RKO National Twin
1500 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
1500 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
14 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 105 comments
Very true what Larry Goldsmith said about Mann Theatres. The 2 National General Fox Theatres we had here in central N.J. ( Union and Woodbridge) were both gone by 1982. Woodbridge closed in 1979, torn down, became Levitz Furniture, (itself now bankrupt) and Union became Chuck E. Cheesey, opps I mean cheese.
not demolished now ABC studio.
JUST TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT THE NATIONAL THEATRE WAS BUILT,OPENED, AND OPERATED BY NATIONAL GENERAL THEATRES BOB BOTHWELL WAS TRANSFERRED TO NY FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO OVERSEE THE OPENING. TED MANN SOON BOUGHT OUT NATIONAL GENERAL CORP AND AS HE DID WITH EVERY OTHER NATIONAL GENERAL/FOX THEATRE HE EITHER CLOSED THEM, SOLD THEM, OR TORE THEM DOWN . HE ONLY BOUGHT THE HUGE CHAIN FOR THE REAL ESTATE. HE WAS NOT A TRUE SHOWMAN. THE ORIGINAL CHAIN WAS THE LARGEST CHAIN IN AMERICA, THANKS TO TED MANN, IT IS DOWN TO ABOUT 20 THEATRES, MOSTLY IN LA. Larry Goldsmith
From the LA Times, dated 11/5/72:
Times Square to Get New Movie House
The first new motion picture in Times Square, New York City, in more than 30 years is scheduled to open December 12, according to Los Angeles-based National General Theaters, Inc. The $1.5 million, 1445-seat theater is incorporated in a new 34-story office building at 1500 Broadway, on the east side between 43rd and 44th Streets.
The theater and its decor were designed by architect Drew Eberson. The marquee was designed by Ben Mayer Design, Inc, Los Angeles, and built by the Artkraft-Strauss Sign Corp. of New York City. Opening attraction will be the world premiere of 20th Century Fox’s “The Poseidon Adventure”.
The National Theatre was twinned when it was part of the RKO chain, not Mann Theatres.
Your pic from from 1970’s era is probally around the grand opening time for the National. Its opening attraction was ‘Posiden Adventure.’ Klein, (his first name escapes me) as Presdent of National General, wanted premire theatres on both coasts. They already operated the Chinese in Los Angeles, and the National was the first new theatre construction on Broadway in many years. Ted Mann, when he took control of the place, twinned it.
Nothing like it the best NEW YEARS EVE!
That sure is it, LM. That marquee was the best place to stand on New Year’s eve.
1975 meet Flesh Gordon
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i think thats a good idea ed .even function could read ,studio…
I was thinking that there ought to be a new status for theaters where the interior has been completely gutted but the exterior structure remains. Say “Closed/Gutted” as opposed to “Closed/Demolished”. I’m thinking more of free standing theater buildings such as the old Roosevelt/Quartet in Flushing, NY where the interior was ripped out down to the bare brick walls and beams while the exterior (in some cases along with facade ornamentation) still exists. I suppose it could also be extended to office building theaters such as the National and the old Paramount across the street. While in both cases all traces of the old theaters have been completely erased, the structures that housed them are still standing and can be visited by CT members. This would allow further distinction between former theaters that have no interior traces of ornamentation or design and those that do retain some interior elements and have been adapted for re-use.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I think this information would be useful to the membership – particularly those like myself who like to visit and possibly photograph former theater sites.
Yup. From the gutted interior, anyway. And now that undulating mutli-tiered news ticker wraps around the facade at balcony height. Remember the big National marquee that had that sine-wave shaped string of lights rising above it? I remember Dick Clark hosted at least one of his “Rocking New Year’s Eve” TV shows from on top of that Marquee in the early ‘80’s. The National also had one of those TV monitor stands under the canopy entrance that would show a trailer for the current attraction on a seemingly endless loop. A number of theaters in the Times Square area featured the same advertising gimmick.
Strange to see this as GOODMORNING AMERICA (ABC) BROADCASTS FROM THE OLD NATIONAL EVERY DAY !
I managed the National for about 18 months in the early 1990s. Some b-movies made a lot of money there; I remember Warlock making about $43,000 opening weekend.
We had the premiere of Jungle Fever there, and I got Stephen King’s autograph when he came to see Darkman.
It was a shame when they closed it down.
Fox touted “Towering Inferno” here in its 1974 holiday block ad
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Saw Pacino in ‘Cruising’ here.
I been to the National many times when I was a kid in the 70’s, the last time I was there was 1995 to see “The Money Train”
The landlord of the National had been trying to buy Cineplex Odeon out of the lease for years and Cineplex resisted as it wanted the Times Square presence. The Worldwide was unable to replace it as it was always unprofitable and attempts to triple the site (mentioned above) were aborted when the landlord refused to allow it at the last minute.
The National lobby was the best place to see the New Year in, a Cineplex Odeon yearly private party.
There is a very, very good shot of this theater in the book “New York, Then and Now” taken around 1974. You can see the huge marquee. The theater was playing “The Towering Inferno”. Also, on another page, there is a shot of the DeMille. You have to look very, very carefully for it because it’s all the way on the bottom right of the page. This book is in virtually every bookstore I got to in NY.
If this is still a television studio, the “Function” should be changed to reflect that.
no, the lease was up and ABC wanted the space.
I think the National was the first of the Times Square cinemas to close with the advent of the AMC & Sony E-Walk ‘plexes. It closed even before the E-Walk and AMC 'plexes opened. The owners no doubt saw the hand-writing on the wall. Last time I can remember being at the National was '96 to see the sole film Tom Hanks directed, the bland “That Thing You Do.”
thanks Don Rosen for the photo I enjoyed the memories.
I have a photo of the National Twin exterior. If some wants to post it, I’ll e-mail it to you.
My e-mail adress Don is