Paris Theatre

The premiere of the new Laz Burhmann film, "The Moulin Rouge" (starring Nicole Kidman), recently took place at The Paris.

This theatre has been known as the theatre for people who wouldn't otherwise go to the movies. Posh, with discerning mostly foreign programming was the Paris for 40 odd years before Loews took it over for a short time in the late 80s early 90s as the Fine Arts (there was a Walter Reade Fine Arts a couple of blocks away which closed in the early 80s).

In peoples minds it was always the Paris and retook that marquee in about 92.

Among the long runs this theater has had are Zeffirellis Romeo & Juliet, much of Merchant Ivory including The Bostonians, A Room with a View and The Remains of the Day, Life Is Beautiful.

My own great nights at the Paris have included Coup de Tete, Romuald et Juliette, a revival of Tom Jones and surely a few others from the early 70s

The Paris had been owned by Pathe Cinema of France. In 88 or 89 the landlord decided not to renew their lease, and Pathe left with their Paris name intending to re-open at another location. The landlord made a deal with Loews to run the theatre Under the name Fine Arts, but that didn't last long, and now the landlord runs it himself. Meanwhile, Pathe fell on hard times in Europe and scrapped their plans for a new location in New York. Then the Paris name went back on the theatre.

I recently discovered that my house was built by the same architects as the paris theatre. The firm Maxon,Sells and Ficke was in NYC on fith avenue in the 1950's. I also have documentation about it.

The engineer was Rutherford L Stinard who worked with Maxon,Sells and Ficke

This theater opened in 1948 and was intended to be part of Charles Pathe's reemergence in the American market.

I remember "A Room With A View" playing here for almost a year to packed houses.

The Paris Theatre appears in two movies with Walter Matthau, in "Cactus Flower" (1969) when he and Goldie Hawn exit the theatre lobby after a showing of "Romeo and Juliet" (1968) and in "Plaza Suite" (1971) after the last trilogy ends when his daughter and newly married spouse take off on a motorcycle past the Paris' facade and Walter states "She was better off in the bathroom, better off in the bathroom!" The movie on the Paris marquee was "Something For Everyone" (1970) with Angela Lansbury which was playing at the time of the film shoot.

The Paris Theatre figures in one of the most significant events in cinematic exhibition history in the United States. It involved the Italian film of Roberto Rossellini, THE MIRACLE, a 40-minute piece that was part of a distributor-concocted 3-featurette package shown under the title WAYS OF LOVE. The other two parts of the program were Renoir’s A DAY IN THE COUNTRY and Pagnol’s JOFROI. When the program opened in New York at the Paris Theatre in December, 1950, Rossellini’s episode caused a storm of protest, similar to that which would greet Scorsese’s LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST. Religious groups considered the film “blasphemous”; it dealt with a poor peasant woman (Anna Magnani) who believes the child she is carrying is the baby Jesus. She had been seduced by a wandering shepherd, played by Federico Fellini, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The protests were organized mainly by Catholic organizations like the Legion of Decency, which ‘condemned’ it, the Knights of Columbus, which organized protests in New York and pressured the New York State Film Licensing Board into withdrawing a previously-granted exhibition license, preventing the film from being shown in theatres. Cardinal Spellman denounced the film (unviewed) from the pulpit of Saint Patricks’s Cathedral. The decision was appealed by Lillian Gerard, manager of the Paris Cinema. The case ultimately went to the U.S. Supreme Court where it was ruled that film is a form of free speech and that the banning of this movie had no legality. The whole story of this episode and the landmark case it led to can be read in “American Film”, the issues of June and July-August, 1977. The long article was written by Lillian Gerard herself.

The 586-seat theatre opened on September 13, 1948 and was the first of the post-war movie houses constructed in Manhattan. The first five films shown were LA SYMPHONIE PASTORALE (34 weeks), DEVIL IN THE FLESH (36 weeks), then in 1950 Bresson's LES ANGES DU PECHE (2 weeks) the original French GIGI (7 weeks), Clement's THE WALLS OF MALAPAGA (10 1/2 weeks). Films that ran for a year or more (up to 1989, according to Variety Magazine, February 22-28,1989) were Germi's DIVORCE-ITALIAN STYLE; Lelouch's A MAN AND A WOMAN, Zeffirelli's ROMEO AND JULIET.

And when Jean Renoir's lovely THE RIVER played here for thirty-four weeks beginning in September, 1951, it was given a roadshow treatment, two shows daily (2:30 and 8:30) and reserved seats. Classy treatment for this 99 minute non-blockbuster work of poetry!

I am doing an article on the Paris Theatre...does anyone have any personal stories or anecdotes involving the theatre (or any unknown tidbits)? Any information would be much appreciated. Please let me know how I can contact you. Thanks!

The Paris, although overall distinct, reminds me a bit of the Regency, or at least the general layout of the auditorium does.

After Pathe lost control of the Paris in 1989, there was brief talk that the Paris had shut its doors for the last time; to that end, Pathe ran an ad in the Times, listing all the films shown at the Paris, from its opening to its then-closing.

The film Emmanuelle first played in the US at this theater in Dec 1974. (The advertising for the film had the line "X was never like this".) The success of this film here led to a wider release.

It's great this place has survived although I often wonder how long it will survive. This property must be among the most prized in the city.

RobertR: I would hope there would be an outcry by the "blue-blood" types of upper Manhattan if this was to be closed. It's a way classy place and one of the few (only?) left in the City or at least in the upper east side. But you never know...

I guess someone would have to consult the terms of the lease. It could be a situation like The Guild. When the lease is up, the gig might be also...

I worked for Leo R. Dratfield, who in the late sixties partnered with Duncan McGregor to form the releasing firm Pathe-Contemporary. It is my understanding the Mr. McGregor parachuted into the yard of one of the Pathe daughters during World War II, and eventually they were married. He went to America to open the Paris and the 1948 date seems about right.

I was involved in the 1968 release of DiAntonio's film "In The Year of the Pig" by Pathe-Contemporary, and had the experience of carrying a print of this title into the Chicago Police Censor Board, while the "Chicago Seven" trial was going on.

I also, in the seventies, saw "The Boy Friend" at the Paris with both Fellini and Ruby Keeler in attendence.

I would like to know if Duncan is alive?

I worked as an usher at The PARIS between 1970-1972. When the assistant manager became the manager of The Ziegfeld, I went with him as an usher and doorman and lasted there about two years before I got a real job. But I'll never forget the PARIS or the people who ran it. To this day, it was the most wonderful working experience of my life. And to think I'd work on Friday nights there, then open the theater on Saturdays and work there all day until closing, and do it again all over on Sundays. And I didn't mind. I still love the Paris and whenever I get back to New York, I always go past it. By the way, one of the great things about working in any theater in Manhattan was the ability to get free passes, or actually you name in a book kept in all the other theater's box offices, that allowed me free entry into those theaters. Between 1970-1974 I must have seen hundreds of movies with my girlfriend, for free. What a great little asset for a film-school student.

The Paris is one of the most comfortable theatres to see a film!

It's comforting to know, in light of all the horror stories one reads on this website, that this single-screen art house and my very own cinema treasure, is still up and running and providing audiences today, with deluxe presentations along with a touch of class and style.

Ohhhh, and no one has mentioned that the Paris has a real balcony. It's a terrific place to see a film and was a great refuge from today's snow storm. Bride and Prejudice: Bollywood on a wintry day ---- fun!

Easily one of the very best cinemas in New York City. The staff is gracious and so is the entire space, which is also quite comfortable. I especially enjoy the balcony. It also tends to show movies that really interest me. I love the Paris.

I've only been to the Paris once, to see "Amelie" with my wife, but it is one of my favorite theatres. The Paris proves that a theatre need not be massive to be a palace.

