Boy, Toronto is some movie town. 146 weeks. They also had a record-breaking run of “2001: A Space Odyssey”, 127 weeks. And it’s thanks to you, Michael, that I know this fact.
Maybe I should watch “The Sound of Music” on DVD tonight to commemmorate the date. Wish it was the Blu-Ray, though – more like a 70mm experience.
I agree with the last 4 posters. Maybe that policy should be re-evaluated. I think a theater should be listed under the name it held the longest, and not what it closed under. Bway is right – it’d be criminal to list the Rivoli as the United Artists Twin.
Justin: the movie never had an overture, and I think the reason why is also the reason there was no Fox fanfare. The first thing you hear is the wind blowing over the snow-capped mountain tops. As the flying camera descends to a lower elevation, the music starts to come up very quietly, barely noticeable at first, slowly and gradually building up to the well-known chords leading into Julie singing the title song. Any other music played beforehand would’ve spoiled this unusual effect.
Some other big-budget Fox pictures from around this time did not use the fanfare either: “The Bible” and “The Agony and the Ecstasy”, for example. “Cleopatra”’s logo came on at the very end of Alex North’s spectacular overture. “Patton” had neither the fanfare or the logo, just that enormous, screen-filling U.S. flag.
“The Sound of Music” came to my town in June 1967. I went to see it right away and loved it, but then my family had already been playing the soundtrack album for two years. It was a Special Selective Engagement, as described by Michael, in 35mm at the Rivoli Theater in Rutherford NJ.
I saw it one other time there, but I also came to resent it after a while. Being only 12 years old, that theater was practically my only source of movie entertainment. I could walk to it, and I went there almost every weekend. But I missed seeing a lot of 1967 releases because “The Sound of Music” played there for the entire
summer. Amazing how a movie that had already been showing continuously for more than two full years could still draw such a huge audience.
I finally got to see it in 70mm at the Gotham Cinema in NYC, in 1990.
Vito: Remember the electronic remote control console the Ziegfeld had in the beginning, in the back row of the orchestra? If only they’d install something like that in the auditorium for the curtains. I’d be proud to press that button at every show I attended.
I’m with AGR on this. In 1996 a Dayton, Ohio theater installed Cinerama for what was supposed to be a two-week run. It wound up running for more than three years (weekends only). I realize NYC has more tourist attractions than Dayton, but still … :) And Cinerama still draws crowds in LA whenever it is shown there.
Paul: Were Liz and Dick (the ultimate celebrity couple, then and now) there too?
I remember Dorothy Kilgallen from the TV game show What’s My Line? A lot of their Mystery Guest segments can be seen on YouTube. They attracted some of the biggest names in show business. Here’s a funny clip from 1954 featuring Liz and Dorothy Kilgallen:
I’d say the coins mean the same thing as the stones. There weren’t many stones lying around in that cemetery, so someone must have left a coin instead and it just grew from there.
At Mel Blanc’s grave in Hollywood, people left the traditional stones – and something else:
Elvis was also supposed to play opposite Barbra Streisand in “A Star Is Born”, but Col. Parker said no to that too. I guess it was the Colonel’s fault that Elvis kept making the same kind of movie over and over.
You’re welcome, Gary. Natalie had more commemorative coins than anyone else, in a cemetery filled with celebrities. Marilyn Monroe would’ve had as much if not more, but her grave was set into a wall, not far from Natalie’s.
Based on what Gary put into his speech, it shows he’s a devoted and knowledgeable fan of “West Side Story”, and that makes him qualified.
I saw “Funny Girl” today, from the 7th row. Having only seen it on a regular size screen from the balcony (Clifton Theatre, Clifton NJ) in 1970 and on video, I never really experienced the full power of that film until today. There were lots of appreciative Barbra fans there who added to the fun with their laughter and applause. The 35mm stereo print was fine. It must have been fairly recent because it had restoration credits at the end. The curtains were not used at all, but there were many opportunities to do so: overture, intermission music and exit music. I guess the person who ran the show today didn’t realize he or she was working at the Ziegfeld. But the movie looked and sounded so good up there, it was easy to pretend I was seeing it roadshow at the Criterion. It was also enjoyable to hear the name “Ziegfeld” spoken so often in the theatre named after him – Florenz Ziegfeld as played by Walter Pidgeon is a major character in that film.
Less than 50 minutes after it ended, “West Side Story” was scheduled to go on, so of course I paid another $10 and saw it again. Couldn’t pass that up.
I agree with Gary that Natalie Wood was underappreciated in “West Side Story”. I’ve been to screenings where the audience was clapping wildly for Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim in the closing credits but when the next name came on, Natalie Wood, they stopped the clapping cold (and picked it up again for Rita Moreno). But not today. Natalie got as big a round of applause as Sondheim, and it was nice to hear.
This is a good place to post this picture I took at her grave in Westwood, LA. The many memorial coins on her grave show that she is still loved and appreciated by her fans:
I’m basing what sounded like mono on the opening of “Maria”. The echoing voices saying “Maria” are supposed to come from opposite sides of the screen, and it all seemed to be coming from the center only. But the volume was so loud and the bass notes so pronounced that the presentation still gave me the ol' goosebumps. And it reminded me that the first time I saw “West Side Story” (Rutherford NJ, April 1963), it was a mono print.
