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World premiere of “Preserve Me a Seat”
posted by
rroberts
on
July 31, 2006 at 4:18 am
GRAND ISLAND, NE — A restored theater success story called the Grand Theatre in Grand Island, Nebraska was the setting for the world premiere of the documentary, “Preserve Me a Seat” on Wednesday, July 26, 2006. An audience of 150 filled the lovingly restored deco theater in downtown Grand Island to watch the 118 minute film.
A lively panel discussion occurred after the film with board members of the Grand, the film-makers and real estate developer, Paul Warshauer from Chicago. Although it is billed as a preservation film, it is really the story of three failed attempts to restore old theatres in Omaha, Boston, and Lombard, IL.
Jim Fields interviewed scores of people for the film and edited footage of Richard Sklennar, City of Boston officials and preservation advocates, the Indian Hills Preservation Group and Omaha zoning board and Paul Warshauer, a real estate developer. Field’s video is a cautionary tale to others attempting to try theatre restoration in this century. “Preserve Me a Seat” will be screened in other theatres and film festivals. The film maker The DVDs are on sale on line.
For more information go to the article inThe Independent.
Comments (19)
Which theatre in Boston?
In addition to the premiere in Grand Island, Nebraska, “Preserve Me a Seat” had its Omaha premiere the following night at the last remaining single screen theatre in Omaha, Nebraska, The Dundee, and played to a near capacity house of 225 people. The next evening the film was screened at the University of Nebraska’s Ross Media Center as well. “Preserve Me a Seat” follows the ongoing struggle to protect and preserve our historic movie theaters and cultural legacy, profiling theatres in Boston (The Gaiety), Chicago (The DuPage), Detroit, (The former Michigan Theatre), Omaha, (The Indian Hills Cinerama Theatre), and Salt Lake City (The Villa). The film will next be presented as part of the opening night movies at the upcoming Estes Park Film Festival, Sept 15-17th in Colorado.
Other festival and screening dates are pending. For those interested, the dvd is available for order online at www.apartment101films.com for only $12.99 plus shipping
For more information, email me at
sent for one today ………
That was fast ,,,,,,,,,,,,came today
watched it today ….very good …..buy yourself the dvd…….
A forum on failed theatre renovation, eh Paul?
LOL
See? There you go again with your negativity. Jim Fields and his company made a great movie. I was honored to be able to assist. Watch the movie and start working with us instead of against us. Come to Youngstown and watch GVI’s success.
I think you belong in a forum about failed theatre restoration.
Bravo!
Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you tell me your version of what happened to the chandeliers at the Uptown in Chicago? Or maybe I should just launch an investigation.
One person told me you afforded a trip to Europe around that time.
You aren’t going to succeed in Youngstown. We both know it. If you do I will place a news item on Cinema Treasures singing your praises.
If, right now, you can show me one project you have experienced bona fide success on I will place that same news item.
As you have been fond of saying to me:
Take the challenge Paul.
Good luck to the creators of “Preserve Me a Seat.”
I take the restoration challenge every day. You don’t! That is sad. You lie, you create falsehoods, you have no clue of how much damage you do. Again for the record: The chandeliers from the Uptown are in the home of Jasper San Fellipe in Barrington and will remain there until the Uptown is at least 70% complete. Check court records that implicate Kenny Goldberg long before I got to work on the Uptown. You are such a jerk! Then check with the Friends of the Uptown. Grande Venues and its partners ARE doing the Youngstown, and finally, no one “went to Europe” at the time as you allege. What a malicious lying SOB you are! So, pal: Three strikes and you are finally out. Stay off of this site. Why don’t the owners of this site ban you finally once and for all? Be constructive. Do good not spread your disease on every site. Go away.
