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Memories
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June 18, 2009
Any info on movie from the ‘30’s “Fighting For Freedom”
My mother starred in this movie, in place of the original lady (Danitza Sokolich/Mary Lipinski)who was signed, but could not do the film; I never found out why. The male star played Danila Martinovich (Matt Dressich, Jr.). The producers found the young, Martha Myers-as she was listed in 10th grade. I can’t find ANY mention of the movie, ANYWHERE.
I have a ‘handbill’ showing the movie was produced by Sloboda Productions, Inc. and was shown at the Capitol Theatre, 338 S Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA. 90013 from May 19th – May 27th, no year listed. “A Super-feature Photoplay Classic Of Early Slavic Life” and a line that reads – ‘Scenes laid in Montenegro. Also, 'The first time in the history of motion pictures that a spectacular novelty of this kind has been presented to the Slavic People — portraying loves, thrills, dangers, triumphs, of heroic days.
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June 8, 2009
Remembering Cinerama (Part 32: Kansas City)
REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 32: Kansas CityThe following is Part Thirty-Two in a series of retrospectives on Cinerama, the legendary motion picture process that kicked off the widescreen revolution. The series focuses on providing a market-by-market, film-by-film, historical record of when and where Cinerama and its multi-panel clones were exhibited. The easy-to-reference articles also serve to provide nostalgia to those who experienced the Cinerama presentations when they were new and to highlight the movie palaces in which the memorable events took place.
Part 1: New York City
Part 2: Chicago
Part 3: San Francisco
Part 4: Houston
Part 5: Washington, DC
Part 6: Los Angeles
Part 7: Atlanta
Part 8: San Diego
Part 9: Dallas
Part 10: Oklahoma City
Part 11: Syracuse
Part 12: Toronto
Part 13: Columbus
Part 14: Montreal
Part 15: Northern New Jersey
Part 16: Charlotte
Part 17: Vancouver
Part 18: Salt Lake City
Part 19: Boston
Part 20: Philadelphia
Part 21: Fresno
Part 22: Detroit
Part 23: Minneapolis
Part 24: Albuquerque
Part 25: El Paso
Part 26: Des Moines
Part 27: Miami
Part 28: Orange County
Part 29: Pittsburgh
Part 30: Baltimore
Part 31: Long IslandAnd now… Part 32: Cinerama Presentations in Kansas City!
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Interesting idea, but will it fly?
An article in Wired looks at the history of the drive-in, fly-in.
1948: Ed Brown Jr., a former Navy pilot, opens the first drive-in, fly-in movie theater. There’s room for 500 cars and 25 small planes.
The drive-in movie theater itself was still something of a novelty when Brown hit on the idea of accommodating moviegoers arriving by private plane, another relatively new phenomenon in American life. He opened his fly-in theater on some land near Wall Township, New Jersey, which included an adjoining airfield. Planes would land at the field, then taxi over to the theater and fan out behind the cars. When the evening’s feature ended, a jeep was provided to tow the planes back to the airfield.
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May 29, 2009
Wanted: British cinema memories (1930’s and 40’s)
Hello,
I’m looking for people who would be willing to share their memories of going to the cinema in Britain in the 1930’s and 40’s to include in my MA dissertation. Whether you used to go to the super cinemas, atmospherics, the local flea pit or all of the above, I’d love to hear from you.
If possible, I’d like to chat to you in person or over the phone (at my expense, of course!) but if you would prefer, I can send you a questionnaire instead.
You can contact me by commenting on this message or .
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Redwood Theater location
REDWOOD CITY, CA — Just trying to revive a year old blog about the Redwood Theatre’s exact location. A photo was posted on “Flickr” which confirms the location as the Southeast corner of California and Winklebleck Sts. Anybody out there??
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May 22, 2009
Info wanted: Paris Thr/Paris KY
This small town gem, the Paris Theater, was once part of the powerful Schine Theater Chain. We are searching for photos, any photos, old advertisements, programs or any materials related to this theater. Items will be copied and returned if the owner requests.
Please contact me as soon as possible if you have any leads. (Checks of all the usual research areas have come up empty.)
THANKS!
