I was chatting with a gentlemen on Tuesday night at the Ziegfeld Theater following the screening of “West Side Story” and he mentioned these Thursday night screenings to me, saying they were a lot of fun.
Never been to this theater. Is this on St. Marks near 1st Avenue? Hardbop, is the bar you refer to the St. Marks Bar on the south east corner of that intersection? This is where the Stones filmed part of their “Waiting on a Freind” video. I’ve had a few drinks in there. Usually followed by a slice at Stromboli’s pizzeria diagonally across the way. Is that place still there?
Bob… I think it’s a matter of pride amongst us New Yorkers. Yes, it’s true that classic movie presentation in a true movie palace is happening in Jersey City and in Suffern, but there is none of that going on in New York City. To some extent, it’s still NOT happening in New York City because the Ziegfeld is not a bona fide old fashion movie palace (we seem to have razed just about every last one of them, thank you very much). But having these films exhibited in our last remaining premiere-style big single screen house is certainly noteworthy.
Craig – let me join in on commending the friendly and courteous staff at the Ziegfeld who have certainly made the series an even more enjoyable experience. They are certainly the finest crew of any theater I currently attend on a regular basis. I am also very pleased to hear that the series has been extended and I’m thrilled at the prospect of a 70mm presentation of “Lawrence of Arabia.” I hope that a nice 70mm print of “2001” can make its way into your theater before long!
The screen at the Ziegfled – while not immense as I recall the one at the old Rivoli – is nice and big, particularly from my favorite vantage point at 10th row center. I think the “proscenium” makes the screen look smaller than it is. I’m sure they could install a floor to ceiling screen, but that would take some serious remodeling and would likely spell doom for the curtain. A curve would be nice, but again, that would require considerable renovations to the front of the house (and the loss of some seats, I would imagine).
Andreco – Yup, I’m aware that WSS was not Rita Moreno’s first motion picture. What I meant to say was that the audience applauded her first appearance in the MOVIE on Tuesday night – like audiences sometimes do when a major star makes their first stage entrance in a Broadway production.
According the WSS listing on imdb.com, there was a planned intermission for the film’s roadshow engagements that was to have occcured after the fade-out just before “I Feel Pretty.” The filmmakers decided to scrap the idea, so that the rising tension within the story could be maintained up to the climactic rumble. When the movie first aired on network television in the early 1970’s, it was broadcast over two consecutive nights with the break occuring in this exact spot. The intermission is restored in the Limited Edition DVD that MGM released in 2003.
I was there with my lady last night for a wonderful Valentine’s Day… er, evening, that is. As Bill reports, a very crowded house, though not packed to the gills. The center orchestra section was densely filled (if not to capacity) and there were a fair number of folks in either of the side orchestra sections as well. We got there very early and the place was empty (only one other couple was seated) but the theater filled up rapidly as we approached 8 o’clock (showtime was 8:15 PM). I didn’t get a good look at the rear “balcony” just before the show started, but I imagine it was pretty full as well, judging from seeing the many folks who remained through the very end of the credits as they exited down the stairs.
The curtain was closed upon entering the auditorium, with none of the usual commercial slide presentations. When it opened, we were subjected to quite a number of filmed commercials – but as someone stated previously, I’ll put up with these if they subsidize the theater’s existence. The print itself was in pretty good shape, but I wouldn’t call it pristine. There were noticeable scratches and signs of wear and tear during the Overture and there were stretches where the print was a bit muddy-looking, particularly early on. Most noticeably, the beginning of the dance at the gym sequence looked very murky and faded, although once Tony showed up, the image improved noticeably. I also remember thinking how some of the skin tones (particularly the dark makeup jobs on Bernardo and The Sharks) would vary in hue, seemingly from reel to reel. However, the quality definitely got better as the film progressed and the last 1/3 of the movie in particular looked razor sharp and pretty incredible.
All of the sound seemed to be coming from the speakers behind the screen – I didn’t really pick up on any stereo effect at all. And some of the soundtrack – while good and loud – sounded a bit tinny or brash. Too bad we couldn’t get a print with surround tracks.
