Loew's Capitol Theatre
1645 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
1645 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
47 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 1,085 comments
The Warner Cinerama orchestra had been what it was for years with just the balcony walled off turned into the Penthouse. The Rivoli had moments where it recalled its roadshow glory when it showed the 70MM GWTW and 2001 in the ‘70s. (GWTW had its original 70MM roadshow run there in ‘67-'68.)
I think if I had known these theaters as they originally stood I would have been disappointed as well by their widescreen transformations. A poster said after he saw Oklahoma in Todd AO at the Rivoli he was angry at the altering of the theater and never went in it again. I totally understand that but what I would have given to see all those Todd AO films there.
People who were born at the turn of the 20th Century or shortly after and lived in NY City and lived into their 80s saw these theaters being built, filling up, then being multiplexed(if that)and then torn down. If you were 19 when you saw the Capitol open you were 68 when you saw it being torn down. If you were 27 when the Roxy was built you saw it torn down when you were 60.
I forgot the Rivoli. I saw Jaws there in 1975. It was years after the roadshow glory days, but at least it was still standing.
My dad loved the Capitol. He went there all the time in the Big Band years. He took me to see 2001 that day, but he was a little disappointed because the theater had been completely transformed into something else than what he remembered from the ‘40s.
I was lucky to have seen the Capitol. I also got to see Nicholas and Alexandra at the Criterion. But I missed the Roxy, the Warner Cinerama, the State, the DeMille. Strange for a 67-year-old to say this, but if only I were a few years older…
I agree with Mike. By the time I started, as a visitor from Philadelphia, seeing movies in NYC in the late 1980s, all the grand Midtown 70mm roadshow movie palaces were gone or chopped up (the Criterion & Embassy 2-3-4 ex DeMille). This theater was long gone.
You were lucky Bill to get to see this grand theater.
I come here every year on this date. I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey at the Capitol on June 15, 1968, 54 years ago. Thanks to Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, MGM and the Loew’s Capitol for the movie experience of a lifetime.
I met Barbara Eden at an autograph show in 2010, and I asked her if she thought Brothers Grimm would ever be released on home video. This was 2 years after the Smilebox release of How the West Was Won. She said probably never. I hope she has her copy of it too!
All the people who worked so hard on this project really did beat all the odds.
Gee Bill Huelbig and I posted at exactly the same time. I removed my post to edit it which is why it’s a minute later.
Well anyway he was in the Capitol and I wasn’t so I’ll be eternally jealous.
Hello-
I guess great minds do think alike. I was just about to post my review of the beyond stellar blu-ray of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm. it was quite nice to get it in both Letterbox and Smilebox versions.
as vindanpar said since Eden, Bloom and Tamblyn though older are alive and well why weren’t they interviewed?
Surprised people haven’t been posting on the Brother’s Grimm bluray release which was March 29 when people have been discussing the possibility of it never being restored for years the MGM vault flood having done too much damage to the original negative.
Watched it a couple of nights ago in the Smilebox version purposely not watching any of the documentary on the restoration efforts because I wanted to see the film fresh. Don’t know where it had it’s official world premiere only could see it was previewed in Denver and at the Capitol it was a ‘Gala’ premiere.
Anyway get it. It is remarkable. I’m just sad it will never be seen in Cinerama again.
Also I wish they had interviewed Barbara Eden, Claire Bloom and Russ Tamblyn for this release.
Considering how badly damaged it was, it’s almost miraculous how beautifully Brothers Grimm turned out. It’s more than a restoration - more like a resurrection.
More info on The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm - https://incinerama.com/wwotbg.htm
More info on the Loew’s Cinerama Theatre - https://incinerama.com/ctlowes.htm
Thank you for this PeterApruzzese.
Digital clean up tools have improved greatly since 2008. There will be a 40 minute extra on the Blu-ray detailing the restoration: “One of the main extras will be a very detailed documentary look on how the film has been completely rescued from original Cinerama damaged negative elements.”
Hello-
to Peter A.- thanks for the link. what I’m still a tad confused by is if the water damage was as severe as originally reported won’t that still appear to some degree even on a “restored” blu-ray disc?
Bigjoe - they decided to spend the money to scan and restore the original negatives. Watch their intro to the recent MOMA screening CLICK HERE/
In 1962-63, Brothers Grimm did play at the Capitol in Cinerama for 33 weeks. At the time, the theater was known as Loew’s Cinerama.
Hello-
I just read the Warner Archive Collection is releasing a blu-ray disc of The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm on March 29. shortly after the stellar blu-ray disc of How The West Was Won was released the Fall of 2008 I asked on several sites that reviewed blu-ray discs when The Wonderful ……. would be coming out. most said probably never since the original camera negative had bad/severe water damage and Warner Bros. probably wouldn’t expend the $$$ necessary to do a COMPLETE restoration. so what is the Warner Archive Collection using as their source for the HD transfer???
Japanese garden on this page - https://incinerama.com/ctlowes.htm
The Best of Cinerama last show was on 3/22/64. The Cardinal premiered on 3/25/64. Cardinal last show was 4/27/64. Windjammer premiered on 4/29/64. Again not much time to change from Cinerama to 35mm/70mm and then back to Cinerama.
Does anyone else remember the Japanese garden which replaced the back of the orchestra ? Thought it was great .Saw West and the 3 panel Cinerama was great. The buffalo stampede and climax of the train shootout were great.
Hello-
was the reissue of Windjammer which played the Capitol the Spring of 1964 in the 70MM process or the original 3-panel system.
The last show of Windjammer was 6/23/64. Circus World premiered on 6/25/64. When did they expand the center Cinerama booth to include two 70mm projectors? Two days does not seem enough time to do that.
They were the front rows of the upstairs section. My dad and I saw 2001 from the divans section in June 1968. Ticket price was a big $4, and it really was big at the time.
For those who went to the Capitol during its reserved seat days what exactly were the divans? Were they the firsts rows of the mezzanine or loge?