Criterion Theatre
1514 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
1514 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
18 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 440 comments found
Boxoffice Magazine found those displays offensive in 1938. By 1975 those ads looked tame compared to the ones on the cover of Boxoffice Magazine.
Marquee as modified in November,1938 when the Criterion became “the latest member of the Loew fleet on Broadway”: Boxoffice
The Criterion continued to offend the sensitive, according to photos at bottom of this page: Boxoffice
The Sign of the Cross was already six years old in 1938. Was the Criterion showing a revival? Then it would need the extra ballyhoo to get asses in seats. And DeMille, of all showmen, knew that sex sells!
Management condemned for indecent lobby displays in this 1938 editorial: Boxoffice
I guess you meant on 42nd Street.
I forget which two (I did recognize that The Evil Dead and Xtro were on one of the marquees). So whichever grindhouse was playing The Evil Dead in April 1983 was the marquee shown in the film.
Which grindhouses? They’re often among my favorite cinema treasures.
I was watching Splash today and you can see the marquee in the background during one scene (the movies on the marquee included The Outsiders, Max Dugan Returns and 10 To Midnight). Marquees from the Lowes State, a pair of grindhouses and the Paris appear in the film.
$100,000 worth of renovations described in this 1956 trade article: boxoffice
Featured in this two-page trade ad in 1953: boxoffice
Here’s one of the first photos taken of the Criterion marquee after the Loew’s circuit assumed management of the theatre: boxofficemagazine
More 1936 photos and description in this two-page article: boxofficemagazine
Photos of the facade and auditorium were featured in this 1936 trade ad: boxofficemagazine
Here’s B&W newsreel coverage of the 1956 premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” at the Criterion Theatre: youtube
“The Country Girl” opened its exclusive NYC premiere engagement at the Criterion Theatre on the night of December 15th, 1954.
I think I saw “Country Girl” here during Christmas break when I was a kid in 1955. How can I be certain that it played here? Is there a list of films somewhere? Thanks.
Finian at Penthouse that’s where I saw it.
Loew’s Criterion was frequently Universal’s choice for the NYC premiere engagements of Deanna Durbin vehicles, including this 1945 “film noir”: blogspot
Long holiday hours as the Times Square flagship of the toy mecca: http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/19/pf/holiday_money_toys_r_us/index.htm?source=cnn_bin
bigjoe59 -Some roadshow info- at the Criterion- 1967 Thoroughly Modern Millie,1968 Funny Girl, At the Rivoli-1961 West Side Story, 1963 Cleopatra, 1968 Star!, 1969 Sweet Charity, 1970 Hello, Dolly! At the RKO Palace-1969 Goodbye Mr. Chips At Loews State 1- 1968 Oliver! At Loews State 2-1968 Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang In 1968 Finians Rainbow had a roadshow engagement at the Warner which by then had split to 3 theatres-cant recall if Finians played The Penthouse or the Cinerama.
Hope this was helpful
Sat in the lodge, taken to the seats by an usher. Loved it. After Funny Girl I wasnt in the theatre again until they multi-plexed it. A night showing of a Streep film, ruined by screaming, crying kids. I never returned after that.
saw my first big roadshow here when i was a kid. 1968 Funny Girl. I loved it. Show curtain overture, intermission,souvenir program, the works. I was hooked on roadshow engagements!
I saw Lawrence of Arabia at the Criterion on one of my yearly visits to New York and it was a revelation. I didn’t know movies could be so beautifully sharp and detailed. It was magnificent and I can still see images from the film in my centre row seat about half way back. Only the original IMAX could equal this.
I was only in the Criterion once, with a church group, to see the Ten Commandments. My only remembrance of the theatre were the overstuffed seats with very heavy, and uncomfortable, flocking.