Justin: I have to agree with what Howard said. Not only is the Ziegfeld still a great theater, but it’s the only one left in Manhattan (not counting Radio City, of course).
Looking forward to seeing “Sweeney Todd” there. I hope Tim Burton doesn’t ruin it.
The Syosset had 1,400 seats in the Cinerama/70mm days, according to this article from Motion Picture Herald, found on Roland Lataille’s Cinerama website:
I should qualify what I said before. There are quite a few good movies every year. In 2006 I saw about 25 of them, including ones like “Marie Antoinette” and “Borat” that I actually avoided in theaters, but was wrong about – I saw them on cable and enjoyed them very much. But in a good year, there are about 3 or 4 really good movies, ones that might be called classics in future years. For 2006 I’d put “United 93” and “The Departed” in this category.
I haven’t seen too many films in 2007 yet, but I am looking forward to seeing two upcoming ones at the Ziegfeld: “Enchanted” and “Sweeney Todd”.
Jeff and I were talking about this the other day, and I said there are about 3 or 4 really good movies per year – maybe more if it’s a good year. The Oscar nominations are a pretty good barometer of what’s good out there. They are for me anyway, although I saw “Babel” on the strength of its 7 nominations and truly hated it. You never can tell.
If the Ziegfeld loses a million dollars a year, I hope Clearview/Cablevision makes enough money elsewhere to offset that. To quote “Citizen Kane”, a movie I thoroughly enjoyed seeing at the Ziegfeld, “I did lose a million dollars last year. I expect to lose a million dollars this year. I expect to lose a million dollars NEXT year. You know, Mr. Thatcher, at the rate of a million dollars a year, I’ll have to close this place in … sixty years.”
I realize it’s hard for out-of-towners like Jeff to get to the Ziegfeld, but everything’s relative. As someone who lives or works in or near NYC, it’s more expensive for me to attend a show at the Lafayette when you factor in the cost of a train ticket. But the Lafayette is a true cinema treasure, so it’s more than worth it. Same goes for the Ziegfeld.
As of now, The Ziegfeld is #1 and the Ridgewood is #2, but as far as I’m concerned the Ridgewood has so many off-topic posts about the old neighborhood and old high school friends that it should have a Roger Maris/Barry Bonds-type asterisk next to its name. When we go off-topic on the Ziegfeld page it’s still generally about movie palaces, roadshows and big screen projection.
At one time, Radio City Music Hall was #1 as well. I think it’s #3 now.
“Frankenstein” and “Bride of Frankenstein” last night were both excellent presentations. Hard to explain why, but that wonderful echo the Loew’s Jersey adds to a movie’s dialogue, especially movies like those two, really makes it something special.
Another grade-A post, Vito. You describe everything so well, I feel like I can actually see what you’re remembering in my own imagination.
“The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” in Cinerama is one of my Holy Grail titles, but I guess it’ll never come to pass. I don’t think any Cinerama materials for that film have survived, unless they turn up in a vault somewhere, someday.
Thanks, Warren. It could’ve been Staten Island. This was in the days before the Verrazano Bridge went up, but there must have been some other way to get there.
Thanks, Warren and Lost Memory. This is all based on a lost memory of mine: in 1960 when I was 5 years old, my family was caught in a brutal rain/wind storm on the Belt Parkway, going from Canarsie to Hoboken NJ. I thought I remembered passing a drive-in that night which was showing “I Passed for White”. Must’ve gotten my memory wires crossed somewhere.
Vito: If you got a million of those stories, could we have a few more, please, when you have time? It’s great the way you make us relive these experiences with you, from all those 70mm roadshows I never got to see. Your stories are the next best thing.
You said it, Vito. “West Side Story” at the Rivoli 46 years ago would be my very first stop if I had access to a working time machine. Come to think of it, I did see 70mm there once: a revival of “2001”!
“For those who haven’t stated their opinion yet, which of the 6 movie palaces mentioned on this thread was your favorite to see 70mm?”
That would have to be the Capitol, and all on account of the one and only film I saw there, “2001: A Space Odyssey”. That was 39 years ago and nothing else has ever come close.
I’ve also seen “Tora! Tora! Tora!” and “Nicholas and Alexandra” at the Criterion and “Krakatoa East of Java” at the Warner, then called the Cinerama. All excellent 70mm shows. I was born too late (1954) – if I were only about 10 years older I would’ve seen ‘em all!
