Thanks, Lost Memory. Too bad they spelled the name of the star of the movie wrong in 1979. I know some people who still refer to her as Sally “Fields”.
Bob: It was 1:85, and did look great. The audience reaction really made the screening special. I’d only ever seen it on television and video. My family always laughed in all the right places, but it was a thrill to hear so many other people doing it too.
They did make amends for their mistake by showing “Isle of the Dead” (quite a good ‘40’s horror substitute for “The Uninvited”) and charging no admission for it. “The Uninvited” is tentatively scheduled to be shown at the end of May.
Tonight at the Loew’s Jersey I felt like I’d gone back to 1947, watching the film at Radio City Music Hall. I’d seen it countless times on TV and video, but never in a theater. And what a theater to see it in for the first time. Even before the show started I had a great “Mrs. Muir” experience walking around the upstairs gallery, with its heavy velvet drapes and large ornate mirrors, as Bernard Herrmann’s most beautiful score played from unseen overhead speakers. I must’ve spent a half hour up there and didn’t even notice.
Later that evening came “The Innocents”, in a breathtakingly beautiful black and white CinemaScope print. Under the right circumstances, the Loew’s Jersey can be quite a scary place when the lights go down – that huge empty overhead space, the booming echo chamber effect – perfect for “The Innocents”. No wonder the audience screamed and gasped at all the right moments.
Coming April 25th: a 50th anniversary screening of “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, with special guest Arlene Dahl in person. The Loew’s echo is going to work wonders for that particular soundtrack.
In 1965 a group of concerned parents picketed outside the Rivoli Theater in Rutherford NJ because they were showing “Goldfinger” on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, when children could see it. My parents got worried and started to think the movie might not be suitable for me (age 10), so they went to see it themselves on Saturday night, to pre-screen it since I was planning to go the next day. Their verdict: go. You’ll love it!
“I do not think the older crowd will be as bent out of shape regarding the "racier” films as some pessimistic posters think."
Reminds me of when “Midnight Cowboy” was a current release. It still carried the X rating, and my parents went to see it without me since I was only 14. My older aunt and uncle went along – they were the oldest members of the family and I was sure they’d be offended by it just from what I’d read in the newspaper reviews (and that X rating). To my surprise, they liked it a lot – in fact, everybody liked it. A good movie is a good movie after all. I had to wait till I was 18 and see it on a re-release.
When “Midnight Cowboy” came out 40 years ago, some of the scenes it presented had never been seen before in mainstream movies, much less TV. But any seniors who have premium cable should not be shocked by anything they see in any of these scheduled movies.
I’m very happy about the inclusion of “Marty”. Of my all-time favorite Top 10 movies, that’s the only one I’ve never seen in a theater. Now I get a good chance to rectify that.
You’re welcome, Kieran. I’m proud to say I saw 70mm Cinerama there, once: “Krakatoa East of Java” in 1969. Sure wish it was “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”, though.
Good question, Rory. I’ve seen photos of the Capitol showing “2001” (probably my favorite of all the pictures I’ve seen on the internet) and “Doctor Zhivago”, but so far no “Planet of the Apes”.
Thanks, veyoung. Too bad they never finished “Deluxe Tour” – it would’ve been something to see. Paul Mantz was an amazing aerial photographer. Some of the best moments of “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” were his work. He even gave his life for his profession – an accident while filming “The Flight of the Phoenix”.
I stand corrected: after reading the Martin Hart article, it seems that the clarity and definition of the 35mm prints reduced from CinemaScope 55 were a big, noticeable improvement over the previous CinemaScope films. No matter how they were shown, I still wish I’d been able to see both those films at the Roxy, and I hope I can someday see them at the Ziegfeld.
The power of suggestion: all the people in that ad were fooled into thinking they were seeing some new motion picture breakthrough (“the process is the best I have seen to date”; “a tremendous advance”, etc.), and they really weren’t. It makes me wonder whether those quotes were actually written by the Fox publicity department. But even on DVD, that is a beautifully photographed film. I’m sure it would’ve fooled me as well. And I’m totally with that guy who came in “all the way from New Jersey” (East Orange) to see it – if I’d been old enough in 1956 I’d have done the same thing.
The old non-anamorphic DVD of “Carousel” had the “Introducing CinemaScope 55” title card at the beginning, but the new improved DVD just says “A CinemaScope Picture”. Apparently all prints of “The King and I”, even the ones shown on TV, say “A CinemaScope Picture in CinemaScope 55”.
Martin Hart’s American Wide Screen Museum has a section devoted to CinemaScope 55:
It was 20th Century-Fox’s “Carousel” that Frank Sinatra walked off the set of, refusing to shoot the picture twice unless he was paid twice. It was the first film in CinemaScope 55, and they were going to shoot it again in CinemaScope 35 for theaters outside the big cities. After Sinatra quit and Gordon MacRae replaced him, Fox discovered a way to reduce the 55mm version to a 35mm print, so the film was only shot once after all.