The movie was very well received, with the audience breaking out into applause after the Overture and many of the numbers throughout. There was even a round of applause to welcome Rita Moreno’s first screen appearance as well as some “curtain call” applause during the credits (one person started clapping at the “Panavision 70” credit, which I found amusing â€" and quite understandable!) In fairness, there were also certain aspects of the film that met with titters from the audience, mostly with respect to the miscast Richard Beymer’s performance as Tony. His “Maria” number was met enthusiastically, but much of his action during the balcony sequence evoked snickers.
The powerful final sequence of the movie was quite effective, however, with sterling work from ALL hands. You could hear a pin drop as Tony and Maria see each other for the last time in the playground and run towards each other, only to have Tony meet with a bullet from Chino’s gun. And during Maria’s meltdown and angry outburst over Tony’s body, any snickering heard previously had been replaced with the sniffling sounds of a captivated audience moved to tears.
A wonderful evening at the movies, despite my own minor reservations over the quality of the print and lack of stereo surround sound. Believe me, I would be very happy if the print of “Ben-Hur” is as good as this, but I’m still hoping for an even better quality presentation.
I snapped a few photos, but I a couple of them did not quite come out as I wanted. I plan on re-taking some of these over the weekend and I’ll post them thereafter, for anyone who is interested.
Bill and R.H… I distinctly remember seeing “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” as a solo feature during its initial run – that film was HUGE for kids my age at the time (I was also 8). I remember the movie came out just before the end of the school year in June – which was a great idea because kids who saw it had a chance to brag about it in school and encourage other kids to go out and catch it thte following weekend. I remember the poster for “Battle…” featured a large shirtless gorilla lifting a human soldier over his head and I recall wondering “when in the film is THAT going to happen?” It never did, of course.
Anyway, I could swear the “Go Ape” festival was summer of ‘74, perhaps to spur interest in the upcoming “Planet of the Apes” TV show.
Bill… I’ll be there tonight. I’ll be the one with the small silver digital camera snapping some photos of the theater. I’m very much looking forward to this.
I went “APE” as well (just like the gorilla in the Uncle Sam style poster instructed me). I saw the films at the Fox Theater in East Setauket on Long Island with my cousins who lived out there. I’m trying to remember if they played them in that order when I saw them… It sounds familiar. Anyway, someone at Fox might have thought that in that order the series made more chronological sense (since 4 takes place in the 1990’s and attempts to show that this is when “intelligent” apes started to emerge). But this thinking is a bit misguided since I think folks were pretty easily able to see how the events played out in the series connected the overall saga in a cycle, where the last film is sort of a prequel to the 1st. Also, if you start out with “Conquest…” (the 4th film), you wouldn’t know the connection between the ape Milo (who becomes Caeser) and the circus man Armando.
Anyway… was that 1973? So soon after the release of the final film that very same year? I remember the series played many theaters in the Century circuit.
I might add “Touch of Evil” and “The Big Country” to that Heston list. I also think “Will Penny” and Richard Lester’s pair of Musketeer movies deserve honorable mention.
It would be more appropriate to go with Plan 9, Jeffrey… (har har). But that is actually an excellent idea. I’d watch a movie like that. Maybe an IFC or TMC special like the excellent “Baadasssss Cinema” (about the so-called blaxploitation flicks of the ‘70’s), except the newer film would have to deal with the experiences of sitting in those faded downtown or 3rd run nabe’s as much as with the actual movies themselves. A healthy dose of film excerpts from some of the wackier fare would be in order, however.
Which movies did that last display advertise, hardbop? More grind-house fodder? If only there were a theater like the Fair in NYC playing these kinds of lurid entertainments in 35mm prints. Some of the titles I remember from the 42nd Street days include: “Invasion of the Blood Farmers”, “Killer Driller”, “Tool-Box Murders”, “Count Dracula and His Vampire Brides”, “The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula”, “The Five Deadly Venoms”, “Magnificent Ruffians”, “Fists of the White Lotus”, “Motel Hell”, “Humanoids from the Deep”, “Up From the Depths”, “Deathstalker”, “Without Warning”, “Along in the Dark”, “The Dark”… Oh the list goes on forever. Those were the days. I love bad grind-house movies, but they just aren’t the same at home on DVD. You need the smell of stale popcorn, the sticky floors and the slap reverb of a nearly empty crumbling 42nd Street movie house to truly enjoy it!
