I remember one time coming here in 1983 or ‘84 on a drunken excursion with a few co-workers when it was a porn theater. I’ll never forget the experience. The movie playing was something called “The Girl from S.E.X.” with a “plot” that was intended to be a spoof of a spy movie. I went with 3 other guys, one of whom I worked with at a Mini-Mart on 108th Street in Forest Hills. It was a cool early summer’s day and we were having some beers when we decided to pile into somebody’s car and take a trip to the Austin. This would be the ONLY time I ever found myself inside a real XXX house.
I can’t say I remember much about the theater’s decor, but I know that the facade was completely different than it exists now. I want to say it was a low-lying 1 or 2 story brick front, but I have no clear mental image. I also think we purchased our tickets through an outdoor ticket window – much like the one at the Polk Theater in Jackson Heights. Inside, there was a short vestibule and second set of glass doors and then a dark and decent-sized lobby with doors to the auditorium (which ran straight back to the screen wall in a line from the sidewalk) and stairs up to the balcony.
We sat up in the balcony, which one entered through an open hallway from the staircase landing. The balcony appeared very shallow and I seem to recall that the seating included a couple of sofas at the rear!!! As we sat to watch the movie, a sense of discomfort sat in with all of us. As we talked before the movie began we decided to call each other by names other than our own (partially in jest and partially for the sake of anonymity)… but in our drunkeness, we had forgotten the names we had been using so that each time one of us addressed another, we’d use a completely different name than before. We joked that anyone below us in the orchestra might think there were 10 or 12 of us up there instead of the 4 that we actually were. We didn’t get more than 20 minutes into the feature when we all sort of freaked out over the gentleman in the overcoat who had come in and stood silently in the row directly behind us. Having had enough, we elected to walk out before much longer, never learning if, in the end, the Girl from S.E.X. was able to “finish off” the bad guy (though, we can assume that she did exactly that… to their mutual satisfaction)!
I’ve been back a couple of times since the theater reinvented itself in 1999 or so as a multiplex for the more discerning film goer, but it has been a few years. I think I saw “Chocolat” and “Being John Malkovich” here and possibly “About Schmidt”. Parking can be a bit problematic, but the effort is rewarded with an eclectic selection of films that usually do not reach the outer boroughs. If I recall, there is a small room off to the side of the lobby where an original neon sign for the Austin is on display. That’s a nice touch. The way the theater itself has been carved up sort of reminds me of how the Fantasy in Rockville Center was subdivided.
I suppose I can see both sides of this debate. As an architecture buff, I would have loved to have seen the original ornate facade restored to its 1903 appointments, but as a movie theater fan I have to admire the retention of the marquee and blade. With the restoration of the Victory and Lyric, the new Selwyn/American Airlines entrance, the conversion of the Times Square Theater to retail space, the flashy AMC marquee on the relocated Empire facade and the loss of the Harris, Liberty, Rialto and Anco facades, the New Amsterdam presents us with the only remaining physical vestige of the Duece’s good old bad old grind house days. I still think it is at odds with the splendor that exists within, but I can live with and appreciate it for what it is.
And the New Victory facade dull? The reproduction of that magnificent torchiered exterior staircase is a vast improvement on the plain facade and boxy marquee that had replaced the original entrance all those years ago. There’s enough color on the block with Madam Toussad’s, McDonald’s “marquee” and the battling AMC and Loews marquees at the western end of the block.
Meanwhile, the Ecko Unlimited conversion of the old Times Square Theater is still ongoing. As of last Friday night, the building remains obscured behind construction netting and a plywood shed. No word on when the store will be opened, other than the “early 2006” announcements made a year ago.
Bob… if your Kong expert is correct, that raises an interesting debate in corrolation to this topic. By adding the “overture” to the DVD, are the producers doing the film a disservice by adding something to the presentation that was never intended by the film makers? Similar criticism was aimed at the “restored” VHS version of “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” that included some footage that Kramer never intended to see the light of day in an effort to return the film to as close an original “roadshow” length as possible.
