Wow – what a great clip for us Kubrick fans, especially on the 40th annniversary. That may have been the last time Kubrick visited his old home town, NYC.
Gary, I saw it there too, on June 15, 1968. I watched it last night to commemmorate the 40th anniversary. I better get lost before someone complains about all this Capitol talk on the Ziegfeld page – but the theaters do have “2001” and now “Planet of the Apes” in common.
Bob: It certainly did! I just count myself lucky that I got to see “2001” there before the wrecking ball did its dirty work. I saw it on June 15, 1968 and I believe the demolition started in September.
40 years ago tonight: “2001: A Space Odyssey” had its big New York premiere at the Capitol, which a lot of people walked out of before it was over. That movie was truly ahead of its time. Here is Kathleen Carroll’s ** ½ review in the New York Daily News:
“Planet of the Apes” (currently playing at the Ziegfeld for one more day) and “2001” were the last two movies to play the Capitol before it was torn down.
This is also the day “2001: A Space Odyssey” had its big New York premiere at the Capitol, which a lot of people walked out on before it was over. That movie was truly ahead of its time. Here is Kathleen Carroll’s ** ½ review in the New York Daily News:
Rory, glad you had a good time and you felt the trip was worth it. I was afraid you’d gone to the theater on one of the days when the shows were cancelled.
The actual 40th anniversary is tonight – World Premiere at the Uptown Theater, Washington DC, April 2, 1968. It opened in New York on the 3rd, and the mostly bad reviews were printed in the daily papers on the 4th. I remember this date especially well because while I was looking for the review in the NY Daily News, I heard that Martin Luther King had just been assassinated in Memphis.
40 years ago tonight: the World Premiere of “2001: A Space Odyssey” at this theater, April 2, 1968. It opened in New York on the 3rd, and the mostly bad reviews were printed in the daily papers on the 4th. I remember this date especially well because while I was looking for the review in the NY Daily News, I heard that Martin Luther King had just been assassinated in Memphis.
Most of the NY papers panned “2001”, but Richard Coe in the Washington Post was able to see outside the box and gave it a rave. I have his review at home and I’ll post it tonight.
Ed asked what was going on at the Ziegfeld on Sunday to make them cancel the “Apes” shows. I heard on the radio this morning that the Rolling Stones and Martin Scorsese held the premiere of “Shine a Light” there last night. Now that I recall, they were putting up tents for that premiere when I left the theater on Friday night.
TheatreOrgan, the memories from 39 years ago come back easily – it’s the stuff that happened last week that I have trouble with :) You mentioned the Capitol in your earlier post – that’s where the original “Planet of the Apes” opened in 1968.
Wasn’t “The Magic of Lassie” one of James Stewart’s last films?
TheatreOrgan is probably remembering the shot of the destroyed Radio City in “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” when he says he actually saw the movie there. That was the best shot in the picture, for my money.
My cousin and I saw “Beneath” at Loew’s State 2, then went to Radio City for “The Out-of-Towners” later that day. He said we should get there quick “before the apes get to it”.
How I knew it was a reel to reel show: I know that movie inside out, and at each reel change there were a number of frames missing or maybe a word or two of dialogue got skipped. Also, Reel 5 (the escape from Ape City) came on slightly out of focus. I was going to look back to the projection booths to confirm it, but I literally couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.
Gary, thanks for the tribute you gave to Charlton Heston. Did anyone laugh at his acting or dialogue on Saturday? On Friday they started in on him from his very first scene.
When I saw “Planet of the Apes” in Passaic, NJ in 1973, when Heston was stripped naked in the courtroom the audience gasped. Tonight they laughed at the same scene. I think you’re right, Gary – that scene is disturbing, but a sophisticated New York audience has to cover that up by laughing.
That 1984 “Vertigo” audience almost spoiled the movie for me. I hadn’t seen it in years, and only on a black and white TV. They laughed at Kim Novak jumping in the bay, the kiss on the seashore with the waves crashing, etc. It was embarrassing. The 1996 “Vertigo” audience at the Ziegfeld was much more appreciative.
I loved seeing “Planet of the Apes” tonight in the Forbidden Zone, which was once a paradise (i.e. Manhattan). The sound was turned up so loud in the beginning that a guy in my row was holding his ears when the spaceship sprung a leak. I of course was greatly impressed with such volume.
