This house was built by E.M LOEW Theatres around 1968 as a 1000 seat house. SACK THEATRES twinned house around middle 70’s doing a very good job, both sides had traveler curtains,left side maintained the dual 70mm equipment.
Showcase Theatres then quad-ed the house and it was still a good operation. Closed in 2002.
I worked as a projectionist here its last couple years. They had very good equipment. In the early 60’s they put in 3 projector Cinemiracle for WINDJAMMER FOR A FEW WEEKS.
This house had the only one piece traveler curtain I ever saw, run manually by side ropes. Slight correction,this house was on the edge of the Hungary Hill area, not Winchester Sq. The Strand was in Winchester Sq.The Strand,Liberty, and Jefferson usually all had the same bookings.
This was the first 70MM roadshow house I believe in New England. Opened with OKLAHOMA. At its backstage door was the rear of the GARY Theatre (originally the Plymouth) another BEN SACK roadshow theatre. Currently still across the rear is the backstage of the Colonial Theatre.
In the 60’s and 70’s, this was the E.M.LOEWS CENTER THEATRE. Theatre was built as the GLOBE. It was upstairs/downstairs twinned,then the downstairs was left/right split all as the Pagoda Theatre.
Theatre was first twinned upstairs/downstairs. Then the downstairs was split left/right. The last 4 houses were in the basement. I was in here first time XMAS week 1962 for Lawrence Of Arabia.
This theatre had 3 projector Cinerama in the early 60’s. The Able and Charly booths were built into the outside walls sticking out over the walkways. I saw GONE WITH THE WIND in 70MM IN 1968. I believe the theatre had private press showings of MAD MAD WORLD IN 70MM IN 1963 before the WARNER CINERAMA IN NYC had been renovated for the No. 1963 opening.
I was in this theatre first time in 1962 after they remodeled for 3 projector Cinerama. The original theatre had 5 sections of seats even in the balcony. They hung curtains blocking off the outer 2 sections leaving the middle 3 sections. They also draped off the rear third of the balcony. You could stand on the railing in the balcony, lift the curtain, and see the original theatre intact. They created an temporary huge theatre inside even a bigger one. This must have been a beautiful house.
In Times Square, the Embassy 1 was the old newsreel theatre, the Embassy 234 was the old Mayfair/DeMille. The “5” in Embassy 5 was to designate Guild Theatres fifth screen in the area: I don’t believe the theatre was ever split up. I have always been confused with the other Victoria up on 125th St. which was five plexed. Can anybody confirm this?
The movie version of Chorus Line was filmed here in the middle 80’s. I saw my first Broadway show here around 1963, “Sound Of Music” which I think ended its run here after it moved over from the Lunt Fontaine Theatre.
I believe when theatre was built,they also had noise and vibration problems from the Broadway IRT subway line in the theatre rear. The projection booth is located very close to the tracks.
I was in projection booth in 1968. The operator I met was there when 70MM was put in.He told me when Mike Todd’s “80 Days” first opened that Mike Todd was virtually living in the booth for several weeks he was such a perfectionist. He had the amperage on the carbon arcs raised so high for more light that the 70mm prints were lasting less than 10 runs per print! The day I was there they were running “Sweet Charity” in 70mm. The last movie I saw in 70mm was “1941” in 1979 I believe.
When theatre was multiplexed,all they did was divide balcony into left and right thirds. Center portion was left open to downstairs house to permit original projection booth to service the big screen. Theatre could be returned to original condition with minimal work.
Vertical Marquee has been either restored/rebuilt or new one installed. There appears to be new light bulbs. Looks good even in daytime. Front of building looks like it was sandblasted.
This house was built by E.M LOEW Theatres around 1968 as a 1000 seat house. SACK THEATRES twinned house around middle 70’s doing a very good job, both sides had traveler curtains,left side maintained the dual 70mm equipment.
Showcase Theatres then quad-ed the house and it was still a good operation. Closed in 2002.
I saw my first 3D movie here, FORT TI.Years later I was a projectionist here, in the Summer time on a hot day about 110 degrees in the booth.