Be that as it may, Warren, audiences lucky enough to be in attendance received a level of attention that is scarcely (if ever) paid to today’s moviegoing crowds.
I suppose you are both correct and that the preservation of any detail work is merely a happy by-product of this maintenance. However, I’ve seen many older buildings where facade “maintenance” involed a shearing off of any elements that might one day dislodge and pose a threat to pedestrians below. My point is I’m just happy that the detail is still in place to be admired even as the theater’s original functionality is lost to the ages.
I agree, Bway. The interior is magnificent 1903 Art Nouveau opulence and the exterior is 1930’s grind-house honky tonk. I suppose the Art Moderne blade and clock have their charms (and reminds me of the tawdry 42nd Street I knew and loved from the 80’s), but its certainly an extreme clash of architectural styles. A restoration of the original facade would have been much more appropriate and a nice compliment to the restored Lyric and New Victory facades across the street.
All the charm and atmosphere of the original interior appointments may be lost, but the exterior is still in good condition and I snapped a few photos of the place last week as I travelled with my camera around this area, as well as Valley Stream, Woodmere, Lawrence and Laurelton, Queens, to photograph some of the old theaters (and sites) I used to attend when I was a kid.
As I snapped these photos, I noticed a good number of children and their parents walking in for some matinee (probably Disney’s “Eight Below”). Whenever I stop in at the Cold Stone Creamery across the street, I notice many older kids and adults coming in and out of the theater – and usally adding to the very long Cold Stone queue for an after-movie dessert. From all observation, this theater is still very well attended.
A stage housing w/ fly space is evident in the long exterior shots of the building… I believe someone noted previously here that the former stage area and dressing rooms are still in existence.
I think we all appreciate the postings, Bob. Thanks. The fact that there were so many tours like that by big stars like Lewis (and Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, etc) has always fascinated me. More evidence of an era of showmanship that is, sadly, long gone.
This is actually a three week extension of a program that the Ziegfeld started back in February (there was a CT news item posted here at the time). I was going to submit the extension as a news item, so thanks for getting it out there, Ross.
Please visit the Ziegfeld’s page here for comments on the festival by those who have attended.
So, they operate out of that big roll gate located down the side street near the old screen wall. Since it’s a wholesale warehouse, they probably open up only for shipments and deliveries… I doubt there is a proper showroom that is open to the general public. Odd, then, that they would spend the money to repoint and maintain the facade ornamentation. A nice gesture towards the building’s past, however.
Thanks for the responses, veyoung and YankeeMike. I never knew that about “King Kong”! I wonder when that overture was discovered? I saw “King Kong” at the D.W. Griffith Theater on East 59th Street when the scenes that had been trimmed in the 1940’s were restored in the ‘70’s, but I can’t recall an overture. The theater had rolled admission tickets back to 1933 vintage (10 cents) for the first few weeks of what turned out to be a very long engagement.
I was wondering if anyone could identify exactly when the roadshow presentation of a film began? And by that, I mean a film with overture and intermission with entr'acte, booked into an exclusive engagement with reserved seating. I caught the beginning of “Gone With the Wind” today on TMC and I noticed that there was an overture. I know there’s an intermission (and assume there is entr'acte music) and was wondering if all of this was part of the original presentation or if it was added later when the film received a cropped 70mm “widescreen” re-release decades later.
Were there overtures and intermissions during the silent era? I know the roadshow hey day was in the ‘50’s and '60’s and that films of great length were few and far between in prior to that, but were there other earlier films like “GWTW” that had this sort of presentation? For example, “The Best Years of Our Lives” clocks in at nearly three hours, did it include an intermission? I’m probably asking more than one question here, but any history about the history of overture and intermission in American cinema and how that evolved into the roadshow presentations of the '50’s and '60’s would be greatly appreciated.
I was never in the Victory during its ‘70’s and '80’s porn days so I don’t know what the interior was like back then. The lower lounge area looks like it was created with the 1990’s renovations (and there is an extension into space under an adjacent building for an concession stand, additional lounge space and a kids “activity” center where children can engage in event-related hands-on play). It is possible that the restrooms were always downstairs, however, since the ground level foyer (as seen in the photo above) is guite small.
