Anybody who saw the 1941 Our Gang short “The Big Premiere” will remember the Carthay Circle was the theater seen in the opening shot, all lit up at night; the gang attends – and then sabotages – the premiere of the film “Gun Boats,” starring “Imra Acacia” (Ethelreda Leopold).
“The Big Premiere” turns up occasionally on Turner Classic Movies as a short subject between films, and it is also available on “The Our Gang Collection” only from the WB Shop, Warner Bros.‘ online store (not available in regular retail outlets).
If so, I remember my dad (may he rest in peace) and I would pass by it on the train when the theater was the Hyde Park in the summer of 1979. (I was working at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago with my dad that year; that was my first real job as I was 17 then.)
I remember the marquee had comedy and tragedy masks adorning it and before I began my senior year of high school in late August of that year, the Hyde Park was playing the original Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, along with some vintage Tom and Jerry cartoon shorts for the kids. (I saw Star Wars again at the now-demolished Diana in Homewood. To be sure, it had me longing for when I first saw it with my cousin in Pennsylvania two years before, as well as the better times I had in Lansing, Michigan during 1977.)
Anybody have any photos of what this theater looks like now?
Does it still have the “comedy” and “tragedy” mask drawing signs on either side of the marquee out front? (I remember seeing those mask drawings when I first saw Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope with my cousin there in 1977.)
Around the spring of 1986 Cinema 35 began showing films from other distributors; I think the first non-Universal film Cinema 35 screened was “Just Between Friends,” starring Mary Tyler Moore and released by Orion.
Well, thanks very much, elmorovivo, for the photos of the exterior of the Gem (that I remember seeing in 1976, when I was 14, while visiting my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Derry; the Gem was already closed then, but the marquee still remained and I think it was painted blue and yellow when it closed four years earlier).
But do you, or anybody else, have any photos of the interior of the Gem? I heard the auditorium also had a balcony. Anybody who has said photos of inside the Gem, that would be very much appreciated.
Does anybody have any pictures of the inside of this theater in its heyday? I’m curious to see what my cousin enjoyed when she was growing up, as well as what I wished I could have seen there had I been around in the 50’s (I was born in 1962 – even any pictures of the inside of the Gem from that period would be interesting).
A clarification on my above comment:
My family and I lived in Saddle River, New Jersey from June 1983 until May 1985. My father (may he rest in peace), having been diagnosed with cancer in March 1984, was asked to retire from his position at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City and decided to return to Michigan in January 1985; hence, the “jump” from New Jersey to Michigan. (I took out a student loan in July 1985 and was thus able to complete my college career at Fairleigh Dickinson.)
But back to my recollections of Cinema 35:
One other film I saw there, in June 1984, was “Cloak and Dagger,” starring Henry Thomas (of “E.T.” fame). Naturally, that film was released by Universal.
Then I didn’t see any more films at Cinema 35 until September 1985, when I saw that encore of “Back to the Future” upon returning to the area.
I remember after I moved to Saddle River, New Jersey from Illinois with my family in June 1983, I saw “Jaws 3-D” and “Smokey and the Bandit, Part 3” at this theater when it was Cinema 35 (for some reason, they showed mostly Universal films at Cinema 35).
And, before I began my senior year of college in September 1985 at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck (I graduated from FDU the following June), I saw “Back to the Future” at Cinema 35 that Labor Day weekend, before classes began that Wednesday. That was actually the second time I saw “BTTF;” I saw it for the very first time at the also-now-closed Showcase Burton Cinemas in Burton, Michigan, when I went home for the summer. Little did I realize that encore of “BTTF” I saw at Cinema 35 would be the last film I would ever see there (they didn’t have anything good I wanted to see during the remainder of my senior year at FDU after that).
When my best lady friend and I made a return visit to the NYC area in September 2014, I was wondering if Cinema 35 was still around, and perhaps she and I could take in a movie there. Sadly, it wasn’t, and we decided to see “No Good Deed” at the AMC Garden State Plaza (I was surprised to see Cinema 35 had been turned into a retail store).
