Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
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Shade: I was at the midnight show too, which was everything you said it was, and I was there again on Saturday morning. I’ve been spoiled – I don’t ever want to see it anywhere else except the Ziegfeld.
Boy, I sure am a happy boy this week. Movies for me are most definitely the films, most definitely the theatrical experience of walking into a designed house, but the excitement of getting in line for a movie, waiting for the movie, being in a room full of excited people, and enjoying the film in a packed house… unbeatable!
Wednesday night at midnight was just great. Camera crews, kleig lights, fans in costumes, packed lines, excitement! This isn’t just some opening with a bunch of autograph hunters and celeb-watchers, this is a legitimate event! Three people from Clearview were there presenting the film, and Hedda Lettuce arrived with green hair to toss out prizes.
It’s a little sad they’ve abandoned opening and closing the curtains this week, even with over an hour between shows during the marathon of screenings, but it’s just great to have a great big lovely time at the movies.
I walked into one of the little teeny shoeboxes at a multiplex to catch the end credits of Revenge of the Sith and… yuck. Just 21 blocks up you could walk through a chandelieried lobby and past a curved entraneway through designed doors and sit in comfortable seats in a huge room with over a thousand laughing, clapping people with the movie projected on a large screen.
I’ve been to the Loews Jersey, many times. I’ll be at Ninotchka at the Orpheum in LA for the Last Remaining Seats. The Ziegfeld is not an 80-year-old movie palace. It’s a great modern theater. Great great great. It’s just great. And it’s five blocks from my apartment. Long live the Ziegfeld!
I guess the unhappy people will crap on my parade, but that’s okay. I love being alive and enjoying life. Scowl your faces all you want and pooh pooh pooh on the extremely few American pleasures we have all you want, the Ziegfeld rocks!
How is the digital projection at this theater? I know there are several brands out there, some newer and better than others, and of different quality.
So who has the best digital projection, this screen or the ones at AMC or Loews? Or are there others I should consider for the best digital presentation?
Patrons should complain to Clearview management and do so with frequency and ferocity, perhaps then someone will fix the place, especially if its the AC. I’d be quite a livid patron, if I were to attend say, screening of the new Revenge of the Sith, in 90 degree+ indoor heat!
“Do the employees go on unemployment between "major first run engagements”?"
We either get placed in another Clearview theater around town, or we just don’t work. I worked there a couple years ago, and I’m thinking of working there again when I come back from college for the summer, but if they’re only going to be doing limited engagements, I may have to go with a place that’ll guarantee me more hours. It’s a shame that such a wonderful theater isn’t getting used as much as it could be.
When I worked there, the A/C didn’t work for half of the summer, so we’d have to bribe people into the theater with discount tickets and free drinks. And a friend of mine who attended the “Kingdom of Heaven” premiere there the other night told me that part of the backlighting on the marquee was out. Little maintenance issues like that should not be plaguing one of the greatest movie houses in the world. I told the managers many times what I thought of how the place was being run, and all they could do was look at me and say “I wish it were up to me to change things”.
I’m only in New York for 2 days so it’s highly unlikely that I’ll go to New Jersey. And, as it turns out, it’s been suggested that I see Star Wars Episode 3 at another theatre nearby. So the chances of my visiting the Ziegfeld are looking slim. Besides…I’m not interested in tours just for tours sake. I’d rather see a movie in these palaces!
Chris, I very much hope you get a chance to see a movie at the “Loew’s Jersey” and take a tour of the “Stanley.” While both of these theaters are listed as being in New Jersey, they are both very, very close to mid-town Manhattan (which is just across the Hudson River from New Jersey). They are probably more convenient to mid-town Manhattan than many parts of the Bronx, Queens or Brooklyn (and certainly more convenient than Staten Island). (Both of these theaters have listings, with lots of info on them, on the Cinema Treasures website.)
