RKO Warner Twin Theatre
1579 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
1579 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
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Showing 226 - 250 of 378 comments
strange theater fact ………only theater i worked at that when you enter the mgrs office you went to a small foyer then the rest of the office had a doorway that was all caged in ……….
ONE of the few theaters ever to be opened 24 hours for an opening weekend film. I worked the 9pm to 9 am managers shift for “COBRA"
Think it was the only time this theater did 24 hour non stop.
Here’s a review for “IAMMMMW” from the Long Island Press:
Mad X4, Funny X2 – 11/24/63
Here is a cluster of 3 big roadshow epics playing within a couple of blocks of each other on B'way in the late fall of 1963:
NY Daily News 11/23/63
Of course, the big news of the day had been the previous day’s assassination of President Kennedy and the capture of suspect Lee Harvey Oswald at the Texas Theater in Dallas. By that Monday, the late President was being laid to rest and a day of National mourning had been declared. The show did go on however for “IAMMMMW” and the other B'way attractions as evidenced in the ad in that day’s paper annoucing the week’s Thanksgiving holiday performance schedule:
NY Daily News 11/25/63
Note how the title of Stanley Kramer’s epic had already seeped into the popular lexicon as evidenced by the critic’s quote used to praise the play “Never Too Late” in the Theater Directory just below the Rivoli ad.
Vincent, in response to your June 19th question, I was in the Theatre
for the first time in the Spring of 1962 for THE LONGEST DAY.
I would guess that nothing at all changed since they put Cinerama in
early 1953 after moving it over from the Broadway.At that time I’m sure they had to take out the side boxes.
It was the old red curtain in front of the still existing proscenium arch and by 1962 they had expanded Baker Booth for the 3 Century 70mm
machines. Able and Charly booths were still there. Other than that I don’t think any other changes were ever done until the massive remodeling of late 1963 for MAD, MAD WORLD.
In March of 1982, Hitchcock made a return to Times Square as part of the brief ‘80’s resurgence of the 3D gimmick:
NY Post 3/6/82
A quick peak at the Movie Clock shows that the cheesy horror flick “Evilspeak” (wherein Ron’s brother Clint Howard channels evil demons through his computer) was playing upstairs while day-and-dating with the Times Square on 42nd street. Something called “Woman In Love” (not to be confused with the Ken Russell film of DH Lawrence’s “Women in Love”) was playing backstage at the Orleans.
Notice that every one of the films advertised on that page was booked into a Times Square theater (not counting any of the 42nd Street grinds)… Not a single screen on 7th Ave or B'way exists in the area today.
Does anyone know how much of the original decor as pictured in Warren’s photos from January made it to the 50’s before the house was redesigned for Cinerama?
Downstairs, a modern classic and tour de force for director Martin Scorcese and his star Robert Deniro; Upstairs, Lee Majors tops a low budget double bill:
Daily News 12/12/80
Meanwhile, around the corner in the Strand’s old stage house we found a “New Policy!”:
Daily News 12/9/80
Sorry for the blurry image.
By the way, check out the ad for “Cheerleader’s Wild Weekend” in that first image (booked at the nearby Times Square Theater on 42nd Street and all along the faded RKO circuit), a film with which Leon Isaac Kennedy had absolutely NOTHING to do with!!! What chutzpah on the part of the Aquarius Films in advertising that one, eh?
Fight films and live feeds made money but not worth the trouble. The crowds were rowdy and violent and often tore the place apart, especially when the signal failed. Brooklyn theatres had a particularly tough time with staff abuse and shootings.
This is a very interesting concept, I wonder if it made any money?
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Great color shot, Warren. I wonder what’s with that big telescope in the foreground that is apparently positioned at the northern end of Duffy Square (where TKTS now takes up residence)?
Dennis… My Mom’s memory might be faulty. I did some checking and found precisely the same information that you are providing first hand. The booklet I posted must be from a non-Cinerama engagement. Mom might have been confused about having seen the true Cinerama presentation of “How the West Was Won” (she brought over both booklets on the same day and she had lots of memory to jog over to recall where she had seen these films). She might have seen “IAMMMMW” during its original roadshow run, but she definitely picked this booklet up when she saw it again after the film had a wider release. If anyone has a newspaper ad for the movie’s general release, I’d love to see it and verify which theater Mom purchased the booklet.