RIP, Cinema 35. Every time I see the original “Back to the Future” now, I think of the time I saw it at Cinema 35 (when the “BTTF” trilogy was rereleased for its 30th anniversary last October, I saw all three films at the NCG Eastwood Cinemas in Lansing, Michigan; the memories of my senior year in New Jersey came back a bit).
In addition to my above comment, I also meant to say that my cousin, whom I referred to above (who commented on the Gem Theater in Derry as Canary No1), told me the Laurel 30 Twin has been renovated and reopened – they still show first-run movies – and one of the amenities is that waitresses will come to your seat and take your order for food and drinks, as many modern-day theaters have begun doing.
She didn’t tell me if the Laurel 30 is continuing under that name or if it has a new identity (I don’t doubt it’s now independently owned). I will pass along more info once I get it.
I remember seeing “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” here in September 1984 (for the fourth and final time that year), and also “Last of the Mohicans” in October 1992 when I returned to the area for a visit. (In 1984, I lived in Saddle River with my family – I also attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck – and in 1992, I was living in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan.)
I believe I saw “Out of Africa” at this theater on May 13, 1986. (Four weeks later, on June 1, I graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck. I was then living in Fair Lawn, but I now live in Charlotte, Michigan, which is between Lansing and Battle Creek.)
I remember first hearing about this theater when, in March 1986, I was watching “Good Morning America” and they were doing a story about Mary Tyler Moore’s film “Just Between Friends,” which had its world premiere at the Ziegfeld.
I had, unfortunately, never seen any films at the Ziegfeld, either when I lived in Saddle River, New Jersey from 1983 to 1986 or on a few occasions in the 90’s when I came back to the area for a visit (in the fall of 1999, I remember the Ziegfeld was showing “Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace.” I don’t, however, remember what they were showing when I recently revisited the area in late September 2014). But, I do feel for anybody who has seen any film at this cinema and are shocked to hear that it will now be closing on January 29.
Another piece of New York City history is gone. To repeat what fred1 said above, “R.I.P. Ziegfeld theater.”
Remembered seeing “Rain Man” at this theater for the second time in April 1989 (I saw it first two months earlier at the Showcase Toledo Cinemas on Secor Road, which I understand is now demolished).
I believe DreamWorks Pictures had the world premiere showing of their film “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio” in September 2005 at this theater. (Ironically, the film was shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and New York City, not Defiance, Ohio itself.)
techman707, September 14, 2014 at 10:18 A.M.:
“Thanks to the consent decrees beginning in 1940 onward, the Loews/MGM relationship was ended. Not only did it HURT the industry (including the independent exhibitors), it forced Loews to shut down, sell or permanently close
HUNDREDS of theatres across the country. Today, ANYTHING GOES. With everything going on today, we will either wind up with NO THEATRES, or ONE COMPANY running virtually every theatre that’s left. Does a particular company or two come to mind? And finally, does ANYONE care?”
Yes, Techman, at least one company comes to my mind: AMC. But, mercifully, they pulled out of the Lansing, Michigan area (where I now live) in the early 90’s. (Let’s hope they don’t make a comeback here!)
And yes, indeed, I do care. It would be nice to see some of the independent, old-time movie houses saved and updated so future generations can enjoy them. (Three examples of these in my area are the Eaton Theater in Charlotte, Michigan, which now has two screens – one in the former balcony area – but with all-digital projection; the Sun Theater, a single-screener in Grand Ledge, Michigan, also now all-digital; and another Sun Theater, this one in Williamston, Michigan and is another single-screener with digital projection.)
And the Consent Decree you were referring to was decided by the Supreme Court in 1948 in United States vs. Paramount Pictures, Inc. The Court ruled that the movie studios owning their own theaters was a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Here is a link to an article about that at Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v.Paramount_Pictures,Inc.
