Comments from DamienB

Showing 19 comments

DamienB
DamienB commented about Juliet I & II on Sep 4, 2010 at 7:38 pm

Exit, you’re mistaken. The Juliet was some 20 blocks north of the Columbia/Gemini/UA. A different theatre entirely.

DamienB
DamienB commented about RKO Warner Twin Theatre on Jun 16, 2007 at 3:44 pm

The Strand was closed for 6 weeks in late 1934-early 1935 due to a fire. It re-opened on January 23, 1935.

Here’s the New York Times account:

1,000 at Reopening Ceremony.

The reopening of the Strand Theatre, closed since a fire six weeks ago, went off according to schedule at 9:30 o'clock yesterday morning. A crowd of about 1,000 persons waited outside until Aldermanic President Bernard S. Deutsch appeared, with a pair of shears and a few well-chosen remarks, to cut the tape across the theatre’s front and to pronounce it officially open.

Before the ceremony, Mr. Deutsch had been conducted through the remodeled theatre, invited to test its new orchestra and balcony seats and to inspect the improved sound and ventilating system. After cutting the tape, however, he was obliged to hurry off to the Municipal Building and was unable to wait for the picture. One of the theatre’s officials urged him to take the scissors along and use them on the city budget. Mr. Deutsch left without them.

DamienB
DamienB commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on May 9, 2007 at 6:59 pm

The last time I was in the Embassy Triplex was in early 1991, finally seeing Ghost because I figured I had to since it was a Best Picture nominee. The ouutstanding aspect of going to the theatre was that the house kitty jumped up on my lap and spent a good half hour asleep on my lap. I wish every theatre had cats to interact with the patrons.

DamienB
DamienB commented about 4 Star Theatre on May 6, 2007 at 9:35 pm

When I lived in Los Angeles in 1982, the Four Star was a revival house. It was a great place to see old movies because it still had the look of a movie house from decades earlier, so you felt as if you had been transported back to when the films were knew. I particularly remember a double bill of Preminger’s Laura and John M. Stahl’s Leave Her To Heaven, the latter shown in a breathtakingly pristine Technicolor print.

DamienB
DamienB commented about Arlington Theatre on May 6, 2007 at 9:28 pm

The one time I was in Santa Barbara was in 1982, and we made sure to go to the Arlington. The film playing was Busby Berkeley’s The Gang’s All Here. I was so mesmerized by the theatre itself that I hardly paid attention to hte film (which I had already seen a couple of times).

Does anyone know if the Arlington was a revival house during this period, or was Gang’s a one-shot showing of an old classic?

DamienB
DamienB commented about IFC Center on May 1, 2007 at 11:46 am

Garth: “ was there today for the first time (never had the pleasure of the Waverly). At first didn’t like that you sink down in the seats but then found them quite comfortable. In theatre one there were brick walls, making for a very interesting setting.”

I went to the IFC for the first time recently to see Killer of Sheep, and almost everyone who sat down thought his/her seat was broken, until realizing they were meant to sink way down. I agree that once you get used to them they are very comfortable, and because the person in front of you is down low as well, the sight lines are comparable to those in theatres with stadium seating.

Does anyone know the status of the union dispute?

DamienB
DamienB commented about 777 Theatre on May 1, 2007 at 11:10 am

Sorry, Lost Memory, my computer screen kept freezing yesterday and all I could see was the corner building. Now I see that the theatre is also in the picture.

William, you’re right, it was a Benagan’s — i guess subconsciously the two are interchangeable.

DamienB
DamienB commented about Olympia Cinemas on Apr 30, 2007 at 9:55 pm

For us Columbia students, the Olympia was our neighborhood house, and, as a second- and third-run house, it was a wonderful place to catch up on missed films. (In my day — mid-70s — the student newspaper, The Spectator ran a column, “At The Olympia” discussing the films playing in our backyard.)

My first time at the Olympia — during my second or third week at Columbia — was to see The Devil In Miss Jones. My roommate was so freaked out by it that he left half way through the picture.

