Trans-Lux Southstreet Seaport Cinema
210 Front Street,
New York,
NY
10038
210 Front Street,
New York,
NY
10038
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This was the sister theatre to the midtown “NY Experience” a multi screen tribute to some of New Yorks biggest tourist attractions. In 1989 in the waning days of revival Trans Lux made the multi-media show matinees only and ran double bills at night.
Sadly the programing never caught on and in October of that year they presented the last double feature “Babette’s Feast” and “Wedding in Blood”.
Contributed by
RobertR
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Recent comments (view all 20 comments)
does anybody have any video footage of the “new york experience?” I remember seeing it many years ago, and would sure like to have/buy a copy of it. Especially the part about the “mugging.”
I remember the New York Experience as well though I remember being underwhelmed by the “Experience”. I believe that there were also NY memorabilia displays in the lobby. Kind of like museum displays. Anyone else remember that?
This theater was taken over by the Taiwan Chinese government for a Taiwan cultural show. I think that lasted for about a year or two.
I have a leaflet for The New York Experience. A Trans-Lux/Bing Crosby Presentation. Located at McGraw-Hill Building, (Lower Plaza between 48th & 49th Streets), 1221 Avenue of the Americas, NY NY. 10020. There were 45 projectors and 16 screens.
I remember it! I went there a few times and it was a lot of fun. Just getting into the theater was fun. Wasn’t there an old time popcorn popper in the “lobby”? Like walking through a museum gallery. It was a little spooky for me. A little dark as soon as you stepped off the elevator.
The “Experience” itself I thought was great. I know some people were disappointed by the fact that t was mostly slides, but the sights and sounds were everywhere. Was there fog in the theater at some point?? Look, I was a kid. My weekends were the Bronx Zoo, Ice Capades, Ringling Brothers at MSG. I wish I could go back and see it again. It was at the Magraw-Hill Building in Midtown Manhattan. I have a collection of comments from other people if anyone’s interested.
Chris Mills
I totally remember the popcorn popper in the lobby! And alot of the decor was “olde timey” new york with art deco fonts. It was a little spooky because I went a couple times and it always seemed like we were the only people there… I don’t know if there was fog in the theater though. There was a vegetarian restaurant called “the Beanstalk” that was nearbyâ€" we would have a meal there sometimes… and speaking of old new york, does anyone remember the Autopub?
I do remember the Autopub. Sunken plaza with tables/umbrellas outside during the summer months. Auto replicas inside. Socialized at the bar, while winding down after a day’s work upstairs at GM. Those were the good ‘ole days ! Does anyone have any photos of the Autopub?
Thanks to westbethkid and nyretiree for remembering the Autopub…a restaurant my dad Alan Lewis set up with the Longchamps company based on the Pub Renault in Paris…great concept that may have been a couple of years too early or too late in the economic cycle…The Drive-In movie concept within the restaurant truly predated the movie & draughthouses of today was a lot of fun
Quite the experience in the lobby of the New York Experience. I also remember the popcorn popper and this is the place where I first heard Jolson’s “Sonny Boy” — in the lobby. In the show, it was the place where I was introduced to the Roxy Theatre—and the rest is history. The NYE had a great sound system, and they really played up the grand sound of the Mighty Wurlitzer. Loved it. I was 13.
I, too, remember the Autopub in the plaza below the GM building. I went there once as a boy with my family in the 1970’s and we sat in the “Drive-In theatre” and watched the movie “Airport,” which had by then already been on network TV. Being so young at the time, I have no idea what sort of presentation was made at the Autopub (must have been 16mm rental prints, no?), but I seem to recall that it was in something close to its widescreen format because I can remember noticing how the split-screen sequences played much better than in the network TV broadcast.
I never did get to see the New York Experience, but I remember it running for years at the McGraw-Hill Trans-Lux.
Since this was the Seaport Cinema page, I just wanted to add that Trans Lux only bankrolled 1 two-month repertory schedule. I was the booker. It was fun to screen things like “He Who Gets Slapped” and Leos Carax' “Boy Meets Girl” (North American Premiere?),but it was a losing proposition. You could hear a quarter rolling down the street after 6:00