Roxy Theatre
153 W. 50th Street,
New York,
NY
10020
153 W. 50th Street,
New York,
NY
10020
83 people
favorited this theater
Showing 501 - 525 of 1,213 comments
Hi, Vito – in your 4/1 post above you wrote, “In a situation where a theatre had only one curtain, when we showed a flat picture on the scope screen we would not open the curtain all the way, stopping it just after the edge of the image.”
When we first took over the Lafayette in Suffern back in 2002, there was no masking. By the time we started running classics as part of our line-up in early 2003, we still didn’t have masking so I used that exact same method with the curtain for running Academy ratio films until our new screen and masking went in a few months later. What goes around, comes around…
Stan, what you have described was very common in theatres without movable masking. Often, as I wrote before, the footlights were defused enough and refocused to show only on that portion of the screen not being used. A sort of red glow would be seen surrounding the picture area.
In addition, we had theatres which had to remove the curtains completely in order to accommodate the new bigger screens. The proceniums were simply not wide enough for the traveler curtains to open past the ends of the screen. Theatre owners wanted the widest screens possible. So rather than refit the entire mechanism the curtains were removed. Fortunately since most traveler curtains open to completely disappear behind the procenium it was not a problem, but in some situations they did not, happily, this happened in only a few theatres. Two of the theatres I worked in on Staten Island at the time, the Liberty in Stapelton and the Lane in New Dorp, removed the curtains. The Liberty only lated about two or three years after converting to scope and the Lane was the last theatre on SI to install the process. The Paramount was the first theatre to install scope for the “The Robe”, we opened on Christmas day and spent most of Christmas Eve doing the installation. The curtain was not removed at the Paramount. Some locations would show a slide which would be projected from the booth featuring some sort of scenic design or in some cases a picture of a curtain was projected on to the screen.
To: Bob Furmanek
I grew up in the Florida Theatre, Jacksonville, Florida, a 2000
Seat movie palace which was the highlight of the town, always the best presentation and best movies.
I remember well the transition to CinemaScope and thought you might like to hear what it was like in a smaller city.
First of all I remember on lamp posts all over town they hung these banners: JACKSONVILLE WELCOMES CINEMASCOPE â€" THE MIRACLE YOU SEE WITHOUT GLASSES.
We were all very excited about this and I thought, as a 12 year old, that this would be 3D without glasses. So when I saw THE ROBE I was a little disappointed but got over it when I heard the voices move with the characters on the screen and then there was music from the back of the theatre.
As far as the masking. This theatre was very strict that never would the screen be seen without a picture or a curtain in front.
They did not have automatic masking. And, so when the ROBE
concluded, the curtain would close and I could see faintly through the curtain the stage hand (who was also the curtain puller) re-mask the screen for the News, cartoon, short subject and previews (with the curtain pulled between each segment). Then after the previews, the stage hand would re-mask for the
CinemaScope screen.
It was the first time I had ever witnessed an INTERMISSION since it was always continous except just before the feature there would be a short (30 seconds or so) music break and golden lights would turn on around the proscenium announcing the feature. Ah, the days of the past.
But then I remember that this remasking stopped and they showed everything on a CinemaScope screen. The Cartoons and such would be shown in the middle of the screen but with a lense that fit the dimensions of the smaller space in the middle perfectly. On both sides of the Cinemascope screen they projected some type of artistic design filling out the screen so that there was never any white screen. I guess this was there way of dealing with the lack of automatic masking.
Stan Norton
Thank you Vito, I look forward to hearing from you!
Bob
It would be my pleasure Bob, I will be returning to NY in mid April and will contact you at that time.
Hi Vito,
We are in the process of writing a comprehensive series of articles to accurately document the post-Cinerama/pre-CinemaScope widescreen era. We intend to document our work with original source materials from the studios and trades. The article would be similar to our piece on the 3-D release of HONDO: http://www.3dfilmpf.org/info.html
I would be very interested in talking with you concerning your experiences at that time. If you’d like to help set the record straight, would you please go to my profile and send me a note?
