Comments from HowardBHaas

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HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Historical significance of Cape May's endangered Beach Theater on Dec 17, 2006 at 11:37 am

The Boyd is not standing through pure happenstance! Facts determine survival- owners who kept it standing and later of fights for its preservation!! In the 1980’s the Historical Commission fought for it, in this decade the Preservation Alliance has fought for it, and for 4 years the Friends of the Boyd, www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org has fought for it! Numerous volunteers have devoted much time for the Boyd. Those volunteers have not included TheaterBuff1

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Changing sizes of movie theater auditoriums on Dec 17, 2006 at 11:32 am

One point of the article was the to meet demand and to be better showplaces, new movie theaters are designing their largest auditoriums as even larger with more seats and bigger screens.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Beach 4 Theatre on Dec 17, 2006 at 11:29 am

I hope this theater survives, but the opening of casinos in PA has no relationship to the viability of this cinema.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Dec 15, 2006 at 6:25 pm

I’m not sure if I can fit it into my schedule to travel to the Ziegfeld (not my nabe theater) but I might because I think it would be nice to sit there with a full house and see the lobby display. I am also pleased to sit there before the movie and look at the closed curtain before the movie. Full houses in large auditoriums and closed curtains are becoming quite rare on the East Coast.

The Ziegfeld was built to be a NYC “exclusive” house
(movie playing there before it is released in the other theaters) so this is a great use. For almost every mainstream release, the Ziegfeld doesn’t attract enough customers since the movie is playing at so many other nearby theaters. Any special presentations such as this one should be encouraged and supported.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Changing sizes of movie theater auditoriums on Dec 12, 2006 at 5:15 pm

There is one mistake that I can spot: the Uptown in Washington, D.C. was built in 1936 rather than 1933. For decades it has been the greatest movie theater in the East Coast for blockbusters and for revivals of epics. It is rumored that AMC might depart it.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Radio City Music Hall on Dec 11, 2006 at 12:30 pm

December 6 In Focus magazine “Secrets of Size” article details why movie theater auditoriums have dramatically shrunk over time, but also explains a revived construction of bigger auditoriums.
An accompanying chart provides examples of existing and former movie palaces. A graphic shows the typical seating layout of a megaplex. A seating chart of Radio City Music Hall is also provided.

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HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Hershey Theatre on Dec 11, 2006 at 12:18 pm

Rob Bender photos from our 12-2-06 Friends of the Boyd www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org field trip are here:
http://www.robbender.com/gallery/hershey

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Wang Theatre on Dec 8, 2006 at 6:32 pm

Theater naming rights aren’t usually sold to corporations but rather are LEASED for a term of years, like 5 or 7, etc. So, they not only didn’t buy the theaters, they probably didn’t even buy the naming rights forever either.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Field Trip to tour Hershey Theatre on Dec 4, 2006 at 3:43 pm

I wrote how our visit went on today’s Weekly Update to Friends of the Boyd, www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org as follows:

By luxury bus, Friends of the Boyd went Saturday to Hershey. Twenty seven volunteers and supporters enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of the Hershey Theatre. See a photo of some Friends in the classical Greek style Lobby:
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When we visited BACKSTAGE, we were amazed at the size of the stage! Almost all the large Touring Musicals can be accommodated. The Boyd’s new stagehouse will be even larger!

The Hershey Theatre has been totally restored. Its interior is beautiful throughout. We saw the twinkling stars and the clouds moving across the “atmospheric sky” of the spectacular auditorium. We were told that unlike older theaters such as opera houses, the Hershey’s auditorium was built without columns and so every seat has a perfect SIGHTLINE. The Boyd also has perfect sightlines, and no columns blocking views.

CLASSIC FILMS this season are Citizen Kane, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Sunset Boulevard, Roman Holiday, Easter Parade, and Some Like It Hot, each with an organ concert first. http://www.hersheytheatre.com/films.html

A professional organist was present to rehearse for a concert the next day, so he treated us to a short concert on the PIPE ORGAN.