This should shed some light on why, in the example you mentioned, Loew’s had to divorce MGM from their holdings and why the other studios who owned theaters had to do the same.
If you read the Tahqua Land’s page at gofundme.com, you’d have discovered the theater in Sault Sainte Marie is about to close. Also, as of this posting, the Tahqua Land is halfway to their goal, thanks to two $5000 donations from an anonymous donor.
Although I’ve never been to that theater, and I don’t foresee visiting Newberry, Michigan anytime in the near future, I do hope to make a $25 donation within the next month. I strongly believe Fred Dunkeld will reach his goal of $60,000 to keep the Tahqua Land open, and every little bit helps!
After my family and I moved to Glenwood, Illinois in June 1978, I discovered this theater was down the street from where we lived and I saw many movies there (the Diana was a block north of the second-run Glenwood Theater, also within walking distance).
I remember the Diana ran many Columbia Pictures films. Among the ones I remember seeing there were:
!978
“The Cheap Detective”
1979 “California Suite” “Just You and Me, Kid” “Hot Stuff”
1980
“Kramer vs. Kramer”
“The Blue Lagoon” (The very first R-rated movie I ever saw)
“Close Encounters” (The Special Edition)
1981 “Absence of Malice”
1982 “Annie”
1983 “Ghandi” Shortly thereafter in May 1983, my family and I moved to New Jersey.
I’m sorry to hear the Diana, as well as Washington Square Mall, is now demolished (I haven’t been back to Illinois since we left in 1983, and I don’t think I’ll be returning anytime soon). Shame.
In the late 60’s-early 70’s until the mid-70’s, ABC Theatres owned and operated the Madison. I recently saw a 1971 newspaper clipping that advertised the Madison – with the ABC logo in the ad – showing a United Artists double feature of Allen Funt’s What Do You Say to a Naked Lady and the original Thomas Crown Affair.
According to an article in the Lansing State Journal on Thursday, September 17, 2015 (it also appeared in their sister paper, the Detroit Free Press, a few days earlier), this theater may be in danger of closing if its owner’s current Go Fund Me campaign fails to raise any money for new digital projection equipment. The Tahqua Land’s owner, Fred Dunkeld, said he had attempted twice to raise funds for the new projectors but was unsuccessful.
The article supplies this e-mail address for anybody wishing to donate to help Mr. Dunkeld purchase the new digital projectors and save the Tahqua Land Theatre:
www.gofundme.com/tahqualandtheatre
If the Tahqua Land closes, the article states, all Newberry residents would have to make a long, three-hour trip to Marquette to see any current movies. Hopefully, anyone who read the article, or lives in that small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or cares about small-town theaters like the Tahqua Land, will help Mr. Dunkeld achieve his goal of buying the new equipment and keeping his theater alive.
Perhaps this third time will be the much-needed charm.
I remember seeing “Chariots of the Gods?” at the Lansing Mall with my dad in 1973 (when I was 11), as well as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” twice (once in December 1977 and again in March 1978). (In June 1978 I moved to Illinois with my family.)
And yes, the Lansing Mall Theater did have a gold waterfall curtain.
By the way: ABC Theaters (a division of the network) owned the Lansing Mall Theater from its opening in 1970 until around late 1975, when ABC sold off its theater division to Plitt Theaters. Plitt then owned and operated the Lansing Mall until its closing. (When Plitt closed the Lansing Mall Theater in 1986, they had just merged with Cineplex Odeon Theaters.)
Anybody who saw the 1941 Our Gang short “The Big Premiere” will remember the Carthay Circle was the theater seen in the opening shot, all lit up at night; the gang attends – and then sabotages – the premiere of the film “Gun Boats,” starring “Imra Acacia” (Ethelreda Leopold).
