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August 2, 2007
Test Screening questions
So what is it like holding or attending a test screening?
How are theaters chosen? Are they conducted by market research companies for the filmmakers?Heard many are held at National Amusements Edgewater, NJ complex. What theaters in NYC or Westchester County have ever hosted them???
How are audience members recruited?
Thanks
0 comments -
July 31, 2007
Nathan Gordon’s Olympia circuit
My great-great-uncle was Nathan Gordon, owner of a string of Boston theaters back in the early 1900’s, as highlighted in a few references on your wonderful site.
In other references to my uncle, he supposedly owned a total of 75 theaters in the NE area (MA, CT, etc.) of the country and I am trying to find a listing of as many of them as possible. Please let me know if there is any way of obtaining this information or if you know of any other locations of his theaters outside of Boston.
Thank you for a great site. It is definitely helping me in my family tree research!
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July 27, 2007
Classic Movies in Theaters?
Hello!
I’m working in a Odeon Theater in Quebec City, Canada, and my boss told us we have to get noticed by the big managers in Toronto or else they’ll close us in two years because we are a small non-upgraded-to-cineplex with regular clientele.
We had the idea of presenting old movies (1984, Clockwork Orange, Casablanca, The Blob (first one), Wayne’s World, Hitchcock’s movies, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to name only the ones on top of my head) two or three time a week, after the usual movies.
The boss thinks it’s a good idea. We just can’t find a site about a theater that’s doing that (screening old movies), to get more information. What’s more, we can’t find a way to know which (and how many) movies are still available in 35 mm reels. We don’t want to write to the studios just yet as we don’t even have Toronto’s approval, but we would like to know if it’s doable.
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July 26, 2007
Can anyone help decipher cinema b.o. records?
As a part of a research project I am working on I am working on a Box Office Ledger belonging to the Interstate Theater Chain, dating from the 1950’s. Partway through the ledger the weekly attendance figure changes from an overall figure to one that is broken down into different categories, A, C and P. So, for example, the entry for W/E July 3, 1954 reads
1669A
698C
27P2385T
Can anyone give any help regarding the meanings of these categories A, C, and P?
Many thanks,
Mike Chopra-Gant -
July 24, 2007
Fundraising question
INDEPENDENCE, IA — I’ve recently become involved with the restoration on the Malek Theater and was reading a lot of helpful stuff on this site. What I really need to know though, is does a theater have to be a not for profit business in order to do fund raising for restoration?
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July 23, 2007
Chicago Theatre information help
I am looking for some information regarding a collection of theatre memorabilia that my grandfather left to me.
I have hundreds of what I believe to be weekly movie programs (trifold 3 x 5 flyers) with approx. 6 movie names,pictures of stars and showtimes. All the theatres included were in Chicago and with the help of your website I have learned of their present status.
Some of the theatres are Avon, Calo, Garfield, Highland, Kedzie, Kedzie Annex, New Liberty, Louis, Jeffrey, Stratford, Oak, Rogers and many more.
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July 18, 2007
Mystery Theatre
I was wondering if anyone there could identify this picture. It was incorrectly identified as the palace in Columbus, Ohio, in another source.
Thanks.
Bill Conner ASTC
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July 9, 2007
Introducing myself
I will start by saying how grateful I was when I came upon this website. There are so many people out there with my same passion!
When I moved to Dallas, Texas was when I first discovered my attraction to vintage places and things. I got a job at the Inwood Theatre during the renovations in 2005 and worked there for 2.5 years. Being a part of the re-opening was a life-changing experience.
I then started to notice the character in all the old buildings in Dallas. I plan to eventually be able to purchase and renovate a movie theatre. At the age of 19, I have a lot of planning and waiting to do. I am going to work at it, starting now, until I reach my goal.
I’m brand new at this, and I know many of you have more experience than I. If anyone has any advice to give me, it would be extremely helpful as I view my goal as a huge challenge.
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June 28, 2007
Industry trade magazines needed for research project
We are trying to locate copies of any industry trade magazines (Boxoffice, Motion Picture Herald, Showman’s Trade Review, Hollywood Reporter, Exhibitor, Variety, etc) from the following weeks:
October 3, 1953
November 28, 1953
December 19, 1953
March 20, 1954We are documenting information related to 3-D motion pictures from this period, and need issues from those weeks in order to complete our research. Any help in finding them would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Bob Furmanek
Vice President
3-D Film Preservation Fund
3-D Film Website -
June 26, 2007
Top sellers and survey questions
2 part question here….
First, what would you consider to be a concession stand top 10 (or so) best seller? Obviously popcorn and soda and water is up there….anything else and if so, any idea to what it would contribute to your percentage of sales? We find that the prepackaged jujubes/gummy candies are slow sellers and not worth stocking anymore…if we can even sell what we have left that is!
Second. Thinking of conducting a customer service survey to try and reposition our marketing, pricing, times and shows. In exchange for doing our mailout survey, people will get a free admission pass when they bring the survey to the ticket booth. What would some penetrating questions be for customers that would benefit the theatre and the people who work there? Start times? Prices? Decore? I have no idea what I would want/need to know, but one thing I do know is that we could be better than we are and the first place to go for that info is the people who use our theatre…