Coronet 1 & 2

The Baronet & Coronet was closed on September 13, 2001 and has been sold to a real estate developer.

It's been demolished.

The Coronet was a newly built theatre, but the Baronet was a modern renovation of the Arcadia Theatre, a 480-seat late-run movie house that changed programs several times a week and had been a fixture of the neighborhood for decades. When the Baronet and Coronet first opened, they were part of the Walter Reade Circuit.

Another sad reminder of how prestiges these east side houses were. The downfall began when they became Cineplex houses and they put the standard pink and silver marquee. I never understood when they first renovated it was still the Baronet-Coronet but then someone made the moronic decision to rename it Coronet I & II. Did anyone ever hear why? I also caused the landmark sign with the crowns to be destroyed. Better it lives on only in our memories then be desecrated.

Is it possible that the Coronet I and II was a twinning of the original Coronet? I've just found some notes that Walter Reade bought the old Arcadia in 1951 and converted it into the Baronet, which opened in February 1952. It became so successful that ten years later, in 1962, Walter Reade built the Coronet next door to the Baronet, with part of the new theatre extending over the roof of the Baronet.

When Cineplex took this site over they remodeled the lobby and combined the two box offices into one. Loews Cineplex renamed it Coronet I & II in the era when multiplexes moved films around more easily based on business so the ads wouldn't be wrong every time they switched sides.

It's sad to see this theater closed for it's the first time my wife and I saw a movie together. "Forrest Gump" played here and we saw it with my friend Frank. It was great and we came home talking about the movie all night and broke night and went home at 6:30 a.m.

John McNamara, who started his career in the office of Thomas W. Lamb and took over many of his projects after Lamb's death in 1942, was the architect of the original, single-screen Coronet. McNamara was also responsible for the twinning of Loew's State and the renovation of the Capitol in New York City, both originally designed by Lamb. McNamara died in 1988.

When my wife and I were first dating and first married, we saw most of the films that were playing at these two theatres in 1968 and 1969.

The Baronet/Coronet closed with a series of free-admission classic films on one of two screens with, I believe, 'O' and 'Rat Race', the theatre's final first-run offerings, alternating in the other auditorium.

Cineplex put the whammy on many theatres, and this is a perfect example. They took a perfectly viable, well-attended theatre that was tastefully decorated for it's upper east-side audience, and threw away a lot of money on faux-marble floors, hideous pink neon, re-built seats (no, they weren't new) and 'Real Butter' signs plastered everywhere. The result made it look like a plex in a suburban Toronto shopping mall, not an upscale Manhattan movie house. If that wasn't bad enough, they never put another dime into it - they didn't maintain the escalator, or the heating & air conditioning systems, or the roof, or even the light bulbs. All that, coupled with their inability to comprehend the film booking patterns that existed in Manhattan in those days, and they turned the place into a dump in record time. For some reason that to this day remains a mystery, Loews merged with the nearly-insolvent Cineplex, taking on their HUMONGOUS debt. As the combined company was skidding towards backruptcy and looking for cash, the B/C was too far gone, and worth more as a development site. You can put Cineplex right up there behind UA when it comes to running theatres into the ground.

Dave-Bronx wrote: You can put Cineplex right up there behind UA when it comes to running theatres into the ground.

You can add General Cinemas to that list. They took a lot of their good/great theaters and ruined them. Perfect example is the Avco Westwood. They split their 1000+ seat main auditorium into two separate theaters. The result? Off-center screens, bad seating, bad theater.

Loews Cineplex made millions off the sale of the property the theatre was sitting on. I remember the marble and neon in a lot of their theatres, Cineplex apparently thought that was real classy, as was selling you extra squirts of butter on your popcorn. I wonder though why towards the end of it's exisitance the theatre changed from being a Cineplex theatre to just a plain Loews theatre, maybe a way to drum up some business. My friend used to call them Cinebucks Odeous.

The above comment about the Avco in Westwood, California. Because of zoning in the area of Westwood. You could not build new screens because of a parking vs. seating law in the area. So to get a new screen added you had to cut or remodel the theatre in question. In the Avco's case the theatre seated 1100 people. So you could cut the theatre up say (two 500 seat theatres or 800 and a 200 seat theatre) or use up the full 1100 count. In the market place of Westwood, Mann Theatres had all the major houses north of Wilshire Blvd. and for a few years all of them. (Village, National, Bruin, Plaza, Regent, Festival, Westwood Quad) On the south side of Wilshire Blvd. there was the Crest, Avco 3, UA Coronet 3. And because at one time the Westwood area out grossed the Hollywood booking area. Westwood was the hot spot to open films in Southern California. So the only way General Cinema could still turn profits at the Avco was to cut the main theatre in two. So now the Avco had that extra screen to use for bookings. The former main house was a very nice place to see films, it was as wide as the National but with a lower ceiling and smaller screen.
OK , General Cinema damaged the theatre in the twinning of it, because the theatre could not turn a true profit anymore.
At one time Mann Theatres had plans to multiplex the Village Theatre and raze the National Theatre to make a 10 screen plex. Using the seat counts from the Regent, Westwood Quad and the National Theatres to complie with the zoning laws.
I worked as a union projectionist in these theatres during that time.

