Fine Arts Theatre
128 E. 58th Street,
New York,
NY
10022
128 E. 58th Street,
New York,
NY
10022
6 people
favorited this theater
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Photo in upper right corner of this 1952 trade article: boxoffice
The coffee service in the art house chains was only practical when they were specializing in the showcasing of foreign language art films. When they started day & dating the Broadway houses with mainstream product and broad appeal, the free coffee was no longer practical.
i remember the Walter Reade theaters serving coffee so its nice to know the Rugoff theaters had a similar policy. i’m guessing the primary reason they were able to pull it off was because of the manageable size of the theater’s audience.
Was just commenting yesterday standing on line in the freezing winter to see “They Shoot Horses Don’t They”. Back in the 60’s the Rugoff theatres were serving coffee in most of their lounges.
i liked the Fine Arts. one thing that the theater did in the 70s and maybe early 80s was offer free coffee in the downstairs lounge from i think 5p.m till closing. i believe other Walter Reade theaters did so as well. can you imagine that being done today?
I think the failure of the latter two may explain why they stopped doing it more often.
It’s fascinating that the filmgoing economics of 35-40 years ago allowed for the specialized handling of serious films on a roadshow basis. The major studios backing those films must have made reasonably good business to have gone through with such arrangements at a small venue such as the Fine Arts.
its interesting the Fine Arts is the only art house in
Manhattan to have hosted 3 roadshow films-A MAN FOR ALL
SEASONS, THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE and THE TROJAN
WOMEN. all three films also had souvenir programs.
Registering.
Any update on what is in place of this theater now since the church closed
Samll photo of front of Fine Arts Theatre, with marquee. Also a discussion of the “Curtain at 8:30” (not 8:40) idea.
From Boxoffice magazine, April 5, 1952:
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The Fine Arts closed in 1978 with “THE DUELLISTS”. The landlord refused to renew the lease and Walter Reade was forced to close the site and move the film to the Waverly.
A non-descript, but very convenient location with a major subway stop, shopping at Bloomingdale’s & Alexanders (with a more upscale selection that that found in branch stores). Could catch a quick burger either at Yellowfingers or Sernedipity.
Depending on starting times you could easily/literally run over to the Paris, Plaza, Sutton, Trans-Lux East, Coronet/Baronet or Cinema I & II, for the best selection of films available anywhere. Waited on sold-out lines to see They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, & Women in Love. Much less crowded when Stolen Kisses & Day for Night opened.
Does anyone know when the Fine Arts stopped functioning as a moviehouse and even possibly its final film attraction?
And is it still boarded up?
Would a passerby recognize it as a former moviehouse? (Many old theaters had a telltale architecture.)
Renewing link.
Should add that over the years enjoyed The Producers here in its opening run…I believe a holiday mid-morning show with my mom and think we stayed twice…a school Saturday trip to see Charge of the Light Brigade…Fritz the Cat…Truffaut’s Two English Girls…and am sure a couple more
Ed,
The Manhattan that I grew up is much different than it is today…There was no cable or home video, little twinning or multiplexing, and movies played out at a much diffent pace into the neighborhoods and suburbs, and the “silk stocking district” off of Park Avenue stretched out into the mid-50’s encompassing these theatres the Fine Arts, Plaza, Festival and Paris. The first three could run an exclusive, a showcase run, sometimes a roadshow or daydate with Broadway.
The pictures that the Fine Arts would pick up in solid runs are the kind today that open at the Lincoln Plaza and daydate with screens in the Village i.e. Sunshine or Angelika
Ed, according to Variety, at the time these theatres wanted clearance from both the east and west side runs. The distributors preferred the two runs instead of one since they attracted very different crowds and two runs gave them an audience profile for their films before the national roll-out.
Indeed, in this era before marketing research, Zefferilli’s “Romeo and Juliet” easily went mainstream but the more mainstream appearing “Bonnie and Clyde” did better at specialty houses.
Another real loss. Can someone explain why theaters in the vicinity of Fifth Avenue (Festival, Plaza, Fine Arts, the surviving Paris and several others) are regarded as being in a sort of no-man’s land? It seems to me that in their prime they were perfectly positioned and equally accessible from the East Side and the West Side? Is the problem that there are too few apartment buildings in this Central Park South zone?
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS opened at the Fine Arts.
American premiere of Gillo Pontecorvo’s Kapo 1964.
When Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria had its American premiere here in October 1957, the film was known simply as CABIRIA during the first days of its run.
That second-floor windowed area was a sort of lounge, I believe, behind the projection booth, and I think that is where the rest rooms were…unless memory fails. Gee, I just noticed I am the person who originally posted this theatre.
This is what this address looks like now…it ws indeed a chapel for a number of years:
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There is an ad here for a double bill of “Lord of the Flies” and “David & Lisa” Reade-Sterling releases playing in a Reade Theatre.
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