I remember “Goodbye Mr. Chips” getting a nasty critical drubbing at the time of its release, and I avoided seeing it despite Peter O'Toole getting an Oscar nomination for it. What a mistake that was – I finally saw it many years later on Turner Classic Movies and enjoyed it very much. If only I’d gotten to see it in 70mm …
Thanks, Howard, for all your efforts. William was so right when he said 70mm was the Rolls Royce of film presentation, and any information about it or references to it are more than welcome on these pages.
Last night’s “Blade Runner” show was fine. No use of the curtains, though. The digital image filled the entire screen and was extremely sharp. You could see the pores in Harrison Ford’s face during close-ups. I saw it in 70mm in 1982 and although it’s a long time gap to make a really accurate comparison, I’d say the image we saw last night was just as good. Could this be the future of screening classic 70mm films, as some people on this site have predicted?
Big crowd last night too. People were searching for seats in the center section. Always good to see something like that at the Ziegfeld.
Upcoming films at the Ziegfeld: “The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D”, “Enchanted” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”. The trailer for that last one was interesting – you never knew it was a musical until the last few seconds of the trailer. I heard they cut more than half the songs out of the show too – we shall see.
I’m trying to find proof of the existence of a drive-in theater in Brooklyn. All I could find was one called the Broadway Drive-In, but no other information was available.
Maybe we should report all this to Paul Allen, so he can get on their case. Didn’t he pay for the Seattle renovation specifically because of his fond memories of Cinerama?
This November 1968 ad from the Bergen Record features what may be the longest-running engagement to play the Lafayette, at 20 weeks:
View link
If you’re nostalgic for the Century … here’s an ad from July 1965 announcing the theatre’s opening.
View link
Notice what it says on the map at the bottom. That’s exactly what the Century’s site has now become: Ample Free Parking, Always!
Justin: I have to agree with what Howard said. Not only is the Ziegfeld still a great theater, but it’s the only one left in Manhattan (not counting Radio City, of course).
Looking forward to seeing “Sweeney Todd” there. I hope Tim Burton doesn’t ruin it.
The Syosset had 1,400 seats in the Cinerama/70mm days, according to this article from Motion Picture Herald, found on Roland Lataille’s Cinerama website:
http://cinerama.topcities.com/syosset.htm
“Enchanted” is coming in, the day before Thanksgiving (11/21). A perfect movie for the Ziegfeld, although “Beowulf” is too, probably.
I should qualify what I said before. There are quite a few good movies every year. In 2006 I saw about 25 of them, including ones like “Marie Antoinette” and “Borat” that I actually avoided in theaters, but was wrong about – I saw them on cable and enjoyed them very much. But in a good year, there are about 3 or 4 really good movies, ones that might be called classics in future years. For 2006 I’d put “United 93” and “The Departed” in this category.
I haven’t seen too many films in 2007 yet, but I am looking forward to seeing two upcoming ones at the Ziegfeld: “Enchanted” and “Sweeney Todd”.
Jeff and I were talking about this the other day, and I said there are about 3 or 4 really good movies per year – maybe more if it’s a good year. The Oscar nominations are a pretty good barometer of what’s good out there. They are for me anyway, although I saw “Babel” on the strength of its 7 nominations and truly hated it. You never can tell.
If the Ziegfeld loses a million dollars a year, I hope Clearview/Cablevision makes enough money elsewhere to offset that. To quote “Citizen Kane”, a movie I thoroughly enjoyed seeing at the Ziegfeld, “I did lose a million dollars last year. I expect to lose a million dollars this year. I expect to lose a million dollars NEXT year. You know, Mr. Thatcher, at the rate of a million dollars a year, I’ll have to close this place in … sixty years.”
I realize it’s hard for out-of-towners like Jeff to get to the Ziegfeld, but everything’s relative. As someone who lives or works in or near NYC, it’s more expensive for me to attend a show at the Lafayette when you factor in the cost of a train ticket. But the Lafayette is a true cinema treasure, so it’s more than worth it. Same goes for the Ziegfeld.
It was good to see Cinema Treasures friends like Ross Melnick and Rob Endres on TV!