The next (and last) film shot in CinemaScope 55 was “The King and I”. Both films played the Roxy in NYC in 1956, but I believe neither one was actually shown in CinemaScope 55, even though they were advertised as such:
Thanks, Vito. I’ve never seen “Oklahoma” in a theater. If it played the Ziegfeld in 70mm I’d be there like a shot.
The DVD of the Todd-AO version of “Oklahoma” came out all blurry for some reason. I’m surprised the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization let that get released. I’m hoping for a corrected Blu-Ray edition sometime in the future.
I live in the neighborhood and can walk there. If you can get up to Kennedy Boulevard, I think there are signs directing you to the theater. If there aren’t, there really should be!
When it was a $2 house, it was in terrible condition. There were about two employees running the whole place. The bathroom sinks were always stopped up, with popcorn floating in them. There was also popcorn all over the escalators, stuck in the metal ridges. It’s in much better shape now.
“Slumdog Millionaire” has been playing at the Columbia Park since November.
Could the Columbia Park 12 in North Bergen have anything to do with the closing? I often wondered how this theater, only one mile east of Secaucus, could be playing the same movies at the same time as the Loews theaters. Right now 4 of the movies at the Meadows 6 are also playing in North Bergen.
The AMC Loews' were always more accessible. When you pass the Columbia Park on Route 3, unless you’re a local resident you have no idea how to get up to it.
From my first visit to the Lafayette (“It Happened One Night”) to my last (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”) I’ve had so many amazing movie experiences there that, if I could, I’d give Nelson, Pete and the whole crew a special Academy Award. Where to begin?: seeing “2001” with Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood in the audience, finally getting to see beloved movies like “A Christmas Carol” (Alastair Sim), “Shane” and “Becket” on the big screen, my niece and I seeing my dad’s favorite movie “Yankee Doodle Dandy” together, helping Pete with a minor detail on turning out the lights in the theater for “Wait Until Dark” and getting my name listed in the program for it … thanks for the memories, guys. Hope to see you in Teaneck.
Thanks, Lost Memory. Too bad they spelled the name of the star of the movie wrong in 1979. I know some people who still refer to her as Sally “Fields”.
Bob: It was 1:85, and did look great. The audience reaction really made the screening special. I’d only ever seen it on television and video. My family always laughed in all the right places, but it was a thrill to hear so many other people doing it too.
They did make amends for their mistake by showing “Isle of the Dead” (quite a good ‘40’s horror substitute for “The Uninvited”) and charging no admission for it. “The Uninvited” is tentatively scheduled to be shown at the end of May.
Somehow it got mixed up with the 2009 release “The Uninvited”, which came and went from theaters a couple of weeks ago.
This afternoon I read the original New York Times review of “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” from June 1947:
View link
Tonight at the Loew’s Jersey I felt like I’d gone back to 1947, watching the film at Radio City Music Hall. I’d seen it countless times on TV and video, but never in a theater. And what a theater to see it in for the first time. Even before the show started I had a great “Mrs. Muir” experience walking around the upstairs gallery, with its heavy velvet drapes and large ornate mirrors, as Bernard Herrmann’s most beautiful score played from unseen overhead speakers. I must’ve spent a half hour up there and didn’t even notice.
Later that evening came “The Innocents”, in a breathtakingly beautiful black and white CinemaScope print. Under the right circumstances, the Loew’s Jersey can be quite a scary place when the lights go down – that huge empty overhead space, the booming echo chamber effect – perfect for “The Innocents”. No wonder the audience screamed and gasped at all the right moments.
Coming April 25th: a 50th anniversary screening of “Journey to the Center of the Earth”, with special guest Arlene Dahl in person. The Loew’s echo is going to work wonders for that particular soundtrack.
In 1965 a group of concerned parents picketed outside the Rivoli Theater in Rutherford NJ because they were showing “Goldfinger” on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, when children could see it. My parents got worried and started to think the movie might not be suitable for me (age 10), so they went to see it themselves on Saturday night, to pre-screen it since I was planning to go the next day. Their verdict: go. You’ll love it!
Peter said:
“I do not think the older crowd will be as bent out of shape regarding the "racier” films as some pessimistic posters think."
Reminds me of when “Midnight Cowboy” was a current release. It still carried the X rating, and my parents went to see it without me since I was only 14. My older aunt and uncle went along – they were the oldest members of the family and I was sure they’d be offended by it just from what I’d read in the newspaper reviews (and that X rating). To my surprise, they liked it a lot – in fact, everybody liked it. A good movie is a good movie after all. I had to wait till I was 18 and see it on a re-release.
When “Midnight Cowboy” came out 40 years ago, some of the scenes it presented had never been seen before in mainstream movies, much less TV. But any seniors who have premium cable should not be shocked by anything they see in any of these scheduled movies.
I’m very happy about the inclusion of “Marty”. Of my all-time favorite Top 10 movies, that’s the only one I’ve never seen in a theater. Now I get a good chance to rectify that.
You’re welcome, Kieran. I’m proud to say I saw 70mm Cinerama there, once: “Krakatoa East of Java” in 1969. Sure wish it was “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”, though.