As far as I know, the Loew’s Jersey is the only remaining TRUE movie PALACE in the NYC area that still shows movies (albeit, mostly on weekends as a non-profit showcase, I believe). The Stanley, which is a block or two away from it, is also a TRUE movie PALACE that is used as a church — but I believe the church gives tours of it. (Check out the Cinema Treasures listings for both theaters for more details.)
(To clarify the terminology a bit: it seems to me that the current Ziegfeld is a movie THEATER, rather than a movie PALACE. In the same sense, one would say that the Alden and the Merrick (two, modestly decorated, 1,000+ [?] seat, local movie theaters in Jamaica, Queens) were movie THEATERS. The nearby Valencia (a lavishly decorated, 3,000+ [?] seat, atmospheric), however, was a movie PALACE. The Stanley, by the way is also an atmospheric, and as a kid it reminded me of the Valencia.)
The thing I would emphasize is that despite the “Jersey City” location, both of these theaters are extremely convenient to Manhattan. They are just steps away from the Jersey City station of the PATH train. (PATH is a “subway” — which in some ways is nicer than the NYC subway — that connects Manhattan with towns in nearby New Jersey, just across the Hudson River.) In Manhattan, there are PATH stations at Herald Sq., 23rd St., 14th St., 9th St., Christopher St. and at Ground Zero. The trains taking the most direct route leave from the newly rebuilt World Trade Center terminal — the other stations listed are on a train line that folows a more indirect route to Jersey City.
I have never been to the Loew’s Jersey myself. But I did go to the Stanley as a kid (to see Jerry Lewis' “Visit to a Small Planet”), and this theater is a TRUE movie palace that will show people who missed the movie palace era what people are talking about.
I also second Vito suggestion about Radio City Music Hall and — especially — the Beekman. Radio City Music Hall will always be there (hopefully!), but the Beekman is slated to be torn down very shortly. In a way, the Beekman is an early 1950s art house version of the movie “palace” (albeit, the “Petit Trianon”?) — it’s the very embodiment of a certain movie-going way of life. Check out the page on Cinema Treasures (especially the links that someone has posted to photographs). I think you will be kicking yourself if you miss out on visiting it before it is demolished.
Welcome to New York Chris, I would suggest you also check out the Beekman which sadly, is about to close. Take the Radio City Music Hall tour as well.
Went to the Ziegfeld tonight to see ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. I can’t remember the last time I was there. I know I missed a couple of great revival screenings in the past, but I was never jazzed about any of the first run stuff either. It must have been years since I was there last, and I am so glad that I went tonight. Even though many people on this blog think it pales in comparison to the the old NYC theaters of yore (which I’m sure it does), it’s still an amazing place and pretty much all we have left in terms of grand old places of any kind. As far as ‘Hitchhikers Guide’ is concerned, I didn’t know what the hell they were talking about! It seems like a movie geared to those who have already read the book. It get’s points for creativity and great set design (and Zooey Deschanel is nice to look at too), but the story was muddled as hell. Kind of a shame since it was a really great looking film. The Ziegfeld screened it in digital projection with amazing clarity and sound, and coming from a Luddite like me that saying alot.
Once again all I can say is that this place is a jewel in the rough, and I hope I get to see many, many more flicks there in the future.
And just for old time’s sake here are some I’ve seen there in the past:
Vertgo (revival screening early 90s)
The Doors
Edward Scissorhands
Jurrasic Park
Primary Colors
and probably more I can’t remember. Hope they do more revival screenings soon.
So many comments…I’m amazed! Anyway, I’m a 20 year Southern Cali resident making my first trip to NYC later this month. Needless to say, I plan on hitting the Ziegfeld while I’m in town. They’ll be showing Star Wars Episode 3 so that’ll be fun. I’m a big fan of single screen theatres and complexes with very large main auditoriums. I’ve had more than my fair share of experiences with the great LA landmarks like the Cinerama Dome (saw the 3-strip Cinerama print of “How The West Was Won” in 2003…or was it 2004?), Grauman’s Chinese, The Village & The National in Westwood and Big Newport in Orange County. I’m looking forward to checking out the Ziegfeld.