It's probably worth pointing out that the Paris is one of the few remaining theaters in the city equipped for 70MM. "Howard's End" and Kenneth Branagh's "Hamlet" were both presented in 70MM at the Paris.

I also remember that the Paris was one of the few, if the only, commercial theatre in Manhattan that did not have a snack bar. I think that was the policy of the Pathe folks. When Loew's took over, the snack bar went in.

I've been to the Paris many times. They occasionally do revivals. I remember seeing "Purple Noon" with Alain Delon here as well as sitting through a Marx Brothers double-feature. And they did a Merchant-Ivory retro. I also remember getting literally the last ticket to a New Year's Day, 9:30 a.m. screening of Kenneth's Branagh's "Hamlet."

re: "They occasionally do revivals."
They did a revival of "Cinema Paradiso" a few years ago in the uncut version, but I don't think it did very well.

The Paris indeed does only the occasional revival, seemingly (with the exception of the 'Cinema Paradiso' director's cut release in 2002, which was a planned release) only when there's a gap in their programming (i.e., when a film does less-than-stellar business and there isn't another one booked to immediately replace it).

The Paris is a very elegant movie house, well kept, and with a great art house program.

I hope to visit The Paris soon!

The Paris may be elegant, but in a very plain way. The auditorium's "decor" is virtually non-existent, perhaps so the audience's attention won't be distracted from the screen.

Opening publicity in 1948 claimed that the Paris was designed by the architectural firm of Warner-Leeds. It occupied the first three floors of a new sixteen-story office building. The ground site was formerly occupied by a mansion owned by Charles B. Alexander, said to be an uncle of Eleanor (Mrs. Franklin D.) Roosevelt. The Paris' opening price scale was 85 cents for matinees, $1.10 after 5PM.

The Paris Theatre rivalled my affection for the Beekman Theatre during the years that I lived in New York. Technically, the Paris Theatre is a West Side house, since it is located west of Fifth Avenue. Fortunately, I saw a number of films there and I always found the presentation to be very good. My only complaint was that the auditorium tended to get very warm at times.

The Paris' understated simplicity always had a very sophisticated New York quality about it. It would be a shame if it falls victim to some real estate developer. If the worst happens, this theatre will live on in my memory.

As Bogart said in CASABLANCA, "We'll always have Paris."

In May of 1969 Paramount took a huge ad for Zeffirelli's "Romeo & Juliet" which was then in its 34th week at The Paris.

I noticed that the Paris has started a midnight screening on Saturday nights. They screened ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN this past weekend and had a fairly big ad in the times trumpeting the screening. The ad was no doubt placed to trigger awareness because I doubt the outlay for an ad of that size in the Times could be recouped with ticket revenue from one screening.

That is a tad too late for me, but I'll keep tabs on it.

I heard that The Paris played Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey' this past weekend at midnight. Damn! I hate when I miss stuff like that. Anybody have any idea what they are going to show this weekend at midnight?

This weekend is DOG DAY AFTERNOON, Saturday at midnight.

First weekend of All the President's Men had about 90 in attendance. 2001 had about 80. Not bad at all for being in dead just west of east side midtown next to a dead hotel. It's great fun seeing real movies in a real theater with real fans of film. Almost feels like the mid-'80s.

Does the PAris have curtains or do they use those tacky slides?

Is there a schedule posted somewhere for the midnight Paris shows?

Nope, and after the smaller turnout for Dog Day Afternoon last Saturday, it's not certain whether the midnights will be continuing.

I love this site, but boy, it sure would be nice to see people LEAVE THEIR COMPUTERS and GO TO THE THEATERS AND SUPPORT THEM from time to time...

Shade, you sound bitter.

"It's probably worth pointing out that the Paris is one of the few remaining theaters in the city equipped for 70MM. 'Howard's End' and Kenneth Branagh's 'Hamlet' were both presented in 70MM at the Paris." (ErikH, Mar 21, 2005)
____________________________________________

During the time of the "Howards End" engagement, the theater was called the Fine Arts.

There was a Fine Arts Theatre farther east on 58th Street:

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/6371/

The Paris continues its 2005 Saturday midnight screening series with Rebel Without a Cause.

If anybody has any info on further Saturday Midnight screenings at the Paris, please post them here. I was unable to go tonight to see 'Rebel Without A Cause', but I want to start going to these Midnight screenings to support the theater and this kind of program. Hey Paris Theater management, keep up the good work and continue to do the Saturday midnight screenings!! If you need some assistance in programming the screenings, let em know!! I would be more than happy to get involved.

saw many fun art/foreign films here

The Paris on a Taiwan site
http://movie.cca.gov.tw/CINEMA/applivation_01_01.asp?rowid=43

This happened to me during the engagement of 'Doña Flor And Her Two Husbands' here.
A friend and I were seated in the balcony's front row watching the film and I was smoking a cigarette I dropped onto the orchestra.
We went downstairs immediately and encountered an irate couple in the lobby.
I apologized over and over and offered to pay for salon services.
They wanted to call the police. They observed our sincere concern
and all returned to their seats.

Does anybody know where to find a listing of the upcoming Saturday night revivals at the Paris? By the time the Village Voice comes out, it's usually too late for me to pull something together with friends; I'd be there early and often if I knew what was showing... I'm still kicking myself for not making "Rebel Without a Cause."

Just came back from tonight's screening of 'North By Northwest' at the Paris. GREAT! I hadn't been there for quite sometime, and it was great to be back. It was really cool to be watching 'North By Northwest' only steps away from one of the film's locations. There's Cary Grant hanging out at The Oak Room at The Plaza....literally right around the corner from the Paris. COOL!

These Saturday Midnight shows seem to be pretty successful. The place wasn't full, but I counted at least 60 or so people in the floor seats, and there must have been more in the mezz. Not bad for a midnight revival screening in Mid-town on a Saturday night. After the show there was a guy in the lobby who works for the Paris talking to people about the midnight shows. I overheard that they showed '2001: A Space Odyssey' in 70mm a few weeks ago. DAMN! I wish I was there for that one. When I asked what was on deck for next week, he told me there is no schedule, just check the New York Times or the Village Voice for the midnight show advertisements. The Paris is a great theater, my only complaint which has nothing really to do with the theater itself, was that the music from the club next door, Frederick's can be heard thudding through the walls from time to time during the film. Not too overwhelming, but even though it was noticeable it didn't take anything away from the experience of seeing the film there.

If tonight is any indication it looks like the midnight Saturday shows will be happening for at least the foreseeable future, and that my friends, is a very cool thing.

The club that you mention is actually underneath the Paris auditorium. Originally, the Paris had a big lounge in the lower level, similar to the 57th St. Playhouse. In a lease negotiation about 30 years ago, Pathe Cinema gave up that space in lieu of a rent increase, leaving the theatre with only the microscopic restrooms and lobby-ette downstairs. The space given up became a restaurant, and now, apparently, a night club.

Here’s a Showbill from the Paris in April 1960:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/bourgeois1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/bourgeois2.jpg

High Culture, this filming of a stage production by the venerable Comédie française. The Franco export evidently aimed to hit school markets around the world as teachers of French might bring their students to it for a cultural experience.

The Paris accommodated such events. Eight years later, in the winter of ‘68-’69, my wife organized an excursion of some 500 high school students to see a showing of Franco Zeffirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet” which had been playing at that theater. That production we had seen live in its stage version at the City Center some five years earlier, and now in this film the director was recreating his magnificent stage effects set against location photography in Verona.

As luck would have it, a huge snowstorm closed NYC schools the day before and day of the showing. Panicked with 500 tickets in our hands, we ran announcements on the major NYC radio stations instructing students to show up at the theater for the scheduled 10:00 am special showing. We set out for the theater from Queens two hours early, snowstorm be damned. About a hundred kids eventually showed up. The school then soaked up the losses.