There was an awkward incident. A lot of people were laughing AT Charlton Heston in the early scenes, not with him. Before long a fan of the movie had had enough and yelled out for “the snobs” to be quiet. It reminded me of a Greenwich Village audience I was part of in 1984 making fun of the newly re-released “Vertigo”. Some audiences are funny that way.
The film was shown reel to reel. I think the last time that was done was for “Porgy and Bess” last September.
Ken, thanks for taking those photos last summer. In January I walked down Broadway and saw the outsides of all the great theaters, but was too scared to actually try going inside any of them. Maybe I should have, if you got into the State. Anyway, thanks again for posting pictures of where “Forbidden Planet” opened in 1956.
Well, I know that there are 10 basic instructions, and that the shower is called the Sonoshower, but that’s about it.
Oh, I can also tell you that the last two items posted on the menu in the space kitchen on the moon shuttle are Apricot Nectar and Apple Cider. On the Cinerama screen you can actually see such tiny details. What a movie!
Some people might say I have an unhealthy obsession with “2001”, but I’ve seen it 54 times in a theater over the last 40 years. The first and (so far) the last times were on a Cinerama screen: 6/15/68, Loew’s Capitol, NY and 1/20/08, Cinerama Dome, LA.
Vito: if anyone can get them to use the curtains, you can. I somehow thought the Ziegfeld projectionists might be aware of this website and the curtains issue, but I guess not. Pete Apruzzese once let me open the curtains for a show at the Lafayette in Suffern NY, and all I had to do was press one button. If it’s that easy, the Ziegfeld should be doing it for every show!
Curtains or not, I can’t wait to see “Planet of the Apes” on that screen.
Wow – what a great clip for us Kubrick fans, especially on the 40th annniversary. That may have been the last time Kubrick visited his old home town, NYC.
Thanks, Ken!
Gary, I saw it there too, on June 15, 1968. I watched it last night to commemmorate the 40th anniversary. I better get lost before someone complains about all this Capitol talk on the Ziegfeld page – but the theaters do have “2001” and now “Planet of the Apes” in common.
Bob: It certainly did! I just count myself lucky that I got to see “2001” there before the wrecking ball did its dirty work. I saw it on June 15, 1968 and I believe the demolition started in September.
40 years ago tonight: “2001: A Space Odyssey” had its big New York premiere at the Capitol, which a lot of people walked out of before it was over. That movie was truly ahead of its time. Here is Kathleen Carroll’s ** ½ review in the New York Daily News:
View link
“Planet of the Apes” (currently playing at the Ziegfeld for one more day) and “2001” were the last two movies to play the Capitol before it was torn down.
This is also the day “2001: A Space Odyssey” had its big New York premiere at the Capitol, which a lot of people walked out on before it was over. That movie was truly ahead of its time. Here is Kathleen Carroll’s ** ½ review in the New York Daily News:
View link
“Planet of the Apes” and “2001” were the last two movies to play the Capitol before it was torn down.
Rory, glad you had a good time and you felt the trip was worth it. I was afraid you’d gone to the theater on one of the days when the shows were cancelled.
Richard L. Coe’s review of “2001” in the Washington Post, 40 years ago tomorrow:
View link
Kathleen Carroll’s review in the New York Daily News. I bet she liked it better the second time:
View link
The actual 40th anniversary is tonight – World Premiere at the Uptown Theater, Washington DC, April 2, 1968. It opened in New York on the 3rd, and the mostly bad reviews were printed in the daily papers on the 4th. I remember this date especially well because while I was looking for the review in the NY Daily News, I heard that Martin Luther King had just been assassinated in Memphis.
View link
40 years ago tonight: the World Premiere of “2001: A Space Odyssey” at this theater, April 2, 1968. It opened in New York on the 3rd, and the mostly bad reviews were printed in the daily papers on the 4th. I remember this date especially well because while I was looking for the review in the NY Daily News, I heard that Martin Luther King had just been assassinated in Memphis.
View link
Most of the NY papers panned “2001”, but Richard Coe in the Washington Post was able to see outside the box and gave it a rave. I have his review at home and I’ll post it tonight.
That’s a great word, “zingiest”. You don’t hear it anymore these days.
Ed asked what was going on at the Ziegfeld on Sunday to make them cancel the “Apes” shows. I heard on the radio this morning that the Rolling Stones and Martin Scorsese held the premiere of “Shine a Light” there last night. Now that I recall, they were putting up tents for that premiere when I left the theater on Friday night.
