Also, seating was in 3 sections, if I remember correctly. The lobby takes up the back part of the original auditorium, as it was before. The seats are very comfortable.
Will, someone on Facebook said that they have masking on all 4 sides, but it wasn’t used when I was there. The screen was 1.85, but there were scope trailers that were letterboxed, and most of the feature film was 1.37, but it became 1.85 near the end.
I just visited the Egyptian yesterday, December 5, 2023, to see MAESTRO. I thought the theater was beautiful, but it would be better if they would light up the curtain. The front of the auditorium was dark with the word EGYPTIAN projected on the curtain. Also, they no longer have a CinemaScope screen. Scope movies are letterboxed on a 1.85 screen. I couldn’t tell if they had adjustible masking. Most of MAESTRO was in 1.37 and it wasn’t masked.
Yes, Howard. They opened the curtain on the MGM logo after the overture and closed them at the intermission. Then they opened them again after the entrance music and closed them at the end of the credits. It was very professionally done.
I just came from seeing it at the Dome. It had an overture, an intermission, and exit music. It looked great, except for their smiling screen. Why do the bottom corners of the screen curl up? Can’t they cut an aperture plate to fit the normal screen shape?
Concerning the image reflecting off the port glass onto the back wall of the booth, I’ve worked in some cinemas where the port glass and its frame were tilted, which prevented that.
I was in Screen 2 last week and it was very nice. They have a proper ‘scope screen, and they used their side masking for their flat trailers and ads, opening it for their 'scope feature. The reclining seats are so comfortable that I had trouble staying awake, even though I was enjoying the movie. The screen is kind of small and off-center to the front of the auditorium, but it couldn’t be any larger due to the width of the auditorium. The presentation was excellent.
I just visited Screen 7 a couple of days ago and it doesn’t look any different inside than it did before. It is at the very top of the stairs to the right of the entrance. I think it used to be Screen 9, as one of the screens at a lower level of the stairs still says Empire 7 over the doors. The movie was in ‘scope, and they didn’t close in the masking for the flat trailers and ads.
Just saw the movie THE DISASTER ARTIST and noticed that the premier near the end of the movie was filmed in the Crest. I recognised the curtain, the wall fixtures, and the marquee.
Just got the program for this year’s BFI London Film Festival, and I was surprised to see that they are again using the larger auditoriums of the Vue, considering the greatly reduced seating capacity after the renovation.
I agree too, Lionel. I’ve been going to London cinemas since 1967 when I was in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany. It was quite an event flying over to London to see great films at the Warner, Carlton, Dominion, Astoria, and the Classic Cinemas. At the bigger ones, they had an interval after the shorts and trailers, and they had usherettes coming through the aisles wearing trays containing ice cream parfaits and other treats for sale. There was usually a Pathe or Movietone newsreel. And the national anthem was played after the last showing at night. Curtains, flooded in colored light, were used. Now I’m living in the USA and I fly to London a couple of times a year to see movies in nice cinemas. Doing away with Empire Screen 1 was an abomination! It was my favorite cinema. I still like the Odeon Leicester Square, but they usually play the blockbuster films that I’m not interested in seeing. I also like the Prince Charles, and NFT 1 is great. But the showmanship and presentation is sadly a thing of the past.
How will that affect the BFI London Film Festival with their reduced seating capacity? Lack of large auditoriums last year caused them to build a temporary auditorium beside the Thames.
When I went to the Playhouse in the early sixties, the curtain was not motorized. When it opened, it looked like someone was pulling the rope with one hand, it was so jerky. I also noticed they did not mask their flat picture, but had the screen opened all the way. I worked in some theatres where the curtain was used for side masking, but I didn’t see this at the Playhouse.
No, I was a member of Richmond, VA, Local 370. I was going to relocate in St. Pete in 1969 and join 552. Cecil Fernandez, the business agent who worked at Plaza 1, sent me to the Cameo and State to familiarize myself with the booths, but both theatres got their closing notices, so I returned to Richmond.
