The Syosset theatre on Long Island was built specifically for Todd A O and opened about 3 months earlier. There may have been others. That said, Shoppingtown was my favorite theatre when I was a kid. I saw many of the 70mm roadshows there and spent a lot of time in the booth bugging the projectionists.
Quote REndres:
I believe the two films were “The Far Horizons” and “Strategic Air Command"
I have a copy of International Projectionist from July, 1955 with a full page ad for the Peerless HyCandescent lamp stating they were "selected by Paramount for all horizontal V-V"
The films listed are "Strategic Air Command”, “the Far Horizons” and “the 7 Little Foys”. I believe that “SAC” played the Paramount and the other two played the Criterion.
The original ToddAO projectors were installed in 1957 for a moveover run of Around the World in 80 Days after it played at the downtown Century. These machines were moved to the Eckel in Syracuse for the opening of Sleeping Beauty in February 1959. The Granada played Windjammer in CineMiracle at this time and later installed another pair of ToddAO projectors.
There were 5 Schine theatres equipped with Norelco 70mm projectors: The Granada, the Monroe and Riviera in Rochester, the Eckel in Syracuse and the Strand in Lexington, Kentucky.
I was friends with George Stein, head of projection and sound for Schine. He supervised all of those installations. He’s been gone for many years.
This was a Schine house. In 1962 at the age of 14 I visited Massena with my parents. We stayed at the new Schine Inn just down the street. My dad took my brother and me to the Massena to see “the Road to Hong Kong” with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. I don’t remember much about the theatre except that the film broke. The cartoon was “Young Daniel Boone” a 20th Century Fox CinemaScope cartoon.
New York state until a few years ago had a law requiring licensing of projectionists in “first class” cities. This was based on population and Buffalo and Rochester were the only ones in addition to NYC . The license was administered by the city involved.
The dates I cited were from the Mexico Independent Thursday August 1, 1935: “New Temple Theatre opening Friday” and the Oswego Palladium Times June 6, 1939: “Pulaski theatre to open on Wednsday”.
The reference to the New Temple Theatre merely meant that the Kalletshad bought the lease from the Hohman family and had remodeled the theatre.
Yes, the Kallets also operated the LeRoy theatre.
Actually the Kallets assumed the lease on the Temple in 1935 opening on Friday, August 2. The Temple burned down in early 1939 and the Kallets built the Kallet Theatre opening Wednsday June 7, 1939.
I just rechecked the ad and screen size was given as 50'x122' and a projected pcture of 47'x118' at a 240' throw. Light readings were 6 fl. for 35mm and 8 fl. for 70mm.
I believe this drive in installed 70mm in the early sixties. National Theatre Supply ran an ad in the tradepapers for their Ventarc blown arc lamp with a picture of the booth. They also had Norelco DP70’s. The screen size was given as 114 ft.
George Raaflaub was chief projectionist at the Eckel for many years. When I first started as a projectionist I hung around the booth with George and he’d let me run those magnificent Norelcos.
The Cinema East had a Dolby CP50 that was installed fpr “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. It was mounted in a rack with 4 Kelmar amps. They had an Altec A4 for the center channel and A5’s for left and right. They had 3 Altec 604’s for surround.
I visite the projection booth in this theatre in May 1967. They were showing “Hombre” with Paul Newman. The booth was tiny,built up on stilts with a steep steel ladder for access. They had two Century JJ-2’s and a third Simplex XL with an RCA 9030 soundhead. All 3 machines had Strong lamps burning 11mm positives. At that time the Buffalo local still had a two man booth in the downtown theatres. It was cozy up there.
Bob Throop
The Mini One was originally equipped for 16mm. They had two projectors and two prints. While one print was running the other was being rewound by the projector running in reverse. I stopped in and saw the operation. They were running “the Chairman” with Gregory Peck. That was in 1969. After a couple of years they replaced the 16’s with Cinemeccanica V4’s. Until it closed the house always had a union manager projectionist.
Bob Throop
Thr Ritz was equipped for 70mm. I don’t know when it closed but when “Camelot” opened in 70mm at the Madison in December, 1967 the equipment was taken out of storage and reinstalled. There were 2 Philips DP70’s with Ashcraft Super Cinex lamps. The Altec Service guy who did the installation told me that the Ritz had a modified RCA magnetic sound system. When they moved the equipment the documentation for the RCA system had been lost so they bought a brand new Ampex solid state system.
I visited the Madison during the “Camelot run and the two projectors were labeled #3. I asked the projectionist about this and he told me that the Ritz had FOUR projectors. Machines 1&2 were Simplex XL and Ashcraft C70 lamps.
Bob Throop
Mike,
The 6/19/68 opening in Buffalo should read Century theatre not Grand.
I was 17 when SOM opened. I saw it twice in 70mm at Shoppingtown.
