Some time ago, someone made mention here of an incident at the World Premiere of Ron Howard’s “Backdraft” where the Ziegfeld projectionist ran the reels out of order to the anger and embarassment of all involved. That was one of the reasons that the platter system was adopted in this house – to assure big shot filmmakers and distributors that such a problem would never happen again and that the Ziegfeld was still the place to book such major premieres. Fine. But if they want to make some hey as a part-time revival house and they have the capability to run reel-to-reel and therefore book top notch large format prints, why not do so and save the platter presentations for the first run fare? I know they employ at least one veteran projectionist who should be chomping at the bit for the opportunity to put on a show, old school!
Of course, that still leaves us with the problem of not having an experienced and knowledgable programmer and booker to hunt down the finest 35mm and 70mm prints available. Perhaps once this upcoming “viewers' choice” series has proven a big success (as I pray it does), we can convince Craig to take a cue from his L.A. counterparts and really program a first rate schedule of classics for the Winter of 2007. Someone mentioned how the Film Forum books an awesome program but lacks the facilities of the Ziegfeld. Would it be out of the question to run a program in conjunction with the Film Forum? Arrange for the FF programmers to book a slate of films for a 5 week series on some sort of split profit agreement… “The Film Forum at the Ziegfeld”!
So, concessions stand deals are made with the theater chain and not one-off with the individual theater locations? Does that mean if Loews had a contract with Nathan’s, the agreement would now extend to AMC theaters as a result of the merger? I’m not sure if you mentioned Nathan’s in particular because they have a stand in the E-Walk, but if they did have an agreement with Loews, it wasn’t exclusive. There is a Nathan’s/Sbarro’s stand in the lobby of the College Point Multiplex in Queens, run by National Amusements.
For my part, I’m perfectly happy with popcorn, soda and candy when I go the movies. I’m not particularly concerned with wrestling a foot-long and some cheese-fries while trying to enjoy the movie. I leave that for trips to Astroland and Dino’s Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island.
Ken… A very minor point regarding your caption on that first photo, I think the Waverly was twinned sometime in 1981, not ‘80. I have newspaper clippings that list the Waverly as a single screen in the local Movie Clock as late as 12/15/80. The clippings I have from March, 1982, do show the Waverly as a twin.
Of course, it is possible that the conversion of the balcony was being completed while features played in the orchestra theater and that they opened the 2nd theater in time for the last couple of holiday weekends in 1980, but I doubt it. They would have more likely done the work to install an orchestra level projection booth concurrently with the sealing off of the balcony level.
I must be leading a charmed life to be able to take the time to dissect such points of minutae, eh?
“One of the 10 best” of 1977 according to Time Magazine, this film was about two months into its release by the time of this early ‘78 clipping: Semi Tough – Daily News 1/25/78
It must have been a pretty fast climb from single screen in 1978 (a photo that RobertR posted on May 21 shows a single screen Criterion as late as August, 1978) to 5 screens as early as December, 1980: Movie Clock – NY Post 12/11/80
Curious that theater 1 is listed as “closed for repairs”. The films playing in the other auditoriums are at least a month or two old with a few late runs dating back to before the summer.
Thanks Al. I guess LOA finished up before the end of October. “Take Her…” opened 11/13/63 (a Wednesday) per imdb.com. I show LOA hitting the Drive-In circuit by at least May of ‘64. I suppose it must have gone into a short 35mm nabe run in November of '63, as I have an ad from 11/25/63 advertising LOA’s “last two days” at the Loew’s Metropolitan in B'klyn, and possibly later runs in the deep suburbs prior to the Drive-In engagements.
Here’s a clipping from a couple of months earlier featuring a small ad for “Lawrence of Arabia” in the lower right corner – still in it’s reserved-seat engagement here: Daily News 9/21/63
LOA had premiered at the Criterion in December of ‘62. Was it playing all the way up to the Showcase booking for “Take Her She’s Mine”? As the ad indicates, this run was an “Exclusive Greater New York Engagement” even though 70mm prints had been rolled out by this time to Asbury Park, Nanuet and Upper Montclaire, NJ, as well as Huntington, NY, out on Long Island according to the great 70mm in New York web page compiled by Michael Coate and William Kallay.
Reade’s Baronet is listed in the ad above “The Great Escape” in the clipping. I know Reade also operated the Little Neck and Continental theaters in Queens during this period… Were these 5 theaters the extent of the Walter Reade chain at the time? If not, what other theaters did they run?
