The marquee is visible in the background in The King of Kong (2007), in the opening scene on Main Street with Life Magazine. The marquee has a yellow backdrop.
Great news. This Saturday, the Palace theater, in conjunction with the CTFF and City Center Danbury, will present the CT Premiere and nationwide, pre-theatrical release of “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” (already shown at Berlin FF). Produced by Roxbury, CT-native and daughter of Henry Miller, Rebecca Miller and filmed in Danbury, Southbury and New Milford; it features a star-studded cast. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1134629/
They were filming with all trucks next door to the Palace at the opening night of CTFF ‘07 and now we can own it.
Welcome Cocktail Reception 6:30pm, Screening at 7:30pm
After Party @ Two Steps Downtown Grille immediately following the film.
I was in Redding Town Hall the other day and saw they had an ad for Old Dogs. Since the movie was filmed at nearby Putnam Park and the Community Center for interiors 2 summers ago, they are reserving Loew’s on Dec. 6 at 2pm for “Redding Day” when the film opens.
Really cool place I saw on my bike ride today. The lettering is totally 60s and the facade is very Mod, and looks like the facade of the nearby Catholic Boys School in Chappaqua.
Saw it today on a bike ride and it was night when I arrived. Great to see it and the front left outside is an office/studio, middle is a gift shop and the entrance to the store is cool. When I saw the storage, it reminded me of the Strand in Hackettstown, NJ that has a piano store in the theatre, but not as cool as this one. They let me snap pics. When I asked the owner about the touchups, he was reluctant until I told him I contribute to 2 “theatre preservation sites” and he said, “Oh, CinemaTreasures?” Then he said they touched everything up and the studio on stage has the proscenium covered by sheet rock and the original decoration is still preserved. Really cool place, esp the metal marquee.
North Tarrytown was renamed Sleepy Hollow. I was there today, it’s the Open Door Family Medical Ctr. The gate to left was open so I walked down to snap pix. Went inside and there’s an original arch left in the waiting room and all drop ceiling. I’ll have pix posted on Cinematour in a week.
Talk about more diverse programming. The Danbury Museum is teaming up with the Railway Museum to offer a mystery movie night at the Palace on Nov. 7 showing, “Murder on the Orient Express” for $40, including a wine and hors d'oeuvres hour and silent auction.
Not to toot my own horn, but we originally were going to use the rail museum as a venue for the CTFF but it fell apart at the last minute. I spent countless hours programming and acquiring movies while their staff bent over and met with us many times and signed off on it. I was very disappointed it didn’t work out. We had 10 railroad movies scheduled every day, the same ones, including Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train” (1950) which was shot at the station, the Danbury Fair and 2 downtown establishments. Warner Brothers gave a collection of stills to them which is always on display.
Danbury hires architect to study Palace renovation.
By Robert Miller
10/15/2009
DANBURY — The city has hired the Hartford-based JCJ Architecture to study what’s needed to renovate the Palace Theater on Main Street.
City Planner Dennis Elpern said Thursday that JCJ won out over 24 other firms that submitted bids for the six-month study. A $45,000 grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and a $10,000 donation by the theater’s owner, Joseph DaSilva, will pay for the work.
Elpern said JCJ has national experience in theater renovations, including working on the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. And part of the firm’s team — AMS Planning& Research Corp. of Fairfield — has worked with many theaters in Connecticut and around the United States on theater management.
Elpern said it’s important to learn not only whether the Palace can be renovated, but also how — and if — if can be run as a successful business.
“We told all the applicants not to tell us what we want to hear,” Elpern said. “Tell us what we need to know.”
There was a quote at a candidates debate in the News-Times that mentioned the Fine Arts. It was way off base and context, but one thing remains; the landlord is an idiot.
“The theater next to Kohl’s has been empty a long time,” Tinsley said. “It’s probably that way because we can’t provide the services as simple as water to entice builders.”
Water lines will be built to that area of Federal Road, Davidson said, but the problem lies in the fact that the owner is asking for $22 million for the property.
“I think it’s worth $22 million and he deserves every penny,” Tinsley said.
Yes, Joe, that was me on the bike. When I usually ask owners or managers for seat info, they get leery, as I can imagine they would think I’m a scout for another theater looking to compete. I’ve been copped attitude when asking for it before.
Went by here the other day on a bicycle trip from Fire Island. The old script blue logo was a cool throwback and it’s on the east side of Main street before the center of town and it’s not the best looking building on that great street. It’s dirty, falling apart and generally not pleasant on the eyes. I have some pics and there’s a sign on it by a neighborhood group calling for its demolition.
