Strand Theatre
1579 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
1579 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
32 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 364 comments found
Here’s a 1980s tax photo showing the Strand Theatre’s corner with 47th Street: lunaimaging
There are several interior photos displayed right here: cinematreasures
Buffalo, when you find some, please post them here! Thanks in advance.
Does anyone have photos of the INTERIOR of the theater at different times in its history?
I love carbon arc projection (as long as the projectionist is on the ball!)
I also attended the series mentioned above (Broadway comes to Broadway) I was working my way through film school as a projectionist in Boston. My union card got me into the both projection booths. They ran Oklahoma in the upstairs theater because that booth had the Todd-AO projectors and were able to run 30fps. They had to replace a couple of projector motors and some amplifiers to do it. They later found that they could run the century projectors in the downstairs booth at 30fps but that was too late for Oklahoma. The print of South Pacific was okay but the movie isn’t that good. The most impressive show was the print of My Fair Lady, it was incredible. Camelot was so grainy that some scenes looked like golf balls and it was bad if you were sitting close to the screen (like in the first 20 rows this was a huge theater). It looked okay if you sat in the back row of the theater. Of course Camelot was a blow up. The films that used 65mm negative were clear and sharp. The blow ups were grainy some more than others Camelot being the worse of the series. There is no question that the downstairs theater had a huge screen. The projection booth for downstairs had two century jj’s and 13.6 mm carbons running at over 180 amps so there was a nice bright picture.
Seventy-one years ago today, WB’s “The Great Lie,” which gave Bette Davis sole star billing above the title and in equal-sized type, opened its NYC premiere engagement at the Strand Theatre. Directed by Edmund Goulding, the B&W melodrama featured George Brent, Mary Astor, Lucile Watson, and Hattie McDaniel. Headlining the Strand’s stage show were saxophonist Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra, with support from singers Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell, drum phenomenon Buddy Schutz, and dancers Tip-Tap and Toe. The Strand’s doors opened at 9:00am, with last complete stage/screen show starting at 10:15pm.
As to the illustration currently shown above (Broadway Comes to Broadway) I saw Oklahoma during that series. It was in the upstairss theater, formerly the balcony with a nicely tapered rake and a gorgeous ceiling.
The Oklahoma print, however, was atrocious — completely faded to pink as (Eastmancolor?) tends to do. What a disappointment, as it was my first time seeing the movie. I didn’t go back for any other films in the series.
My question — what year was this series shown?
Sixty years ago today, the Warner resumed the stage/screen policy that was dropped in 1951 together with the theatre’s original name of Strand. Most of the Warner’s film bookings had proved unprofitable, so on April 7, 1952, the Warner Theatre unveiled an Easter holiday program with “live” adornments. On screen was Bud Abbott and Lou Costello’s first color film, “Jack in the Beanstalk.” Performing on the Warner’s stage were Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five, singer Ella Mae Morse, comedian Harvey Stone, Hollywood dancer Gene Nelson, and other acts. On opening day only, Abbott & Costello themselves appeard on stage at 12:10pm and 9:45pm. During Easter week, tickets for children were 50 cents at all times. After this engagement, the Warner brought in three more stage/screen programs before closing for the summer. During that closure, it was decided to convert the Warner into a showcase for Cinerama.
The Orleans did close first about a year before the Warner.
Arushi, I don’t understand your request. Please explain what you mean by “facilities.”
I am doing a research on movie theaters, please throw some light on what kind of facilities were available in the mark strand theater..thanks in advance
On this day in 1942, which happened to be a Sunday, the Strand Theatre’s last complete show started at 10:45pm. On screen in its first NYC engagement was WB’s “The Big Shot,” a B&W melodrama with Humphrey Bogart and Irene Manning. Performing on the Strand’s stage were Jerry Wald & His Orchestra, singer-comedian Judy Canova, Val Setz, and the Ross Sisters.
Fifty-nine years ago today, WB’s “The San Francisco Story,” with Joel McCrea and Yvonne DeCarlo in a B&W melodrama about political corruption in the Bay City in the 1850s, opened its NYC premiere engagement at the Warner Theatre, which was still using a tiny “formerly Strand” in advertising. Carmen Cavallaro & His Orchestra topped the stage presentation, with support from The Honey Dreamers and The Albins. An extra added attraction was “The Continental” (aka Renzo Cesana), who pitched woo with the ladies twice a week on his top-rated TV show.
