I clicked on the link Coate included for 70MM in
L.A. and clicked on 1968. that year the Chinese
hosted two roadshow engagements. I was familiar with
all the theaters on the 1968 list except for two-
the 4 Star and The Fox Fine Arts. as in NYC the
studios would occasionally book reserve seat runs into
theater not traditionally used for such engagements.
now the 4 Star which has been a church for many years
is in the process of being razed. but I could find
no mention of the Fox Fine Arts on this website.
what name is it listed under?
many thanks for your assistance with my inquiry.
as Norton suggested I looked at the theater
website and clicked on “every film to play the
Chinese”. and found that in addition to West Side
Story and Hello Dolly the Chinese hosted 3 other
roadshows-Windjammer, Half A Sixpence and Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang.
a question for both of you. in the prime roadshow
period of Oct. 1955 thru Dec. 1972 i have always
found it interesting that whatever studio was
involved would open a film on a traditional roadshow
engagement in city but not another. for instance
Cast A Giant Shadow opened on a traditional
roadshow run at the Demille in Manhattan but opened
on continuous performance at the Chinese. in reverse
The Great Race opened on a continuous performance
run in Manhattan but on a traditional roadshow run
at the Pantages. i have always found that a odd way
of doing things. what’s your take?
and for Coate-
i posed a question for you on the page for the Uptown
in D.C. that i would greatly appreciate your thoughts
on. its dated Aug. 5th 2014 2:16p.m.. thanks for
your assistance.
before I found this website I was unaware that this
theater hosted roadshow engagements or reserved seat
movie as me and my friends called them. to which
my question. the period from the Oct. 1955 opening
of Oklahoma to the Dec. 1972 opening of Man of La
Mancha I refer to as the prime roadshow period. now
during this period did the Chinese host any roadshow
engagements other than West Side Story and Hello
Dolly?
before I found this website I was unaware that this
theater hosted roadshow engagements or reserved seat
movie as me and my friends called them. to which
my question. the period from the Oct. 1955 opening
of Oklahoma to the Dec. 1972 opening of Man of La
Mancha I refer to as the prime roadshow period. now
during this period did the Chinese host any roadshow
engagements other than West Side Story and Hello
Dolly?
this question is for devotees of the good olde
reserved seat policy or to use the trade term
roadshow policy. of course the only roadshow
engagement this theater hosted was its initial
film “Marooned”. so for the Oct. 1955 to Dec.
1972 prime roadshow period did anyone attend
or know of a reserved seat run that did not have
a souvenir program?
I refer to the Oct. 1955 opening of Oklahoma to
the Dec. 1972 opening of Man of La Mancha as the
prime roadshow period. so from its opening Nov.
1963 to when the roadshow policy was discontinued
the Dome hosted many a reserved seat engagement.
to which my question- can anyone remember a
roadshow engagement at the Dome that did not
have a souvenir program?
thanks for the reply to my inquiry. to which I want
to make sure I understand your reply. so are you
saying that although the Chinese is now a state of the
art IMAX theater following its Sept. 2013 reopening
that it still faces the same problem as the Ziegfeld
in Manhattan? a companion question. since its
reopening have there been any “big” films that had
almost sell out crowds? when the theater reopened
last Sept. its new sound and projection was highly
lauded by everyone. yet from the posting by the
person who saw Catching Fire on Sun. two days after
it opened the person was shocked the theater was
at the most 20% full. to bad if that’s the case.
in Manhattan many theaters have discount rates
for shows before 12 noon but the Ziegfeld is not
one of them. so if a “big” film opens at a number
of theaters in Manhattan that offer the discount
rate I will see it at the Ziegfeld because while
it may sell out at the smaller theaters I know
no matter how critically lauded the film is the
Ziegfeld will be at the most 25% filled.
it is certainly sad especially since I remember the
Mayfair/Demille as one of the prime roadshow houses
from 1955-1972(its last roadshow was The Shoes of
the Fisherman Nov. 1968).
to which a question. after I discovered this
wonderful site the last week of Jan. 2012 I created
a project for myself. said project being to
find the 1st theater built in Manhattan brick by
brick from the ground up with the intent of
showing movies or flickers as they were called.
using this site the oldest I was able to find is
the Crescent which was located at 36 W. 135 St.
and opened on the site the night of Dec. 16, 1909
as a combo picture house and vaudeville theater.