Well, I finally got to see a show there today (Saturday) for a 7:30pm showing of “The Informant.” I must say it was pleasant. I caught the seat numbers outside each theater, one had 150 or so and the rest had 186. Really comfy seats that gave you great posture, had a headrest and the seat rocked back and stayed that way with your body. Sound was very good, concessions were outrageous as usual. Ushers were nice and had runway lights for folks to get to their seats.
Update…Final piece arrives for opera house renovation
By Kate Ramunni
STAFF WRITER
Updated: 09/14/2009 12:37:56 AM EDT
DERBY — The finishing piece to the Sterling Opera House exterior makeover has arrived.
On Thursday, the 2,500-pound cupola that will sit atop the Elizabeth Street building was delivered to a warehouse in Beacon Falls, where it will be stored until its installation next spring.
“You wouldn’t believe how beautiful it is,” Mayor Anthony Staffieri said. “It takes your breath away.”
The cupola will join a smaller one that was installed earlier this year. It also will complete the $2 million overhaul of the historic building’s exterior that has been ongoing for the past two years, Economic Development Director Sheila O'Malley said.
“That is the last piece,” she added.
It was delivered Thursday in two pieces “because it is so large,” she said. The cupola itself is about 12 feet high and will sit on an 11-foot base, she said.
“The dome is absolutely beautiful,” she said. It will remain in the donated warehouse space in Beacon Falls until its installation, she said.
“We have to put the foundation in first,” she said. Bids for that work which went out earlier this year came in quite high, she said, so it will go out to bid once again before the city decides on a company for the job.
“Hopefully, we can get some reasonable prices,” she said. “We got some high bids the first time.”
Next up will be the interior of the opera house, both Staffieri and O'Malley said. The space in the lower level beneath the actual theater area
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that was once used as the aldermanic chambers will be the first area of work, they said.
“Hopefull,y we will have the money to create a meeting room,” Staffieri said.
The city has amassed about $200,000 in grant mone, a mix of federal funds procured by Rep. Rosa DeLauro and smaller awards from organizations such as the Katherine Matthias Foundation, the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and the Valley Community Foundation, which will go toward design work.
“We will still need more funding” to complete the interior of the building, which is basically a shell, O'Malley said.
The ultimate goal is to get the theater renovated and functional, Staffieri said.
“I’ve been dreaming about that for 35 years,” he said. For years he has vacationed in Skowhegan, Maine, where there is a building very similar to the opera house, he said.
“They have city hall offices, a police substation, a fire substation and a theater [in the building],” he said, “and they have kept it in great shape and are being used in every part of it.
“I can’t believe how beautiful it is,” he said.
A survey done of the area regarding cultural venues shows that there is a need for small- to medium-size theaters, O'Malley said.
“They pointed out that this could be a cultural and arts venue,” she said. “We are going to work along towards these goals of creating a stage theater and cultural center.”
An editorial today in the News-Times about the saved demolition.
There are no small stages
Keep the arts alive at Ridgefield playhouses
Updated: 09/15/2009 08:38:50 PM EDT
Two playhouses in Ridgefield are hanging on and in jeopardy of disappearing. We certainly hope they both make it, and we urge people who support the arts on a personal and corporate level to step forward and make sure it happens.
The old Ridgefield Playhouse, across Prospect Street from Ridgefield Library, has been saved from the bulldozer, if only for now. The library, which owns the playhouse, is looking for more usable space and applied for a demolition permit to knock down the building.
Library expansion and preserving a historic landmark are both worthwhile projects. And Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi has convened a task force to see whether both can be done.
We hope they come up with a solution, and that it brings new programming — plays, film, music and fine art — to the old theater. Rather than just preserving, for its quaint appearance, a 1940 building that’s on the state Register of Historic Places, make the place breathe again.
The other Ridgefield Playhouse, which opened in 2000 in a restored theater at 80 East Ridge, has seen audiences dwindle over the last year.
Ridgefield doesn’t book the big names that play Connecticut venues such as the XL Center, Mohegan Sun Arena and Comcast Theatre (once called the Meadows). But offbeat booking should be considered the playhouse’s strength, not a weakness.
The Ridgefield Playhouse has a lineup of coming attractions that includes alternative folksinger/songwriter Ani DiFranco,
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pop/jazz trumpeter and music mogul Herb Alpert, bluesman Keb' Mo' — along with theater and film programming that includes a series of live conversations with directors.
You don’t find that kind of variety in many places.
