Guild Theater
33 W. 50th Street,
New York,
NY
10020
33 W. 50th Street,
New York,
NY
10020
10 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 103 comments found
I think the confusion comes from this NYT article.
[In 1949, Norman Elson, who was then the president of the competing Trans-Lux chain, took over the Newsreel theaters.
‘'That was just the beginning of TV,’‘ Peter Elson recalled, ’‘and he saw that newsreels were not much longer for the world.’‘ Norman Elson remodeled the theater and reopened it as the Guild.]
The 1950 edition of Film Daily Yearbook lists the Embassy (Rockerfeller Plaza) as being operated by The Newsreel Theaters, Inc.
Is the first sentence of the introduction’s second paragraph correct? I don’t think that Trans-Lux ever ran the Guild. The longtime management was by Embassy Newsreel Theatres, which took its name from the Embassy Newsreel on Broadway next to the Palace Theatre. Embassy eventually dropped the word from its name when newsreel theatres became passe.
Fifty years ago today, Francois Truffaut’s B&W “Jules and Jim,” with Jeanne Moreau, Oscar Werner, and Henri Serre heading the cast, opened its American premiere engagement at what was then known as the Guild 50th. The Janus Films release was shown in its original French, with English subtitles…Down the block, Radio City Music Hall was in the midst of an all Disney Easter Holiday program, with “Moon Pilot” on screen and a tribute to Disneyland following the traditional Easter pageant.
On those rare occasions when the Radio City Music Hall, largely unknown, subway box office was closed spent time on line by the Guild to go in thru the main entrance.
Under its original Newsreel name, the house is profiled in ‘The Exhibitor Catalogue 1940’, and features pictures of a doorman standing in front of the stainless steel doors, an ad showing ‘before and after’ pix of the marquee comparing its makeover, and in the auditorium, the most memorable feature was the carpeting, which had ‘unwinding reels’ in a Radio City Art Deco-type pattern. The lounges featured original bentwood furniture by the renowned Finnish architect/designer Alvar Aalto. All in all, a pretty restrained but elegant house, completely uniform with Rock Center.
Fifty-seven years ago today, “Out Of This World,” a feature-length travelogue filmed in Tibet by Lowell Thomas and his namesake son, opened its world premiere engagement at the Guild 50th. Advertising prominently mentioned Lowell Thomas' connection with Cinerama, but made no claims about wide screen projection for “Out Of This World,” which had a print by Technicolor. The booking was obviously intended to capitalize on crowds flocking to adjacent RCMH for the Easter holiday show with “Rose Marie” on screen. The 50th Street waiting line for RCMH had a roped-off gap to permit access to the Guild.
Does anyone have pictures of the interior of the Guild? I never had the chance to see a film there, but I was always curious as to what it might be like inside.
I attended this theater once when I was living in Queens. Couldn’t even tell you what I saw because I fell in love with the theater. What I rememeber most is that the auditorium opened into the concession area and they closed curtains at the back of the auditorium as the presentation started.
I went once when I first moved to the city, in 1988, to see a late run screening of “She’s Having a Baby,” on a Thursday night, last show. Between the empty theater and the desolate streets, it was like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, and kind of scary for someone young and new to the city.
I remember passing this theater often when one left Radio City or when we would go each Xmas season to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. It seemed that every holiday season they had a Disney film playing. After many years I got to go to this theater in about 1983 to see a Gene Hackman flick “Uncommon Valor.” The theater was much bigger than I expected. Now when I pass down this street each holiday season, I’m kind of saddened that its not there anymore showing the latest Disney animated film.
While Columbia University owned the land, their midtown campus was actually further east on Madison Avenue. Leasing the land to Rockefeller, Jr was a way to finally start making some money off property that was never developed to its full potential.
I remember seing “Eight Men Out” here right after it came out. This was probably the last film that I saw in what was a very fine little theater. I greatly miss it.
Stepale2:
The area where the Associated Press Building (including the Newsreel/Guild Theatre) was an empty lot until it opened in 1938. The only thing on the lot prior to the building of the structure was the truck ramp that goes down to the lower levels of the Rockefeller Center. The theatre was built into the curve of the ramp structure.
The Embassy Newsreel Theatre opened in the Associated Press Building when that office building opened in late 1938. The lot sat empty from 1931 awaiting a major tenant. Prior to that, the area was a owned by Columbia University, which had once used it as its main campus the previous century.
OOPS! The theater was not named the Guild when it opened, but whatever it was called, I was curious as to what was there before it became a theater???
If Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932, and the Guild in 1939, does anyone know what the space was used for in the seven years in between? Too bad NBC did not rent it for broadcasting after Trans-Lux stopped showing films, like NBC did with the Center Theater in 1950. The Guild would be the perfect for the Tonight show or any program that requires an audience.
Here’s a funny 1968 ad for “Planet of the Apes”, which moved over to the Guild from the Capitol when “2001” opened in April:
View link
In 1986.
View link
Renewing link.
The 450-seat newsreel theatre first opened in the morning of December 2nd, 1938, according to a report in that day’s issue of The New York Times. Curiously, no actual name was given for the theatre beyond being “the fourth unit in the chain of Newsreel Theatres, Inc., operators of the Embassy, which has been devoted exclusively to newsreels since 1929. The new theatre will open daily from 10 A.M. to midnight and will show news clips made by all of the five newsreel agencies. The supplementary program will consist of travelogues, sports reels, scientific subjects and other shorts. Part of the Associated Press Building, the theatre was built by the Hegeman-Harris Company, Inc., and is the third house of entertaiment to be opened in the Rockefeller development. Its neighbors are the Radio City Music Hall and the Center Theatre.”
Because of its Midtown location, and because I was strictly Upper East Side, I was in my 30s before I ever was in this theatre…for Dead Poets …loved the forbidding look of the brass doors and the turnstile
I have fond memories of the Guild my Grandma was the candy lady there in the 60’s & 70’s. What a treat for a kid from Brooklyn.
JCS
The reason all seats are never sold is that seats break, ticket holders show up late and people with hearing devices and sight impairments move around after the show starts to adjust for their specific needs.
Very interesting comments by TomR on 11-22-04.
When I learned that theaters (everywhere) routinely undersell performances without giving their turned-away patrons the option to occupy the less desirably seats upfront, I’m annoyed. Once you’ve gone to all the time and trouble to get to the theater, you don’t want the theater’s management to (secretly) make the decision for you that you won’t want what’s left. At least offer the option, folks.
My other comment concerns the installation of turnstyles at the Guild and a few other houses I frequented in Manhattan when I was going to New York to preview/review movies. The theaters with turnstyles did not issue tickets. But for someone like me who was on expenses, the tickets were my only receipts. I finally gave up trying to get cashiers and house managers to issue me some sort of documentation.
I know it’s a small thing, but those missing ticket halves sure messed up the bookkeeping.