I can’t recall the theater, but I saw a Three Stooges 3-D short (probably this very one) along with a Woody Woodpecker animated 3-D short sometime back in the early ‘80’s. I don’t think it was the “House of Wax” revival in '82. It might have been at the 8th Street Playhouse and the main feature may have been Andy Warhol’s twisted “Flesh for Frankenstein”… but the billing of that film with the Stooges and Woody Woodpecker seems almost too far beyond the pale to believe possible.
Actually – and here comes the OT bilge (break out the pumps!) – the footage of Lugosi that appears in “Plan 9” was shot several years before the movie was completed. In fact, the footage was shot before there was ever a script for “Plan 9”. Wood shopped around the footage to investors as the last ever shot of Lugosi with the promise he would build a movie around it that could use Lugosi’s name as a selling point. The way that reel of film is edited into the final movie (particularly the scene where Bela walks out of frame and is hit by a screeching car) is unbelievably hilarious!
The Olympia (former Cameo) has been closed for some time now and the Polk closed only this past February. Now only the Fair remains as XXX house. As for the other theaters depicted in those ads, aside from the Continental/Brandon, only the Center in Sunnyside and the Cinemart in Forest Hills are still showing films (albeit in multiplex format).
“Plan 9 from Outer Space” is one of the all time great bad movies… So bad it’s sublimely entertaining. A must-see. And once you’ve enjoyed it, take a look at Tim Burton’s fanciful bio-pic of the film’s director, “Ed Wood” which hilariously re-creates much of the making of “Plan 9”.
I guess these two were it as far as the Reade chain was concerned at the time – at least in Queens. I think the Demille in Times Square and the Coronet on 3rd Ave were Reade houses in Manhattan during this period. Were there any others?
Lost – if you find this, here’s another extended conversation I seem to be having with myself! Where’s my medication?!?
I bet the prospect of back-to-back Lewis features was a lot scarier than the alleged horror twin bill that was advertised as coming to the Triboro the following Wednesday.
This theater was definitely known as the Embassy 49th Street at some point in the late ‘80’s. The other Embassy 49th was in the former Trans Lux 49th Street (aka Trans-Lux West) on B'way near 49th that had operated as the Pussycat and then Grand Pussycat porn house in the 70’s and early '80’s. I’m pretty sure the former World was the last to carry the Embassy moniker – and I think it ran mostly Disney re-issues during this brief period. In any event, “Embassy 49th Street” should be added as an AKA here.
Going back over the posts here, it looks like we should add a few more AKA names to this listing, including Eden, Casino East, Gayety, Entermedia, 12th Street Cinemas and Second Avenue.
And for good measure, at the bottom of this 1978 clipping, the Sunrise is listed as showing Neil Simon’s PG-rated romantic comedy “The Goodbye Girl” paired with the sordid R-rated 1975 adaptation of Jacqueline Susanne’s “Once is Not Enough”: Daily News 1/25/78
So, “Lawrence of Arabia” hit the drive-in circuit 18 months after its initial release. “Amazon Trader” is listed on imdb.com as a 41 minute short feature. Was the general release print of LOA significantly shorter than the roadshow version? Even with teh 20 minutes edited after the London premier, the film ran over 200 minutes. That makes for over 4 hours at the drive-in for this particular show.
“Free Elec. Heaters” advertised at the bottom of the ad.
Back in Sept 2005, Warren posted that this theater opened on April 8, 1964 with the Albert Finney film “Tom Jones”, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture a few days later. Here’s an ad for the “New” Bay Terrace theater about 6 weeks into “Tom Jones” run: Tom Jones – LI Star Journal 5/18/64
Some time ago, someone made mention here of an incident at the World Premiere of Ron Howard’s “Backdraft” where the Ziegfeld projectionist ran the reels out of order to the anger and embarassment of all involved. That was one of the reasons that the platter system was adopted in this house – to assure big shot filmmakers and distributors that such a problem would never happen again and that the Ziegfeld was still the place to book such major premieres. Fine. But if they want to make some hey as a part-time revival house and they have the capability to run reel-to-reel and therefore book top notch large format prints, why not do so and save the platter presentations for the first run fare? I know they employ at least one veteran projectionist who should be chomping at the bit for the opportunity to put on a show, old school!
Of course, that still leaves us with the problem of not having an experienced and knowledgable programmer and booker to hunt down the finest 35mm and 70mm prints available. Perhaps once this upcoming “viewers' choice” series has proven a big success (as I pray it does), we can convince Craig to take a cue from his L.A. counterparts and really program a first rate schedule of classics for the Winter of 2007. Someone mentioned how the Film Forum books an awesome program but lacks the facilities of the Ziegfeld. Would it be out of the question to run a program in conjunction with the Film Forum? Arrange for the FF programmers to book a slate of films for a 5 week series on some sort of split profit agreement… “The Film Forum at the Ziegfeld”!