The good far outweighed the bad at tonight’s showing of “West Side Story”. First the bad: it sounded like a mono print, and one reel (the one featuring the song “Quintet” and the start of the rumble) was very slightly out of sync. And that’s it for the bad. The 35mm print was in quite good condition and the sound was impressively loud. The only missing footage was part of one shot during Bernardo’s first appearance – the rest of the film was intact, even at the reel changes.
The movie had the same effect on me that it always has: I got goosebumps around 7 or 8 times. This was “West Side Story” at the Ziegfeld, after all, and a show which started with the lights being dimmed according to Robert Wise’s specifications. The manager, William, was a very nice guy and enthusiastically accepted the instruction sheet, saying he’d give it right to the projectionist. When I saw the lights go slightly down for the overture and start going all the way down when the long shot of Manhattan appeared, I felt Robert Wise would have approved.
The show had a host, radio personality Dr. Joy Browne, who spoke before and after. She admitted she was not an expert on “West Side Story”, but she was an enthusiastic fan and said a lot of funny things. One other good thing about her appearance: she stood in front of the closed gold curtains so I got a good long look at them. We talk about them all the time here, but I hadn’t seen them in a while and they’re really quite beautiful.
Only about 100 people attended, if that many. As Dr. Browne said, a lot was going on this weekend (Valentine’s Day, Fashion Week, the Olympics) which may have contributed to the low turnout. I hope Gary’s show tomorrow afternoon has a bigger audience.
I just printed them out. The worst they can do to me is slam the door in my face or tell me to get lost. Besides, Robert Wise (who I met once at a revival screening of “Star!”) would want me to do it.
Boy, Toronto is some movie town. 146 weeks. They also had a record-breaking run of “2001: A Space Odyssey”, 127 weeks. And it’s thanks to you, Michael, that I know this fact.
Maybe I should watch “The Sound of Music” on DVD tonight to commemmorate the date. Wish it was the Blu-Ray, though – more like a 70mm experience.
I agree with the last 4 posters. Maybe that policy should be re-evaluated. I think a theater should be listed under the name it held the longest, and not what it closed under. Bway is right – it’d be criminal to list the Rivoli as the United Artists Twin.
Justin: the movie never had an overture, and I think the reason why is also the reason there was no Fox fanfare. The first thing you hear is the wind blowing over the snow-capped mountain tops. As the flying camera descends to a lower elevation, the music starts to come up very quietly, barely noticeable at first, slowly and gradually building up to the well-known chords leading into Julie singing the title song. Any other music played beforehand would’ve spoiled this unusual effect.
Some other big-budget Fox pictures from around this time did not use the fanfare either: “The Bible” and “The Agony and the Ecstasy”, for example. “Cleopatra”’s logo came on at the very end of Alex North’s spectacular overture. “Patton” had neither the fanfare or the logo, just that enormous, screen-filling U.S. flag.
Here’s an ad for the 1967 engagement I described:
View link
“The Sound of Music” came to my town in June 1967. I went to see it right away and loved it, but then my family had already been playing the soundtrack album for two years. It was a Special Selective Engagement, as described by Michael, in 35mm at the Rivoli Theater in Rutherford NJ.
I saw it one other time there, but I also came to resent it after a while. Being only 12 years old, that theater was practically my only source of movie entertainment. I could walk to it, and I went there almost every weekend. But I missed seeing a lot of 1967 releases because “The Sound of Music” played there for the entire
summer. Amazing how a movie that had already been showing continuously for more than two full years could still draw such a huge audience.
I finally got to see it in 70mm at the Gotham Cinema in NYC, in 1990.
Vito: Remember the electronic remote control console the Ziegfeld had in the beginning, in the back row of the orchestra? If only they’d install something like that in the auditorium for the curtains. I’d be proud to press that button at every show I attended.
It wasn’t used for the Friday night show of “Shutter Island” either. Maybe it’s broken again?
I’m with AGR on this. In 1996 a Dayton, Ohio theater installed Cinerama for what was supposed to be a two-week run. It wound up running for more than three years (weekends only). I realize NYC has more tourist attractions than Dayton, but still … :) And Cinerama still draws crowds in LA whenever it is shown there.
Also, check out the framed displays in the lobby. You’ll find a photo of the real Fanny Brice, on the left wall near the escalator.
You’re welcome, Yankee Mike. I hope they use the curtains for your show!
Paul: Were Liz and Dick (the ultimate celebrity couple, then and now) there too?
I remember Dorothy Kilgallen from the TV game show What’s My Line? A lot of their Mystery Guest segments can be seen on YouTube. They attracted some of the biggest names in show business. Here’s a funny clip from 1954 featuring Liz and Dorothy Kilgallen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gR-vU44gd4
One of the photos announces “Lovely Grace Moore …” in a Radio City attraction. I love that – showmanship extends even to the marquee!
