Baronet and Coronet Theatre
993 3rd Avenue,
New York,
NY
10022
993 3rd Avenue,
New York,
NY
10022
17 people
favorited this theater
Showing 126 - 150 of 192 comments
My mistake… I meant “Inside Moves” not “Night Moves”.
The following week, “Tess” was replaced by this Richard Donner film at the Baronet:
Night Moves
Meanwhile… a bit of schmaltz (but with the presence of Jack Lemmon lending some class) began its exclusive engagement at the Coronet:
Tribute News 12/14/80
Oddly, according to that ad, the film was starting its engagement on a Sunday! By the way, director Bob Clark would go on to make the wildly popular and lewd pair of “Porky’s” films right after this one. Quite a change in direction, eh?
Persona-non-grata Roman Polanski directed his lover at the time – the stunning Nastassja Kinski – in this adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel which opened here for a limited Acadamy Award qualifying run on December 12, 1980:
Tess one-week
I saw this beautiful film after it opened wide early the next year at Century’s Green Acres Theater in Valley Stream.
Summer of ‘73 saw “Paper Moon” there, this was a big deal as we lived in Queens and it was the first time myself (9 years old) and my sister (7 yrs) had been to the city at night and took the elevated subway line at night.
Summer of ‘73 saw “Paper Moon” there, this was a big deal as we lived in Queens and it was the first time myself (9 years old) and my sister (7 yrs) had been to the city at night and took the elevated subway line at night.
I recently drove by the site where I thought the Baronet/Coronet would still be, only to find the theater destroyed. I too worked there in the 80’s working my way through school. This sad discovery brought up fond memories of working in this theater. People like Craig D., Dan C., Larry D., Erma D., Cookie, Sylvester and “Nacho” to name a few. Reading some of these posts reminded me of guys like John G. a really nice guy.
Bill Melendez, I do remember you well. Working with you was a lot of fun. You taught me some really interesting tricks.
What can I say…a great place that existed in our past.
One of the last regular engagements in the upstairs theatre was “3000 Miles to Graceland”. You could tell that the theatre was going to close soon, by the general maintenace of the entire theatre. But the one thing they did right was during the last week of operation. They played a weeks worth of films that had opened at the theatre. Not like what they should of done over at the Astor Plaza when it closed.
The Coronet was never twinned. The Coronet and Baronet were renamed Coronet I and II at least several years before the theaters were closed and demolished. I don’t recall if Coronet I was the former Coronet and Coronet II the former Baronet or vice-versa.
The very last flick I took in here was “Nuns on the Run” in 1990. Also saw “Outrageous Fortune” here, and “Die Hard,” “Broadcast News,” “Hook,” and I think “Stand By Me.” Also saw “Testament” starring Jane Alexander (1983) but now not sure if it was here at the Baronet/Coronet or at the theaters next door closer to 61st.
Saw many other films here over the years. The closing took place right after September 11…I remember walking by and seeing a poster advertising the last few movies (re-releases) to play there before the closing, I think “Forrest Gump” was the final movei ever shown on these screens. After 1990 the façade got very run down and I never went back after “Nuns on the Run.”
The more I reflect on it, the more I convince myself that the baronet was entirely distinct from the Coronot I and II, and that, as Warren implied above on 2 March 2004, the Coronet—a theater distinct from the Baronet—had itself been twinned into the Coronet I and II. In this case, the Baronet then had an an independent identity and ought to be listed on CinemaTreasures as a separate theater, no?
Here’s a Showbill from the Baronet for June, 1961:
View link
View link
The film was highly touted and it gave us a view of London that encompassed much more than Tower Bridge and Whitehall, so familiar from other films of the time. How young Albert Finney appeared!
The Baronet struck me as one of the first of the box-like theaters we now find at malls: long and narrow, with drape-covered sides, and, for its time, no particular flair for theatrical presentation. If you think of Bloomingdale’s (and, later, Alexander’s) across the street, you get the idea of how the neighborhood seemed sort of mall-ish. Admittedly high class, but mall-ish nonetheless. As Warren points out in his post for 2 March 2004 above, the Baronet was remodeled (in the early ‘50s) upon an older theater that had stood upon that site for decades. The Coronet I and II (opened in the early ‘60s) were plusher and more comfortable.
