Security Upped at 4 O.C. Venues Showing ‘Boyz’

Security is being beefed up at the four Edwards movie theaters in Orange County showing “Boyz N the Hood,” which deals with teen-age gangs in South-Central Los Angeles.

“We’re putting five additional security guards on at most of (the) theaters, and in some, four additional security guards,” said James Edwards Sr., chairman of the chain where the critically praised film opened Friday. Normally, Edwards said, he employs only one or two guards at each theater. The additional guards will remain on duty at least through the middle of next week. “We’ll play it by ear thereafter,” Edwards said.

“I don’t anticipate any problems. But this is a precautionary measure.”

“Boyz N the Hood” is being shown at Edwards theaters in El Toro, Costa Mesa, Mission Viejo and Westminster. The film is being shown at six other theaters in the county as well. Spokesmen for two of them said no changes in security are planned. A spokesman for a third would not answer questions. Spokesmen for the others could not be reached.

Edwards said he did not increase security in March when “New Jack City,” a film with similar subject matter but set in Harlem, played at 25 of his theaters, and there were skirmishes at two of them. “Some drunks” whom Edwards believes were attracted by the subject matter caused a disturbance at one; at the other, a line of ticket holders waiting to enter rushed inside once doors were opened and “overwhelmed the doorman and staff,” Edwards said. No one was hurt in either incident. Both occurred on the first night of the movie’s run.

Edwards said he had “no problems at all” when he screened “Colors,” the 1998 film starring Sean Penn about gang violence in Los Angeles’ barrios.

A spokesmen for the Pacific Buena Park Drive-In, also showing “Boyz N the Hood,” would not comment on security except to say that “proper security” is always provided.

A spokesman for United Artists theaters in Brea and Buena Park said that he expects no trouble and that security will not be fortified. The film is also being shown at Mann’s Pierside Pavilion in Huntington Beach and at the Cinedome Eight and Stadium 8 Drive-in, both in Orange.

The film, about growing up strong and smart despite gang pressures and violence, was released in more than 800 theaters across the country.

In Los Angeles, owners of the Baldwin Theater, the nation’s only black-owned first-run movie theater, debated a lot among themselves before deciding at the last minute to show “Boyz N the Hood.”

The movie will not be playing in Los Angeles’ Westwood district at Mann’s Plaza Theater as advertised earlier in the week. Westwood has been the scene of previous violence.

When “New Jack City” opened at a Mann theater in Westwood, ticket holders who had been waiting in line for hours rioted after being turned away by theater management. Mann officials could not be reached for comment Friday, but observers suggested that the incident raised concern about showing “Boyz N the Hood” in Westwood.

Baldwin owners felt differently, however. “Ultimately, we felt ‘Boyz N the Hood’ was important,” said Nelson Bennett, the general manager of the theater on South La Brea Avenue, “so we chose to play it. But we questioned the early marketing campaign that tended to play up the violence in the movie and did a great deal to raise concern among (theater) exhibitors.

“We considered what it would mean if we did not play the movie, versus what it would say to the community if we did play the movie.”