Was watching part of the Long, Long, Tailer on TCM the other night.Does anybody know if this was shown in the standard 1:35 frame at the Hall being that this was in the midst of Cinemascope or was it cropped?
Also I was stunned to read that the color was Ansco. Usually when I see Ansco prints they are usually muddy. This was like brilliant beautiful Technicolor.
I am referring to the above photo and I’m just wondering why I don’t see any sign that there is another theater to the left. It looks like the Gaiety is the only theater in the building facing onto Broadway.
Warren it seems strange because one can see a sliver of the Astor Hotel to the extreme left. There is certainly plenty of room for the Astor theater in the photo.
Also the NY Times has been for a long time a great supporter of the complete destruction of Times Square.
But I must admit its superior, hip, unctuous attitude is good for the occasional laugh.
People actually write this stuff?
The billboard seems well before ‘66. Maybe someone cane tell us what year Plane Crazy came out.
'66 had the great 3D billboard for Hawaii. I would love to see a good color photo of that!
‘72 was the last year the Hall showed films that were popular and perfect for the place; What’s Up Doc, Play it Again Sam and Butterflies are Free. And considering some of the films the Hall played later(Mame, Mathilda, Girl from Petrovka, Caravans) Cancel My Reservation was practically a masterpiece.
I remember in some stage shows where parts of the stage would go up and down and they didn’t even bother covering the sections so you would see a cutaway of the pistons and revolving stage.
Al I wish you had seen Airport in Todd AO or Singing in the Rain in '75 there. You would have seen what a great movie theater it could be.
Also these were times people would be quiet in a house with thousands of seats.
Today people would be talking, text-messaging each other and cels would be going off right and left.
One of the problems of the 70’s even before distibution patterns changed was that even producers didn’t want their films at the Hall anymore.There were a number of G and GP films that would have been perfect there. The stage shows were so cheap and so bad that they were hard to sit through. I can’t tell you how many amateurish revues with small slip shod sets and bad choreography I had to sit through. I had already stopped sitting through the movies.
There was absolutely no reason for the general public to continue patronizing the Hall. The whole stage show/movie combo was run into the ground. I still can’t understand why they had to be so bad.Let’s just say it was obviously done on purpose. It was that dreadful.
Oh Ed! If only we could see it on an 80 ft curved screen. But then there would be nothing left to live for would there? Except maybe to see it again and again…
I saw Mary Poppins a few years ago at the Walter Reade and while a good print the words of the songs were subtitled. This was fortunate.
For the release of the DVD the film should have been rereleased by Disney.
How the kids sit through it today on video I’ll never know.(Do they?) The Ziegfeld should get Disney to get them an archive print. People should be introducing their kids to this movie in a theater. It’s one of the best.
Well would Warner Brothers in their vaults maybe have color newsreels of the Criterion premiere of MFL along with shots of all the exterior displays? You do see some of this on the MFL doc but it is so brief, only a few seconds and in black and white.
I wish that all those 60’s televised premieres would be made available on the DVD’s in their entirety. The only ones I know of are the ‘56 Star is Born and and the abridged newsreel of Grand Hotel.
Somebody somewhere on one of these pages said that Vistavision looked better at the Paramount than the Music Hall. But then the Hall only showed one movie in Vistavision though a number of its films were filmed in that process.
I wonder when the last time was when a film was shown in NY in true VistaVision whether first run or revival.
If only Ben Olevsky had written a long article or book!
With the upcoming early cinemascope coming to Loews at a 2.55 ratio the screen will be fairly small. Maybe almost half the size of a screen used for 1.85.
I saw it once at the Music Hall for a revival of Seven Brides and it was was amazing.
Definitely take the Path train from Herald Square to Jersey City. It is very easy and quick.The Loew’s Jersey is right across from the Path Station and if people are working there on a weekend afternoon(they usually are)they will be happy to show you the place.
It will take you about 3 hours total of your weekend.
The place is a classic barroco roccoco renaissance Italian French Spanish stunner. Absolutely not to be missed.
And I do believe God lives there(having moved over from the Roxy after its demolition.)
I believe the queue was for the ‘61 film if I’m not mistaken which would have been Babes in Toyland which started late in the month. I wonder why Flower Drum Song wasn’t the Christmas film that year. From what I’ve heard Babes is pretty bad.
In the 70’s I don’t remember the lines ever being that long. The longest I remember is it winding around 3 times.
Does anybody remember it filling up the plaza then going down to Fifth Av then going back up 51st St?
Bill I’m very curious about hit films like Mink and Odd Couple which played for months.As I have mentioned before I was told back in 76 by an old manager that Couple had as many people on the last day as on the first.
Were there continual lines for these films? Or did you just walk up to the box office buy a ticket and then go in? Was it crowded or were you able to sit where you wanted to quite easily?
I have this impression that from 68 and before when the Hall had a hit film you always had to wait on line and the theater was always crowded especially during the summer. Did you find this was the case?
By the 70’s the only time you had to wait on line was for the holiday show and that was only during the weekends and the holiday week. And even this only lasted until Mame in 74. A film that not only damaged Ball’s reputation but the Music Hall’s as well.
Rob is this a contemporary film festival or will there be classic films as well?
Was watching part of the Long, Long, Tailer on TCM the other night.Does anybody know if this was shown in the standard 1:35 frame at the Hall being that this was in the midst of Cinemascope or was it cropped?
Also I was stunned to read that the color was Ansco. Usually when I see Ansco prints they are usually muddy. This was like brilliant beautiful Technicolor.
