Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre
707 7th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10036
707 7th Avenue,
New York,
NY
10036
38 people
favorited this theater
Showing 851 - 875 of 1,093 comments
This is new, additional damage. I pass the theater a few times a week. Jagged, bent pieces of metal are now jutting out of the front.
The marquee has been damaged for a few years now.
I noticed some damage while driving by this morning. It looks like a truck recently clipped the front of the marquee.
Odd, nowadays, to see an ad with staggered start dates at different theaters. “Held over 3 more days” implying that a new feature would have normally been booked starting Wednesday (which is still a fairly common opening day)… but “Psycho” was starting on a Saturday in many theaters featured in the ad and would be ending it’s run on Friday at the DeMille, Baronet and Brooklyn Paramount. It’s amazing how release strategies have changed so much since then. Even in the ‘70’s it was not uncommon to have films roll out on different days (and with different co-features) depending on the theater. I used to wonder why certain theaters would play a different 2nd feature or drop the 2nd feature alltogether.
Look at this great ad for “Psycho”. It went out on the wide run while still plying the Demille.
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The reduction in seating could be from two or three reasons. When it was planned to use the downstairs house with strippers a runway was built down the center aisle in good burlesque fashion (the lip of the stage could have been extended as well). Perhaps the seats were never replaced in that area in the orchestra. Also remember that there’s a fairly wide gap between the two upper auditoriums for the light from the center projector to hit the downstairs screen. While as I have mentioned earlier, the space should have been bigger to pass a Scope or 70mm 2.2l image that would fill the width of the proscenium, it was wide enough to accomodate 1.85 projection. That’s a really steep, long balcony, so if seats were removed from the balcony rail to the upper back wall that could probably account for over a hundred seats. As noted above, they weren’t particularly comfortable, so its possible that the balcony (or some areas) retained older narrower seats from a previous incarnation which would have upped the total number of seats. In addition the lobby wall of the orchestra was moved forward during the renovation to accomodate the stores in the former lobby area. That would also have eaten up seats. While I was in the orchestra auditorium during the renovation, I never poked my nose in when I worked there. One of the reasons was that the single entrance was a ways from the stairs to to the upper theatre and the booth, and kind of looked like a dingy alley, so much of the under balcony space had been sacrificed to the shops.
When the company I work for was looking at the theatre it’s rent was just 1 million per year, that was around three years ago. We were going to use it as a Film Industry screening theatre. When they triplexed the house they went the cheap route all around. The cost of the rent and to restore the interior was just to high to operate the house. Our people said the theatre was too worn and it had been sitting empty since 1998. So they vetoed the project.
Would be nice if the Moma would use it for wide screen films in conjunction with the American Cinemateque. Nobody but us seems to realize that it’s the last movie theater left in Times Square and other than the Paris maybe the last one left in Manhattan.
I was wondering the same, Warren. So, I placed a call to the number listed on the marquee. It seems the theater is pretty much in the same shape as it was the day it ran its final screenings. The gentlemen I spoke with mentioned that “somebody did a half-ass job of triplexing the place” but that the cost would be insignificant to have the partitions removed. He also mentioned that the stage would have to be extended to accomodate live shows because at some point the stage was cut, but that there were still dressing rooms and fly space. I assume he meant that it was cut downstage to accommodate a movie screen. He gave me the seating capacity as 1100, which is a far cry from the 1735 listed above. Perhaps he was speaking only of the orchestra seating? The rent, in case we’re all interested in pooling our funds to run our own movie theater, would be $1.5 million per year “to start.” There are no plans to demolish or gut the theater at this time and a deal could be struck for a long term lease of 10 to 15 years, but no more than that.
I wonder how serious I’d have to prove myself to get a glimpse of the interior (and some photographs, naturally)?
Who’s Blondie? (just kidding)
I remember seeing “Beaches” in one of the splt theatres that had originally been a part of the balcony section before the theatre finally closed. The seats were very uncomfortable. I had seen “Spartacus” there when the Mayfair was renamed the DeMille. It was much more comfortable to see a movie there then.
Also for the 40’s in Times Square there is very little light above the Palace and none above the Embassy. Very dark for the era. Also if this was 6:40 in the evening in September it would still be light out wouldn’t it?
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!
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?!?
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.
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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