As someone who has worked continuously for the past 36 years in the industry, from single screen to multiplexes, I cant see how this theatre could ever be reopened. I know myself, I would never want to step foot in there. I think Cinemark should just cut their losses, and as sad and horrific this incident was, they should just level the complex and move on. Just one mans opinion.
Thank you Vito. Its how I was trained by my dad. Yes we all did have fun in the booths, and we have memories that no one today will ever have. I did good at City Center and it really wasnt bad. My back however had other ideas. Its been pretty good the past 3 or so years, but I never know when it will go out again. Im glad I had the pleasure to work with you for all those years. Take care.
Hi Vito. Hope all is well. Its Mark P. from the old Amboys and City Center. I just lost my job a month ago to digital. 36 years in the booth, along with the 55 my departed dad did isnt too bad I guess. Take care.
I have always said a nice 4 screen drive-in would look mighty nice on this spot. 2 larger screens by the river, 2 smaller ones by the old circle. Bet it would be a gold mine. Open it up from say early April till maybe Halloween.
I was working at the Prudential Center arena for the NBA draft about 2 weeks ago and passed both the Paramount and Adams Theatres in Newark. (Did not have time to get to the Proctors) The Paramount is indeed all boarded up. There is a dollar type of store in what looks to be the lobby of the Adams. If I am in town again (maybe July 20 – 21 for Jennifer Lopez concert) I will try to find out more on both venues.
An article in todays Star Ledger talks about this theatre and shows a picture of a 23 year old with the projector. They have 6000 foot reels and looks like a newer model simplex and xenon. I guess the old E-7 and Peerless have been put to rest. Also, the kid is holdind his cell phone while threading the projector. Its no wonder I’m out of a job after 36 years.
In looking at Ed Solero’s ad on the top of the page, I see 2 theatres in New Jersey that I actually worked at as a projectionist years ago. The Ritz in Elizabeth and the Royal in Perth Amboy, where my father also worked, and I was working the last day it was opened, July 13, 1988.
Not for long. You see moviebuff, they are just preparing you for the inevitable. When everyone else is done putting in digital, they are going to be forced to raise their prices to help offset the cost. AMC is merely getting an early jump on things, thats all.
I started work as an usher/doorman in June 1977 at the GCC Woodbridge Cinema, but after a month ended up 5 miles down the road at the Menlo Park Twin, where Star Wars was in full gear. I remember the endless lines that snaked back to the park a few hundred feet away. But the one thing that amazed me was in December, on the saturday before christmas, in its final week, as we were opening “Close Encounters” the following week, this movie sold out all 4 shows for the day, filling all 800 seats in the theatre. For me, an 18 year old, who was also learning and doing part time projection, this is something I shall never see again. Truely a great time in our industry.
Well optimist008, John Fink, and everyone else, looks like the final nail in my coffin as the remaining digital equipment was delivered yesterday to my theatre. I figure one month from now and that’s it for me. At least I’ll have the projection job at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank where we show old movies once a month. It will be interesting what does end up happening to Clearview, whether it goes as a whole, or in bits and pieces.
Hello optimist008, how are you? You probably know me better as movie534. I cant figure out how to get that to show up instead of markp. Not very computer savvy. It looks as if my theatre will be all digital in the coming weeks, so Im out of a job. 36 years as a full time projectionist gone.
To me John, and I guess Im partial, one of the best theatres they had in Jersey was the Middlebrook Galleria in Ocean Twp. It was built from the ground up, all projectors were line of sight, and the pictures were always sharp, in focus and apertures were cut perfect. Of course it helped that I was the projectionist there from shortly after it opened (it opened in late 94, I got there in early 95) until Clearview got rid of the union in 2004. I do know what your talking about regarding many of their sites. I was the screen cleaner for many years again until 2004 when they ceased doing business with me. The Middlebrook theatre, while not stadium, did not have a problem with sound bleed over. And my partner and I (he was 82 in 2004) kept that booth like a hospital ward. We never had dirt or scratches on the film. Everyone who ever saw the booth and the theatre were amazed. I met my second wife there. But as with other business, upper management always seem to keep the idiots and get rid of the people who cared. I heard from people who went to my old theatre after I left the projection had gone way down hill. They wont go anymore. They all trek up to the AMC in monmouth mall. So yes its gonna be a hard sell to get rid of this chain.
markp
commented about
Cinema 46on
May 3, 2012 at 9:18 am
There was a story many years ago about this theatre, dont know how true it was, that when they played the first ever Sensurround movie, Earthquake, that some of the ceiling tiles actually fell out of the ceiling. I dont know if this happened, as I was only 15 at the time and heard people talking about it.