The Syosset theatre on Long Island was built specifically for Todd A O and opened about 3 months earlier. There may have been others. That said, Shoppingtown was my favorite theatre when I was a kid. I saw many of the 70mm roadshows there and spent a lot of time in the booth bugging the projectionists.
Quote REndres:
I believe the two films were “The Far Horizons” and “Strategic Air Command"
I have a copy of International Projectionist from July, 1955 with a full page ad for the Peerless HyCandescent lamp stating they were "selected by Paramount for all horizontal V-V"
The films listed are "Strategic Air Command”, “the Far Horizons” and “the 7 Little Foys”. I believe that “SAC” played the Paramount and the other two played the Criterion.
The original ToddAO projectors were installed in 1957 for a moveover run of Around the World in 80 Days after it played at the downtown Century. These machines were moved to the Eckel in Syracuse for the opening of Sleeping Beauty in February 1959. The Granada played Windjammer in CineMiracle at this time and later installed another pair of ToddAO projectors.
There were 5 Schine theatres equipped with Norelco 70mm projectors: The Granada, the Monroe and Riviera in Rochester, the Eckel in Syracuse and the Strand in Lexington, Kentucky.
I was friends with George Stein, head of projection and sound for Schine. He supervised all of those installations. He’s been gone for many years.
This was a Schine house. In 1962 at the age of 14 I visited Massena with my parents. We stayed at the new Schine Inn just down the street. My dad took my brother and me to the Massena to see “the Road to Hong Kong” with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. I don’t remember much about the theatre except that the film broke. The cartoon was “Young Daniel Boone” a 20th Century Fox CinemaScope cartoon.
New York state until a few years ago had a law requiring licensing of projectionists in “first class” cities. This was based on population and Buffalo and Rochester were the only ones in addition to NYC . The license was administered by the city involved.
The dates I cited were from the Mexico Independent Thursday August 1, 1935: “New Temple Theatre opening Friday” and the Oswego Palladium Times June 6, 1939: “Pulaski theatre to open on Wednsday”.
The reference to the New Temple Theatre merely meant that the Kalletshad bought the lease from the Hohman family and had remodeled the theatre.
Yes, the Kallets also operated the LeRoy theatre.
Actually the Kallets assumed the lease on the Temple in 1935 opening on Friday, August 2. The Temple burned down in early 1939 and the Kallets built the Kallet Theatre opening Wednsday June 7, 1939.
I just rechecked the ad and screen size was given as 50'x122' and a projected pcture of 47'x118' at a 240' throw. Light readings were 6 fl. for 35mm and 8 fl. for 70mm.
I believe this drive in installed 70mm in the early sixties. National Theatre Supply ran an ad in the tradepapers for their Ventarc blown arc lamp with a picture of the booth. They also had Norelco DP70’s. The screen size was given as 114 ft.
George Raaflaub was chief projectionist at the Eckel for many years. When I first started as a projectionist I hung around the booth with George and he’d let me run those magnificent Norelcos.
The Cinema East had a Dolby CP50 that was installed fpr “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. It was mounted in a rack with 4 Kelmar amps. They had an Altec A4 for the center channel and A5’s for left and right. They had 3 Altec 604’s for surround.
I visite the projection booth in this theatre in May 1967. They were showing “Hombre” with Paul Newman. The booth was tiny,built up on stilts with a steep steel ladder for access. They had two Century JJ-2’s and a third Simplex XL with an RCA 9030 soundhead. All 3 machines had Strong lamps burning 11mm positives. At that time the Buffalo local still had a two man booth in the downtown theatres. It was cozy up there.
Bob Throop
I was a projectionist at the Kallet in 1965 and 1966. At that time they has Simplex Regulars and WE 206 soundheads with Brenkert Enarcs.
Bob Throop
The Mini One was originally equipped for 16mm. They had two projectors and two prints. While one print was running the other was being rewound by the projector running in reverse. I stopped in and saw the operation. They were running “the Chairman” with Gregory Peck. That was in 1969. After a couple of years they replaced the 16’s with Cinemeccanica V4’s. Until it closed the house always had a union manager projectionist.
Bob Throop
One of the early films to play the Cinema East was “Torn Curtain”. That would have been 1966.
Bob Throop
Thr Ritz was equipped for 70mm. I don’t know when it closed but when “Camelot” opened in 70mm at the Madison in December, 1967 the equipment was taken out of storage and reinstalled. There were 2 Philips DP70’s with Ashcraft Super Cinex lamps. The Altec Service guy who did the installation told me that the Ritz had a modified RCA magnetic sound system. When they moved the equipment the documentation for the RCA system had been lost so they bought a brand new Ampex solid state system.
I visited the Madison during the “Camelot run and the two projectors were labeled #3. I asked the projectionist about this and he told me that the Ritz had FOUR projectors. Machines 1&2 were Simplex XL and Ashcraft C70 lamps.
Bob Throop