Cablevision couldn’t fail to see how popular an event like the annual TCM Road to Hollywood has been at the Ziegfeld. Every seat gets filled. Granted, those shows are free, but I for one would’ve gladly paid for it and I think everyone else would too. Hold more events like that, and the Ziegfeld will have a fighting chance for survival.
The picture of the screen in the article is from the early years. It doesn’t look 62 feet wide in that photo, but I watched “2001” from the front row of that theater and the screen was definitely not small.
This New York Daily News review from April 4, 1968 taught me a great lesson at the age of 13: movie critics' opinions are no more valid than my own. I’d have to see the movie for myself. About two months later, I did, and it’s still my all-time favorite. But I have to admit I was seriously hoping for a 4-star review in the Daily News that day.
232 weeks at the Dominion in London – could that be an all-time longest run for any movie, anywhere? Wonder how many 70mm prints they used up in all that time.
This letter to the Times was written by the future producer of “Airplane!” and “Robocop”. He blames MGM for the shortening of “2001” and the addition of the title cards, but all those decisions were made by Kubrick.
Talk about a spoiler alert. This article in the 4/28/68 NY Times supposedly quotes Stanley Kubrick as he gives away the entire ending of “2001”, explaining it for those in the audience who found it hard to understand. Hard to believe he would do that.
Reserved seat engagements were so common in 1968 that here’s an advance order form for a movie before its theater had even been booked. It wound up being the opening attraction at Loew’s State 2.
Reserved seat engagements were so common in 1968 that here’s an advance order form for a movie before its theater had even been booked. It wound up being the opening attraction at Loew’s State 2.
April 28, 1968 ad for War and Peace at the DeMille. Loge seats were $7.50, surely a record high price at the time, but it was for a two-part, 6 ½ hour movie.
April 28, 1968 ad for War and Peace at the DeMille. Loge seats were $7.50, surely a record high price at the time, but it was for a two-part, 6 ½ hour movie.
I think I have an ad for the 1968 roadshow of War and Peace at the DeMille. I’ll look for it tonight and we’ll see how much they charged for the divans.
I’d never heard of it either. In fact, back in 1968 I had no idea what kind of seats we were going to be in. I always thought a divan was a couch or something.
Saps: It was the greatest moviegoing experience of my life, before or since. I don’t think anything will ever come along to top it.
Luis: My dad and I sat in the Divans. As far as I could figure out, it was the front row of the upstairs section, with the front mezzanine right behind. At intermission we both wanted to move down to the front row downstairs, but with all the assigned seating, ushers, etc., we figured we wouldn’t be able to. Maybe we should’ve tried anyway, but it was still an overwhelming show from the Divans.
Now that I think of it, my only New York roadshow was most likely a three-a-day: “2001” at the Capitol, 6/15/1968. We went to the 1:30 PM show. There were probably two more, at 5 and 8:30.
Luis is right about Dreamgirls being a great moviegoing experience, but at my show the audience was a little too over-the-top. They were screaming “Sing it, girl! Sing it!” so loudly during Jennifer Hudson’s big number that it was hard to hear Jennifer Hudson.
Cablevision couldn’t fail to see how popular an event like the annual TCM Road to Hollywood has been at the Ziegfeld. Every seat gets filled. Granted, those shows are free, but I for one would’ve gladly paid for it and I think everyone else would too. Hold more events like that, and the Ziegfeld will have a fighting chance for survival.
The picture of the screen in the article is from the early years. It doesn’t look 62 feet wide in that photo, but I watched “2001” from the front row of that theater and the screen was definitely not small.
This New York Daily News review from April 4, 1968 taught me a great lesson at the age of 13: movie critics' opinions are no more valid than my own. I’d have to see the movie for myself. About two months later, I did, and it’s still my all-time favorite. But I have to admit I was seriously hoping for a 4-star review in the Daily News that day.
Whenever Vito and/or Rob Endres post anything on Cinema Treasures, it just makes my day. Thanks, guys.
This article concerning the run of South Pacific at the Bellevue in Upper Montclair NJ is more a review of the theater than of the movie.
232 weeks at the Dominion in London – could that be an all-time longest run for any movie, anywhere? Wonder how many 70mm prints they used up in all that time.
Ed: I know, right? Almost like it was submitted to the paper by a Stanley Kubrick impostor.
Audience at Cabaret screening 1/31/13.
Robert Osborne hosting the screening of Cabaret, 1/31/13.
Robert Osborne and Liza Minnelli at the Cabaret screening, 1/31/13
This letter to the Times was written by the future producer of “Airplane!” and “Robocop”. He blames MGM for the shortening of “2001” and the addition of the title cards, but all those decisions were made by Kubrick.
Talk about a spoiler alert. This article in the 4/28/68 NY Times supposedly quotes Stanley Kubrick as he gives away the entire ending of “2001”, explaining it for those in the audience who found it hard to understand. Hard to believe he would do that.
Reserved seat engagements were so common in 1968 that here’s an advance order form for a movie before its theater had even been booked. It wound up being the opening attraction at Loew’s State 2.
Reserved seat engagements were so common in 1968 that here’s an advance order form for a movie before its theater had even been booked. It wound up being the opening attraction at Loew’s State 2.
April 28, 1968 ad for War and Peace at the DeMille. Loge seats were $7.50, surely a record high price at the time, but it was for a two-part, 6 ½ hour movie.
April 28, 1968 ad for War and Peace at the DeMille. Loge seats were $7.50, surely a record high price at the time, but it was for a two-part, 6 ½ hour movie.
I think I have an ad for the 1968 roadshow of War and Peace at the DeMille. I’ll look for it tonight and we’ll see how much they charged for the divans.
No box seats, at least not after the remodeling for Cinerama. Cinerama would’ve looked terrible from a box seat anyway.
I’d never heard of it either. In fact, back in 1968 I had no idea what kind of seats we were going to be in. I always thought a divan was a couch or something.
Saps: It was the greatest moviegoing experience of my life, before or since. I don’t think anything will ever come along to top it.
Luis: My dad and I sat in the Divans. As far as I could figure out, it was the front row of the upstairs section, with the front mezzanine right behind. At intermission we both wanted to move down to the front row downstairs, but with all the assigned seating, ushers, etc., we figured we wouldn’t be able to. Maybe we should’ve tried anyway, but it was still an overwhelming show from the Divans.
Here’s proof that I remembered those showtimes correctly!
Now that I think of it, my only New York roadshow was most likely a three-a-day: “2001” at the Capitol, 6/15/1968. We went to the 1:30 PM show. There were probably two more, at 5 and 8:30.
November 11, 1970 ad for Ryan’s Daughter at the Ziegfeld. Three shows a day on Fri-Sat-Sun.
Luis is right about Dreamgirls being a great moviegoing experience, but at my show the audience was a little too over-the-top. They were screaming “Sing it, girl! Sing it!” so loudly during Jennifer Hudson’s big number that it was hard to hear Jennifer Hudson.
The Apocalypse Now tickets were $5 too – a new high price at the time. I may still have that ticket. If I find it, I’ll scan it and post it here.