I saw “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, ‘How the West was Won", and “2001: A Space Odyssey”, all during the times when they were popular, as an adolescent. The rest of the ones on the list, however, I was either too young to see, or not really able to deal with the subject matter of. The series of blaxploitation films took hold in our area as well, and, while I never thought about it, I think you’re right about their also having contributed to the demise of many of the various movie palaces, as well as the movie industry itself, which, imho, began its decline in earnest during the 1970’s, even though there were still some good films to be had.
The reason that “Mad World” and “Hallelujah Trail” did not play at the Eckel was the product split that then existed in downtown Syracuse. The UA product was divided 50% between Shine’s (who had the Eckel and the Paramount) with the other 50% to Lowes which had the State (now the Landmark) and the Capitol (which had closed in 1958). “Mad World” and “Trail” went to Lowes on the split.
It wasn’t too long after “Krakatoa” that the Eckel degenerated into running blaxploitation such as “Up Tight” and others of that era which hastened its demise.
Jonathan,
Didn’t you mean to say that Loews had the State and Strand?
I saw “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, ‘How the West was Won", and “2001: A Space Odyssey”, all during the times when they were popular, as an adolescent. The rest of the ones on the list, however, I was either too young to see, or not really able to deal with the subject matter of. The series of blaxploitation films took hold in our area as well, and, while I never thought about it, I think you’re right about their also having contributed to the demise of many of the various movie palaces, as well as the movie industry itself, which, imho, began its decline in earnest during the 1970’s, even though there were still some good films to be had.
The reason that “Mad World” and “Hallelujah Trail” did not play at the Eckel was the product split that then existed in downtown Syracuse. The UA product was divided 50% between Shine’s (who had the Eckel and the Paramount) with the other 50% to Lowes which had the State (now the Landmark) and the Capitol (which had closed in 1958). “Mad World” and “Trail” went to Lowes on the split.
It wasn’t too long after “Krakatoa” that the Eckel degenerated into running blaxploitation such as “Up Tight” and others of that era which hastened its demise.