Broadway Theatre
1681 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
1681 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
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The page for the Broadway Theatre in Roland Lataille’s database of Cinerama theaters has a picture of the ground floor booths for Cinerama at the Broadway. Considering that the center booth shows only a single projection port, my guess would be that the high booth was used for the prologue. See http://cinerama.topcities.com/ctbroadway.htm
Back on Feb 19, 2010, Ret. AKC(NAC) Bob Jensen answered a question regarding Cinerama presentation that I had posed 4 years earlier. I would now like to take this opportunity, more than a year AFTER that response, to say “Many thanks, Sir!”
And re-register for notifications on this page, while I’m at it.
This photograph of the B.S. Moss Broadway Theatre was taken in 1931 by George Mann of the comedy dance team, Barto and Mann.
Here’s the link:
View link
Here’s a very early photo of the Colony Theater
“Fantasia”, longest run in the history of talking pictures:
View link
Interior & exterior photos, including historic ones:
http://www.ibdb.com/venueimages.php?id=1496
Ed Solero-
I don’t think your question of Jan 10, 2006 was ever answered.
“for the CINERAMA exhibition, did they use the high projection booth? Or did they build a booth at the rear of the orchestra?”
Here’s the answer, over 4 years later!
They actually built 3 booths at the rear of the orchestra.
This causes me to want to know, did they use the high projection booth for the black and white, standard film, Lowell Thomas Prologue or the Bravo Booth?
I’m with AGR on this. In 1996 a Dayton, Ohio theater installed Cinerama for what was supposed to be a two-week run. It wound up running for more than three years (weekends only). I realize NYC has more tourist attractions than Dayton, but still … :) And Cinerama still draws crowds in LA whenever it is shown there.
It’s a shame NYC does not have a Cinerama theater like LA and Seattle. It would be a big tourism attraction.
A few more details on CINERAMA at the Broadway.
This, of course, was a 3-strip CINERAMA location.
It had a 146 degree LOUVERED, 78 ft by 26 ft, screen!
The first CINERAMA movie, THIS IS CINERAMA, had it’s World Premiere at the Broadway on Tuesday, September 30, 1952. It ran for 35 weeks, till Thursday, June, 4 1953!
THIS IS CINERAMA then transfered to the Warner Theater, on Friday, June 5, 1953 and ran for another 88 weeks!
This means THIS IS CINERAMA had a 123 week run (THAT’S ALMOST 2 YEARS AND 5 MONTHS!), the longest running movie engagement in the history on New York City!
“Ladies and Gentlemen, THIS IS CINERAMA!” Lowell Thomas, September 30, 1952
Skinner Organ Company of Boston, Massachusetts installed a pipe organ in the Broadway/Colony Theater in 1924. It was Opus 485, a 4 Manual/32 Rank with 2,153 pipes. I know it was played by George Brock in 1927 and that’s the last thing I can find out about the organ. Anyone know what happened to this organ after that?
Oops, forgot to mention a date: c 1926
My grandmother “performed” as a lingerie model/dancer? in a/the Parisian Lingerie Revue. The first production was presented before the movie “Devil’s Island” with Pauline Frederick, and the second edition of the revue played before a production of “Oh Baby”, a play with Graham McNamee, a few weeks later. I’m writing about her experiences on Broadway and am looking for more info on this time period and these particular performances. If anyone’s interested, I can post playbill and ads for these shows.
Plenty of showmanship and style in that program. Makes you want to attend that theatre. I appreciate S. Porridge letting us see it.
Renewing link.
Link to a 1927 program from the Colony:
View link
Visited the Broadway in 2003 to see Baz Luhrmann’s “La Boheme” — thanks to all for filling in the history and various aliases.
Thanks, Warren. Never saw that marquee before. I love the old ones, with the individually-placed letters. I was always intrigued when moviehouses outside New York used the names of actors who weren’t necessarily the top-billed ones, violating the contractual billing, so to speak, to favor a hometown actor, a singer who was at a local nightclub, etc.
But I did like the Broadway Theatre’s script-like marquee from the 1980s and 1990s.
As a Broadway theater during the past few decades, the Broadway had one of the best marquees in Manhattan. No more. Does the city prevent theaters from maintaining old-style marquees or is the theater owners who keep shrinking them or replacing them with nondescipt new marquees?
Nana Mouskouri 1977
You forgot Nana Mouskouri in 1977 or credit to IBDB.COM.
The Broadway/Colony showcased Vaudeville in the thirties and has presented some non-play stage shows since, such as Robin William and Elvis Costello performing live.
daytime exterior shot taken nov 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/2007960099/
The photos I posted in January are now located in this Broadway Theater album, now that I’ve reorganized my photobucket album.
here is the theatre’s name timeline.
The B.S. Moss’s Colony Theatre opened on Dec. 25th, 1924.
Universal’s Colony Theatre reopened Feb. 7th, 1926, Film.
B.S. Moss’s Broadway Theatre reopened Dec. 8th, 1930, Film.
Earl Carroll’s Broadway Theatre reopened Sept. 27th, 1932, Legit.
Broadway Theatre reopened Dec. 26th, 1932, Vaudeville house.
B.S. Moss’s Broadway Theatre reopened Oct. 12th, 1935, Film.
Cine Roma 1937, Film.
Broadway Theatre 1939, Film
The B.S. Moss stands for Benjamin S. Moss, who was a theatre owner and operator. The Shubert’s bought the house in 1939.
The Broadway Theatre was also known as Cine Roma back in 1937, it showed Italian films.