Comments from Vito

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Vito
Vito commented about Waikiki 3 on Feb 17, 2005 at 7:38 pm

From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin

A Los Angeles developer said it is ready to begin its $10 million retail remake of the Waikiki 3 Theatre site on Kalakaua Avenue.

Robertson Properties Group will begin razing the popular Waikiki landmark in the next few weeks to make way for a 30,000-square-foot shopping center dubbed the Center of Waikiki.

The two-story complex will include a 6,300-square-foot Whaler’s Market, a 5,500-square Foot Locker athletic-wear outlet and a 7,000-square-foot California Pizza Kitchen.

“This is a premier location in the heart of the Waikiki shopping and entertainment district,” said Greg Swedelson, vice president for Robertson Properties Group. “It has an unparalleled customer base, with foot traffic on Kalakaua exceeding 25,000 people per day.”

Robertson Properties is the land development division of Los Angeles-based Pacific Theatres. Pacific Theatres is the parent of Consolidated Theatres, which owns the Waikiki property.

The Waikiki 3 evolved from the original Waikiki Theatre, built in 1936 during Hollywood’s golden age. The original theater gained fame for its white-palace decor, wide staircases and carp ponds. It also was well known for its cinema organ, which piped in live preshow and intermission music for moviegoers.

Karen Diehl, a spokeswoman for Robertson Properties, said that the center will retain its popular Waikiki Theatres sign. The sign will be taken down and refurbished during the construction and will be returned to the site when the project is completed in spring 2006.

Vito
Vito commented about Waikiki 3 on Feb 17, 2005 at 12:33 pm

Patsy, thanks for the kind words. #3 had a small room attached to the main projection booth where I could sit and listen to the crowd react with laughter when the movie was funny, and screams when it was frightning. It was a lonely job up there all alone, but it sure had it’s rewards as well

Vito
Vito commented about Waikiki 3 on Feb 16, 2005 at 12:17 pm

I Worked as a projectionist at all three Waikiki theatres, but #3 was the most enjoyable. I loved showing movies there to the huge saturday night crowds, with John at the organ during intermission.
Goodbye #3

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Feb 14, 2005 at 11:24 am

Jim has just thrown a glass of ice cold water in our face to awaken us to the truth. Many of us know what Jim says is true but just did not want to admit it to ourselves. If we are to have RCMH at all it must be run just the way it is. It’s all about the profit.
well….. I’m depressed as hell.

Vito
Vito commented about Loew's Jersey Theatre on Feb 13, 2005 at 12:10 pm

Mitchell, which sound formats will be used for “Ben Hur” and “GWTW?

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Feb 12, 2005 at 12:28 pm

REndres,Thanks for the education regarding video, I understand the advantages now. However, I am an old man who hates change and will always be a film guy. Humbug to digital projection. It is comforting to know that all five projectors are still alive and well and being used. By the way I also heard about the days when two prints were run interlocked, in the event of a problem, to ensure a break free presentation.

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Feb 10, 2005 at 1:12 pm

REndres, You certainly answered my question. thanks very much. I was sad to hear they used digital projection and can’t help wonder why.
It seems mad to me to run two digital projectors instead of simply running film (the way God intended). Even for “The Sopranos”, isn’t that shot on film? so why not show it on 35mm?
Seriously, what is the advantage to what they did?
I remember a Techicolor tech telling me they could never run digital projection at RCMH because of the long throw and light needs, well I guess they found a way, and I guess a server would work better than tape. I remember when those surrounds went up, if I recall, Ray Dolby himself was involved in the Lion King job, always thought there were too many surrounds, have they removed some of them?
As for platters, last time I was in the booth I did not see any and was happy about that, for heavens sake with four projectors and two 306 projectionists in the booth masking changeovers what the heck do they need with a platter. By the way, let me say how wonderfull it is to have you aboard with so much projection knowledge. It was a void that needed desperatly to be filled and I appreciate very much your imput here. I never had the pleasure of working with Ben Olevsky but he was of course a legend in his time, any good stories there?