Event sponsorship matters in determining the nonprofit Ridgefield Playhouse’s fate. So do ticket sales. If the box office steers the playhouse to tweak its booking choices toward popular tastes, that fine.
We hope the Ridgefield playhouses ride out this rough patch. Art and culture are important — in good times and bad. And there should always be a place for an independent, nonprofit venue.
Piece in the News-Times today on the possible closing of this great venue. I have friends that work here and that’s a sad thing. Great acoustics, great music and lots of Hollywood actors/directors that live in the area who give their time for lectures. The only problem with this venue is the WASPS who populate each show.
Forgot to post this last week, but the Danbury Common Council voted to approve going forward with the $50k study on the Palace and the addition of $10k by Joe DaSilva.
There is a nine month window to use all the money and it’s not contingent on passing of the state budget, which is good news.
I was in Torrington on a bike trip yesterday and I stopped to sightsee at a cool inn downtown, across from the Warner. I was snapping pics inside by the restored carriage and on the wall was a framed poster of movies being shown at the Strand in Winsted. A nice find.
The poster said Roger Williams, Strand Winsted, Thurs-Sat, June 15-17, Tyrone Power, Alice Fay, Al Jolson in “Rose of Washington Square (1939)” / “Boyfriend (1939)” w/Jane Withers, (free prizes to lucky children), Cary Grant and Jean Arthur in “Only Angels Have Wings (1939)”, “The Jones Family in Hollywood (1939)”, Bobby Breen, Henry Armetta, Leo Carrillo in “Fisherman’s Wharf (1939)” and Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper in “Treasure Island (1934).” Also showing at the bottom is “It’s a Wonderful World (1939)” and “Ex-Champ” (1939).
Was in Torrington yesterday on a bike trip. Box office was open (phone only) and spoke to someone about a tour but alas, I needed an appt ahead of time. I tried to make her feel guilty by saying I was just passing thru and had no time (which was the truth). Oh well.
The marquee is visible in the background in The King of Kong (2007), in the opening scene on Main Street with Life Magazine. The marquee has a yellow backdrop.
Great! Adaptive reuse in theory, hehe.
Thanx for beating me to it!
Great news. This Saturday, the Palace theater, in conjunction with the CTFF and City Center Danbury, will present the CT Premiere and nationwide, pre-theatrical release of “The Private Lives of Pippa Lee” (already shown at Berlin FF). Produced by Roxbury, CT-native and daughter of Henry Miller, Rebecca Miller and filmed in Danbury, Southbury and New Milford; it features a star-studded cast. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1134629/
They were filming with all trucks next door to the Palace at the opening night of CTFF ‘07 and now we can own it.
Welcome Cocktail Reception 6:30pm, Screening at 7:30pm
After Party @ Two Steps Downtown Grille immediately following the film.
Tickets for reception, film and party $10.
http://tinyurl.com/y9ucoq6
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1134629/
I was in Redding Town Hall the other day and saw they had an ad for Old Dogs. Since the movie was filmed at nearby Putnam Park and the Community Center for interiors 2 summers ago, they are reserving Loew’s on Dec. 6 at 2pm for “Redding Day” when the film opens.
That’s cool, I was half kidding.
Ahem, I posted this last week, how about due credit?
It was Translux.
Really cool place I saw on my bike ride today. The lettering is totally 60s and the facade is very Mod, and looks like the facade of the nearby Catholic Boys School in Chappaqua.
Saw it today on a bike ride and it was night when I arrived. Great to see it and the front left outside is an office/studio, middle is a gift shop and the entrance to the store is cool. When I saw the storage, it reminded me of the Strand in Hackettstown, NJ that has a piano store in the theatre, but not as cool as this one. They let me snap pics. When I asked the owner about the touchups, he was reluctant until I told him I contribute to 2 “theatre preservation sites” and he said, “Oh, CinemaTreasures?” Then he said they touched everything up and the studio on stage has the proscenium covered by sheet rock and the original decoration is still preserved. Really cool place, esp the metal marquee.
North Tarrytown was renamed Sleepy Hollow. I was there today, it’s the Open Door Family Medical Ctr. The gate to left was open so I walked down to snap pix. Went inside and there’s an original arch left in the waiting room and all drop ceiling. I’ll have pix posted on Cinematour in a week.
Talk about more diverse programming. The Danbury Museum is teaming up with the Railway Museum to offer a mystery movie night at the Palace on Nov. 7 showing, “Murder on the Orient Express” for $40, including a wine and hors d'oeuvres hour and silent auction.