GCC had been splitting big theaters for years prior to the Avco. They split almost all of the former Statewide Theaters that were built in Anaheim, Bakersfield and San Bernardino, only to let those theaters perish. Not too long after the Avco split, GCC went into bankruptcy. Another fine theater damaged by another exhibition company. I just find it ironic that the Avco will book a very popular film, like a Lord of the Rings, and will fill the two houses that once equaled one auditorium.

The Avco was a great example of a modern theater that had class and excellent presentation. You're correct, William, on that the ceiling was lower and the screen smaller than the National. It was a unique design. The Avco had some of the best 70mm projection I've ever seen.

I recently attended a press screening for "Thunderbirds" in the other 70mm house upstairs. AMC has actually kept the curtain presentation and the sound and picture presentation is still top-notch. I can't say the same for the former big house downstairs. The new sightlines are terrible.

I find it hard to believe that theater chains today can turn a profit with the newer megaplexes (20 screens and more). The buildings that house all of these screens are much, much bigger than the old multiplexes (10 screens or less), and seem to require much more overhead. Where they get you is at the box office with higher ticket prices (for mediocre presentation) and very high concession prices.

It's not as though a lot of these theaters are crowded during the week. If I recall, that was a factor in splitting the Avco. Not enough people were seeing shows during the week; only Friday and Saturday nights were good for business.

I think this thread is interesting. Once decent chains, like Cineplex Odeon and GCC, did some really great theatrical upgrades during the building boom of the late '80s, then allowed their properties to fall apart. Then those same chains ultimately were bought out or went under.

It is hard for the chains to make a profit in general. Yes, That's the same problem they have been having when they started building those mega-plexes. This has been a problem since the first twin opened and it was him going againist the single screen operator of the past. Westwood area has not been the same since Century City and Santa Monica opened their plexes and the Pacific Grove Theatre near the Farmer's Market. All those areas do great business even during the daytime. Westwood was like walking into a large plex, but you had to walk alittle farther to get to your theatre. The Avco Theatre played many great shows and still does. GCC had to twin the main house, because it also gives the theatre that extra screen. And like you said with "Lord of the Rings", with a running time of three hours plus, you can get that extra show without going into overtime for the staff. Having worked for GCC Theatres in many of their Southern California locations. They were not very overtime friendly, unless you had a true blockbuster on your screen. Even with the studio paying for the labor, management always tried to cut costs even more. GCC went from a really good company to work for to a pain in the end. The two best single screen Theatres that GCC had but let go were the Loew's on Hollywood Blvd. (aka: Paramount and later the El Capitian) and the Art-Deco Beverly Theatre.

If you want to look at a theatre that could never make a profit vs. rent. Look at the Cineplex Odeon in Westwood. (Former UA Westwood, UA Egyptian and now known as the Mann's Festival Theatre)

Bill has Mike gotten back from his vacation? I will be sending out those copies of the 70MM info on Thursday.

I used to be Manager of the Baronet/Coronet in the late 1970's and 80's for about 10 years when Walter Reade owned it. I stayed up until the day Cineplex Odeon took it over. It was a sad day last year to see a hole in ground on 59th and 3rd. So much of my youthful memories are about that theatre that I loved so much. It was my first managing job. It was a very prestigous theatre back then. Exclusive bookings, premieres, stars and it was the number one grossing theatre in NY for a time. Does anyone remember me? My name is Craig Dougherty. I have many stories to tell.
Did you know that the late Abby Hoffman used to be the manager in ther early 1960's? Did you know that Sylvester Stallone worked there as an usher and was fired for stealing? He would go out on the sidewalk and sell loose tickets to the customers waiting on line.

I used to be Manager of the Baronet/Coronet in the late 1970's and 80's for about 10 years when Walter Reade owned it. I stayed up until the day Cineplex Odeon took it over. It was a sad day last year to see a hole in ground on 59th and 3rd. So much of my youthful memories are about that theatre that I loved so much. It was my first managing job. It was a very prestigous theatre back then. Exclusive bookings, premieres, stars and it was the number one grossing theatre in NY for a time. Does anyone remember me? My name is Craig Dougherty. I have many stories to tell.
Did you know that the late Abby Hoffman used to be the manager in ther early 1960's? Did you know that Sylvester Stallone worked there as an usher and was fired for stealing? He would go out on the sidewalk and sell loose tickets to the customers waiting on line.