Thank you very much!
Bob
REndres, thsnks for that info, I love hearing all those wonderful behind the scenes stories you share with us. RCMH really did need audable signals, that’s for sure. We would not want any crushed Rockette’s or camels. :))
Warren, I never realised the Roxy screen was so huge as to dwarf Cinerama. Sitting in the Roxy I still remember the impact of seeing that huge screen when I saw “The Robe” for the first time, it still seemed small compared to the Warners Cinerama screen.
“Pint-sized” was a great way to put it.
We certainly did use a buzzer or ring system at the Hall. When I started there they didn’t use Clearcom headsets for communication, and all the cues between the frontlight and projection booths, D Cove frontlight booth and the stage were given by buzzer cues (and yes they could be heard in the audience since none of the frontlight booths had glass in the ports.) The stage manager’s position had a panel with switches on it that selected which position would receive a cue from the stage — thus the manager could select any one of the frontlight booths or all of them at the same time. In projection each of the Magnascope control panels at the projectors had a stage buzz button on it, as well as a button to buzz the organists. At the end of a feature we would give an eight minute warning to get the stage manager and stage control board electrician in position, then a two minute buzz, and finally a “go” buzz to bring the contour in. We would also give a buzz at the end of the pre-show material (cartoon, trailers, short subject) for the traveller —the house golds, to be brought in and then re-opened for the feature. The buzz cues still were used when I left in 1999 to start film material, be it feature presentation or film effects in the stage shows such as the Christmas Spectacular. It still works better than trying to hear the cue on an intercom over the lamp fan noise, and at the projectors a light at each machine lights when the buzz is given as well. (By the way, of all the switches on the stage manager’s panel only the projection booth one has a white knob on it and it sits alone labelled “Kinema Booth”) While projection could change the Magnascope masking from the booth, the stage drapes were always brought in by a stage electrician. (In the case of the Hall a very good idea — you want someone down there when you’re moving a 3 ton contour controlled by 13 motors to make sure you’re not crushing a Rockette or a camel!)
Yes mjc, we used a buzzer as well. Some theatres had loud bells!!!Even in some of the theatres were we had ushers “pull the curtain” we would buzz twice to the stage to alert and they would buzz back twice to confirm they were there and ready. One buzz would signal opening or closing the curtain. Of course everyone had their own signals.
I am sure RCMH also used a buzzer in the stage/movie days as well.
I remember hearing them. Come on REndres, fess up :))
Thanks for clarifying Vito.
I was thinking after I posted that maybe using the curtains was preferable to some screens I remember where the masking was so far off that there was a foot of picture each side of it..and on top. Either the gates were cut wrong or someone was too lazy to re-adjust the masking.
As for the stagehands union…I remember in the 60’s one elegant Toronto movie theatre where the projectionist had to hit a buzzer in the booth that sounded backstage so a union stagehand could operate the huge curtain. Of course the audience could also hear the buzzer.
Sorry mjc, I should have been more specific. Before scope we had masking that was as pictured in the Roxy photo. Later when Scope came along not all theatres installed movable masking. It took a little while for everyone to get on board with masking flat pictures shown on a scope screen. Still, not every theatre installed masking but used a curtain or foot lighting. I don’t recall any B'way houses doing this however, I believe most if not all installed masking.
Keep in mind, many of the local neiborhood houses could all but afford the conversion to Scope, to cut costs many simply did not have masking installed initially but some added it later.
I reacall one theatre I worked where I would mask the screen for scope or flat depending on the format of the movie. I had to go backstage and move the masking in and out by hand. In the case of a double feature where one picture was flat and the other scope, the masking was left in the scope position for the flat feature. I do recall adjusting the masking on busy nights when we had an intermission. However most days we did not stop at all during the day, the local movie house often emptied out and filled up again during the short subjects. We always showed shorts such as travelogues, comedy’s, cartoons and of course news and trailers.