Ed Solero: The “MMMMW” souvenir program I purchased at the Boyd Theatre in Philadelphia during its Cinerama showing has the Cinerama logo on the front cover under Stanley Kramer’s name. However, when I saw the movie again during its “regular showings” after Cinerama engagements, the program was the same except the Cinerama logo had been removed.
Ed Solero: The “MMMMW” souvenir program I purchased at the Boyd Theatre in Philadelphia during its Cinerama showing has the Cinerama logo on the front cover under Stanley Kramer’s name. However, when I saw the movie again during its “regular showings” at Cinerama engagements, the program was the same except the Cinerama logo had been removed.
Also check out images of the souvenir booklet for “How the West Was Won” on the Capitol Theater site as well as a 1978 behind-the-scenes booklet about Radio City Music Hall.
My Mom saw “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” here in ‘63 or '64 and purchased the souvenir program. I took a few shots from the booklet – which is in pretty sad state due to my handling of it as a child. I remember watching IAMMMMW when it was broadcast on network TV in the early '70’s and pouring over this booklet in the living room of my house in Elmhurst. One of my favorite all time movies… I wish a restoration of the full roadshow version would come to light some time before I leave this mortal coil.
Souvenir cover page
Caricature fold-out
Fold-out legend
Single lens Cinerama
Facts and figures
Fantastic shots, Warren. SONG OF NORWAY does this place no justice. The environment obvoulsy made the film more than it was. A concept lost, I am afraid
I have SONG OF NORWAY on VHS and it is painful watch. Its sort of like watching THE SOUND OF MUSIC scenery with polka tunes and no plot.
I have SONG OF NORWAY on VHS and it is painful watch. Its sort of like watching THE SOUND OF MUSIC scenery with polka tunes and no plot.
I have SONG OF NORWAY on VHS and it is painful watch. Its sort of like watching THE SOUND OF MUSIC scenery with polka tunes and no plot.
The performances in “Song of Norway” was stiff. The entire picture was missing a spontaneity. I still have the soundtrack recording. The original Broadway production was much better. Of course, this is my opinion.
Vincent,
Not really a bad movie. The best part was a very good stereo music track when heard off a 70mm print in a Cinerama Theatre.
I saw it twice at the Colonial Cinerama Theatre in Hartford.
They used the London Symphony Orchestra for the track.
I think the Producers tried too hard to make another Sound Of Music.
Though I avoided SON at the time as Florence Henderson in a big wide screen movie seemed like cruel and unusual punishement I wish now I had gone. It was my only chance to just to have seen some sort of Cinerama film there.
This was the movie that Kael said had been made by trolls. Does anyone know if it is really that bad?
When I saw “Song Of Norway” at this theatre, it had sadly lost the
beauty of its original interior design. As I recall, the movie was not too good.
Many, many thanks to Patrick Crowley and his staff for technical improvements over the long weekend. We’re all deeply grateful for the pleasures that this site provides. Bravo for your hard work.
Here’s one post that I wanted to make last Saturday, 26 November. As the Warner ticket stubs will show, it’s for a Saturday matinee screening of the second Cinerama feature, “Cinerama Holiday,†exactly fifty years ago to the prime. The weekdays that Thanksgiving weekend occupied the same calendar dates. Here’s the program:
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Few things electrified moviegoers more than “This Is Cinerama†in ‘52-’53. It seemed like an eternity before this tepid follow-up appeared in ’55. Did anyone care? Those boys at pre-co-ed Dartmouth look awfully sullen. Those priests at pre-Vatican-II Notre Dame look awfully caged. Copy for the scenario is all thumbs. Yet it was Cinerama, and we sent away for reserved seats months in advance. I wonder what fashionable NYC hotel our deputy gadabouts dined at? The table displays no sign of palatable food or drink. Were the ‘50s really like that?
The water stains on this program were incurred by a flood in my basement last April. Until then, along with others in my collection, it had sat boxed up since a late ‘70s house-move. If not for that flood, I wouldn’t have opened these cartons.