When I checked out the Cameo booth, they had Super Simplex projectors, but in the room off to the side were two Brenkert projector heads from the Florida Theatre, which they were going to install in the Cameo. But when I was there, they got two weeks notice on the Cameo, so it never happened.
I visited the Vue West End again for the 2016 BFI London Film Festival, and the curtains and stage lights were used in Cinemas 5 and 7. It looked very nice. Then I saw a non-festival film in one of the basement cinemas, and curtains and stage lights were not used. I could see that they have the type of curtain that rises because I could see it above the screen. What I don’t understand is, if they have them, why don’t they use them? It makes for a much nicer presentation.
I visited the Monroe Theatre several times. In the picture above, the red doors were the exit doors next to the screen. The screen was at the street end of the theatre. The entrance was on the right. The ticket counter and concession stands were on the right of the long entrance way, which went all the way to the back of the building and was parallel to the auditorium. You would make two left turns there and you would be at the back of the auditorium. The auditorium had green stage curtains flooded in green light. Flat and scope pictures were common width, with masking at the bottom which would be raised for scope pictures. Flat pictures were almost in the scope ratio, which made for too much cropping of the picture. When I used to go there in the middle 60s, they didn’t have tickets. When you paid, they kept track of admissions with tally marks on a sheet of paper. I don’t know what they did if they had to give refunds, since there were no ticket stubs. The theatre was the first theatre I ever attended that had push-back seats.
I saw the 70mm version of GONE WITH THE WIND. It was badly cropped at the top and bottom and a vertical pan-and-scan was used. It was also an abomination.
Also, seating was in 3 sections, if I remember correctly. The lobby takes up the back part of the original auditorium, as it was before. The seats are very comfortable.
Will, someone on Facebook said that they have masking on all 4 sides, but it wasn’t used when I was there. The screen was 1.85, but there were scope trailers that were letterboxed, and most of the feature film was 1.37, but it became 1.85 near the end.
I just visited the Egyptian yesterday, December 5, 2023, to see MAESTRO. I thought the theater was beautiful, but it would be better if they would light up the curtain. The front of the auditorium was dark with the word EGYPTIAN projected on the curtain. Also, they no longer have a CinemaScope screen. Scope movies are letterboxed on a 1.85 screen. I couldn’t tell if they had adjustible masking. Most of MAESTRO was in 1.37 and it wasn’t masked.
The map on this page is incorrect. The Regent was located at the intersection of Shuford Avenue and the Boulevard, where the post office now stands.
Yes, Howard. They opened the curtain on the MGM logo after the overture and closed them at the intermission. Then they opened them again after the entrance music and closed them at the end of the credits. It was very professionally done.
I just came from seeing it at the Dome. It had an overture, an intermission, and exit music. It looked great, except for their smiling screen. Why do the bottom corners of the screen curl up? Can’t they cut an aperture plate to fit the normal screen shape?
Concerning the image reflecting off the port glass onto the back wall of the booth, I’ve worked in some cinemas where the port glass and its frame were tilted, which prevented that.
I was in Screen 2 last week and it was very nice. They have a proper ‘scope screen, and they used their side masking for their flat trailers and ads, opening it for their 'scope feature. The reclining seats are so comfortable that I had trouble staying awake, even though I was enjoying the movie. The screen is kind of small and off-center to the front of the auditorium, but it couldn’t be any larger due to the width of the auditorium. The presentation was excellent.
I just visited Screen 7 a couple of days ago and it doesn’t look any different inside than it did before. It is at the very top of the stairs to the right of the entrance. I think it used to be Screen 9, as one of the screens at a lower level of the stairs still says Empire 7 over the doors. The movie was in ‘scope, and they didn’t close in the masking for the flat trailers and ads.
Just saw the movie THE DISASTER ARTIST and noticed that the premier near the end of the movie was filmed in the Crest. I recognised the curtain, the wall fixtures, and the marquee.