I’d say the coins mean the same thing as the stones. There weren’t many stones lying around in that cemetery, so someone must have left a coin instead and it just grew from there.
At Mel Blanc’s grave in Hollywood, people left the traditional stones – and something else:
View link
Elvis was also supposed to play opposite Barbra Streisand in “A Star Is Born”, but Col. Parker said no to that too. I guess it was the Colonel’s fault that Elvis kept making the same kind of movie over and over.
You’re welcome, Gary. Natalie had more commemorative coins than anyone else, in a cemetery filled with celebrities. Marilyn Monroe would’ve had as much if not more, but her grave was set into a wall, not far from Natalie’s.
Based on what Gary put into his speech, it shows he’s a devoted and knowledgeable fan of “West Side Story”, and that makes him qualified.
I saw “Funny Girl” today, from the 7th row. Having only seen it on a regular size screen from the balcony (Clifton Theatre, Clifton NJ) in 1970 and on video, I never really experienced the full power of that film until today. There were lots of appreciative Barbra fans there who added to the fun with their laughter and applause. The 35mm stereo print was fine. It must have been fairly recent because it had restoration credits at the end. The curtains were not used at all, but there were many opportunities to do so: overture, intermission music and exit music. I guess the person who ran the show today didn’t realize he or she was working at the Ziegfeld. But the movie looked and sounded so good up there, it was easy to pretend I was seeing it roadshow at the Criterion. It was also enjoyable to hear the name “Ziegfeld” spoken so often in the theatre named after him – Florenz Ziegfeld as played by Walter Pidgeon is a major character in that film.
Less than 50 minutes after it ended, “West Side Story” was scheduled to go on, so of course I paid another $10 and saw it again. Couldn’t pass that up.
I agree with Gary that Natalie Wood was underappreciated in “West Side Story”. I’ve been to screenings where the audience was clapping wildly for Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim in the closing credits but when the next name came on, Natalie Wood, they stopped the clapping cold (and picked it up again for Rita Moreno). But not today. Natalie got as big a round of applause as Sondheim, and it was nice to hear.
This is a good place to post this picture I took at her grave in Westwood, LA. The many memorial coins on her grave show that she is still loved and appreciated by her fans:
View link
I’m basing what sounded like mono on the opening of “Maria”. The echoing voices saying “Maria” are supposed to come from opposite sides of the screen, and it all seemed to be coming from the center only. But the volume was so loud and the bass notes so pronounced that the presentation still gave me the ol' goosebumps. And it reminded me that the first time I saw “West Side Story” (Rutherford NJ, April 1963), it was a mono print.
Best of luck today, Gary.
The good far outweighed the bad at tonight’s showing of “West Side Story”. First the bad: it sounded like a mono print, and one reel (the one featuring the song “Quintet” and the start of the rumble) was very slightly out of sync. And that’s it for the bad. The 35mm print was in quite good condition and the sound was impressively loud. The only missing footage was part of one shot during Bernardo’s first appearance – the rest of the film was intact, even at the reel changes.
The movie had the same effect on me that it always has: I got goosebumps around 7 or 8 times. This was “West Side Story” at the Ziegfeld, after all, and a show which started with the lights being dimmed according to Robert Wise’s specifications. The manager, William, was a very nice guy and enthusiastically accepted the instruction sheet, saying he’d give it right to the projectionist. When I saw the lights go slightly down for the overture and start going all the way down when the long shot of Manhattan appeared, I felt Robert Wise would have approved.
The show had a host, radio personality Dr. Joy Browne, who spoke before and after. She admitted she was not an expert on “West Side Story”, but she was an enthusiastic fan and said a lot of funny things. One other good thing about her appearance: she stood in front of the closed gold curtains so I got a good long look at them. We talk about them all the time here, but I hadn’t seen them in a while and they’re really quite beautiful.
Only about 100 people attended, if that many. As Dr. Browne said, a lot was going on this weekend (Valentine’s Day, Fashion Week, the Olympics) which may have contributed to the low turnout. I hope Gary’s show tomorrow afternoon has a bigger audience.
I just printed them out. The worst they can do to me is slam the door in my face or tell me to get lost. Besides, Robert Wise (who I met once at a revival screening of “Star!”) would want me to do it.
Let me in the booth tonight, show me where the dimmer and curtain control switches are, and I’ll do it! :)
Vito: I’m definitely interested!
Gary: Thanks! I’ll see for myself tonight at 8 PM. Good luck tomorrow, and please post a transcript of your presentation if you can.
I was surprised to see Boris Karloff’s name in the “Frankenstein” ad, because in the actual screen credits he was billed as “?”.
Craig: Please put what Vito and Gary say into practice. It’s not that hard – I’d do it myself if you’d let me!
I’m going on Friday night and can’t attend Gary’s show, but I hope I get to experience that little touch of showmanship that ultimately means so much.
Vito: wasn’t that the way Robert Wise himself wanted the picture to be presented? I think you told us that on one of the CT pages, some time ago.
Thanks, Al.