You have to walk up a few steps to enter the foyer from the ticket lobby and there are identical staircases leading up to the loge area on either side. It appears that some alterations were made to this space with the renovations (probably to build the twin stairs that lead down to the lounge) as is evidenced in the “foyer” photo above where some original ceiling molding detail can be found mixed in with the obviously modern plain walls and ceilings.
Up the stairs the loge foyer is also quite small, with much of it taken up with the open shallow stairwell that leads to the upper exit doors (these lead to the ornate outer staircase seen in exterior photos, which had been shorn off the building many years ago before being reproducted for the 1995 renovation). The ticket lobby exists under these outer stairs. One must have walked practically right into the auditorium from the sidewalk in the grind house days!
Another set of stairs on either side of the theater takes you from the loge foyer to the balcony foyer. My seats were in the orchestra, and I didn’t venture up to photograph the other levels. Next time I’m seated in the balcony, I’ll be sure to bring the camera along and post some photos here, unless someone else does so before I get the chance.
I’ve been a member of the New Victory for about 5 years now and can’t recall any film series in that time. There was one event that featured a small orchestra accompanying vintage Warner Brothers cartoons, but that’s as much as I can recall. Even so, if you have kids (or are close to someone else’s), I must recommend this affordable and excellent venue for family entertainment. The bookings are from all over the world and are usually excellent. Even if you don’t have kids, some of the fare (particularly the dance ensembles and acrobatic circuses) should prove of great interest to adults as well.
Yes… hdtv267 has the correct information about The Lion King’s closing and re-opening dates. Mary Poppins begins previews at the New Amsterdam on October 14th with an opening night of November 16th.
Gypsy Rose Lee might have never played the New Amsterdam, but she did play across the street in burlesque at the old Victory Theater when it was known as the Republic. I visit the renovated and rechristened New Victory several times a year with my kids and was there this past Friday when I snapped this nighttime photo of the New Amsterdam’s illuminated marquee and blade sign:
So, The Lion King moves from a fabulously ornate and historic 1903 gem to a cold, utilitarian, modernist 1970’s house. Quite an extreme move, in terms of architecture and ambience.
I was on 42nd Street the other night for a show with the kids down at the New Victory. I snapped this photo of the marquee at night (and also the Empire across the street):
I was on 42nd Street the other night taking in a show at the New Victory down the block with my kids and I took a couple of shots of the Empire. Nothing Earth-shattering, but I thought it was cool how you can see the original auditorium dome through the arched array of windows on the facade of the building.
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.
Actually, “The Ten Commandments” was meant to be seen in VistaVision, but I bet it looks wonderful on the big screen in standard 35mm. Or, does the Jersey have true VistaVision capability? In any event, I’m sure it will be nice to see Demille’s introductory prologue as well as the overture and entr'acte.
There was a re-release in the late 80’s that blew the prints up to 70mm (under the moniker of “Super VistaVision”) which cropped the original 1.85:1 image to 2.20:1. Do you think this is the version the Jersey will be screening?
Warren… Great photo! The theater was probably about to start operating under the name Village Theater when this photo was taken. It was still two years off from coming under Bill Graham’s stewardship as the Fillmore East. Does anyone know when the last film booking at the Loew’s Commodore was? If the policy in these last years was Yiddish-American Vaudeville & Films, one probably wouldn’t have found its schedule listed in the major dailies of the time.
Dorothy… As I take them, I add them to the site. My most recent additions were of the New Victory and some 42nd Street exteriors this morning (Feb 25th). I grabbed some shots of some of my old haunts in Laurelton, Valley Stream, Lynbrook and the 5 Towns area earlier in the week and posted those as well. It’ll probably be quiet for a few weeks now.