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Feb 9, 2005 at 11:51 am

I wondered about the 3-D projection at the Christmas show, thanks for that info. REndres, how are they running movies today? I know a platter was installed for “Lion King” in order to show it in 70mm with a 35mm interlocked Dolby digital soundtrack. Is the platter still in use or do they show films (Harry Potter, etc)on 2000k or 6000k reel to reel?

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Feb 8, 2005 at 11:51 am

Also, which years did you work the booth?

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Feb 8, 2005 at 11:44 am

REndres, Nice to hear fom you, as a projectionist for many many years I always wondered about any projection horror storys at RCMH. Would you share any? I can still hear the guys in thr booth calling out the changeover cues.

Vito
Vito commented about Criterion Theatre on Feb 3, 2005 at 12:40 pm

Bob, thanks for that information. I knew Warnerphonic sound was not a mag track on the print, as was the case starting with “The Robe”, but I did not remember how it was presented. Since the Paramount had four projectors, I wonder if they ran 6000 ft reels with an intermission, or ran the entire movie all the way through by making a change-over. I wish I had a chance to run a movie in that format. It was exciting enough interlocking left eye, right eye 3-D prints, to add a sound dubber to the mix must have been fun, similar in some ways to running Cinerama.

Vito
Vito commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Feb 3, 2005 at 12:18 pm

As a teen I worked at the local movie palace as an usher. One of my jobs was to “pull the curtain”. Just before the 1:00 matinee I would go up the stairs and go backstage, the audience, mostly kids, knew then that the show was about to start and went wild with applause. The projectionist would then buzz me to open the curtain.
Ahh, to once again open that curtain and hear those cheers.

Vito
Vito commented about Criterion Theatre on Feb 2, 2005 at 12:11 pm

William, I don’t recall any 4-track VistaVision prints, only mono or Perspecta, can you site any examples?. In my memory, the only time the Paramount had stereo sound was “House Of Wax” in 3-D and later Cinemascope prints. Some flat 1:85:1 prints like “Glenn Miller Story” and “From here to Eternity”, which did not play the Paramount, were also 4-track mag.
TJ, the sad truth is aspect ratios are being multilated in todays movie boxes. In my day, we fit the projectors with lenses properly sized to project the exact ratio ratio with the aperature plates perfectly. It was important that the image on the screen be exactally what the director had intended. The film makers spend months, if not years, carefully constructing a movie, every frame is a portrait of the directors vision. Upon completion, the finished product is handed over to the projectionist who’s job it is to present the film as it was intended to be seen. We have an obligation as projectionists and theatre owner to respect the directors hard work and make absolutly sure the film is presented scratch and dirt free, with the proper lens and aspect ratio, in sharp focus with proper light temperature. I am not so sure people running the movie theatres today give a damm about that anymore.

Vito
Vito commented about Criterion Theatre on Feb 1, 2005 at 12:42 pm

Warren, you are quite correct, only RCMH and The Paramount installed VistaVision projection. Allow me to share a few articles regarding both VistaVision and Perspecta sound.
Perspecta sound was an optical sound system that created an ersatz stereophonic effect from a monophonic soundtrack. This system was initially promoted by Paramount Pictures Corp. in conjunction with its VistaVision photographic process. While it is often stated that the compatibility of the Perspecta system benefitted exhibitors because it was less costly than a magnetic sound system, the actual equipment and installation costs were not substantially different. With the exhibitor the primary cost savings would lie in not installing auditorium speakers since Perspecta sound was limited to directional information in the stage channels only. In fact, Perspecta would be attractive primarily to theatres that had already installed a full magnetic system. Cost savings were very real to producers and distributors since it was not necessary to have magnetic stripes added to final prints. At the time Perspecta was initially introduced, the compatible magoptical soundtrack had not yet been developed. While Perspecta “stereo” sound may have been able to provide effective directional effects, it was not able to equal the frequency response, dynamic range, and improved signal to noise characteristics of magnetic systems since it utilized the optical recording standards created two decades before. It was able to generate an increase in dynamic range through amplification of the soundtrack. Perspecta sound system was used extensively by Paramount and M-G-M, with a few Warner Bros and Universal films also mixed in the system. Perspecta sound was introduced in 1954 and the last films made in the process were released in 1957.