I am referring to the above photo and I’m just wondering why I don’t see any sign that there is another theater to the left. It looks like the Gaiety is the only theater in the building facing onto Broadway.
Warren it seems strange because one can see a sliver of the Astor Hotel to the extreme left. There is certainly plenty of room for the Astor theater in the photo.
BOB I won’t go there, its too easy.
Why in the above photo on this page is there no Astor theater?
Also the NY Times has been for a long time a great supporter of the complete destruction of Times Square.
But I must admit its superior, hip, unctuous attitude is good for the occasional laugh.
People actually write this stuff?
On the Victoria page they have the actual photo. The billboard is actually displaying A Face in the Crowd. So they got the decade wrong.
The billboard seems well before ‘66. Maybe someone cane tell us what year Plane Crazy came out.
'66 had the great 3D billboard for Hawaii. I would love to see a good color photo of that!
James,
Did the orchestra theater still have roadshow screen?
‘72 was the last year the Hall showed films that were popular and perfect for the place; What’s Up Doc, Play it Again Sam and Butterflies are Free. And considering some of the films the Hall played later(Mame, Mathilda, Girl from Petrovka, Caravans) Cancel My Reservation was practically a masterpiece.
I remember in some stage shows where parts of the stage would go up and down and they didn’t even bother covering the sections so you would see a cutaway of the pistons and revolving stage.
Al I wish you had seen Airport in Todd AO or Singing in the Rain in '75 there. You would have seen what a great movie theater it could be.
Also these were times people would be quiet in a house with thousands of seats.
Today people would be talking, text-messaging each other and cels would be going off right and left.
One of the problems of the 70’s even before distibution patterns changed was that even producers didn’t want their films at the Hall anymore.There were a number of G and GP films that would have been perfect there. The stage shows were so cheap and so bad that they were hard to sit through. I can’t tell you how many amateurish revues with small slip shod sets and bad choreography I had to sit through. I had already stopped sitting through the movies.
There was absolutely no reason for the general public to continue patronizing the Hall. The whole stage show/movie combo was run into the ground. I still can’t understand why they had to be so bad.Let’s just say it was obviously done on purpose. It was that dreadful.
The 63' screen was good. Not great, but good. 50 for a house this size is, let’s just say to be kind, pathetic.
Oh Ed! If only we could see it on an 80 ft curved screen. But then there would be nothing left to live for would there? Except maybe to see it again and again…
In my post the fortunate should read unfortunate.
Excellent idea Irv. These films would be perfect for the big screen and families.
if only they could get SOM and Chitty in 70mm.
Good MGM program this week. So why did they choose this Sunday to be closed?!
I saw Mary Poppins a few years ago at the Walter Reade and while a good print the words of the songs were subtitled. This was fortunate.
For the release of the DVD the film should have been rereleased by Disney.
How the kids sit through it today on video I’ll never know.(Do they?) The Ziegfeld should get Disney to get them an archive print. People should be introducing their kids to this movie in a theater. It’s one of the best.
Well would Warner Brothers in their vaults maybe have color newsreels of the Criterion premiere of MFL along with shots of all the exterior displays? You do see some of this on the MFL doc but it is so brief, only a few seconds and in black and white.
So how is it the complete televised Star is Born is still around?
I wish that all those 60’s televised premieres would be made available on the DVD’s in their entirety. The only ones I know of are the ‘56 Star is Born and and the abridged newsreel of Grand Hotel.
Somebody somewhere on one of these pages said that Vistavision looked better at the Paramount than the Music Hall. But then the Hall only showed one movie in Vistavision though a number of its films were filmed in that process.
I wonder when the last time was when a film was shown in NY in true VistaVision whether first run or revival.
If only Ben Olevsky had written a long article or book!
Now if only they could digitally eliminate Richard Dreyfuss and put in a young Harrison Ford.
Ten Commandments was never shown in VistaVision. Not even on its original roadshow engagments.
With the upcoming early cinemascope coming to Loews at a 2.55 ratio the screen will be fairly small. Maybe almost half the size of a screen used for 1.85.
I saw it once at the Music Hall for a revival of Seven Brides and it was was amazing.
Definitely take the Path train from Herald Square to Jersey City. It is very easy and quick.The Loew’s Jersey is right across from the Path Station and if people are working there on a weekend afternoon(they usually are)they will be happy to show you the place.
It will take you about 3 hours total of your weekend.
The place is a classic barroco roccoco renaissance Italian French Spanish stunner. Absolutely not to be missed.
And I do believe God lives there(having moved over from the Roxy after its demolition.)
I believe the queue was for the ‘61 film if I’m not mistaken which would have been Babes in Toyland which started late in the month. I wonder why Flower Drum Song wasn’t the Christmas film that year. From what I’ve heard Babes is pretty bad.
In the 70’s I don’t remember the lines ever being that long. The longest I remember is it winding around 3 times.
Does anybody remember it filling up the plaza then going down to Fifth Av then going back up 51st St?
Bill I’m very curious about hit films like Mink and Odd Couple which played for months.As I have mentioned before I was told back in 76 by an old manager that Couple had as many people on the last day as on the first.
Were there continual lines for these films? Or did you just walk up to the box office buy a ticket and then go in? Was it crowded or were you able to sit where you wanted to quite easily?
I have this impression that from 68 and before when the Hall had a hit film you always had to wait on line and the theater was always crowded especially during the summer. Did you find this was the case?
By the 70’s the only time you had to wait on line was for the holiday show and that was only during the weekends and the holiday week. And even this only lasted until Mame in 74. A film that not only damaged Ball’s reputation but the Music Hall’s as well.