i was wondering during the prime roadshow period
(1952-1972) which Chicago theaters did studios regularly
use for their roadshow engagements? Manhattan had 7.
I have always believed part of the somewhat off
reputation this film has is Carol Channing devotees
venting their frustration at her not getting the
film role. aside the age thing for me Streisand WAS
Dolly Levi, a matchmaker in 1890s NYC.
as with life in general in the movies “beauty is in the eye
of the beholder”. to which I find Hello Dolly a much more
enjoyable movie experience that(I’ll probably be struck down
by lighting) Singing in the Rain. I find its sumptuous
production part of its allure. Kelly made a wise decision
when he decided to shoot 1890s Yonkers on location per se
in Garrison, N.Y. also Streisand was Dolly Levi. I don’t
see Channing as possibly being as good a Dolly Levi as her.
Hello Dolly is one of those films which in my opinion does
not deserve its somewhat off reputation. like when Cleopatra
opened June 1963 when HD opened Dec. 1969 in terms of the
dollar value of the day it was to expensive a film to possibly
break even unless it had a REALLY long run.
when films went from roadshow to continuous performances
in the same theater how did they advertise the change? if
they advertised the change several weeks before the
roadshow run ended wouldn’t people wait to see it less
expensively as a continuous performance screening?
on the 1st page of the photo section there’s an ad for
Camelot which had a decent roadshow run at this theater.
in fact vindanpar thought so and added “it pretty much
died as a roadshow in New York”. how is 34 weeks “pretty
died as a roadshow in New York”?
with the possible imminent closing of the Paris and the
ABRUPT closing of the 86 St. East what going on with
City Cinemas? the 86 St. East closing was so abrupt even
the staff was caught off guard.
to MSC77 many thanks for the info. I am a native New Yorker
and am fascinated by how films which opened on roadshow runs
in Manhattan fared in San Francisco. I am especially
interested in which S.F. theaters were regularly used by
the studios for their roadshow engagements. I eagerly look
forward to the site that is a work in progress that you
were kind enough to send me the link to.
in the meantime a question. as I said in my original post
The Ten Commandments roadshow run at the Criterion lasted
well over a year. yet in S.F. it only lasted 12 weeks. why?
the only reason I can think of is S.F. is a good deal
smaller than NYC so I’m guessing anyone in the Bay area
who wanted to see it saw it in the first 12 weeks. what’s
your take?
a friend of mine told me The Ten Commandments(1956)
roadshow run at this theater lasted only 15 weeks. TTC’S
roadshow run at the Criterion in Manhattan lasted well
over a year. is the length of TTC’s roadshow run at this
theater correct?
to Mike(saps) thanks for the info. on the photo pages for
this theater is the ad from when the film opened and was
surprised to see it was rated R. I was never aware it had
been officially rated. I remember some the sex scenes
being quite graphic so I’m surprised it didn’t get an X
rating at the time.
I rather enjoyed A Very Natural Thing which opened here
the summer of 1974. its one of the top gay themed films
ever in my opinion. oddly I don’t think its ever been
issued on home video, vhs or dvd let alone Blu-ray.
to stevenJ thanks for the reply. you’d expect since the
exterior was a façade on the Columbia lot they’d at least
build one that actually looked like the New Amsterdam Theater.
at the beginning of Funny Girl Barbra Streisand walks into
what is supposed to be the New Amsterdam Theater on 42 St..
as any native New Yorker will tell you the interior looked
nothing liked the New Amsterdam. this has always been a big
mistake for me. to which what L.A. theater was used for the
interior of the New Amsterdam?
in my search for the 1st purpose movie theater in Manhattan
a fellow poster mentioned a theater with the name City
Photoplays which I had never heard of. i later found the
theater on a list but can’t remember the website. i thought
my fellow poster might have meant the Variety Photoplays
at 3rd Ave. & 14 St.. but the list i found listed a seating
capacity that would have been too for the Variety Photolays.
so where was the City Photoplays theater to which my'
fellow poster referred?
traveling west along 116 St. just before you get to 3rd Ave.
one sees that the auditorium section still exits. has it been
gutted or simply covered over for retail use?
