Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
favorited this theater
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In all fairness to Clearview, neither presentation conscious Walter Reade nor money wasting Cineplex Odeon were willing to spend cash on a presentation element that showed no sign that it helped sell tickets. On non-exclusive runs the Ziegfeld had some of the smallest grosses in Manhattan, consistently outgrossed by curtainless boxes like the Baronet/Coronet, Metro Twin and Chelsea 9. Today it is still outgrossed by the megaplexes on 42nd street.
It is a simple matter of economics over esthetics and public apathy.
I think the problem is that the managers here don’t know about curtains or have any experience with them — they are rotated from houses that don’t have curtains and never did have curtains, so their perception is that a blank screen is the norm.
And the union projectionists — God bless ‘em — may know from curtains, but if the managers are not bugging them to use the curtains, then why should they bother.
Gotcha Bill, if only we could convince them to do that.
Would be nice to see the theatre run with all the bells and Whistles. See….I didn’t say curtains :)
But Vito, you don’t have to promise not to mention the curtains anymore. There’s only one Ziegfeld, and there’s nothing else like it in NYC. You’re just trying to make it live up to its full potential.
A win win I would definitely say.
A win win I would definitely say.
I promise this is the last comment I will make about the curtains.
With all due respect to Al who has contributed so much to our forum and whose opinions I respect, the fact that they don’t use the curtains for fear of breakdowns is difficult to understand. In the 50+ years I spent in theatrical exhibition I worked in theatres with every possible type of curtain imaginable and NEVER heard of the kinds of things I read here about the problems they have at the Ziegfeld. I know enough about curtain riggings to know that the problem they are having are completely fixable. There is no excuse to not, other than their reluctance to spend the money, correct the situation. I also understand the need to leave the curtains open so that slides which generate revenue can be shown during intermission. However that should not keep them from doing a delux start by simply closing the curtains a minute before ShowTime and then starting the show properly. It would be nice to se the curtains close at the end of the movie as well and then during intermission reopen them to show the slides. A win win wouldn’t you say
Interesting comments. However, the rep cinema I ran in Toronto was operated on a very small budget, but we still managed to install a new 40 foot screen (one of the biggest in the city at that time), new curtains and the motor to operate them. If the Ziegfeld has a history of the curtains malfunctioning, maybe the equipment should be replaced… not repaired. It sounds to me like the company that operates the theatre doesn’t understand what makes the Ziegfeld unique. Or maybe they simply don’t care.
When I worked there we had a full time stagehand as well as an IATSE 306 projectionist. Both were useless incompetents but the curtain issue was not their fault.
After about a week’s use the curtain wrapped itself around the coil drum and stopped working until repairs were made. The repair company was costly and took time to get there. This cycle dated back to the opening of the theatre in 1969. Replacing the whole works was not an option because the Ziegfeld was a marginal operation at best.
Many times we considered removing it altogether but mostly it was tied back and not operated when big films opened for fear of losing the whole weekend’s business every time it failed to open.
It could not be manually operated because it was too heavy.
The Ziegfeld has IATSE local 306 union projectionists, as to why management does not demand use of the curtains is a bit of a mystery to me as well. The theatre does have a history of having problems with the curtains malfunctioning, perhaps that is part of it. But why don’t they just get the darn things fixed. It’s a new world and people just are not all that interested in “putting on a show†as we did in our day, I have just resolved myself to accepting that. No more curtains no more showmanship and for that matter no more film. I know there are quite a few showmen still left in California who go the extra mile to present movies properly but here in New York, not so much. One of the folks who run the Ziegfeld, a heck of a nice guy does comment here from time to time and I think his heart is in the right place on theses matters but seems perhaps to have his hands tied at times.
Vito, if a projectionist is given instructions to follow isn’t that what he (or she) is getting paid for? I don’t know if the Ziegfeld has a union projectionist or not, but when I ran a rep house for a number of years my position was that if you don’t want to do your job properly I’ll get someone who will.
