Loew's 34th Street Showplace

Clearview Cinemas ran the 34th Street Showplace in its final months of operation, from late 1998 through the theatre's closing in August of the following year. Indeed, the theatre - which had been a strictly, first-run, major Hollywood product house - suffered (as much did the Murray Hill Cinemas, which stood one block west on 34th, near 3rd Avenue until its demolition in the early fall of 2002) in the wake of the opening of the Loews Kips Bay Theatre at 2nd and 32nd in the summer of '99, with its bookings suddenly concentrated on move-overs from the Kips Bay, independent, dependent, and art-house films, and the rare, first-run, major studio film - the last one being "Lake Placid", a direct result of the boycott 20th Century Fox (and its dependent offshoot, Fox Searchlight) established against Loews Theatres when Loews refused to meet Fox's terms for booking 'Star Wars, Episode One' into Loews' Manhattan theatres, a stand-off which ultimately extended to all Fox releases through the summer of 2002.

This wasn't a bad place to see a movie in the 80's...saw Absence of Malice,The Verdict, Trading Places, Coming to America and Tucker here...It was I think one screen upstairs and two downstairs and presented a good alternative for the growing area population to going to the Upper East Side and Times Square

The theatre had a 600 seat auditorium downstairs, and a 450 and 350 seat upstairs. The seats from the theatre currently survive at Clearview's Wayne Preakness Cinemas in Wayne, NJ.

What I always remember about the Showplace was that it's colors of golds and browns were drab, but very common for theatres of that time peroid.

The address for the Loew's 34th Street is 241 East 34th Street.

The original gold and brown color scheme was common for the more modern Loew's theatres of the 80's then as the new millenium came they changed their color scheme to red and grey featured in such theatres in the area as the Loew's Kips Bay, 34th st (the new one on the west side, the Astor Plaza, E-walk 42nd, and the Tower East uptown).

I hardly ever went over here because the films playing in this 'plex were usually duplicated closer to home. The last film I caught there was a curio called "River Red" with Tom Everett Scott from "Dead Poet's Society" fame. I caught it there in November of '98. This film is what we call a "One Week Wonder," which is a film that opens on a Friday and closes on a Thursday and usually plays in one theatre only. It was no doubt being four walled by a distributor to get the prestige of a theatrical release or to fulfull some sort of contractual obligation. I also remember seeing "Fierce Creatures" here, the sequel to "A Fish Called Wanda."

This theatre is mentioned in Loew's 1981 annual report:

"The success of the new Loews 34th Street Showplace, which opened in New York City in May, fully met the most optimistic expectations of management. This new triplex theatre includes all the amenities for which Loews Theatres are noted. The same concepts have been embodied in the Division's new projects in growing suburban areas outside New York City."

This is a 1999 photo of this theater when it was operated by Clearview.

The address for this theatre is 238 East 34th Street. The address listed above is for the 34th Street East across the street.

Its strange that the Loew's report gives an opening date of May 1981 when NYC claims that construction on the building was completed in December of 1981 and a C/O was issued to a new building at 234 E. 34th Street on January 6, 1982. Purpose of building: movie theater with three auditoriums. Seating is given as 600, 425, and 365. Total seats 1390.

BTW...the city lists the building as 234-238.

I can confirm that it opened on May 22, 1981 with THE FAN, BUSTIN' LOOSE and OUTLAND. They may have received a temporary permit made official in January.

Thanks for clearing that up Al. Its possible that temporary c/o's were issued so the theater could operate. NYC does that all the time. If something doesn't meet code (not safety related) or construction wasn't completed, they can apply for and receive temps. Sometimes those temps are on file, but many times they aren't. And the 238 East 34th Street address that you gave will work just fine.

Saw "Stripes" there in the summer of 1981; the theater had just opened. I was unaware until recently that it had closed.

Here were the bookings from the theatre's first five years (1981-1986):

