the new admission price of $17 is a total
rip off. i don’t see what reserved seating
accomplishes other than more $$$ for the
theater. its not like the old days of 2
performance a day roadshow movies.
as a fellow poster said these large theaters cost
way to much to heat during the winter and cool during
the summer. plus the last nail in the coffin for
these large theaters was the end of exclusive first
runs whether roadshow or continuous performance and
wide or showcase releases. for the Roxy the cost of
heating it nowadays would be astronomical and far
more than any hit film could bring in.
on this site’s pages for many of the late but great
beloved movie palaces people are always lamenting
their demolition. but as grand and glorious as these
movie palaces were by 1959-1960 they had become just
plan economically unviable as single screen 1st run
movie theaters. in fact even as revival theaters
they would have been even more economically unviable.
people forget its called show “business” not show
philanthropy.
that is most certainly true but those plaques
honoring former Loews theaters are in many cases
wrong. for instance the one for the Capitol says it
was torn down at the end of 1967 which we all
know is not true.
the book I mentioned does in fact state that W&P’s
run at the Capitol was a roadshow engagement. in fact
one of the last roadshow runs in Manhattan The Trojan
Women starring Katherine Hepburn played the Fine
Arts Nov. 1971 is mentioned nowhere in the book. in
my review on Amazon where I bought it I suggested
the author do a revised edition to correct all the
factual errors.
three quick questions about War and Peace from 1956.
*it was a large scale historical epic the
typical roadshow material and just about
3 and a half hours. so why didn’t Paramount
choose a roadshow run for it?
*since it was 3hrs. 28mins. did it at least
have an intermission? eventhough as you say
it was run on a continuous performance basis
I can’t believe they’d run such a long film
straight thru.
*since it was a prestigious exclusive 1st run
engagement did it at least have a souvenir
program?
the traditional soft cover souvenir program
for The Lion In Winter that i own was also
published by Ronark Pub. i don’t have a souvenir
program for Patton. i saw it at my local theater
not during its roadshow run at the Criterion.
since Tora Tora Tora also from Fox had a program
when it opened in Nov. i should think Patton
did as well.
also my collection of 137 movie souvenir programs
spans the years 1925 -1997.
thanks for your reply. according to “Movie Roadshows”
by Kim Holston is was a roadshow run. 3hrs. 28mins.
seems awfully long certainly in 1956 for a continuous
performance film without an intermission.
this past Tues. Paramount Home Video released a
blu-ray disc of War and Peace from 1956. to which
i have two questions.
*the blu-ray disc has a running time of 3hrs. 28mins but there’s no intermission. i can’t believe the film didn’t have an intermission during its roadshow run.
*i have a rather large collection of souvenir
programs. now in all the years i’ve been collecting
them and in all the memorabilia shops i’ve been
in i have never come across a souvenir program
for War and Peace. did it not have one?
I thank my fellow posters for any info about Circus
World’s Cinerama reserved seat engagement at the
Uptown. granted its not Oscar material but I found it
even on vhs to be a corny hokey enjoyable popcorn
movie. so I should think on a giant curved screen
with stereophonic sound it would have been that much
more enjoyable. to which its roadshow run of only
3 weeks at the Uptown is just utterly bizarre when
you consider its roadshow runs in other cities lasted
from 15 to 23 weeks.
since this is the movie theater in Manhattan
today i have a question for my fellow Ziegfeld
devotees. the 1st time movies or flickers as they
were called were projected on screen in a
theater before a paying audience was the night
of April 25, 1896 at Koster and Bail’s Music
Hall on 34th St.. and the rest as they say is
history. now for the first several of the biz
whatever “movie theaters” existed in Manhattan
were music halls, vaudville theaters, legitmate
theaters or decent sized unused retail spaces
that were simply converted top show movies.
which is where my question comes in. i have been
trying to determine what was the 1st theater built
in Manhattan brick by brick by the ground up with
the purpose of being a picture house to use the old term. anyone have any clues?
I always thought the Cinema Village which has
been a beacon for film goers for at 50?
years was built from the ground up as a movie
theater. but I read it was actually built within
the gutted skeletal structure of an 1890s
firehouse. how much of the firehouse actually
exists?
thanks for all the replies. I know I set a rather
tight parameter but I was interested in what grand old time theaters other than the Chinese that were
built from the get go as 1st run venues have continued
to operate as such since the day they opened. the area in an around Hollywood is luck they have 3 that fit my criteria, Manhattan doesn’t have any.
thanks for your quick reply. unfortunately the
grand El Capitan doesn’t qualify since it wasn’t
built as a movie theater. it opened in 1926 as
a legitimate theater for live shows and didn’t
start showing films till Citizen Kane in 1941.
so based on your reply other than the Chinese the
Village and Bruin theaters both in Westwood are
the only old time movie theaters in or around Hollywood
that were built from the get go as 1st run venues and
have continued to operate as such since the day they opened?
I know what you mean about Oscar bait films not
living up to the hype. I saw Birdman based on all
the Oscar juggernaut/hoopla talk. well it was 2hrs.
of my life wasted i’ll never get back. and the final
third or resolution section of Gone Girl totally ruined the film for me.