I agree that there is something intangible about seeing a film at the Paris. You almost feel like you are entering a cathedral. I was there for the first time in awhile Friday night for BALZAC AND THE LITTLE SEAMSTRESS and there is an ambiance. I may be imagining it, but the theatre seems almost circular.

What's the deal with the Saturday midnight shows? 'North By Northwest' has been held over for a third week. It's doing that well? The night I was there it was a good crowd, but it wasn't sold out. Are these guys having trouble getting a new film to show, or is NxNW doing that well? I'm chompin at the bit to see another film there.

Here’s a Showbill from November 1960.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/picnic-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/picnic-2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/picnic-3.jpg

“Picnic on the Grass” was a minor Jean Renoir film, but a Renoir film nonetheless, with the added glory of having been filmed in glorious color at the Renoir estate near Cannes. The silly plot focuses on an aloof professor who spends a weekend with young people at a country estate, where he unbuttons his collar and learns to enjoy life. It’s not “Rules of the Game,” but it’s nice to look at.

The accompanying essay on dubbing vs. subtitles has Bosley Crowther ludicrously arguing on behalf of dubbing as a “commercially advantageous way of presenting” foreign films, because [in 1960 figures] dubbing would earn a dubber $12,000-25,000 per film whereas subtitling would earn a subtitler only $2,500-4,000 per film. (In all fairness, he also argues that distributors prefer the cheaper method to maximize their profits.)

I include the “Now Showing At” page to recall what was available at these theaters that Thanksgiving-Christmas season in 1960.

Here’s a Showbill from November 1960.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/picnic-1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/picnic-2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/picnic-3.jpg

“Picnic on the Grass” was a minor Jean Renoir film, but a Renoir film nonetheless, with the added glory of having been filmed in glorious color at the Renoir estate near Cannes. The silly plot focuses on an aloof professor who spends a weekend with young people at a country estate, where he unbuttons his collar and learns to enjoy life. It’s not “Rules of the Game,” but it’s nice to look at.

The accompanying essay on dubbing vs. subtitles has Bosley Crowther ludicrously arguing on behalf of dubbing as a “commercially advantageous way of presenting” foreign films, because [in 1960 figures] dubbing would earn a dubber $12,000-25,000 per film whereas subtitling would earn a subtitler only $2,500-4,000 per film. (In all fairness, he also argues that distributors prefer the cheaper method to maximize their profits.)

I include the “Now Showing At” page to recall what was available at these theaters that Thanksgiving-Christmas season in 1960.

damn! that Renault is a hot lookin car!

Well...as predicted, at least to myself, the Saturday Midnight film series at The Paris has been discontinued. I called today because I didn't see an ad in the Village Voice and was told that the series was yanked a few weeks ago. In a word...BUMMER!! First I want to say to the person or people responsible at the Paris for taking the time to put this series together...thank you!! I wanted it to last longer, but I knew it wouldn't. And in all fairness, I was only able to make it to one screening of 'North By Norhtwest', but I was hoping to see more, and beleive me I was really upset about missing '2001: A Space Odyssey' in 70mm. Not to be negative, but this type of entertainment isn't very popular anymore and that is very unfortunate. Especially here in 'the arts capital of the world' (oh really?). L. A. and even San Francisco has more film revival than New york currently does. Not that long ago film revival theaters were the norm in New York City and was something that I completely and thoroughly enjoyed. There were so many of them out there with crazy amazing scedules. There is nothing like seeing a classic film, or any film for that matter up on the big screen the way it was meant to be seen. All those moments when I was sick of this town, I would always say 'hey..where are you going to go where they have the same amount of film revival as New York?'. I still get sick of this town, but I am still here miraculously. There is still film revival here, but not like it used to be. Thanks again Paris Theater people for giving it a try.

Here’s a Showbill from September 1961:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/joker1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/joker2.jpg

Whatever happened to Philippe de Broca? “Le farceur” arrived with exuberant word-of-mouth and heaps of praise from the NY critics. They portrayed it as going beyond the New Wave in sophistication and with popular entertainment value sometimes missing from its peers. Plus, everyone agreed that it was quite possibly the funniest film ever made. I thought it was funny, but not that funny; sophisticated but not that sophisticated. After it, de Broca made a couple of films that received some attention, notably “King of Hearts” and “That Man from Rio,” and then disappeared into a stream of work that few have ever heard of. Recent filmographies list one, sometimes two features per year, plus tons of work for television. The phenomenon made me very skeptical about whether European films in the long run were really very much better than their H’wood counterparts—a good lesson to learn at the time when, to many, sub-titles seemed they could do no wrong.

"L. A. and even San Francisco has more film revival than New york currently does. Not that long ago film revival theaters were the norm in New York City and was something that I completely and thoroughly enjoyed. There were so many of them out there with crazy amazing scedules...There is still film revival here, but not like it used to be. Thanks again Paris Theater people for giving it a try."
posted by Irv on Sep 6, 2005 at 8:31pm

I find it hard to believe that L.A. & San Francisco have a more vibrant revival scene than NYC. While NYC may "not be what it used to be" in terms of revival houses because of the demise of for-profit revival houses, there are still plenty of places screening classic films, many of which have opened since the 1980s when video killed the rep houses.

MoMA has always been around, but the three-screen Film Forum re-opened on Houston Street in 1989, which is one more screen that the "old" Film Forum had on Watts Street.

BAM has dedicated one of its four screens to rep films since it opened five years ago or so. The Walter Reade Theatre, which also shows rep films, didn't open until 1980. And AMMI didn't open until the late 1980s.

And don't forget that Symphony Space (the Thalia), The French Institute and cultural institutions like Scandanavia House all have film programs.

And IFC is even getting into the mix; since they opened they did an Ozu retro and are now doing Truffaut.

Th

Here’s a Showcase program from December, 1967:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/stranger2.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/stranger1.jpg

“The Stranger” was everybody’s favorite Existentialist novel, but Visconti’s photogenic, operatic style seemed to swamp the bleakness of Camus. Somehow even the Italian title (“Lo straniero”) didn’t appear right. Anway, the briefly-lived Showbills distributed in art theaters during the early ‘60s made a short comeback in the winter of ‘67-’68, and this--now renamed “Showcase”--is one of them. By comparison with the earlier version, it was quite stripped down—no photo from the film, no full credits list (you’d never know Visconti was involved in it), but mainly a lot of ads for restaurants and art galleries and imported aperitifs.

Nice to see that Showbill. The Stranger, beautifully realized by Luchino Visconti and with a tremendous performance by Marcello Mastroianni, has been out of circulation for decades and is a candidate for a major revival. Unfortunately that doesn't seem likely because of what I've heard were rights issues involving the Camus estate. The French-language version, the most authentic, is what was shown in America.

Curiously, I can't see that Showbill. I haven't been able to connect with Photobucket.com since yesterday morning. I wonder why Gerald was able to? Perhaps there's something wrong with my computer?

"King Lear" in 1971
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/TheBoyFriend.jpg

I saw the very light French sex-farce called "The Gift," which featured the very lovely Clio Goldsmith (the main reason this 17 year old took a solo trip into the city to see this flick), here in 1982. On the same day, I took in the movie "Frances" starring Jessica Lange on the east side (I'm thinking the 68th Street Playhouse or the Beekman, but I can't recall). I remember planning the day out carefully so that I could hit three movies in Manhattan (movies my friends would ever agree to see) on the same day and had to travel by bus and subway between theaters. I forget the 3rd movie, but I seem to recall one of the 3rd Ave theaters near 59th street (Coronet, Baronet, Cinema 1 & 2) might have been involved.

That was a fun day. I miss those times!