Ninety-seven years ago tonight, the Mark Strand Theatre had its grand opening with an invitational gala for VIPs and the press, masterminded by management consultant Samuel Rothapfel. Public performances started the next day. Presented on the screen was the Selig Company’s William Farnum starrer, “The Spoilers,” which ran for an unprecedented nine reels (about 15 minutes each) and was shown without a break, thanks to a booth equipped with four projectors. Filling out the program were “live” performances by singers and dancers and an assortment of film shorts and newsreels. Heard and seen throughout the entire evening was the 50-piece Strand Concert Orchestra, which played on stage, just below the raised platform that held the screen. Ticket prices were 10-15-25 cents.
Sixty-eight years ago today, WB’s “Edge of Darkness,” starring Errol Flynn, Ann Sheridan, and Walter Huston under Lewis Milestone’s direction, opened its NYC premiere engagement at the Strand Theatre. The B&W melodrama about resistance to the Nazi occupation of Norway had two great “legit” actresses, Judith Anderson and Ruth Gordon, in featured roles. A lighter mood prevailed in the Strand’s stage show, which was topped by Jan Savitt & His Orchestra and the incomparable Ethel Waters. Also on the bill were the dancing Berry Brothers and Bob Dupont (aka “The Duke of Dexterity”).
Thanks, William. I thought so. Since hdtv267’s comment states he saw the movie December 17th, 1979 (3 days after opening night), I assume he must have seen it at the Rivoli and mistaken that theater with the Cinerama. Unless it was on another date.
Ed, “1941” did open at the Rivoli on Dec. 14th. 1979. That screening could have been an advance preview. In LA “1941” opened at Pacific’s Cinerama Dome, but it had an advanced Record Company preview at Pacific’s Picwood Theatre before the release date.
Hey hdtv267… Back on 12/17/2010, you commented that on that date in 1979, you attended a viewing of Speilberg’s “1941” at the RKO Cinerama. Are you sure you saw it here and not a couple of blocks up Broadway at the Rivoli? I remember the film opened on 12/14/1979 (a week after “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” and same day as Steve Martin’s “The Jerk”) and that I initally saw it at the local UA theater in Lynbrook, Long Island. A big messy film that surely took its lumps from critics, but I was a fan from day one. Even so, as much as I enjoyed it at the Lynbrook, it was seeing that shelled Ferris Wheel roll down the pier and splash into the ocean on the big screen at the Rivoli – in 70mm – that left a truly lasting impression. I could swear I made that trip into the City to see the movie again within a couple of weeks of the movie’s opening. I’m almost certain it opened at the Rivoli – or could it have merely transfered? I doubt it played both theaters concurrently.
Seventy-eight years ago tonight, WB’s spectacular B&W musical, “42nd Street,” described as “A New Deal in Entertainment,” had its gala world premiere at the Strand Theatre. Many of the film’s stars and other WB contractees had been brought to New York from Hollywood by train on the “42nd Street Special” to appear on stage before the screening. Regular continuous performances of “42nd Street” alone started the next day, with midnight shows daily to handle the expected crowds.
On this night in 1960, Michael Todd Jr.’s “Scent of Mystery,” the first feature in “glorious Smell-O-Vision,” opened its world premiere engagement at the Warner Theatre as a reserved-seat roadshow. Tickets were priced as high as $3.50 on weekend nights and holidays. The indie release received from negative to insulting reviews and was soon switched to continuous performances. The Warner’s previous hard-ticket tenant, Samuel Goldwyn’s “Porgy and Bess” in Todd-AO, had lasted 35 weeks. After “Scent of Mystery,” the Warner went to conventional bookings until the roadshow opening of Otto Preminger’s “Exodus” near the end of the year.
Hers is another Strand Theatre program from January, 1915. The feature this week was His Sweetheart starring George Beban. The program also featured a German WWI newsreel and a comedy short by Victor Moore. The entire program can be seen at theSilent Film Still Archive.
Here is the front page of a November 1915 program from the Strand Theatre. This week the theater was showing Bella Donna with Pauline Frederick, plus a newsreel and a short comedy featuring Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Drew. The entire program (minus a few pages that are only ads) can be seen at the Silent Film Still Archive.
On January 27th, 1960, the Warner Theatre opened a limited three-week engagement of Michael Todd’s “Around the World in 80 Days,” advertised as “Your Last Chance To See The Original Todd-AO Version."
All seats were reserved, with one performance nightly and matinees added on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Top prices were $2.20 for orchestra and loge seats, and $1.80 for balcony.
Just some fun trivia. I was watching a DVD of a fun little telefilm from 1981 called “Senior Trip”. Seems to have been filmed sometime in May/June of ‘81 in Times Square. What a little time capsule this film is. There a few shots of the Strand when it was the Cinerama I & II. In one shot, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is shown on the 'lower’ marquee. In the next scene, actress Faye Grant is walking under the marquee and “Alligator” and “Search & Destroy” are playing.
I recently won a few New York Posts from May of ‘81 on Ebay and it’s fun seeing those very films in the listings.