Thanks for sharing that, dave-bronx. I noticed that one passage from the text of that scanned booklet refers to the building having been at one time the “flagship” of Loew’s Theatres. As Warren would say, “What rot!” I’d imagine that the Commodore was never more than a late run nabe. In NYC – particularly in Manhattan – I’d imagine the flagship of the chain would have been the Loew’s State in Times Square for most of the Commodore’s existence as a cinema.
Ziegfeld Man… I caught up with NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN this weekend and was mesmerized by it. I share your enthusiasm and look forward to seeing it again. I think this may be the Coen’s finest work. Also saw THERE WILL BE BLOOD the same day and I may have liked that one even more! Two significant works from filmmakers who seem to be at the peak of their creative powers… each film a welcome respite from the usual recycled drivel the major studios feed out to the megaplexes.
Thanks for sharing that, ken mc. Don’t you love how cavalier the real estate broker remarks that “nothing was saved” regarding the beautiful art deco detailing and statuary that once adorned the interior? One wonders if he’s just oblivious to their intrinsic value or if he managed to stash some of it away for his own collection – as a hunter might mount the head of a steer he’s killed.
All those theatres are listed on this site, alexandi. You may want to track them down and post any memories you wish to share. At the top left of this page, there is a Search button. If you click the selection for “theaters” and then click the Search button, a page will open where you can enter “Astoria” and search “by City.” A list of all the movie theatres filed on Cinema Treasures as having existed (or as currently existing) in Astoria will open up.
Sorry… {url=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Manhattan%20Movie%20Theaters/42nd%20Street%20Rialto/600x580ft.opener1.jpg]Here’s that image[/url].
[http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Manhattan%20Movie%20Theaters/42nd%20Street%20Rialto/600x580ft.opener1.jpg]Here’s a somewhat sharper version[/url] of that same image, Warren. I dated the photo to early summer of 1985 based on some of the titles playing along the block. It appears that RAMBO, FIRST BLOOD PART II is playing at the Lyric, and further down, LIFEFORCE is at the Apollo. RAMBO opened in May of ‘85 and LIFEFORCE that June.
Sorry can’t help there, Michelle. Coincidentally, the two photos you did find are from my Photobucket scrapbook. The B&W image comes with the permission of the photographer, the talented and gracious Matt Weber. Matt has a website at www.urbanphotos.com and he took many photos of 42nd Street and the Times Square area in the 1980’s. You might consider contacting him to see if, by chance, he has any shots of the Anco marquee from this period that offer a cleare view of your image. Good luck. If I come across anything in my own perusals, I’ll be sure to let you know about it here.
Justin… I don’t think there’s been an Easter show at the Hall in more than two decades! At least not the Glory of Easter shows many of us remember from years gone by.
Hey Steven (sonoman)… What do the asterisks indicate on your list? At first I thought the one next to The Band’s 1976 appearance might have been to indicate the premier show under the newly christened Palladium moniker (which it was), but then I saw other shows asterisked further down the list.
Also… My memory may be faulty, but I thought that the gig by The Bank in ‘76 might have been much later in the year than March. I seem to recall that the show at their Palladium was a part of a farewell run leading up to the famous Last Waltz concert out at Winterland in San Francisco that Thanksgiving. When The Band appeared on Saturday Night Live that same week, the upcoming farewell concert was mentioned by the show’s guest host. Perhaps I’ve just mistakenly assumed that the SNL appearance was the same week of the Palladium gig. You sure that didn’t happen more like September or October of '76?
Was that dome a part of the original Commodore design elements? Photos I’ve seen of the interior from the Fillmore East days reveal a Colonial motif that I wouldn’t have imagined capped with a dome. I can’t recall seeing any images of the Fillmore’s ceiling.
I have to agree with br91975. While no one wants to see this site become a forum for unfounded trash talk (as it has flirted with on several occasions), I believe movie534 and Life’s Too Short raise legitimate concerns regarding the well being of the Beacon Theatre and other theatrical properties under the stewardship of Cablevision. Should such discussions be kept in reserve until after a theatre has been lost to neglect? I’m not saying that the Beacon is in any imminent danger, but surely to raise the issue would fall within the scope of reasonable discussion on a site whose motto is “Discover. Preserve. Protect.”