I'm also looking for any information on a movie I saw in 1982 or so by the name of "Not a Love Story" at either this theater, the Festival, the 57th Street Playhouse, the Plaza or the Cinema III in the Plaza Hotel. It was a graphic documentary on the porno industry that was un-rated by the MPAA but would have definitely garnered an "X" rating itself. Strike a chord with anyone?

My wife and I just got back from a four day weekend in NY. Along with shopping, eating at great resturants, seeing "The Odd Couple" on Broadway, Emanuel Ax at Carnegie Hall, we caught "Mrs Palfrey At The Clarmont" at the Paris. Always an elegant theater the Paris continues to be one of the best places to see a movie. It's weekends like we just had that make me wish I still lived in NYC.

EdSolero; "Not a Love Story" is listed on the Internet Movie Database if you search under that title. It's a Canadian made documentary (1981).

Thanks KenRoe... I was able to find the listing on imdb.com, but I'm still trying to piece together the actual theater in which I saw the film. I saw quite a number of movies along this 57th-58th street corridor of theaters during the 80's, but memory does not serve me well. I used to have a log that I kept in a spiral graphpaper notebook wherein I noted just about every single movie I saw (along with the theater and cost of the ticket) between mid-1979 and 1983 or 84. The whole project started as a means of tracking how many movies I saw in a year (I knew it was a lot) and how much money I spent on admissions... it grew into an obsession. Once my parents sold the house in Laurelton and moved us out to Long Island, I stopped keeping track since we lived out of boxes at various relatives houses for a number of months. I haven't seen the book in years and I know I still have it somewhere (my mom's house? my ex-wife's garage?)... I guess it's high time I try and track it down.

This movie house adds to the entertainment uniqueness of Manhattan.
It is always an enjoyable movie going experience attending the Paris.

Turns out I saw "Not a Love Story" at the 57th Street Playhouse back in '82 (thanks to AlAlvarez for verifying that info - as well as a fantastic list of bookings for the Beekman Theater for the '60's, '70's and '80's). But I definitely saw that French farce "The Gift" here and I also recall seeing Werner Herzog's sisyphean "Fitzcarraldo" in '82.

I hope Al soon finds some time to work his magic for Paris Theater bookings as well.

Paris Filmography.
May be off by five days.

09/12/48 SYMPHONIE PASTORALE
05/15/49 DEVIL IN THE FLESH
01/22/50 ANGELS OF THE STREET
05/02/50 GIGI (French)
03/26/50 THE WALLS OF MALAPAGA
06/11/50 CITY LIGHTS
08/27/50 PARIS WALTZ
10/08/50 SOUVENIR
10/29/50 PARIS 1900
11/19/50 LAST HOLIDAY
12/17/50 WAYS OF LOVE
02/23/51 (Ways of Love segment called THE MIRACLE banned)
03/02/51 THE MAGNET
04/06/51 GOD NEEDS MEN
04/20/51 MINNE
05/04/51 THE SECRET OF MAYERLING
06/15/51 FOUR IN A JEEP
07/27/51 MARIE DU PORT
09/14/51 THE RIVER (Roadshow)
03/07/52 THE RIVER (Continous)
05/09/52 UNDER THE PARIS SKY
06/20/52 WAYS OF LOVE (without THE MIRACLE)
08/01/52 THE STRANGE ONES
08/22/52 CASQUE D'OR
10/03/52 SAVAGE TRIANGLE
10/31/52 THE THIRST OF MEN
07/11/52 YOUNG WIVES' TALE
11/28/52 HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON
05/01/53 THE FRESHMAN
05/15/53 THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS
10/02/53 THE CAPTAIN'S PARADISE
04/30/54 THE MOMENT OF TRUTH
05/28/54 CAROLINE CHERIE
06/18/54 HOBSON'S CHOICE
09/24/54 BREAD, LOVE AND DREAMS
12/31/54 ANIMAL FARM
02/18/55 WAGES OF FEAR
05/06/55 HEARTBREAK RIDGE
05/27/55 THE GREAT ADVENTURE
07/29/55 THE MAN WHO LOVED REDHEADS
09/16/55 OTHELLO
10/07/55 ONE STEP TO ETERNITY
10/21/55 THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY
12/23/55 LETTERS FROM MY WINDMILL
04/06/56 THE BALLET OF ROMEO AND JULIET
06/01/56 THE PROUD AND THE BEAUTIFUL
08/10/56 THE DOCTORS
08/31/56 PAPA, MAMA, THE MAID AND I
09/28/56 THE SILENT WORLD
01/11/57 WE ARE ALL MURDERERS
02/15/57 THE GOLD OF NAPLES
06/21/57 JULIETTA
07/05/57 FERNANDEL, THE DRESSMAKER
07/26/57 PASSIONATE SUMMER
09/20/57 THE GIRL IN BLACK
10/25/57 …AND GOD CREATED WOMAN
07/18/58 THE MAN IN THE RAINCOAT
08/22/58 THE AGE OF INFIDELITY
08/29/58 LUCKY JIM
09/19/58 CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
10/17/58 THE SEVENTH SEAL
11/14/58 THE HORSE'S MOUTH
05/15/59 HEROES AND SINNER
06/12/59 WOMEN ARE WEAK
07/24/59 THE POSSESSORS
08/14/59 THE MAN UPSTAIRS
09/11/59 BACK TO THE WALL
10/30/59 THE LOVERS
03/25/60 THE WOULD-BE GENTLEMAN
04/29/60 PRIVATE PROPERTY
06/10/60 BABETTE GOES TO WAR
07/01/60 THE TRIALS OF OSCAR WILDE
09/02/60 END OF INNOCENCE
09/30/60 THE OSTRICH HAS TWO EGGS
10/14/60 PICNIC ON THE GRASS
11/25/60 GENERAL DELLA ROVERE
03/03/61 LOVE AND THE FRENCHWOMAN
06/09/61 THE CHEATERS
06/30/61 THE TRUTH
10/20/61 FROM A ROMAN BALCONY
11/24/61 ZAZIE
12/22/61 LA BELLE AMERICAINE
03/23/62 VIRIDIANA
05/04/62 A TASTE OF HONEY
08/24/62 THE GIRL WITH GOLDEN EYES
09/21/62 DIVORCE, ITALIAN STYLE
09/27/63 MY LIFE TO LIVE
10/18/63 THE DEVIL AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
11/15/63 THERESE
11/29/63 SOLDIER IN THE RAIN
12/20/63 AMERICA, AMERICA
03/27/64 OF WAYWARD LOVE
04/17/64 BANDITS OF ORGOSOLO
05/01/64 CHILDREN OF PARADISE
05/29/64 DISORDER
06/12/64 THAT MAN FROM RIO
10/16/64 THE SOFT SKIN
11/27/64 BAY OF THE ANGELS
12/25/64 SWEET AND SOUR
01/22/65 THE BANANA PEEL
04/02/65 NOT ON YOUR LIFE
04/23/65 MALE HUNT
06/18/65 THE COLLECTOR
08/27/65 RAPTURE
10/29/65 ALPHAVILLE
11/19/65 SWEDISH WEDDING NIGHT
12/17/65 LIFE AT THE TOP
02/04/66 THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX
03/25/66 LA FUGA
04/22/66 CLOPORTES
05/20/66 UP TO HIS EARS
07/15/66 A MAN AND A WOMAN
10/13/67 THE SUCKER
11/10/67 THIS SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP
12/22/67 THE STRANGER
03/01/68 THE TREASURE OF SAN GENNARO
03/29/68 BENJAMIN
05/31/68 THE LONG DAY'S DYING
06/28/68 INADMISSIBLE EVIDENCE
07/26/68 THE STRANGE AFFAIR
08/16/68 THE VIOLENT FOUR
08/30/68 PARIS IN THE MONTH OF AUGUST
10/11/68 ROMEO AND JULIET
08/10/69 OH! WHAT A LOVELY WAR
12/24/69 GOODBYE, COLUMBUS/ IF…
02/18/70 THE MOLLY MAGUIRES
02/25/70 TROPIC OF CANCER
04/01/70 ROMEO AND JULIET
04/22/70 BROTHERLY LOVE
06/03/70 THE MAGIC GARDEN OF STANLEY SWEETHEART
07/08/70 HOROSCOPE
07/15/70 THE BOYS IN THE BAND
07/29/70 SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
10/14/70 FIRST LOVE
12/02/70 HOMER
12/30/70 I LOVE MY …WIFE…?

