I’ve been to several movies here, but the most memorable was around 1982 (after the restoration ot the theatre) where the late, great Gaylord Carter, who was in his 80’s at the time, played that spectacular organ for a showing of Griffith’s “Way down East” and Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush”. I still have the program for the showing.
I saw Phantom of the Opera (1925 – Lon Chaney), Some like it Hot (M Monroe) and The Mark of Zorro back in the early 90’s. Only classics were being shown then, and just one of two showings a month. But a memorable experience with the organ.
Although the exquisite Fox Theatre in Detroit is not exclusively a movie house, it is the largest active movie theatre in the USA. I have read where it has 4 more seats than the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. Since the restoration of this historic marvel, I have seen there the restored rerelease of Lawrence of Arabia. I also saw Ben Hur (the 1959 version) in which Charlton Heston and his family attended and were in the audience. Charlton gave a short talk before the show. He said in todays dollars (this was around 1989 when he said it) it would cost over 150 million dollars to produce! This a a wide-screen cinema buff’s dream house.
In July 2001, I attended a screening of the Harold LLoyd classic, “Safety Last” and a Buster Keaton short “One Week” at the Stanford THeatre. There was a line of people which was almost completely circling the block, waiting to see this silent picture! The prints were almost perfect and the comedy portrayed was timeless. The organist and the environment was as much of the show as the movies were! The theatre, which I think holds around 1000 patrons, was completely filled for this showing. Totally awesome and unforgettable!
I’ve been to several movies here, but the most memorable was around 1982 (after the restoration ot the theatre) where the late, great Gaylord Carter, who was in his 80’s at the time, played that spectacular organ for a showing of Griffith’s “Way down East” and Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush”. I still have the program for the showing.
I saw Phantom of the Opera (1925 – Lon Chaney), Some like it Hot (M Monroe) and The Mark of Zorro back in the early 90’s. Only classics were being shown then, and just one of two showings a month. But a memorable experience with the organ.
Although the exquisite Fox Theatre in Detroit is not exclusively a movie house, it is the largest active movie theatre in the USA. I have read where it has 4 more seats than the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. Since the restoration of this historic marvel, I have seen there the restored rerelease of Lawrence of Arabia. I also saw Ben Hur (the 1959 version) in which Charlton Heston and his family attended and were in the audience. Charlton gave a short talk before the show. He said in todays dollars (this was around 1989 when he said it) it would cost over 150 million dollars to produce! This a a wide-screen cinema buff’s dream house.
In July 2001, I attended a screening of the Harold LLoyd classic, “Safety Last” and a Buster Keaton short “One Week” at the Stanford THeatre. There was a line of people which was almost completely circling the block, waiting to see this silent picture! The prints were almost perfect and the comedy portrayed was timeless. The organist and the environment was as much of the show as the movies were! The theatre, which I think holds around 1000 patrons, was completely filled for this showing. Totally awesome and unforgettable!