The caption of the color photo says “Gymnasts practicing on stage at Brooklyn’s Paramount Theater, now used as a gymnasium by Long Island University.” Since they are practicing IN FRONT of the proscenium, it’s the first time I’ve seen a stage on that side of the footlights. As WGH might say, even Life can make a mistake!
It took me a long time to spot the Palace (on the far left) because I never saw a parade march UP Broadway and my bearings were off; I guess when it was a still a two-way street, why not!
An excerpt from the NY Times review of “Unknown Island'” dated 1/8/49:
From the numbers of stolid young gentlemen who were shoving their muscular way into the Rialto Theatre yesterday, one might reasonably assume that there is considerable local interest in paleontology. For the lurid front of the theatre, where a film called “Unknown Island” went on view, displayed a quite fetching assortment of illustrations of prehistoric beasts. Various horrendous dinosauria and simian monsters were pictured there. And it was plain that the eager young gentlemen could not resist the appeal.
We regret, however, to inform you that the treatise which they saw within is not an entirely dependable scientific report. And we rather gathered from the comments of several who departed therefrom that their intellectual curiosity had not been completely gratified. For it must be frankly acknowledged that “Unknown Island” is a pretty flabby piece of fanciful movie-making in the “King Kong” and “Lost World” line.
It might be added that the film is in Cinecolor, dominated by a shade of sickly green.
movie534, your earlier response about an out-of-focus complaint reminded me of my main pet peeve: when a comment about focus is made, the projectionist shouldn’t just look at the screen and determine it’s in focus – he should go to the booth and re-focus the lens to make sure it’s as sharp as possible. I usually sit in the 10th row, and it looks different between the 10th row and the last row. The best way to focus is during the credits, when there is writing on the screen and there is less room for interpretation.
One thing that really irritates me is when I tell an usher that the picture is out of focus, he will invariably go into the theater and check for himself first. It takes every ounce of self-control for me NOT to say, listen, fuckwad, I’ve been going to the movies for 40 years and I know when it’s out of focus!
Not everyone was dangerous. Here’s an excerpt from a New York Times review dated Sept. 6, 1969:
“…intimations of mortality passed through my mind yesterday afternoon at the Rialto II where [Russ] Meyer’s newest film, ‘Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers,’ opened to a large and docile audience.”
(Does the Rialto II have its own listing here? I couldn’t find one.)
Excerpt from a New York Times review dated August 15, 1968:
“THE CONQUEROR WORM,” which opened yesterday at the New Amsterdam and other neighborhood theaters, stars Vincent Price, [who] has a good time as a materialistic witch-hunter and woman-disfigurer and dismemberer, and the audience at the dark, ornate New Amsterdam seemed to have a good time as well.
There are lines like, “Take three good men and ride into East Anglia,” through which a man behind me snored and a middle-aged couple next to him quarreled viciously, but people woke up for the action and particularly cheered when Price was hacked to death.
In the course of the movie, a thin streak of something soapy persisted. It must have been a watermark across the lens in the projection booth.
Excerpt from a New York Times review dated January 18, 1968:
“THE BIGGEST BUNDLE OF THEM ALL” …lasts 106 minutes, of which the last 15 are worth seeing if you are really intent on going to a movie.
The afternoon price of admission at the Selwyn Theater on 42d Street, where the film opened yesterday, is only 85 cents; and although the theater is perhaps not the best ventilated in New York and the audience is not the most reverent, the movie is worth the price of admission, as long as the first 91 minutes are skipped.
The sale of Bootleg videos is killing the movie theaters, especially in poorer neighborhoods. People think — why spend so much money for a night out at the movies when you can get the same move for $5. at the barber shop or beauty parlor or at your place of work…sellers even come into fast food restaurants with their canvas bags of bootleg dvds.
Even Tyler Perry is urging folks to come out to his movies on opening weekend, because he knows that on Monday morning “June Bug” will be selling the bootleg.
I won’t buy bootlegs because it is stealing — from the movie theaters, from the studios, but especially from the writers and producers and actors who all worked on the project but don’t see a dime from these underground sales.
The caption of the color photo says “Gymnasts practicing on stage at Brooklyn’s Paramount Theater, now used as a gymnasium by Long Island University.” Since they are practicing IN FRONT of the proscenium, it’s the first time I’ve seen a stage on that side of the footlights. As WGH might say, even Life can make a mistake!
It took me a long time to spot the Palace (on the far left) because I never saw a parade march UP Broadway and my bearings were off; I guess when it was a still a two-way street, why not!
Wrong Apollo page.
Glad to see they’ve added back the vertical “Paramount” sign.
The headline should probably say “re-signs” since “resigns” is the opposite of what is meant.
Advanced search feature doesn’t seem to be working; what is/was the Fulton Theater?
So? Wassup?
Here’s a separate link for a picture of the big TV screen inside the theater.