Next door at the Cinema I in the late 60s Martin Sheen was employed as an usher. He was fired when he set up the ticket-holders line across the street in front of Bloomingdales - and held up traffic on Third Ave. for 10 minutes when they brought the line across and into the theatre.....

Craig
I sure do rememebr you. I worked at the Festival on and off from 80-82. My manager there was tranferred to the Baronet/Coronet around 81. His name was Joe Torres. It makes me sick to see what they have done with all the old movie theaters in NYC. I am glad I moved from there in 1983 because it would be very difficult to see the buildings gone. I worked at Bowery Ssavings when they were on the corner of 60th and 3rd so I knew that area very well. I ate at the Chinesse restaurant above the Coronet all the time. Would love to chat more, email me at Oaklandparkmike@aol.com

Does anyone know if any NEW theatres are going in to this area. When I first moved to 73rd and Third, there were MANY theatres in the 59th/Third area--a Manhattan Twin and the DW Griffith on 59th St. itself, the Gotham on Third, the Sutton on 57th, and the Baronet-Coronet combo, along with Cinemas 1, 2, and 3 next to the B-C. With all these theatres vanishing, are any new mutliplexes coming in? Will the new Bloomberg building have a theatre at all?

There are a lot of complaints about UA and Cineplex/Loews and how badly they run their theaters. But are there any good chains out there that do maintain the theaters and are aware of booking patterns in the various markets they serve? Anyone know? Or do they all suck?

I never hear a bad word about Landmark Theatres.

Well, I don't know about Landmark and what theaters they own in the NY area. What I have found out is that independently owned theaters tend (overall) to be better. The owners can be film lovers and they do their best to book good fare that is in keeping with the population. A good example is the Teaneck theater in Teaneck NJ. Privately owned, the theater itself, condition wise, is not that great. But the owners know their patrons (middle class, educated Jews) and book the theater accordingly with art/independent and some commericial stuff in it's second run usually.

I would love to run a small-ish art house with two or three screens like the New Community Cinema in Huntington, LI. Now those people know what they're doing and to whom they are catering to and have done a splendid job.

City Cinemas maintained their theatres but I will no longer patronize them since the Sutton closing and now that Cinema 1-2-3 is next. Much depends on the individual theatre and it's management. The Beekman is still a wonderful movie going experience as is the Paris. I have not been to the Zeigfeld in a year but last time I was there it was still in great shape.

sethkino, there will be no new movie theatres in the neighborhood due to the fact that in the late 70s or early 80s the area was re-zoned to prevent it, at the insistance of the local community board. At that time there was concern about the area becoming another Times Square, the 4 theatres on 59th St. were all porn operations. The new zoning probibited any new theatres from built, and the existing theatres could not add any square-footage to their premises, and if any of the existing theatres were heavily damaged due to fire or some other disaster they were not allowed to be re-built. As far as I know, that zoning is still in effect.

The owner of the New Metro Twin (did I get the name right?) has his heart in the right place. I mean, at least he's not going to close it and he's trying to keep it a movie theater.

I think if an independent owner had their heart in the right place, the Embassy 2,3,4 in Times Square would be another good place to plant an "art" house. There's more than enough foot traffic there and an audience is out there for that kind of offering.

But the land is way to valuable in a developers eyes...

Responding to your most recent post, Dave-Bronx - how were the First & 62nd Street Cinemas allowed to come into existance sometime around 1991 with the re-zoning prohibiting the development of new movie theatres within the neighborhood having been passed roughly some 10 years' prior?

I tried to start a series of posts similar to the one CConnolly began yesterday regarding theatre chains that seem to have their you-know-what together about a month ago on the Movieworld Douglaston page... I'd have to agree with Ron Newman - Landmark Theatres seems to have a solid reputation. They've been a well-operated chain, keeping their theatres in good, working condition (although at least two of their properties - the NuArt in West LA and the Rialto in Pasadena - could use some fixing-up), keeping some classic theatres up-and-running (such as the NuArt and Rialto) which may have otherwise closed, building art-house theatres in previously underserved markets (such as the Kendall Square Cinemas in Cambridge, Ma.), and keeping such distractions as pre-film commercials and in-theatre radio networks to a minimum or paying no heed to them whatsoever.

br91975 - As I recall from conversations with Mr. Geller, the architect of the Cinema 1 2 3, the zoning area applied to the area of 1st Ave. west to Madison, and 57th St north to 79th St. The First & 62nd theatre sits on the corner, yet the entrance and address is on the side-street, instead of the more desirable avenue.