1) The images open up in a very large format requiring use of the scroll bars to see the whole photo. After you click on the photo from within the album, scroll down the the bottom of the image and you will find the photo id (i.e. “IMG_0990.jpg”) in blue hypertext font. Click on the id to open a smaller and scalable version of the image in a new window – these are much easier to view.
2) Feel free to download any of these photos onto your desktops (or link them to a website) as you wish – I reserve no copyright on any of the images. If you ever strike it rich with any of these photos, just remember me!!!
Saw Jerry everywhere from the Ritz on E. 11th (now Webster Hall), the Beacon, Capitol, Calderone and Palladium to the Nassau Coliseum, Garden and, yes, a few of those October ‘87 shows at the Lunt-Fontanne. That theater has a page here (under Globe Theater) as well. Even saw Jerry at a skating rink on Long Island in the early '80’s (Good Skates in East Setauket). I heard of the Pirates Ball. Wasn’t that a Hell’s Angels gig? It might be featured in the movie “Hells Angels Forever” which is the last film I ever saw at the great RKO Keiths in Flushing.
The Anderson Theater was another Lower East Side venue on 2nd Avenue a few blocks south of the larger Fillmore East. It was always a place for live performance and theater and never for movies, so it is not listed on this site.
You got one right here, Coney. But I was too young for the fun of the Fillmore and Anderson and 46th Street Rock Palace. I caught the tail end of the Palladium/Capitol Theater days and saw most of my shows in the ‘80’s and '90’s when they routinely played arenas. Many Jerry Garcia shows, however, at smaller venues in the '80’s.
The thing I’m wondering is… Did “The Klansman” ever arrive at the Fair?!? Or did the owner just tack this in there for “atmosphere”? This particular display case is usually found behind the heavy iron gate that is seen in that first photo securing the outer vestibule during off hours. I like to imagine that this was the last legit feature to be advertised before the place went XXX and that no one had the inclination to rip it out. There are similarly ancient posters in the sidewalk display cases of the XXX Polk Theater as well, but those actually advertise vintage 1970’s porno flicks and have been bleached from decades of exposure to the sun. If “The Klansman” has survived without as much tell-tale bleaching, perhaps that can be attributed to its shady little spot within the Fair’s vestibule.
Having a real Cinerama theater in NYC would be a dream come true. There has been some talk about this on the page for the old Mayfair/Demille/Embassy 2,3,4 site. There was also a recent news item here about someone looking to revive the vacant Embassy 2,3,4 as a 4-room complex for live performance and independent film where many CT folks implored a restoration to single screen and perhaps install 3-strip capabilities. The only problem I see with renovating the Ziegfeld for that purpose is that the theater (as has been discussed above) might be that the auditorium is too deep and narrow for maximum effectiveness as a Cinerama showcase. Configuring a new booth (or booths) may also pose a challenge, should the current booth location be inadequate for Cinerama projection within that space.
Still, It would be better than what NYC has now… which is NOTHING!!!
ERD, like Bway, I definitely understand your point about drifting too far off topic for too long and cluttering this space with unrelated content. However, as East Coast Rocker and others have pointed out, there is only so much one can say about the brick and mortar of a particular theater. While Cinema Treasures might have started out as a place to celebrate the architectural splendor of the great American Movie Palaces of old, once the decision was made by Ross and Patrick to allow members to add theaters and post comments (in essence, this is a site of our own making) CT became more than just an appreciation of form and function or design and ornamentation. It is, above all else, a place for folks like us (who share this common interest – indeed, obsession!) to connect with one another.