It’s listed under its original name, the Strand:
/theaters/2975/
Thanks Mikeymike – looking forward to once again seeing the inside of the theater where I saw “Mary Poppins” in 1964.
Thanks, Warren. Full issues of Boxoffice magazine are available on the web – I should check there.
Good question, Rory. I’ve seen photos of the Capitol showing “2001” (probably my favorite of all the pictures I’ve seen on the internet) and “Doctor Zhivago”, but so far no “Planet of the Apes”.
Thanks, veyoung. Too bad they never finished “Deluxe Tour” – it would’ve been something to see. Paul Mantz was an amazing aerial photographer. Some of the best moments of “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” were his work. He even gave his life for his profession – an accident while filming “The Flight of the Phoenix”.
I stand corrected: after reading the Martin Hart article, it seems that the clarity and definition of the 35mm prints reduced from CinemaScope 55 were a big, noticeable improvement over the previous CinemaScope films. No matter how they were shown, I still wish I’d been able to see both those films at the Roxy, and I hope I can someday see them at the Ziegfeld.
The power of suggestion: all the people in that ad were fooled into thinking they were seeing some new motion picture breakthrough (“the process is the best I have seen to date”; “a tremendous advance”, etc.), and they really weren’t. It makes me wonder whether those quotes were actually written by the Fox publicity department. But even on DVD, that is a beautifully photographed film. I’m sure it would’ve fooled me as well. And I’m totally with that guy who came in “all the way from New Jersey” (East Orange) to see it – if I’d been old enough in 1956 I’d have done the same thing.
The old non-anamorphic DVD of “Carousel” had the “Introducing CinemaScope 55” title card at the beginning, but the new improved DVD just says “A CinemaScope Picture”. Apparently all prints of “The King and I”, even the ones shown on TV, say “A CinemaScope Picture in CinemaScope 55”.
Martin Hart’s American Wide Screen Museum has a section devoted to CinemaScope 55:
http://widescreenmuseum.com/widescreen/wingcs6.htm
Vito: did you see “Carousel” and/or “The King and I” at the Roxy?
It was 20th Century-Fox’s “Carousel” that Frank Sinatra walked off the set of, refusing to shoot the picture twice unless he was paid twice. It was the first film in CinemaScope 55, and they were going to shoot it again in CinemaScope 35 for theaters outside the big cities. After Sinatra quit and Gordon MacRae replaced him, Fox discovered a way to reduce the 55mm version to a 35mm print, so the film was only shot once after all.
The next (and last) film shot in CinemaScope 55 was “The King and I”. Both films played the Roxy in NYC in 1956, but I believe neither one was actually shown in CinemaScope 55, even though they were advertised as such:
View link
Thanks, Vito. I’ve never seen “Oklahoma” in a theater. If it played the Ziegfeld in 70mm I’d be there like a shot.
The DVD of the Todd-AO version of “Oklahoma” came out all blurry for some reason. I’m surprised the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization let that get released. I’m hoping for a corrected Blu-Ray edition sometime in the future.
If you go to Roland Lataille’s excellent Cinerama website:
View link
you will count 141 theaters in the United States that showed Cinerama (3-strip and/or 70mm) at one time or another.
The Columbia Park also has quite a large Indian clientele. That may be why “Slumdog Millionaire” is doing so well there.
I live in the neighborhood and can walk there. If you can get up to Kennedy Boulevard, I think there are signs directing you to the theater. If there aren’t, there really should be!
When it was a $2 house, it was in terrible condition. There were about two employees running the whole place. The bathroom sinks were always stopped up, with popcorn floating in them. There was also popcorn all over the escalators, stuck in the metal ridges. It’s in much better shape now.
“Slumdog Millionaire” has been playing at the Columbia Park since November.
Could the Columbia Park 12 in North Bergen have anything to do with the closing? I often wondered how this theater, only one mile east of Secaucus, could be playing the same movies at the same time as the Loews theaters. Right now 4 of the movies at the Meadows 6 are also playing in North Bergen.
The AMC Loews' were always more accessible. When you pass the Columbia Park on Route 3, unless you’re a local resident you have no idea how to get up to it.
They had a 40th anniversary screening of “2001” last year (two of them, actually) so the chances for “Ben-Hur” could be good.
Don’t forget Shirley in “The Music Man”.
Luis is so right. I would love to support any effort to landmark the Ziegfeld.
From my first visit to the Lafayette (“It Happened One Night”) to my last (“Journey to the Center of the Earth”) I’ve had so many amazing movie experiences there that, if I could, I’d give Nelson, Pete and the whole crew a special Academy Award. Where to begin?: seeing “2001” with Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood in the audience, finally getting to see beloved movies like “A Christmas Carol” (Alastair Sim), “Shane” and “Becket” on the big screen, my niece and I seeing my dad’s favorite movie “Yankee Doodle Dandy” together, helping Pete with a minor detail on turning out the lights in the theater for “Wait Until Dark” and getting my name listed in the program for it … thanks for the memories, guys. Hope to see you in Teaneck.