When we were renovating the C1&2 in '87, the projection booth for the third theatre was to have been centered on a mezzannine above the auditorium entrance. This was disallowed by the DOB as it was adding square-footage to the building. We were allowed to put the booth on a raised platform 5' off the floor since the space below, a little more than 4' high, was not considered "usable" space, therefore it did not add square-footage.

Thanks for filling in those blanks for me, Dave. Just out of curiosity, what were the 4 porn theatres on 59th Street? The old Manhattan Twin was one; was the D.W. Griffith another, and what were the other two (or, if not the D.W. Griffith, the other three)? Also, given that the adult entertainment industry is highly unlikely to re-establish any sort of foothold in Midtown East, what are the chances, from your P.O.V., of that zoning being altered in order to allow a new movie theatre site (or two, or three) to be developed within the area?

I should have said '4 screens'. The Manhattan Twin, though I forget the name of it at the time, had regular porn on one side and gay on the other. The D.W.Griffith was the Cine Malibu and played porn. Closer to 3rd Ave on the north side of the street next to McCreedys shoe store was the Lido East, another porn house. After it closed they made a Mexican restaurant called Zona Rosa in there, and now I think it is a carpet store.

As far as changing the zoning back to allow theatres, I would imagine it would have to be done the same way as it was done earlier - the residents would have to get the local community board to prod the city council to make the changes. A developer of a large project may also be able to petition for a zoning change on a particular piece of property.

I think the gay screen of Manhattan 1 & 2 was the Spartan.

It's amazing to think that theaters on the East side would show porn. And yes, the advent of DVD has thankfully done away with the old style porn theater. Who's going to go into a dark and disgusting theater when they can watch this krap in their own home or on their PC?

I would think someone would ask for a rezoning for a movie theater. Given the nature of the population on the East side (educated, wealthy, etc.) an art house (you'd think) would flourish over there.

Is the DW Griffith gone? It was a small theater that I liked a lot though it seemed much bigger after its neighboring theaters were torn down. When Lillian Gish visited it she expressed her dismay at its size and said something to the effect "In my day movie theaters were like stadiums!" And how!

The D.W. Griffith became the 59th Street East Cinema in April of '89, Vincent, and is presently known and operated as the ImaginAsian, a venue focusing year-round on films with a related cultural leaning.

Now that the Cinemas are being torn down dont be suprised if the Griffith goes back to first run pictures. It's hard to believe how under-screened the East side has become.

The D.W. is still open under a different name and showing an Asian film series.

Today only megaplexes are being built by the major exhibitors, and require a huge site, something else in short supply on the upper east side. A small chain or independent operator who wanted to build a 3 or 4 screen art house on a modest sized site or convert an existing space would probably not have enough clout to get the zoning changed.

Nobody has said that the Cinemas is being torn down - only that they are altering it possibly to prevent landmarking. True, without landmarking and given their track record you could assume that it may be torn down in the future, but at this time that has not been stated.

CConnolly - there was a good thing to an old theatre going porn - as long as the owner was able to make a few bucks with porn the theatre at least remained in existance with hope that it would be rediscovered. Without porn houses these days as soon as a theatre becomes obsolete for regular film they are either gutted for other uses or demolished.

Dave this did not save the Tivoli on 8th Av at 50th street. This was a real gem of a mid size vaudeville house which throughout the 70's and 80's became the Adonis.
This might have become a musical house after the loss of the Mark Hellinger. I believe it is now a condo building. I'd really like to know a lot more about it.

Porn saved the Tivoli for 20 years more or less intact. Otherwise it would have been demolished or gutted and converted to a supermarket as soon as they stopped showing general release film in 1970. In the end, it did come down, but it's life had been extended.

Yes but when you said saved I thought you meant saved for eventual use as a non porn theater.

What kind of run was the Tivoli on before it became the Adonis. I can answer some questions about the Adonis, I once worked for the owner who at the time had the Cinema Village and DW Griffith.

As long as it still stood, there was a chance, granted a slim chance, but a chance nonetheless, that it rediscovered and have a new life.

Nick and Justin had the Adonis? I knew they had the D.W. and the Cinema Village, and that little porn joint on 3rd ave & 12th, and the Cinemart in Queens, but I didn't know about the Adonis.

Dear CConnelly, as someone who enjoyed on-site porn-viewing, so to speak, for many years, I must try to contradict you. One didn't go to porn houses for the pleasures of bon ton, in decor or hygene. Rather, they were places to disappear into (as are most movie theaters) for the express pleasures of sexual fantasy--and, sometimes, sexual contact, in male-for-male theaters at least. Alas, that last has been lost, now that porn-viwing has become, mostly, a stay-at-home occupation. I sympathize with those who found the theaters unisghtly additions to their nighborhoods, but the theaters had their place, one, for me at any rate, sadly lost.

