Perspecta was installed by MGM in every Loew’s theater, as well as the Paramount, Criterion, Capitol and possibly Strand theaters on Times Square. It was used by MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Allied Artists and United Artists. It lasted from late 1954 to 1957/58.
I’ve heard quite a few tracks through a restored Fairchild integrator. While it is panned mono, the mix (and careful use of separate gain levels for each channel) gives a very convincing illusion of stereo. We ran “Forbidden Planet” at the Loew’s Jersey on a 50 foot screen, and the Perspecta track sounded pretty good!
This message is for Warren, and this is the only way that I could contact him.
It appears from your posts that you have some old issues of Film Daily. I’m trying to get some additional information for a few NJ theaters that I recently posted. They include the Orpheum in Paterson; the Palace in Passaic, and the Strand in Clifton. If it’s not too much trouble, could you please tell me the listed seating capacity for these theaters?
This Passaic showplace was a fabulous Art Deco palace, and it was a real tragedy to see it demolished. It was less than 40 years old when it came down, and the construction crew underestimated the buildings structural integrity. It took several months longer than anticipated. It was certainly the most modern of Passaic’s theaters, which included the Montauk, Capitol, Lincoln (later Fine Arts), and Palace. There was also an old opera house, but that was torn down in (I believe) the 1930’s.
While the auditorium, downstairs lounge and lobby were a bit run-down from the years of black exploitation and kung fu movies, the backstage areas and balcony were in great shape. They hadn’t used the balcony in years, and it still had some of the original paintings and furniture up there.
It was also the first theater in Passaic County to install CinemaScope and 4-track magnetic stereo (for “The Robe”) and made the most of this fact in their advertising.
The Central had a huge facade, including an immense vertical sign. When they were demolishing the building, we found all of the original blueprints in a basement storage room.
I believe “Jailhouse Rock” was the first feature to be photographed witb the new anamorphic Panavision lenses.
MGM offered many of their stereo prints in both mono optical Perspecta, and 4-track mag/optical prints. This policy lasted until sometime in late 1957 when Perspecta was abandoned by the studio.
I’ll see if my friend can scan them, and try to post them on this site.
Growing up in the late 60’s/early 70’s, I practically lived at the Central in Passaic. My friends and I were there it seems every weekend for the latest horror film. I occasionally went to the Clifton and Allwood, but never to the Montauk or Capitol. They were showing porno by that time.
I’ve been in many area theaters since, and I’ve posted my accounts of seeing the deteriorating interiors of Paterson’s Orpheum, Passaic’s Palace, Newark’s Proctors and Adams, etc.
I’m proud to say that I played a big part in helping to save the Loew’s Jersey from the wreckers ball. My film events in the lobby generated a tremendous amount of positive press, and came at a crucial time when the building was up for demolition.
My latest efforts have been with the fabulous Lafayette in Suffern, and I’ll be there for the big science-fiction event next weekend. If you’re in the area, don’t miss it!
They are having an excellent classic film season, beginning on September 18 with A HARD DAY’S NIGHT. If you like classic films in great theaters, don’t miss this unique series.
Rhett, I have some poor quality photos of the interior from the 1920’s. I’ll ask my friend to scan them and see if he can post them. I also have some terrific photos of the exterior from the “Jack and the Beanstalk” premiere.
In the mid-60’s, my Mom would often take the bus to Paterson to shop at the big department stores, and I can remember going with her. I had to go there last year for jury duty, and spent some time walking around downtown. It’s truly sad to see the condition it’s in. That area around City Hall with its stately buildings must have been quite prime in the old days.
I was in the Fabian in 1991 to promote a new book that I had written on Abbott and Costello. At that time, the theater could have still been salvaged. While it was in rough shape, much of it was still intact. (We moved one of the drop ceiling titles in the projection booth of the backstage theaters, and the original proscenium was above it. It was beautiful and in very good condition.)
I was in the theater just a few years ago, and was shocked to see how much damage had occurred. Apparently, a subsequent owner had allowed scavengers to strip anything they could sell. Marble had been rather savagely removed from the mezzanine overlooking the lobby. They even jack-hammered the ornamental air ducts from under the balcony. To make matters worse, there was now considerable water damage to the side walls. The sad part was seeing much of the original ceiling and proscenium, as the leaky roof had caused portions of the drop ceiling to come loose and fall. I left there realizing that this once great theater was beyond hope.