I want to point out that this website is really buggy, never responds and I have been trying to post this for several days.
Also, finding the Paris on this website has become a journey. Get your act together, this the Radio City music Hall of Arthouses and the damn Patis is still there showing movies! SUPPORT THE LIVING CINEMA!!!

You have to hail the film buyers of the Paris. They booked the classics before anyone knew they were classics. This is, without a doubt, New York's primary "arthouse".

The Paris filmography may by off by five days.

02/03/71 SAY HELLO TO YESTERDAY
03/03/71 ROAD TO SALINA
03/24/71 FRIENDS
06/23/71 THE CROOK
08/11/71 DEEP END
09/15/71 THE BEAR AND THE DOLL
10/13/71 IT ONLY HAPPENS TO OTHERS
11/24/71 KING LEAR
16/02/72 BARTLEBY
23/02/72 WITHOUT APPARENT MOTIVE
19/04/72 MY UNCLE ANTOINE
10/05/72 THE SORROW AND THE PITY
09/08/72 LA SALAMANDRE
04/10/72 WEDNESDAY'S CHILD
29/11/72 WHY
06/12/72 A MAN AND A WOMAN
13/12/72 CESAR AND ROSALIE
28/03/73 MONEY MONEY MONEY
04/07/73 MONSIEUR VERDOUX
22/08/73 THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG
26/08/73 THE WILD CHILD/ STOLEN KISSES
29/08/73 JULES & JIM/ SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER
31/08/73 THE TALL BLOND MAN WITH ONE BLACK SHOE
21/11/73 ENGLAND MADE ME
01/02/74 CHILDREN OF PARADISE
01/23/74 THE EXORCIST
06/26/74 A FREE WOMAN
08/14/74 HARRY & TONTO
10/30/74 THE PAHNTOM OF LIBERTE
12/18/74 EMMANUELLE
04/23/75 DON'T CRY WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL
05/14/75 LE SECRET
07/02/75 CHARLOTTE
09/17/75 JUST BEFORE NIGHTFALL
10/15/75 LIES MY FATHER TOLD ME
01/28/76 SCENT OF A WOMAN
02/25/76 GREY GARDENS
04/28/76 BAMBINA
06/02/76 CHILDREN OF PARADISE
07/28/76 COUSIN COUSINE
04/13/77 BLACK AND WHITE IN COLOR
10/26/77 THE MAN WHO LOVED WOMEN
03/01/78 DONA FLOR AND HER TWO HUSBANDS
07/12/78 VIVA ITALIA!
10/04/78 VIOLETTE
12/27/78 GET OUT YOUR HANDKERCHIEFS
05/23/79 THE TOY
06/13/79 DOWN AND DIRTY
01/08/79 WHY NOT?
10/10/79 THE EUROPEANS

Once again (as on the Beekman site) tremendous job, Al, getting these bookings posted. You're almost up to my era with respect to Manhattan art house movie going -- the '80's. I look forward to your continued contributions here and elsewhere on the site!

Thanks Ed, here they go...
01/30/80 COUP DE TETE
03/05/80 MY BRILLIANT CAREER
07/16/80 PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
08/27/80 MAKE ROOM FOR TOMORROW
10/15/80 BYE BYE, BRAZIL
12/17/80 MON ONCLE D'AMERIQUE
05/06/81 I SENT A LETTER TO MY LOVE
08/26/81 HEARTLAND
10/14/81 THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR
02/03/82 closed
02/10/82 CIRCLE OF DECEIT
03/31/82 A WEEK'S VACATION
05/05/82 SMASH PALACE
06/23/82 LA VIE CONTINUE
08/25/82 BIRGITT HAAS MUST BE KILLED
09/15/82 JOSEPHA
10/13/82 FITZCARRALDO
12/22/82 COUP DE TORCHON
03/02/83 THE GIFT
04/27/83 LA TRAVIATA
08/17/83 I MARRIED A SHADOW
09/14/83 HEAT AND DUST
11/23/83 LA BALANCE
01/25/84 CONFIDENTIALLY YOURS
04/04/84 LES COMPERES
06/20/84 CAREFUL, HE MIGHT HEAR YOU
09/19/84 SWANN IN LOVE
11/21/84 A SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY
03/06/85 A PRIVATE FUNCTION
05/29/85 DANGEROUS MOVES
07/24/85 THE MAN WITH ONE RED SHOE
08/07/85 THE LAST METRO/ THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR
08/14/85 DANCE WITH A STRANGER
11/07/85 THE OFFICIAL STORY
03/12/86 A ROOM WITH A VIEW
11/12/86 THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE
02/11/87 ONE WOMAN OR TWO
03/11/87 SALVADOR
03/18/87 KANGAROO
04/29/87 L'ANNEE DES MEDUSES
07/01/87 JEAN DE FLORETTE
09/16/87 MAURICE
01/27/88 THE GRAND HIGHWAY
03/23/88 BEATRICE
04/13/88 CONSUMING PASSIONS
04/27/88 JEAN DE FLORETTE/ MANON OF THE SPIRIT
05/04/88 DA
06/29/88 A HANDFUL OF DUST
08/31/88 BANDITS
09/21/88 MILES FROM HOME
10/26/88 ANOTHER WOMAN
01/11/89 THE DRESSMAKER
03/15/89 HANUSSEN
04/05/89 CRUSOE
04/19/89 A FEW DAYS WITH ME
05/10/89 THE RAINBOW
07/12/89 LES MISERABLES (1957)
07/26/89 EAT A BOWL OF TEA
08/23/89 A CHORUS OF DISAPPROVAL
09/20/89 TOM JONES (1963)
10/18/89 FIGHT FOR US
11/01/89 ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
11/15/89 HENRY V
12/27/89 CAMILLE CLAUDEL

AlAlvarez--

Many, many thanks for a superb contribution to this site!

Oops. Make that MANON OF THE SPRING above.

Thanks Al... Scanning through the titles, I might have only visited the Paris twice in the '80's... far less than I would have thought. The only titles I can absolutely be sure about are "Fitzcarraldo" and "The Gift" - both within a few short months of each other. A foreign movie entitled "Bolero" - and, no, not the Bo Derek exploitation flick - had a limited release engagement in Manhattan around '83 or so and I thought I might have also seen that movie here, but perhaps it was the Plaza or one of the 57th street theaters.

Thank you, Al, for all your hard work - I love seeing lists like this.

Amazing that "A Man and a Woman" played the Paris for a year and three months. My own best memory of the Paris is seeing "Another Woman" there in 1988, and hearing the audience laugh at it. Not with it - at it. Woody Allen had fallen out of favor with the so-called sophisticated New York audiences that used to worship him as a genius only a few years before. I thought that was one of his better movies, too.