Do you know what your problem is? Every time you try to make me look like I am giving you trouble you don’t deserve I use Internet search engines to find another scandalous web sites connected to your name. If I could find one news item that said: “Warshauer is Mater of Ceremonies at grand reopening of Smalltown, Indiana’s State Theatre after one year, $10 million restoration” I would have no problem with you. But all I find is people who are angry with you. Here is the site I found (with very little effort) today.
http://www.dougyork.com/?pagename=Main.StartHere
Unknown at 67.176.159.189
05-Aug-2006 04:58PM
How is the Paramount Theatre in Youngstown Ohio working out for you Paul? …and of the others for that matter. New London CT, Bartonville, IL Pittsfield, IL Carbondale, IL The Enean Theatre, Havana Theatre, Portage Theatre, Wheaton Grande Theatre, Zoe Theatre, Lawford Theatre, Oh and all the rest of them that have run you off
Everyone hates Warshauer
18-Jun-2006 05:48PM
Paul (ie. PT Barnum) are a stupid, egotistical moron. You are the theatre industries version of a sideshow freak. Just when we think we’ve lost you there you are making yet another TV appearance, front page of some small town newspaper or sucking up to some unsuspecting boy scout troop. You are too stupid to keep out of the press long enough to scam your next victim. We know where you are we know where you’ve been. How are those TIF districts working out for you
The World Hates Warshauer
03-Jun-2006 08:24AM
You are a joke Paul. Are you going to sue Doug as well? Crawl back into your underwater cave you bottom-feeder.
Paul Warshauer
26-Dec-2005 05:07AM
Wow. Did Doug York present a play and not tell the writer?? At least he could have sent a program with proper authorship credit. E-mail me, Doug:
I know who Jasper San Sanfilippo is. I have been entertained in his home before and have friends who are quite close to the family. I might be more inclined to believe you if you could spell his name right. So you say all of the large chandeliers that once hung from the ceiling of the Uptown’s grand lobby are out there now, eh? That is not what I heard.
Easy enough to find out.
Doug York is a plagarist and stole Murder Mysteries from me and lots of work from others. He ran away from Mt. Shasta, but I let it go. I write lots of Murder Mysteries. Regarding the chandeliers: It is easy to find out. Call Jasper or ask Carol Carlson, Curt Mangel, and Bob Boin. We all went to his Barrington house years ago and saw the chandeliers. It is easy to check out. But then again you seem hell bent to destroy me (and failing) and continue to remain hiding in the shadows spreading your lies and gossip. Get a Life…but wait, yours must be so boring you attack others for fun. You are a sad pathetic person. The question others should ask is what are you dong on THIS site when it discusses a movie premiere? Stay away and get a life. Who the hell do you think you are?
I don’t know what all this Mt. Shasta talk means, nor does Doug York’s identity matter. What matters is that people put “Paul Warshauer” into Google, found Doug’s web site, and felt compelled to leave messages about how they hate you there despite the fact the site is not yours.
I think it is a stretch to take the fact that I spend fifteen minutes a day on Cinema Treasures, sometimes getting into verbal battles with you, and use it to portray me as some idiot who blogs from sun-up to sun-down.
I am not hell bent on destroying you. If you would stop all of this juking around and show me a project you have successfully completed I would be one of your biggest supporters (theatre restoration, not murder mysteries). But I don’t think you can because I don’t think there are any. All I see is people who say you jerked them around.
Is this necessary? We are supposed to be talking about a new documentary.
Let me answer for you Paul:
“Words to live by Ron. Why are these postings here? Why are there so many allegations and enemies? I promise to stick to the facts from here on out because I am a fine fellow who enjoys lively conversation over good cigars!”
Thank you Ron and the many others who shake their head and wonder what is this moron up to? Let us all get this idiot off of this site. He/she does nothing to advance the cause of theatre preservation or restoration. I posted this news story to tell everyone about a great documentary made by two brave film-makers from Omaha. Can’t we discuss the MOVIE? Why does this person persist? Get a life or better yet: Lifestooshort: go away.
Well Paul, my friend tells me that the story I heard about you and the light fixtures is untrue. However, in the same breath, he warned me to stay away from you because, “Paul Warshauer is a known crook.”
I hound you, Paul, because I think you post crap like this to try and present a legitimate image. I think you hope well-meaning people will contact you so that you might involve them in one of your “investment opportunities.”
Show me a small town that loves Paul Warshauer for bringing back their classic movie theatre, a town where you have been for more than three or four months, and you will never hear another word from “Life’s too Short.”
I am taking a chance on Paul Warshauer, The Gulf Coast of MS is taking a chance. His words are noisy, and boisterous, and he has done his homework. If he has done bad business in the past, then that is his mistake. I think everyone needs to make themselves recognized, and everyone needs to have someone believe in them…and I believe in him. There is no way someone can be so crooked as to really destroy someone who is just wanting to better the world and hometown…and cares about Paul as a person.