Not to toot my own horn, but we originally were going to use the rail museum as a venue for the CTFF but it fell apart at the last minute. I spent countless hours programming and acquiring movies while their staff bent over and met with us many times and signed off on it. I was very disappointed it didn’t work out. We had 10 railroad movies scheduled every day, the same ones, including Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train” (1950) which was shot at the station, the Danbury Fair and 2 downtown establishments. Warner Brothers gave a collection of stills to them which is always on display.
Glad to see it happen.
Danbury hires architect to study Palace renovation.
By Robert Miller
10/15/2009
DANBURY — The city has hired the Hartford-based JCJ Architecture to study what’s needed to renovate the Palace Theater on Main Street.
City Planner Dennis Elpern said Thursday that JCJ won out over 24 other firms that submitted bids for the six-month study. A $45,000 grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and a $10,000 donation by the theater’s owner, Joseph DaSilva, will pay for the work.
Elpern said JCJ has national experience in theater renovations, including working on the New York State Theater at Lincoln Center. And part of the firm’s team — AMS Planning& Research Corp. of Fairfield — has worked with many theaters in Connecticut and around the United States on theater management.
Elpern said it’s important to learn not only whether the Palace can be renovated, but also how — and if — if can be run as a successful business.
“We told all the applicants not to tell us what we want to hear,” Elpern said. “Tell us what we need to know.”
There was a quote at a candidates debate in the News-Times that mentioned the Fine Arts. It was way off base and context, but one thing remains; the landlord is an idiot.
http://www.newstimes.com/latestnews/ci_13509559
“The theater next to Kohl’s has been empty a long time,” Tinsley said. “It’s probably that way because we can’t provide the services as simple as water to entice builders.”
Water lines will be built to that area of Federal Road, Davidson said, but the problem lies in the fact that the owner is asking for $22 million for the property.
“I think it’s worth $22 million and he deserves every penny,” Tinsley said.
Yes, Joe, that was me on the bike. When I usually ask owners or managers for seat info, they get leery, as I can imagine they would think I’m a scout for another theater looking to compete. I’ve been copped attitude when asking for it before.
Went by here the other day on a bicycle trip from Fire Island. The old script blue logo was a cool throwback and it’s on the east side of Main street before the center of town and it’s not the best looking building on that great street. It’s dirty, falling apart and generally not pleasant on the eyes. I have some pics and there’s a sign on it by a neighborhood group calling for its demolition.
Well, I finally got to see a show there today (Saturday) for a 7:30pm showing of “The Informant.” I must say it was pleasant. I caught the seat numbers outside each theater, one had 150 or so and the rest had 186. Really comfy seats that gave you great posture, had a headrest and the seat rocked back and stayed that way with your body. Sound was very good, concessions were outrageous as usual. Ushers were nice and had runway lights for folks to get to their seats.
Update…Final piece arrives for opera house renovation
By Kate Ramunni
STAFF WRITER
Updated: 09/14/2009 12:37:56 AM EDT
DERBY — The finishing piece to the Sterling Opera House exterior makeover has arrived.
On Thursday, the 2,500-pound cupola that will sit atop the Elizabeth Street building was delivered to a warehouse in Beacon Falls, where it will be stored until its installation next spring.
“You wouldn’t believe how beautiful it is,” Mayor Anthony Staffieri said. “It takes your breath away.”
The cupola will join a smaller one that was installed earlier this year. It also will complete the $2 million overhaul of the historic building’s exterior that has been ongoing for the past two years, Economic Development Director Sheila O'Malley said.
“That is the last piece,” she added.
It was delivered Thursday in two pieces “because it is so large,” she said. The cupola itself is about 12 feet high and will sit on an 11-foot base, she said.
“The dome is absolutely beautiful,” she said. It will remain in the donated warehouse space in Beacon Falls until its installation, she said.
“We have to put the foundation in first,” she said. Bids for that work which went out earlier this year came in quite high, she said, so it will go out to bid once again before the city decides on a company for the job.
“Hopefully, we can get some reasonable prices,” she said. “We got some high bids the first time.”
Next up will be the interior of the opera house, both Staffieri and O'Malley said. The space in the lower level beneath the actual theater area
Advertisement
that was once used as the aldermanic chambers will be the first area of work, they said.
“Hopefull,y we will have the money to create a meeting room,” Staffieri said.
The city has amassed about $200,000 in grant mone, a mix of federal funds procured by Rep. Rosa DeLauro and smaller awards from organizations such as the Katherine Matthias Foundation, the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and the Valley Community Foundation, which will go toward design work.
