Comments from Al Alvarez

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Loew's Metropolitan Theatre on Jul 29, 2008 at 8:37 am

Since “The People vs. Dr. Kildare” was advertised to follow and then delayed a week, I doubt that “A Woman’s Face” was held as only as filler.

Now to more recent history.

Loews sold the theatre under the provision that it would not remain a movie house. The buyer had arranged to flip it over to a third party who did not have a contract with Loews but had already agreed to lease it to Cineplex Odeon. Although Loews threatened to sue when the CO house was announced, nothing ever came of it.

When CO went in, the theatre still had the original wooden seats, a testament to how neglected some Loews houses were in the late eighties. These seats had mostly been destroyed to avoid any possibility of an immediate re-opening by anyone else. This actually expedited the remodel as CO had no intention of opening the place “as is”. Loews got the last laugh, though. Although the theatre was often busy, CO never made a profit due to high rent it had agreed to.

In October 1993 there was a gang shooting inside screen one which lead to several innocent bystanders getting hurt. The local media latched on to the story as another example of Hollywood product leading to teenage violence and blaming the film, (”Judgment Night”) for inciting the shooting. The following day picketers lined up in front of the theatre demanding it be closed.

In reality, the trailers were still running at the time of the shooting and the film had not yet started. I don’t think the Met ever really recovered from that incident and the politically motivated scandal it generated.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Roxy Theatre on Jul 28, 2008 at 7:36 pm

The Gayety was at 2004 Collins and was mostly a Burlesque strip club that rarely showed movies.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Astor Theatre on Jul 28, 2008 at 5:45 pm

My mistake. I got my education reading fabricated dead star biographies written by hack writers who plagiarized gossip columns and then sold the info as their own at discount book racks.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Loew's Metropolitan Theatre on Jul 28, 2008 at 5:36 pm

That must be why the ads read: “FIRST PICTURE IN YEARS TO HOLD A THIRD WEEK AT THE MET!”

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Astor Theatre on Jul 28, 2008 at 12:54 pm

Wow. You can determine the sexual inclinations of men from just looking at an 85 year old photograph? Fabulous gaydar!

My guess is that they are studio heads and members of the press who were mostly men at the time. As for their sexual habits, I’ll leave that to more talented contributors.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Loew's Metropolitan Theatre on Jul 28, 2008 at 12:25 pm

…at the theatre this page is about.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Loew's Metropolitan Theatre on Jul 28, 2008 at 8:40 am

“They called her the scarfaced she-devil!”

“A Woman’s Face” was a first-run move-over from the Capitol and this was the first suburban run of the film, with “Washington Melodrama” as a co-feature. The run included the Loews Jersey City and Newark theatres but since it ran for record three weeks it overlapped with the circuit break.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about 44th Street Theatre on Jul 27, 2008 at 2:23 pm

The 44th Street roof showed movies in 1920 as the NORA BAYES.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Capitol Theater on Jul 27, 2008 at 1:30 pm

This was called the Capitol from 1972-1974.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Absinthe House Cinematheque on Jul 27, 2008 at 12:35 pm

Also known as the Merry Go Round as both theatre and cinema.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Suniland Triple on Jul 27, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Suniland becomes a twin.

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about 79th Street Twin II Cinema on Jul 27, 2008 at 12:25 pm

Here is a Star Twin ad. I have not added the theatre since I cannot find an actual address.

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Miami Gardens 183rd Cinema on Jul 27, 2008 at 12:19 pm

I don’t recall this ever being known just as the 183rd street. It did open as the Jerry Lewis Cinema in 1972.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Gala Twin Cinemas on Jul 27, 2008 at 12:16 pm

The Gala Twin opened in 1972 as a subrun house but quickly switched to porn when it stumbled onto DEEP THROAT which had recently been banned from Miami Beach’s Sheridan. Located in an incorporated part of Dade County, no city official had the jurisdiction to shut the Gala down.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Rex Art Cinema on Jul 27, 2008 at 10:41 am

I think this was the New King when it tried running blaxploitaion in 1972.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about The Dark Knight Beats Estimates on Jul 26, 2008 at 8:16 pm

“…or just about every movie that Barbra Streisand ever made.”

How quickly you forget “FUNNY GIRL” and “WHAT’S UP, DOC?”, two classics that have outlived any silly BATMAN movie so far.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about New World Stages on Jul 26, 2008 at 7:49 pm

CO was not above opening screens as they were finished while still in construction on others.

The project ran late and distributors felt the location was too far out west (duh) and didn’t want to risk exclusives of their movies in the zone, so getting first-runs was a problem.

CO was forced to day-date this with the Times Square Warner on “Uncle Buck” and the Warner proved the World Wide was redundant. Universal owned 50% of CO by then so they continued to cooperate for a while.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Astor Theatre on Jul 26, 2008 at 5:00 pm

Since QUEEN CHRISTINA premiered on December 26 and that photo shows a Roll Royce in front, this is most likely a shot of the World Premier crowd and hardly representative of the the average movie-goer in 1933.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Flagler Theater on Jul 25, 2008 at 9:44 pm

I believe this was last known as Radio Centro.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on Jul 25, 2008 at 9:28 pm

This theatre is already listed as the Rio, its last name.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about 21st Adult Theatre on Jul 25, 2008 at 8:51 pm

This opened as the Fine Arts in 1963 with Jewish Vaudeville and a movie. It slowly moved to burlesque and soft-core porn films and was the 21st Street theatre by 1969.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Hi-Way Airport 9 Drive-In on Jul 23, 2008 at 6:44 pm

Not in Florida. I saw it at the Golden Glades Drive-In first run.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about 79th Street Twin II Cinema on Jul 23, 2008 at 12:21 pm

This was also the location for the Bard theatre which ran movies as well as live burlesque in the late fifties.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about 79th Street Twin II Cinema on Jul 23, 2008 at 10:43 am

This location one housed the Little River theatre. I am unsure if it is the same building.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Hi-Way Airport 9 Drive-In on Jul 23, 2008 at 10:40 am

I believe this was the largest drive-in in the country for a while.