The Box Office Mojo site used to provide that information, but apparently they stopped doing it in 2003:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/theaters/
As of now, The Ziegfeld is #1 and the Ridgewood is #2, but as far as I’m concerned the Ridgewood has so many off-topic posts about the old neighborhood and old high school friends that it should have a Roger Maris/Barry Bonds-type asterisk next to its name. When we go off-topic on the Ziegfeld page it’s still generally about movie palaces, roadshows and big screen projection.
At one time, Radio City Music Hall was #1 as well. I think it’s #3 now.
“Frankenstein” and “Bride of Frankenstein” last night were both excellent presentations. Hard to explain why, but that wonderful echo the Loew’s Jersey adds to a movie’s dialogue, especially movies like those two, really makes it something special.
On an earlier Hollywood trip in 2003, I got to see him “kick the bucket” in 70mm Cinerama at the Cinerama Dome.
Vito: I’m sure I will recall what you said when I attend the “Frankenstein” double feature at the Loew’s Jersey (built 1929) in Jersey City tonight.
As for Jimmy Durante, when I visited L.A. in 2005 I visited his final resting place:
View link
Another grade-A post, Vito. You describe everything so well, I feel like I can actually see what you’re remembering in my own imagination.
“The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” in Cinerama is one of my Holy Grail titles, but I guess it’ll never come to pass. I don’t think any Cinerama materials for that film have survived, unless they turn up in a vault somewhere, someday.
Thanks, Warren. It could’ve been Staten Island. This was in the days before the Verrazano Bridge went up, but there must have been some other way to get there.
Thanks, Warren and Lost Memory. This is all based on a lost memory of mine: in 1960 when I was 5 years old, my family was caught in a brutal rain/wind storm on the Belt Parkway, going from Canarsie to Hoboken NJ. I thought I remembered passing a drive-in that night which was showing “I Passed for White”. Must’ve gotten my memory wires crossed somewhere.
Vito: If you got a million of those stories, could we have a few more, please, when you have time? It’s great the way you make us relive these experiences with you, from all those 70mm roadshows I never got to see. Your stories are the next best thing.
You said it, Vito. “West Side Story” at the Rivoli 46 years ago would be my very first stop if I had access to a working time machine. Come to think of it, I did see 70mm there once: a revival of “2001”!
Howard asked:
“For those who haven’t stated their opinion yet, which of the 6 movie palaces mentioned on this thread was your favorite to see 70mm?”
That would have to be the Capitol, and all on account of the one and only film I saw there, “2001: A Space Odyssey”. That was 39 years ago and nothing else has ever come close.
I’ve also seen “Tora! Tora! Tora!” and “Nicholas and Alexandra” at the Criterion and “Krakatoa East of Java” at the Warner, then called the Cinerama. All excellent 70mm shows. I was born too late (1954) – if I were only about 10 years older I would’ve seen ‘em all!
I remember “Goodbye Mr. Chips” getting a nasty critical drubbing at the time of its release, and I avoided seeing it despite Peter O'Toole getting an Oscar nomination for it. What a mistake that was – I finally saw it many years later on Turner Classic Movies and enjoyed it very much. If only I’d gotten to see it in 70mm …
Thanks, Howard, for all your efforts. William was so right when he said 70mm was the Rolls Royce of film presentation, and any information about it or references to it are more than welcome on these pages.
Last night’s “Blade Runner” show was fine. No use of the curtains, though. The digital image filled the entire screen and was extremely sharp. You could see the pores in Harrison Ford’s face during close-ups. I saw it in 70mm in 1982 and although it’s a long time gap to make a really accurate comparison, I’d say the image we saw last night was just as good. Could this be the future of screening classic 70mm films, as some people on this site have predicted?
Big crowd last night too. People were searching for seats in the center section. Always good to see something like that at the Ziegfeld.
Upcoming films at the Ziegfeld: “The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D”, “Enchanted” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”. The trailer for that last one was interesting – you never knew it was a musical until the last few seconds of the trailer. I heard they cut more than half the songs out of the show too – we shall see.
I’m trying to find proof of the existence of a drive-in theater in Brooklyn. All I could find was one called the Broadway Drive-In, but no other information was available.
http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/nytbro2
Can anyone help me out on this? Thanks.
Warren said:
“For a period of eight years (1935-43), the Capitol ended stage shows and presented movies only.”
This was an exception:
View link
Maybe we should report all this to Paul Allen, so he can get on their case. Didn’t he pay for the Seattle renovation specifically because of his fond memories of Cinerama?