AEB

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

Saw 'The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea' and 'Breaking Away' here.

I saw Altman's "Nashiville" here and the presentation was first rate. I was particulary impressed that when the film ended and the curtain closed, they had actual exit music still playing. I was ticked off when I saw it again at my local Long Island house and there was no music. Cineplex Odeon's "renovation" did nothing but make the place look like a Bangcock whorehouse. But then again, most of their houses ended up looking like that.

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.

Sorry about the above address. This should work.

http://web.infoave.net/~dennmac/review2.html

The address should be
http://web.infoave.net/~dennmac/review2.html

(it has a tilde, not a hyphen, before "dennmac")

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.'

Here's a photo I took back in the 70's/ Brian DePalma's Obsession was playing at both theaters.

http://photobucket.com/albums/a9/John409/?action=view¤t=Coronet-Baronet.jpg

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- papo0911@yahoo.com

Here’s a Showbill from the Baronet for June, 1961:

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/satnight1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/cinematreasures/satnight2.jpg

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.

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?

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

The following week, "Tess" was replaced by this Richard Donner film at the Baronet:

Night Moves

My mistake... I meant "Inside Moves" not "Night Moves".

Ed
I thought from what I remember, Tess played at the Little carnegie as a reserved performance engagement. I lived in NYC and worked at the Festival on 57th and don't remember it playing the Baronet.

Note that TRIBUTE was produced by Garth Drabinsky, already making an appearance at the Baronet/Coronet's life before their fateful run-in with Cineplex Odeon!!

The book New York 1960 (Marcacelli Press 1995) reports the Baronet was a nickelodeon, which as the Arcadia was taken over in 1951 by Walter Reade & expanded to 432 seats. The upstairs Coronet was added in 1961, as the 1st of the modern Third Avenue theaters.

This duplex closed 9-13-2001. Posters on the theater announced the following, which I wrote down.

After Four Decades, the Loew's Coronet is Closing. To Commerorate the Coronet's Place in NYC History, Loews Presents Classic Films of the Coronet Era. Free Admission.

9/10, 1960's, Dr. No, 4:30 PM, A Hard Day's Night 7:30 PM, Breakfast at Tiffany's 10 PM

9/11, 1970's, Chinatown 4:15 PM, Taxi Driver 7:30 PM, A Clockwork Orange 10:15 PM

9/12, 1980's Raiders of the Lost Ark, 4:15 PM, Terms of Endearment 7:15 PM, Raging Bull 10:15 PM (but Raging Bull was crossed off)

9/13, 1990's, Forrest Gump, 4:15 PM, Get Shorty, 7:30 PM, Silence of the Lambs 10:15 PM

Note from me: Great intent, but an American tragedy on 9-11 may have interfered, at least with numbers attending.

Mike... "Tess" definitely played the Baronet as per that ad for its one-week Oscar-qualifying run. The movie clocks that week confirm it. "Stardust Memories" was still at the Little Carnegie during the week of 12/12/80 through 12/18/80. "Inside Moves" moves into the Little Carnegie (day-and-dating with the 34th Street East) on 12/19/80. Perhaps "Tess" played the Little Carnegie when it was officially released sometime after this qualifier.

Yes, Tess moved over to the Little Carnegie. Per my film log, I saw it there on December 26, 1980...I believe at a midnight showing.

I didn't know if you would find it interesting, but I was actually the final projectionist at the Baronet Coronet theater, and was so for it's final 2yrs. Seeing the picture above brought back memories because those 2 movies being advertised on the marquee played during it's last year. The decline of the theater was not only due to lack of funding put into it's interior, as you said like the escalator, but however also due to Leows and other large chain's growing greed. They increased the concession prices and lowered the quality at the same time to therefor increase their profit margins further. By doing so I mean they began fizzling the union projectionists like myself out of their theaters by reducing us to very few days a week, while their managers, whom they gave 2 week crash courses on how to run a projection booth, ran the remainder of the week. Generally I would build a print Thursday nite for Fridays open, and when I came back in on my next shift it was already scratched, and generally playing in the wrong sound format. But what can you do, projection isn't the only craft that's been fizzled out by big company to increase profits margins. Why pay someone $25hr when you can give an 18yr old a crash course and pay him $7.

I guess I should also mention that 9-11 sped up the process of the theater's closing. They had talked about possibly saving it or delaying it's close, and then on the day of 9-11 we were unable to get to or open the theater for a number of days. Once we did re-open the numbers had fallen drastically, and I don't think many people were in the movie going mood. We did indeed show films from during it's run for free admission during it's last week, at which time I was transferred by the union over to the Leow's State theater in the basement floor of Virgin Megastore in Time's Square. Unfortunately, it's days were numbered as well. At one point, I believe the only thing keeping it alive were the Richard B. Film School screenings, and the Uraban World Film Festival. Once those were moved, the State theater had had it's last hurrah as well.