The tour guide told us she shows the theater to many SCHOOL GROUPS, telling them about its history and how the decorative features like the Mosaic ceiling downstairs was created (two craftsmen spent two years laying the tiny tiles one square at a time!).

Karen Noonan, President of the Theatre Historical Society of America, is unaware of any other group working to save a movie palace that sponsored a field trip to see a restored theater. Friends of the Boyd are pleased to be first! Like the Hershey, we also plan for the Boyd to be restored for shows, a classic film series, an organ, and public tours.

After the tour, we enjoyed a delicious lunch in the landmark Hotel Hershey, and visited the outdoor gardens and the beautiful public spaces.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Newtown Theatre on Dec 2, 2006 at 11:46 pm

Having been to the Newtown, I was pleased to write this blurb for 11-22-06 Philadelphia Weekly article on suburban Philadelphia movie theaters,

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Quaintest Theater
Built within a former church, the Newtown is a single screener with a balcony that recently added digital sound and this year has a classic series in 35 mm.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Wisconsin Avenue Cinemas on Dec 1, 2006 at 11:13 am

There are no movies listed today, so apparently closed. Below online from the Washington Post:

The old stand-by on one of Northwest D.C.’s main thoroughfares.

Editorial Review
This six-screener opened in December 1987, and boasts good-size houses, great sound and parking in an adjacent garage. Theaters 4 and 5 are the largest with seating capacities of 450 and 495, respectively. Both theaters can show films in SDDS and DTS, thus earning the THX certification. None of the others is terribly small; seating ranges from 190 to 280. Unlike the older Cineplex Odeons, the lobby here provides a large waiting area and good-sized concession stand.

— Shesha Pancholi

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Wisconsin Avenue Cinemas on Dec 1, 2006 at 12:05 am

today, November 30 showtimes for what I presume is last day, from AMC website:
AMC Loews Wisconsin Ave 6 Movie Times and Tickets
Date of Show: Today, Nov. 30

Let’s Go to Prison
R • 1 hr. 24 min.

4:30

A Good Year
PG-13 • 1 hr. 58 min.

1:40 I 4:25 I 7:10

Flushed Away
PG • 1 hr. 26 min.

2:05 I 4:20 I 7:25

The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
G • 1 hr. 38 min.

2:10 I 4:45 I 7:15

Flags of Our Fathers
R • 2 hr. 12 min.

1:30 I 7:00

The Prestige
PG-13 • 2 hr. 15 min.

2:00 I 5:00 I 8:00

The Departed
R • 2 hr. 29 min.

1:50 I 4:55 I 7:55

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Bromley Theatre on Nov 30, 2006 at 8:23 pm

I think it was a medical center for awhile. Now, it is a Bingo hall, and the marquee says bingo. I went inside, but the ceilings had been lowered, so there was very little to see of interest.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Goldman Theatre on Nov 26, 2006 at 2:19 pm

Photos, including of the interior, have appeared here:

http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/21383.html

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Devon Theater for the Performing Arts on Nov 26, 2006 at 2:16 pm

Photos from its last season (for classics) have appeared at http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=6951

Does any else have photos? If so, please share them.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Uptown Theatre on Nov 23, 2006 at 12:20 pm

Well, it wasn’t a huge crowd because Flags of Our Fathers wasn’t popular nationwide. It was in its 4th week at the Uptown and had already been dropped from whatever multiplexes likely had run it, such as the Georgetown and downtown.

If people want to see the Uptown survive as a daily movie house, you need to go to the Uptown and see them there!

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Uptown Theatre on Nov 22, 2006 at 11:14 pm

You didn’t seem to realize the attraction is the Uptown’s giant screen, and the balcony. That’s why it has survived all these years. It won’t be twinned.

I started attending when it was the Circle Uptown. Circle, Cineplex Odeon, and Loews all respected the house. Loews closed the Avalon and the Cinema, and wasn’t keen on full time projectionists, but they had excellent staff. They were polishing the brass on the doors, and using the curtain at the screen.

