I have a pesonal subscription through Proquest that gives me access to all New York Times from the late 1800’s to about two years ago but I pay over $6000 yearly for it. You can do this but it costs quite a bit as you can see. The pages are trademarked but I can access a specific request if you want me to.
Casablanca was a Thanksgiving release that played at the Hollywood for ten weeks going right through Christmas and New Year and then moving to the Strand for another five weeks. Even at that, five weeks was a long run for the Strand though the Hollywood generally held movies for much longer.
The Roosevelt was once home to the “Quintaphonic Sound” release of LADIES & GENTLEMEN THE ROLLING STONES. The managers at the time invented the gimmick and it seemed to work. I also saw the film version of OH! CALCUTTA here.
During the late 60s and 70s it was a first sub-run double feature house and had some great shows. The Miami Herald ad always announced the following week’s shows so you could plan ahead. WAIT UNTIL DARK and COOL HAND LUKE was one memorable double.
The Patio Theatre was added behind this site in 1970 with a separate entrance and opened with LOVERS & OTHER STRANGERS. The larger 163rd Street screen was later twinned and the three screens were marketed as a triple.
“Mediterranean Holiday” was a Walter Reade attempt to cash in on the Cinerama craze. It was indeed a travelogue flop which may explain the continuous showings.
Cineplex Odeon expected to go back into this site with a new sixplex as per their contract but settled out of court after the World Wide deal was signed.
Your photo has thrown me into time travel mode like no sci-fi movie ever could. Having “dealt” with Kenmore for many years in the nasty eighties I knew it had a grand past but one single image and the eighties are now gone. This one familiar, yet foreign, image means all the world to me. Thank you and Cinema Treasures for bringing this bullet holed crackhouse back to life. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.
Anyone who has worked in the New York film industry can tell you that theatre managers have little control over the Union Projectionists. Diligent, hardworking and proud are words I can associate with many projectionists I have met around the world. Those words do not apply in New York where only a handful would qualify. The majority of New York projectionists behave like civil servants with jobs for life.
Perhaps the kid behind the counter can bring a little pride back to the job as he could actually get fired for not giving a damn.
Only in New York do theatres fail to open when it rains or snows because the projectionist won’t come to work. A living wage requires minimal standards. Local 306 demands professional wages for amateur work.
The lesson for the IFC Waverly is not to repeat Cineplex Odeon’s mistakes and corner themselves into incompetence overhead and lazy programming. They have already addressed the other issues.
Running a projector is not nuclear science and I am sure they will pay some conscientious NYU film student of their own choosing a fair rate.
I love the Waverly and this site and I feel this forum is perfect for this discussion. If we deny that poor presentation, mainstream movies, shabby seating and bully unions closed the Waverly last time, we will lose it again. Cross the picket line and support the Waverly. The local leftists may be idealist but we are not stupid. We demand excellence and reasonable prices, not crap presentations and obsolete unions.
The projectionists at the former Cineplex Odeon Waverly were always late, incompetent, overpaid and could care less about the theatre. Hurrah to the IFC for confronting the dinosaur bullies from local 306. New York movie-goers have experienced the worse projection in the Northeast for too many years. Maybe the IFC will pioneer the first good presentation in the village. Poor standards, closed shop, defending incompetence, and demanding unrealistic wages is what Local 306 brings to th etable. I hope AMC tosses them out as well and hires people who have to do their job right unstead of hide behind a union contract because they can’t be bothered. As a Union supporter I feel Local 306 is an example of why Unions get a bad rap. I will happily cross this picket line.
barrygriffin, I suspect they are probably still there as Cineplex Odeon was quite un-interested in the prints. The Toronto office was dismissive of Sterling which was still operating as a service to schools and universities. I don’t know who owns these film rights today but there were some 35mm prints of high profile titles such as ROOM AT THE TOP and TEOREMA.
This was the ABC Florida State Theatres BOULEVARD in the sixties often playing move-over runs of roadshow hits at regular prices. ABC operated it very much as a family venue. ASthe neighborhood deteriorated it became part of Leroy Griffith’s porn PUSSYCAT theatre chain. I believe the KITTY KAT was added later as the main house played DEEP THROAT for years. The Wometco Rosetta on Second Avenue faced a similar fate.
