Bolorkay, While Nelson had a very big hand in how things ran at the Lafayette in the good old days, I think credit really needs to be given to Pete Apruzzese who did the programming and picked those more “unusual” titles. As you said, all I really see offered is TCM fare. Classics yes, but not unique.
Unique would be stop running “It’s a Wonderful Life” at Christmas every year and run something like “Christmas in Connecticut”.
Actually I always thought Cinema Treasures was for talking about the theaters themselves, and NOT for advertising what goes on there. I will admit that I don’t see a problem mentioning what may be running in an active theater, but day after day after day is a little ridiculous, and is firmly over the line into advertising.
I’m a member of CT to talk, learn, and listen about theaters, not to get ads. If you want to broadcast the theater’s schedule and lineup, get a LIST SERV and start a NEW list just for that. That’s not what CT is for.
So maybe you shouldn’t have gotten the “overseers” involved and just dealt with the hotwaterbottle troll yourself. He would have gone away eventually. Now we’ve got “overseers” who indiscriminately remove posts. That’s wonderful!
I guess we’re not allowed any opinion here on Cinema Treasures, or is it just the Lafayette that can speak? Now you take my benign comments down? Wow, that’s something. I miss the Nelson & Company days.
The Colony Theater was operated by my grandfather, Joseph DeMeo from the time of it’s opening near the end of the silent era until his death in the early 1970s. My grandparents had a bungalow a short walk from the theater, right on the beach, and I spent many many summer evenings up in the projection booth with Eddy Quinn, who was my grandfather’s projectionist for the entire time of operation (during the closed months, the union assigned Eddy work elsewhere). I rewound many a film, and performed numerous changeovers there. It was a great place to be. My mom, when she was growing up, would glue slap movie posters to the side of the building on the “now playing” and “coming soon” boards. Mom says the theater ran silent films when it opened (with a piano in the front), and went to sound a few years later. During the closed months, my grandfather ran an audio-visual business, “The Motion Picture Projection Service” in Brooklyn, showing educational and industrial films for clients such as The Bell System.
The building was painted green during my years and had three turbine ventilators at the peak of the roof. The screen was simply attached to the distant wall, no stage, no curtains. Seats were on a flat concrete floor. It was very sparse inside. It wasn’t meant to be a palace, nor did it pretend to be.
We have talked of going back for a visit, but the the area is a gated community (always was) and my chances of getting in there are close to nil. After 40 years, nobody probably remembers my grandfather ran the place, or perhaps that it even was a theater.
Now demolished. I was down there on Friday. The mall building that the theater was in is gone, and the land already being reconfigured for another complex of some sort. The Marquee still stands on County 166, but I don’t know if it will remain.
Yes, and I remember loudly declaring “WHAT??? OH COME ON…” at the end of the last chapter when we were presented with the preposterous ending and solution that we sat 13 weeks through… It was a disappointment, and quite funny, to say the least. At least others sitting near me though it was funny!
A “silver screen” is brighter than a matte screen, as long as you’re sitting in the reflection cone. If you’re out side the cone (side seats for instance) your image may look dimer. A silver screen is a reflective screen with a positive gain (a matte screen is 1.0, or 1.1 at best) so the image is brighter.
Correct, “taken seriously”. Precautions. Proper handling.
Whenever you read an article today about nitrate, it’s given the impression it’s like nitro-glycerin and will explode if you look at it wrong.
I have some nitrate in my collection, and my Simplex projector was designed to run nitrate and has all the safety devices: magazines, fire rollers, fire shutter. Plus some extra measures I added, such as electronic sensors to detect breakage and electrically operated lamp house douser to cut the light off immediately. I’ve also tested my machine to see how long it takes to ignite film in the gate “just in case” it every happened (about 8-10 seconds). On the occasions I run nitrate, I treat it with kit gloves and work slowly.
I check the film on regular intervals to make sure it’s still in viable condition. I typically do a “dark” run of the film ahead of time to make sure it’s running properly. Splices have been checked and mended/taped if necessary.
There is one last thing, the stuff looks wonderful on the screen! The image quality is outstanding.
The only part of that story that is a little over exaggerated is the part about the nitrate. It seems that whenever the press writes something about nitrate film, they act as if it’s as dangerous as exposed plutonium and the world would have ended had we not stopped using it! Sure it’s dangerous, but not like they write. It’s like handling gasoline. Flammable yes, but safe when properly handled.
I’ve seen the 3D system, and the picture was great. Why go to a black box at the crowded mall when you can come to a movie palace with STYLE and comfort, and get the same thing, for a few bucks less too!
I can verify what Pete says. Anything can go wrong with a 35mm projector or it’s support systems at any time. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. I’ve had it happen to me, and I’ve been a venues where it has happened during a show.
According to the article in the NY Times yesterday “The Weinstein Company plans to release a full list of theaters Thursday or Friday”.
Bolorkay, While Nelson had a very big hand in how things ran at the Lafayette in the good old days, I think credit really needs to be given to Pete Apruzzese who did the programming and picked those more “unusual” titles. As you said, all I really see offered is TCM fare. Classics yes, but not unique.
Unique would be stop running “It’s a Wonderful Life” at Christmas every year and run something like “Christmas in Connecticut”.