During my years with Cineplex Odeon there were always outrageously high offers for this property. The only reason the theatres lasted as long as they did was a combination of the First & 62nd multiplex not opening well and filmmakers still insisting on opening on this block even after the Upper West Side replaced the Upper East Side as the primary Manhattan run. This, like the Cinema 1, II & III are casualties of highly coveted real estate and really nothing more sinister than that.

Those of you who in the industry during the 60's and 70's may remember that national releases were delayed just waiting for an opening on this block.

Does anyone remember Dean Cronos, manager of the Coronet/Baronet back in the mid 60's?

The way things work you can't get even a good 35mm print of My Fair Lady but Warners probably has pristine 70's of this in the vault :)
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/d6cffe95.jpg

I'm putting up nice movie material that relate to movie theatres including souvenir programs. check it out

http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n94/irajoel/

you can also visit my own website
www.cinemagebooks.com
to view more material.

that link to the lost boys newspaper ad showed it in 70mm at the coronet. did cineplex odeon have 70mm and stereo sound installed when they took over from walter reede? or did the coronet show movies in 70mm before that? didn't they show some important roadshow films in the sixties?

Never loved this theater as a theater ,showed great movies but never GOT what people loved about it.............

The Baronet/Coronet never ran roadshows but often ran exclusive engagements in 70mm. It was used to establish films as important rather than as a showcase for pre-sold expensive films. This was where you discovered MIDNIGHT COWBOY and M.A.S.H, not HELLO, DOLLY!.

Al i get the great movies ,exclusive engagements,i am talking as a theater .(layout,decor,seats)

I mean pre-Cineplex Odeon-

It was the location that made them highly coveted. As theatres they were never special but did have good 70mm presentations. It is amazing how many little Manhattan houses had 70mm capabilities.

Al do you know what ever happened to Kieth Kiel ........i was very friendly with him and lost touch............

Al do you know were Keith keil wound up .........Was very good friends and lost touch with him................

Keith went back home to Tacoma when he left Cineplex - his family ran drive-in theatres in that area.....

...but I never heard if Greg went with him or stayed here...

Greg and Keith moved back together (I was part of the packing commitee in LeFrak)and Keith was living in and running a Drive-In in Tacoma, the last time we spoke around 1998.

Of the two, the lower level Baronet seemed more enjoyable, although the Coronet(a few seats larger) showcased the prestige premiere features. Saw "Dr. Strangelove" at the B. right after a full renovation; it was plush and comfortable. The C. was always jammed and felt like a sardine can, but with raked seating.

no listing for keith in WA. ANYONE HAS AN IDEA HOW TO REACH HIM PLEASE SEND IT TO MY EMAIL ...................THANKS

Look for him spelled "Kieth Kiehl". I found several listings but I am not sure if they are him. There are also some articles regarding drive-ins in the Tacoma area dated as recent as 2004.

Thanks ...........

The Coronet Theatre was equipped for 70MM back in 1965.

70MM engagements at the Coronet Theatre:
In Harm's Way April 7, 1965
Starman December 14, 1984
Silverado July 10, 1985
The Color of Money October 17, 1986
The Lost Boys July 31, 1987
Who Framed Roger Rabbit June 22, 1988
Die Hard July 15, 1988
Casualties of War August 18, 1989
Back to the Future, Part 2 November 22, 1989
Back to the Future, Part 3 May 25, 1990
Die Hard 2 July 4, 1990
Hook December 11, 1991
Far and Away May 22, 1992
Last Action Hero June 18, 1993

That also includes the Baronet too.

To compliment William's post, here's a 1986 clipping showing Tom Cruise as a double threat at the Box Office that week:

Cruise X2 - Daily News 10/16/86
One hit was about to close while the other was opening the following day in 70mm at three Manhattan houses(including the Coronet).

Back in '63, this Paul Newman/Joanne Woodward comedy day and dated at the Coronet and Demille:
A New Kind of Love - Daily News 11/25/63

A couple of months earlier:
In The French Style/The Great Escape - Daily News 9/21/63

You can see with some of the other ads that sex and lurid violence was already creeping into some of the Times Square bijous by this time.

How come this theater has no seat count? Who is in charge of seating? Heads will roll for this. :)

If you want something done, you have to do it yourself. LOL

NYC issued a c/o for a 450 seat motion picture theater at 993 Third Avenue in October of 1918. It doesn't specify if it was a new building or not. Owner was William Burke Cochran. In December of 1962 there are now two theaters shown for the address range of 993-997 Third Avenue. The 1962 c/o reads as follows,
Present theater-418 seats.
New theater-585 seats.