I have some photos I shot on film of 42nd Street and Times Square theaters in 1993 that I have to get digitized so I can upload. That roll of film also has a shot or two of the old Queens Theater and the Community (with Bollywood titles still on the marquee). I’ll post those on my site as well as on each theaters pages here on CT once I get that chore done.
Well… I’m glad a few of us got to post some photos here – and thanks Warren for the vintage shots of the marquee and auditorium. I just wish we had some photos of the place as it currently exists.
RobertR posted that he knew the owner of this theater. Perhaps he could settle whether or not that obscured “Renovations” sign is legit or not.
Thanks longislandmovies… but I was thinking of a theater where from the lobby you actually had to step down a couple of steps before pushing open the doors into the auditorium. I thought it might have been the Lawrence.
I remember this theater being around the corner from the big Lynbrook, but I don’t recall anything about the place at all. My Mom took a bunch of us to the movies one day, but while everyone else saw “Rocky II” at the Lynbrook, my buddy Mike and I split off and took in “Alien” at the Studio 1. I might have also seen a late night screening of the 1970 comedy “Where’s Poppa?” and “A Clockwork Orange” sometime during the early ‘80’s.
I took a photo of the building that currently sits at 11 Atlantic Avenue, now a retail space. While it seems reasonable that a small 375 seat art house would have been here at one time and converted to retail space, I can’t reconcile the location with a 1920’s era movie house where an organ was once installed! Could it be that the Arcade and the Studio 1 were different structures?
I remember one time coming here in 1983 or ‘84 on a drunken excursion with a few co-workers when it was a porn theater. I’ll never forget the experience. The movie playing was something called “The Girl from S.E.X.” with a “plot” that was intended to be a spoof of a spy movie. I went with 3 other guys, one of whom I worked with at a Mini-Mart on 108th Street in Forest Hills. It was a cool early summer’s day and we were having some beers when we decided to pile into somebody’s car and take a trip to the Austin. This would be the ONLY time I ever found myself inside a real XXX house.
I can’t say I remember much about the theater’s decor, but I know that the facade was completely different than it exists now. I want to say it was a low-lying 1 or 2 story brick front, but I have no clear mental image. I also think we purchased our tickets through an outdoor ticket window – much like the one at the Polk Theater in Jackson Heights. Inside, there was a short vestibule and second set of glass doors and then a dark and decent-sized lobby with doors to the auditorium (which ran straight back to the screen wall in a line from the sidewalk) and stairs up to the balcony.
We sat up in the balcony, which one entered through an open hallway from the staircase landing. The balcony appeared very shallow and I seem to recall that the seating included a couple of sofas at the rear!!! As we sat to watch the movie, a sense of discomfort sat in with all of us. As we talked before the movie began we decided to call each other by names other than our own (partially in jest and partially for the sake of anonymity)… but in our drunkeness, we had forgotten the names we had been using so that each time one of us addressed another, we’d use a completely different name than before. We joked that anyone below us in the orchestra might think there were 10 or 12 of us up there instead of the 4 that we actually were. We didn’t get more than 20 minutes into the feature when we all sort of freaked out over the gentleman in the overcoat who had come in and stood silently in the row directly behind us. Having had enough, we elected to walk out before much longer, never learning if, in the end, the Girl from S.E.X. was able to “finish off” the bad guy (though, we can assume that she did exactly that… to their mutual satisfaction)!
I’ve been back a couple of times since the theater reinvented itself in 1999 or so as a multiplex for the more discerning film goer, but it has been a few years. I think I saw “Chocolat” and “Being John Malkovich” here and possibly “About Schmidt”. Parking can be a bit problematic, but the effort is rewarded with an eclectic selection of films that usually do not reach the outer boroughs. If I recall, there is a small room off to the side of the lobby where an original neon sign for the Austin is on display. That’s a nice touch. The way the theater itself has been carved up sort of reminds me of how the Fantasy in Rockville Center was subdivided.