Plus, to be brutally honest, downtown Paterson is not a very safe place, even in the daytime. There’s absolutely no way that a theater could survive in that area.
We did get to see the indoor swimming pool, and it was truly bizarre. In the basement of this decrepit theater/office building, was this beautiful swimming pool with all of these intricate in-laid tiles. Unlike the rest of the building, this area was in fairly good condition. It looked like the scavengers hadn’t discovered it.
Although it was held at the Fabian, we hosted the 50th anniversary premiere showing of Abbott and Costello’s JACK AND THE BEANSTALK at the Loew’s Jersey in 2002. There were no suitable theaters to host this commemorative event in Costello’s hometown of Paterson.
I would suggest talking with Bernie Anderson or Nelson Page, both with the Theater Organ Society. I’m sure either one can point you in the right direction.
That would be a terrific 75th anniversary show, and very appropriate. But, as I said in my earlier post, classic film needs to be done right in order for it to impress a new audience. The type of program (and quality of presentation) at the Lafayette in Suffern is a good indication. Dim 16mm projection with tinny mono sound on a temporary screen will not work.
Any 75th anniversary of a grand movie palace is an event well worth celebrating. The Capitol in Rome, New York just had a terrific anniversary show, and should be a blueprint for all theaters considering such an endeavor.
Film is as much an art form as any stage presentation, and should be an active part in any Performing Arts center.
Jean, you would have to set up an account and book the film from the Warner Bros. repertory department in Burbank. I doubt that the AFI will be able to help, let alone have a print.
The Capitol was an odd theater. For its age and size, it was unusually bland. I can remember little (if any) architectural details.
However, when they were tearing it down, some previously covered details of the original proscenium were exposed. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Otherwise, this theater had all the architectural splendor of a concrete bunker.
The Adams Theater has quite a history. When it was the Shubert, many big names played its stage, including Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker and the Marx Brothers. Most of the big bands played there in the swing era, and Jerry Lewis worked as an usher when he was a teenager.
We walked through this theater about 5 years ago, when I was working for the Loew’s Jersey. It needs a lot of help. There were early signs of water damage at that time, and plaster was beginning to fall onto the seats. We were surprised to see that it still many original light fixtures, including beautiful chandeliers over the side boxes in the auditorium.
Unfortunately, the owner at that time was allowing crews from film shoots to gut the stage of all the vintage lighting. He even offered to sell us some of the light fixtures, but with the leaky roof, none of us were willing to climb above the ceiling to see how to lower the chandeliers!
It was so sad to see this great Newark showplace rotting away while they were sinking millions into the nearby Performing Arts Center.
This is a huge theater building, and we were able to do a walk through around 1978. They had many, many levels of dressing rooms, and the place was in bad shape. (Somebody said they had closed it in the late 60’s right after the Newark riots.) When we saw it, there was quite a bit of plaster damage from a leaky roof, and entire sections of the ceiling had collapsed onto the seats. Keep in mind this was nearly 25 years ago. I can only imagine what kind of condition it’s in now.
Up until the early 90’s, the building still had the original marquee, and a huge curved RKO vertical sign at the top of the facade. The vertical was removed and the marquee was covered over when they converted the long entry lobby into retail space.
Don’t be so quick to dismiss the Classic Film programming mix for a Performing Arts (a.k.a. movie palace) venue.
I was the Director of Film Programming at the Loew’s Jersey in Jersey City. (In fact, I introduced the classic film concept to that grand theater.) We had over 700 people for such films as Forbidden Planet, Frankenstein, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and several others. Each film was treated as a special event, with loads of extras including extensive memorabilia displays.
Done right, classic film can be a very popular concept at these great theaters. Several generations have grown up not experiencing the power of film in these venues. With the right programming, you can do very well and sell lots of tickets for shows that are very inexpensive to produce.
BUT, they have to be done right – no shoddy presentations. You need good 35mm prints (I was able to secure many rare archival and vault prints for the Jersey.) Presentation must be top notch, with a clear, bright picture and strong, dynamic sound. If you “wow” the audience with the presentation, they’ll come back again and again. Put on a sloppy show, and you’ll do more harm than good.
Perspecta was installed by MGM in every Loew’s theater, as well as the Paramount, Criterion, Capitol and possibly Strand theaters on Times Square. It was used by MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros, Allied Artists and United Artists. It lasted from late 1954 to 1957/58.