The 162 seat Evergreen started showing movies in early 1968 with FINNEGAN’S WAKE as an outlet for Grove Press Releases. It had previously run plays as the Renata. Its claim to fame was the opening of I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW) along with Cinema Rendezvous and it offered mail order reserved seats. The film played on and off for over a year. By 1970 Grove Press also moved into the Bleecker Street and temporarily renamed that the Evergreen Bleecker as well. It was caught up in a three cinema obscenity trial for showing the film CENSORSHIP IN DENMARK and by 1971 had reverted to live shows.
Don’t mistake full seats at discounted prices as profit. The Worldwide’s high rent killed any chance at profit. It was bad deal that should never have been made. It went subrun when the other Times Square theaters refused to play day and date. When it dated the same film as the National it did around 10% of the business and it took that from the National hence the discount attempt. Staffing costs and a sometimes violent crowd did not help matters. I understand the AMC Empire loses money as well.
Cineplex Odeon destroyed this cinema’s image by playing dumb mainstream comedies and move-over films instead of the specialised art films that worked so well. On films such as CROSSING DELANCEY and MY OWN PRTIVATE IDAHO that Plaza provided some of the highest grosses in the country.
Cineplex Odeon did eventually put a small concession stand in here near the end but it was the only in the circuit without postmix soft drinks. The popcorn was popped at the Plaza and brought over. Donald Trump wanted to use the area as a club and would not renew the lease.
The Cinema 3 was a primary outlet for German films for a while but that didn’t last. Cineplex Odeon booked it as a last run move-over house.
Walter Reade had its offices here until the New Ziegfeld opened when they moved there. Cineplex Odeon eventually moved their offices back here in the seventies and shut down the West 56th Street offices as well as the Ziegfeld office.
When I worked for Cineplex the basement was full of Continental Releasing film prints, Sterling Film 16mm documentaries and other relics of the Walter Reade era.
The Kenmore was in a war zone neighborhood that had shootings daily. The lobby was full of bullet holes and audiences talked right through the movie. The acoustics in the upper cinemas were appaling and the images had such severe keystoning that all ending credits looked like the beginning of STAR WARS. The staff could not stop the locals from jumping the candy counter and taking what they wanted so the mention of razor wire in the post above is not an unreasonable move. The exit corridor had barbed wire yet I personally saw a mother with a baby trying to sneak in by climbing over the wire.
In spite of its glorious past, beautiful chandelier, staircase and coal furnace (in the 90s!)the Kenmore’s more recent history involved two employees being shot, riots every time a “Chucky” film opened and a not surprising revolving door of employees. The theatres often sold out at half capacity as customers refused to sit next to strangers.
One 1980’s incident involved a naked hooker on crack running through a crowded screen, a guest of the Local 306 projectionist. This place was a bigger than life nightmare and Loews rightfully shut it down as soon as they took over Cineplex Odeon.
The landlord of the National had been trying to buy Cineplex Odeon out of the lease for years and Cineplex resisted as it wanted the Times Square presence. The Worldwide was unable to replace it as it was always unprofitable and attempts to triple the site (mentioned above) were aborted when the landlord refused to allow it at the last minute.
The National lobby was the best place to see the New Year in, a Cineplex Odeon yearly private party.
The Worldwide lost money from the day it opened to the day it closed and was the source of much grief within Cineplex Odeon. The lack of a replacement cinema at the former RKO Warner Twin site lead Cineplex Odeon to sign this loser deal which was about one block off way from the action.
Twin one projection (the old balcony) shot over the ceiling of twin two creating a fuzzy picture. The air conditioning and heat never really worked correctly, at least as a twin.
The entrance cove was a haven for the homeless until we were allowed to gate the front at the request of local residents. The place had a lot of character and was great arthouse even though Cineplex booked both this and the Waverly as mainstream.
LImovies, I was a regional manager for Cineplex Odeon. When were you there?
I have a pesonal subscription through Proquest that gives me access to all New York Times from the late 1800’s to about two years ago but I pay over $6000 yearly for it. You can do this but it costs quite a bit as you can see. The pages are trademarked but I can access a specific request if you want me to.
