Dear Lafayette Folk,
Just a note of thanks to all at the Lafayette for the great program this morning! It’s always great to see just about any Woody Allen film on the big screen, but “Annie Hall” certainly tops my list of favorites. Very nice print, as well… those New York skylines…. nobody films them like Gordon Willis.(I believe.)
I was very glad to hear from the host at today’s show (was that Mr. Furmanek ?) that the Lafayette film festival will be returning in the fall and that next week the audience will be asked to present film suggestions for the fall season.
As I am probably unable to make next week’s show, I am wondering if there might be an alternate way for me to make my suggestions known to the folks who plan the festival? (e-mail ?)
Any thoughts, Mr. Furmanek? Mr. Apruzzese?
Very much looking forward to Butch and Sundance in two weeks and the new fall film season.
Thank You
Peter….. Thank you for the “fine-tuning”…. bit of a memory “glitch”, there.
But,no matter continued success for future film festivals at the Lafayette are always hoped for.
Is there anything, beyond regular attendance that we, the regular attending audience can do to help ensure a bright future for classic film festivals at the Lafayette?
I remember quite fondly all of the great “kiddee matinees” that were presented in and around the very early 1960s at the Summit Theater.
Many of the great Universals, such as “Tarantula” and “The Creature From The Black Lagoon” were making the “re-run” circuit in theaters around this time and the Summit was probably one of the first theaters (along with the Lincoln , uptown) to show many of the films from England’s HAMMER STUDIOS… such as “The Curse of Frankenstein” and “Horror of Dracula”
But the big event had to be when the Summit presented the first run engagement of Hitchcock’s, “Psycho”!! Many of our parents were ready to lock us up after we went to see that film. Remember, it was 1960 !!
And, of course a morning of horror films and cartoons at the Summit was never quite complete without our weekly visit to Damman’s Ice Cream Parlor across the street.
I really think now is the time to start thinking of the future of BSC at the Lafayette.
Perhaps one way to do this is to have more involvement from the community at large and the patrons of the Lafayette themselves. (beyond just complaining about a situation when something seems to go wrong.)
The involvement of film programs at various colleges is a great idea. From personal experience with my son who is graduating FDU in Madison, college programs often use local theaters as an “extension” of the classroom. I recently attended his “thesis night” in conjuction with FDU’s Film and Animation Department at one of the local Clearview Cinemas in Morristown and the experience was a wonderful “boost” for both students and the venue itself.
I’m also wondering….. might BSC send out some sort of mail and internet questionaire to folks on their mailing list (and to the surrounding community as a whole) to enquire as to what classic films are of interest to all of us, and base their future selections on these responses?
I know that one of the other classic film theaters that I attend regularly, the Loews Jersey does exactly that every so often and it really works. Many of the films that are shown at that theater are the result of patron input.
I find it ironic, to say the least that those who (seemingly) did the most complaining about the possibility of no BSC at the Lafayette decided not to show up when a program was graciously put together (seemingly) in response to those complaints. I guess you just can’t please some people.
I hope the powers that be at the Lafayette can find some way to bring more of us paying customers back to the Big Screen Classics. I know I’ll always be there !
Very glad to hear that BSC will return in September…. but I hope some consideration might be given to a new day and time. I certainly would have attended more shows had the presentations been scheduled for Friday or Saturday.
Last night’s festivities, Bernie Anderson at the organ (what a great performance!) and Val Lewton’s"Isle of the Dead" was a great beginning to this month’s always-entertaining film programs at the Landmark Loews. The Loews is, beyond a doubt my favorite venue for classic films in the NJ/NY area. The programmers really try their best to bring films to the giant 50ft. screen that have rarely been exhibited.(Really looking forward to tonight’s “Ghost And Mrs. Muir” and “The Innocents” – when was the last time those tiles were seen on a theater’s marquee? The 1940' or 50' ?)
I have one concern about the theater that has been brought home to me over the years while attending the Loews monthly film programs.
Can anyone tell me if progress is being made toward improving the ventilation system at this wonderful venue? During the winter months there is not much of a problem but last night, during the screening of “Isle of The Dead” I felt a distinct issue with temperature and (for some of us)“air movement” (or lack of.).