“We will still need more funding” to complete the interior of the building, which is basically a shell, O'Malley said.
The ultimate goal is to get the theater renovated and functional, Staffieri said.
“I’ve been dreaming about that for 35 years,” he said. For years he has vacationed in Skowhegan, Maine, where there is a building very similar to the opera house, he said.
“They have city hall offices, a police substation, a fire substation and a theater [in the building],” he said, “and they have kept it in great shape and are being used in every part of it.
“I can’t believe how beautiful it is,” he said.
A survey done of the area regarding cultural venues shows that there is a need for small- to medium-size theaters, O'Malley said.
“They pointed out that this could be a cultural and arts venue,” she said. “We are going to work along towards these goals of creating a stage theater and cultural center.”
Demolished in 1983.
I believe it’s demolished, the property is now a bunch of strip malls.
An editorial today in the News-Times about the saved demolition.
There are no small stages
Keep the arts alive at Ridgefield playhouses
Updated: 09/15/2009 08:38:50 PM EDT
Two playhouses in Ridgefield are hanging on and in jeopardy of disappearing. We certainly hope they both make it, and we urge people who support the arts on a personal and corporate level to step forward and make sure it happens.
The old Ridgefield Playhouse, across Prospect Street from Ridgefield Library, has been saved from the bulldozer, if only for now. The library, which owns the playhouse, is looking for more usable space and applied for a demolition permit to knock down the building.
Library expansion and preserving a historic landmark are both worthwhile projects. And Ridgefield First Selectman Rudy Marconi has convened a task force to see whether both can be done.
We hope they come up with a solution, and that it brings new programming — plays, film, music and fine art — to the old theater. Rather than just preserving, for its quaint appearance, a 1940 building that’s on the state Register of Historic Places, make the place breathe again.
The other Ridgefield Playhouse, which opened in 2000 in a restored theater at 80 East Ridge, has seen audiences dwindle over the last year.
Ridgefield doesn’t book the big names that play Connecticut venues such as the XL Center, Mohegan Sun Arena and Comcast Theatre (once called the Meadows). But offbeat booking should be considered the playhouse’s strength, not a weakness.
The Ridgefield Playhouse has a lineup of coming attractions that includes alternative folksinger/songwriter Ani DiFranco,
Advertisement
pop/jazz trumpeter and music mogul Herb Alpert, bluesman Keb' Mo' — along with theater and film programming that includes a series of live conversations with directors.
You don’t find that kind of variety in many places.
Event sponsorship matters in determining the nonprofit Ridgefield Playhouse’s fate. So do ticket sales. If the box office steers the playhouse to tweak its booking choices toward popular tastes, that fine.
We hope the Ridgefield playhouses ride out this rough patch. Art and culture are important — in good times and bad. And there should always be a place for an independent, nonprofit venue.
Now if they only build my dream in Vegas or anywhere, a faux movie palace with cheap materials. No way they would build that again!
Piece in the News-Times today on the possible closing of this great venue. I have friends that work here and that’s a sad thing. Great acoustics, great music and lots of Hollywood actors/directors that live in the area who give their time for lectures. The only problem with this venue is the WASPS who populate each show.
http://www.newstimes.com/ci_13301533
Forgot to post this last week, but the Danbury Common Council voted to approve going forward with the $50k study on the Palace and the addition of $10k by Joe DaSilva.
There is a nine month window to use all the money and it’s not contingent on passing of the state budget, which is good news.
I was in Torrington on a bike trip yesterday and I stopped to sightsee at a cool inn downtown, across from the Warner. I was snapping pics inside by the restored carriage and on the wall was a framed poster of movies being shown at the Strand in Winsted. A nice find.
The poster said Roger Williams, Strand Winsted, Thurs-Sat, June 15-17, Tyrone Power, Alice Fay, Al Jolson in “Rose of Washington Square (1939)” / “Boyfriend (1939)” w/Jane Withers, (free prizes to lucky children), Cary Grant and Jean Arthur in “Only Angels Have Wings (1939)”, “The Jones Family in Hollywood (1939)”, Bobby Breen, Henry Armetta, Leo Carrillo in “Fisherman’s Wharf (1939)” and Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper in “Treasure Island (1934).” Also showing at the bottom is “It’s a Wonderful World (1939)” and “Ex-Champ” (1939).
Was in Torrington yesterday on a bike trip. Box office was open (phone only) and spoke to someone about a tour but alas, I needed an appt ahead of time. I tried to make her feel guilty by saying I was just passing thru and had no time (which was the truth). Oh well.