Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
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Gary please see to it that they present the picture properly
At the sound of the first whistle the house lights should begin to dim and then the curtain opens with the first beat of the music over the imaged overture.
Some prefer to open the curtain(s) at the first whistle to a blank screen but I ran the picture several times, once as a roadshow for just over six months, and can tell you the effect is far better with closed curtain.
Try it I think you will like it.
Hi Everyone:
My introduction to “West Side Story” has been moved to the following day, Saturday, February 13 at 4:30 PM.
HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
(AND WALK TALL—WE ALWAYS WALK TALL…….)
Best,
Gary
Excellent pictures, David. Thanks. I was looking for myself in them since I was one of those opening day first-show patrons, but no luck. I’ll never forget the sight of those protestors advancing toward the Ziegfeld from 6th Ave. and 54th carrying all those signs, and seeing the cops stationed at either side of the screen. It was all a little scary, but the movie was great and absolutely worth it.
I have uploaded some pictures I took of the demonstration outside the Ziegfeld on the day “Last Temptation of Christ” opened in August 1988.
View link
Cheers,
David Morgan, “Wide Angle/Closeup: Conversations With Filmmakers”
Hello Everyone:
The Ziegfeldman (that’s me) is returning to introduce the evening performance of West Side Story on Friday Feb. 12. I recently saw (last August) a print at Lincoln Center, which looked fabulous and Eliot Feld ( Baby John ) was there to tell some cool stories.
SO BUDDY BOYS, WE’RE GOING TO DO GOOD.
HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE!!!!
Best,
Gary
The Clearview site now includes “Funny Girl.” BTW, a restored print of “Funny Girl” was shown at the Ziegfeld in September 2001—-I think the engagement was to help promote the imminent DVD release. I attended a screening on the weekend before 9/11. The 35MM print looked terrific, and the Ziegfeld gave it the full roadshow treatment (overture, intermission including entracte music, etc.). Surprising that Clearview decided to book “Funny Girl” again, as I don’t think that the brief reissue in 2001 attracted much of an audience.
The Clearview website is announcing West Side Story (no shows on the 17th), but there’s nothing yet about Funny Girl.
View link
Separate admissions?
There has always been 70MM prints of West Side Story available. Funny Girl has only been available in 35mm with the digital sound formats now.
I’ve read about a fairly new 70mm print of WSS circulating, but Funny Girl? On the 40th anniversary in 2008, they played a new print at DC’s Uptown but it wasn’t 70mm. MPol, are you listening? :D
In 70MM would really be a dream come true.
Thanks Craig! There’s nothing like “West Side Story” at the Ziegfeld.
If you’re out there, MPol, this is your dream come true.
Hi,
Just wanted to let everyone know that we will be presenting a special engagement of WEST SIDE STORY and FUNNY GIRL at The Ziegfeld for one week only – Friday, February 12th – Thursday, February 18th.
Tickets should be on sale by this Friday, Jan. 29th.
As always, you guys are the first to know!
Many thanks
Craig O'Connor
Clearview Cinemas
Haven’t seen too many films at the Zigfield, especially since I had Lowe’s Orpheum 1 on 86 St. as my regular go to for “big” movies. I viewed Dracula (79), Raiders of the Lost Ark (82 re-release), and Phantom Menace there and enjoyed seeing those movies at the Zigfield, particularly Dracula which fit the feel of the theater very nicely.
Theater is closed until “shutter island.” “Alice in Wonderland” is next.
Saw “Nine” last Saturday night at the 9:45 show. Flawless digital projection and, as always, incredible sound.
However, I counted less than 150 people in the theater… hard to make the house nut when you have booked a bomb.
Bart
Almost since inception the Ziegfeld has closed for weeks and sometimes months at a time between bookings or for private screenings.
I think the Ziegfeld Theater is closing. I called them and the lady on the phone said that they’re closed until further notice. When I asked if they’re under construction she just said “no” and didn’t want to elaborate. Nine might have been the last movie playing there. I saw it listed there just last week.
Forgive me for going slightly off topic (visited and savored the Ziegfeld for “Ironman” on a past trip to The City), but since we have some projectionists in the room, a question:
Do digital projectors have settings to adjust the image (and especially titles/text/subtitles) to a particular screen’s curvature? Muvico Pompano (Pompano Beach FL) installed Sony 4K digital projectors in all 18 auditoriums, and any time there’s horizontal text it lines up straight across, not following the curve.
A minor nuisance, yes, but it the industry succeeds in making digital projection the norm this new decade, it would help with aesthetics.
Yes, DREAMGIRLS opened here and the Ziegfeld was built in 1969, before disability laws came into being.
Vietnam veteran Ron Kovic famously handcuffed himself to the front door in protest after his film, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY opened its exclusive run at this inaccessible theatre in 1989.
“NINE” is based on Fellini’s “8 ½”, the story of a writer/director having an emotional breakdown just before starting to film a movie for which he has failed to write a screenplay. The fact that it lacks a plot, or even a part for his star (Nicole Kidman), IS the whole point of the movie.
We visited the Ziegfeld yesterday. It was a pleasure to visit a theatre with a big screen, not a multiplex. They still know how to show a film. Didn’t a curtain use to rise at the start of the film or am I imagining things? Does anybody recall if “Dreamgirls” was shown here? The sound was terrific unfortunately the story of “Nine” was weak. Our only complaint is that there is no elevator. We have problems walking on steps and lose our balance on escalators. We had no choice but to climb up and down steep stairs twice. I thought there was a law that theatres had to be accessible to handicapped or those with disabilities.
We are playing NINE—-IN DTS 7.0—SOUNDS LIKE YOUR IN THE PIT ON BROADWAY!
Thanks, Gary, for your reminiscence. You made me realize that the Ziegfeld is 40 years old this month. I’d forgotten all about that.
Christmas season 1969, I went with my father and brother to see the first film at the Ziegfeld, “Marooned,” which was playing reserve-seat. I remember really enjoying the size of the theater and the great sound system. Since that time I’ve seen several films there: “Earthquake” in sensurround, Langella in “Dracula” and the remastered “Lawrence of Arabia.” In May 2008, right before the release of “Iron Man,” they started showing some old Bond films at the Ziegfeld. I went one afternoon to see “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” I remember that the audience was almost exclusively male. I also remember being very disappointed in the sound. The theater was still very nice but just seemed a little-bit run-down. But then again, perhaps I was just imagining it. It still was massively large and I hope it remains a single theater, just the way it was when I was there for the first time in December 1969.
For God’s sake – this is a SINGLE SCREEN THEATER! There is NO EXCUSE. NONE AT ALL. For sloppy presentation.
I saw NINE here on Christmas Eve – only because there was nowhere else to see it. Sure enough – it wasn’t really loud enough. NO EXCUSE. TURN THE VOLUME UP FOR THE FEATURE. SOMEONE is getting paid to run the digital projector – SIT ON THE FADER IF YOU’RE TOO LAZY TO PROGRAM THE COMPUTER. Lower the volume for the trailers if needed, but really – play the movie AT SHOW LEVEL. IT IS A SINGLE SCREEN THEATER.
THERE IS NO EXCUSE.
No one cares.
I’m only guessing here, and I have only been running digital for about 8 months, but on our projectors, if someone pushes the wrong format button at the start of the day,it will project the image in that format, while looking normal. By that I mean a scope movie will look normal in the flat format, but you will have the projected side masking on the image, in other words, your not seeing the entire frame. I expeirienced this with the disney movie “up”. This is what could have happened here.