Since when is food and drink allowed in the theater? This is a serious no-no in any theater I’ve ever been too, including the Lafayette in the past.
Stop the advertising please. This is not the place for advertisements.
Actually I always thought Cinema Treasures was for talking about the theaters themselves, and NOT for advertising what goes on there. I will admit that I don’t see a problem mentioning what may be running in an active theater, but day after day after day is a little ridiculous, and is firmly over the line into advertising.
I’m a member of CT to talk, learn, and listen about theaters, not to get ads. If you want to broadcast the theater’s schedule and lineup, get a LIST SERV and start a NEW list just for that. That’s not what CT is for.
So maybe you shouldn’t have gotten the “overseers” involved and just dealt with the hotwaterbottle troll yourself. He would have gone away eventually. Now we’ve got “overseers” who indiscriminately remove posts. That’s wonderful!
I guess we’re not allowed any opinion here on Cinema Treasures, or is it just the Lafayette that can speak? Now you take my benign comments down? Wow, that’s something. I miss the Nelson & Company days.
Bill, you should expect every classic presentation to be in DCP from this point on. Film for classic films is dead.
I have photos of the booth. I’ve uploaded them.
The Colony Theater was operated by my grandfather, Joseph DeMeo from the time of it’s opening near the end of the silent era until his death in the early 1970s. My grandparents had a bungalow a short walk from the theater, right on the beach, and I spent many many summer evenings up in the projection booth with Eddy Quinn, who was my grandfather’s projectionist for the entire time of operation (during the closed months, the union assigned Eddy work elsewhere). I rewound many a film, and performed numerous changeovers there. It was a great place to be. My mom, when she was growing up, would glue slap movie posters to the side of the building on the “now playing” and “coming soon” boards. Mom says the theater ran silent films when it opened (with a piano in the front), and went to sound a few years later. During the closed months, my grandfather ran an audio-visual business, “The Motion Picture Projection Service” in Brooklyn, showing educational and industrial films for clients such as The Bell System.
The building was painted green during my years and had three turbine ventilators at the peak of the roof. The screen was simply attached to the distant wall, no stage, no curtains. Seats were on a flat concrete floor. It was very sparse inside. It wasn’t meant to be a palace, nor did it pretend to be.
We have talked of going back for a visit, but the the area is a gated community (always was) and my chances of getting in there are close to nil. After 40 years, nobody probably remembers my grandfather ran the place, or perhaps that it even was a theater.
I posted a picture of the demolition today:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffs4653/5714685866
Now demolished. I was down there on Friday. The mall building that the theater was in is gone, and the land already being reconfigured for another complex of some sort. The Marquee still stands on County 166, but I don’t know if it will remain.
I remember seeing The Crimson Ghost…
Yes, and I remember loudly declaring “WHAT??? OH COME ON…” at the end of the last chapter when we were presented with the preposterous ending and solution that we sat 13 weeks through… It was a disappointment, and quite funny, to say the least. At least others sitting near me though it was funny!
None!
I definitely agree with “Ben-Hur” and “How The West Was Won”.
One personal favorite I want to see is “The Best Years of Our Lives”.
West Side Story was there two years ago.
A “silver screen” is brighter than a matte screen, as long as you’re sitting in the reflection cone. If you’re out side the cone (side seats for instance) your image may look dimer. A silver screen is a reflective screen with a positive gain (a matte screen is 1.0, or 1.1 at best) so the image is brighter.
Vito:
Correct, “taken seriously”. Precautions. Proper handling.
Whenever you read an article today about nitrate, it’s given the impression it’s like nitro-glycerin and will explode if you look at it wrong.
I have some nitrate in my collection, and my Simplex projector was designed to run nitrate and has all the safety devices: magazines, fire rollers, fire shutter. Plus some extra measures I added, such as electronic sensors to detect breakage and electrically operated lamp house douser to cut the light off immediately. I’ve also tested my machine to see how long it takes to ignite film in the gate “just in case” it every happened (about 8-10 seconds). On the occasions I run nitrate, I treat it with kit gloves and work slowly.
I check the film on regular intervals to make sure it’s still in viable condition. I typically do a “dark” run of the film ahead of time to make sure it’s running properly. Splices have been checked and mended/taped if necessary.
There is one last thing, the stuff looks wonderful on the screen! The image quality is outstanding.
The only part of that story that is a little over exaggerated is the part about the nitrate. It seems that whenever the press writes something about nitrate film, they act as if it’s as dangerous as exposed plutonium and the world would have ended had we not stopped using it! Sure it’s dangerous, but not like they write. It’s like handling gasoline. Flammable yes, but safe when properly handled.
Busy weekend, eh Pete?
Unfortunately I can’t make it. See you next week. Here’s wishing you another successful season.
I’ve seen the 3D system, and the picture was great. Why go to a black box at the crowded mall when you can come to a movie palace with STYLE and comfort, and get the same thing, for a few bucks less too!
I can verify what Pete says. Anything can go wrong with a 35mm projector or it’s support systems at any time. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. I’ve had it happen to me, and I’ve been a venues where it has happened during a show.
Go for it Bill!
Yes, let Bill do it! He’d love that.
He’s done it at the Lafayette.
I’m always interested.