Now don’t get me wrong, I love the Loews, I spent the greater part of my childhood there. (and I will continue to be a patron)..I just want to see it grow into the best type of venue of its kind for all of us and our kids.
If I may, a big warm thank-you to the Friends of The Loews for the spectacular film noir series this past weekend! “Nobody does it better” than you folks! And also a debt of gratitude must be paid to Dr. Foster Hirsch for adding so much insight into the films that weekend beyond what was on the screen. A truely fascinating and engaging speaker. His enthusiasm was really infectious. ( I wonder if he teaches film classes at any of our local colleges?)
If there is one thing that the Loews Jersey excels all other film establishments in has to be the sense of education that one always leaves the theater with… and this weekend was no exception! Especially when introduced to a film such as Jules Dassin’s, “Night and The City”!! For me, this film helps reinforce the phrase,“they don’t make them like that anymore.”
Please keep up the great work, FOL! I look forward to standing on line this month!
I guess the next question that should be asked by any of us who consider ourselves patrons of any and all classic film prgrams is what can we do, beyond our regular attendance and financial support to help ensure that classic films (on the big screen)will always have a viable and important place in our movie-going lives.
For example, in your opinion, would it be advisable to contact BCG (via e-mail) to inquire if they have any plans of continuing a classic film program of their own? (What would be the best way to contact them?)
Or is it best to just “wait and see”.?
If there is one aspect of the great Loews Jersey that I appreciate the most it is their wonderful sense of choice in selecting films that resonate with the overall audience… not exactly “popular” films all of the time, but film programs with a “theme”. (ie James Bond, Adventure heroes etc.)
I’m also grateful to Colin and the other Friends of the Loews for presenting films that might not have been very popular during their initial release, but now “deserve” a second look. (Two films that I always “turned my nose up” at [being the snobby little Sean Connery fan that I was at an early age] were “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and , the above-mentioned “For Your Eyes Only”… they are now two of my favorite Bond films.)
Friends of the Loews deserves the support of every classic film fan in the Nj/Ny metro area. We seem to be in an age of shrinking interest in movie theaters that show classic films. We need to keep this jewel alive and shining.
Hi Mr. Apruzzee,
May I take a moment to “echo” the sentiments of movie534 and so many of the other film fans above?
Speaking as a patron of the Lafayette Theater and the Big Screen Classics program for the past four years (my only regret is that did not become aware of this program from the start!) I can only say that I am saddened to the extreme that Big Screen Classics have departed the great Lafayette. Knowing that each Saturday morning (I guess I must be one of the few who actually “liked” the 11;30 showtime) would find me sitting in a darkened theater with the likes of Boris Karlof,Godzilla, Fred and Ginger,Steve McQueen, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck etc. was always the source of great anticipation for me each weekend! (And, No!, I’m not a retired person with very little else to do….. I have two, “almost” grown kids, who are involved in sports and coaching and “borrowing the car”)
But I always found time for the Lafayette !
The best memory I have of the Lafayette was the day myself and the “above-mentioned” “almost” grown-up kids attended the Looney Tunes Festival and collectively laughed our (“you know whats”) off for about two hours. Priceless !
I’ve been a classic film fan since I was five when my dad took me to see such films as “Moby Dick” and “The Knights of the Round Table”. The Lafayette provided me with that same opportunity to share some of the great films with my sons that my father shared with me.
I would really like to know how such a fine film program could come to such an abrupt end? Politics ? The economy? The impression that I have is that someone (or a group) along the line must have schrugged their shoulders and said “I give up” !
The irony of the matter is that the crowds (varying from week to week) at the Big Screen Classics usually surpassed the numbers of patrons at the regular, “first-un” blockbuster presentations. (at least the shows that I attended.)
I guess I’d better put this to rest……or else, just like our friend, Carl Denim I might be “Going into a theme song!”
Dear Lafayette Folk,
Just a note of thanks to all at the Lafayette for the great program this morning! It’s always great to see just about any Woody Allen film on the big screen, but “Annie Hall” certainly tops my list of favorites. Very nice print, as well… those New York skylines…. nobody films them like Gordon Willis.(I believe.)
