Paul Bubny: You mentioned subdividing of the various theaters, but probably the saddest case of subdividing is what was done to the poor old Clairidge (Montclair NJ). I’m glad you got to see Jaws on that amazing screen. I saw How the West Was Won there in 3-strip Cinerama, and also Star Wars 14 years later. Now it’s a dreary sixplex with no trace in sight of what it once was.
It’s the Google News edition of the Pittsburgh Press. This particular issue features the opening week review of “Psycho” on page 6. I wasn’t able to find the “Jaws” review – there are some gaps in the collection. But I’m hooked on this, looking up every classic movie I can think of. If you click on Browse This Newspaper and change the date, you can go all the way back to 1888.
I think the Pittsburgh movie ads are often much more interesting than the ones we got in New York City. Like Stan Malone said, a lot of them have that local touch – more imaginative, more personal, more fun.
One bad side effect of looking here: you’ll see how many great movies were showing back then on any given day (especially the 1960’s and 1970’s), and you’ll be reminded how many crummy ones there are today. I’ve practically given up looking at current movie ads, such as they are. If you don’t like comic book movies, you might as well stay home.
If anyone is going to watch the movie on DVD to commemmorate 35 years, I advise them to stay away from the Dolby 5.1 remix. It’s terrible – most of the sound effects have been changed for some reason and as a result, the whole movie becomes much less powerful and effective. What were they thinking? Stick with the Oscar-winning 2.0 mono mix, and turn it up. THAT’S the way “Jaws” is supposed to sound. That’s what helped scare all those audiences in 1975.
My family and I saw “Jaws” at the Fox in Hackensack NJ on the second or third day, but that short time was enough for every kid in town to have already seen it. And most of them were all back again at the matinee show we attended, and making more noise than any other movie audience in my 53-year moviegoing life: “Wait till you see what happens”, “A head is gonna come out of that hole”, “His leg is gonna come off”, etc. Not just talking low, but screaming everything out. During the movie’s quiet moments, they were just talking about other stuff as loud as they could. My brother and I changed our seats several times, but wherever we ended up we were surrounded.
When the movie ended I felt like I hadn’t even seen it. Fortunately we saw it again a couple of weeks later at the Colony in Brant Beach NJ, with an audience that was deathly quiet from fear and suspense. Maybe the location of the theater (a block away from the Atlantic Ocean) had something to do with that?
My cousin saw Psycho at the age of 5. We were both 5 and we lived in the same apartment house, but he was allowed to see it and I wasn’t. I was extremely jealous. But many years later he told me how it traumatized him. There was a woman living in our building back then who looked like Janet Leigh. Every time he saw her in the hall, he’d run away from her in terror.
Another movie I saw starting in the middle: “Lawrence of Arabia” (of all things). It does force you to really pay attention, though, since you have to piece everything together based on what you already saw. A funny thing: I can still remember the shot thst was on the screen when I walked in from almost all those movies I saw backwards (Tony Curtis doing magic tricks in “Spartacus”, Peter O'Toole walking through a puddle in an Arab town in “Lawrence”).
Here is the “Psycho” ad with the DeMille’s corner sign:
I read somewhere that the whole “You Must See It From the Beginning” business was because if people walked in during the second half of the movie, they’d be wondering why they weren’t seeing Janet Leigh. My family often walked in in the middle in those days, then stayed to see what we missed. A few of the films we saw like that: “Spartacus”, “The Parent Trap”, “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”. Of course this could never be done today, with 45+ minute breaks between showtimes. Plus it’s not really a good way to see a movie :)
I have another ad at home with a picture of “Psycho” on the big curved corner sign, celebrating its 10th week as “the biggest hit on Broadway”. I’ll post it tonight.
Boy, how I wish today’s filmmakers would start making some movies that will be remembered that way 50 years from now.
To commemmorate the New York opening of “Psycho” 50 years ago today, here’s an ad from the Jersey Journal. “Psycho” didn’t branch out to New Jersey theaters till August 3, 1960:
Back in September 2007, on this page, Rory asked if anyone had a photo of the Capitol’s marquee when they were showing “Planet of the Apes” in February 1968. No one replied about it, but he never gave up. Last week, he found it, and asked me to post it here. Now the final two films to play the Capitol have their marquee images saved for posterity on Cinema Treasures:
My brother Tom and I saw it on opening day, first show (12:10 PM) at Loew’s Astor Plaza in Manhattan. He took off school, I took off work. While on line, we were filmed by a News 4 New York camera crew as a Darth Vader impersonator walked past us. We saw ourselves on the 11:00 news that night.
