New Amsterdam Theatre
214 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY
10036
214 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY
10036
19 people
favorited this theater
Showing 126 - 150 of 277 comments found
As a cinema, the New Amsterdam was rarely advertised on its own, but here’s an exception from February, 1947. The booking was a 20th-Fox reissue coupled with a recent British import starring the increasingly popular James Mason. Performances were continuous from 8AM to 2AM: View link
The Laffmovie was originally known as the Eltinge and later as the Empire. Circa 1942-43, the Gaiety Theatre, at 46th and Broadway, was also called Laffmovie until being re-named Victoria. Advertising called it the Broadway Laffmovie to differentiate from the one on 42nd Street.
Hmm. I thought the Laff became the Anco. The website says it became the Empire.
Great page! There are some errors though, one of which says that “the only thing that remains of the Eltinge (Empire AMC25) is the exterior”. That is not correct, the interior auditorium survives as the lobby for the multiplex.
Many current views of the area can be found in a new article, “Old 42—More Remains of the Deuce.” at this website: View link
The New Amsterdam and other 42nd Street theatres can be seen in the left and right backgrounds of this 1981 photo published in yesterday’s New York Times:
View link
I know there’s some resentment of the Disneyfication of Times Square, but in truth, we owe thanks for the restorative rescue of this theater.
Accuracy isn’t important according to you, so 2004 is good enough!
Can’t you be more specific than just the year? Sign for “Aida” says “Last Summer To See.” That Disney musical closed at the Palace on September 5, 2004. The time of day of the photo is also shown on the New Amsterdam clock.
The year given for this photo is 2004.
Night view showing the New Amsterdam and New Victory, 1/23/08
The Beacon is suppossed to be getting at least a $10MM renovation from Cablevision. I haven’t been to the Beacon lately, so I don’t know if that has been done, or more importantly, if it was enough.
Terrific photos of the interior. Too bad that the Beacon has not received the sprucing-up that it deserves.
Ken Roe’s 2006 photos of interior of this grand Art Nouveau theater:
View link
The introduction needs updating. “The Lion King” didn’t play here forever. The show moved to another theatre and was replaced by the still current “Mary Poppins.”
I believe that the New Amsterdam conducts guided tours at certain times of the week. Check its website for details…Ditto for Radio City Music Hall.
I will be in NYC Jan 2-4, 2008. Any possiblility of a tour of this theatre or any others.
Thanks Jeffery Walker
Wow! Little things like that are so brilliant. Thanks. Thats Times Sq when it was Times Sq!!!
Here’s a fleeting glimpse of the New Amesterdam’s marquee from 1970. I captured this image from a video clip I found on YouTube (part of an A&E documentary on Times Square). Looks like the Richard Harris western “A Man Called Horse” was the attraction that evening.
In the movie “CRAZY LOVE”, there is a scene of 42nd street and 7th avenue- looking west- from the early 1970s. You can see the New Amsterdam theatre on the left; across the street is a marquee with the title “ALL ABOUT SEX OF ALL NATIONS”. I’m guessing this is the Rialto theatre. This is all the information I could get, since the scene lasts only 2 or 3 seconds (about 1 hour into the film). When the movie comes out on DVD, one can study the scene and surely get more details. Not a bad movie,either…
When the New Amsterdam was restored, it was decided to retain the cinema marquee and vertical sign in honor of the theatre’s long association with movies. The illuminated cover sheets are consistent with the marquee displays used by most, if not all, of the midtown “legit” houses. The New Amsterdam marquee stands out more garishly than most because of the width of 42nd Street and its proximity t
o what is still known as “The Crossroads of the World.”
I get what your saying but i guess its just the way advertising is going these days. On the other hand both shows get massive media coverage on taxies, tubes, metros, press -everywhere you look people are reminder that ‘Mary Poppins’ is at the New Amsterdam. What a shame that when they get there they dont see how magnificent the theatre is outside.
Prime advertising space that gets seen world wide.
Whatever you call it the front of the New Amsterdam has never looked so bad with the god awful paint sheets for The Lion King and now the even worse Mary Poppins! Everyone knows whats playing there why cant traditional marqees be used
Warren has a fair point. The function “stage shows” here on CT currently applies to listings that are currently devoted to legitimate theater, such as the Broadway and Winter Garden Theaters, as well as listings that serve a variety of live events, such as Radio City Music Hall. While it may not be the most pressing of issues, in the interests of accuracy, a new function for, say, “playhouse” might might be created and applied to theaters like the Broadway and Winter Garden, while “concerts/live events” might be assigned to venues such as RCMH, or New York’s Beacon and Paradise Theaters. “Stage shows” might reasonably be abandoned as a function, if only because – as Warren indicated – that phrase already has its own specific definition in relation to the history of cinematic presentation.
Seems to me that this might be part of some larger project to be undertaken by the editors of this site, with careful consideration given to how categories of “function” should be organized. For instance, what to do regarding a venue like the former Loew’s 175th Street – which currently functions as a church yet is now starting to see a number of bookings for rock concerts? A distinction should probably be made between a theater such as the Loew’s 175th and one like, say, the former Loew’s Metropolitan in Brooklyn which is exclusively used for religious services.