I worked as a projectionist here its last couple years. They had very good equipment. In the early 60’s they put in 3 projector Cinemiracle for WINDJAMMER FOR A FEW WEEKS.
I worked here as a projectionist in its last year. Stanley Warner kept the house in first class condition until the end.
This was the first house in Spfld. to have Cinemascope. The backstage wall still exists on the Taylor St. side
This house had the only one piece traveler curtain I ever saw, run manually by side ropes. Slight correction,this house was on the edge of the Hungary Hill area, not Winchester Sq. The Strand was in Winchester Sq.The Strand,Liberty, and Jefferson usually all had the same bookings.
This was the first 70MM roadshow house I believe in New England. Opened with OKLAHOMA. At its backstage door was the rear of the GARY Theatre (originally the Plymouth) another BEN SACK roadshow theatre. Currently still across the rear is the backstage of the Colonial Theatre.
In the 60’s and 70’s, this was the E.M.LOEWS CENTER THEATRE. Theatre was built as the GLOBE. It was upstairs/downstairs twinned,then the downstairs was left/right split all as the Pagoda Theatre.
Theatre was first twinned upstairs/downstairs. Then the downstairs was split left/right. The last 4 houses were in the basement. I was in here first time XMAS week 1962 for Lawrence Of Arabia.
This theatre had 3 projector Cinerama in the early 60’s. The Able and Charly booths were built into the outside walls sticking out over the walkways. I saw GONE WITH THE WIND in 70MM IN 1968. I believe the theatre had private press showings of MAD MAD WORLD IN 70MM IN 1963 before the WARNER CINERAMA IN NYC had been renovated for the No. 1963 opening.
I was in this theatre first time in 1962 after they remodeled for 3 projector Cinerama. The original theatre had 5 sections of seats even in the balcony. They hung curtains blocking off the outer 2 sections leaving the middle 3 sections. They also draped off the rear third of the balcony. You could stand on the railing in the balcony, lift the curtain, and see the original theatre intact. They created an temporary huge theatre inside even a bigger one. This must have been a beautiful house.
In Times Square, the Embassy 1 was the old newsreel theatre, the Embassy 234 was the old Mayfair/DeMille. The “5” in Embassy 5 was to designate Guild Theatres fifth screen in the area: I don’t believe the theatre was ever split up. I have always been confused with the other Victoria up on 125th St. which was five plexed. Can anybody confirm this?
The movie version of Chorus Line was filmed here in the middle 80’s. I saw my first Broadway show here around 1963, “Sound Of Music” which I think ended its run here after it moved over from the Lunt Fontaine Theatre.
I was in here for “Gods Must Be Crazy” around 1984. The lobby was so small I don’t think they even had room for a snack bar.
I believe NBC did the original “Price Is Right” with Bill Cullen here in the 1950’s.
I believe when theatre was built,they also had noise and vibration problems from the Broadway IRT subway line in the theatre rear. The projection booth is located very close to the tracks.
Around 1979 Cineplex Odeon remodeled the theatre very nicely, even renaming it the Warner for a short time after their big Warner on 47th St. closed.
The 1968 movie “Night They Raided Minsky’s” was filmed inside the theatre.
I was in projection booth in 1968. The operator I met was there when 70MM was put in.He told me when Mike Todd’s “80 Days” first opened that Mike Todd was virtually living in the booth for several weeks he was such a perfectionist. He had the amperage on the carbon arcs raised so high for more light that the 70mm prints were lasting less than 10 runs per print! The day I was there they were running “Sweet Charity” in 70mm. The last movie I saw in 70mm was “1941” in 1979 I believe.
When theatre was multiplexed,all they did was divide balcony into left and right thirds. Center portion was left open to downstairs house to permit original projection booth to service the big screen. Theatre could be returned to original condition with minimal work.
Vertical Marquee has been either restored/rebuilt or new one installed. There appears to be new light bulbs. Looks good even in daytime. Front of building looks like it was sandblasted.