I loved the Ziegfeld so much, I kept track of every movie I saw there. The first was West Side Story in 1970, the last was Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. Some of the most memorable in between: That’s Entertainment, Tommy, Barry Lyndon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Hair, Apocalypse Now, Fame, Gandhi, The Last Temptation of Christ, Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Jurassic Park, My Fair Lady, Vertigo, Porgy and Bess, and the one I saw there more times than any other, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Total=150.
As great as the Ziegfeld was, they never had enough urinals. I remember really long men’s room lines at Lawrence of Arabia intermission. Also long lines for the water fountain – very fitting for that particular movie.
I think it’s OK. Anyone who lives in North Jersey who visits the Clairidge page is naturally going to be concerned about the Bellevue as well, and be hoping for the best.
I did have that issue of Life magazine. In fact, I still have it. It’s been my favorite movie since I first saw it, and the way things are now, I don’t think it will ever be replaced.
Pete is a true expert in this field. He once gave me a tour of a projection booth he was running at the Lafayette Theater in Suffern, NY, one of the finest theaters in the US.
I was standing outside the Ziegfeld on that opening night, and I saw Lean, O'Toole and Sharif leaving the theater to great applause. I also saw Geoffrey Holder (“Live and Let Die”, the 7 Up Uncola nut commercials in the ‘70s) as he was leaving, and I asked him how it was. His great answer: “FAAAAAbulous.”
An entire 3-strip Cinerama film was on 6 giant-sized reels: the first half played on 3 reels synched together. Then, after the intermission, the rest of the film played on the next 3 reels. At a showing of How the West Was Won that I attended at the Dome, they invited people into the booth at intermission, and I got to see the reels.
I hear ya. Just think … for most of the 1960’s – from 1962 to 1968 anyway – there were two Cinerama theaters in Manhattan just three blocks apart, and one in Montclair, NJ just a few miles away. The good old days, indeed.
He wasn’t at the screening I attended, but a couple of days before at a weekend show, Russ Tamblyn was in attendance. There was a breakdown at that show as well, so Russ told stories about the filming to keep the audience entertained during the break. I think I also heard about Bryan Russell being at one of the shows. Russell and Tamblyn appeared in both MGM Cinerama productions.
Before the LA engagement, the owner of the print had arranged for the film to be shown at the Pictureville Cinerama theater in Bradford, England.
The print was excellent, but I don’t think you can copy anything from a release print without the original negative. I hope people who know more about that than I do can weigh in on this.
In 2012 the Dome showed Brothers Grimm in a 3-strip print owned by an Australian collector. It had a 15 minute breakdown in the first 5 minutes after the credits, but after that it played flawlessly, and it was beautiful. I feel privileged to have been able to see it.
“2001” is being shown here 27 times between January 17th and July 18th, 2020. This makes my path to 100 theatrical viewings very easy. I’m currently at 91.
In the fall of 2018, I made 4 different trips here from the New York City area to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70mm IMAX. Once I saw it on that spectacular domed screen, I had to keep coming back. The next best thing to seeing it in Cinerama, as it was originally presented in 1968. I sincerely hope they’ll show it again someday.
Here is Part 1 of a 3-part clipping of the Variety review from August 1939 mentioned by Comfortably Cool (Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney stage show). All 3 parts are in the Photos section.
I loved the Ziegfeld so much, I kept track of every movie I saw there. The first was West Side Story in 1970, the last was Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015. Some of the most memorable in between: That’s Entertainment, Tommy, Barry Lyndon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Hair, Apocalypse Now, Fame, Gandhi, The Last Temptation of Christ, Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, Jurassic Park, My Fair Lady, Vertigo, Porgy and Bess, and the one I saw there more times than any other, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Total=150.
As great as the Ziegfeld was, they never had enough urinals. I remember really long men’s room lines at Lawrence of Arabia intermission. Also long lines for the water fountain – very fitting for that particular movie.
When we finally get a vaccine, the Music Hall will be packing them in again. Hope so, anyway.
I think it’s OK. Anyone who lives in North Jersey who visits the Clairidge page is naturally going to be concerned about the Bellevue as well, and be hoping for the best.
I concur with Mike (saps). Too bad it will never again be THAT screen. Even 90% of it.
I did have that issue of Life magazine. In fact, I still have it. It’s been my favorite movie since I first saw it, and the way things are now, I don’t think it will ever be replaced.
Thanks, Archive. Do you have the percentage of screen fill for Planet of the Apes, the final 35mm film to play the Capitol?
For 52 years, my memory of 2001 on that screen was the most overwhelmingly huge movie experience of my life. Now I find out it was only filling 90%! 🙂
What a lucky kid to have such cool parents!
52 years ago today was my only trip to the Capitol to see what would become my favorite movie, 2001.
Pete is a true expert in this field. He once gave me a tour of a projection booth he was running at the Lafayette Theater in Suffern, NY, one of the finest theaters in the US.
I did forget that. Thanks!
A projectionist running Cinerama must have felt like a football player going to the Super Bowl.
I was standing outside the Ziegfeld on that opening night, and I saw Lean, O'Toole and Sharif leaving the theater to great applause. I also saw Geoffrey Holder (“Live and Let Die”, the 7 Up Uncola nut commercials in the ‘70s) as he was leaving, and I asked him how it was. His great answer: “FAAAAAbulous.”
An entire 3-strip Cinerama film was on 6 giant-sized reels: the first half played on 3 reels synched together. Then, after the intermission, the rest of the film played on the next 3 reels. At a showing of How the West Was Won that I attended at the Dome, they invited people into the booth at intermission, and I got to see the reels.
I hear ya. Just think … for most of the 1960’s – from 1962 to 1968 anyway – there were two Cinerama theaters in Manhattan just three blocks apart, and one in Montclair, NJ just a few miles away. The good old days, indeed.
He wasn’t at the screening I attended, but a couple of days before at a weekend show, Russ Tamblyn was in attendance. There was a breakdown at that show as well, so Russ told stories about the filming to keep the audience entertained during the break. I think I also heard about Bryan Russell being at one of the shows. Russell and Tamblyn appeared in both MGM Cinerama productions.
Before the LA engagement, the owner of the print had arranged for the film to be shown at the Pictureville Cinerama theater in Bradford, England.
The print was excellent, but I don’t think you can copy anything from a release print without the original negative. I hope people who know more about that than I do can weigh in on this.
In 2012 the Dome showed Brothers Grimm in a 3-strip print owned by an Australian collector. It had a 15 minute breakdown in the first 5 minutes after the credits, but after that it played flawlessly, and it was beautiful. I feel privileged to have been able to see it.
In the NY Daily News, the word Humppe was displayed in their movie ads as H——–. The Times was more liberal, and showed the actual word.
“2001” is being shown here 27 times between January 17th and July 18th, 2020. This makes my path to 100 theatrical viewings very easy. I’m currently at 91.
Frank Langella as “Dracula” was up there in 1979.
In the fall of 2018, I made 4 different trips here from the New York City area to see 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70mm IMAX. Once I saw it on that spectacular domed screen, I had to keep coming back. The next best thing to seeing it in Cinerama, as it was originally presented in 1968. I sincerely hope they’ll show it again someday.
On Friday November 15th: Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.
The timetable is from Jerome Agel’s 1970 book “The Making of Kubrick’s 2001”.
According to this 2001 timetable, the long version was shown at the Capitol for only three days.
Here is Part 1 of a 3-part clipping of the Variety review from August 1939 mentioned by Comfortably Cool (Judy Garland-Mickey Rooney stage show). All 3 parts are in the Photos section.