Two Saturdays ago, I enjoyed Flags of the Fathers. The presentation was excellent- projection, sound, and the curtain was used before and after the movie. The staff however, did appear and act underwhelming. This was the first time in 21 years that I’ve been attending when there wasn’t a professional staff. AMC can do better.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Regal Warrington Crossing Stadium 22 & IMAX Theatre on Nov 22, 2006 at 1:23 pm

from Philadelphia Weekly today:

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Rest of the Best
If you’re into cinema as consumerism, the AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 and the AMC Neshaminy 24 (the top two-grossing screens in the Delaware Valley), the Regal Warrington Crossing Stadium 22 and AMC Franklin Mills 14 all offer a sufficient if not soulless multiplex experience conveniently located near huge shopping centers with miles of free parking and fast food.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about AMC Neshaminy 24 Theatres on Nov 22, 2006 at 1:23 pm

from Philadelphia Weekly today:

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Rest of the Best
If you’re into cinema as consumerism, the AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 and the AMC Neshaminy 24 (the top two-grossing screens in the Delaware Valley), the Regal Warrington Crossing Stadium 22 and AMC Franklin Mills 14 all offer a sufficient if not soulless multiplex experience conveniently located near huge shopping centers with miles of free parking and fast food.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about AMC Cherry Hill 24 on Nov 22, 2006 at 1:20 pm

from Philadelphia Weekly today:

View link
Rest of the Best
If you’re into cinema as consumerism, the AMC Loews Cherry Hill 24 and the AMC Neshaminy 24 (the top two-grossing screens in the Delaware Valley), the Regal Warrington Crossing Stadium 22 and AMC Franklin Mills 14 all offer a sufficient if not soulless multiplex experience conveniently located near huge shopping centers with miles of free parking and fast food.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about AMC Orleans 8 on Nov 22, 2006 at 1:18 pm

Theater That Won’t Be Missed by Many
Another example of a multiplex run into the ground but still grinding out flicks, AMC Orleans 8 rivals Movies at Cheltenham Square for grunge.

from Philadelphia Weekly today:
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HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about AMC 309 Cinema 9 on Nov 22, 2006 at 1:16 pm

Best Fossil
If a youngster ever asks what it was like to go to the movies in the ‘80s, pack them into the car and trot out to AMC’s Rt. 309 Cinema 9. Built atop a folded drive-in sometime in the '60s, the 309 is a boxy multiplexâ€"without stadium seatingâ€"whose decor looks to have been untouched since The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear flickered.

from Philadelphia Weekly:

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HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Movies at Cheltenham Square on Nov 22, 2006 at 1:12 pm

Best Urban Programming
A dumpy theatergoing experience complete with sticky floors and gross bathrooms, Movies at Cheltenham Square is notable for its rowdiness and management’s willingness to program offbeat ethnic entertainmentsâ€"offering a grand chance to catch under-the-radar filmmaking on a (medium-sized) big screen.

from the Philadelphia Weekly today:
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HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Hiway Theater on Nov 22, 2006 at 1:11 pm

Soon to Be Reborn
The single-screen theater in Jenkintown has been redone almost every decade for nearly a century. Neighbors formed a nonprofit to operate it and are renovating it once again. Known again as the Hiway, it’ll reopen in January, again as an arthouse.

I wrote that listing in today’s Philadelphia Weekly:
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HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas commented about Narberth Theatre on Nov 22, 2006 at 1:08 pm

Worst Remolding Job
Once one of the few remaining golden age of Hollywood single-screen theaters, the Narberth met a fate worse than the wrecking ball when the owner twinned the house and “improved” the setting but charmlessly destroyed, removed or covered up all the original ornate decoration. Now called the Narberth Stadium 2, the theater gives local residents of the sleepy village of Narberth the awful megaplex experience without the drive.

In Philadelphia Weekly today:
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