Here is the link to a new “Hello, Dolly!” 50th anniversary retro article featuring a historian Q&A and roadshow chronology (which, of course, includes mention of its world premiere run at the Rivoli).
This passage from the overview contains some errors:
“By the summer of 1988 Cineplex-Odeon were operating the building and it was again renamed Crest Theatre. Pacific Theatres were the next operators…”
(1) Cineplex Odeon never ran this theater. (2) Pacific took over in 1985 when they acquired the SRO venues in Southern California. (3) When Pacific took over they initially retained the Metro name. (4) The name change to Crest took place in 1987.
Note that Pacific did not take over the entire SRO chain; they acquired just the ones in Southern California. SRO venues in the Pacific Northwest, for instance, remained under SRO ownership during this mid-1980s period but eventually were taken over by Cineplex Odeon (which may be the cause of the mistaken belief about the Metro/Crest’s ownership). Anyway, please update the overview.
“Paint Your Wagon” had its world premiere here (screen #2) fifty years ago today. And here’s a new 50th anniversary retro piece some of you roadshow and musical enthusiasts might enjoy reading. vindanpar probably won’t like it, though. ;–)
Why remove the marquee photo? Anyway, of the five titles featured on the marquee in the infamous photo — “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Pete’s Dragon,” “The Gauntlet,” “Semi Tough” and “The Goodbye Girl” — only “Pete’s Dragon” and “The Gauntlet” played there simultaneously during the 1977/78 holiday season. No evidence could be found “Close Encounters” and “Semi Tough” ever played there, and “The Goodbye Girl” played there months later by which time “Pete’s Dragon” and “The Gauntlet” were gone.
Cobwebs? I realize “Paint Your Wagon” has the reputation of being a flop, but it did, believe it or not, perform very well in some locales. For instance, it played reserved-seat runs for nine months in Dallas, Los Angeles and Vancouver. And in San Jose, it played over a year.
This marquee photo depicted above is interesting because it is either staged for company publicity or it’s not Greenspoint. Researching the Houston Post and Chronicle movie ads from the era of the titles depicted reveals only two of the five featured titles ever played there at the same time.
ALADDIN
Porgy and Bess
Can-Can
Spartacus
Lawrence of Arabia
The Longest Day
The Sound of Music
The Sand Pebbles
Camelot
Star!
Patton
Song of Norway
Fiddler on the Roof
Man of La Mancha
Last Tango in Paris
CENTRE
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Sweet Charity
CENTURY 21
The Happiest Millionaire
Half a Sixpence
Oliver!
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Nicholas and Alexandra
CONTINENTAL
The Agony and the Ecstasy
The Bible
Doctor Dolittle
Funny Girl
Hello, Dolly!
COOPER
This is Cinerama
Seven Wonders of the World
Cinerama Holiday
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
How the West Was Won
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Circus World
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Khartoum
The Best of Cinerama
Grand Prix
Far from the Madding Crowd
Custer of the West
2001: A Space Odyssey
Ice Station Zebra
Krakatoa, East of Java
Paint Your Wagon
DENHAM
The Ten Commandments
Ben-Hur
Exodus
El Cid
King of Kings
West Side Story
Mutiny on the Bounty
Cleopatra
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Mediterranean Holiday
My Fair Lady
Doctor Zhivago
Hawaii
Gone with the Wind (’67 re-issue)
Finian’s Rainbow
The Shoes of the Fisherman
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Ryan’s Daughter
The Great Waltz
ESQUIRE
The Blue Max
Is Paris Burning?
The Lion in Winter
Young Winston
INTERNATIONAL 70
Becket
Cheyenne Autumn
The Hallelujah Trail
Holiday in Spain
Mediterranean Holiday
Battle of the Bulge
Russian Adventure
TABOR
Oklahoma!
Around the World in 80 Days
South Pacific
Windjammer
Can anyone confirm, please, the screen count of the Commack Multiplex Cinemas on Christmas Day 1986 (preferably via newspaper research rather than memory)?
bigjoe59: Didn’t you ask this a while back? And, if I remember correctly, it was answered with a venue by venue breakdown of the roadshow bookings. Anyway, the answer you’re seeking can be found in the article Showcase Presentations in Washington, DC.
Here is the link to a new “Hello, Dolly!” 50th anniversary retro article featuring a historian Q&A and roadshow chronology (which, of course, includes mention of its world premiere run at the Rivoli).
What were the playdates of the Tacoma Mall’s run of “Song of Norway”?
Does anyone know the closing date of the Cinema 150’s roadshow run of “Song of Norway” (or know which booking followed it)?