I contacted the New York Historical Society and
asked them since if anyone could say authoritatively
they could. guess what? the Reference Librarian
e-mailed back and said even they are a tad fuzzy
on the 1st purpose built brick by brick from the
ground up movie theater in Manhattan. since
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 that were simply converted
to show films you would think the first purpose
built brick by brick from the ground up movie
theater would have been made note of in the press
of the day.
again many many thanks for the list of the other
D.C. houses the studios used for roadshow engagements.
it was rather kind of you to do so. added to the
Uptown list you kindly provided for me I guess this
covers all the prime Oct.1955-Dec.1972 roadshow
engagements. also when you have a spare moment
I would greatly appreciate your take on why
Circus World’s roadshow run at the Uptown lasted
only 3 weeks whereas other hyped roadshow epics
which likewise received critically mixed reviews
sometimes lasted 15-20 weeks.thanks in advance.
in Manhattan the Ziegfeld is still in my opinion
the theater to see a big action and or science
fiction/fantasy film. this is for both sound and
projection which brings me to my question.
no matter how critically well received a film
might be and no matter how popular it is with
moviegoers the Ziegfeld is never very full even
at optimum times like Sat. or Sun. screenings.
this is of course due to the fact that every
action/science fiction/fantasy film opens on
2,000-3,000 screens on the same day. now I’m
assuming no film which plays the Chinese will be
playing in another theater in the immediate
Hollywood area. but there is all of L.A.. so
even with the recent upgrade at the Chinese does
it in fact have the same problem as the Ziegfeld?
I remember last Nov. a poster mentioned he and
friends went to a Sun. afternoon screening only two
days after it opened of Catching Fire and the theater was at the most 20% full.
many many thanks for your detailed list. it was
quite kind of you. since you appear to be quite
well versed on the subject a two part question.
*during the prime roadshow era(Oct. 1955-Dec.1972)
Manhattan had 7 large 1st run venues that the
studios used for roadshow engagements-Criterion,
Loew’s State, RKO Palace, Demille ,Warner, Rivoli
and the Loew’s Captiol. while it would be nice
to have as detailed a list per the Uptown for all
of D.C.’s roadshow houses that’s asking a bit much
so could you at least name what other D.C. houses
were used by the studios for roadshow runs.thanks.
*I’m not saying it was Oscar material or one of the
best large scale action epics but Circus World’s
3 week roadshow rum seems inordinately short. I
don’t know how long its roadshow run at the
Warner Cinerama was but it was way longer than 3
weeks. you would figure with all the pre-lease
hype for CW and whatever advance sales were in place
before opening night what’s up. again I’m not
saying it was Oscar material or one of the great
large scale action epics but there were a number
of roadshow epics in New York that got a mixed
critical response but still ran for 15-20 weeks.
so what’s with CW’s 3 week D.C. roadshow run?
as always thanks for your reply. while I am
happy this theater is still alive and well as
stated in my last e-mail as hard as I have
tried I can’t remember the last time this
theater hosted an exclusive engagement. so i
suppose it had to be before the opening in 2,000
to 3,000 theaters on the same day trend started.
for instance were Close Encounters of the Third
Kind(Nov. 1977) and The Rose(Nov. 1979)exclusive
runs?
as always thanks for your reply. while I am
happy this theater is still alive and well as
stated in my last e-mail as hard as I have
tried I can’t remember the last time this
theater hosted an exclusive engagement. so i
suppose it had to be before the opening in 2,000
to 3,000 theaters on the same day trend started.
for instance were Close Encounters of the Third
Kind(Nov. 1977) and The Rose(Nov. 1979)exclusive
runs?
you have always been kind to answer my inquiries
so here’s a good one that I have not been able to
find the answer to but I bet you know it. even
after studios abandoned the reserved seat exhibition
policy they still opened their “big” films in one
maybe two theaters in Manhattan. so do you know the
last exclusive engagement this theater hosted? I’m
speaking of new films so the Oct. 1996 exclusive
run of the restored “Vertigo” doesn’t count.
thanks for the other titles from when the studios
still used the Ziegfeld for exclusive 1st run
engagements. since this theater is the place to
see widescreen films that’s why it was frequently
sold out years ago. it was the only theater in
Manhattan if the not the city playing a film.
which prompts two additional questions-
*as I stated in my post if people had no trouble
finding and getting to the theater 20-25 years ago
how is it “off the beaten path” today?