We are a community, for better or worse (I think for better) and certain theater pages here have become forums for folks to reminisce and share with each other the more ephemeral aspects of movie theater appreciation – and those conversations have definitely involved serious “thread drift.” Each page is a collaborative effort on the part of CT membership. And each poster has their own unique personality and M.O. That means not everyone will agree with or appreciate all the comments, but if a topic doesn’t interest you, move on to the next. Continue to contribute with your own voice, and as long as we can all remember to remain civil and tolerant of one another, I doubt seriously that Patrick or Ross will have much of a problem with threads weaving in and out of the nominal topic.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, ERD. My current digital camera does not do these magnificent spaces true justice, however. I’ll have to wait until Digital SLR cameras become a bit more affordable so that I can take advantage of their wider angle lenses!
I wonder if they’ll continue advertising each week in the Voice, or if this was a one shot deal. Warren suggested this might have gone to print in error, but perhaps there is some Giuliani-era regulation that requires such establishments to advertise their “straight” fare once a year (or at some other prescribed interval).
I forgot to ask Erik H if he demanded a refund after walking out on the poor print of MFL only an hour into the screening… And, if so, how was that demand met?
Glad to hear from you, Craig! Knowing that you care and are proactively interested in our opinions brings a big smile to my face. I wish nothing by success with the program and look forward to future series… See you guys on Tuesday night!
Comparing these to the vintage shot on the website that BG0007 posted on February 4th, it appears that the old structure immediately above the entrance was demolished and replaced by a streamlined “art deco” looking blade sign built out against the auditorium structure that is set back off the street. Additionally, the lobby seems to have been expanded into the adjacent retail space on either side of the original entrance. I recall from my most recent visit in 2004 that the escalator and stairs leading to the upstairs theaters are all the way flush against the left wall of the building.
The last photo of the side/rear of the building from across Sunrise Hwy shows the size of the auditorium.
I was chatting with a gentlemen on Tuesday night at the Ziegfeld Theater following the screening of “West Side Story” and he mentioned these Thursday night screenings to me, saying they were a lot of fun.
Never been to this theater. Is this on St. Marks near 1st Avenue? Hardbop, is the bar you refer to the St. Marks Bar on the south east corner of that intersection? This is where the Stones filmed part of their “Waiting on a Freind” video. I’ve had a few drinks in there. Usually followed by a slice at Stromboli’s pizzeria diagonally across the way. Is that place still there?
Bob… I think it’s a matter of pride amongst us New Yorkers. Yes, it’s true that classic movie presentation in a true movie palace is happening in Jersey City and in Suffern, but there is none of that going on in New York City. To some extent, it’s still NOT happening in New York City because the Ziegfeld is not a bona fide old fashion movie palace (we seem to have razed just about every last one of them, thank you very much). But having these films exhibited in our last remaining premiere-style big single screen house is certainly noteworthy.
Craig – let me join in on commending the friendly and courteous staff at the Ziegfeld who have certainly made the series an even more enjoyable experience. They are certainly the finest crew of any theater I currently attend on a regular basis. I am also very pleased to hear that the series has been extended and I’m thrilled at the prospect of a 70mm presentation of “Lawrence of Arabia.” I hope that a nice 70mm print of “2001” can make its way into your theater before long!
The screen at the Ziegfled – while not immense as I recall the one at the old Rivoli – is nice and big, particularly from my favorite vantage point at 10th row center. I think the “proscenium” makes the screen look smaller than it is. I’m sure they could install a floor to ceiling screen, but that would take some serious remodeling and would likely spell doom for the curtain. A curve would be nice, but again, that would require considerable renovations to the front of the house (and the loss of some seats, I would imagine).
Andreco – Yup, I’m aware that WSS was not Rita Moreno’s first motion picture. What I meant to say was that the audience applauded her first appearance in the MOVIE on Tuesday night – like audiences sometimes do when a major star makes their first stage entrance in a Broadway production.
According the WSS listing on imdb.com, there was a planned intermission for the film’s roadshow engagements that was to have occcured after the fade-out just before “I Feel Pretty.” The filmmakers decided to scrap the idea, so that the rising tension within the story could be maintained up to the climactic rumble. When the movie first aired on network television in the early 1970’s, it was broadcast over two consecutive nights with the break occuring in this exact spot. The intermission is restored in the Limited Edition DVD that MGM released in 2003.