I saw the film last weekend but not at this
theater which I had planned to but as they say
things happen. now I thought the sound at the
theater I saw it at was fine. so might someone
explain to me what the complaints are about.
if I am not mistaken its been everyone’s assumption
that the reason the curtains at the Ziegfeld hadn’t
been used in God knows how long was because the
mechanism to open and close them was broken. plus
neither Clearview nor Bow Tie wanted to spend the
money to fix said mechanism. but apparently said
mechanism isn’t broken so why haven’t the curtains
been used in God knows how long?
several months back I posted a question and I was
wondering if anyone had any new info. the question
was simple. April 25, 1896 was a pivotal point in
movie history , it was the 1st time movies were
projected on a screen in a theater before a paying
audience. the theater being Koster Bail’s Music
Hall at Bway & 34 St.. now whatever “movie theaters”
existed in Manhattan in the first several years
of the biz were music halls, vaudeville theaters,
legitimate theaters or decent sized unused retail
spaces simply converted to show “flickers”. so
wouldn’t the 1st theater built brick by brick from
the ground up as a “picture house” been made note
of in the press at the time?
the first i was able to find was the Crescent which
was located at 36 W. 135 St. and opened on the nite
of Dec. 16 ,1909.
the reason the Ziegfeld is never “packed” to use
your term no matter how good the film might be is
quite simple- whatever big film opens here also
opens at countless other theaters in Manhattan. and
people naturally go to theaters closest to them.
thanks for the reply to my question. I knew
when the Roxy was closed but had no idea what the
last film was. I had never heard of the “The Wind
Cannot Read” so I naturally assumed it was a B
movie but according to MarkD. that’s not the case.
I had no idea “The Gazebo” was the last big studio
film to debut at the Roxy.
I first posted this question some time ago so
I was wondering if anyone had additional info.
at the point the Roxy was closed the movie biz
was still operating on the A Level, B and even
C Levels of movie production. so what was the
last big A Level studio film to play the Roxy?
i am a tad confused. at the top of this
page there are- Home,Theaters,Photos,Video,
Blog and About. so is just the page denoted
by “Blog” going on hiatus or is the entire
wonderful site going puff?
Hello-
the new admission price of $17 is a total rip off. i don’t see what reserved seating accomplishes other than more $$$ for the theater. its not like the old days of 2 performance a day roadshow movies.
Hello-
to put it simply i can’t stand reserved seating. i don’t see what it accomplishes. its not like the old days of 2 shows a day roadshow movies.
Hello-
as a fellow poster said these large theaters cost way to much to heat during the winter and cool during the summer. plus the last nail in the coffin for these large theaters was the end of exclusive first runs whether roadshow or continuous performance and wide or showcase releases. for the Roxy the cost of heating it nowadays would be astronomical and far more than any hit film could bring in.
Hello-
on this site’s pages for many of the late but great beloved movie palaces people are always lamenting their demolition. but as grand and glorious as these movie palaces were by 1959-1960 they had become just plan economically unviable as single screen 1st run movie theaters. in fact even as revival theaters they would have been even more economically unviable. people forget its called show “business” not show philanthropy.
Hello-
that is most certainly true but those plaques honoring former Loews theaters are in many cases wrong. for instance the one for the Capitol says it was torn down at the end of 1967 which we all know is not true.
Hello-
i thank my fellow posters for their replies. I still would love to know why Paramount chose not to open it on a roadshow engagement.
also I wonder what the audience’s reaction was
in 1956 to seating thru a 3hr. 28min. film with
no intermission.
Hello-
the book I mentioned does in fact state that W&P’s run at the Capitol was a roadshow engagement. in fact one of the last roadshow runs in Manhattan The Trojan Women starring Katherine Hepburn played the Fine Arts Nov. 1971 is mentioned nowhere in the book. in my review on Amazon where I bought it I suggested the author do a revised edition to correct all the factual errors.
three quick questions about War and Peace from 1956.
*it was a large scale historical epic the typical roadshow material and just about 3 and a half hours. so why didn’t Paramount choose a roadshow run for it?
*since it was 3hrs. 28mins. did it at least have an intermission? eventhough as you say it was run on a continuous performance basis I can’t believe they’d run such a long film straight thru.
*since it was a prestigious exclusive 1st run engagement did it at least have a souvenir program?
to patryan6019-
the traditional soft cover souvenir program for The Lion In Winter that i own was also published by Ronark Pub. i don’t have a souvenir program for Patton. i saw it at my local theater not during its roadshow run at the Criterion. since Tora Tora Tora also from Fox had a program when it opened in Nov. i should think Patton did as well.
also my collection of 137 movie souvenir programs spans the years 1925 -1997.
Hello-
thanks for your reply. according to “Movie Roadshows” by Kim Holston is was a roadshow run. 3hrs. 28mins. seems awfully long certainly in 1956 for a continuous performance film without an intermission.
Hello-
this past Tues. Paramount Home Video released a blu-ray disc of War and Peace from 1956. to which i have two questions.