DamienB
DamienB commented about 777 Theatre on Apr 30, 2007 at 9:33 pm

Quote: Here is another modern photo of the former Hollywood Twin Cinemas building.

posted by Lost Memory on Dec 12, 2006 at 1:23pm

That’s actually the building next door to the old Hollywood Twin (which is the bigger building to the right). This corner building in the last quarter century or so has been an Argentinian restaurant, an Arby’s, B. Smith’s restaurant, a steak house and a Houlihans. It is now — of course, sigh — a Duane Reade.

DamienB
DamienB commented about Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on Apr 30, 2007 at 4:55 pm

Recently I was ehre and a woman of a certain age was gently explaining to the girl at the concession stand that she didn’t have to pay for her cup of coffee because she was Mrs. Daniel Talbot.

DamienB
DamienB commented about Manhattan 1 and 2 on Apr 30, 2007 at 3:06 pm

For a while, the 59th Street East had the gimmick of showing the same film in both auditoriums, with showings beginning on the hour. The first film under this policy was Adam At 6 A.M. which premiered on November 30, 1970.

The last line of Vincent Canby’s review in the Times stated, “Adam at 6 A.M. opened yesterday at the R.K.O. 59th Street Twin Theaters where, beginning at 11 A.M., the feature starts every hour, on the hour, in one of the two auditoriums.”

DamienB
DamienB commented about Cameo Theater on Apr 30, 2007 at 2:57 pm

In the mid-1970s, the Cameo was a dollar house. I don’t recall how long this policy remained, but I used to drive from New Milford tp go here, and recall seeing Carrie, Burnt Offerings and Fast Break. The art deco appointments were still beautiful and in fine shape at the time, and every time I go by the Cameo it breaks my heart.

DamienB
DamienB commented about Art East Cinema on Dec 5, 2005 at 4:57 pm

When it was a gay porn house in the mid-70s, it was called the Byron (as in Lord Byron, not, as some wags had it, Stuart Byron).

DamienB
DamienB commented about Whalley Theatre on Dec 3, 2005 at 10:30 am

In the 60s, the Whalley became a roadshow house. My parents took us here from New Milford to see Dr. Zhivago, Gone With The Wind and Oliver!

DamienB
DamienB commented about Bantam Cinema & Arts Center on Dec 3, 2005 at 10:21 am

The Bantam Cinema became an art house in the late ‘60s — my guess would be 1968 — which, if memory serves, was also when it was renamed Cinema IV. I saw Bergman’s Hour Of The Wolf here in '68 or '69.

DamienB
DamienB commented about Loews Festival Theatre on Nov 28, 2005 at 2:07 pm

What I remember most about the Festival was that there was a row of potted (presumably fake) flowers at the bottom of the screen. My first time here was to see “I Never Sang For My Father” in 1970. Although this is apparently not a fondly-remembered theatre, the Festival was an important venue for art films at the time (Visconti’s “The Damned” was the Christmas 1969 attraction).

DamienB
DamienB commented about Theatre 80 St. Marks on Nov 28, 2005 at 1:51 pm

When Theatre 80 first opened as a revival house in the early 70s, it showed only musicals (its newspaper ads featured a drawing of a chrous line and the words: “The Movie Musical”). I don’t recall exactly when Howard Otway expeanded his repretoire, but I do remember seeing Hedy Lamarr in “Ecstacy” here in ‘74 or '75.

When Theatre 80 was a legit house in the 60s, the musical “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” had a very long run here.

I believe these days it is the home of the Pearl Theatre Company.

DamienB
DamienB commented about 777 Theatre on Nov 10, 2005 at 1:16 pm

When the Hollywood was a gay housein the late 70s early 80s, the crusing areas had different environmental motifs. I remember there was a park setting — sort of an indoor version of the Central Park Ramble — and a cowboy bunkhouse.

I may be mistaken, but I think that in this period both sides were gay porn, and that the gay/straight divide came later in the 80s.

DamienB
DamienB commented about Eastside Cinema on Nov 10, 2005 at 12:58 pm

The Eastside Cinema actually opened on January 21, 1973. Its premiere attraction was “Under Milk Wood.”