777 Theatre
777 8th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10036
777 8th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10036
6 people
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Does anyone know who ran the Hollywood Twin as a rep house? That seems like a curious business choice to have made, especially considering just how ‘lively’ that stretch of 8th Avenue – and the Times Square area in general – was during that time.
The Hollywood Twin was the worst of the repertory cinemas. Unlike
Bleecker Street, Carnegie Hall and the Regency, they used platters rather than reel to reel projection. Whenever a film played there, it got scratched or damaged before it was sent to the next venue. I recall watching a near mint Technicolor print of “Thunderball” get torn up while I was there. The audience laughed but I cringed realizing that this would ruin it for the other rep houses. Whenever I saw a classic booked there I knew I would not see it in good condition again.
The theater itself was like one of those muliplexes with the bowling alley style and small screen. It had none of the character of other small screen rep houses like The Thalia. I guess it was certainly better than operating as a porn house but I didn’t like the impact it had on the limited number of classic prints that were in the field.
On the other hand, I did a great double bill there of two Technicolor classics, “West Side Story” and “Bell, Book and Candle”.
I don’t know what kind of condition they left the theater but the prints were mint when I saw them. Another time they played a completely faded print of “Ben Hur” in Metrocolor and wouldn’t give me my money back. I knew there was a good Technicolor print floating around because it played the 8th Street Playhouse previously. They also played a totally faded print of “Pit and the Pendulum” and the same thing happened. No refund. Once again I argued that a new print had been struck on this title for the Corman festival at the Joseph Papp theater and they shouldn’t charge admission for junk copies. It was real hit and miss there. Sometimes they had great prints, other times total garbage. I don’t think they had the contacts or knowledge of people like Frank Rowley (Regency, Biograph), Bruce Goldstein (Film Forum) or Charles Zlatkin (Elgin Cinema) to know how to secure the best surviving release prints from the exchange. For example, I did get free passes from Rowley when MGM accidently sent them a red Eastmancolor print of “King Solomon’s Mines” instead of a Technicolor copy. If you saw a bad print at The Hollywood Twin, you were out of luck.
The Hollywood Twin was the worst of the repertory cinemas. Unlike
Bleecker Street, Carnegie Hall and the Regency, they used platters rather than reel to reel projection. Whenever a film played there, it got scratched or damaged before it was sent to the next venue. I recall watching a near mint Technicolor print of “Thunderball” get torn up while I was there. The audience laughed but I cringed realizing that this would ruin it for the other rep houses. Whenever I saw a classic booked there I knew I would not see it in good condition again.
The theater itself was like one of those muliplexes with the bowling alley style and small screen. It had none of the character of other small screen rep houses like The Thalia. I guess it was certainly better than operating as a porn house but I didn’t like the impact it had on the limited number of classic prints that were in the field.
On the other hand, I did a great double bill there of two Technicolor classics, “West Side Story” and “Bell, Book and Candle”.
I don’t know what kind of condition they left the theater but the prints were mint when I saw them. Another time they played a completely faded print of “Ben Hur” in Metrocolor and wouldn’t give me my money back. I knew there was a good Technicolor print floating around because it played the 8th Street Playhouse previously. They also played a totally faded print of “Pit and the Pendulum” and the same thing happened. No refund. Once again I argued that a new print had been struck on this title for the Corman festival at the Joseph Papp theater and they shouldn’t charge admission for junk copies. It was real hit and miss there. Sometimes they had great prints, other times total garbage. I don’t think they had the contacts or knowledge of people like Frank Rowley (Regency, Biograph), Bruce Goldstein (Film Forum) or Charles Zlatkin (Elgin Cinema) to know how to secure the best surviving release prints from the exchange. For example, I did get free passes from Rowley when MGM accidently sent them a red Eastmancolor print of “King Solomon’s Mines” instead of a Technicolor copy. If you saw a bad print at The Hollywood Twin, you were out of luck.
Thanks Warren,
I will give the Eros I a new page listing of its own.
Saw a great double bill here of Breaker Morant and Gallipoli here in the summer of 82
I have a listing for an Eros I Cinema operating gay male porn in 1976.
Its street address is 732 8th Avenue, near 46th Street. Could this be one of the Hollywood Twin Cinemas?
A Burger King occupies the basement space of the former Hollywood Twin Cinemas building.
It’s funny, one time in the ‘80’s I saw Taxi Driver there at the Twin, and everybody started laughing when Travis walked by the theater.
I believe it was always the Hollywood, becaue it’s in the Robert Deniro film “Taxi Driver” (on the 1 sheet also I think) and there a XXX titles on the marquee and the name Hollywood.