Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre
707 Seventh Avenue,
New York,
NY
10036
707 Seventh Avenue,
New York,
NY
10036
26 people
favorited this theater
Showing 726 - 750 of 1,011 comments found
I looked up “Phantom of the Opera” on imdb.com, which lists an initial release date of August 27th, 1943. Would the day have been as dark at 6:40 whether am or pm in late August early September? Did they set clocks back and forth for Daylight Savings at this time? Maybe the dates on imdb are wrong. Unless this was a 2nd run… “Phantom” was a Universal Pictures release – did their product generally run on the Loew’s circuit? And a Blondie flick on the same bill?
Isn’t this a wonderful country where such minutia can be dissected and debated? In any event… another wonderful photo, Warren. Thanks!
There are at least two possible explanations for the shortage of people. It was wartime, and the photo might have been taken during or just after an air-raid drill. It also might have been 6:40 in the morning, as some midtown theatres stayed open 24 hours a day to accommodate those who worked on the night shifts in war-essential businesses.
When you blow-up the photo you can see a ghost of a car near the fire plug and some ghosting of people under the southern end of the marquee. There is a lot of people at the corner waiting for the light to change and a ghost of a car too. There is more traffic down by the State Theatre. Remember on those rare times in Times Square, you might not have any cars or very few cars passing for up to afew blocks away. And was it cold windy night, I know I walk alittle faster.
Warren… I was thinking the same thing about the lack of people and cars when your shot was taken! I can understand how with a long exposure people hustling by might have blurred themselves out of the image, but what about car headlight streaks?
Where is everybody?!?
Here’s a 1943 image of the Loew’s marquee, which was a shortened version of the original that extended all the way to and around the corner of West 47th Street. Loew’s added neon clocks on the north and south sides of the marquee. If the time was correct, it was nearly 6:40 PM. I wonder why there were so few people on the streets? The program was a double bill from the Loew’s circuit. At that time, the Mayfair was playing split weeks of shows from both the Loew’s and RKO circuits.
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/maymarq.jpg
Thanks! I’ll tape it just in case!
I actually watched the movie through the shower scene, then went to bed. I didnt realize that featurette was going to be on after or I would’ve taped it! :(
TJ – It was interesting to see. It was late for me also, and from the TCM website you could not tell if was on before or after the movie.
I recorded it and watched it last night. For the record, it was on after the movie which would have been about 1:15AM .
I’m sorry I missed that. Was on too late for me to watch. :(
The other night TCM showed Hitchcock’s Psycho. Following the movie was an eight minute newreel called “Releasing Psycho” which was all about the ‘no one will be admitted after the show starts’ campaign. The eight minute clip had extensive views of the DeMille.
“Diamonds Are Forever” opened at the Demille on a BOND Showcase.
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I was walking by here last night and the building is still not rented.
No, “Dumbo” had its NYC opening at the Broadway Theatre in October, 1941. At that time, the Mayfair was under Loew’s management and unlikely to play an RKO release. Please consult the Broadway’s listing for more details about “Dumbo” running there.
Did Disney’s “Dumbo” open here?
Reading that ad I noticed a funny coincidence—It says No One Seated During Final Reel, which is a precursor or foreshadowing of the policy at this same theater for Psycho 30 years later, when no one was seated after the feature began.
From December 1931. All seats 35 cents:
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Here’s part of another ad for “Kiss Me, Stupid”:
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Liked seeing that bit of ad for Billy Wilder’s “Kiss Me, Stupid”, for adults only, at the Astor. It really was pretty dirty for the time; ever a little dirty for today!
This is an ad for “Goldfinger” featuring the DeMille’s 24-hour continuous playing times during Christmas week 1964. I’d love to see how many people attended that 4 AM show.
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Saw
‘Cinderella Liberty’ here.
Here’s an early image of the building when it housed the Columbia Burlesque Theatre:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/122-2265_IMG.jpg
As mentioned in earlier posts, the Columbia Theater opened January 3, 1910 as the flagship theater of the Columbia Amusement Company. My Grandfather, Sam A. Scribner, was secretary and General Manager of the company, which was incorporated July 12, 1902.
Scribner wrote his nephew, James Canning, a merchant in Brookville PA (Scribner’s home town) on January 4, 1910, stating “I think last night was the biggest night of my life. We opened the new Broadway theater, and every person in New York of theatrical and mercantile prominence was there. Your old friend John Wannamaker spent a half hour in the building just before we opened the doors, and said it was as pretty a theatre as he had ever seen. However he could not very well say anything else, because he was the decorator; that is, he furnished all the decorations, carpets, etc. Instead of painting the walls, we hung them in DuBarry rose damask, and covered the entire floor, both orchestra and gallary, with specially made carpet to match. It certainly was a big night.”
A family history compiled by my uncle, John H. M. Scribner, quotes the opening night review in the New York American as follows: “The playhouse is a twelve story building with the main enterance on Broadway. An artistically decorated room lobby leads to the auditorium, which is oval in shape, a design adapted to insure perfect accustic qualities. There are about seven hundred seats on the main floor, and the entire capacity is 1,800. There are two balconies and six large boxes. The predominating colors are old gold and various tones of French grays. The interior decorations are in the Louis XVI style. Above the procenium arch is a large painting representing the Muses, the work of Arthur Thomas, R. A.” According to my uncle’s narriative, opening night reviews also appeared in the Morning telegraph, the New York Clipper, and The Sun.
According to an article in Variety January 11, 1928, the Columbia Amusement Company (the “Columbia Wheel” and its rival Mutual Association (the “Mutual Wheel”) were merged into the United Burlesque Circuit. — Peter Scribner .com
Thanks, Robert. I wish “Becket” would get released on DVD someday. What a good movie.
3 Roadshows
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Saw the new trailer for ‘King Kong’ this weekend. It’s shown before ‘War of the Worlds’. Nice computer-generated ‘30s shot of the Mayfair towards the end of it.