*the blu-ray disc has a running time of 3hrs.
28mins but there’s no intermission. i can’t
believe the film didn’t have an intermission
during its roadshow run.
*i have a rather large collection of souvenir programs. now in all the years i’ve been collecting them and in all the memorabilia shops i’ve been in i have never come across a souvenir program for War and Peace. did it not have one?
Hello-
I thank my fellow posters for any info about Circus World’s Cinerama reserved seat engagement at the Uptown. granted its not Oscar material but I found it even on vhs to be a corny hokey enjoyable popcorn
movie. so I should think on a giant curved screen with stereophonic sound it would have been that much more enjoyable. to which its roadshow run of only 3 weeks at the Uptown is just utterly bizarre when you consider its roadshow runs in other cities lasted from 15 to 23 weeks.
Hello-
since this is the movie theater in Manhattan today i have a question for my fellow Ziegfeld devotees. the 1st time movies or flickers as they were called were projected on screen in a theater before a paying audience was the night of April 25, 1896 at Koster and Bail’s Music Hall on 34th St.. and the rest as they say is history. now for the first several of the biz whatever “movie theaters” existed in Manhattan were music halls, vaudville theaters, legitmate theaters or decent sized unused retail spaces that were simply converted top show movies.
which is where my question comes in. i have been trying to determine what was the 1st theater built in Manhattan brick by brick by the ground up with the purpose of being a picture house to use the old term. anyone have any clues?
Hello-
I always thought the Cinema Village which has been a beacon for film goers for at 50? years was built from the ground up as a movie theater. but I read it was actually built within the gutted skeletal structure of an 1890s firehouse. how much of the firehouse actually exists?
Hello Again From NYC-
thanks for all the replies. I know I set a rather tight parameter but I was interested in what grand old time theaters other than the Chinese that were built from the get go as 1st run venues have continued to operate as such since the day they opened. the area in an around Hollywood is luck they have 3 that fit my criteria, Manhattan doesn’t have any.
also where is the Vista?
to Roger A.–
thanks for your quick reply. unfortunately the grand El Capitan doesn’t qualify since it wasn’t built as a movie theater. it opened in 1926 as a legitimate theater for live shows and didn’t start showing films till Citizen Kane in 1941. so based on your reply other than the Chinese the Village and Bruin theaters both in Westwood are the only old time movie theaters in or around Hollywood that were built from the get go as 1st run venues and have continued to operate as such since the day they opened?
to Bill H.–
I know what you mean about Oscar bait films not living up to the hype. I saw Birdman based on all the Oscar juggernaut/hoopla talk. well it was 2hrs. of my life wasted i’ll never get back. and the final third or resolution section of Gone Girl totally ruined the film for me.
Hello From NYC-
I would greatly appreciate it someone answered my question of Oct. 14. thanks.
Hello-
I saw the film last weekend but not at this theater which I had planned to but as they say things happen. now I thought the sound at the theater I saw it at was fine. so might someone explain to me what the complaints are about.
Hello to All-
if I am not mistaken its been everyone’s assumption that the reason the curtains at the Ziegfeld hadn’t been used in God knows how long was because the mechanism to open and close them was broken. plus neither Clearview nor Bow Tie wanted to spend the money to fix said mechanism. but apparently said mechanism isn’t broken so why haven’t the curtains been used in God knows how long?
Hello Again-
did I understand correctly that the curtains were
used for the 1st time in God knows how long?
Hello to All-
several months back I posted a question and I was wondering if anyone had any new info. the question was simple. April 25, 1896 was a pivotal point in movie history , it was the 1st time movies were projected on a screen in a theater before a paying audience. the theater being Koster Bail’s Music Hall at Bway & 34 St.. now whatever “movie theaters” existed in Manhattan in the first several years of the biz were music halls, vaudeville theaters, legitimate theaters or decent sized unused retail spaces simply converted to show “flickers”. so wouldn’t the 1st theater built brick by brick from the ground up as a “picture house” been made note of in the press at the time?
the first i was able to find was the Crescent which was located at 36 W. 135 St. and opened on the nite of Dec. 16 ,1909.
to MarkP.–
the reason the Ziegfeld is never “packed” to use your term no matter how good the film might be is quite simple- whatever big film opens here also opens at countless other theaters in Manhattan. and people naturally go to theaters closest to them.
Hello Again-
thanks for the reply to my question. I knew when the Roxy was closed but had no idea what the last film was. I had never heard of the “The Wind Cannot Read” so I naturally assumed it was a B movie but according to MarkD. that’s not the case. I had no idea “The Gazebo” was the last big studio film to debut at the Roxy.
Hello-
I first posted this question some time ago so I was wondering if anyone had additional info. at the point the Roxy was closed the movie biz was still operating on the A Level, B and even C Levels of movie production. so what was the last big A Level studio film to play the Roxy?
Hello-
i am a tad confused. at the top of this page there are- Home,Theaters,Photos,Video, Blog and About. so is just the page denoted by “Blog” going on hiatus or is the entire wonderful site going puff?