“The Big Premiere” turns up occasionally on Turner Classic Movies as a short subject between films, and it is also available on “The Our Gang Collection” only from the WB Shop, Warner Bros.‘ online store (not available in regular retail outlets).
Does a train line run close to this theater?
If so, I remember my dad (may he rest in peace) and I would pass by it on the train when the theater was the Hyde Park in the summer of 1979. (I was working at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago with my dad that year; that was my first real job as I was 17 then.)
I remember the marquee had comedy and tragedy masks adorning it and before I began my senior year of high school in late August of that year, the Hyde Park was playing the original Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, along with some vintage Tom and Jerry cartoon shorts for the kids. (I saw Star Wars again at the now-demolished Diana in Homewood. To be sure, it had me longing for when I first saw it with my cousin in Pennsylvania two years before, as well as the better times I had in Lansing, Michigan during 1977.)
Anybody have any photos of what this theater looks like now?
Does it still have the “comedy” and “tragedy” mask drawing signs on either side of the marquee out front? (I remember seeing those mask drawings when I first saw Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope with my cousin there in 1977.)
Thanks again.
It wouldn’t surprise me if they did, moviebuff82.
Around the spring of 1986 Cinema 35 began showing films from other distributors; I think the first non-Universal film Cinema 35 screened was “Just Between Friends,” starring Mary Tyler Moore and released by Orion.
Well, thanks very much, elmorovivo, for the photos of the exterior of the Gem (that I remember seeing in 1976, when I was 14, while visiting my aunt, uncle, and cousins in Derry; the Gem was already closed then, but the marquee still remained and I think it was painted blue and yellow when it closed four years earlier).
But do you, or anybody else, have any photos of the interior of the Gem? I heard the auditorium also had a balcony. Anybody who has said photos of inside the Gem, that would be very much appreciated.
Thanks again!
Does anybody have any pictures of the inside of this theater in its heyday? I’m curious to see what my cousin enjoyed when she was growing up, as well as what I wished I could have seen there had I been around in the 50’s (I was born in 1962 – even any pictures of the inside of the Gem from that period would be interesting).
Thanks.
A clarification on my above comment: My family and I lived in Saddle River, New Jersey from June 1983 until May 1985. My father (may he rest in peace), having been diagnosed with cancer in March 1984, was asked to retire from his position at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City and decided to return to Michigan in January 1985; hence, the “jump” from New Jersey to Michigan. (I took out a student loan in July 1985 and was thus able to complete my college career at Fairleigh Dickinson.)
But back to my recollections of Cinema 35: One other film I saw there, in June 1984, was “Cloak and Dagger,” starring Henry Thomas (of “E.T.” fame). Naturally, that film was released by Universal.
Then I didn’t see any more films at Cinema 35 until September 1985, when I saw that encore of “Back to the Future” upon returning to the area.
I remember after I moved to Saddle River, New Jersey from Illinois with my family in June 1983, I saw “Jaws 3-D” and “Smokey and the Bandit, Part 3” at this theater when it was Cinema 35 (for some reason, they showed mostly Universal films at Cinema 35).
And, before I began my senior year of college in September 1985 at Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck (I graduated from FDU the following June), I saw “Back to the Future” at Cinema 35 that Labor Day weekend, before classes began that Wednesday. That was actually the second time I saw “BTTF;” I saw it for the very first time at the also-now-closed Showcase Burton Cinemas in Burton, Michigan, when I went home for the summer. Little did I realize that encore of “BTTF” I saw at Cinema 35 would be the last film I would ever see there (they didn’t have anything good I wanted to see during the remainder of my senior year at FDU after that).
When my best lady friend and I made a return visit to the NYC area in September 2014, I was wondering if Cinema 35 was still around, and perhaps she and I could take in a movie there. Sadly, it wasn’t, and we decided to see “No Good Deed” at the AMC Garden State Plaza (I was surprised to see Cinema 35 had been turned into a retail store).