*what was in fact the last exclusive 1st run
engagement of a studio film at the Ziegfeld?
the special 2 week runs of Dreamgirls and The
Princess and the Frog before hey opened wide
don’t count.:–)
after posting my query I looked up on Amazon and
both a vhs and dvd of CAGS have been released. I
am surprised I never came across either when home
video stores were all over Manhattan.
also a new question you’re going to need to put
your thinking cap on for. in the NYC metropolitan
area countless theaters were designed by premiere
movie theater architects Thomas Lamb and John
Ebberson. so many I figured how did either one
have time to eat or sleep. and this isn’t even
counting other theaters they designed across the
country. now rather recently I read that after their
careers were up and running both created firms
that had architects other than them. so that many
of the movie theaters attributed to “Thomas Lamb”
per se may have actually been designed by someone
else in the firm. this sounded reasonable to me
since I can’t imagine how either Lamb or Ebberson
could possibly have designed and coordinated
construction all the theater attributed to them.
to which my question- how can one find out how
many theaters attributed to either Lamb or Ebberson
were actually personally designed by them? much in
the same vein as how many buildings, monuments etc…
attributed to the firm of McKim/Meade/White were
actually designed by McKim, Meade or White?
I suppose we all have different takes on what’s
“off the beaten path”. being a native life long
New Yorker nothing is off the beaten path for me.
per you comment the Ziegfeld is only two blocks from
Radio City Music Hall. also when the Ziegfeld was
still used by the studios for exclusive 1st run
engagement people had no trouble finding it. you should
have seen the block long lines for Close Encounters
of the Third Kind. The Rose among others. likewise the
restored Lawrence of Arabia, My Fair Lady & Vertigo.
so if people had no trouble finding/getting to the
theater 25 or 20 years ago they shouldn’t have any
trouble today.
I was thinking about all the roadshow engagements
this theater hosted in the prime Oct. 1955 to Dec.
1972 period. one in particular came to mind “Cast A
Giant Shadow” released by United Artists and starring
Kirk Douglas which opened here the Spring of 1966.
to which my question- of all the films which played
this theater on a roadshow engagement CAGS is the
only one I have never seen on home video vhs let
alone dvd or blu-ray. I have always wanted to see
the film to judge it for myself. could there be
some legal hold up as to why its never been out
on any home video format.
like you I always like going to the Ziegfeld for
the quality of the projection and sound. plus like
you I am surprised the theater is still in
operation. the overhead most be sizable. I’m guessing
the reason the theater is still open as a 1st run
venue is that Bow Tie Cinemas would have a revolt
on their hands if it was twinned, demolished or
converted to other use.
also no matter how well reviewed a film is and
no matter how popular the film might be with the
public there’s a very simple reason why the
Ziegfeld is rarely if ever at capacity. any film
it shows is also playing at probably 12 other theaters
in Manhattan.
and might I be so bold as to ask you a question-
you are not the first person to refer to the
Ziegfeld via “its location is well off the beaten
track”. how is a theater on 54th St. off 6th Ave.
off the beaten track?
i live in NYC and the price for first run films is
already WAY TO EXPENSIVE. so like 3-D this is
simply a way to soak more $$$ out of the audience.
this is especially true since at the Bway & 84 St. multiplex you’re forced to pay for a “reserved seat”
even if there’s only 10 people in the theater.
there are a number of roadshow engagements that
had souvenir programs but I do not have in my
collection. hence my question. other than EBay
does anyone know of a website that sells movie
memorabilia? of the handful of sites selling
movie memorabilia that I’ve seen the only
programs listed are the ones I already have.
