Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
favorited this theater
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Thanks for that reminder, William. So an engagement at the Dome doesn’t even warrant the expense to produce a rectified print? Harking to a discussion that occurred with Bob Endres on the Radio City page, one of the potential benefits of digital projection as the technology (and therefore the image resolution) gets better and better would be the ability to digitize classic films from restored elements and preserve them for easy exhibition in big screen revival houses across the country. Imagine going to the cinema for a revival of “My Fair Lady” or “Lawrence of Arabia” and knowing with certainty that you’ll be seeing a pristine print! The rectification process could be performed via digital manipulation of the image in the rare houses were a deeply curved screen still exists. In fact, digitial processing might also be used to correct the projector-lamp variations and seam distortions for three-strip Cinerama and produce an experience that looks even better than the original. Of course, digital still doesn’t produce as rich and satisfying an image as 70mm film at this point (and resolution deficiencies would certainly be magnified on a giant Cinerama screen), but according Bob – a respected veteran who was the RCMH head for many years – it’s getting very, very close.
In any event, an un-rectified 70mm print of “2001” would still play very nicely – I think – on a huge Imax screen.
Relating to the “West Side Story” discussion above, here are the autographs I got from Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris:
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Vincent and Ed, remember the only way “2001” in 70MM works in Cinerama is with a special rectified print from the lab. Since “2001” was filmed in Super Panavision those special rectified prints no longer are needed. Since there are no longer any large curved screened theatres in the major markets, other than Cinerama Dome & a select hand full.
Caught Back To The Future here as part of “Spielberg Week” last Wednesday night. Place had a very nice turnout with most of the theater full except the back. Overheard the employees at the theater saying that the Speilberg Week was the biggest selling week of the Classic fest, so I’d expect more 70s/80s era blockbuster films for the next classic run. BTTF print was in nice shape too, unlike Batman from the previous week.
They should show a fresh 70mm print of “2001” in an Imax theater, since there are no Cinerama houses left in the tri-state area!
OK Bill, rub it in. Another great one I missed.
How about a billionaire building a Cinerama house in New York just so we can see 2001 again. The Ziegfeld screen is too small for that movie.
If I go to this next one, it’ll be to meet the one and only Patty McCormack, and to get her autograph on my “Bad Seed” DVD.
Vincent: The Chiller convention is held twice a year, in April and October. It’s usually in East Rutherford but this time they’re moving to Secaucus NJ. I’ve been to around 4 of them. One of the biggest highlights for me was meeting Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood from “2001”. There are several conventions around the area all year round: Star Trek, comics, etc. Just a few months ago there was a first annual Twilight Zone convention in Hasbrouck Heights NJ, but I didn’t find out about it in time to go. Maybe next year …
thanks bill………..
Wow… A few bona fide 1970’s Times Square icons are appearing this year; porn stars Seka and Marylin Chambers plus the one and only Rudy Ray Moore! I’ll have to peruse this list more carefully when I get some time.
Boy if I had known about the East Rutherford convention I would have been there like a shot to see the two of them. I would have love to have met them. How do you people find out about these things?
Perhaps Denny Laine and Pete Best will be telling horror stories of their dealings with Paul McCartney! LOL. Thanks for the info on the Chiller conventions, Bill. I didn’t realize that. And I forgot all about “The Haunting!”
Longislandmovies: I’d say there were around 300 people at “West Side Story” on Tuesday night and about twice that many for “Grease” last Friday night. The “Grease” turnout was the biggest I’d seen at the Ziegfeld since “Raiders of the Lost Ark” back in March of this year.
Russ also appeared in what is probably one of the 5 best horror films ever made, Robert Wise’s “The Haunting”. And in all fairness to George and his appearance, remember he was pushing 70 years old at the time. We all looked better 40-something years ago! And Ed, I really do think he was there for “West Side Story”. He and Russ sat next to each other on the convention floor. A lot of actors from non-genre films and TV shows show up at Chiller. I’ve met the actors who played Cissy and Jody on “Family Affair” as well as Carol Lynley (who did appear in the horror classic “Bunny Lake is Missing”). This year’s edition will feature actors from “A Christmas Story” and also famous British rockers Denny Laine and Pete Best.
http://www.chillertheatre.com/gt/gtc4.htm
I don’t think Russ and George were at the Chiller Theater convention due to their work in WSS!!! LOL. I know Tamblyn had appared in the 1960’s Japanese giant monster epic “War of the Gargantuas” as well as in Al Adamson’s ultira-low budget Drive-In movie “Dracula vs. Frankenstien” in the early 1970’s. I am not familiar, however, with Chakiris' association with the genre. Anyway… I guess all those acrobatics and his seemingly perennial boyish demeanor has kept Tamblyn looking so hale and hearty.
IF you can just would like to know about how many people were in the theater for these shows….thanks
Good Lord! Russ Tamblyn still looks a little like his Tom Thumb character, but poor George Chakiris looks a bit dried up, or something. Thanks for the shock of the day, Bill.
I met George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn at a Chiller Theater convention in November 2003, in East Rutherford NJ. Both were very nice guys – I got to take a picture with each of them:
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I heard this was going to be shown at the Paradise in the Bronx with some of the cast members. Is this still true?
By the way I have been watching the making of the film on the DVD and it is interesting that though a number of important cast members appear George Chakiris does not. does anybody know why.
Last night’s print had very noticeable directional stereo during the songs (“Maria”) and some of the dialogue (Tony on the left side of the screen saying “Bottles, knives, guns!” when the gangs are planning the rumble at Doc’s Candy Store).
Today’s the last day to see it – tomorrow’s shows have been cancelled. Probably another fashion shoot or premiere of a bad new movie.
So… does the print of WSS currently playing at the Ziegfeld feature a quality stereo or surround soundtrack? I didn’t percieve any stereo at all when the film played in February.
The print from February didn’t have that UA logo, though, and it was much more scratched up than the one we saw tonight. I know what you mean about the whistles, though. The quality of the print itself made up for that. Some of the colors in the overture’s abstract impression of the city were so intense they made my eyes hurt.
I am not so sure that print of WSS is new. I believe it is the same print that was shown earlier this year. It’s missing the opening three whistles, meant to be heard just prior to the overture.
Tonight the Ziegfeld showed a beautiful new 35mm print of “West Side Story”. The size of the image from the front row and the flawless quality of the print made me feel like I was finally seeing it in 70mm (I almost did, back in the summer of ‘62 at the Bellevue in Upper Montclair NJ, but at the last minute it didn’t happen). That film has got to be one of the five best examples of widescreen filmmaking in the last fifty years.
While talking to a friendly Ziegfeld employee in the lobby, somebody came up to her and asked which was the entrance to “Theater #1”. When she told him it was one big theater, I said I hoped it would never be twinned or split up in any way. She said the owners of the building, Fisher Brothers, would never allow that to happen, ever.
Tonight I finally got to see “Cabaret” at the Ziegfeld, where it first opened in New York. In 1972 I didn’t see it till it played in New Jersey – took me 34 years to rectify that mistake.
I cannot wait for this week when they are showing Hitchchock classics. Rear Window has always been one of my favorites and to get to see it on the big screen will be a treat. I cannot even imagine seeing The Birds on the big screen, it was creepy enough on the small one :) I saw Grease myself just last night, definately a lot of fun and I enjoyed singing along myself.