Just saw a movie in Empire 5, as it is still called, and I was surprised that they didn’t use their masking.
Just got the program for this year’s BFI London Film Festival, and I was surprised to see that they are again using the larger auditoriums of the Vue, considering the greatly reduced seating capacity after the renovation.
I agree too, Lionel. I’ve been going to London cinemas since 1967 when I was in the U.S. Army stationed in Germany. It was quite an event flying over to London to see great films at the Warner, Carlton, Dominion, Astoria, and the Classic Cinemas. At the bigger ones, they had an interval after the shorts and trailers, and they had usherettes coming through the aisles wearing trays containing ice cream parfaits and other treats for sale. There was usually a Pathe or Movietone newsreel. And the national anthem was played after the last showing at night. Curtains, flooded in colored light, were used. Now I’m living in the USA and I fly to London a couple of times a year to see movies in nice cinemas. Doing away with Empire Screen 1 was an abomination! It was my favorite cinema. I still like the Odeon Leicester Square, but they usually play the blockbuster films that I’m not interested in seeing. I also like the Prince Charles, and NFT 1 is great. But the showmanship and presentation is sadly a thing of the past.
How will that affect the BFI London Film Festival with their reduced seating capacity? Lack of large auditoriums last year caused them to build a temporary auditorium beside the Thames.
Loew’s never operated the Genito. It was built and originally operated by Cineplex-Odeon.
When I went to the Playhouse in the early sixties, the curtain was not motorized. When it opened, it looked like someone was pulling the rope with one hand, it was so jerky. I also noticed they did not mask their flat picture, but had the screen opened all the way. I worked in some theatres where the curtain was used for side masking, but I didn’t see this at the Playhouse.
No, I was a member of Richmond, VA, Local 370. I was going to relocate in St. Pete in 1969 and join 552. Cecil Fernandez, the business agent who worked at Plaza 1, sent me to the Cameo and State to familiarize myself with the booths, but both theatres got their closing notices, so I returned to Richmond.
You had to climb a ladder at the back of the auditorium to get to the booth.
Does anyone have any pictures of the auditorium?
When I checked out the Cameo booth, they had Super Simplex projectors, but in the room off to the side were two Brenkert projector heads from the Florida Theatre, which they were going to install in the Cameo. But when I was there, they got two weeks notice on the Cameo, so it never happened.
Cecil sent me to the State and Cameo, but they both closed before I got to work there. Chuck Horton was at the Cameo and John was at the State.
I checked out the Plaza booth under Cecil Fernandez, but I never got to work there.
I visited the Vue West End again for the 2016 BFI London Film Festival, and the curtains and stage lights were used in Cinemas 5 and 7. It looked very nice. Then I saw a non-festival film in one of the basement cinemas, and curtains and stage lights were not used. I could see that they have the type of curtain that rises because I could see it above the screen. What I don’t understand is, if they have them, why don’t they use them? It makes for a much nicer presentation.
I visited the Monroe Theatre several times. In the picture above, the red doors were the exit doors next to the screen. The screen was at the street end of the theatre. The entrance was on the right. The ticket counter and concession stands were on the right of the long entrance way, which went all the way to the back of the building and was parallel to the auditorium. You would make two left turns there and you would be at the back of the auditorium. The auditorium had green stage curtains flooded in green light. Flat and scope pictures were common width, with masking at the bottom which would be raised for scope pictures. Flat pictures were almost in the scope ratio, which made for too much cropping of the picture. When I used to go there in the middle 60s, they didn’t have tickets. When you paid, they kept track of admissions with tally marks on a sheet of paper. I don’t know what they did if they had to give refunds, since there were no ticket stubs. The theatre was the first theatre I ever attended that had push-back seats.
I saw the 70mm version of GONE WITH THE WIND. It was badly cropped at the top and bottom and a vertical pan-and-scan was used. It was also an abomination.