Goldman Theatre
30 S. 15th Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19102
30 S. 15th Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19102
9 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 95 of 95 comments
i’m searching for anyone who remembers the very last movied played at the GOLDMAN. This movie was so gorey at it’s showing(equal to Saw or Seven today) that it was banned fron 20 other countries, however the GOLDMAN was closing down and showed the movie anyway! If anyone has any info on the name of the movie please contact me at Some how my memory keep telling me it was called I’ll Eat Your Brains! It was about a group of filmmakers who went to a island to shoot a movie of the local primative tribe, when the cheifs daughter was accidently shot by a real gun instead of the prop gun, the locals showed the film crew why they were so isolated and primative…..because they were cannibles. oh my good it was a great horror at that time, the GOLDMAN even passed out barf bags!!! Please help me in my search!
Photos, including of the interior, have appeared here:
http://www.cinematour.com/tour/us/21383.html
I went here a many times as a kid and into my late teens, and remember seeing “Dr. No” on a sneak preview with “Mondo Cane”!
Now that I think about it, everyone is correct except me. Blame it on old age and a bad memory.
Market Street is not south of Chestnut Street. Market Street is north of Chestnut Street, so that will make Veyoung and Andy P right. The 000 Block of South 15th Street starts at Market Street and ends at Chestnut Street. The 100 block of south 15th Street starts at Chestnut Street and ends at Walnut Street
By the way, I recall another classic film that was shown at the Goldman – Yor, Hunter of the Future. If anyone else has heard of this film, hats off to you.
Market Street is south of Chestnut. If the theater was above Chestnut, it would be between Chestnut and Sansom Streets. It can’t be above Chestnut and still be between Chestnut and Market. Isn’t it great that we can argue about the location of a movie theater that was torn down twenty years ago?
Ken MC, you’re right except for one fact. The Goldman was on 15th Street just ABOVE Chestnut and below Market. It was the second Philadelphia area theatre to install 70mm projection (1958 for “Sleeping Beauty”)
I think this was the theater on 15th just below Chestnut where I saw one of Richard Pryor’s concert films in 1982. The theater was on the west side of 15th Street between Chestnut and Market.
The Goldman Theatre was not exactly on the corner, it was on the west side of 15th street, off of Chestnut, across from the Meridian Plaza. I remember seeing the Meridian Building being built when I worked as an usher at the Goldman, in the late 60’s, early 70’s.
Does anyone know on which corner of 15th and Chestnut was the Budco Goldman Twin located on? My gut thinks it was the corner that is now a empty lot created from the One Meridian Plaza fire, but I could be wrong.
This happens to be one of my favorite theaters as a youngster in the 70’s. Jaws opened at this theater, and myself along with my parnets went to see the show during its opening on a Saturday night. My Dad who had been working that day was tired when we arrived at the theater. The Goldman has a balcony, where we were seated. During the opening scenes of the film when the first person falls victim to “Bruce” is actually quiet. As fate would have it, my Dad begins to snore, and is heard through out the theater, and it is packed. My mother was embarrased, I still have a good laugh!
Tony P.
Anybody out there worked for Goldman Theatres in the late 60’s and early 70’s. I worked at the Midtown down the street from the Goldman, and when the Goldman was short on ushers, sometime I would be transfered there for the day, saw Funny Girl at least 100 times, during its one year ruun and seen Patton at least 50 times.
Andy P.
“Patton” played on roadshow at the Goldman in 1970 and they still had the curved screen then I believe. Also in 1970 “Darling Lili” (A dreadful film) I believe played in 70mm. And I am pretty sure it was in 1971 when I saw a revival of “My Fair Lady”. I also remember that the people that went along with me had never seen a movie shown on such a large curved screen. However, as I have been told on the Sameric 4 site, my mind (or anyone’s for that matter) can play tricks on you!
They must have falttened it after Funny Girl
Mikeoaklandpark, I didnt mean to imply that Cinerama was shown at the Goldman. I meant that in its 1959 installation of 70mm, the screen was virtually wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling, deeply curved, and with reddish curtains….just like NYC’s Loews Capitol in 1962. Strange what you say about their being a flat screen in the 60’s because, as I said, the 1959 install featured a deeply curved one. By the early 70’s the screen was “flattened.” By the mid 70s the house was horribly twinned.
VEyoung are you sure about the date the cinerama was installed? I remmeber seeing The King and I there in the early 60’s and they had a regular flat screen. When I went back in 68 they had a large curved screen with orange/redish cutains.
Dennis, the twin was terrible, small theaters and flat horrible screens with no curtains
The first film I saw in this theatre was “El Cid.” I thought for a newer theatre it was tremendous. I also remember seeing “The Blue Max”, “Funny Girl”, “Patton” to name a few of the roadshow films I have seen there. My last vist, was to see the 10th (?) Anniversary revival of “My Fair Lady” which was prior to the Goldman being divided. Never went back after the twinning, because to me that was the beginning of the downfall of this theatre. I can still picture those red curtains opening, opening, and opening. It was just awesome watching a movie on that huge screen.
A little more history. I’m told this was the first large-city house to be built in a major downtown area after WWII.
At any rate, it played mainly “B” product until 1958 when, somehow or other, it secured a roadshow booking of Warners' “Old Man and The Sea.” Though a tremendous boxoffice flop, it brought the Goldman into the realm of classy first-run houses. Months later, the house closed to install a truly heroic-sized screen for 70mm projection, reopening with “Sleeping Beauty.” This particular install with Cinerama-red curtains (a Goldman trademark) was the first of what actually came to be known as “Super Cinerama” design houses. The screen was virtually the entire front wall, deeply curved, with the theatre rows slightly curved in for better sightlines. Over the years, 70mm runs, roadshown, included “Porgy and Bess,” “Spartacus”, and “El Cid,” along with the ‘scope 4-track “Longest Day.” Budco later came in and ruined the house, and I have many snide remarks about what was done to the Goldman elsewhere in the “Philadelphia” theatre section.
Goldman’s inability to get product for this theatre upon its opening led to his filing of an anti-trust suit – which in 1948 led the courts to craft what became known as the Paramount decrees – the forced divesture of studio control of their theatre chains.