Paramount Columbus Circle

Actually, the auditorium was more interesting than described above. My predecessor at Radio City, Bill Nafash, did the installation in both the theatre and the two Paramount screening rooms in the offices at the top of the building. All of the projectors were 70mm, and before they were installed Radio City took three of them to get “Airport” opened on time. Three of the machines were in the theatre, and Bill said it was really really unique, at least in concept. The auditorium was designed to look like the bellows of a camera narrowing as it got closer to the screen. The “curtain” at the front was designed to look like a camera lens when the curtain was closed. Bill said originally strobe lights were installed in the coves in the “bellows” designed to look like camera flash bulbs going off. Alas the effect was too successful triggering discomforting effects in the audience. The flashes were soon eliminated. The travelling attraction sign above the entrance was also one of the first in New York to not feature fixed sign letters. That too was an idea who’s time may not have come since they were limited to incandescent bulbs with all their limitations. In all the theatre was probably a result of form over function, and while the design concepts may have worked better on paper than in reality, at least the idea was more interesting than indicated above.

While I passed by this theater literally hundreds of times on my way to Lincoln Center, I only visited it once. The film I saw was a cinematic version of Richard Strauss' opera “Der Rosenkavalier” Elizabeth Schwartzkopf played the Marshallen and Otto Edelman was Baron Ochs. Since, as noted above, this theater mostly played first run movies, this probably represented a bit of a departure.

I saw “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” here. I don’t remember much about the interior except for it being underground. Since the line for “Cuckoo’s Nest” stretched for blocks it must have had a large seating capacity. I always remembered the unique exterior. Now that it is a parking garage with no traces of it left perhaps the introduction should list it as demolished.

Weird movie for a weird theater. Saw the Hellstrom Chronicles here. You could usuallly count on Cinema 5 releasing quality product. This was a miss. Donald Rugoff must have been out of the office when his company agreed to distribute this one.

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There was a circular entrance and box office at ground level with an LED wrap-around sign. The theatre itself was under ground.

This closed March 26, 1995 as the Sony Columbus Circle. The Loew’s name should be removed here as it was called that for less than a year.

Renewing link.

Saw “Little Big Man” and the long-awaited return of “The Manchurian Candidate” here.

Here is the ad for the Gatsy engagement Warren wrote about.
View link

I saw a couple of films here, but the only one I can specifically remember was a 1980’s restoration of the British horror film The Wicker Man, which had been released here in the U.S. in a seriously truncated version back in the early ‘70’s. The theater was still called the Paramount at the time. Presently, a feng shui inspired unisphere (not unlike the '64 Worlds Fair remnant that stands in Flushing Meadow Park – but much smaller) is situated more or less on the spot where the exterior entrance to the Paramount used to be.

I recall this as being named the Paramount. I saw “Ghost” and “Dave” here. Seems like yesterday! And now the theater is a subterranean carpark. What a sad but predictable end to an entertainment venue.

Was that the same Little Prince that opened at the Music Hall?