I knew about Vader’s big revelation because I stupidly read the novelization before seeing the movie, but I still found that whole sequence one of the scariest things I’d ever seen on the screen. That light saber duel, with Luke looking so outmatched and overwhelmed, was terrifying. Definitely the most powerful scene in all of Star Wars.
The free movie TCM showed in Boston this year was “The Verdict”, which was filmed there. Each city got a movie which had something to do with the city: Chicago got “North by Northwest”, Washington DC got “The More the Merrier” and San Francisco got “The Lady From Shanghai”.
MPol: Although we didn’t have the entire Festival, TCM did hold one screening in New York City in March, at the Ziegfeld: “All About Eve”. Robert Osborne and Elaine Stritch hosted the event, and the place was packed (it was also free). A small taste of what the actual festival must’ve been like, but it was so much fun. TCM also held free single-classic movie screenings in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.
Tyne: I’m a huge fan of Kubrick, but I gotta admit my favorite part of “Killer’s Kiss” is seeing all those dear departed movie marquees in Times Square.
My parents saw “The Graduate” in 1968 when they were 39 years old. I remember them telling me how funny it was, and that the whole audience was laughing all through it. My mom thought it was too short and she didn’t want it to end. I didn’t get to see it till 3 years later but I agreed with them – it’s definitely a great comedy.
I had wanted to see the blown-up version in 1989 (billed as Super VistaVision, and done very well, by the way), but it never played in the New York City area. So Saturday’s excellent show filled a definite void in my history with “The Ten Commandments”.
I love this movie so much I watched it again on ABC Saturday night, even with a full hour of commercials. I spent nine full hours that day with “The Ten Commandments”.
Alfred Hitchcock shot an important scene inside Radio City for his 1942 film “Saboteur”.
Paul Bubny: You mentioned subdividing of the various theaters, but probably the saddest case of subdividing is what was done to the poor old Clairidge (Montclair NJ). I’m glad you got to see Jaws on that amazing screen. I saw How the West Was Won there in 3-strip Cinerama, and also Star Wars 14 years later. Now it’s a dreary sixplex with no trace in sight of what it once was.
You’re welcome, Mike. You and anyone else who enjoys movie ads should check out this site:
View link
It’s the Google News edition of the Pittsburgh Press. This particular issue features the opening week review of “Psycho” on page 6. I wasn’t able to find the “Jaws” review – there are some gaps in the collection. But I’m hooked on this, looking up every classic movie I can think of. If you click on Browse This Newspaper and change the date, you can go all the way back to 1888.
I think the Pittsburgh movie ads are often much more interesting than the ones we got in New York City. Like Stan Malone said, a lot of them have that local touch – more imaginative, more personal, more fun.
One bad side effect of looking here: you’ll see how many great movies were showing back then on any given day (especially the 1960’s and 1970’s), and you’ll be reminded how many crummy ones there are today. I’ve practically given up looking at current movie ads, such as they are. If you don’t like comic book movies, you might as well stay home.
This is the ad Mike Rogers was referring to. It’s great!:
View link
If anyone is going to watch the movie on DVD to commemmorate 35 years, I advise them to stay away from the Dolby 5.1 remix. It’s terrible – most of the sound effects have been changed for some reason and as a result, the whole movie becomes much less powerful and effective. What were they thinking? Stick with the Oscar-winning 2.0 mono mix, and turn it up. THAT’S the way “Jaws” is supposed to sound. That’s what helped scare all those audiences in 1975.
My family and I saw “Jaws” at the Fox in Hackensack NJ on the second or third day, but that short time was enough for every kid in town to have already seen it. And most of them were all back again at the matinee show we attended, and making more noise than any other movie audience in my 53-year moviegoing life: “Wait till you see what happens”, “A head is gonna come out of that hole”, “His leg is gonna come off”, etc. Not just talking low, but screaming everything out. During the movie’s quiet moments, they were just talking about other stuff as loud as they could. My brother and I changed our seats several times, but wherever we ended up we were surrounded.
When the movie ended I felt like I hadn’t even seen it. Fortunately we saw it again a couple of weeks later at the Colony in Brant Beach NJ, with an audience that was deathly quiet from fear and suspense. Maybe the location of the theater (a block away from the Atlantic Ocean) had something to do with that?
View link
Bloop: One of my favorite lop-sided double features ever was “Fail-Safe” and “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Islip Theatre:
View link
My cousin saw Psycho at the age of 5. We were both 5 and we lived in the same apartment house, but he was allowed to see it and I wasn’t. I was extremely jealous. But many years later he told me how it traumatized him. There was a woman living in our building back then who looked like Janet Leigh. Every time he saw her in the hall, he’d run away from her in terror.