Being an Argentine I remember seeing THE OFFICIAL STORY (Oscar Winner for Best Foreign Film) back in 1985.
Great memories.
Kind regards from Buenos Aires

The Paris in the nineties...
04/13/90 MAMA, THERE'S A MAN IN YOUR BED
05/18/90 WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
05/25/90 JESUS OF MONTREAL
06/29/90 CHILDREN OF PARADISE
07/13/90 LIFE IS A LONG QUIET RIVER
08/03/90 METROPOLITAN
09/07/90 (name change to LOEWS FINE ARTS)
11/02/90 VINCENT AND THEO
12/28/90 ALICE
04/12/91 DADDY NOSTALGIA
05/24/91 AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE
06/28/91 MY FATHER'S GLORY
07/26/91 MY MOTHER'S CASTLE
09/13/91 DOGFIGHT
10/04/91 THE MAN IN THE MOON
11/15/91 MEETING VENUS
11/29/91 THE INNER CIRCLE
01/24/92 KAFKA
03/13/92 HOWARD'S END
10/30/92 THE LOVER
11/13/92 (renamed LOEWS PARIS FINE ARTS)
05/28/93 (renamed PARIS)
06/04/93 THE MUSIC OF CHANCE
08/20/93 KING OF THE HILL
09/24/93 JAMON JAMON
11/05/93 REMAINS OF THE DAY
03/11/94 GERMINAL
05/13/94 WIDOW'S PEAK
08/12/94 A LA MODE
09/30/94 PLAYTIME/ JOUR DE FETE
10/14/94 THE BROWNING VERSION
11/04/94 THE LAST SEDUCTION
12/23/94 DEATH AND THE MAIDEN
02/24/95 ONCE WERE WARRIORS
03/31/95 JEFFERSON IN PARIS
06/30/95 BELLE DE JOUR
09/29/95 PERSUASION
11/10/95 CARRINGTON
12/15/95 OTHELLO
03/08/96 THE STAR MAKER
04/12/96 JANE EYRE
05/17/96 THE HORSEMAN ON THE ROOF
06/28/96 PURPLE NOON
09/20/96 SURVIVING PICASSO
12/27/96 HAMLET
04/04/97 ANNA KARENINA
05/02/97 closed?
07/25/97 DAY FOR NIGHT
08/22/97 FACES
08/23/97 SHADOWS
08/24/97 HUSBANDS
08/25/97 LOVE STRANGERS
08/26/97 MINNIE & MOSKOWITZ
08/27/97 A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE
09/05/97 LAWRENCE OF ARABIA
10/03/97 WASHINGTON SQUARE
12/26/97 THE WINTER GUEST
02/13/98 VIEWS OF MERCHANT IVORY (14 FILMS)
03/13/98 AMISTAD
03/27/98 A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES
05/01/98 WILDE
06/12/98 THE LAND GIRLS
07/10/98 A NIGHT AT THE OPERA/ A DAY AT THE RACES
07/31/98 THE GOVERNESS
09/18/98 A SOLDIER'S DAUGHTER NEVER CRIES
10/23/98 LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL
04/09/99 FELLINI'S 8 1/2
05/21/99 BESIEGED
07/09/99 THE DINNER GAME
10/29/99 THE LEGEND OF 1900
11/19/99 MANSFIELD PARK
12/17/99 TOPSY-TURVY

Here is a photo:
http://tinyurl.com/gu24x

According to Al's list above, this classic pulled into the Paris for quite a nice run in December of '80:

Mon Oncle - Daily News 12/14/80

Great news! At the Raiders of the Lost Ark screening tonight it was announced the Paris Theatre would continue showing classic films and would be getting a new website soon: www.paristheatre.com

Odd to see the Paris day and dating with Embassy 46th Street.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/7-31-68FiveCardStud.jpg

Just watched Cactus Flower, which I thought held up pretty good. Enjoyable. Anyway, in one scene Walter Matthau and Goldie Hawn take in a movie (Romeo and Juliet) at the Paris. Exterior and the small lobby.

Here is another photo of the Paris Theater.

What company currently owns and operates the PARIS?

A major motion picture (despite being something of an experiment from director Steven Soderbergh) opens on a day-and-date exclusive run at the Paris and Angelika this Friday.

Good German - NY Times 12/10/06

I think I might make the trip in to see it. I only hope the film is half as good as the poster! Shades of "Casablanca" here, eh? The movie is shot in black & white using the techniques and equipment that were available during the 1940's (no zoom lenses, no wireless mics). I understand there were a few modern post-production elements employed, but the concept sounds interesting and refreshing all the same.

Here is a short article from Time about the opening, dated 9/20/48:
http://tinyurl.com/yk92mu

The Criterion DVD of the Alec Guinness classic, "The Horse's Mouth," also includes the short subject that played with the movie during its American premiere engagement at the Paris Theatre in 1958. In an interview on the DVD, filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker relates how he shot "Daybreak Express" in 16mm color and then had it blown up to 35mm before screening it for the Paris's managing director, Duncan McGregor. McGregor liked the short and offered to buy it outright for $100, but Pennebaker insisted instead on a rental of $25 per week. Luckily, "The Horse's Mouth" ran for months at the Paris, and Pennebaker earned quite a bit more than $100, and could also go on to booking the short elsewhere. "Daybreak Express" is well worth a viewing, since it was filmed on the Third Avenue "El" line just before the Manhattan portion was shut down. Its length of just over three minutes is timed exactly to a Duke Elllington recording that provides the musical background.

I managed the Paris Theatre during the Sony Theatres years. I will try to answer a few questions and share a few memories.

The Paris Theatre is a labor of love for its landlord, billionaire Sheldon Solow. He expects the theatre to turn a profit, and he has shrunk the size of the theatre, but so long as he is alive, the theatre probably is safe from eviction or closure.

The original marquee for the theatre is on display in the American Museum of the Moving Image. The current marquee is a reproduction.

I believe that when the theatre first opened, it included a management office which has since been rented out as office space(a Reebok design studio was in there during my time at the theatre). The basement was a large café in which theatre patrons could have coffee before the show. The landlord has attempted to rent out that space as a restaurant. As a result, the theatre essentially has no lobby. The restaurants had difficulty because there was little street access. The landlord made a larger street level restaurant entrance and further reduced the floorspace in the Paris Theatre in the process.

The popularity of the balcony seating is ironic. I believe the balcony was initially intended for “colored” audience members, and the balcony has a separate water fountain.

The theatre still uses a beautiful curtain instead of a slide show.

Someone at Miramax booked the revival of BELLE DE JOUR into the Paris allegedly against the wishes of Harvey Weinstein. The film went on to set the record for the highest gross on a single screen of a foreign language film. The single-screen Paris Theatre was one of the top ten grossing theatres in the nation, outgrossing most multiplexes. After that engagement, Harvey Weinstein often wished to play the Paris.

Merchant-Ivory usually want to play the Paris, and even their commercial disappointments usually have high grosses at the Paris.

The terms for booking a film into the Paris are tough and include costs for making a lobby display. For the right films, the grosses at the Paris are worth the difficult terms.

Celebrities can be found in almost every show. Former New York City Mayor Ed Kotch always attends the opening night show. Sylvester Stallone has seen virtually every foreign-language film at the Paris, but not the English-speaking films.

The theatre has appeared in many films.

The theatre appeared in a fashion shoot for the May 1996 MARIE CLAIRE(I am in the background of one of the photos).

I have plenty of photographs of the theatre if anyone is interested.

What nonsense! The Paris's balcony was never intended for "colored" patrons. NYC cinemas did not practice segregation. In all theatres, it was customary to have a drinking fountain for the balcony section. It saved people from having to walk down to the ground floor or even further, as in the case of the Paris, where the main lounge was below street level.

I can't imagine the owners expecting black audiences to fill the balcony of SYMPHONIE PASTORAL but perhaps the French owner thought all American theatres were segregated and prepared himself for this.

Let us not forget that most American troops were segregated during the war (unlike in the movies) and NYC was hardly a bastion of freedom for black people. In 1951 The Stork Club refused to serve Josephine Baker and unofficial "no-go" areas can still be found today.

Rubbish!

Really? Take a black friend for a drink at a Bay Ridge Bar at night.