Sure Ed, smoke another pipe.
So, concessions stand deals are made with the theater chain and not one-off with the individual theater locations? Does that mean if Loews had a contract with Nathan’s, the agreement would now extend to AMC theaters as a result of the merger? I’m not sure if you mentioned Nathan’s in particular because they have a stand in the E-Walk, but if they did have an agreement with Loews, it wasn’t exclusive. There is a Nathan’s/Sbarro’s stand in the lobby of the College Point Multiplex in Queens, run by National Amusements.
For my part, I’m perfectly happy with popcorn, soda and candy when I go the movies. I’m not particularly concerned with wrestling a foot-long and some cheese-fries while trying to enjoy the movie. I leave that for trips to Astroland and Dino’s Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island.
Ken… A very minor point regarding your caption on that first photo, I think the Waverly was twinned sometime in 1981, not ‘80. I have newspaper clippings that list the Waverly as a single screen in the local Movie Clock as late as 12/15/80. The clippings I have from March, 1982, do show the Waverly as a twin.
Of course, it is possible that the conversion of the balcony was being completed while features played in the orchestra theater and that they opened the 2nd theater in time for the last couple of holiday weekends in 1980, but I doubt it. They would have more likely done the work to install an orchestra level projection booth concurrently with the sealing off of the balcony level.
I must be leading a charmed life to be able to take the time to dissect such points of minutae, eh?
“One of the 10 best” of 1977 according to Time Magazine, this film was about two months into its release by the time of this early ‘78 clipping:
Semi Tough – Daily News 1/25/78
It must have been a pretty fast climb from single screen in 1978 (a photo that RobertR posted on May 21 shows a single screen Criterion as late as August, 1978) to 5 screens as early as December, 1980:
Movie Clock – NY Post 12/11/80
Curious that theater 1 is listed as “closed for repairs”. The films playing in the other auditoriums are at least a month or two old with a few late runs dating back to before the summer.
Thanks Al. I guess LOA finished up before the end of October. “Take Her…” opened 11/13/63 (a Wednesday) per imdb.com. I show LOA hitting the Drive-In circuit by at least May of ‘64. I suppose it must have gone into a short 35mm nabe run in November of '63, as I have an ad from 11/25/63 advertising LOA’s “last two days” at the Loew’s Metropolitan in B'klyn, and possibly later runs in the deep suburbs prior to the Drive-In engagements.
This Jimmy Stewart/Sandra Dee comedy opened as a “Premiere Showcase” presentation at a number of area theaters:Take Her She’s Mine – Daily News 11/25/63
Here’s a clipping from a couple of months earlier featuring a small ad for “Lawrence of Arabia” in the lower right corner – still in it’s reserved-seat engagement here:
Daily News 9/21/63
LOA had premiered at the Criterion in December of ‘62. Was it playing all the way up to the Showcase booking for “Take Her She’s Mine”? As the ad indicates, this run was an “Exclusive Greater New York Engagement” even though 70mm prints had been rolled out by this time to Asbury Park, Nanuet and Upper Montclaire, NJ, as well as Huntington, NY, out on Long Island according to the great 70mm in New York web page compiled by Michael Coate and William Kallay.
Correction… the above image should be captioned “Daily News 9/21/63”.
McQueen and company day-and-dating the Demille and Coronet:
Great Escape – Daily News 5/18/64
Reade’s Baronet is listed in the ad above “The Great Escape” in the clipping. I know Reade also operated the Little Neck and Continental theaters in Queens during this period… Were these 5 theaters the extent of the Walter Reade chain at the time? If not, what other theaters did they run?
I can’t recall the theater, but I saw a Three Stooges 3-D short (probably this very one) along with a Woody Woodpecker animated 3-D short sometime back in the early ‘80’s. I don’t think it was the “House of Wax” revival in '82. It might have been at the 8th Street Playhouse and the main feature may have been Andy Warhol’s twisted “Flesh for Frankenstein”… but the billing of that film with the Stooges and Woody Woodpecker seems almost too far beyond the pale to believe possible.
I suppose the letters can (and will) be changed to read “REGAL” pretty easily. A pity. That has to be the most prominent “Loews” sign in NYC.
Are they keeping the Loews brand?