I suppose I can see both sides of this debate. As an architecture buff, I would have loved to have seen the original ornate facade restored to its 1903 appointments, but as a movie theater fan I have to admire the retention of the marquee and blade. With the restoration of the Victory and Lyric, the new Selwyn/American Airlines entrance, the conversion of the Times Square Theater to retail space, the flashy AMC marquee on the relocated Empire facade and the loss of the Harris, Liberty, Rialto and Anco facades, the New Amsterdam presents us with the only remaining physical vestige of the Duece’s good old bad old grind house days. I still think it is at odds with the splendor that exists within, but I can live with and appreciate it for what it is.
And the New Victory facade dull? The reproduction of that magnificent torchiered exterior staircase is a vast improvement on the plain facade and boxy marquee that had replaced the original entrance all those years ago. There’s enough color on the block with Madam Toussad’s, McDonald’s “marquee” and the battling AMC and Loews marquees at the western end of the block.
Meanwhile, the Ecko Unlimited conversion of the old Times Square Theater is still ongoing. As of last Friday night, the building remains obscured behind construction netting and a plywood shed. No word on when the store will be opened, other than the “early 2006” announcements made a year ago.
Bob… if your Kong expert is correct, that raises an interesting debate in corrolation to this topic. By adding the “overture” to the DVD, are the producers doing the film a disservice by adding something to the presentation that was never intended by the film makers? Similar criticism was aimed at the “restored” VHS version of “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” that included some footage that Kramer never intended to see the light of day in an effort to return the film to as close an original “roadshow” length as possible.
Be that as it may, Warren, audiences lucky enough to be in attendance received a level of attention that is scarcely (if ever) paid to today’s moviegoing crowds.
I suppose you are both correct and that the preservation of any detail work is merely a happy by-product of this maintenance. However, I’ve seen many older buildings where facade “maintenance” involed a shearing off of any elements that might one day dislodge and pose a threat to pedestrians below. My point is I’m just happy that the detail is still in place to be admired even as the theater’s original functionality is lost to the ages.
I agree, Bway. The interior is magnificent 1903 Art Nouveau opulence and the exterior is 1930’s grind-house honky tonk. I suppose the Art Moderne blade and clock have their charms (and reminds me of the tawdry 42nd Street I knew and loved from the 80’s), but its certainly an extreme clash of architectural styles. A restoration of the original facade would have been much more appropriate and a nice compliment to the restored Lyric and New Victory facades across the street.
All the charm and atmosphere of the original interior appointments may be lost, but the exterior is still in good condition and I snapped a few photos of the place last week as I travelled with my camera around this area, as well as Valley Stream, Woodmere, Lawrence and Laurelton, Queens, to photograph some of the old theaters (and sites) I used to attend when I was a kid.
Long shot from the West
Theater facade
Marquee and entrance
Marquee and upper facade
Upper facade detail
Facade detail
Facade corner detail
Corner view from East
As I snapped these photos, I noticed a good number of children and their parents walking in for some matinee (probably Disney’s “Eight Below”). Whenever I stop in at the Cold Stone Creamery across the street, I notice many older kids and adults coming in and out of the theater – and usally adding to the very long Cold Stone queue for an after-movie dessert. From all observation, this theater is still very well attended.
A stage housing w/ fly space is evident in the long exterior shots of the building… I believe someone noted previously here that the former stage area and dressing rooms are still in existence.
I also took some shots of the former Laurelton Theater (including interior shots), RKO Lawrence and 5 Towns theaters as well as of the structures that are now in place where the former Studio 1, Valley Stream and [url=/theaters/8367/]Belair Twin[url] theaters once stood.
I think we all appreciate the postings, Bob. Thanks. The fact that there were so many tours like that by big stars like Lewis (and Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, etc) has always fascinated me. More evidence of an era of showmanship that is, sadly, long gone.
This is actually a three week extension of a program that the Ziegfeld started back in February (there was a CT news item posted here at the time). I was going to submit the extension as a news item, so thanks for getting it out there, Ross.
Please visit the Ziegfeld’s page here for comments on the festival by those who have attended.