Bill… I did and I was. See my comments on the Ziegfeld page.
I was there with my lady last night for a wonderful Valentine’s Day… er, evening, that is. As Bill reports, a very crowded house, though not packed to the gills. The center orchestra section was densely filled (if not to capacity) and there were a fair number of folks in either of the side orchestra sections as well. We got there very early and the place was empty (only one other couple was seated) but the theater filled up rapidly as we approached 8 o’clock (showtime was 8:15 PM). I didn’t get a good look at the rear “balcony” just before the show started, but I imagine it was pretty full as well, judging from seeing the many folks who remained through the very end of the credits as they exited down the stairs.
The curtain was closed upon entering the auditorium, with none of the usual commercial slide presentations. When it opened, we were subjected to quite a number of filmed commercials – but as someone stated previously, I’ll put up with these if they subsidize the theater’s existence. The print itself was in pretty good shape, but I wouldn’t call it pristine. There were noticeable scratches and signs of wear and tear during the Overture and there were stretches where the print was a bit muddy-looking, particularly early on. Most noticeably, the beginning of the dance at the gym sequence looked very murky and faded, although once Tony showed up, the image improved noticeably. I also remember thinking how some of the skin tones (particularly the dark makeup jobs on Bernardo and The Sharks) would vary in hue, seemingly from reel to reel. However, the quality definitely got better as the film progressed and the last 1/3 of the movie in particular looked razor sharp and pretty incredible.
All of the sound seemed to be coming from the speakers behind the screen – I didn’t really pick up on any stereo effect at all. And some of the soundtrack – while good and loud – sounded a bit tinny or brash. Too bad we couldn’t get a print with surround tracks.
The movie was very well received, with the audience breaking out into applause after the Overture and many of the numbers throughout. There was even a round of applause to welcome Rita Moreno’s first screen appearance as well as some “curtain call” applause during the credits (one person started clapping at the “Panavision 70” credit, which I found amusing â€" and quite understandable!) In fairness, there were also certain aspects of the film that met with titters from the audience, mostly with respect to the miscast Richard Beymer’s performance as Tony. His “Maria” number was met enthusiastically, but much of his action during the balcony sequence evoked snickers.
The powerful final sequence of the movie was quite effective, however, with sterling work from ALL hands. You could hear a pin drop as Tony and Maria see each other for the last time in the playground and run towards each other, only to have Tony meet with a bullet from Chino’s gun. And during Maria’s meltdown and angry outburst over Tony’s body, any snickering heard previously had been replaced with the sniffling sounds of a captivated audience moved to tears.
A wonderful evening at the movies, despite my own minor reservations over the quality of the print and lack of stereo surround sound. Believe me, I would be very happy if the print of “Ben-Hur” is as good as this, but I’m still hoping for an even better quality presentation.
I snapped a few photos, but I a couple of them did not quite come out as I wanted. I plan on re-taking some of these over the weekend and I’ll post them thereafter, for anyone who is interested.
Bill and R.H… I distinctly remember seeing “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” as a solo feature during its initial run – that film was HUGE for kids my age at the time (I was also 8). I remember the movie came out just before the end of the school year in June – which was a great idea because kids who saw it had a chance to brag about it in school and encourage other kids to go out and catch it thte following weekend. I remember the poster for “Battle…” featured a large shirtless gorilla lifting a human soldier over his head and I recall wondering “when in the film is THAT going to happen?” It never did, of course.
Anyway, I could swear the “Go Ape” festival was summer of ‘74, perhaps to spur interest in the upcoming “Planet of the Apes” TV show.
Bill… I’ll be there tonight. I’ll be the one with the small silver digital camera snapping some photos of the theater. I’m very much looking forward to this.