I recently read “Movie Roadshows” by Kim Rolston
and I was amazed at the number of such films that
had souvenir programs I have never come across.
any help would be appreciated.
the not sending out of messages noting
someone has responded to a comment is
happening again. I did not receive a note
in my inbox that my entry on souvenir
programs had been replied to by you..
the prime roadshow era was from the Oct. 1955
opening of Oklahoma to the Dec. 1972 opening of
Man of La Mancha after which the studios
discontinued the policy. I have 137 souvenir
programs in my collection. I have to admit a
dozen or so of that number are not actual
souvenir programs sold in the theater lobby but
fancy brochures the studio released to publicize
the film.
of the 125 souvenir programs in my collection
13 are hardcover.other than the hardcovers in my
collection the only other one I know of is for
Porgy and Bess which played the Warner.
of the 13 I own two are from films which opened
when this theater was the Demille a prime
roadshow house. namely Spartacus and Hawaii.
the other 11 are-
The Alamo
Around the World in 80 Days
Ben-Hur(1959)
El Cid
The Greatest Story Ever Told
How The West Was Won
King of Kings(1961)
Mutiny on the Bounty(1962)
My Fair Lady
South Pacific
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
a bit of info on just how elaborate these
hardcover programs could get. both the Ben-Hur
and Spartacus programs had a fold out with
several watercolor paintings of scenes from
the film. and to top that the King of Kings
program included a sealed package of 8x10 color
photo portraits of the main actors in the film.
thanks for the info. as you state the 179min. cut
was just used in previews and was cut to 158mins.
for the premiere roadshow runs like the one at the
Capitol. so however long the film’s roadshow run
was at the Capitol the Dodge City sequence was intact
the entire run and was only cut for the general
release prints which went to neighborhood theaters
around NYC.
I asked around so to speak and Cheyenne Autumn’s
premiere engagement at the Loew’s Capitol was a
traditional roadshow engagement with 2 shows during
the week and 3 on the weekend. unfortunately it
didn’t have a healthy or long run. still since it
was a traditional premiere roadshow engagement I
just can’t imagine it not having a souvenir program
regardless of the length of said engagement.
Hello-
I clicked on the link Coate included for 70MM in L.A. and clicked on 1968. that year the Chinese hosted two roadshow engagements. I was familiar with all the theaters on the 1968 list except for two- the 4 Star and The Fox Fine Arts. as in NYC the studios would occasionally book reserve seat runs into theater not traditionally used for such engagements. now the 4 Star which has been a church for many years is in the process of being razed. but I could find no mention of the Fox Fine Arts on this website. what name is it listed under?
to E. O. Norton and Coate-
many thanks for your assistance with my inquiry. as Norton suggested I looked at the theater website and clicked on “every film to play the Chinese”. and found that in addition to West Side Story and Hello Dolly the Chinese hosted 3 other roadshows-Windjammer, Half A Sixpence and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
a question for both of you. in the prime roadshow period of Oct. 1955 thru Dec. 1972 i have always found it interesting that whatever studio was involved would open a film on a traditional roadshow engagement in city but not another. for instance Cast A Giant Shadow opened on a traditional roadshow run at the Demille in Manhattan but opened on continuous performance at the Chinese. in reverse The Great Race opened on a continuous performance run in Manhattan but on a traditional roadshow run at the Pantages. i have always found that a odd way of doing things. what’s your take?
and for Coate-
i posed a question for you on the page for the Uptown in D.C. that i would greatly appreciate your thoughts on. its dated Aug. 5th 2014 2:16p.m.. thanks for your assistance.
Hello From NYC-
before I found this website I was unaware that this theater hosted roadshow engagements or reserved seat movie as me and my friends called them. to which my question. the period from the Oct. 1955 opening of Oklahoma to the Dec. 1972 opening of Man of La Mancha I refer to as the prime roadshow period. now during this period did the Chinese host any roadshow engagements other than West Side Story and Hello Dolly?