I thank my fellow moviegoers for info on the roadshow
engagement policy. now does anyone know of a first rate
book on the subject? Kim Holston’s “Movie Roadshows”
not only a few mistakes but omits films altogether as well.
I thank everyone for help with my “first theater built from
the ground up with the intent of showing movies” question.
opened Feb. 1913 and the Rialto opened April 1916. so wouldn’t
the Crescent which was located at 36 W. 135 St. and opened
on the night of Dec. 16, 1909 be the first. granted it was
built to showcase both films and live acts but weren’t the
Regent and the Rialto built as combo houses as well?
thanks to robboehm for your reply. my astonishment was not
so much on the length of TDOAF’S reserved seat rum at the
Palace but that in S.F. it wasn’t even a roadshow run at
all. it has always fascinated me why a studio would open
a film on a roadshow run in one city but not others. I always
assumed if a film opened on a roadshow run in Manhattan it
did so I every city it opened in.
a question for my fellow moviegoers. for the first several
years of the movie biz whatever “movie theaters” existed in
Manhattan were music halls. vaudeville theaters and
legitimate theaters etc… renovated to show movies. but I
have always wanted to find which was the 1st theater built
in Manhattan brick by brick from the ground up with the
intent of being a movie theater. any guesses as to the answer
or how to find out?
it was customary when a roadshow engagement finished the
film would move to another 1st run theater in Manhattan
on “continuous performances at popular prices”. but does
anyone remember a roadshow engagement that went from
reserved seat to continuous performances at popular
prices in the same theater?
Hello from NYC-
i was wondering during the prime roadshow period (1952-1972) which Chicago theaters did studios regularly use for their roadshow engagements? Manhattan had 7.
Hello-
I have always believed part of the somewhat off reputation this film has is Carol Channing devotees venting their frustration at her not getting the film role. aside the age thing for me Streisand WAS Dolly Levi, a matchmaker in 1890s NYC.
Hello-
as with life in general in the movies “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. to which I find Hello Dolly a much more enjoyable movie experience that(I’ll probably be struck down by lighting) Singing in the Rain. I find its sumptuous production part of its allure. Kelly made a wise decision when he decided to shoot 1890s Yonkers on location per se in Garrison, N.Y. also Streisand was Dolly Levi. I don’t see Channing as possibly being as good a Dolly Levi as her.
Hello-
Hello Dolly is one of those films which in my opinion does not deserve its somewhat off reputation. like when Cleopatra opened June 1963 when HD opened Dec. 1969 in terms of the dollar value of the day it was to expensive a film to possibly break even unless it had a REALLY long run.
Hello-
when films went from roadshow to continuous performances in the same theater how did they advertise the change? if they advertised the change several weeks before the roadshow run ended wouldn’t people wait to see it less expensively as a continuous performance screening?
Hello-
on the 1st page of the photo section there’s an ad for Camelot which had a decent roadshow run at this theater. in fact vindanpar thought so and added “it pretty much died as a roadshow in New York”. how is 34 weeks “pretty died as a roadshow in New York”?
Hello-
with the possible imminent closing of the Paris and the ABRUPT closing of the 86 St. East what going on with City Cinemas? the 86 St. East closing was so abrupt even the staff was caught off guard.
Hello-
with the imminent closing of the Paris and very abrupt closing in May of the 86 St. East I hope this theater is on sounder footing.
Hello-
to MSC77 many thanks for the info. I am a native New Yorker and am fascinated by how films which opened on roadshow runs in Manhattan fared in San Francisco. I am especially interested in which S.F. theaters were regularly used by the studios for their roadshow engagements. I eagerly look forward to the site that is a work in progress that you were kind enough to send me the link to.
in the meantime a question. as I said in my original post The Ten Commandments roadshow run at the Criterion lasted well over a year. yet in S.F. it only lasted 12 weeks. why? the only reason I can think of is S.F. is a good deal smaller than NYC so I’m guessing anyone in the Bay area who wanted to see it saw it in the first 12 weeks. what’s your take?
