Is the screen at the Egyptian much smaller than the one at the Chinese? I’ve only been to the Egyptian once, for “Dial M for Murder” in 3D, so I can’t really judge. I’m not even going to the TCM Festival (I live in NJ) but it’s fun to live vicariously.
The TCM Festival schedule has been posted. Both “2001” and “Cleopatra” are playing at the Egyptian, even though the Chinese has a bigger screen. The Chinese is showing such non-widescreen films as “The Producers” and “The King of Comedy”. I guess they have their reasons.
Here’s a link to the Toledo Blade review of “2001” on June 12, 1968. It’s the kind of rave review the picture deserved, and the kind I was hoping my local New York City critics would give it, but none of them did:
If I had a chance to ask Robert Osborne a question, I would’ve asked if TCM were ever going to do this again at the Ziegfeld. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun at a movie screening.
Just got back from what has to be the classic movie event of the year in New York City: the TCM presentation of “All About Eve”, hosted by Robert Osborne and Elaine Stritch.
The Q&A with Elaine before the show was a genuine laugh riot, and everyone in the practically-full house seemed thrilled to be seeing and hearing Robert in person. As for the movie, I’d have to go back to opening day of “The Empire Strikes Back” to find a comparable off-the-chart level of audience reaction and appreciation. I must’ve seen “All About Eve” close to a hundred times, but something about seeing it on a screen that big and surrounded by so many fans made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time, as if I never knew what was going to happen next at all times. Amazing.
This event was free. I’m grateful to TCM for that, but it was worth paying full price for. Please come back to the Ziegfeld soon, TCM.
For the record, the curtains were not used at the start of the show because the TCM Festival logo was being displayed on the screen, but they did close at the end of the movie.
On the same topic, is anyone planning to attend the TCM festival? I sure wish I could. Hopefully we’ll get some good eyewitness reports here on Cinema Treasures.
Is “Cleopatra” being shown at the Chinese during the TCM festival in April? On their website they don’t say what movies are showing at which theater. Now there’s a movie that can take full advantage of the entire wide screen at the Chinese.
After reading about all the hard work that paid off from the folks at Chace Audio, it looks like 2011 might be the year I get what I’ve been waiting for all this time. Thanks William and Gary!
It sure was acting like a neurotic, malfunctioning HAL on the day I saw it in action: ear-splitting popping noises were ruining the soundtrack of “West Side Story”, and they only stopped when the operator walked away from the console.
REndres: if you worked there in 1970, would you be able to confirm that the “West Side Story”/“Around the World in 80 Days” double feature that summer was a 70mm show or not? I like to think it was, and for years I was convinced of it, but I have to be realistic and accept that it was probably only 35mm. It was still a great show, except for the popping noises.
Thanks REndres. I love hearing stories about the console. When I first saw it 40 years ago, it looked like something from the future. I’ll bet it was considered a great breakthrough in motion picture exhibition when it was first installed. I wonder how many theaters installed one after the Ziegfeld did? I’d guess not too many.
Stan: Those Krystal Burgers you described on the Ritz page sound like White Castles, which we have in the Northeast. I’m getting hungry just thinking about them.
The first film to play the Harmon Cove was “King Kong” (Jessica Lange version) in December 1976. It was exciting to attend that opening night because it was the first completely new theater I’d ever been to.
“Blade Runner” in June 1982 was the first attraction at the Loew’s Meadows 6, which replaced the Harmon Cove along with the even-bigger Loew’s Meadows 8 a few years later, so I figure the Harmon Cove must have closed around this same time.
You can always depend on Pete and the Lafayette to include a Hitchcock classic in their schedule. I think there’s been a Hitchcock in every edition of Big Screen Classics since they started.