Hello From NYC-
before I found this website I was unaware that this theater hosted roadshow engagements or reserved seat movie as me and my friends called them. to which my question. the period from the Oct. 1955 opening of Oklahoma to the Dec. 1972 opening of Man of La Mancha I refer to as the prime roadshow period. now during this period did the Chinese host any roadshow engagements other than West Side Story and Hello Dolly?
Hello-
this question is for devotees of the good olde reserved seat policy or to use the trade term roadshow policy. of course the only roadshow engagement this theater hosted was its initial film “Marooned”. so for the Oct. 1955 to Dec. 1972 prime roadshow period did anyone attend or know of a reserved seat run that did not have a souvenir program?
Hello From NYC-
I refer to the Oct. 1955 opening of Oklahoma to the Dec. 1972 opening of Man of La Mancha as the prime roadshow period. so from its opening Nov. 1963 to when the roadshow policy was discontinued the Dome hosted many a reserved seat engagement. to which my question- can anyone remember a roadshow engagement at the Dome that did not have a souvenir program?
to Escott O. Norton-
thanks for the reply to my inquiry. to which I want to make sure I understand your reply. so are you saying that although the Chinese is now a state of the art IMAX theater following its Sept. 2013 reopening that it still faces the same problem as the Ziegfeld in Manhattan? a companion question. since its reopening have there been any “big” films that had almost sell out crowds? when the theater reopened last Sept. its new sound and projection was highly lauded by everyone. yet from the posting by the person who saw Catching Fire on Sun. two days after it opened the person was shocked the theater was at the most 20% full. to bad if that’s the case.
in Manhattan many theaters have discount rates for shows before 12 noon but the Ziegfeld is not one of them. so if a “big” film opens at a number of theaters in Manhattan that offer the discount rate I will see it at the Ziegfeld because while it may sell out at the smaller theaters I know no matter how critically lauded the film is the Ziegfeld will be at the most 25% filled.
to Ed S.–
it is certainly sad especially since I remember the Mayfair/Demille as one of the prime roadshow houses from 1955-1972(its last roadshow was The Shoes of the Fisherman Nov. 1968).
to which a question. after I discovered this wonderful site the last week of Jan. 2012 I created a project for myself. said project being to find the 1st theater built in Manhattan brick by brick from the ground up with the intent of showing movies or flickers as they were called. using this site the oldest I was able to find is the Crescent which was located at 36 W. 135 St. and opened on the site the night of Dec. 16, 1909 as a combo picture house and vaudeville theater.
I contacted the New York Historical Society and asked them since if anyone could say authoritatively they could. guess what? the Reference Librarian e-mailed back and said even they are a tad fuzzy on the 1st purpose built brick by brick from the ground up movie theater in Manhattan. since 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 that were simply converted to show films you would think the first purpose built brick by brick from the ground up movie theater would have been made note of in the press of the day.
to Coate-
again many many thanks for the list of the other D.C. houses the studios used for roadshow engagements. it was rather kind of you to do so. added to the Uptown list you kindly provided for me I guess this covers all the prime Oct.1955-Dec.1972 roadshow engagements. also when you have a spare moment I would greatly appreciate your take on why Circus World’s roadshow run at the Uptown lasted only 3 weeks whereas other hyped roadshow epics which likewise received critically mixed reviews sometimes lasted 15-20 weeks.thanks in advance.
Hello From NYC-
in Manhattan the Ziegfeld is still in my opinion the theater to see a big action and or science fiction/fantasy film. this is for both sound and projection which brings me to my question.
no matter how critically well received a film might be and no matter how popular it is with moviegoers the Ziegfeld is never very full even at optimum times like Sat. or Sun. screenings. this is of course due to the fact that every action/science fiction/fantasy film opens on 2,000-3,000 screens on the same day. now I’m assuming no film which plays the Chinese will be playing in another theater in the immediate Hollywood area. but there is all of L.A.. so even with the recent upgrade at the Chinese does it in fact have the same problem as the Ziegfeld?
I remember last Nov. a poster mentioned he and friends went to a Sun. afternoon screening only two days after it opened of Catching Fire and the theater was at the most 20% full.
to Coate-
many many thanks for your detailed list. it was quite kind of you. since you appear to be quite well versed on the subject a two part question.