Funny when i was a boy in the 60’s big budget Hollywood movies were for the most part for adults to which they could bring their children. Now its a guy in a gorilla suit running around with a laser in front of a computer screen. With of course some twinkie spiritual transcendental junk layered on top with a trowel.
I went by the Ziegfeld the other day to see what was going on. ‘Saharah’ has already ended it’s run there. They are re-opening Apr. 29 with ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’. In the meantime they are selling advance tickets for the upcoming ‘Star Wars’ flick and from what I could see, some of the screenings were sold out already.
At one time the Ziegfeld would fill in these dry spots with revivals of classics, many times in 70mm.
Quite a while back weekly Variety would list the weekly grosses of each theatre, and in parentheses would also indicate the “nut”. This was the cost of operating the venue taking into account all expenses. Depending on the box split with the distributor for the week’s revenue, it may not pay to remain open during slow periods.
Don – I don’t know. I guess it would depend on whether they were ‘laid off’ of if Clearview can temporarily put them in another location.
Jodar – I beleive the bigger theatres used to do this from time to time during the roadshow era, especially if they needed to do technical upgrades between engagements. Depending on the size of the venue, it certainly does cost more money just to open the doors for a handful of customers instead of being dark.
Isn’t that a waste of money having a venue that isn’t used? You would have at least some revenue coming in from a few patrons rather then to have nothing and still have to pay for your rent, electricity, etc. I’ve never heard of such a thing.
Do the employees go on unemployment between “major first run engagements”?
According to information I heard from Clearview, the plan now is for the Ziegfeld to remain dark between major first-run engagements. And expect nothing to be playing September and October.
I’m sure it’s dark because they have nothing to play.
I’m curious as to why the Ziegfeld is dark until next week. I’m wondering if they are upgrading their digital projectors to the new 4K units out by Sony.
I’m so glad to have lived in NYC for a number of years and to have seen many a film at this fine theater. It remains in 2005 the premier screen in all of Manhattan, the rest of the big-screened movie houses all now gone and/or converted to retail spaces. The Ziegfeld has superb 70mm, digital sound and projection capabilities. I’ve seen such titles as “Brainstorm”, “Roger Rabbit”, “Yentl”, “The Wall”, “The Rose”, “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Fantasia”, “Pennies from Heaven”, “Victor/Victoria”, “Grease 2” and many others at this spectacular house. Long may it live!
The ZIG is not screening a film this week.The next attraction will be The Hickhikers Guide To the Galaxy(3-29),and then STAR WARS!
The Star Wars faithful will begin lining up outside the Ziegfeld on April 30th. This is a line for the best seats only – tickets have already been sold for the first show at midnight 5/19 (I got mine today).
The latest and hopefully last of the “Star Bores” films will be opening next month I believe. I’m sure we’ll start to see the fanatics camping out on the sidewalk waiting to get into the first screening. They literally pitch tents and camp out in Midtown Manhattan days, if not weeks, in advance of the “Star Bores” movies.
I’m not sure about this, but I always assumed that the Ziegfeld Theater was part of the same zoning lot as the skyscraper next door (and that the skyscraper got a zoning bonus for providing the through-block “park” separating the two).
If that’s is the case, then I think there would some kind of constraint as to what could be built on the Ziegfeld site — since the skyscraper next door had already not only utilized all the allowable commercial space for the zoning lot, but was bonused for the through block “park” to boot.
If this is true, and I’m not mistaken, this is actually a pretty clever use of space under the existing zoning regulations (whether these regulations are good urbanism or not, is a different question). On the Avenue, you have a tall skyscraper utilizing the allowable commercial space, with front and side “plazas” and a through block pedestrian “park” boosting the amount of space the skyscraper can have. Plus you have a low-rise theater, with a parking garage entrance (below the theater on the 55th St. side) on the side streets, utilizing the areas that cannot be built up too much. (And, I’m guessing, that the parking garage space extends beneath the through block “park.”)