“When (Ethel) Waters lived in Harlem she recalled that 125th street was still a ‘white boulevard’ and that the theatres on the street were segregated. ‘Colored people could only buy seats only in the peanut gallery in B.F. Keith’s Alhambra, and none at all in the other white show houses’. “

“Despite civil rights statues in northern cities that prevented racial segregation in theatres, the laws were rarely enforced and managers evaded the law. In 1905, two African Americans sued unsuccessfully when they were not permitted to buy tickets to New York’s Circle Theatre. On another occasion black patrons who obtained orchestra tickets were prevented from sitting in the white-reserved section when the manager broke the seats and ordered them to sit in the gallery. Racial segregation in the big-time venues as well as prejudice against black performers contrasted with the circuits’ publicity which celebrated vaudeville as a ‘democratic’ entertainment open to everyone."

from VAUDEVILLE WARS by ARTHUR FRANK WERTHEIM

Yeah, but wasn't that foolishness over with in Manhattan by 1948 when the Paris opened? I worked at the Paris when Pathe & C5 were still running it but I never heard that story.

Unfortunately, racism has always existed in NYC (and nearly everywhere else) to varying degrees, but I still believe that the claim of the Paris balcony being built exclusively for "colored" patrons is false and preposterous. However, I will concede that in 1948 and for quite a few years after that, it is unlikely that the Paris had any black employees other than janitorial. That was true not only of the majority of NYC cinemas and playhouses, but also of stores, restaurants, business offices, etcetera. Even the municipal government and public schools had very few black employees except in menial jobs. That did not begin to change radically until the 1960s.

I was referring to the blatant segregation as described by AlAlvarez in his post above that went on in 1905. The Paris Theatre was a relatively small venue at the time that it was built, having only 586 seats, and the films that played there had a limited appeal. I'm sure the balcony was built for no other reason than as a solution of how to get 586 seats in a small space. The overall demographics of Manhattan in those days were different, it was more blue-collar than it is today. While the Park Avenue crowd went to 'a film' the Paris everyone else was going to 'the movies' at Times Sq. and neighborhood theatres.

Segregation was a bit before my time, and I never heard of the Paris actually being segregated, but I believe the theatre was designed so that it could be segregated. However, I do not know this to be fact, and I had thought my initial comment made clear it was an opinion. It was not an opinion that originated with me. I had heard it several times while I was at the theatre.

I am somewhat sorry I made the initial comment because this is a beautiful theatre, and I hate seeing its page devoted to a debate over segregation. After some time at each place where I have worked, the physical facility became mundane to me. Day in and day out, year after year, the Paris took my breath away. I would hope it is best appreciated for its beauty and usually exceptional films instead of its curious water fountain placement.

Also, I want to thank AlAlvarez for posting the list of films that played there. I used to have that list, but I had lost it.

If dave-bronx worked there when the basement café was open, I would love to hear a little more about it.

The basement lounge was long gone by the time I got there. They had photos of it upstairs in the Pathe office (the office with the windows above the marquee) and it was quite a beautiful room. It was a lounge with sofas and chairs rather than a cafe with tables and chairs. Unfortunately I can't remember a lot of the details.

The Paris is giving out a leaflet describing the current feature, The Namesake (a very good film which was well attended), and specifying Coming Soon: Paris, Je T'aime and La Vie En Rose.

Leaflet also states "Opened in 1948, the Paris Theatre is the longest continuously operating art cinema in the United States. We are proud of the Paris which has premiered many of the best American independent and international films throughout its history. The Paris Theatre is a landmark in the heart of New York City and in the hearts of discerning New York filmgoers"

I went to the Paris recently to see BREAKING AND ENTERING and the place was immaculate. It looked like a theatre that had just opened.

I have two very special memories involving The Paris theatre. The first was in 1996 when an old friend and I spend Saturday night seeing HAMLET. This was a four-hour film and we smuggled in a backpack with a bottle of wine, two glasses and snacks. A very fun evening and a great film.

The second was December 5, 1998 - my wife and I were on our first date. We went to see LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL after a wonderful dinner. Somewhere, we still have the original ticket stubs. On December 5, 2008, we have a date to revisit the same restaurant and see whatever film is playing at The Paris. I hope it's still open then.

Other films I've seen there include a revival of Fellini's 8 1/2, LE DIVORCE and THE GOOD GERMAN.

Having been well reviewed by the critics, La Vie en Rose seems to be doing well at the Paris. Yesterday, the orchestra was crowded during the afternoon.

The lobby display, in the niche to the right, no longer changes with the movie. I think it was sometime earlier this year, perhaps in February when Breaking and Entering was shown, that the display became a wonderful montage of Paris monuments and actors.

I'd like to see a photo of the former, huge basement lounge.

Here are my photos at the Paris of a few of the movies shown in the last few years:

2005 Happily Ever After, http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/611569265/

2006
The White Countess, http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/611531511/
Copying Beethoven, http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/612158000/

2007
The Namesake, http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/612197166/
Paris, Je T'aime, http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/612252974/
La Vie En Rose, http://www.flickr.com/photos/howardbhaas/612313712/

Who books this theater?

I forget his name, but he was the booker for the Angelika in the pre-City Cinema days.

is the booker from ny?

I don't know if he is 'from' NY originally, but he's been around for years. He was with Joe Salah and them up in the Angelika's corporate office on Green St., where they were also involved in distribution of videos.

Does anyone have dreative entertainments phone number?

creative

Jacobs is the last name of the guy who booked the Angelika for Joe Salah. Salah, btw, apparently passed away in April in Paris (sounds like the name of a song...). Thanks to CT member astrocks for that info.

thank you!

The Paris, Loew's Paradise, and an unnamed Times Square cinema are prominently mentioned in this article from yesterday's New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/nyregion/17ink.html?

When I saw La Vie En Rose a month ago, which is still playing, the Paris leaflet stated Coming Soon: Close Encounters of the Third Kind-30th Anniv engagement- 2 WEEKS ONLY!, and Youth Without Youth, Francis Ford Coppola's first film in ten years, an extraordinary love story wrapped in a grand mystery.

I wonder what's going on with plans for a 30th anniversary theatrical run of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" here. According the theatre's website, the documentary "The Rape of Europa" will start a run at the Paris on September 14th, right after the current engagement of "La Vie En Rose" ends its long run. No word on CE3K at all at the website.

A week and a half ago, I saw "The Rape of Europa." Don't miss! It is a great film. You learn much, but it is also more entertaining than many current commercial feature films!

Ed, I asked about "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" Staff told me it isn't going to happen despite earlier expectations or hopes. Hmmm...that film had its World Premiere at the Ziegfeld.....

That's a shame. I wonder if a theatrical run of CE3K will happen at all for the anniversary. Perhaps the strong numbers for the "Blade Runner" engagement at the Ziegfeld will encourage a booking. Perhaps even via Digital Cinema Presentation (though I know Spielberg is a big proponent of film). Better still would be a 70MM run, but I doubt we'll be so lucky..

Howard, the term is "world premiere," without capitals. And in the introduction to the Loew's State listing, you have it as "World Premier," which is also incorrect. It should be "world premiere," not "world premier."

And one should never start a sentence with "And" either but who really cares.

Warren, I wrote World Premiere. When it was posted by the editor Premiere became Premier. I understand the spelling has since been changed. As to caps, I like it that way.

Fine Arts should be listed as an alternative name for this location although it was only for a short time in the early nineties.

What is your evidence to support "Fine Arts" as an alternate name? Advertising? News report? I don't recall the name change, nor does it even make sense to me why that would have been done.

i can find out monday as there film buyer books my theater..

It is no secret, but well known. I think it was after Pathe's lease was up, when Sony leased it that Fine Arts was the name.