5/22/1981 Bustin' Loose (5 weeks)
5/22/1981 The Fan (3 weeks)
5/22/1981 Outland in 70mm (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo and Megasound)
6/12/1981 Raiders Of The Lost Ark in 70mm (14 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/26/1981 For Your Eyes Only (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/26/1981 Stripes (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/24/1981 Blow Out (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/7/1981 Tarzan, The Ape Man (3 weeks)
8/28/1981 Body Heat (6 weeks)
8/28/1981 Take This Job and Shove It (1 week)
9/4/1981 The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia (2 weeks, stereo)
9/18/1981 Continential Divine (2 weeks)
9/18/1981 Mommie Dearest (7 weeks)
10/2/1981 Paternity (2 weeks, stereo)
10/9/1981 Rich and Famous (4 weeks)
10/16/1981 All The Marbles (2 weeks, stereo)
10/30/1981 Halloween II (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/6/1981 Chanel Solitaire (1 week)
11/6/1981 Time Bandits (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/13/1981 Rich and Famous (RE/MO, 1 week)
11/20/1981 Body and Soul (3 weeks)
11/20/1981 Only When I Laugh (MO, 3 weeks, stereo)
12/9/1981 Taps (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/11/1981 Rollover (6 weeks)
12/18/1981 Neighbors (4 weeks, stereo)
1/15/1982 Absence Of Malice (MO, 6 weeks, stereo)
1/22/1982 On Golden Pond (6 weeks)
1/29/1982 Four Friends (MO, 2 weeks, stereo)
2/12/1982 Cannery Row (1 week)
2/19/1982 Shoot The Moon (4 weeks)
2/26/1982 Death Wish II (3 weeks)
3/5/1982 Missing (3 weeks)
3/19/1982 Porky's (9 weeks)
3/19/1982 Quest For Fire in 70mm (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/26/1982 I Ought To Be In Pictures (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/16/1982 The Amateur (3 weeks)
4/30/1982 Partners (3 weeks)
5/7/1982 Paradise (2 weeks)
5/14/1982 Conan The Barbarian (5 weeks)
5/21/1982 Annie in 70mm (9 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/21/1982 Fighting Back (2 weeks)
6/4/1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan in 70mm (8 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/18/1982 Firefox (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/16/1982 A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (4 weeks)
7/23/1982 The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (3 weeks, 4-track stereo)
7/30/1982 Night Shift (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/13/1982 Star Wars (RE, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/13/1982 The Sword and The Sorcerer (MO, 1 week, Dolby Stereo)
8/20/1982 The Road Warrior (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/20/1982 Summer Lovers (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/27/1982 Zapped (2 weeks, stereo)
9/3/1982 Fast Times At Ridgemont High (3 weeks)
9/10/1982 The Beach Girls (1 week)
9/17/1982 Das Boot (dubbed version known as The Boat) (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/17/1982 Inchon (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/24/1982 Amityville II: The Possession (2 weeks)
10/1/1982 My Favorite Year (10 weeks)
10/1/1982 Tempest (MO, 3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/8/1982 Q: The Winged Serpent (2 weeks)
10/22/1982 First Blood (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/22/1982 Monsignor (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/12/1982 The Missionary (4 weeks)
11/19/1982 The Empire Strikes Back (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/8/1982 The Verdict (10 weeks)
12/10/1982 Airplane II: The Sequel (5 weeks)
12/10/1982 The Toy (6 weeks)
1/14/1983 Spring Fever (2 weeks)
1/21/1983 Sophie's Choice (10 weeks)
1/28/1983 Enigma (1 week)
2/4/1983 Tootsie (MO, 14 weeks)
2/18/1983 The Lords Of Discipline (5 weeks)
3/25/1983 Bad Boys (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/1/1983 Tender Mercies (4 weeks, stereo)
4/15/1983 Flashdance (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/29/1983 Valley Girl (1 week, stereo)
5/6/1983 Doctor Detroit (2 weeks, stereo)
5/13/1983 Blue Thunder in 70mm (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/20/1983 Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone in 3-D (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/25/1983 Return Of The Jedi in 70mm (16 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/8/1983 Trading Places (11 weeks)
6/17/1983 WarGames (MO, 6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/29/1983 Krull in 70mm (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/19/1983 Easy Money (6 weeks)
8/26/1983 Mr. Mom (5 weeks)
9/16/1983 Strange Invaders (2 weeks)
9/28/1983 The Big Chill (11 weeks)
9/28/1983 Eddie and The Cruisers (MO, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/30/1983 Beyond The Limit (3 weeks)
10/14/1983 A Boy and His Dog (RE, 1 week, Dolby Stereo)
10/21/1983 The Dead Zone (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/21/1983 Under Fire (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
10/28/1983 Richard Pryor: Here and Now (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/18/1983 Amityville 3-D (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
11/23/1983 Under Fire (MO, 1 week, Dolby Stereo)
12/2/1983 Educating Rita (MO, 2 weeks)
12/16/1983 The Man Who Loved Women (4 weeks, stereo)
12/16/1983 To Be Or Not To Be (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/16/1983 Uncommon Valor (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
1/13/1984 The Big Chill (RE/MO, 1 week)
1/20/1984 Angel (MO, 4 weeks, stereo)
1/20/1984 Scandalous (2 weeks, stereo)
1/27/1984 Broadway Danny Rose (7 weeks)
2/3/1984 Reckless (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/17/1984 Footloose (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/2/1984 Against All Odds (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/16/1984 Tank (1 week)
3/23/1984 Broadway Danny Rose (RE/MO, 1 week)
3/30/1984 Romancing The Stone (10 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/6/1984 Hard To Hold (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/6/1984 Moscow On The Hudson (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/20/1984 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (MO, 2 weeks)
5/4/1984 The Bounty (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/23/1984 Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom in 70mm (12 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/1/1984 Star Trek III: The Search For Spock in 70mm (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/8/1984 Ghostbusters (15 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/29/1984 Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (35mm version, 3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/20/1984 Best Defense (3 weeks)
8/10/1984 Red Dawn (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/15/1984 The Woman In Red (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/24/1984 Oxford Blues (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
8/31/1984 Bolero (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/21/1984 All Of Me (5 weeks, stereo)