Casablanca was a Thanksgiving release that played at the Hollywood for ten weeks going right through Christmas and New Year and then moving to the Strand for another five weeks. Even at that, five weeks was a long run for the Strand though the Hollywood generally held movies for much longer.
This cinema was named Normandy in the seventies.
The Roosevelt was once home to the “Quintaphonic Sound” release of LADIES & GENTLEMEN THE ROLLING STONES. The managers at the time invented the gimmick and it seemed to work. I also saw the film version of OH! CALCUTTA here.
During the late 60s and 70s it was a first sub-run double feature house and had some great shows. The Miami Herald ad always announced the following week’s shows so you could plan ahead. WAIT UNTIL DARK and COOL HAND LUKE was one memorable double.
The Lauderhill was down the street from the “16th Street Lauderhill”, both operated by GCC after Loews sold them several Florida sites.
The Patio Theatre was added behind this site in 1970 with a separate entrance and opened with LOVERS & OTHER STRANGERS. The larger 163rd Street screen was later twinned and the three screens were marketed as a triple.
You can’t alway get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need.
Jennifer, I want quality projection at the Waverly. When did Local 306 ever supply that in the past?
“Mediterranean Holiday” was a Walter Reade attempt to cash in on the Cinerama craze. It was indeed a travelogue flop which may explain the continuous showings.
Cineplex Odeon expected to go back into this site with a new sixplex as per their contract but settled out of court after the World Wide deal was signed.
Thanks Warren.
Your photo has thrown me into time travel mode like no sci-fi movie ever could. Having “dealt” with Kenmore for many years in the nasty eighties I knew it had a grand past but one single image and the eighties are now gone. This one familiar, yet foreign, image means all the world to me. Thank you and Cinema Treasures for bringing this bullet holed crackhouse back to life. It’s the stuff dreams are made of.
Anyone who has worked in the New York film industry can tell you that theatre managers have little control over the Union Projectionists. Diligent, hardworking and proud are words I can associate with many projectionists I have met around the world. Those words do not apply in New York where only a handful would qualify. The majority of New York projectionists behave like civil servants with jobs for life.
Perhaps the kid behind the counter can bring a little pride back to the job as he could actually get fired for not giving a damn.
Only in New York do theatres fail to open when it rains or snows because the projectionist won’t come to work. A living wage requires minimal standards. Local 306 demands professional wages for amateur work.
The lesson for the IFC Waverly is not to repeat Cineplex Odeon’s mistakes and corner themselves into incompetence overhead and lazy programming. They have already addressed the other issues.
Running a projector is not nuclear science and I am sure they will pay some conscientious NYU film student of their own choosing a fair rate.
I love the Waverly and this site and I feel this forum is perfect for this discussion. If we deny that poor presentation, mainstream movies, shabby seating and bully unions closed the Waverly last time, we will lose it again. Cross the picket line and support the Waverly. The local leftists may be idealist but we are not stupid. We demand excellence and reasonable prices, not crap presentations and obsolete unions.
The projectionists at the former Cineplex Odeon Waverly were always late, incompetent, overpaid and could care less about the theatre. Hurrah to the IFC for confronting the dinosaur bullies from local 306. New York movie-goers have experienced the worse projection in the Northeast for too many years. Maybe the IFC will pioneer the first good presentation in the village. Poor standards, closed shop, defending incompetence, and demanding unrealistic wages is what Local 306 brings to th etable. I hope AMC tosses them out as well and hires people who have to do their job right unstead of hide behind a union contract because they can’t be bothered. As a Union supporter I feel Local 306 is an example of why Unions get a bad rap. I will happily cross this picket line.
barrygriffin, I suspect they are probably still there as Cineplex Odeon was quite un-interested in the prints. The Toronto office was dismissive of Sterling which was still operating as a service to schools and universities. I don’t know who owns these film rights today but there were some 35mm prints of high profile titles such as ROOM AT THE TOP and TEOREMA.
Cineworld Yeovil opened in April 2002 and was designed by Unick Architects. It has 1897 seats and was the 26th in the British start-up chain.
This was the ABC Florida State Theatres BOULEVARD in the sixties often playing move-over runs of roadshow hits at regular prices. ABC operated it very much as a family venue. ASthe neighborhood deteriorated it became part of Leroy Griffith’s porn PUSSYCAT theatre chain. I believe the KITTY KAT was added later as the main house played DEEP THROAT for years. The Wometco Rosetta on Second Avenue faced a similar fate.