Films I recall seeing at the Baronet include René Clément’s “Gervaise†with Maria Schell, Jacques Tati’s “Mon Oncle,†and a subsequent revival of “M. Hulot’s Holiday.†Or so I think: the theater never inspired me with enough energy to check the facts in the archives. Some day I’ll get around to doing that.
I used to be an usher/doorman for the Baronet/Coronet in the late 1970s to early 80s. It was the best job I ever had for my late teens/early 20s. I remember opening the door for Jackie Onasis or showing where the restroom was for Meatloaf,and selling a candy bar to Reggie Jackson. I also recall the time I was fired by a asst manager named Jim for coming in 5 min late, just to get a call from the best manager at the time Craig Dougherty. He told me Jim was having a bad day so come back to work. I once stayed till 3am painting the floor of the Coronet (color blue) with 3 other guys and Craig Dougherty stayed up with us eating pizza and telling jokes untill 6am. Remember that Craig? I had a great time from seeing stars to just working with the boss and employees. A special hello to Craig,Rick,John Garcia,Harry,Randy, and Joe. May those memories never fade. God bless you guys. Bill email-
Here’s a photo I took back in the 70’s/ Brian DePalma’s Obsession was playing at both theaters.
View link
The then-Baronet and Coronet suffered a minor fire on or around July 28, 1995 (its offering at the time was or was to have been ‘Waterworld’, which was booked in both auditoriums, but was instead moved to the First & 62nd Street Cinemas), reopening that August 11th with one of its two offerings being the Michelle Pfeiffer flick ‘Dangerous Minds.’
The address should be
http://web.infoave.net/~dennmac/review2.html
(it has a tilde, not a hyphen, before “dennmac”)
Sorry about the above address. This should work.
http://web.infoave.net/~dennmac/review2.html
Going to the movies on the east side was always a great experience and you never know who you would run into. One of the many films I saw at the Coronet was Martin Ritt’s film about the blacklist, “The Front”. When the film was over and the crowd began slowly filing out I found myself standing next John Lennon and Yoko. Growing up in the 60’s, and like many others, a fan of The Beatles this was a great thrill. I refained from saying hello, however in my mind I kept screaming to myself “It’s John Lennon! John Lennon!” I managed to stay near them until we left the theater where we went our separate ways. They to Bloomingdale’s and me to Doubledays on 5th and 57th.
Also, there is a photo of the Coronet and Baronet along with a good article on the The Graduate at the following web address. Http://web.infoave.net/-dennmac/review2.html
The Coronet was showing The Graduate and the Baronet had The Comedians
If the address above does not work do a google on Hollis Alpert and The Graduate.
Saw ‘The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea’ and ‘Breaking Away’ here.
At the Coronet in March of 1969 I saw the uncut, 6-hour, original Russian version of Sergei Bondarchuk’s War and Peace…on two separate days for parts I and II, somewhat like the presentation of this year’s release of the Italian 6-hour The Best of Youth. War and Peace had previously been shown in Mahattan, I believe, in a 3-hour English-dubbed version.
On 11/11/62 Walter Reade took 3 pages of ads in the times to announce the new Baronet and Coronet were about to open.
Well, CConnolly, the tastes of others, when they differ from one’s own, are usally the Last Frontier, inconceivable to cross, perhaps even to approach.
But I think the topic of porn palaces and their desirabilty (or “deirability”) has been exhausted, in this spot, at any rate. You won’t hear another peep from me on the subject.
I think.
AEB
Hah, good shot Vincent. And good point. One of my first experiences of a non-mass-marketed film was “The Ipcress File” in late summer of 1965, at the Baronet or Coronet. The place was sleek and clean and had great sound, unlike my local Queens theaters. As a movie-crazy 14-year old, “Ipcress” blew me away to the point that I stayed to see it three times in a row. I left the theater shivering with cold (it was VERY well air-conditioned) and delirious with movie-going joy. I was an East-side fan for the next 10 years — until I left NYC. A sad farewell to these wonderful places.
I’m sorry this is off topic but the Coronet, the original, was one of my favorite art houses. It was along with the Beekman maybe one of the two best in terms of a comfortable pleasant auditorium and nice screen size. Why are people only now realizing the loss to the upper East Side and to New York as a whole?
AEB, uh, gee…uh…thanks for your…input.
Sorry to hear that you miss these places. But your description of them, however adept and insightful, does not do too much to endear them in my consciousness.