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May 18, 2009
Remembering Cinerama (Part 31: Long Island)
REMEMBERING CINERAMA
Part 31: Long IslandThe following is Part Thirty-One in a series of retrospectives on Cinerama, the legendary motion picture process that kicked off the widescreen revolution. The series focuses on providing a market-by-market, film-by-film, historical record of when and where Cinerama and its multi-panel clones were exhibited. The easy-to-reference articles also serve to provide nostalgia to those who experienced the Cinerama presentations when they were new and to highlight the movie palaces in which the memorable events took place.
Part 1: New York City
Part 2: Chicago
Part 3: San Francisco
Part 4: Houston
Part 5: Washington, DC
Part 6: Los Angeles
Part 7: Atlanta
Part 8: San Diego
Part 9: Dallas
Part 10: Oklahoma City
Part 11: Syracuse
Part 12: Toronto
Part 13: Columbus
Part 14: Montreal
Part 15: Northern New Jersey
Part 16: Charlotte
Part 17: Vancouver
Part 18: Salt Lake City
Part 19: Boston
Part 20: Philadelphia
Part 21: Fresno
Part 22: Detroit
Part 23: Minneapolis
Part 24: Albuquerque
Part 25: El Paso
Part 26: Des Moines
Part 27: Miami
Part 28: Orange County
Part 29: Pittsburgh
Part 30: BaltimoreAnd now… Part 31: Cinerama Presentations on Long Island, New York!
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Adaptive reuse and Odeon
They may not be gone, but these theaters are only shells of their former selvers. Here’s a sad look at what’s become of some former palaces of the Odeon chain.
They began as futuristic constructions – with immense pillars triumphantly reaching skywards, and smooth curves inspired by ocean-going liners stretching to the horizon.
And the unmistakeable excitement of what they contained was always declared proudly in huge lettering outside: ODEON.
Now, sadly, as these photographs show, the buildings of the legendary cinema chain have become uninspiring shopping blocks, bingo halls and stationary superstores.
Read more and see pics at the Daily Mail.
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May 13, 2009
My career as a movie theater manager
Hi; My name is Jerry Littenberg. I have just found this wonderful web-site and I want to congratulate you for not letting the magnificent memories of these temples of cinema be forever lost. I have been a theater manager at about two dozen cinemas in my life, and all the information that I learned during that time I put at your disposal.
I started my career at the famous Roxy Theatre, NYC, while in high-school. I was assistant to Curtis Mees; featured writer for the trade publication Motion Picture Herald. Some of the theaters that I have managed are the Stanley Warner Beverly Hills; CA, the Warner Cinerama; NYC. In NJ; the Oritani in Hackensack and the Warner in Ridgewood, the Morris Hills Cinema in Parsippany for General Cinema, and for Loews the Meadows Six in Secaucus, the Wayne 8 and the Showboat 4 in Edgewater.
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May 12, 2009
Boston/Brockton (MA) movie house memories
As a former Bay Stater who grew up in Brockton and Boston (now a writer of books on films and a senior citizen), I have found some of your historical views of Boston and Brockton movie houses a bit askew. From about 1944 through the early 1970s, I collected newspaper movie ads from every major house in both cities — and I still have them (wonderful reference tools as well as nostalgia). In Brockton, there were four major movie houses (after the famous Strand Theatre fire of the early 1940) — not just the one described incorrectly — the Rialto-cum-E.M. Loew’s Center Theatre — in the downtown area on Main Street.
Earlier, before my time, there had been the majestic Brockton Opera House, said to be the first theatre in America to have electric lights (Thomas Edison, in fact, according to the Brockton Enterprise, made his way from Menlo Park to throw the switch himself). In Boston, during the forties through the sixties, at least, there the following houses, looking uptown on Washington Street from Stuart Street (I was a patron at one time or another of virtually every one of them): on the right, the Stuart Theatre (a third-run house), E.M. Loew’s Center Theatre, the Washington St. Olympia (that was the official marquee name, and it later became the Pilgrim), and the RKO Boston, a stage presentation-and-movie house that featured the big bands live. It later was the home of Cinerama movies and renamed Cinerama.