9/21/1984 Until September (3 weeks, stereo)
10/5/1984 Teachers (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/12/1984 Garbo Talks (2 weeks)
10/19/1984 Thief Of Hearts (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/26/1984 Firstborn (3 weeks)
10/26/1984 The Terminator (7 weeks)
11/16/1984 Just The Way You Are (1 week, stereo)
11/21/1984 A Christmas Story (RE, 1 week)
11/21/1984 Supergirl (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/30/1984 A Nightmare On Elm Street (1 week)
12/5/1984 Beverly Hills Cop (15 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/7/1984 2010: The Year We Make Contact in 70mm (10 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/14/1984 The Cotton Club in 70mm (9 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/15/1985 The Breakfast Club (5 weeks)
2/15/1985 Turk 182! (2 weeks, stereo)
3/1/1985 The Sure Thing (4 weeks)
3/22/1985 Baby: Secret Of The Lost Legend (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/22/1985 Mask (6 weeks)
3/29/1985 Desperately Seeking Susan (11 weeks, stereo)
4/5/1985 The Sure Thing (RE/MO, 1 week)
4/12/1985 Cat's Eye (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/26/1985 Stick (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/3/1985 Gotcha! (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/10/1985 Rustler's Rhapsody (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/22/1985 Brewster's Millions (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/24/1985 A View To A Kill (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/14/1985 D.A.R.Y.L. (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/14/1985 Prizzi's Honor (8 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/3/1985 Back To The Future (14 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/12/1985 Explorers (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/2/1985 Weird Science (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/9/1985 Summer Rental (2 weeks)
8/16/1985 Year Of The Dragon in 70mm (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/23/1985 Teen Wolf (2 weeks)
9/6/1985 Compromising Positions (MO, 9 weeks)
9/20/1985 Creator (1 week, stereo)
9/27/1985 Maxie (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/11/1985 Marie (4 weeks, stereo)
10/11/1985 Silver Bullet (3 weeks, stereo)
11/1/1985 To Live and Die In L.A. (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/8/1985 That Was Then, This Is Now (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/8/1985 Transylvania 6-5000 (3 weeks)
11/22/1985 Fever Pitch (2 weeks, stereo)
11/27/1985 Rocky IV in 70mm (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/27/1985 Rocky IV (35mm version, 7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/4/1985 Young Sherlock Holmes in 70mm (8 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/10/1985 A Chorus Line in 70mm (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
1/17/1986 Brazil (8 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
1/31/1986 The Clan Of The Cave Bear (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
1/31/1986 Youngblood (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/7/1986 F/X (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/14/1986 The Delta Force (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/28/1986 Pretty In Pink (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/14/1986 Gung Ho (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/26/1986 The Money Pit (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/11/1986 Critters (3 weeks)
4/18/1986 Legend (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/18/1986 Wise Guys (6 weeks)
5/2/1986 Blue City (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/9/1986 Fire With Fire (2 weeks)
5/16/1986 Top Gun in 70mm (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/23/1986 Poltergeist II: The Other Side (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/30/1986 At Close Range (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/11/1986 Ferris Bueller's Day Off (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/13/1986 Back To School (11 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/27/1986 Running Scared (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/25/1986 Haunted Honeymoon (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/1/1986 Howard The Duck in 70mm (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/8/1986 Heartburn (MO, 7 weeks)
8/15/1986 Running Scared (RE/MO, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/29/1986 Born American (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/29/1986 Bullies (1 week)
9/5/1986 Legal Eagles (MO, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/12/1986 Running Scared (RE/MO, 1 week, Dolby Stereo)
9/19/1986 The Men's Club (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/19/1986 Shanghai Surprise (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
9/26/1986 Crocodile Dundee (11 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/26/1986 Foreign Body (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
10/3/1986 Heartburn (RE/MO, 1 week)
10/8/1986 Peggy Sue Got Married (7 weeks)
10/10/1986 Top Gun (RE, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/24/1986 Soul Man (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/26/1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 70mm (10 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/26/1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (35mm version, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/12/1986 The Golden Child (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/12/1986 Three Amigos (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)

In tribute to the times we lived in then - Time Bandits and Brazil - two great Terry Gilliam cult pictures got 6 and 8 weeks each!

Hard to believe there no photos of this theater if it opened in 1981.

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Lost Memory on Aug 10, 2005 at 12:54pm

All three auditoria were equipped with 70mm projection. And there were times when all three were indeed simultaneously running 70mm presentations (the good old days...)

I went to this theater the first day it opened in 1981 to see "Outland." I saw numerous films there throughout the '80s: Star Trek II,III, and IV, For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, The Untouchables, Ghostbusters,Return of the Jedi, etc. I remember all three of the theaters to be fairly large and always found it to be a pretty nice theater. I was very surprised to hear that it closed.

It is amazing how quickly this place came and went. I remember when it opened and, since my doctor's office was situated in the vicinity, would occasionally catch a late afternoon showing after a visit. I also distinctly remember seeing Prizzi's Honor with my parents just after its release. After the film, we had a fine seafood dinner at a place called Dolphins which, alas, is also history.

I remember my shock when, sometime in the early 1990's, I paassed the site of I knew of as being a modern movie house, and saw a vacant lot instead.