On the Psycho DVD, there’s a short documentary about the exhibition at the DeMille, and there’s a closeup of the ticket prices:
Orchestra & Balcony $2.00
Loge & Party Room $2.40
Children 90c
Another movie I saw starting in the middle: “Lawrence of Arabia” (of all things). It does force you to really pay attention, though, since you have to piece everything together based on what you already saw. A funny thing: I can still remember the shot thst was on the screen when I walked in from almost all those movies I saw backwards (Tony Curtis doing magic tricks in “Spartacus”, Peter O'Toole walking through a puddle in an Arab town in “Lawrence”).
Here is the “Psycho” ad with the DeMille’s corner sign:
View link
I read somewhere that the whole “You Must See It From the Beginning” business was because if people walked in during the second half of the movie, they’d be wondering why they weren’t seeing Janet Leigh. My family often walked in in the middle in those days, then stayed to see what we missed. A few of the films we saw like that: “Spartacus”, “The Parent Trap”, “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”. Of course this could never be done today, with 45+ minute breaks between showtimes. Plus it’s not really a good way to see a movie :)
I like how Janet Leigh’s name is posted last in the cast list. Some astute movie fans might have suspected something fishy when they saw that.
The NY Daily News review of “Psycho” at the DeMille, dated 50 years ago tomorrow:
View link
I have another ad at home with a picture of “Psycho” on the big curved corner sign, celebrating its 10th week as “the biggest hit on Broadway”. I’ll post it tonight.
Boy, how I wish today’s filmmakers would start making some movies that will be remembered that way 50 years from now.
To commemmorate the New York opening of “Psycho” 50 years ago today, here’s an ad from the Jersey Journal. “Psycho” didn’t branch out to New Jersey theaters till August 3, 1960:
View link
Back in September 2007, on this page, Rory asked if anyone had a photo of the Capitol’s marquee when they were showing “Planet of the Apes” in February 1968. No one replied about it, but he never gave up. Last week, he found it, and asked me to post it here. Now the final two films to play the Capitol have their marquee images saved for posterity on Cinema Treasures:
View link
Here are two pictures of Cine Astor I took in May 2010:
View link
View link
Thanks, Michael. You’ve outdone yourself here.
My brother Tom and I saw it on opening day, first show (12:10 PM) at Loew’s Astor Plaza in Manhattan. He took off school, I took off work. While on line, we were filmed by a News 4 New York camera crew as a Darth Vader impersonator walked past us. We saw ourselves on the 11:00 news that night.
I knew about Vader’s big revelation because I stupidly read the novelization before seeing the movie, but I still found that whole sequence one of the scariest things I’d ever seen on the screen. That light saber duel, with Luke looking so outmatched and overwhelmed, was terrifying. Definitely the most powerful scene in all of Star Wars.
The show about Elvis that Al mentioned, “Million Dollar Quartet”, just got a Tony nomination for Best Musical.
The free movie TCM showed in Boston this year was “The Verdict”, which was filmed there. Each city got a movie which had something to do with the city: Chicago got “North by Northwest”, Washington DC got “The More the Merrier” and San Francisco got “The Lady From Shanghai”.
http://www.tcm.com/roadtohollywood/
MPol: Although we didn’t have the entire Festival, TCM did hold one screening in New York City in March, at the Ziegfeld: “All About Eve”. Robert Osborne and Elaine Stritch hosted the event, and the place was packed (it was also free). A small taste of what the actual festival must’ve been like, but it was so much fun. TCM also held free single-classic movie screenings in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.
Tyne: I’m a huge fan of Kubrick, but I gotta admit my favorite part of “Killer’s Kiss” is seeing all those dear departed movie marquees in Times Square.
Did anyone attend the big “A Star is Born” event last night? Any good stories to tell?
My parents saw “The Graduate” in 1968 when they were 39 years old. I remember them telling me how funny it was, and that the whole audience was laughing all through it. My mom thought it was too short and she didn’t want it to end. I didn’t get to see it till 3 years later but I agreed with them – it’s definitely a great comedy.
I had wanted to see the blown-up version in 1989 (billed as Super VistaVision, and done very well, by the way), but it never played in the New York City area. So Saturday’s excellent show filled a definite void in my history with “The Ten Commandments”.
I love this movie so much I watched it again on ABC Saturday night, even with a full hour of commercials. I spent nine full hours that day with “The Ten Commandments”.
As Linus said to Lucy in A Charlie Brown Christmas, those are good reasons. I never thought of it that way.