I recently saw a 1979 film called “SOMETHING SHORT OF PARADISE” starring David Steinberg and Susan Sarandon that appears to have several lobby scenes filmed at this location before the Cineplex Odeon renovation.
I am glad you think this stuff is amusing. I can’t say I find your ‘follies’ about a financially struggling independent operator with incompetent employees a hoot. Especially as he is now out of business. What was your role in that?
If you were not the managers, who was managing this place? Aren’t you all a bit old to be hourly paid staff? And did you not play a role in making that manager lose his job?
I have never worked for an independent, but I did fire many employees who acted just like you did and hurt our industry. YOU killed this theatre.
All I remember was the velour wall covering replacement and carpet in both the lobby and inside. If you recall, the whole auditorium was once fully carpeted.
In terms of projection, platters were added after much negotiation with the union who didn’t want them here. All this happened about four years into the Cineplex period.
Sound was constantly being upgraded, but usually at the expense of the movie being premiered, as they always found fault with what was there when they did a test run. The showing of restored prints of classic films were always a touchy subject for the sound techs.
In traditional Cineplex Odeon style, prices went up every year.
Kids who stutter should have a responsible parent take them and explain the language.
PATHETIC is the right word for ratings changes that compensate for parents who have no business raising children and expect movie theatres to do their work for them.
Radio City would never have shown the x-rated “A Clockwork Orange” first run nor would Warner Bros. have placed the trendy-hip film into the venue. That would have been the kiss of death for the film. By 1972 Radio City was only top choice for wholesome family films which were themselves out of vogue and most distributors therefore avoided the place.
“Clockwork” opened at the Cinema 1 & 2, the top choice in NYC for quality first-runs along with the Baronet/Coronet.
I recently saw a 1979 film called “SOMETHING SHORT OF PARADISE” starring David Steinberg and Susan Sarandon that appears to have several lobby scenes filmed at this location before the Cineplex Odeon renovation.
Josephine Baker performed here in 1973.
I am glad you think this stuff is amusing. I can’t say I find your ‘follies’ about a financially struggling independent operator with incompetent employees a hoot. Especially as he is now out of business. What was your role in that?
If you were not the managers, who was managing this place? Aren’t you all a bit old to be hourly paid staff? And did you not play a role in making that manager lose his job?
I have never worked for an independent, but I did fire many employees who acted just like you did and hurt our industry. YOU killed this theatre.
Did you consider walking out instead?
Walter Reade bought the 1910 burlesque house in 1928 and rebuilt it into a movie theatre, which RKO operated. It opened in October 1930.
techman, the 1931 German film “M” did not open in the U.S. until 1933.
Walter Reade died in 1952 at age 68. The son died in 1973 on a ski trip at age 57.
Asshole employees destroy cinema. Yeah, thanks for sharing.
I hope you are all unemployed.
techman, the American “M” run didn’t occur until 1933.
The Mayfair became the DeMille in December 1959 with the Aromarama run of “Behind the Great Wall”.
The Mayfair foreign phase was very short lived. Even “M” was dubbed into English by the third week and mainstream films were mostly the norm.
RKO had been the previous operator.
You are going to have to give us more than that. That sounds like just about every movie that played here.
Sorry Rudy, those links don’t work. Aside from the Winter Garden photos I can’t make out anything else.
All I remember was the velour wall covering replacement and carpet in both the lobby and inside. If you recall, the whole auditorium was once fully carpeted.
In terms of projection, platters were added after much negotiation with the union who didn’t want them here. All this happened about four years into the Cineplex period.
Sound was constantly being upgraded, but usually at the expense of the movie being premiered, as they always found fault with what was there when they did a test run. The showing of restored prints of classic films were always a touchy subject for the sound techs.
In traditional Cineplex Odeon style, prices went up every year.
Cineplex Odeon took over Walter Reade Theatres in 1987. The landlord refused CO’s attempt to multiplex the Ziegfeld.
WTVJ, Channel FOUR was the CBS affiliate when I lived there. Channel six was independent.
The Cineplex Odeon take-over was in the late eighties. There was no Cineplex Odeon in 1978.
Kids who stutter should have a responsible parent take them and explain the language.
PATHETIC is the right word for ratings changes that compensate for parents who have no business raising children and expect movie theatres to do their work for them.
techman, are you confusing Bernard Meyerson with Fox executive Sidney Meyer who co-founded Wometco and WTVJ Miami?
No Justin, it was simply not a top choice for distributors in the seventies and RCMH demanded exclusive runs.
In a parallel universe, could you just imagine what the “Clockwork” stage show would look like?
Radio City would never have shown the x-rated “A Clockwork Orange” first run nor would Warner Bros. have placed the trendy-hip film into the venue. That would have been the kiss of death for the film. By 1972 Radio City was only top choice for wholesome family films which were themselves out of vogue and most distributors therefore avoided the place.
“Clockwork” opened at the Cinema 1 & 2, the top choice in NYC for quality first-runs along with the Baronet/Coronet.
I believe the People’s Court is taped on 38th street and only the commentary is done in Times Square.
I think you are correct, techman.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/noahcoad/5396962675/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jblough/422536912/
I think that was the Bleecker Street in DSS.
I think the failure of the latter two may explain why they stopped doing it more often.
Miami Gardens did not exist when this theatre was in operation.