here is a shot taken in 1992, taken in a hurry as it was a rough crowd and didnt want to lose my camera at knife-point View link
The Show Palace was a complete sleazy hole, you walked up to the first floor to the “box office” and then on into a series of grubby rooms, a couple showing hardcore gay porn on video projection with cheap plastic seats and a strong smell of disinfectant, then there was the main show room with seats around a central stage against a back wall of grubby mirrors, this is where the resident porn stars would bump and grind naked, the audience could touch them but they could not touch other audience members (a big no-no, described as “an insult to the artist” by the doorman)
The Show Palace was immortalised by Marc Almond (Soft Cell) in his song Champagne on his album Tenement Symphony
“takes the subway early afternoon, downtown to eighth avenue, to the show palace theatre, where champagne bares all in a low rent nude revue, in the darkness shadow people, stare at champagne glassy eyed, takes the tips and imitates a smile, waits for the aching to subside” – marc almond
Needless to say the Show Palace was swept away with the redevelopment of 42nd Street in the mid 90’s
three exterior shots from July 2008
the Rossio is in use as a strip club and porn cinema, once through the red curtains you are in a small square room with one man porn cabins along 2 walls and in the middle of the room, a central circular strip booth with individual booths around it.
There is no decoration internally but the exterior is a magnificent riot of art nouveaux detailing including the original box office View link http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2671436665/ View link
July 2008 views here:
exterior – in very poor rusting condition with shards of broken glass hanging out of the frames View link
close up of the crumbling facade View link
ghostly abandonded lobby View link
corner with rusting neon signage View link
in close up View link
seen here in june 1992, i had just done the marquee for the opening of The Lover starring Jane March (the sinner from pinner as the press named her)
i was manager at Dudley from 1991 to 1994 View link
front view View link
the huge iron tower on the front was meant to represent the former steelworks upon which the cinema and shopping centre were built. Internally the cinema was a carbon copy of the american AMC sites of the time, with auditoriums in dark pink and maroon.
The screens originally seated 350 x 2, 254 x 2, 224 x 4, 175 x 2.
In its glory days the cinema topped annual attendances of 1.1million customers per year, since then it has faced increased local competition from the nearby Showcase 14.
photo taken just before the demolition crew moved in, this panel of original plasterwork was removed and stored and was to have been displayed in the new Apollo lobby. http://flickr.com/photos/woody1969/63380109/
seen here on a sunny day around 2000/2001
View link
here is a shot taken in 1992, taken in a hurry as it was a rough crowd and didnt want to lose my camera at knife-point
View link
The Show Palace was a complete sleazy hole, you walked up to the first floor to the “box office” and then on into a series of grubby rooms, a couple showing hardcore gay porn on video projection with cheap plastic seats and a strong smell of disinfectant, then there was the main show room with seats around a central stage against a back wall of grubby mirrors, this is where the resident porn stars would bump and grind naked, the audience could touch them but they could not touch other audience members (a big no-no, described as “an insult to the artist” by the doorman)
The Show Palace was immortalised by Marc Almond (Soft Cell) in his song Champagne on his album Tenement Symphony
“takes the subway early afternoon, downtown to eighth avenue, to the show palace theatre, where champagne bares all in a low rent nude revue, in the darkness shadow people, stare at champagne glassy eyed, takes the tips and imitates a smile, waits for the aching to subside” – marc almond
Needless to say the Show Palace was swept away with the redevelopment of 42nd Street in the mid 90’s
fascinating interior photos here showing the shocking mess inside and years of decay
View link
the building is under threat of demolition for a large redevelopment of this part of the high street
a night time shot of the Howard Johnson’s and Gaiety Burlesque buildings on 46th st shortly before demolition
View link
view from the mid 70’s of the Pigalle showing x rated german and swedish sex films
http://flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2697666655/
Parque Mayer is tucked away just off the main street in Lisbon and is like going back into some wierd time warp, there are four theatres grouped around a car park, the Capitolio, teatro maria vitoria, teatro ABC and the teatro Variedades.
All in use except the Capitolio which is a magnificent but crumbling wreak, lots of water has got into the reinforced concrete giving the building a leporous exterior
exterior
View link
View link
frontage
View link
front doors with equally rough looking kitty
View link
ghostly lobby doors
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2672771520/
teatro variedades opposite front doors of the capitolio
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2672256896/
teatro ABC next door
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2671930507/
teatro marai vitoria opposite
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2671444473/
entry to parque mayer with amazing huge deco lights
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2671966877/
View link
three exterior shots from July 2008
the Rossio is in use as a strip club and porn cinema, once through the red curtains you are in a small square room with one man porn cabins along 2 walls and in the middle of the room, a central circular strip booth with individual booths around it.
There is no decoration internally but the exterior is a magnificent riot of art nouveaux detailing including the original box office
View link
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2671436665/
View link
exterior shots July 2008 looking immaculate
exterior
View link
View link
lobby
View link
July 2008 views here:
exterior – in very poor rusting condition with shards of broken glass hanging out of the frames
View link
close up of the crumbling facade
View link
ghostly abandonded lobby
View link
corner with rusting neon signage
View link
in close up
View link
recent refurbed lobby and exterior signage and new black marquee
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2559467140/
six months later the canopy still has a wonky letter P
View link
frontage in july 08
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2664618621/
rear of the building facing the current 10 screen odeon (former uci)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2665458252/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2664622577/
frontage
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2665436920/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2664614585/
seen here in june 1992, i had just done the marquee for the opening of The Lover starring Jane March (the sinner from pinner as the press named her)
i was manager at Dudley from 1991 to 1994
View link
front view
View link
the huge iron tower on the front was meant to represent the former steelworks upon which the cinema and shopping centre were built. Internally the cinema was a carbon copy of the american AMC sites of the time, with auditoriums in dark pink and maroon.
The screens originally seated 350 x 2, 254 x 2, 224 x 4, 175 x 2.
In its glory days the cinema topped annual attendances of 1.1million customers per year, since then it has faced increased local competition from the nearby Showcase 14.
only lasted a few months
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2411131966/
canopy close-up
would be nice if they had replaced all the blown bulbs
beginning of the end for the Granada, scaffolding is going up and the roof is coming off
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2410315415/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2410317867/
heres a link to a photo displayed in the empire/amc 25, it shows the empire being moved and to the left the wrapped lobby block and auditorium block of the Liberty
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/73312411/
and a photo i took in 1992 of the Liberty showing Trespass and the already closed Empire next door
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/78605124/
41st street rear wall of the auditorium with the new hotel built around and above in nov 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2008473994/
42nd street facade buried under the signage for Ripleys – you can just make out some of the detail – nov 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2007746477/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2008638838/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2008665148/
the mosaic floor shortly before it was removed
http://flickr.com/photos/woody1969/121533600/
photo taken just before the demolition crew moved in, this panel of original plasterwork was removed and stored and was to have been displayed in the new Apollo lobby.
http://flickr.com/photos/woody1969/63380109/
another shot taken last autumn
http://flickr.com/photos/woody1969/1402966207/
it was the empire that moved further down towards 8th ave (almost to the site of the Avco)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/73312411/
recent photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattviews/2284783582/
scan of a flyer for the Aaben Cinetheque from Oct 1988 (or possibly 1989)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2313596474/