Actually – and here comes the OT bilge (break out the pumps!) – the footage of Lugosi that appears in “Plan 9” was shot several years before the movie was completed. In fact, the footage was shot before there was ever a script for “Plan 9”. Wood shopped around the footage to investors as the last ever shot of Lugosi with the promise he would build a movie around it that could use Lugosi’s name as a selling point. The way that reel of film is edited into the final movie (particularly the scene where Bela walks out of frame and is hit by a screeching car) is unbelievably hilarious!
The Olympia (former Cameo) has been closed for some time now and the Polk closed only this past February. Now only the Fair remains as XXX house. As for the other theaters depicted in those ads, aside from the Continental/Brandon, only the Center in Sunnyside and the Cinemart in Forest Hills are still showing films (albeit in multiplex format).
“Plan 9 from Outer Space” is one of the all time great bad movies… So bad it’s sublimely entertaining. A must-see. And once you’ve enjoyed it, take a look at Tim Burton’s fanciful bio-pic of the film’s director, “Ed Wood” which hilariously re-creates much of the making of “Plan 9”.
Here are a few early ‘60’s clippings featuring ads for Walter Reade’s Continental and Little Neck Theaters:
LI Star Journal 11/23/63
LI Star Journal 11/25/63
LI Star Journal 5/18/64
I guess these two were it as far as the Reade chain was concerned at the time – at least in Queens. I think the Demille in Times Square and the Coronet on 3rd Ave were Reade houses in Manhattan during this period. Were there any others?
Lost – if you find this, here’s another extended conversation I seem to be having with myself! Where’s my medication?!?
A pair of Jerry Lewis re-releases were running at the Triboro the weekend JFK was assassinated:
Fab-u-Lewis – LI Star Journal 11/23/63
I bet the prospect of back-to-back Lewis features was a lot scarier than the alleged horror twin bill that was advertised as coming to the Triboro the following Wednesday.
Things were getting lurid by the early ‘60’s here:
Pagan Hellcats – NY Daily News 9/21/63
This theater was definitely known as the Embassy 49th Street at some point in the late ‘80’s. The other Embassy 49th was in the former Trans Lux 49th Street (aka Trans-Lux West) on B'way near 49th that had operated as the Pussycat and then Grand Pussycat porn house in the 70’s and early '80’s. I’m pretty sure the former World was the last to carry the Embassy moniker – and I think it ran mostly Disney re-issues during this brief period. In any event, “Embassy 49th Street” should be added as an AKA here.
Here’s an ad from 1963 as the Casino East Theater:
Ann Corio in This was Burlesque – LI Star Journal 11/23/63
Going back over the posts here, it looks like we should add a few more AKA names to this listing, including Eden, Casino East, Gayety, Entermedia, 12th Street Cinemas and Second Avenue.
Some other ads from the early ‘60’s… Any of these jog your memory Jim?
Daily News 9/21/63
LI Star Journal 11/23/63
LI Star Journal 11/25/63
And for good measure, at the bottom of this 1978 clipping, the Sunrise is listed as showing Neil Simon’s PG-rated romantic comedy “The Goodbye Girl” paired with the sordid R-rated 1975 adaptation of Jacqueline Susanne’s “Once is Not Enough”:
Daily News 1/25/78
Here’s a ‘64 vintage ad, BklynJim, to compliment your last post:
LOA – LI Star Journal 5/18/64
So, “Lawrence of Arabia” hit the drive-in circuit 18 months after its initial release. “Amazon Trader” is listed on imdb.com as a 41 minute short feature. Was the general release print of LOA significantly shorter than the roadshow version? Even with teh 20 minutes edited after the London premier, the film ran over 200 minutes. That makes for over 4 hours at the drive-in for this particular show.
“Free Elec. Heaters” advertised at the bottom of the ad.
Back in Sept 2005, Warren posted that this theater opened on April 8, 1964 with the Albert Finney film “Tom Jones”, which would go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture a few days later. Here’s an ad for the “New” Bay Terrace theater about 6 weeks into “Tom Jones” run:
Tom Jones – LI Star Journal 5/18/64
“South Pacific” enjoyed a re-release at the two big Loew’s houses in Queens, late spring of ‘64:
Showcase Presentation – LI Star Journal 5/18/64
This “Showcase Presentation” also included bookings into a number of Century’s Theaters, according to another ad elsewhere in that paper.
“How the West Was Won” wrapping up a three-strip Cinerama reserved-seat engagement here in 1964:
Last 9 Days – LI Star Journal 5/18/64
Here’s an ad from the Mineola’s Playhouse days:
Winter Jubilee of Stars – LI Press 11/24/63
Here’s a review for “IAMMMMW” from the Long Island Press:
Mad X4, Funny X2 – 11/24/63