I went “APE” as well (just like the gorilla in the Uncle Sam style poster instructed me). I saw the films at the Fox Theater in East Setauket on Long Island with my cousins who lived out there. I’m trying to remember if they played them in that order when I saw them… It sounds familiar. Anyway, someone at Fox might have thought that in that order the series made more chronological sense (since 4 takes place in the 1990’s and attempts to show that this is when “intelligent” apes started to emerge). But this thinking is a bit misguided since I think folks were pretty easily able to see how the events played out in the series connected the overall saga in a cycle, where the last film is sort of a prequel to the 1st. Also, if you start out with “Conquest…” (the 4th film), you wouldn’t know the connection between the ape Milo (who becomes Caeser) and the circus man Armando.
Anyway… was that 1973? So soon after the release of the final film that very same year? I remember the series played many theaters in the Century circuit.
Absolutely, Jeffrey!
I might add “Touch of Evil” and “The Big Country” to that Heston list. I also think “Will Penny” and Richard Lester’s pair of Musketeer movies deserve honorable mention.
It would be more appropriate to go with Plan 9, Jeffrey… (har har). But that is actually an excellent idea. I’d watch a movie like that. Maybe an IFC or TMC special like the excellent “Baadasssss Cinema” (about the so-called blaxploitation flicks of the ‘70’s), except the newer film would have to deal with the experiences of sitting in those faded downtown or 3rd run nabe’s as much as with the actual movies themselves. A healthy dose of film excerpts from some of the wackier fare would be in order, however.
Which movies did that last display advertise, hardbop? More grind-house fodder? If only there were a theater like the Fair in NYC playing these kinds of lurid entertainments in 35mm prints. Some of the titles I remember from the 42nd Street days include: “Invasion of the Blood Farmers”, “Killer Driller”, “Tool-Box Murders”, “Count Dracula and His Vampire Brides”, “The 7 Brothers Meet Dracula”, “The Five Deadly Venoms”, “Magnificent Ruffians”, “Fists of the White Lotus”, “Motel Hell”, “Humanoids from the Deep”, “Up From the Depths”, “Deathstalker”, “Without Warning”, “Along in the Dark”, “The Dark”… Oh the list goes on forever. Those were the days. I love bad grind-house movies, but they just aren’t the same at home on DVD. You need the smell of stale popcorn, the sticky floors and the slap reverb of a nearly empty crumbling 42nd Street movie house to truly enjoy it!
By the way… two points:
1) The images open up in a very large format requiring use of the scroll bars to see the whole photo. After you click on the photo from within the album, scroll down the the bottom of the image and you will find the photo id (i.e. “IMG_0990.jpg”) in blue hypertext font. Click on the id to open a smaller and scalable version of the image in a new window – these are much easier to view.
2) Feel free to download any of these photos onto your desktops (or link them to a website) as you wish – I reserve no copyright on any of the images. If you ever strike it rich with any of these photos, just remember me!!!
Saw Jerry everywhere from the Ritz on E. 11th (now Webster Hall), the Beacon, Capitol, Calderone and Palladium to the Nassau Coliseum, Garden and, yes, a few of those October ‘87 shows at the Lunt-Fontanne. That theater has a page here (under Globe Theater) as well. Even saw Jerry at a skating rink on Long Island in the early '80’s (Good Skates in East Setauket). I heard of the Pirates Ball. Wasn’t that a Hell’s Angels gig? It might be featured in the movie “Hells Angels Forever” which is the last film I ever saw at the great RKO Keiths in Flushing.
The Anderson Theater was another Lower East Side venue on 2nd Avenue a few blocks south of the larger Fillmore East. It was always a place for live performance and theater and never for movies, so it is not listed on this site.
You got one right here, Coney. But I was too young for the fun of the Fillmore and Anderson and 46th Street Rock Palace. I caught the tail end of the Palladium/Capitol Theater days and saw most of my shows in the ‘80’s and '90’s when they routinely played arenas. Many Jerry Garcia shows, however, at smaller venues in the '80’s.