Poor “Cleopatra”. Its cost was so astronomically high that it quickly got branded with the label “Flop”, even though it was the highest-grossing movie of 1963. On the adjusted-for-inflation list, it’s the 39th biggest grossing movie ever made:
36 Independence Day Fox $527,136,100 1996
37 Home Alone Fox $515,457,200 1990
38 Pinocchio Dis. $512,939,400 1940
39 Cleopatra Fox $511,266,100 1963
40 Beverly Hills Cop Par. $511,011,600 1984
41 Goldfinger UA $504,543,000 1964
And apart from all that, it’s a good movie, especially when seen on the big screen. Scenes like Cleopatra’s entry into Rome and the Battle of Actium (recreated with an actual fleet of full-size ships) are stunning spectacles. And the story is always engrossing. It’s a very fast-moving 4 hours and 13 minutes.
And now back to “The Sound of Music”, which is #3 on that same list:
1 Gone with the Wind MGM $1,537,559,600 1939
2 Star Wars Fox $1,355,490,100 1977
3 The Sound of Music Fox $1,083,781,000 1965
4 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Uni. $1,079,511,500 1982
5 The Ten Commandments Par. $996,910,000 1956
6 Titanic Par. $976,712,200 1997
7 Jaws Uni. $974,679,800 1975
8 Doctor Zhivago MGM $944,670,800 1965
9 The Exorcist WB $841,427,600 1973
10 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Dis. $829,490,000 1937
One other good memory from “The Sound of Music”: it was the first and last time that my neighborhood theater sold souvenir programs for a movie in the lobby. I thought, “Hey! We finally hit the big time.” I wish I still had that program, but it got lost over the years.
Is the screen at the Egyptian much smaller than the one at the Chinese? I’ve only been to the Egyptian once, for “Dial M for Murder” in 3D, so I can’t really judge. I’m not even going to the TCM Festival (I live in NJ) but it’s fun to live vicariously.
I always assumed the Chinese could run 70mm too. I guess I’m still thinking about the time “West Side Story” played there for a full year.
The TCM Festival schedule has been posted. Both “2001” and “Cleopatra” are playing at the Egyptian, even though the Chinese has a bigger screen. The Chinese is showing such non-widescreen films as “The Producers” and “The King of Comedy”. I guess they have their reasons.
Here’s a link to the Toledo Blade review of “2001” on June 12, 1968. It’s the kind of rave review the picture deserved, and the kind I was hoping my local New York City critics would give it, but none of them did:
View link
If I had a chance to ask Robert Osborne a question, I would’ve asked if TCM were ever going to do this again at the Ziegfeld. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun at a movie screening.
And we still have one more Anne Baxter classic movie event coming up: “The Ten Commandments” at the Lafayette in Suffern NY on Saturday April 3rd.
Just got back from what has to be the classic movie event of the year in New York City: the TCM presentation of “All About Eve”, hosted by Robert Osborne and Elaine Stritch.
The Q&A with Elaine before the show was a genuine laugh riot, and everyone in the practically-full house seemed thrilled to be seeing and hearing Robert in person. As for the movie, I’d have to go back to opening day of “The Empire Strikes Back” to find a comparable off-the-chart level of audience reaction and appreciation. I must’ve seen “All About Eve” close to a hundred times, but something about seeing it on a screen that big and surrounded by so many fans made me feel like I was seeing it for the first time, as if I never knew what was going to happen next at all times. Amazing.
This event was free. I’m grateful to TCM for that, but it was worth paying full price for. Please come back to the Ziegfeld soon, TCM.
For the record, the curtains were not used at the start of the show because the TCM Festival logo was being displayed on the screen, but they did close at the end of the movie.
On the same topic, is anyone planning to attend the TCM festival? I sure wish I could. Hopefully we’ll get some good eyewitness reports here on Cinema Treasures.
Is “Cleopatra” being shown at the Chinese during the TCM festival in April? On their website they don’t say what movies are showing at which theater. Now there’s a movie that can take full advantage of the entire wide screen at the Chinese.
After reading about all the hard work that paid off from the folks at Chace Audio, it looks like 2011 might be the year I get what I’ve been waiting for all this time. Thanks William and Gary!
Uh-oh – this sounds good. Is there a Blu-Ray edition coming out?