I was very glad to hear from the host at today’s show (was that Mr. Furmanek ?) that the Lafayette film festival will be returning in the fall and that next week the audience will be asked to present film suggestions for the fall season.
As I am probably unable to make next week’s show, I am wondering if there might be an alternate way for me to make my suggestions known to the folks who plan the festival? (e-mail ?)
Any thoughts, Mr. Furmanek? Mr. Apruzzese?
Very much looking forward to Butch and Sundance in two weeks and the new fall film season.
Thank You
Peter….. Thank you for the “fine-tuning”…. bit of a memory “glitch”, there.
But,no matter continued success for future film festivals at the Lafayette are always hoped for.
Is there anything, beyond regular attendance that we, the regular attending audience can do to help ensure a bright future for classic film festivals at the Lafayette?
I remember quite fondly all of the great “kiddee matinees” that were presented in and around the very early 1960s at the Summit Theater.
Many of the great Universals, such as “Tarantula” and “The Creature From The Black Lagoon” were making the “re-run” circuit in theaters around this time and the Summit was probably one of the first theaters (along with the Lincoln , uptown) to show many of the films from England’s HAMMER STUDIOS… such as “The Curse of Frankenstein” and “Horror of Dracula”
But the big event had to be when the Summit presented the first run engagement of Hitchcock’s, “Psycho”!! Many of our parents were ready to lock us up after we went to see that film. Remember, it was 1960 !!
And, of course a morning of horror films and cartoons at the Summit was never quite complete without our weekly visit to Damman’s Ice Cream Parlor across the street.
In respone to Deckard and many others…………
I really think now is the time to start thinking of the future of BSC at the Lafayette.
Perhaps one way to do this is to have more involvement from the community at large and the patrons of the Lafayette themselves. (beyond just complaining about a situation when something seems to go wrong.)
The involvement of film programs at various colleges is a great idea. From personal experience with my son who is graduating FDU in Madison, college programs often use local theaters as an “extension” of the classroom. I recently attended his “thesis night” in conjuction with FDU’s Film and Animation Department at one of the local Clearview Cinemas in Morristown and the experience was a wonderful “boost” for both students and the venue itself.
I’m also wondering….. might BSC send out some sort of mail and internet questionaire to folks on their mailing list (and to the surrounding community as a whole) to enquire as to what classic films are of interest to all of us, and base their future selections on these responses?
I know that one of the other classic film theaters that I attend regularly, the Loews Jersey does exactly that every so often and it really works. Many of the films that are shown at that theater are the result of patron input.
I find it ironic, to say the least that those who (seemingly) did the most complaining about the possibility of no BSC at the Lafayette decided not to show up when a program was graciously put together (seemingly) in response to those complaints. I guess you just can’t please some people.
I hope the powers that be at the Lafayette can find some way to bring more of us paying customers back to the Big Screen Classics. I know I’ll always be there !
Thanks MBD,
Great to hear that “The Uninvited” has been scheduled for the end of May !
I can’t think of a better venue for this terrific ghost story than the grand, old Loews Jersey. What a perfect match.
Bob
Very glad to hear that BSC will return in September…. but I hope some consideration might be given to a new day and time. I certainly would have attended more shows had the presentations been scheduled for Friday or Saturday.
Bob
Last night’s festivities, Bernie Anderson at the organ (what a great performance!) and Val Lewton’s"Isle of the Dead" was a great beginning to this month’s always-entertaining film programs at the Landmark Loews. The Loews is, beyond a doubt my favorite venue for classic films in the NJ/NY area. The programmers really try their best to bring films to the giant 50ft. screen that have rarely been exhibited.(Really looking forward to tonight’s “Ghost And Mrs. Muir” and “The Innocents” – when was the last time those tiles were seen on a theater’s marquee? The 1940' or 50' ?)
I have one concern about the theater that has been brought home to me over the years while attending the Loews monthly film programs.
Can anyone tell me if progress is being made toward improving the ventilation system at this wonderful venue? During the winter months there is not much of a problem but last night, during the screening of “Isle of The Dead” I felt a distinct issue with temperature and (for some of us)“air movement” (or lack of.).