Total seats=1003

lost - do you have any luck posting theaters ?Last 2 years they have not posted 1 theater i have sent in....could it be me.... lol... and if i ask about it NEVER an email back .....very rude...

I had a similar problem awhile ago. It was easy to solve. When you submit a theater, add your credit card number to the description and the theater will be posted fast. In fact, there are theaters here with my name on them that I never submitted. The drawback is, my credit card is in the red for big bucks. LOL

Seriously, if you submit a theater and it never appears, the theater could be a duplicate or the theater just got lost. Submit it again. When the website is acting up, that is a bad time to submit a theater. It might not get saved properly.

if i were not so cute i would think it was me............

From what I can tell, theatres that spent a signficant life as anything other than cinemas will often not get listed. Hence the Ambassador, for example, a major Broadway foreign film house in the thirties, but now a playhouse, won't rate. The Lunt-Fontaine does. Go figure!
I was also unable to place the Grove Cinema in Miami, a true treasure for anyone who lived there in the seventies.

As far as I know, any theater that showed movies is eligible to be listed here. I don't believe that there is a specific timeline on how long a theater had to show movies in order to qualify. On the other hand, you can't list your house as a theater even though you might show home movies there. We have to draw the line somewhere. LOL

i have sent in movies 6 in tyler 2 times ,i have sent in stortville in co ............they never post them ...oh well..

The third time is the charm. :) There are only four theaters currently listed here for Tyler, Texas and Movies 6 is not one of them. If you include drive-in theaters, I can find over twenty five theaters for Tyler. I would submit Movies 6 again. Try to submit it before the weekend when the site starts acting up.

lol

For a change, I must agree with the mysterious "Lost Memory." There should be a line drawn somewhere, especially in the case of theatres that were built as playhouses and spent most of their lives as such. In the early decades of the motion picture industry, many playhouses were pressed into temporary service until enough purpose-built cinemas became available. I think that those "borderline" theatres need to be examined individually before being accepted for listing as a "cinema" treasure. If a playhouse, for example, had at least five years of continuous operation as a cinema, then it should be listed, otherwise not.

Here's a mid-1980's clipping featuring a few theater-chain block ads, including Walter Reade:
Reade, RKO/Cinema 5 and New York Cinemas - NY Times 10/27/86

Is the Ziegfeld the only theater in the Reade listings still operating in the same configuration as in 1986?

Yes, the Ziegfeld is still the same. The 23rd Street West Triplex is now the Chelsea West (twin) and the Waverly Twin is now the IFC Center (Triplex).

Hmm. Odd that someone would come along and take over a triplex and then turn it into a twin! I'll have to visit that page and see what the story was.

Remember that was during the Cineplex days of remodeling and upgrading older theatres.

Ed, Cineplex Odeon was concerned that their Chelsea nineplex was easily outgrossing the triple down the street. In an effort to equate the two in everyone's eyes they decided to combine two of the screens at the triplex and make that location as good or better than the nineplex. They renamed it Chelsea West in the process and it has since hosted several films premieres including Woody Allen films.

By turning Chelsea west back to a twin it made there auditoriums larger than most of the 9 plex.

I am working on a documentary in which a character goes to the Coronet theater to see "Seduced and Abandoned" in the 1960's. Does anyone know of where I might be able to find pictures of the theater (marquee, exterior, interior)? Perhaps from a premier? It would really help me alot.

A classy 1955 re-issue.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/PhiladelphiaStory1955re-release.jpg

Before Cineplex turned it into a crappy second rate twin
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/TheTurningPoint.jpg

A Garbo festival in the 60's
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/Garbo.jpg

Exterior photo after closure here:-

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12494104@N00/422477377/

Film playing at the Baronet in 1956.

The first theatre on this site was called the Queen's, which opened towards the end of the first World War. During the silent era, the Queen's Theatre also operated a roof cinema in the summer months. Programs, consisting of a feature and several shorts, changed daily. Advertising promised patrons "No speed used in showing pictures here." In those days, some theatres would run the projectors faster to squeeze in more peformances. With the coming of sound, the Queen's was re-named the Arcadia and later the Baronet, with substantial renovations each time.

When Walter Reade had this theatre, in the Coronet side the main lobby contained a very large abstract painting against the back wall. I was told that when the self-appointed Savior-of-the-movie-theatre-business from Toronto took over and announced plans for the renovation, Dolly (Mrs. Walter, Jr.) Reade, having been instrumental in the commissioning and installation of the painting, asked the afore-mentioned self-appointed Saviour-of-the-movie-theatre-business for it and was refused. Instead, when the renovation finally got under way, it ended up in the trash.

What a classy move!