So, they operate out of that big roll gate located down the side street near the old screen wall. Since it’s a wholesale warehouse, they probably open up only for shipments and deliveries… I doubt there is a proper showroom that is open to the general public. Odd, then, that they would spend the money to repoint and maintain the facade ornamentation. A nice gesture towards the building’s past, however.
Thanks for the responses, veyoung and YankeeMike. I never knew that about “King Kong”! I wonder when that overture was discovered? I saw “King Kong” at the D.W. Griffith Theater on East 59th Street when the scenes that had been trimmed in the 1940’s were restored in the ‘70’s, but I can’t recall an overture. The theater had rolled admission tickets back to 1933 vintage (10 cents) for the first few weeks of what turned out to be a very long engagement.
I was wondering if anyone could identify exactly when the roadshow presentation of a film began? And by that, I mean a film with overture and intermission with entr'acte, booked into an exclusive engagement with reserved seating. I caught the beginning of “Gone With the Wind” today on TMC and I noticed that there was an overture. I know there’s an intermission (and assume there is entr'acte music) and was wondering if all of this was part of the original presentation or if it was added later when the film received a cropped 70mm “widescreen” re-release decades later.
Were there overtures and intermissions during the silent era? I know the roadshow hey day was in the ‘50’s and '60’s and that films of great length were few and far between in prior to that, but were there other earlier films like “GWTW” that had this sort of presentation? For example, “The Best Years of Our Lives” clocks in at nearly three hours, did it include an intermission? I’m probably asking more than one question here, but any history about the history of overture and intermission in American cinema and how that evolved into the roadshow presentations of the '50’s and '60’s would be greatly appreciated.
I attended a show here on Friday with the kids and snapped the following series of interior photos:
Lower Lounge
Foyer
Foyer ceiling detail
Stairway to loge
Left side boxed
Pair of cherubs
Right side boxes
Loge facade fixture
Proscenium
Dome view
Dome long view
Back of house
Seat row end cap
I was never in the Victory during its ‘70’s and '80’s porn days so I don’t know what the interior was like back then. The lower lounge area looks like it was created with the 1990’s renovations (and there is an extension into space under an adjacent building for an concession stand, additional lounge space and a kids “activity” center where children can engage in event-related hands-on play). It is possible that the restrooms were always downstairs, however, since the ground level foyer (as seen in the photo above) is guite small.
You have to walk up a few steps to enter the foyer from the ticket lobby and there are identical staircases leading up to the loge area on either side. It appears that some alterations were made to this space with the renovations (probably to build the twin stairs that lead down to the lounge) as is evidenced in the “foyer” photo above where some original ceiling molding detail can be found mixed in with the obviously modern plain walls and ceilings.
Up the stairs the loge foyer is also quite small, with much of it taken up with the open shallow stairwell that leads to the upper exit doors (these lead to the ornate outer staircase seen in exterior photos, which had been shorn off the building many years ago before being reproducted for the 1995 renovation). The ticket lobby exists under these outer stairs. One must have walked practically right into the auditorium from the sidewalk in the grind house days!
Another set of stairs on either side of the theater takes you from the loge foyer to the balcony foyer. My seats were in the orchestra, and I didn’t venture up to photograph the other levels. Next time I’m seated in the balcony, I’ll be sure to bring the camera along and post some photos here, unless someone else does so before I get the chance.
I’ve been a member of the New Victory for about 5 years now and can’t recall any film series in that time. There was one event that featured a small orchestra accompanying vintage Warner Brothers cartoons, but that’s as much as I can recall. Even so, if you have kids (or are close to someone else’s), I must recommend this affordable and excellent venue for family entertainment. The bookings are from all over the world and are usually excellent. Even if you don’t have kids, some of the fare (particularly the dance ensembles and acrobatic circuses) should prove of great interest to adults as well.
Yes… hdtv267 has the correct information about The Lion King’s closing and re-opening dates. Mary Poppins begins previews at the New Amsterdam on October 14th with an opening night of November 16th.
