Directors Guild of America Theatre
110 West 57th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
110 West 57th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
11 people
favorited this theater
Previously known as the Cinema Rendezvous, Playboy, 57th Street Playhouse, Trans-Lux Normandie and possibly more in its many decades of history, this theatre is now used for industry screenings and special events. There was originally as seating capacity of 484, today the capacity is 436 (266 on the main level and 170 in the mezzanine).
Contributed by
Gerald A. DeLuca
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Recent comments (view all 79 comments)
On March 26, Swann Auction Galleries will be offering the original 1971 signage design for Playboy Theatre iteration of this house. An image can be seen at View link
Renewing link.
As the 57th St. Playhouse.
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Cinema Rendezvous in 1969, courtesy of Warren
I have the DVD set of I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW) and (BLUE). They are really incredible timecapsules of the sixties.
As some of the comments above have said, this theater was designed by architect William I. Hohauser. An article about the new Normandie, with three small photos, appeared in the March 8, 1952, issue of Boxoffice Magazine.
The premiere attraction for the 1952 opening was Pandora and the Flying Dutchman, a film that has been drawing a lot of attention lately.
In 1964 the Little Carnegie and the Cinema Rendezvous showed these two related films at a single price under the title “ANATOMY OF A MARRIAGE”. The experiment was not a success.
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Fifty-three years ago tonight, “Stage Struck,” director Sidney Lumet’s second movie, and his first in color (by Technicolor), had its gala world premiere at the Trans-Lux Normandie in a benefit for the Actor’s Fund of America. The drama about an aspiring actress was a remake of Katharine Hepburn’s early “Morning Glory,” now a vehicle for Susan Strasberg, who co-starred with Henry Fonda and Christopher Plummer. The movie was produced by floundering RKO Radio, which assigned the distribution to Disney’s Buena Vista. Continuous performances started the next day at noon at the Normandie.
A few mouse-clicks down into the DGA’s website is this photo gallery, which features excellent views of the theatre’s current interior. It appears that the first few rows from each orchestra section were removed in order to bring the screen wall forward (allowing for a wider sheet) and add a small platform stage. Apart from that, the layout of the theatre looks much as it does in the vintage photos Warren posted on May 22, 2008. Not sure when the red drapery was added.
I’m positive this is where I saw a brilliant new (at the time) 35mm print of Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” in the mid 1980’s. The DGA’s page also includes information regarding the technical facilities, along with a diagram of the theatre. Click on the images to enlarge them.
Sadly, it appears that the 70mm projector’s have been removed. The technical specs skew towards all manner of digital presentation with only a passing mention of “35mm composite” capabilities. The DGA’s Los Angeles facilities (which appear to have been purpose-built) include both 35mm and 70mm capabilities.