Yves… the photographs on your website of Detroit and Eastern Germany are absolutely stunning! Great job! I look forward to seeing the photos from your American tours – particularly of New York theatres – posted in the near future.
Hey McGinty… If you can compare the three screening rooms you saw at the Kings Highway to the vintage photos of the original auditorium that Warren posted back on November 3rd, 2007, can you describe if any of the original interior remains in any of the rooms? Someone else had posted that the twin sets of stairs leading up to the original loge section were still in use… Just curious what the layout is in relation to the original space. Thanks.
The webpage for the Fair has been closed to new comments by CT administration. I guess a flame war erupted there – or perhaps the first hand accounting of some of the activity going on at the theatre became a bit too, um, colorful for CT management to condone?!? Whatever the case, the offending comments seem to have been removed.
In all fairness, I’d hardly consider AlAlvarez' remarks to be an excoriation of leroyelliston. And the suggestion that one’s memory might be playing tricks need not be taken as a questioning of one’s sanity. My thanks to both Leroy and Al for sharing their facts and insights here for us to enjoy. Warren, your contributions to CT have been immeasurable, but you must admit that when the mood strikes, you are more than capable of administering some expert excoriation of your own!
PierreCity… No offense intended. I didn’t know you were going from memory. I thought you had some source for your information – as do many who post such lists here on the site. Are these films that you saw at the State? I used to keep a log of every film I saw when from 1979 through 1983 or ‘84. It listed each theatre and the cost of admission (which was initially the point of the list – to see how much I spent on film-going in a year). Somewhere along the way, the log went missing. I really wish I still had it – I really went to the movies an awful lot back in those days! At least once or twice each weekend (and many double and triple features courtesy the 42nd Street grind houses). I’m lucky if I see two or three films each year, these days!
Thanks for pointing that out, DavidM. Had the Spring Spectacular been an annual booking at the Hall in the years leading up to ‘97?
Nope. He was a living nightmare!
Thanks for sharing that, dave-bronx. I noticed that one passage from the text of that scanned booklet refers to the building having been at one time the “flagship” of Loew’s Theatres. As Warren would say, “What rot!” I’d imagine that the Commodore was never more than a late run nabe. In NYC – particularly in Manhattan – I’d imagine the flagship of the chain would have been the Loew’s State in Times Square for most of the Commodore’s existence as a cinema.
Ziegfeld Man… I caught up with NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN this weekend and was mesmerized by it. I share your enthusiasm and look forward to seeing it again. I think this may be the Coen’s finest work. Also saw THERE WILL BE BLOOD the same day and I may have liked that one even more! Two significant works from filmmakers who seem to be at the peak of their creative powers… each film a welcome respite from the usual recycled drivel the major studios feed out to the megaplexes.
Thanks for sharing that, ken mc. Don’t you love how cavalier the real estate broker remarks that “nothing was saved” regarding the beautiful art deco detailing and statuary that once adorned the interior? One wonders if he’s just oblivious to their intrinsic value or if he managed to stash some of it away for his own collection – as a hunter might mount the head of a steer he’s killed.
All those theatres are listed on this site, alexandi. You may want to track them down and post any memories you wish to share. At the top left of this page, there is a Search button. If you click the selection for “theaters” and then click the Search button, a page will open where you can enter “Astoria” and search “by City.” A list of all the movie theatres filed on Cinema Treasures as having existed (or as currently existing) in Astoria will open up.
Ugh! Let’s try it again!!! I have to get into the habit of using that PREVIEW button!
Sorry… {url=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Manhattan%20Movie%20Theaters/42nd%20Street%20Rialto/600x580ft.opener1.jpg]Here’s that image[/url].
[http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Manhattan%20Movie%20Theaters/42nd%20Street%20Rialto/600x580ft.opener1.jpg]Here’s a somewhat sharper version[/url] of that same image, Warren. I dated the photo to early summer of 1985 based on some of the titles playing along the block. It appears that RAMBO, FIRST BLOOD PART II is playing at the Lyric, and further down, LIFEFORCE is at the Apollo. RAMBO opened in May of ‘85 and LIFEFORCE that June.
