Loew's Jersey Theatre

GDellaFa on October 7, 2010 at 4:23 pm

Hi Rob, Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions in depth. I forgot that one cannot see such details from 60+ feet away. If the curtains are in such bad shape that they are falling under their own weight, they should come down. New drapes, medallions, etc. that size must cost a small fortune; but I’m sure that they will be restored eventually. Really looking forward to the new traveler. That will make a world of difference in terms of a good presentation.

I worry about this theatre, but I’m glad to hear that it is in such good hands. The radiator grills look fine and are a vast improvement over no grills at all. They will blend in very well.

Of course, anything that affects the presentation has to be dealt with first. Ornament can come later. I believe you’re doing it in the right order: stabilize the building (done), get the mechanical and stage systems working (in progress), and then restore the interior surfaces.

Again, thanks for answering my questions.

All the best,

Gabe

RobMinichino on October 6, 2010 at 9:16 pm

Hi GabeTDF. I’m glad you enjoyed the recent presentation of “The Mark of Zorro.”

The medallions over the swags have been removed from the pelmet and are being kept safe for replacement. The other missing pieces of the pelmet, the center swag and the straight back curtain, were deteriorated to the point where they were tearing under their own weight and had to be taken down. We are having them recreated, reusing the original fringe. Our drapery company expects to have the replacement pieces done in a couple of weeks, and we will have them hung shortly thereafter.

The jeweled curtains in front of the organ chambers have met the same fate, deteriorated to the point where they tore down under their own weight. These are more difficult to access, requiring scaffolding in the auditorium. In the future we will have them recreated, and in the meantime we may hang a less ornate but still appropriate scrim. Unfortunately, this will not happen before next summer at the earliest.

Another unexpected surprise from our textiles came when we scaffolded up to our top screen masking to repair where it was sagging into the upper-left corner of the screen. We found that it, too, had deteriorated, and the eyelets that allow the masking to pleat out of frame had been ripping out under the curtain’s weight. In light of this, we have ordered an entirely new upper masking, and our drapery company expects to have this ready next week. In the mean time we have been manually tieing up the masking so it does not interfere with the picture. Since we cannot reach the top of the masking with scaffolding, we will need to rent a special lift to allow us to install the new masking where it attaches on our screen frame, 30 feet up.

We decided that, while we have that lift, we can use it to hang a new traveler curtain to replace our existing damaged one. We are in the process of ordering this curtain, and once it and the masking arrive, we will be installing both.

While we had the scaffolding up, we were able to move the electrical cord that was hanging into our 1.85 and scope frames so that it no longer interferes (finally!).

As far as the radiator grilles go, they were missing, and the fire department (completely correctly) insisted that the openings be covered so that they didn’t collect (combustable) trash. I suggested the perforated steel grilles that we have there now; they are primed and set to be painted an appropriate bronze color to de-emphasize them in the outer lobby space. They, like many other fixtures in the Loew’s, are simply placeholders for a true restoration, and we make no pretense otherwise.

Alto on October 1, 2010 at 11:36 am

SPECIAL SCREENING this Saturday – FOL and GSTOS present…

October 2nd Academy Theater:30 PM: The Mark of Zorro (1920) (silent film with LIVE “Wonder Morton” organ). Doors and box office open Academy Theater PM.

CLASSIC FILM SERIES – upcoming weekends…

October: annual “classic horror weekend” (a week before Halloween) –Brides of Dracula (1960) , Son of Frankenstein (1939) and Nosferatu (1922) (silent film with LIVE “Wonder Morton” organ).

November sneak peek: a tribute to a famous former Hoboken resident (and past Loew’s customer)… a “Sinatra weekend” is being finalized! – On the Town (1949) , From Here to Eternity (1953) , Ocean’s Eleven (1960) and Von Ryan’s Express (1965) are the prime candidates, of which THREE will be chosen and screened (titles subject to change, TBA at Friends of the Loew’s – schedule forthcoming).

JodarMovieFan on September 23, 2010 at 5:42 pm

How about showing 70mm movies, or better yet, a 70mm festival in the near future..like before the end of the year? :)

mdvoskin on September 16, 2010 at 5:34 pm

[size=4][color=red]The Landmark Loews Jersey â€" The Wonder Theatre Of New Jersey[/color][/size]

The weekend of September 24th and 25th, The Landmark Loews Jersey Theatre located on Journal Square in Jersey City, New Jersey, continues its 9th consecutive year of classic films and kicks off its fall season with some of the best films Alfred Hitchcock never made. These are films that have a Hitchcock feel to them, but he had nothing to do with.

The theatre is located directly across from the PATH subway station connecting Manhattan with Jersey City, it is also easy to reach from most area highways. Secure discounted parking is located directly behind the theatre. Have your parking ticket validated at the theatre’s boxoffice.

All Show Are Presented In 35mm With Genuine Carbon Arc Projection On Our Giant 50 Foot Wide Screen.