TheatreOrgan, the memories from 39 years ago come back easily – it’s the stuff that happened last week that I have trouble with :) You mentioned the Capitol in your earlier post – that’s where the original “Planet of the Apes” opened in 1968.
Wasn’t “The Magic of Lassie” one of James Stewart’s last films?
TheatreOrgan is probably remembering the shot of the destroyed Radio City in “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” when he says he actually saw the movie there. That was the best shot in the picture, for my money.
My cousin and I saw “Beneath” at Loew’s State 2, then went to Radio City for “The Out-of-Towners” later that day. He said we should get there quick “before the apes get to it”.
How I knew it was a reel to reel show: I know that movie inside out, and at each reel change there were a number of frames missing or maybe a word or two of dialogue got skipped. Also, Reel 5 (the escape from Ape City) came on slightly out of focus. I was going to look back to the projection booths to confirm it, but I literally couldn’t take my eyes off the screen.
Gary, thanks for the tribute you gave to Charlton Heston. Did anyone laugh at his acting or dialogue on Saturday? On Friday they started in on him from his very first scene.
When I saw “Planet of the Apes” in Passaic, NJ in 1973, when Heston was stripped naked in the courtroom the audience gasped. Tonight they laughed at the same scene. I think you’re right, Gary – that scene is disturbing, but a sophisticated New York audience has to cover that up by laughing.
That 1984 “Vertigo” audience almost spoiled the movie for me. I hadn’t seen it in years, and only on a black and white TV. They laughed at Kim Novak jumping in the bay, the kiss on the seashore with the waves crashing, etc. It was embarrassing. The 1996 “Vertigo” audience at the Ziegfeld was much more appreciative.
I loved seeing “Planet of the Apes” tonight in the Forbidden Zone, which was once a paradise (i.e. Manhattan). The sound was turned up so loud in the beginning that a guy in my row was holding his ears when the spaceship sprung a leak. I of course was greatly impressed with such volume.
There was an awkward incident. A lot of people were laughing AT Charlton Heston in the early scenes, not with him. Before long a fan of the movie had had enough and yelled out for “the snobs” to be quiet. It reminded me of a Greenwich Village audience I was part of in 1984 making fun of the newly re-released “Vertigo”. Some audiences are funny that way.
The film was shown reel to reel. I think the last time that was done was for “Porgy and Bess” last September.
Ken: with the big camera I had around my neck that day. I’d surely have been chased out. If I ever go back, I will take your advice. Thanks again.
Interesting to see how they were calling Hitchcock the master of suspense on his very first American film.
This is great news. At last the Rivoli, where I spent several hundred hours of my childhood and teen years, is open for movies again.
Is “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” being shown in the Rivoli on 3/27, or at one of the other Williams Center screens?
Ken, thanks for taking those photos last summer. In January I walked down Broadway and saw the outsides of all the great theaters, but was too scared to actually try going inside any of them. Maybe I should have, if you got into the State. Anyway, thanks again for posting pictures of where “Forbidden Planet” opened in 1956.
At least your wife may have appreciated that, even if it was inaccurate, there were no dinosaurs running around.
That “Charge $1.70” shot got a very big laugh at the Capitol in 1968. To me at the time (I was 13), that seemed like a huge amount of money!
Well, I know that there are 10 basic instructions, and that the shower is called the Sonoshower, but that’s about it.
Oh, I can also tell you that the last two items posted on the menu in the space kitchen on the moon shuttle are Apricot Nectar and Apple Cider. On the Cinerama screen you can actually see such tiny details. What a movie!
Make that 1/30/08 in LA. Must be accurate at all times when it comes to “2001”. Like HAL :)
Some people might say I have an unhealthy obsession with “2001”, but I’ve seen it 54 times in a theater over the last 40 years. The first and (so far) the last times were on a Cinerama screen: 6/15/68, Loew’s Capitol, NY and 1/20/08, Cinerama Dome, LA.
Vito: if anyone can get them to use the curtains, you can. I somehow thought the Ziegfeld projectionists might be aware of this website and the curtains issue, but I guess not. Pete Apruzzese once let me open the curtains for a show at the Lafayette in Suffern NY, and all I had to do was press one button. If it’s that easy, the Ziegfeld should be doing it for every show!
Curtains or not, I can’t wait to see “Planet of the Apes” on that screen.