As for VistaVision, Paramount Pictures promoted the 1.66:1 aspect ratio as THE ideal shape for movies. But when VistaVision came into being they quickly changed their tune and strongly supported a ratio of 1.85:1. Their framing guide, which shows up twice at the top left hand corner at the start of every reel, made provision for showing films at 1.66:1, 1.85:1 and 2:1. For struggling theatres Paramount felt that they could use 1.66:1 and not need to spend a huge amount of money installing a new screen and having major achitectural changes to their prosceniums. For theatres that had put in big screens for CinemaScope, Paramount felt that the Technicolor print could hold up to being cropped to an aspect ratio of 2:1, though it was not a recommendation. It was good old 1.85:1, the same shape that the other studios were quickly adopting for their cropped wide screen films that Paramount recommended for VistaVision. And compared to your run of the mill cropped wide screen image, VistaVision just blew them away.
A final personel note, the VistaVision at the Paramount was far superior to that of RCMH.

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Jan 28, 2005 at 12:15 pm

I say kill the Christmas show next year, it’s time to put it out of it’s misery. Let us have a big December release movie and a new holiday theme stage show, with the Rockettes, produced by someone who has the vision to start a new tradition. I want the steam curtain, the stage curtain going up and down through out the show, and the orchestra to come up from the pit roll to the rear of the great stage. What else do we want?

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Jan 26, 2005 at 12:19 pm

Oh Eric, what an interesring idea, I think Mel Brooks would love to see that happen. Perhaps we should write him about it. Of course it could not be exclusive, too much money to be made in a wide Christmas release. I like your wishful thinking, it would make a grand time for Christmas in New York.

Vito
Vito commented about Paramount Theatre on Jan 26, 2005 at 12:09 pm

Trump fired the Paramount? Sorry, I just had to write that.

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Jan 25, 2005 at 11:56 am

Thanks Bryan, It’s nice to know someone is out there watching over us as we stroll along memory lane thru your magnificent website.

Vito
Vito commented about Radio City Music Hall on Jan 24, 2005 at 5:45 pm

Yes Warren, it’s been bugging me as well.

Vito
Vito commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Jan 22, 2005 at 12:17 pm

I think we tend to put the Ziegfeld on a pedastal and worship her because sadly she is all we have left. In the good ole days she would have been just another movie house, and certainly not a movie palace. It sure feels good having Cinema Treasures and all of it’s contributors to remember and perhaps to dream about those golden days gone by.

Vito
Vito commented about Roxy Theatre on Jan 12, 2005 at 6:19 pm

You are so right Warren, Oz did indead play at the Capital with Judy Garland appearing opening night.

Vito
Vito commented about Syosset Theatre on Jan 12, 2005 at 1:03 pm

saps, those are two films filmed in 70mm or D-150, which is far better than the many blowups during the 60s and 70s. Glad you had the chance to experience that. Roger Ebert, bless him, is a big promoter of 70mm I think if it were up to him we would film just about everything that way.

Vito
Vito commented about Syosset Theatre on Jan 12, 2005 at 12:02 pm

le, sorry we never had a chnace to work together, it was as you said a geat place to work and see a movie. I am not sure bookings were the problem since the property owners wanted us out to develop the land. The rent would have been too much not substain a movie theatre.
As for 70mm, prints were scarce towards the end, but there was no better place on L.I to see them.
saps, I was disapointed in the experience you had with “GWTW”, I beg you please don’t blame the folks at the D-150, the 70mm prints of that movie were awful, it was a bad idea to blow it up to 70mm in the first place. The image was cropped, faded and not always sharp.
I hope you had a chance to return to see a proper 70mm print in all it’s glory at the D-150 and to experience it’s friendly, professional staff.

Vito
Vito commented about Syosset Theatre on Jan 11, 2005 at 12:50 pm

I guess you have to go to the website to play the clip

Vito
Vito commented about Syosset Theatre on Jan 11, 2005 at 12:49 pm

For those of you who never heard the intro to “This is Cinerama”

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