The bigger downtown houses of course would hold intermissions, often with an organist performing.
I hope that clears up the masking issue, I was not refering to all the big downtown or B'way houses but rather just some of the Main Street movie palaces.It ws very hit and miss in the 50s, we did the best we could with what we had.
Another problem was being able to use the curtains and masking at all in some of the old vaudeville or legit houses that were converted to movies. The unions insisted on a stage hand on duty to pull the curtain and even control the lighting if the controls were backstge as many were. It became necessaty to move the lighting controls and motorise the curtains, then move the controls to the booth to avoid the cost of having a stagehand on duty every day.
on duty every day.
Very interesting about the no masking in the old days. The Roxys screen does look very small for the venue as pointed out earlier. Does anyone have a picture of the full scope screen? Nice to compare. Also, did masking ever rise and lower in any of the time square theatres? Seems to me in some theatres in the west, the masking both rose and lowered as well as opening and closing for scope and flat films. Flat the masking would come in from the sides but would rise as well. Then with scope the masking would lower as the sides opened? Was that my imagination or did some theatres actually use that method? Maybe I’m thinking Vista vision.
Vito:
That is really disappointing to hear….not masking a screen properly? What on earth were they thinking? Didn’t presentation matter?
I would like to add to Warrens post regarding masking.
Many of the palaces I worked in during the 50s had no masking, when scope came along we would simply use one of the travelor curtains to hide the portion of the screen not being used. In a situation where a theatre had only one curtain (rare in those days), when we showed a flat picture on the scope screen we would not open the curtain all the way, stoping it just after the edge of the image.
Warren also mentioned colored lamps which some theatres, including the Staten Island Paramount. would use lamps in the foot lights to color the edge of the screed not being used.
There is no reference to screen size in my 1927 program but the main feature was “Ankles Preferred” starring Madge Bellamy accompanied by an organ concert, symphony orchestra, ballet, magazine, and a “Revue Picturesque'(whatever that is).
The 26 page program says it would have a guaranteed circulation of 100,000 weekly.
By chance, any pictures of Roxy’s screen during the CinemaScope era? The pre-CinemaScope picture shows a dang tiny screen for such a mammoth movie palace?
I bought a 1927 Roxy program on ebay.
Warren
Where on earth did you find that “take home program” from the Roxy?
It makes me want so much to take a look inside to see what’s printed there there. Do you have the COMPLETE program or just the cover?
You say it gradually diminished in size and content over the years.
When I worked there in 1951 on the candy concession in the rotunda I don’t remember ever seeing printed programs, but as I was just a kid I maybe just didn’t take notice. I’m so glad you’re sharing some of this with us. Thanx.
Richard Holden
Here is an ad from the New York Times dated 9/17/53:
http://tinyurl.com/38h8bg
Here is a February 1931 ad from the NYT:
http://tinyurl.com/ynwcyq
Here is a February 1940 ad from the NYT:
http://tinyurl.com/2qwwbo
Re: ALL ABOUT EVE. I’m not sure the exact date it opened at the Roxy but as I was working there at the time I remember it was quite a cold day so most likely sometime in October 1950. They had closed the theater all day for cleaning as all the celebreties were to arrive in the evening. Search lights were beaming all over the Manhattan sky when I went in to work. It was quite an occasion. Being a teenager, my job was selling candy on the concession stand in the main Rotunda so I couldn’t get a chance to see the film until much later, maybe on my day off. I just watched All About Eve on DVD and it brought back those memories. A great film, a great cast.
Richard Holden
Poor Gary Merrill. Not only did he not get capital letter-billing like all the others, but they spelled his character’s name wrong. It should be Bill Sampson.
“All About Eve” must have been a tough sell box-office wise. It has such a strong literary pedigree that not all adults(and no kids) would enjoy all the clever show biz sarcasm. But I could be wrong.
Wow, and Martha Stewart headlining the stage show. I didn’t realize she was that old!
(Just kidding.)