View link
Here’s a more direct link to the article about the Austin
View link
What drive-in was this?
Some entrepreneur could re-open this as a porno theater again; why not?
I can’t believe that I’ve been to London THREE TIMES but have never visited this theater. I must be a prize idiot.
Anyway, here is a nice article from the Daily Mail about the Royal premiere held here for the new James Bond movie Quantum of Solace.
View link
Liza’s at the Palace. December 3 thru 14th.
An excerpt from the NY Times review of “Unknown Island'” dated 1/8/49:
From the numbers of stolid young gentlemen who were shoving their muscular way into the Rialto Theatre yesterday, one might reasonably assume that there is considerable local interest in paleontology. For the lurid front of the theatre, where a film called “Unknown Island” went on view, displayed a quite fetching assortment of illustrations of prehistoric beasts. Various horrendous dinosauria and simian monsters were pictured there. And it was plain that the eager young gentlemen could not resist the appeal.
We regret, however, to inform you that the treatise which they saw within is not an entirely dependable scientific report. And we rather gathered from the comments of several who departed therefrom that their intellectual curiosity had not been completely gratified. For it must be frankly acknowledged that “Unknown Island” is a pretty flabby piece of fanciful movie-making in the “King Kong” and “Lost World” line.
It might be added that the film is in Cinecolor, dominated by a shade of sickly green.
Kee-rist.
Wake me up when they re-open this theatre, or at least post some photos.
There’s a place in Suffern, NY, I believe…
movie534, your earlier response about an out-of-focus complaint reminded me of my main pet peeve: when a comment about focus is made, the projectionist shouldn’t just look at the screen and determine it’s in focus – he should go to the booth and re-focus the lens to make sure it’s as sharp as possible. I usually sit in the 10th row, and it looks different between the 10th row and the last row. The best way to focus is during the credits, when there is writing on the screen and there is less room for interpretation.
One thing that really irritates me is when I tell an usher that the picture is out of focus, he will invariably go into the theater and check for himself first. It takes every ounce of self-control for me NOT to say, listen, fuckwad, I’ve been going to the movies for 40 years and I know when it’s out of focus!
The Ziegfeld has been a big part of this year’s New York Film Festival, which is why its listings haven’t been available in the usual places.
The Godfather movies will be screened for one week from 10/17 to 10/23 but I don’t know the schedules.
I’d rather see these epic stories on the big screen at the Ziegfeld than at Film Forum’s more —ahem — modest ones.
Link: View link
I look forward to seeing The Godfather I and II (new director’s cut or something) when they open here shortly for a special engagement.
Not everyone was dangerous. Here’s an excerpt from a New York Times review dated Sept. 6, 1969:
“…intimations of mortality passed through my mind yesterday afternoon at the Rialto II where [Russ] Meyer’s newest film, ‘Finders Keepers, Lovers Weepers,’ opened to a large and docile audience.”
(Does the Rialto II have its own listing here? I couldn’t find one.)
Excerpt from a New York Times review dated August 15, 1968:
“THE CONQUEROR WORM,” which opened yesterday at the New Amsterdam and other neighborhood theaters, stars Vincent Price, [who] has a good time as a materialistic witch-hunter and woman-disfigurer and dismemberer, and the audience at the dark, ornate New Amsterdam seemed to have a good time as well.
There are lines like, “Take three good men and ride into East Anglia,” through which a man behind me snored and a middle-aged couple next to him quarreled viciously, but people woke up for the action and particularly cheered when Price was hacked to death.
In the course of the movie, a thin streak of something soapy persisted. It must have been a watermark across the lens in the projection booth.
Excerpt from a New York Times review dated January 18, 1968:
“THE BIGGEST BUNDLE OF THEM ALL” …lasts 106 minutes, of which the last 15 are worth seeing if you are really intent on going to a movie.
The afternoon price of admission at the Selwyn Theater on 42d Street, where the film opened yesterday, is only 85 cents; and although the theater is perhaps not the best ventilated in New York and the audience is not the most reverent, the movie is worth the price of admission, as long as the first 91 minutes are skipped.
CPA Eric = Elwood Cinema owner
What a shot of the Fox marquee. Thanks for that. And it’s the Con Ed building on that site with a bank on the ground floor; no parking lot.
The sale of Bootleg videos is killing the movie theaters, especially in poorer neighborhoods. People think — why spend so much money for a night out at the movies when you can get the same move for $5. at the barber shop or beauty parlor or at your place of work…sellers even come into fast food restaurants with their canvas bags of bootleg dvds.
Even Tyler Perry is urging folks to come out to his movies on opening weekend, because he knows that on Monday morning “June Bug” will be selling the bootleg.
I won’t buy bootlegs because it is stealing — from the movie theaters, from the studios, but especially from the writers and producers and actors who all worked on the project but don’t see a dime from these underground sales.