Wood theatres at one time had 6 theatres: Old Rahway (now Union County Performing Arts Center), Linden Twin (later 5), Lost Picture Show in Union, Strand in Summit, Verona Theatre and the Jersey (later Morristown Triplex). I worked at both Rahway and Linden many years ago.
mdvoskin, I am wondering, with all theatres being forced to convert to digital, will you still be able to purchase carbon rods, or will that too be a thing of the past, like 35mm is soon to be?
Only this time muviebuf, its much more expensive. At least the equipment they installed in the 50’s and 60’s lasted for all these years. This digital crap they’re putting in is outdated within a few months, and you either have to pay for upgrades, or buy new.
Just a question, but with all this talk of digital replacing film, and I know because its putting me out of a job by years end, I hear that eventually even these older movies will not be available on film, will the Jersey be getting a digital projector in due time? And another question, I love carbon arc, its what I started out on in the mid 70’s, but will rods still be available once the whole digital conversion takes place across the country?
Still waiting, still hoping this place can get into the hands of someone who can really bring it back to life. Concerts, Broadway shows, movies, opera. I know this place can do well. People said the same thing about New Brunswick and Newark, and look at the venues they now have.
Its too bad we will never see 70mm again, now that all movies (I cant call them FILMS if they are digital) are going digital. The last film I personally projected in 70mm was in 1989, “The Abyss”
Just curious, my dad worked in a Jerry Lewis Twin from 1972 thru 1985. The color scheme was Blue in Cinema 1, Red in Cinema 2. How did they do it in a 3 screen theatre? And did they use dual projection 6000' reel operation in all 3 booths?
Drove by the theatre yesterday on my way to the Count Basie Theatre. There is a “For Sale, 20+ acres” sign on the boarded up marquee. I guess thats truly the end for this theatre. Wouldnt a nice 4 screen drive-in look good over there? Just sayin.
As someone who has worked continuously for the past 36 years in the industry, from single screen to multiplexes, I cant see how this theatre could ever be reopened. I know myself, I would never want to step foot in there. I think Cinemark should just cut their losses, and as sad and horrific this incident was, they should just level the complex and move on. Just one mans opinion.
Thank you Vito. Its how I was trained by my dad. Yes we all did have fun in the booths, and we have memories that no one today will ever have. I did good at City Center and it really wasnt bad. My back however had other ideas. Its been pretty good the past 3 or so years, but I never know when it will go out again. Im glad I had the pleasure to work with you for all those years. Take care.
Hi Vito. Hope all is well. Its Mark P. from the old Amboys and City Center. I just lost my job a month ago to digital. 36 years in the booth, along with the 55 my departed dad did isnt too bad I guess. Take care.
I have always said a nice 4 screen drive-in would look mighty nice on this spot. 2 larger screens by the river, 2 smaller ones by the old circle. Bet it would be a gold mine. Open it up from say early April till maybe Halloween.
Opening header needs to be updated. The theatre was twinned in 1985 and was opened until at least 1990 if memory serves me.
I was working at the Prudential Center arena for the NBA draft about 2 weeks ago and passed both the Paramount and Adams Theatres in Newark. (Did not have time to get to the Proctors) The Paramount is indeed all boarded up. There is a dollar type of store in what looks to be the lobby of the Adams. If I am in town again (maybe July 20 – 21 for Jennifer Lopez concert) I will try to find out more on both venues.
An article in todays Star Ledger talks about this theatre and shows a picture of a 23 year old with the projector. They have 6000 foot reels and looks like a newer model simplex and xenon. I guess the old E-7 and Peerless have been put to rest. Also, the kid is holdind his cell phone while threading the projector. Its no wonder I’m out of a job after 36 years.
Unless someone else has taken over operation of this drive-in, status should be changed to “Closed”.
In looking at Ed Solero’s ad on the top of the page, I see 2 theatres in New Jersey that I actually worked at as a projectionist years ago. The Ritz in Elizabeth and the Royal in Perth Amboy, where my father also worked, and I was working the last day it was opened, July 13, 1988.
Not for long. You see moviebuff, they are just preparing you for the inevitable. When everyone else is done putting in digital, they are going to be forced to raise their prices to help offset the cost. AMC is merely getting an early jump on things, thats all.