Sorry can’t help there, Michelle. Coincidentally, the two photos you did find are from my Photobucket scrapbook. The B&W image comes with the permission of the photographer, the talented and gracious Matt Weber. Matt has a website at www.urbanphotos.com and he took many photos of 42nd Street and the Times Square area in the 1980’s. You might consider contacting him to see if, by chance, he has any shots of the Anco marquee from this period that offer a cleare view of your image. Good luck. If I come across anything in my own perusals, I’ll be sure to let you know about it here.
Welcome to CT, Michelle!
Justin… I don’t think there’s been an Easter show at the Hall in more than two decades! At least not the Glory of Easter shows many of us remember from years gone by.
Thanks, Stephen. I’m glad to learn that my memory may not be quite as rusty as I first thought! Well… at least not in this instance!
Apologies to StePHen for mispelling not only his real name, but his CT handle of Somoman! D'oh!
Hey Steven (sonoman)… What do the asterisks indicate on your list? At first I thought the one next to The Band’s 1976 appearance might have been to indicate the premier show under the newly christened Palladium moniker (which it was), but then I saw other shows asterisked further down the list.
Also… My memory may be faulty, but I thought that the gig by The Bank in ‘76 might have been much later in the year than March. I seem to recall that the show at their Palladium was a part of a farewell run leading up to the famous Last Waltz concert out at Winterland in San Francisco that Thanksgiving. When The Band appeared on Saturday Night Live that same week, the upcoming farewell concert was mentioned by the show’s guest host. Perhaps I’ve just mistakenly assumed that the SNL appearance was the same week of the Palladium gig. You sure that didn’t happen more like September or October of '76?
Was that dome a part of the original Commodore design elements? Photos I’ve seen of the interior from the Fillmore East days reveal a Colonial motif that I wouldn’t have imagined capped with a dome. I can’t recall seeing any images of the Fillmore’s ceiling.
I have to agree with br91975. While no one wants to see this site become a forum for unfounded trash talk (as it has flirted with on several occasions), I believe movie534 and Life’s Too Short raise legitimate concerns regarding the well being of the Beacon Theatre and other theatrical properties under the stewardship of Cablevision. Should such discussions be kept in reserve until after a theatre has been lost to neglect? I’m not saying that the Beacon is in any imminent danger, but surely to raise the issue would fall within the scope of reasonable discussion on a site whose motto is “Discover. Preserve. Protect.”
Yves… the photographs on your website of Detroit and Eastern Germany are absolutely stunning! Great job! I look forward to seeing the photos from your American tours – particularly of New York theatres – posted in the near future.
Love it!
Hey McGinty… If you can compare the three screening rooms you saw at the Kings Highway to the vintage photos of the original auditorium that Warren posted back on November 3rd, 2007, can you describe if any of the original interior remains in any of the rooms? Someone else had posted that the twin sets of stairs leading up to the original loge section were still in use… Just curious what the layout is in relation to the original space. Thanks.
The webpage for the Fair has been closed to new comments by CT administration. I guess a flame war erupted there – or perhaps the first hand accounting of some of the activity going on at the theatre became a bit too, um, colorful for CT management to condone?!? Whatever the case, the offending comments seem to have been removed.
JSA… My understanding is that the screening of “2001” in Seattle will be on the standard flat screen – though it WILL be a 70mm print.
In all fairness, I’d hardly consider AlAlvarez' remarks to be an excoriation of leroyelliston. And the suggestion that one’s memory might be playing tricks need not be taken as a questioning of one’s sanity. My thanks to both Leroy and Al for sharing their facts and insights here for us to enjoy. Warren, your contributions to CT have been immeasurable, but you must admit that when the mood strikes, you are more than capable of administering some expert excoriation of your own!
PierreCity… No offense intended. I didn’t know you were going from memory. I thought you had some source for your information – as do many who post such lists here on the site. Are these films that you saw at the State? I used to keep a log of every film I saw when from 1979 through 1983 or ‘84. It listed each theatre and the cost of admission (which was initially the point of the list – to see how much I spent on film-going in a year). Somewhere along the way, the log went missing. I really wish I still had it – I really went to the movies an awful lot back in those days! At least once or twice each weekend (and many double and triple features courtesy the 42nd Street grind houses). I’m lucky if I see two or three films each year, these days!
… although, that might explain the compartively paltry collection taken up at the Malboe!