Now don’t get me wrong, I love the Loews, I spent the greater part of my childhood there. (and I will continue to be a patron)..I just want to see it grow into the best type of venue of its kind for all of us and our kids.
If I may, a big warm thank-you to the Friends of The Loews for the spectacular film noir series this past weekend! “Nobody does it better” than you folks! And also a debt of gratitude must be paid to Dr. Foster Hirsch for adding so much insight into the films that weekend beyond what was on the screen. A truely fascinating and engaging speaker. His enthusiasm was really infectious. ( I wonder if he teaches film classes at any of our local colleges?)
If there is one thing that the Loews Jersey excels all other film establishments in has to be the sense of education that one always leaves the theater with… and this weekend was no exception! Especially when introduced to a film such as Jules Dassin’s, “Night and The City”!! For me, this film helps reinforce the phrase,“they don’t make them like that anymore.”
Please keep up the great work, FOL! I look forward to standing on line this month!
When will the complete “Big Screen Classic” schedule be posted since, I believe the program is scheduled to start in a little over two weeks?
Thank You
Hello Mr. Apruzzese,
I guess the next question that should be asked by any of us who consider ourselves patrons of any and all classic film prgrams is what can we do, beyond our regular attendance and financial support to help ensure that classic films (on the big screen)will always have a viable and important place in our movie-going lives.
For example, in your opinion, would it be advisable to contact BCG (via e-mail) to inquire if they have any plans of continuing a classic film program of their own? (What would be the best way to contact them?)
Or is it best to just “wait and see”.?
If there is one aspect of the great Loews Jersey that I appreciate the most it is their wonderful sense of choice in selecting films that resonate with the overall audience… not exactly “popular” films all of the time, but film programs with a “theme”. (ie James Bond, Adventure heroes etc.)
I’m also grateful to Colin and the other Friends of the Loews for presenting films that might not have been very popular during their initial release, but now “deserve” a second look. (Two films that I always “turned my nose up” at [being the snobby little Sean Connery fan that I was at an early age] were “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and , the above-mentioned “For Your Eyes Only”… they are now two of my favorite Bond films.)
Friends of the Loews deserves the support of every classic film fan in the Nj/Ny metro area. We seem to be in an age of shrinking interest in movie theaters that show classic films. We need to keep this jewel alive and shining.
Hi Mr. Apruzzee,
May I take a moment to “echo” the sentiments of movie534 and so many of the other film fans above?
Speaking as a patron of the Lafayette Theater and the Big Screen Classics program for the past four years (my only regret is that did not become aware of this program from the start!) I can only say that I am saddened to the extreme that Big Screen Classics have departed the great Lafayette. Knowing that each Saturday morning (I guess I must be one of the few who actually “liked” the 11;30 showtime) would find me sitting in a darkened theater with the likes of Boris Karlof,Godzilla, Fred and Ginger,Steve McQueen, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck etc. was always the source of great anticipation for me each weekend! (And, No!, I’m not a retired person with very little else to do….. I have two, “almost” grown kids, who are involved in sports and coaching and “borrowing the car”)
But I always found time for the Lafayette !
The best memory I have of the Lafayette was the day myself and the “above-mentioned” “almost” grown-up kids attended the Looney Tunes Festival and collectively laughed our (“you know whats”) off for about two hours. Priceless !
I’ve been a classic film fan since I was five when my dad took me to see such films as “Moby Dick” and “The Knights of the Round Table”. The Lafayette provided me with that same opportunity to share some of the great films with my sons that my father shared with me.
I would really like to know how such a fine film program could come to such an abrupt end? Politics ? The economy? The impression that I have is that someone (or a group) along the line must have schrugged their shoulders and said “I give up” !
The irony of the matter is that the crowds (varying from week to week) at the Big Screen Classics usually surpassed the numbers of patrons at the regular, “first-un” blockbuster presentations. (at least the shows that I attended.)
I guess I’d better put this to rest……or else, just like our friend, Carl Denim I might be “Going into a theme song!”