnut shop, grocery and drugstore that share Honer Plaza with the controversial movie house.

“I don’t like it,” Maria Alegria of Santa Ana, accompanied by her 10-year-old daughter, said of the theater’s proximity. “I don’t think it’s appropriate for the kids, and I’ve seen some real nasty people around that theater.”

But among other shoppers and workers Saturday, opinions were mixed about the presence of the Mitchell Brothers Theatre.

Paul Harris, 32, of Santa Ana, pausing to buy a newspaper, said: “It doesn’t bother me in the least. Not at all. But I don’t go there.”

Melanie Bowman, 22, of Santa Ana, pushing one son in a stroller and holding another’s hand, said the theater has a right to be there “as long as it doesn’t infringe on other people.” But Gertrude Eckart, 56, of Orange, said the theater “bothers me. It’d be nice if it could be moved.”

Roberto Barragan, 27, of Garden Grove agreed. “I’ve never been there,” but, “I think it’s bad for this area, and I know some churches and others that want to close it down,” he said.

Dorothy Farmer, 69, of Santa Ana spoke critically: “I don’t think it belongs. They ought to put it somewhere else if it’s got to be here.”

At the Ralphs supermarket, store manager Brent Blackhurst, 36, of Oceanside, said, “Customers have once in a while said, ‘Something ought to be done about that.’ (But) it’s strictly a constitutional and legal question. Ralphs Grocery Co. wants to be in a community that is family oriented, because the basis of our business is the family.

“I’ve received complaints from customers about Mitchell Brothers, and certainly Ralphs supports any effort which is done to return Honer Plaza to more of a community atmosphere. But we do support the Constitution.”

However, Ramiro Torres, 23, the manager of a Thom McAn shoe store, said he hasn’t heard much complaint. “It’s not a big issue,” he said.