The thing I’m wondering is… Did “The Klansman” ever arrive at the Fair?!? Or did the owner just tack this in there for “atmosphere”? This particular display case is usually found behind the heavy iron gate that is seen in that first photo securing the outer vestibule during off hours. I like to imagine that this was the last legit feature to be advertised before the place went XXX and that no one had the inclination to rip it out. There are similarly ancient posters in the sidewalk display cases of the XXX Polk Theater as well, but those actually advertise vintage 1970’s porno flicks and have been bleached from decades of exposure to the sun. If “The Klansman” has survived without as much tell-tale bleaching, perhaps that can be attributed to its shady little spot within the Fair’s vestibule.
I’m guessing that we’ll never know for sure.
Having a real Cinerama theater in NYC would be a dream come true. There has been some talk about this on the page for the old Mayfair/Demille/Embassy 2,3,4 site. There was also a recent news item here about someone looking to revive the vacant Embassy 2,3,4 as a 4-room complex for live performance and independent film where many CT folks implored a restoration to single screen and perhaps install 3-strip capabilities. The only problem I see with renovating the Ziegfeld for that purpose is that the theater (as has been discussed above) might be that the auditorium is too deep and narrow for maximum effectiveness as a Cinerama showcase. Configuring a new booth (or booths) may also pose a challenge, should the current booth location be inadequate for Cinerama projection within that space.
Still, It would be better than what NYC has now… which is NOTHING!!!
ERD, like Bway, I definitely understand your point about drifting too far off topic for too long and cluttering this space with unrelated content. However, as East Coast Rocker and others have pointed out, there is only so much one can say about the brick and mortar of a particular theater. While Cinema Treasures might have started out as a place to celebrate the architectural splendor of the great American Movie Palaces of old, once the decision was made by Ross and Patrick to allow members to add theaters and post comments (in essence, this is a site of our own making) CT became more than just an appreciation of form and function or design and ornamentation. It is, above all else, a place for folks like us (who share this common interest – indeed, obsession!) to connect with one another.
We are a community, for better or worse (I think for better) and certain theater pages here have become forums for folks to reminisce and share with each other the more ephemeral aspects of movie theater appreciation – and those conversations have definitely involved serious “thread drift.” Each page is a collaborative effort on the part of CT membership. And each poster has their own unique personality and M.O. That means not everyone will agree with or appreciate all the comments, but if a topic doesn’t interest you, move on to the next. Continue to contribute with your own voice, and as long as we can all remember to remain civil and tolerant of one another, I doubt seriously that Patrick or Ross will have much of a problem with threads weaving in and out of the nominal topic.
I will now stand down from my soap box.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, ERD. My current digital camera does not do these magnificent spaces true justice, however. I’ll have to wait until Digital SLR cameras become a bit more affordable so that I can take advantage of their wider angle lenses!
Here’s an image of the Village Voice add that started this most recent thread:
View link
I wonder if they’ll continue advertising each week in the Voice, or if this was a one shot deal. Warren suggested this might have gone to print in error, but perhaps there is some Giuliani-era regulation that requires such establishments to advertise their “straight” fare once a year (or at some other prescribed interval).
Movieguy718…. the Paris and the Loew’s 72nd are both single screen houses – though admittedly not as large and plush as the Ziegfeld.
I forgot to ask Erik H if he demanded a refund after walking out on the poor print of MFL only an hour into the screening… And, if so, how was that demand met?
Glad to hear from you, Craig! Knowing that you care and are proactively interested in our opinions brings a big smile to my face. I wish nothing by success with the program and look forward to future series… See you guys on Tuesday night!
Here are some photos I took just last week showing the modern day “modernized” facade of the Fantasy Theater.
Long shot from corner of Merrick & N. Park
Facade view 1
Facade view 2
Rear view (from parking lot)
Rear profile from across Sunrise Hwy
Comparing these to the vintage shot on the website that BG0007 posted on February 4th, it appears that the old structure immediately above the entrance was demolished and replaced by a streamlined “art deco” looking blade sign built out against the auditorium structure that is set back off the street. Additionally, the lobby seems to have been expanded into the adjacent retail space on either side of the original entrance. I recall from my most recent visit in 2004 that the escalator and stairs leading to the upstairs theaters are all the way flush against the left wall of the building.
The last photo of the side/rear of the building from across Sunrise Hwy shows the size of the auditorium.