RIP, Cinema 35. Every time I see the original “Back to the Future” now, I think of the time I saw it at Cinema 35 (when the “BTTF” trilogy was rereleased for its 30th anniversary last October, I saw all three films at the NCG Eastwood Cinemas in Lansing, Michigan; the memories of my senior year in New Jersey came back a bit).
In addition to my above comment, I also meant to say that my cousin, whom I referred to above (who commented on the Gem Theater in Derry as Canary No1), told me the Laurel 30 Twin has been renovated and reopened – they still show first-run movies – and one of the amenities is that waitresses will come to your seat and take your order for food and drinks, as many modern-day theaters have begun doing.
She didn’t tell me if the Laurel 30 is continuing under that name or if it has a new identity (I don’t doubt it’s now independently owned). I will pass along more info once I get it.
I remember seeing “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” here in September 1984 (for the fourth and final time that year), and also “Last of the Mohicans” in October 1992 when I returned to the area for a visit. (In 1984, I lived in Saddle River with my family – I also attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck – and in 1992, I was living in the Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan.)
I believe I saw “Out of Africa” at this theater on May 13, 1986. (Four weeks later, on June 1, I graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck. I was then living in Fair Lawn, but I now live in Charlotte, Michigan, which is between Lansing and Battle Creek.)
Sorry to hear the theater is closed.
I remember first hearing about this theater when, in March 1986, I was watching “Good Morning America” and they were doing a story about Mary Tyler Moore’s film “Just Between Friends,” which had its world premiere at the Ziegfeld.
I had, unfortunately, never seen any films at the Ziegfeld, either when I lived in Saddle River, New Jersey from 1983 to 1986 or on a few occasions in the 90’s when I came back to the area for a visit (in the fall of 1999, I remember the Ziegfeld was showing “Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace.” I don’t, however, remember what they were showing when I recently revisited the area in late September 2014). But, I do feel for anybody who has seen any film at this cinema and are shocked to hear that it will now be closing on January 29.
Another piece of New York City history is gone. To repeat what fred1 said above, “R.I.P. Ziegfeld theater.”
Just curious: Does this theater now have digital projection?
Remembered seeing “Rain Man” at this theater for the second time in April 1989 (I saw it first two months earlier at the Showcase Toledo Cinemas on Secor Road, which I understand is now demolished).
Updated street view photo.
Thanks for refreshing my memory, Dawn.
I also saw “Seems Like Old Times” (yet another Columbia film) at the Diana in January 1981 (the first movie I saw that year).
I believe DreamWorks Pictures had the world premiere showing of their film “The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio” in September 2005 at this theater. (Ironically, the film was shot in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and New York City, not Defiance, Ohio itself.)
techman707, September 14, 2014 at 10:18 A.M.: “Thanks to the consent decrees beginning in 1940 onward, the Loews/MGM relationship was ended. Not only did it HURT the industry (including the independent exhibitors), it forced Loews to shut down, sell or permanently close HUNDREDS of theatres across the country. Today, ANYTHING GOES. With everything going on today, we will either wind up with NO THEATRES, or ONE COMPANY running virtually every theatre that’s left. Does a particular company or two come to mind? And finally, does ANYONE care?”
Yes, Techman, at least one company comes to my mind: AMC. But, mercifully, they pulled out of the Lansing, Michigan area (where I now live) in the early 90’s. (Let’s hope they don’t make a comeback here!)
And yes, indeed, I do care. It would be nice to see some of the independent, old-time movie houses saved and updated so future generations can enjoy them. (Three examples of these in my area are the Eaton Theater in Charlotte, Michigan, which now has two screens – one in the former balcony area – but with all-digital projection; the Sun Theater, a single-screener in Grand Ledge, Michigan, also now all-digital; and another Sun Theater, this one in Williamston, Michigan and is another single-screener with digital projection.)