The Walter Reade organization sold their theaters to Cineplex Odeon, correct? If that is the case, then at the time of the sale, the Reades could've then arranged (with the consent of the new owners) to hold back the painting & retrieved it from the theater if they had wanted to do so.

Although you seem to like to bash the Cineplex Odeon founder, that company built better multiplexes in NYC (Chelsea, Worldwide Plaza) and DC (Wisconsin Avenue) then any other national company was then building on the East Coast.

I won't say better plexes. Nice but not the best. They damaged in some of their theatre make-overs a few places on both coasts.

Yes, all that could have been done in the beginning. The point was to illustrate what a dirtbag he is. I believe Mrs. Reade was willing to pay for the painting, so why not sell it to her and make some money instead of throwing it in the trash? If this was an isolated incident it could be chalked up to miscommunication or an oversight, but it wasn't an isolated situation - this guy went out of his way to f**k over people for sport.

And yes, they did build and renovate some good theatres, but they didn't maintain them after they were built, with many becoming no better or worse than those of other chains, organizations he criticized for not knowing how to run a theatre.

Dave-Bronx, you are a disguntled former employee, perhaps?

I found the C.O. theaters to be much better than the other chains. The Chelsea is currently ranked very good by New Yorker magazine. C.O. made an effort to have much bigger screens and plush interiors long before other chains did.

Nope, I never worked for them but knew plenty of people who did, I was in the business and saw what was going on there.

Yes, The Chelsea complex is currently ranked very good by New Yorker magazine. I've had good screening prints go into that theatre and returned in fair shape. I had a print returned froma screening that the person had no business to be in the booth. They filled the a few of the reels and cut and none of the reel head and tail leaders matched. Nice work.

The Chelsea is ranked high because Clearview, not Cineplex, is is running the place and maintaining it.

THE LUCK OF GINGER COFFEY at the Baronet.

http://preview.aalvarez733.photosite.com/Album2/scan0002.html

I loved the B/C's cheesy sign!

I used to work at PRNewswire, then located on 55th Street, I believe, and the nabe was my old stomping ground. Subway Lounge, still hanging on by a string, and Chimes Diner, which I loved and ate lunch in almost everyday. I think the Chimes was on the same block as the theater, perhaps the block directly south, same side of the street. Great food, and sweet waitresses who remembered you by name. Long gone as well.

I waded through a crowd of protesters outside the Sutton in order to see "The Last Temptation of Christ," in 1985. And watched Whoopi Goldberg arrive for the premiere of "Serafina" some years later.

Cineplex Odious (and NYU!) both suck and I hold them in the highest contempt (a rank usually bestowed on the likes of Bush/Cheney) for the destruction they have wrought to NYC's Cinema Treasures.

I remeber seeing "Taxi Driver" at the Coronet th week it opened in February 1976. There's a scene in the movie where Travis drives right by the very theater I was watching the film in ! How bizarre was that

Here are ads from the NYT dated May 1969 and January 1970, respectively:
http://tinyurl.com/2794re
http://tinyurl.com/2fvf2u

These were exceptional venues for the release of serious films. It's no accident that the late 60's & 70's are now considered a watermark in American filmmaking. Both the Rugoff and the Reade houses were expert in showcasing these specialty films. Do those films still exist and are they now relegated only to the Lincoln Plaza, the Angelica & the Sunshine? Does anyone know the whereabouts of Dean Kronos who managed the C&B in the late 60's?

The Baronet was the small downstairs theater, yet that's where the World Premiere of MASH was held? (according to link on May 31).

Anyone remember seeing The Night Porter here in October 1974? The movie was savaged by the critics but the theater was apparently packed for weeks.

Queens and Arcadia should be added as AKA names here. The site showed films under both names.

Photo I took from 1976


http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/category/classic-movie-theaters/

The date given for this photo is July 2001.

This issue of Boxoffice flagged by HowardBHaas on the Beekman page features a rare shot of the Arcadia just before it became the Baronet. Go to page 160.

http://issuu.com/boxoffice/docs/boxoffice_112252/86

1986
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c32%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=110&ProductID=30926

Renewing link.

RobertR, your April 17th. 2009 post shows the Astral Theatre, not the Coronet 1 & 2 Theatres.

This is a July 22, 1960 ad for "Psycho".

I remember that one of these theaters had no doors - the front was just open no matter what the weather and the sidewalk was carpeted. There was a huge modern painting at the far end of the lobby. So sad how film exhibition changed.

This building was showing movies as the Queens Theatre from 1919 to 1925.
The Arcadia from 1926 to 1951.
The Baronet from 1952 to 1996.
The Coronet-1 from 1997 to 2000.

The upstairs theatre was:
The Coronet from 1962 to 1996.
The Coronet-2 from 1997 to 2000.