*during the prime roadshow era(Oct. 1955-Dec.1972) Manhattan had 7 large 1st run venues that the studios used for roadshow engagements-Criterion, Loew’s State, RKO Palace, Demille ,Warner, Rivoli and the Loew’s Captiol. while it would be nice to have as detailed a list per the Uptown for all of D.C.’s roadshow houses that’s asking a bit much so could you at least name what other D.C. houses were used by the studios for roadshow runs.thanks.
*I’m not saying it was Oscar material or one of the best large scale action epics but Circus World’s 3 week roadshow rum seems inordinately short. I don’t know how long its roadshow run at the Warner Cinerama was but it was way longer than 3 weeks. you would figure with all the pre-lease hype for CW and whatever advance sales were in place before opening night what’s up. again I’m not saying it was Oscar material or one of the great large scale action epics but there were a number of roadshow epics in New York that got a mixed critical response but still ran for 15-20 weeks.
so what’s with CW’s 3 week D.C. roadshow run?
to Al A.–
as always thanks for your reply. while I am happy this theater is still alive and well as stated in my last e-mail as hard as I have tried I can’t remember the last time this theater hosted an exclusive engagement. so i suppose it had to be before the opening in 2,000 to 3,000 theaters on the same day trend started. for instance were Close Encounters of the Third Kind(Nov. 1977) and The Rose(Nov. 1979)exclusive runs?
to Al A.–
as always thanks for your reply. while I am happy this theater is still alive and well as stated in my last e-mail as hard as I have tried I can’t remember the last time this theater hosted an exclusive engagement. so i suppose it had to be before the opening in 2,000 to 3,000 theaters on the same day trend started. for instance were Close Encounters of the Third Kind(Nov. 1977) and The Rose(Nov. 1979)exclusive runs?
Hello to Al A.–
you have always been kind to answer my inquiries so here’s a good one that I have not been able to find the answer to but I bet you know it. even after studios abandoned the reserved seat exhibition policy they still opened their “big” films in one maybe two theaters in Manhattan. so do you know the last exclusive engagement this theater hosted? I’m speaking of new films so the Oct. 1996 exclusive run of the restored “Vertigo” doesn’t count.
to Bill H.–
thanks for the other titles from when the studios still used the Ziegfeld for exclusive 1st run engagements. since this theater is the place to see widescreen films that’s why it was frequently sold out years ago. it was the only theater in Manhattan if the not the city playing a film.
which prompts two additional questions-
*as I stated in my post if people had no trouble finding and getting to the theater 20-25 years ago how is it “off the beaten path” today?
*what was in fact the last exclusive 1st run engagement of a studio film at the Ziegfeld? the special 2 week runs of Dreamgirls and The Princess and the Frog before hey opened wide don’t count.:–)
to AL A.–
after posting my query I looked up on Amazon and both a vhs and dvd of CAGS have been released. I am surprised I never came across either when home video stores were all over Manhattan.
also a new question you’re going to need to put your thinking cap on for. in the NYC metropolitan area countless theaters were designed by premiere movie theater architects Thomas Lamb and John Ebberson. so many I figured how did either one have time to eat or sleep. and this isn’t even counting other theaters they designed across the country. now rather recently I read that after their careers were up and running both created firms that had architects other than them. so that many of the movie theaters attributed to “Thomas Lamb” per se may have actually been designed by someone else in the firm. this sounded reasonable to me since I can’t imagine how either Lamb or Ebberson could possibly have designed and coordinated construction all the theater attributed to them.
to which my question- how can one find out how many theaters attributed to either Lamb or Ebberson were actually personally designed by them? much in the same vein as how many buildings, monuments etc… attributed to the firm of McKim/Meade/White were actually designed by McKim, Meade or White?
to robboehm-
I suppose we all have different takes on what’s “off the beaten path”. being a native life long New Yorker nothing is off the beaten path for me.
per you comment the Ziegfeld is only two blocks from Radio City Music Hall. also when the Ziegfeld was still used by the studios for exclusive 1st run engagement people had no trouble finding it. you should have seen the block long lines for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The Rose among others. likewise the restored Lawrence of Arabia, My Fair Lady & Vertigo.
so if people had no trouble finding/getting to the theater 25 or 20 years ago they shouldn’t have any trouble today.