You are correct BR. It was early 1990. Cineplex was trying to save money after the Garth Drabinsky debacle and did not have to pay extra rent here.
The 162 seat Evergreen started showing movies in early 1968 with FINNEGAN’S WAKE as an outlet for Grove Press Releases. It had previously run plays as the Renata. Its claim to fame was the opening of I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW) along with Cinema Rendezvous and it offered mail order reserved seats. The film played on and off for over a year. By 1970 Grove Press also moved into the Bleecker Street and temporarily renamed that the Evergreen Bleecker as well. It was caught up in a three cinema obscenity trial for showing the film CENSORSHIP IN DENMARK and by 1971 had reverted to live shows.
Don’t mistake full seats at discounted prices as profit. The Worldwide’s high rent killed any chance at profit. It was bad deal that should never have been made. It went subrun when the other Times Square theaters refused to play day and date. When it dated the same film as the National it did around 10% of the business and it took that from the National hence the discount attempt. Staffing costs and a sometimes violent crowd did not help matters. I understand the AMC Empire loses money as well.
Cineplex Odeon destroyed this cinema’s image by playing dumb mainstream comedies and move-over films instead of the specialised art films that worked so well. On films such as CROSSING DELANCEY and MY OWN PRTIVATE IDAHO that Plaza provided some of the highest grosses in the country.
Cineplex Odeon did eventually put a small concession stand in here near the end but it was the only in the circuit without postmix soft drinks. The popcorn was popped at the Plaza and brought over. Donald Trump wanted to use the area as a club and would not renew the lease.
The Cinema 3 was a primary outlet for German films for a while but that didn’t last. Cineplex Odeon booked it as a last run move-over house.
Walter Reade had its offices here until the New Ziegfeld opened when they moved there. Cineplex Odeon eventually moved their offices back here in the seventies and shut down the West 56th Street offices as well as the Ziegfeld office.
When I worked for Cineplex the basement was full of Continental Releasing film prints, Sterling Film 16mm documentaries and other relics of the Walter Reade era.
The Kenmore was in a war zone neighborhood that had shootings daily. The lobby was full of bullet holes and audiences talked right through the movie. The acoustics in the upper cinemas were appaling and the images had such severe keystoning that all ending credits looked like the beginning of STAR WARS. The staff could not stop the locals from jumping the candy counter and taking what they wanted so the mention of razor wire in the post above is not an unreasonable move. The exit corridor had barbed wire yet I personally saw a mother with a baby trying to sneak in by climbing over the wire.
In spite of its glorious past, beautiful chandelier, staircase and coal furnace (in the 90s!)the Kenmore’s more recent history involved two employees being shot, riots every time a “Chucky” film opened and a not surprising revolving door of employees. The theatres often sold out at half capacity as customers refused to sit next to strangers.
One 1980’s incident involved a naked hooker on crack running through a crowded screen, a guest of the Local 306 projectionist. This place was a bigger than life nightmare and Loews rightfully shut it down as soon as they took over Cineplex Odeon.
The landlord of the National had been trying to buy Cineplex Odeon out of the lease for years and Cineplex resisted as it wanted the Times Square presence. The Worldwide was unable to replace it as it was always unprofitable and attempts to triple the site (mentioned above) were aborted when the landlord refused to allow it at the last minute.
The National lobby was the best place to see the New Year in, a Cineplex Odeon yearly private party.
The Worldwide lost money from the day it opened to the day it closed and was the source of much grief within Cineplex Odeon. The lack of a replacement cinema at the former RKO Warner Twin site lead Cineplex Odeon to sign this loser deal which was about one block off way from the action.
Twin one projection (the old balcony) shot over the ceiling of twin two creating a fuzzy picture. The air conditioning and heat never really worked correctly, at least as a twin.
The entrance cove was a haven for the homeless until we were allowed to gate the front at the request of local residents. The place had a lot of character and was great arthouse even though Cineplex booked both this and the Waverly as mainstream.
LImovies, I was a regional manager for Cineplex Odeon. When were you there?