Gypsy Rose Lee might have never played the New Amsterdam, but she did play across the street in burlesque at the old Victory Theater when it was known as the Republic. I visit the renovated and rechristened New Victory several times a year with my kids and was there this past Friday when I snapped this nighttime photo of the New Amsterdam’s illuminated marquee and blade sign:
View link
So, The Lion King moves from a fabulously ornate and historic 1903 gem to a cold, utilitarian, modernist 1970’s house. Quite an extreme move, in terms of architecture and ambience.
Sorry, Howard, I read your post of Feb 4th and I meant to ask if there was any updated news on that front confirming the sale to Regal.
I was on 42nd Street the other night for a show with the kids down at the New Victory. I snapped this photo of the marquee at night (and also the Empire across the street):
View link
I wonder how long the sign will read “Loews” before AMC sells it off and the new owner slaps their brand onto it. Anyone hear any news on that front?
I was on 42nd Street the other night taking in a show at the New Victory down the block with my kids and I took a couple of shots of the Empire. Nothing Earth-shattering, but I thought it was cool how you can see the original auditorium dome through the arched array of windows on the facade of the building.
Facade at night
Through the windows
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.
Actually, “The Ten Commandments” was meant to be seen in VistaVision, but I bet it looks wonderful on the big screen in standard 35mm. Or, does the Jersey have true VistaVision capability? In any event, I’m sure it will be nice to see Demille’s introductory prologue as well as the overture and entr'acte.
There was a re-release in the late 80’s that blew the prints up to 70mm (under the moniker of “Super VistaVision”) which cropped the original 1.85:1 image to 2.20:1. Do you think this is the version the Jersey will be screening?
Warren… Great photo! The theater was probably about to start operating under the name Village Theater when this photo was taken. It was still two years off from coming under Bill Graham’s stewardship as the Fillmore East. Does anyone know when the last film booking at the Loew’s Commodore was? If the policy in these last years was Yiddish-American Vaudeville & Films, one probably wouldn’t have found its schedule listed in the major dailies of the time.
Dorothy… As I take them, I add them to the site. My most recent additions were of the New Victory and some 42nd Street exteriors this morning (Feb 25th). I grabbed some shots of some of my old haunts in Laurelton, Valley Stream, Lynbrook and the 5 Towns area earlier in the week and posted those as well. It’ll probably be quiet for a few weeks now.
I have some photos I shot on film of 42nd Street and Times Square theaters in 1993 that I have to get digitized so I can upload. That roll of film also has a shot or two of the old Queens Theater and the Community (with Bollywood titles still on the marquee). I’ll post those on my site as well as on each theaters pages here on CT once I get that chore done.
Glad you enjoyed what I have so far.
Well… I’m glad a few of us got to post some photos here – and thanks Warren for the vintage shots of the marquee and auditorium. I just wish we had some photos of the place as it currently exists.
RobertR posted that he knew the owner of this theater. Perhaps he could settle whether or not that obscured “Renovations” sign is legit or not.
Thanks longislandmovies… but I was thinking of a theater where from the lobby you actually had to step down a couple of steps before pushing open the doors into the auditorium. I thought it might have been the Lawrence.
I remember this theater being around the corner from the big Lynbrook, but I don’t recall anything about the place at all. My Mom took a bunch of us to the movies one day, but while everyone else saw “Rocky II” at the Lynbrook, my buddy Mike and I split off and took in “Alien” at the Studio 1. I might have also seen a late night screening of the 1970 comedy “Where’s Poppa?” and “A Clockwork Orange” sometime during the early ‘80’s.
I took a photo of the building that currently sits at 11 Atlantic Avenue, now a retail space. While it seems reasonable that a small 375 seat art house would have been here at one time and converted to retail space, I can’t reconcile the location with a 1920’s era movie house where an organ was once installed! Could it be that the Arcade and the Studio 1 were different structures?
Here’s the photo: View link
If anyone has more info and history on either the Arcade or Studio 1 (be they one and the same or not), I’d love to read it!
Oops. Not that it matters much, but here’s that Dairy Barn shot:
View link