Hello-
I was thinking about all the roadshow engagements this theater hosted in the prime Oct. 1955 to Dec. 1972 period. one in particular came to mind “Cast A Giant Shadow” released by United Artists and starring Kirk Douglas which opened here the Spring of 1966.
to which my question- of all the films which played this theater on a roadshow engagement CAGS is the only one I have never seen on home video vhs let alone dvd or blu-ray. I have always wanted to see the film to judge it for myself. could there be some legal hold up as to why its never been out on any home video format.
to CConnolly1-
like you I always like going to the Ziegfeld for the quality of the projection and sound. plus like you I am surprised the theater is still in operation. the overhead most be sizable. I’m guessing the reason the theater is still open as a 1st run venue is that Bow Tie Cinemas would have a revolt on their hands if it was twinned, demolished or converted to other use.
also no matter how well reviewed a film is and no matter how popular the film might be with the public there’s a very simple reason why the Ziegfeld is rarely if ever at capacity. any film it shows is also playing at probably 12 other theaters in Manhattan.
and might I be so bold as to ask you a question- you are not the first person to refer to the Ziegfeld via “its location is well off the beaten track”. how is a theater on 54th St. off 6th Ave. off the beaten track?
i live in NYC and the price for first run films is already WAY TO EXPENSIVE. so like 3-D this is simply a way to soak more $$$ out of the audience. this is especially true since at the Bway & 84 St. multiplex you’re forced to pay for a “reserved seat” even if there’s only 10 people in the theater.
Hello to my fellow posters-
there are a number of roadshow engagements that had souvenir programs but I do not have in my collection. hence my question. other than EBay does anyone know of a website that sells movie memorabilia? of the handful of sites selling movie memorabilia that I’ve seen the only programs listed are the ones I already have.
I recently read “Movie Roadshows” by Kim Rolston and I was amazed at the number of such films that had souvenir programs I have never come across. any help would be appreciated.
to techman 707-
the not sending out of messages noting someone has responded to a comment is happening again. I did not receive a note in my inbox that my entry on souvenir programs had been replied to by you..
to Ed S.–
the prime roadshow era was from the Oct. 1955 opening of Oklahoma to the Dec. 1972 opening of Man of La Mancha after which the studios discontinued the policy. I have 137 souvenir programs in my collection. I have to admit a dozen or so of that number are not actual souvenir programs sold in the theater lobby but fancy brochures the studio released to publicize the film.
of the 125 souvenir programs in my collection
13 are hardcover.other than the hardcovers in my collection the only other one I know of is for Porgy and Bess which played the Warner.
of the 13 I own two are from films which opened when this theater was the Demille a prime roadshow house. namely Spartacus and Hawaii.
the other 11 are-
The Alamo Around the World in 80 Days Ben-Hur(1959) El Cid The Greatest Story Ever Told How The West Was Won King of Kings(1961) Mutiny on the Bounty(1962) My Fair Lady South Pacific The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
a bit of info on just how elaborate these hardcover programs could get. both the Ben-Hur and Spartacus programs had a fold out with several watercolor paintings of scenes from the film. and to top that the King of Kings program included a sealed package of 8x10 color photo portraits of the main actors in the film.
to William-
thanks for the info. as you state the 179min. cut was just used in previews and was cut to 158mins. for the premiere roadshow runs like the one at the Capitol. so however long the film’s roadshow run was at the Capitol the Dodge City sequence was intact the entire run and was only cut for the general release prints which went to neighborhood theaters around NYC.
to techman 707-
I asked around so to speak and Cheyenne Autumn’s premiere engagement at the Loew’s Capitol was a traditional roadshow engagement with 2 shows during the week and 3 on the weekend. unfortunately it didn’t have a healthy or long run. still since it was a traditional premiere roadshow engagement I just can’t imagine it not having a souvenir program regardless of the length of said engagement.