I’ve heard quite a few tracks through a restored Fairchild integrator. While it is panned mono, the mix (and careful use of separate gain levels for each channel) gives a very convincing illusion of stereo. We ran “Forbidden Planet” at the Loew’s Jersey on a 50 foot screen, and the Perspecta track sounded pretty good!
This theater had 665 seats.
I just learned that this theater had 1400 seats.
Thanks so much Warren. I’ll add those to the listings.
That’s probably the case with the Orpheum. The sign on the facade makes no mention of movies.
Thanks again!
Bob
This message is for Warren, and this is the only way that I could contact him.
It appears from your posts that you have some old issues of Film Daily. I’m trying to get some additional information for a few NJ theaters that I recently posted. They include the Orpheum in Paterson; the Palace in Passaic, and the Strand in Clifton. If it’s not too much trouble, could you please tell me the listed seating capacity for these theaters?
Many thanks!
Bob
This Passaic showplace was a fabulous Art Deco palace, and it was a real tragedy to see it demolished. It was less than 40 years old when it came down, and the construction crew underestimated the buildings structural integrity. It took several months longer than anticipated. It was certainly the most modern of Passaic’s theaters, which included the Montauk, Capitol, Lincoln (later Fine Arts), and Palace. There was also an old opera house, but that was torn down in (I believe) the 1930’s.
While the auditorium, downstairs lounge and lobby were a bit run-down from the years of black exploitation and kung fu movies, the backstage areas and balcony were in great shape. They hadn’t used the balcony in years, and it still had some of the original paintings and furniture up there.
It was also the first theater in Passaic County to install CinemaScope and 4-track magnetic stereo (for “The Robe”) and made the most of this fact in their advertising.
The Central had a huge facade, including an immense vertical sign. When they were demolishing the building, we found all of the original blueprints in a basement storage room.
Would anybody like to rebuild it?
I believe “Jailhouse Rock” was the first feature to be photographed witb the new anamorphic Panavision lenses.
MGM offered many of their stereo prints in both mono optical Perspecta, and 4-track mag/optical prints. This policy lasted until sometime in late 1957 when Perspecta was abandoned by the studio.
I’ll see if my friend can scan them, and try to post them on this site.
Growing up in the late 60’s/early 70’s, I practically lived at the Central in Passaic. My friends and I were there it seems every weekend for the latest horror film. I occasionally went to the Clifton and Allwood, but never to the Montauk or Capitol. They were showing porno by that time.
I’ve been in many area theaters since, and I’ve posted my accounts of seeing the deteriorating interiors of Paterson’s Orpheum, Passaic’s Palace, Newark’s Proctors and Adams, etc.
I’m proud to say that I played a big part in helping to save the Loew’s Jersey from the wreckers ball. My film events in the lobby generated a tremendous amount of positive press, and came at a crucial time when the building was up for demolition.
My latest efforts have been with the fabulous Lafayette in Suffern, and I’ll be there for the big science-fiction event next weekend. If you’re in the area, don’t miss it!
They are having an excellent classic film season, beginning on September 18 with A HARD DAY’S NIGHT. If you like classic films in great theaters, don’t miss this unique series.
All the details can be found at http://www.ucac.org/MoviePalace/Pages/ThFilms.html
Rhett, I have some poor quality photos of the interior from the 1920’s. I’ll ask my friend to scan them and see if he can post them. I also have some terrific photos of the exterior from the “Jack and the Beanstalk” premiere.
In the mid-60’s, my Mom would often take the bus to Paterson to shop at the big department stores, and I can remember going with her. I had to go there last year for jury duty, and spent some time walking around downtown. It’s truly sad to see the condition it’s in. That area around City Hall with its stately buildings must have been quite prime in the old days.
I was in the Fabian in 1991 to promote a new book that I had written on Abbott and Costello. At that time, the theater could have still been salvaged. While it was in rough shape, much of it was still intact. (We moved one of the drop ceiling titles in the projection booth of the backstage theaters, and the original proscenium was above it. It was beautiful and in very good condition.)
I was in the theater just a few years ago, and was shocked to see how much damage had occurred. Apparently, a subsequent owner had allowed scavengers to strip anything they could sell. Marble had been rather savagely removed from the mezzanine overlooking the lobby. They even jack-hammered the ornamental air ducts from under the balcony. To make matters worse, there was now considerable water damage to the side walls. The sad part was seeing much of the original ceiling and proscenium, as the leaky roof had caused portions of the drop ceiling to come loose and fall. I left there realizing that this once great theater was beyond hope.