Friday September 24th at 8:00pm â€" Peeping Tom (1960)

Starring Carl Boehm, Moira Shearer. Directed by Michael Powell. (106 Minutes)

This British-made film premiered within a few months of “Psycho,” and the two are often compared. Indeed, “Peeping Tom,” about a psychologically damaged young man driven to kill women, is every bit the dark story of madness and murder that “Psycho” is. It also shares themes of voyeurism and repressed desire with “Rear Window” and “Vertigo.” But if those three films ultimately cemented Hitchcock’s reputation as “The Master” of psychological thriller and horror films, “Peeping Tom” all but destroyed the career of Michael Powell, who had been one of Britain’s top directors. It was denounced and banned as prurient exploitation, and all but forgotten until Martin Scorsese lauded it as groundbreaking and personally arranged for its re-release. It is both more frank and yet more subtle in its exploration of its themes than any of Hitchcock’s works. And it is also a provoking meditation on the appeal of cinema, which is inherently voyeuristic. A half century later, it retains its considerable psychological impact. Don’t miss this 35mm rare screening.

Saturday September 25th at 6:00pm â€" The Stranger (1946)

Starring Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young. Directed by Orson Welles. (95 Minutes)

This film is a cat-and-mouse hunt to unmask a Nazi war criminal hiding in a sleepy Connecticut town still brims with Welles’s flair, such as his extraordinary use of lighting and shadow, long focus and dramatic camera angles. It’s also a first-rate thriller thanks to a great performance by Welles, and also by Robinson. The theme is a familiar one to Hitchcock fans, evil amid the ordinary.

Saturday June 25th at 8:20pm â€" Charade (1963)

Starring Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, James Coburn. Directed by Stanley Donen. (113 Minutes)

Audrey Hepburn is an innocent woman caught in a web of intrigue and deceit when her husband is murdered and she discovers she knew very little about him that was true. As she is pursued by three men who were apparently her husband’s accomplices in the theft of a large sum of money, she looks to Cary Grant for help — but it turns out he has layers of secrets too, including multiple aliases. Soon, neither the increasingly desperate Hepburn nor the audience knows what to believe or whom to trust. Stanley Donen, better known for making musicals, borrowed some of Hitchcock’s favorite plot devices to craft this stylish thriller that also mixes in romance and comedy. Includes beautiful location cinematography of early ‘60s Paris, and a great score by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini.

Visit The Landmark Loews Jersey web site for details.

[size=1]The Landmark Loews Jersey Theatre[/size]

TLSLOEWS on September 15, 2010 at 11:07 am

Got an e-mail today from Friends of the Loews about their 3rd.Season? Schedule,looks like they are back in action.

GDellaFa on August 26, 2010 at 6:01 pm

In my humble opinion, this film also deserves to be shown at the Loew’s Jersey Theatre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgpfMxYFSmE

Truly an amazing film.

The Loew’s has so much going for it. The venue is very nearly unique in its ability to show vintage movies, and it is so close to New York. What a combination!!

Bolorkay is right. The Friend’s of the Loew’s deserve the highest amount of praise in bringing this great movie palace back to life. I can’t wait to see the new improvements as they come along.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned that the Loew’s Jersey was my home town movie theatre in the 1960s-1980s. I’m spoiled for life. Multi-plex, shmulti-plex. Bah!

GDellaFa on August 25, 2010 at 6:46 pm

Thanks for the information, Rob. Too bad that they were cut back then , but thank goodness more harm wasn’t done to the auditorium at that time.

Have you ever considered showing this movie? I would love to see this on the big screen with those carbon arc projectors:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTIgbXtRW4I

It certainly would be flattering to what you’ve got in the Loew’s.

Just a thought.

TLSLOEWS on August 11, 2010 at 1:37 pm

Thanks Gabe I just remember they are closed due to no air.Reopen in September.

Robert Kratky on June 11, 2010 at 5:27 am

I think “gallion”’s phrase about the Loew’s in Newark really says it all when it come to the great Landmark Loew’s Jersey..

“The site is now a parking lot.” !!!!!
All of us who love these old movie palaces owe a resounding “thank you” to Mr. Egan and “The Friends of the Loew’s” (I’m sure they’d love to hear this as well from all of the audience members at each monthly film program.)

In a totally different direction……
– (I know it’s a bit early, but…) Any idea when the Fall Film Programs will be announced ?

RobMinichino on June 6, 2010 at 2:11 pm

That’s not entirely accurate. While we do reduce the height of the image for scope, we also increase the width. The screen areas used for 1.85 and 2.39 are close, with 2.39 ever so slightly bigger, with the 1.85 image at 41'x22' and the 2.39 image at 20'x47'. The lenses we have for 70mm will make it (appropriately) our largest format, at 22.5'x49.5'.

We remain constrained by the width of the proscenium, at exactly 50' plaster to plaster. A larger screen would require a screen frame in front of the proscenium, which, while possible, is impractical for the current and future uses of the theatre.

RobMinichino on June 1, 2010 at 10:59 am

We mask all formats appropriately. Our screen and proscenium have a 2:1 aspect ratio, and we project all formats at the maximum possible size (side masking for silent, 1.37:1, and 1.85:1, and top masking for 2.39:1).