And the Consent Decree you were referring to was decided by the Supreme Court in 1948 in United States vs. Paramount Pictures, Inc. The Court ruled that the movie studios owning their own theaters was a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Here is a link to an article about that at Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v.Paramount_Pictures,Inc.
This should shed some light on why, in the example you mentioned, Loew’s had to divorce MGM from their holdings and why the other studios who owned theaters had to do the same.
Status should be changed to demolished. Livonia Mall has since become an “open air” mall, without any cinemas.
If you read the Tahqua Land’s page at gofundme.com, you’d have discovered the theater in Sault Sainte Marie is about to close. Also, as of this posting, the Tahqua Land is halfway to their goal, thanks to two $5000 donations from an anonymous donor.
Although I’ve never been to that theater, and I don’t foresee visiting Newberry, Michigan anytime in the near future, I do hope to make a $25 donation within the next month. I strongly believe Fred Dunkeld will reach his goal of $60,000 to keep the Tahqua Land open, and every little bit helps!
After my family and I moved to Glenwood, Illinois in June 1978, I discovered this theater was down the street from where we lived and I saw many movies there (the Diana was a block north of the second-run Glenwood Theater, also within walking distance).
I remember the Diana ran many Columbia Pictures films. Among the ones I remember seeing there were: !978 “The Cheap Detective”
1979
“California Suite”
“Just You and Me, Kid”
“Hot Stuff”
1980 “Kramer vs. Kramer” “The Blue Lagoon” (The very first R-rated movie I ever saw) “Close Encounters” (The Special Edition)
1981
“Absence of Malice”
1982
“Annie”
1983
“Ghandi”
Shortly thereafter in May 1983, my family and I moved to New Jersey.
I’m sorry to hear the Diana, as well as Washington Square Mall, is now demolished (I haven’t been back to Illinois since we left in 1983, and I don’t think I’ll be returning anytime soon). Shame.
My bad.
The address of the theater, now occupied by the Family Farm and Home store, was 558 South Cedar Street, Mason, Michigan 48854.
The photo has been adjusted accordingly.
In the late 60’s-early 70’s until the mid-70’s, ABC Theatres owned and operated the Madison. I recently saw a 1971 newspaper clipping that advertised the Madison – with the ABC logo in the ad – showing a United Artists double feature of Allen Funt’s What Do You Say to a Naked Lady and the original Thomas Crown Affair.
According to an article in the Lansing State Journal on Thursday, September 17, 2015 (it also appeared in their sister paper, the Detroit Free Press, a few days earlier), this theater may be in danger of closing if its owner’s current Go Fund Me campaign fails to raise any money for new digital projection equipment. The Tahqua Land’s owner, Fred Dunkeld, said he had attempted twice to raise funds for the new projectors but was unsuccessful.
The article supplies this e-mail address for anybody wishing to donate to help Mr. Dunkeld purchase the new digital projectors and save the Tahqua Land Theatre:
www.gofundme.com/tahqualandtheatre
If the Tahqua Land closes, the article states, all Newberry residents would have to make a long, three-hour trip to Marquette to see any current movies. Hopefully, anyone who read the article, or lives in that small town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or cares about small-town theaters like the Tahqua Land, will help Mr. Dunkeld achieve his goal of buying the new equipment and keeping his theater alive.
Perhaps this third time will be the much-needed charm.
I remember seeing “Chariots of the Gods?” at the Lansing Mall with my dad in 1973 (when I was 11), as well as “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” twice (once in December 1977 and again in March 1978). (In June 1978 I moved to Illinois with my family.)
And yes, the Lansing Mall Theater did have a gold waterfall curtain.
By the way: ABC Theaters (a division of the network) owned the Lansing Mall Theater from its opening in 1970 until around late 1975, when ABC sold off its theater division to Plitt Theaters. Plitt then owned and operated the Lansing Mall until its closing. (When Plitt closed the Lansing Mall Theater in 1986, they had just merged with Cineplex Odeon Theaters.)