Hello-
I read a lot via computer, magazines and newspapers and have not come across a single item about the Paris' imminent closing.
Hello-
a friend of mine told me The Ten Commandments(1956) roadshow run at this theater lasted only 15 weeks. TTC’S roadshow run at the Criterion in Manhattan lasted well over a year. is the length of TTC’s roadshow run at this theater correct?
Hello –
to Mike(saps) thanks for the info. on the photo pages for this theater is the ad from when the film opened and was surprised to see it was rated R. I was never aware it had been officially rated. I remember some the sex scenes being quite graphic so I’m surprised it didn’t get an X rating at the time.
Hello from NYC-
did this theater ever host any roadshow engagements in the 1952-172 period?
Hello-
I rather enjoyed A Very Natural Thing which opened here the summer of 1974. its one of the top gay themed films ever in my opinion. oddly I don’t think its ever been issued on home video, vhs or dvd let alone Blu-ray.
Hello-
to stevenJ thanks for the reply. you’d expect since the exterior was a façade on the Columbia lot they’d at least build one that actually looked like the New Amsterdam Theater.
Hello from NYC-
at the beginning of Funny Girl Barbra Streisand walks into what is supposed to be the New Amsterdam Theater on 42 St.. as any native New Yorker will tell you the interior looked nothing liked the New Amsterdam. this has always been a big mistake for me. to which what L.A. theater was used for the interior of the New Amsterdam?
if i am not mistaken this was always a 1st run theater. to which what was the last film to play here before the Directors Guild too kit over?
Hello-
in my search for the 1st purpose movie theater in Manhattan a fellow poster mentioned a theater with the name City Photoplays which I had never heard of. i later found the theater on a list but can’t remember the website. i thought my fellow poster might have meant the Variety Photoplays at 3rd Ave. & 14 St.. but the list i found listed a seating capacity that would have been too for the Variety Photolays. so where was the City Photoplays theater to which my' fellow poster referred?
Hello-
traveling west along 116 St. just before you get to 3rd Ave. one sees that the auditorium section still exits. has it been gutted or simply covered over for retail use?
Hello-
I thank my fellow moviegoers for info on the roadshow engagement policy. now does anyone know of a first rate book on the subject? Kim Holston’s “Movie Roadshows” not only a few mistakes but omits films altogether as well.
Hello-
I thank everyone for help with my “first theater built from the ground up with the intent of showing movies” question. opened Feb. 1913 and the Rialto opened April 1916. so wouldn’t the Crescent which was located at 36 W. 135 St. and opened on the night of Dec. 16, 1909 be the first. granted it was built to showcase both films and live acts but weren’t the Regent and the Rialto built as combo houses as well?
Hello-
thanks to robboehm for your reply. my astonishment was not so much on the length of TDOAF’S reserved seat rum at the Palace but that in S.F. it wasn’t even a roadshow run at all. it has always fascinated me why a studio would open a film on a roadshow run in one city but not others. I always assumed if a film opened on a roadshow run in Manhattan it did so I every city it opened in.
Hello-
a question for my fellow moviegoers. for the first several years of the movie biz whatever “movie theaters” existed in Manhattan were music halls. vaudeville theaters and legitimate theaters etc… renovated to show movies. but I have always wanted to find which was the 1st theater built in Manhattan brick by brick from the ground up with the intent of being a movie theater. any guesses as to the answer or how to find out?
Hello-
it was customary when a roadshow engagement finished the film would move to another 1st run theater in Manhattan on “continuous performances at popular prices”. but does anyone remember a roadshow engagement that went from reserved seat to continuous performances at popular prices in the same theater?
Hello-
why does this theater have an absurdly long time between the 8:35a.m. and 1:40p.m.showings of Long Shot?