Plus, to be brutally honest, downtown Paterson is not a very safe place, even in the daytime. There’s absolutely no way that a theater could survive in that area.
We did get to see the indoor swimming pool, and it was truly bizarre. In the basement of this decrepit theater/office building, was this beautiful swimming pool with all of these intricate in-laid tiles. Unlike the rest of the building, this area was in fairly good condition. It looked like the scavengers hadn’t discovered it.
Although it was held at the Fabian, we hosted the 50th anniversary premiere showing of Abbott and Costello’s JACK AND THE BEANSTALK at the Loew’s Jersey in 2002. There were no suitable theaters to host this commemorative event in Costello’s hometown of Paterson.
What a shame.
I would suggest talking with Bernie Anderson or Nelson Page, both with the Theater Organ Society. I’m sure either one can point you in the right direction.
That would be a terrific 75th anniversary show, and very appropriate. But, as I said in my earlier post, classic film needs to be done right in order for it to impress a new audience. The type of program (and quality of presentation) at the Lafayette in Suffern is a good indication. Dim 16mm projection with tinny mono sound on a temporary screen will not work.
Any 75th anniversary of a grand movie palace is an event well worth celebrating. The Capitol in Rome, New York just had a terrific anniversary show, and should be a blueprint for all theaters considering such an endeavor.
Film is as much an art form as any stage presentation, and should be an active part in any Performing Arts center.
Jean, you would have to set up an account and book the film from the Warner Bros. repertory department in Burbank. I doubt that the AFI will be able to help, let alone have a print.
The Capitol was an odd theater. For its age and size, it was unusually bland. I can remember little (if any) architectural details.
However, when they were tearing it down, some previously covered details of the original proscenium were exposed. It wasn’t much, but it was something. Otherwise, this theater had all the architectural splendor of a concrete bunker.
The Adams Theater has quite a history. When it was the Shubert, many big names played its stage, including Eddie Cantor, Sophie Tucker and the Marx Brothers. Most of the big bands played there in the swing era, and Jerry Lewis worked as an usher when he was a teenager.
We walked through this theater about 5 years ago, when I was working for the Loew’s Jersey. It needs a lot of help. There were early signs of water damage at that time, and plaster was beginning to fall onto the seats. We were surprised to see that it still many original light fixtures, including beautiful chandeliers over the side boxes in the auditorium.
Unfortunately, the owner at that time was allowing crews from film shoots to gut the stage of all the vintage lighting. He even offered to sell us some of the light fixtures, but with the leaky roof, none of us were willing to climb above the ceiling to see how to lower the chandeliers!
It was so sad to see this great Newark showplace rotting away while they were sinking millions into the nearby Performing Arts Center.
This is a huge theater building, and we were able to do a walk through around 1978. They had many, many levels of dressing rooms, and the place was in bad shape. (Somebody said they had closed it in the late 60’s right after the Newark riots.) When we saw it, there was quite a bit of plaster damage from a leaky roof, and entire sections of the ceiling had collapsed onto the seats. Keep in mind this was nearly 25 years ago. I can only imagine what kind of condition it’s in now.
Up until the early 90’s, the building still had the original marquee, and a huge curved RKO vertical sign at the top of the facade. The vertical was removed and the marquee was covered over when they converted the long entry lobby into retail space.
Don’t be so quick to dismiss the Classic Film programming mix for a Performing Arts (a.k.a. movie palace) venue.
I was the Director of Film Programming at the Loew’s Jersey in Jersey City. (In fact, I introduced the classic film concept to that grand theater.) We had over 700 people for such films as Forbidden Planet, Frankenstein, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and several others. Each film was treated as a special event, with loads of extras including extensive memorabilia displays.
Done right, classic film can be a very popular concept at these great theaters. Several generations have grown up not experiencing the power of film in these venues. With the right programming, you can do very well and sell lots of tickets for shows that are very inexpensive to produce.
BUT, they have to be done right – no shoddy presentations. You need good 35mm prints (I was able to secure many rare archival and vault prints for the Jersey.) Presentation must be top notch, with a clear, bright picture and strong, dynamic sound. If you “wow” the audience with the presentation, they’ll come back again and again. Put on a sloppy show, and you’ll do more harm than good.
Bob Furmanek