Thanks, William. My almost-lifelong quest to see “West Side Story” in 70mm continues …
OK, thanks. “Close Encounters” – now there was a great 70mm show at the Ziegfeld!
It sure was acting like a neurotic, malfunctioning HAL on the day I saw it in action: ear-splitting popping noises were ruining the soundtrack of “West Side Story”, and they only stopped when the operator walked away from the console.
REndres: if you worked there in 1970, would you be able to confirm that the “West Side Story”/“Around the World in 80 Days” double feature that summer was a 70mm show or not? I like to think it was, and for years I was convinced of it, but I have to be realistic and accept that it was probably only 35mm. It was still a great show, except for the popping noises.
Thanks REndres. I love hearing stories about the console. When I first saw it 40 years ago, it looked like something from the future. I’ll bet it was considered a great breakthrough in motion picture exhibition when it was first installed. I wonder how many theaters installed one after the Ziegfeld did? I’d guess not too many.
Stan: Those Krystal Burgers you described on the Ritz page sound like White Castles, which we have in the Northeast. I’m getting hungry just thinking about them.
The first film to play the Harmon Cove was “King Kong” (Jessica Lange version) in December 1976. It was exciting to attend that opening night because it was the first completely new theater I’d ever been to.
“Blade Runner” in June 1982 was the first attraction at the Loew’s Meadows 6, which replaced the Harmon Cove along with the even-bigger Loew’s Meadows 8 a few years later, so I figure the Harmon Cove must have closed around this same time.
Anyway, Vito, I’m sure you have some good 70mm Sound of Music stories to contribute.
Thanks for sharing those memories with us, Stan. Posts like yours are the main reason why I love Cinema Treasures.
Vito: since you can usually be found hanging out on this page, someone on this other page:
http://cinematreasures.org/news/23149_0_1_0_C/
has a couple of 70mm questions for you.
You can always depend on Pete and the Lafayette to include a Hitchcock classic in their schedule. I think there’s been a Hitchcock in every edition of Big Screen Classics since they started.
Poor “Cleopatra”. Its cost was so astronomically high that it quickly got branded with the label “Flop”, even though it was the highest-grossing movie of 1963. On the adjusted-for-inflation list, it’s the 39th biggest grossing movie ever made:
36 Independence Day Fox $527,136,100 1996
37 Home Alone Fox $515,457,200 1990
38 Pinocchio Dis. $512,939,400 1940
39 Cleopatra Fox $511,266,100 1963
40 Beverly Hills Cop Par. $511,011,600 1984
41 Goldfinger UA $504,543,000 1964
And apart from all that, it’s a good movie, especially when seen on the big screen. Scenes like Cleopatra’s entry into Rome and the Battle of Actium (recreated with an actual fleet of full-size ships) are stunning spectacles. And the story is always engrossing. It’s a very fast-moving 4 hours and 13 minutes.
And now back to “The Sound of Music”, which is #3 on that same list:
1 Gone with the Wind MGM $1,537,559,600 1939
2 Star Wars Fox $1,355,490,100 1977
3 The Sound of Music Fox $1,083,781,000 1965
4 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Uni. $1,079,511,500 1982
5 The Ten Commandments Par. $996,910,000 1956
6 Titanic Par. $976,712,200 1997
7 Jaws Uni. $974,679,800 1975
8 Doctor Zhivago MGM $944,670,800 1965
9 The Exorcist WB $841,427,600 1973
10 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Dis. $829,490,000 1937
For the record, “Avatar” is #15 and still rising.
One other good memory from “The Sound of Music”: it was the first and last time that my neighborhood theater sold souvenir programs for a movie in the lobby. I thought, “Hey! We finally hit the big time.” I wish I still had that program, but it got lost over the years.
My Sicilian grandmother spoke no English, but she went to see “The Sound of Music” in 1967. That movie broke down all cultural and language barriers.
One upcoming show where you can guarantee that the curtains will be used:
http://www.tcm.com/2010/roadtohollywood/newyork/
And it’s free! First come, first served. WOW!