I started work as an usher/doorman in June 1977 at the GCC Woodbridge Cinema, but after a month ended up 5 miles down the road at the Menlo Park Twin, where Star Wars was in full gear. I remember the endless lines that snaked back to the park a few hundred feet away. But the one thing that amazed me was in December, on the saturday before christmas, in its final week, as we were opening “Close Encounters” the following week, this movie sold out all 4 shows for the day, filling all 800 seats in the theatre. For me, an 18 year old, who was also learning and doing part time projection, this is something I shall never see again. Truely a great time in our industry.
Well optimist008, John Fink, and everyone else, looks like the final nail in my coffin as the remaining digital equipment was delivered yesterday to my theatre. I figure one month from now and that’s it for me. At least I’ll have the projection job at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank where we show old movies once a month. It will be interesting what does end up happening to Clearview, whether it goes as a whole, or in bits and pieces.
Hello optimist008, how are you? You probably know me better as movie534. I cant figure out how to get that to show up instead of markp. Not very computer savvy. It looks as if my theatre will be all digital in the coming weeks, so Im out of a job. 36 years as a full time projectionist gone.
To me John, and I guess Im partial, one of the best theatres they had in Jersey was the Middlebrook Galleria in Ocean Twp. It was built from the ground up, all projectors were line of sight, and the pictures were always sharp, in focus and apertures were cut perfect. Of course it helped that I was the projectionist there from shortly after it opened (it opened in late 94, I got there in early 95) until Clearview got rid of the union in 2004. I do know what your talking about regarding many of their sites. I was the screen cleaner for many years again until 2004 when they ceased doing business with me. The Middlebrook theatre, while not stadium, did not have a problem with sound bleed over. And my partner and I (he was 82 in 2004) kept that booth like a hospital ward. We never had dirt or scratches on the film. Everyone who ever saw the booth and the theatre were amazed. I met my second wife there. But as with other business, upper management always seem to keep the idiots and get rid of the people who cared. I heard from people who went to my old theatre after I left the projection had gone way down hill. They wont go anymore. They all trek up to the AMC in monmouth mall. So yes its gonna be a hard sell to get rid of this chain.
Yes, that is indeed 70MM film.
There was a story many years ago about this theatre, dont know how true it was, that when they played the first ever Sensurround movie, Earthquake, that some of the ceiling tiles actually fell out of the ceiling. I dont know if this happened, as I was only 15 at the time and heard people talking about it.
Wood theatres at one time had 6 theatres: Old Rahway (now Union County Performing Arts Center), Linden Twin (later 5), Lost Picture Show in Union, Strand in Summit, Verona Theatre and the Jersey (later Morristown Triplex). I worked at both Rahway and Linden many years ago.
mdvoskin, I am wondering, with all theatres being forced to convert to digital, will you still be able to purchase carbon rods, or will that too be a thing of the past, like 35mm is soon to be?
Oh how you hit the nail on the head moviebuff82. Give that man a cigar.
Only this time muviebuf, its much more expensive. At least the equipment they installed in the 50’s and 60’s lasted for all these years. This digital crap they’re putting in is outdated within a few months, and you either have to pay for upgrades, or buy new.
Just a question, but with all this talk of digital replacing film, and I know because its putting me out of a job by years end, I hear that eventually even these older movies will not be available on film, will the Jersey be getting a digital projector in due time? And another question, I love carbon arc, its what I started out on in the mid 70’s, but will rods still be available once the whole digital conversion takes place across the country?
Still waiting, still hoping this place can get into the hands of someone who can really bring it back to life. Concerts, Broadway shows, movies, opera. I know this place can do well. People said the same thing about New Brunswick and Newark, and look at the venues they now have.
Its too bad we will never see 70mm again, now that all movies (I cant call them FILMS if they are digital) are going digital. The last film I personally projected in 70mm was in 1989, “The Abyss”
Just curious, my dad worked in a Jerry Lewis Twin from 1972 thru 1985. The color scheme was Blue in Cinema 1, Red in Cinema 2. How did they do it in a 3 screen theatre? And did they use dual projection 6000' reel operation in all 3 booths?
Drove by the theatre yesterday on my way to the Count Basie Theatre. There is a “For Sale, 20+ acres” sign on the boarded up marquee. I guess thats truly the end for this theatre. Wouldnt a nice 4 screen drive-in look good over there? Just sayin.