Jon if you haven’t already, scroll up to read many posts on that subject. We have beat that horse to death here and many agree with your position on this. No one more than I
It is truly a lost art in the projecton of movies
I don’t understand the problem the Ziegfeld seems to be having with the use of curtains. I ran a rep house in Toronto called the Roxy from the mid 70’s to the mid 80’s. Our patrons never saw that theatre’s bare screen. The projectionists were given explicit instructions as to how to present a show… when to slowly dim the auditorium lights before the movie started and then to dim the lights over the curtains. When it was totally dark and the first frames of the movie started – the curtains opened. We timed how long the curtains took to open or close and figured out how many frames of film that took. This enabled us put a removable mark on the film at
the end of the movie so that when the operator saw the mark, he hit the button to close the curtains and slowly bring back the lights over the curtains and then the lights in the auditorium. It’s not rocket science. it’s simply a matter of respect for your audience and giving the what they paid for: a show – that’s all.
Indeed that is a beautifully executed curtain falling with the music to ad to the joy of it. I am glad Simon reminded us and hope all you curtain lovers out there who have not done so do your self a favor and watch “The Great Ziegfeld” if for no other reason but to watch that wonderful curtain desend. I promise it will make you smile
Simon: Thanks for reminding me that the first time I saw that amazing curtain from “The Great Ziegfeld” was on the screen at the Ziegfeld! That scene was excerpted in 1974’s “That’s Entertainment”.
Hi Peter and Justin…
My nickname is “Mister Curtains”… and YES, curtains are all part of what show business is all about. Don’t you just love the old days when they used footlights and various colored spotlights on the curtains.
One of the most spectacular use of a singular curtain was in the 1936 (Best Film) “The GREAT ZIEGFELD”… This monster “Austrian” waterfall style drape opened and closed by wrapping itself around a towering circular revolving stage. And to add to the staggering grandeur were numerous props and fabulously dressed people. Please, do get the DVD just for this and other curtain scenes!!!
FYI, the number one movie in America is playing at this theater in Digital projection.
Good show! If I remember correctly the light curtain is called a traveler. In the past, in the old movie palaces, the main curtain was used at the beginning and end of the show and the traveler between trailers, short, newsreels and the main feature.
For roadshow movies with overtures and entre'act music, where trailers and shorts were not shown, the main curtain opened and the traveler remained closed for the overture and closed at the end of part 1, remained closed during the entre'act music and opened for part 2 and the traveler and curtain closed at the end. Many of these movies had a “black” few seconds of projection at the end of the overture and entre'act to give time for the traveler to open before the image came on the screen.
Thanks AlAlvarez.
Most Clearview Theatres were built by someone else, in this case Walter Reade. The Ziegfeld is like no other theatre and was described as having “New Orleans whorehouse decor” when it first opened. When the red velvet started to fade the theatre started looking classier.
“Ryan’s Daughter” holds the long run record.
How does this theater compare to all the other Clearview cinema locations? Is it the de facto Clearview cinema? What movie had the longest run at this theater?
Here’s a thought, how about we all start e-mailing TCM that next year’s TCM Festival( assuming this will be ongoing )be in NYC. The Ziegfeld would have to be a venue, that is, the venue.
I’m going to the Hollywood Festival and intend to plant this idea in the ears of the TCM people, but I could use some help.
Best,
Gary
If I had a chance to ask Robert Osborne a question, I would’ve asked if TCM were ever going to do this again at the Ziegfeld. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun at a movie screening.
A magical night at the Ziegfeld, and a great motion picture.
The place was packed (though not sold out,) Robert Osborne and Elaine Stritch were fascinating and took a few audience questions, which resulted in a lot of laughs.
And “All About Eve” was perfect — nominated for 14 Oscars and winner of six, including Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Costumes, Sound and George Sanders for Supporting Actor. The other Oscar-nominated performances were by Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Celeste Holm, and crowd favorite Thelma Ritter.
The picture hasn’t aged a day in 60 years (aged in wood?) and its views on show business and the theater are still perceptive and relevant.
And no post on this page would be complete without a comment on the curtain — and the masking. The masking was perfectly placed; Academy ratio never looked bigger or bolder. And the two curtains closing at the end added another elegant touch to an already classy evening.
Great time last night at the Ziegfeld. I have seen this film at other venues (Loews Jersey, Film Forum) but never with an audiance so into the film. Hope TCM can come back to the Ziegfeld again.