In September of 1990 Pathe lost their lease at this location. They decided to re-open elsewhere so they removed the marquee and moved out. Loews took over and renamed the location LOEWS FINE ARTS.

In late 1992 it became LOEWS PARIS FINE ARTS and by summer 1993 it was the PARIS once again without Loews' involvement. Either Pathe returned or the landlord bought the rights to the name, as it never did open elsewhere.

Advertisements and the marquee were changed and news stories are available along with a "goodbye" ad in the NYT from Pathe when they lost the lease.

Pathe did not return.

Loews renamed their theaters Sony after its owner, but after merger with Cineplex Odeon, the Loews name returned. So, Sony and Loews was the same operator. I think Loews stayed longer. My notes indicte maybe until 1997. When Sony Lincoln Square opened, arthouse movies often began there.

url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DB1338F932A3575AC0A966958260&scp=1&sq=Pathe+FINE+ARTS+theater&st=nyt]Here[/url] is one NY Times article dated September 1, 1990 that mentions Loews Fine Arts. In case the link doesn't work, here is portion of the article.

The 586-seat theater, which was a favorite among generations of foreign-film enthusiasts and a familiar feature of the midtown cityscape, will remain open - at least for the short term - under the management of Loews Theaters as the Loews Fine Arts. But representatives of Pathe Cinema, which operated the theater, charged that the building's owners forced the Paris out in order to negotiate a short-term lease that would allow them to convert the theater into retail space within a few years.

Here is the link.

Loew's Paris Fine Arts Theater in 1994 according to this NY Times review of the "Browning Version" on October 12, 1994.

This stately, prettily photographed "Browning Version," which opens today at Loew's Paris Fine Arts Theater, does not have the sharpness of Mr. Figgis's "Internal Affairs" or the atmospheric style of his "Stormy Monday." The camera relies on a clumsy, blunt way of capturing the most obvious reactions.

The lease had expired and the landlord had no intention of negotiating a new one with Pathe, he had made a deal with Loews. I was the manager at the time and I handed the keys over to the Loews people. Pathe had intended to open up at a different location and use the Paris name there, and they removed their signs from the 58th St. theatre which we donated to the Museum of the Moving Image over in Astoria. Sheldon Solow and Loews (landlord and partner) re-named the theatre Fine Arts. Pathe's local representative was scouting out locations. Shortly thereafter, Pathe in France, fell on hard times and the French equivalent of bankruptcy and reorganization. Their plans for a replacement outlet in New York were scrapped and their local representative let go. It was after this that the Paris signs went back up at the theatre at 4 W. 58th St. Still later, the Loews/Solow partnership broke up, and Solow went solo with the Paris.

This obscure film from Italy (La Fuga, about a lesbian relationship), played here in March 1966.

Devil in the Flesh in 1949.

So is this theater still operated by Solow? The site of the Paris has to be one of the most valuable retail sites in the city; especially now that the Plaza has been redone. The Solow Tower gets some of the highest office rents in the city and it is obvious that Solow (if in fact he still runs the Paris) he is not totally focussed on money. Anybody else who held the Paris probably would have sold out to retail a long time ago. Hopefully, The Paris will be around for decades to come. Like many comments above, I agree that this small house shows that you don't have to be big to be a palace. This intimate theater is about understated elegance and it is a pleasure to see a film in.

Solow does still own tbe theater.It is managed by Jacobs Entertainment.

Thanks LI, that makes me happy. I think New York has the best chance of keeping the Paris as an active movie house when it's in the hands of a billionaire who has lots of other money and doesn't need another source of major cash.

I kind of have the same thoughts about the Fisher family owning the Ziegfeld. I would hope that they realize what a treasure that theater is and would not sell it or gut it just for profit. I understand that it is under a long term land lease, but I'm not sure how long it is for. I guess that is for discussion on The Ziegfeld's page. I would just hope that it is landmarked before that lease is up.

jacobs entertainment is the film buyer for my theater so talk with them daily..

Of Wayward Love, shown in 1964.

The Paris almost certainly is the single-screen art house I've visited most often in NYC, partly because it was such a classy high-grossing theater and therefore had access to the choicest bookings.

I had just returned from Vietnam to be discharged from the Army at Fort Dix and headed straight for nine days in NYC in August 1967 for a movie and Broadway binge (I was a whole year behind on movies and had seen only a couple of Broadway shows previously, so I was a kid in a candy store) before embarking on the rest of my life.

The first movie I saw after dropping off my duffle bag in a cheap hotel was "A Man and a Woman," which I was aware was in its 52nd week at the Paris. Since then I've seen several dozen fine movies there including "Howards End," "Remains of the Day," "The Browning Version" and "Ladies in Lavender."

One couldn't help but notice over the years that the patrons were invariably older and more likely to dress up a little to go to the movies.

The only mildly negative experience I ever had at the Paris was when I attended "Vincent and Theo" and noticed that the balcony was open. (Is it always open?) Anyway, I decided to make that moviegoing experience a bit different by watching Altman's film from the balcony. To my dismay, I could hardly make out the dialogue at all.

No one else here has indicated having a hearing problem in the Paris' balcony, so the acoustical problem that afternoon may have been a fluke, occurring only in a specific area of the balcony. That can happen, for example, if few orchestra seats are occupied and the sound lines somehow are caught off kilter.

The longtime manager of a bygone Pittsburgh legitimate theater/playhouse called the Nixon once explained there were a couple of acoustical dead spots in the front mezz of his theater. Later I found that was true in other theaters, especially in their balconies.

I sit in the balcony, have for many movies now, never missed a word of dialogue. Sound is great, in my opinion, in the Paris.

This 1954 Italian film, featuring a young Sophia Loren in one episode, opened at the Paris in early 1957, shorn of two of its six episodes.

I remember playing Vincent and Theo at the Cinemart and getting complaints about the dialogue being muffled and inaudible. I guess it was no different at the Paris.

On September 13th, the Paris will celebrate its 60th anniversary, according to this article in today's New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/nyregion/thecity/31pari.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=Joe%20Queenan&st=cse&oref=slogin

Gerald,

Would you mind if I used your add of Gold of Naples or La Fuga ads on my blog? It's an movie website and one of my sections is dedicated to classic movies theaters anchored by photos I have taken. With the 60th anniversary of the Paris coming up next week I am adding this theater to the blog and thought the ads would be a good illustration. Here's a link.

http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/

John G409, Yes, fine.

Another article on the 60th anniversary can be found here: http://www.timeout.com/film/newyork/features/show-feature/5841/old-school-house.html

Beautiful article. Thanks for sharing.

Here is a 2008 photo.

Photos of December 7, 2008 premiere of "Doubt" at the Paris Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?s=rec&w=all&q=paris+theater+premiere+doubt&m=text

This is another photo of the Paris Theater.

Renewing link.

"The Reader" continues a long run here, having begun December 10.

"Paris 36" playing at the Paris Theatre, in a photo I took last week:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b79/theseos/NYC236.jpg

Yes, last Friday, "Paris 36" followed "The Reader"

I was just told by staff that the Paris and The Beekman (formerly NY 1+2) have been signed over to City Cinemas.

The projectionist union is picketing the Beekman and Paris theaters.

Article about City Cinemas taking over, after 12 years from Jeffrey Jacobs who booked the films and managed the theater after Sony (Loews) departed:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118007786.html?categoryid=1237&cs=1

Any rationale for the expense of a full-page ad on the back cover of a recent NY Times Magazine (Sunday) on behalf of the Paris? Great retelling of the theater's history; makes you thankful that Sony gave up it's lease years back. Can't imagine an AMC Paris.

Also, from the Variety article cited above, it's curious that the Angelica is considered the City Cinemas' prime showcase. I'm sure the Angelica outgrosses Cinema 1,2,3, but that site used to be the leader of the pack.