Who operated the Four Star during the 1980s post UA and post Mitchell Brothers?
This passage from the overview contains some errors:
“By the summer of 1988 Cineplex-Odeon were operating the building and it was again renamed Crest Theatre. Pacific Theatres were the next operators…”
(1) Cineplex Odeon never ran this theater. (2) Pacific took over in 1985 when they acquired the SRO venues in Southern California. (3) When Pacific took over they initially retained the Metro name. (4) The name change to Crest took place in 1987.
Note that Pacific did not take over the entire SRO chain; they acquired just the ones in Southern California. SRO venues in the Pacific Northwest, for instance, remained under SRO ownership during this mid-1980s period but eventually were taken over by Cineplex Odeon (which may be the cause of the mistaken belief about the Metro/Crest’s ownership). Anyway, please update the overview.
“Paint Your Wagon” had its world premiere here (screen #2) fifty years ago today. And here’s a new 50th anniversary retro piece some of you roadshow and musical enthusiasts might enjoy reading. vindanpar probably won’t like it, though. ;–)
Why remove the marquee photo? Anyway, of the five titles featured on the marquee in the infamous photo — “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Pete’s Dragon,” “The Gauntlet,” “Semi Tough” and “The Goodbye Girl” — only “Pete’s Dragon” and “The Gauntlet” played there simultaneously during the 1977/78 holiday season. No evidence could be found “Close Encounters” and “Semi Tough” ever played there, and “The Goodbye Girl” played there months later by which time “Pete’s Dragon” and “The Gauntlet” were gone.
Cobwebs? I realize “Paint Your Wagon” has the reputation of being a flop, but it did, believe it or not, perform very well in some locales. For instance, it played reserved-seat runs for nine months in Dallas, Los Angeles and Vancouver. And in San Jose, it played over a year.
Which booking followed the Syosset’s roadshow run of “Paint Your Wagon”?
vindanpar: Which roadshow book were you referring to in your comment back on June 25th of this year?
This marquee photo depicted above is interesting because it is either staged for company publicity or it’s not Greenspoint. Researching the Houston Post and Chronicle movie ads from the era of the titles depicted reveals only two of the five featured titles ever played there at the same time.
What company operated this before Gulf States?
Does anyone know the date on which “The Abyss” screened here during 1989’s SIFF?
bigjoe59… Your recent Denver roadshow question has been answered.
Does anyone know the year in which this was renovated into an 8-plex? (Or did it have eight screens from Day One?)
Does anyone have a more precise date than “mid 1980s” for the conversion to eight screens?
bigjoe59…
ALADDIN
Porgy and Bess
Can-Can
Spartacus
Lawrence of Arabia
The Longest Day
The Sound of Music
The Sand Pebbles
Camelot
Star!
Patton
Song of Norway
Fiddler on the Roof
Man of La Mancha
Last Tango in Paris
CENTRE
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Sweet Charity
CENTURY 21
The Happiest Millionaire
Half a Sixpence
Oliver!
Tora! Tora! Tora!
Nicholas and Alexandra
CONTINENTAL
The Agony and the Ecstasy
The Bible
Doctor Dolittle
Funny Girl
Hello, Dolly!
COOPER
This is Cinerama
Seven Wonders of the World
Cinerama Holiday
The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
How the West Was Won
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Circus World
The Greatest Story Ever Told
Khartoum
The Best of Cinerama
Grand Prix
Far from the Madding Crowd
Custer of the West
2001: A Space Odyssey
Ice Station Zebra
Krakatoa, East of Java
Paint Your Wagon
CREST
The Taming of the Shrew
DENHAM
The Ten Commandments
Ben-Hur
Exodus
El Cid
King of Kings
West Side Story
Mutiny on the Bounty
Cleopatra
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Mediterranean Holiday
My Fair Lady
Doctor Zhivago
Hawaii
Gone with the Wind (’67 re-issue)
Finian’s Rainbow
The Shoes of the Fisherman
Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Ryan’s Daughter
The Great Waltz
ESQUIRE
The Blue Max
Is Paris Burning?
The Lion in Winter
Young Winston
INTERNATIONAL 70
Becket
Cheyenne Autumn
The Hallelujah Trail
Holiday in Spain
Mediterranean Holiday
Battle of the Bulge
Russian Adventure
TABOR
Oklahoma!
Around the World in 80 Days
South Pacific
Windjammer
Can anyone confirm, please, the screen count of the Commack Multiplex Cinemas on Christmas Day 1986 (preferably via newspaper research rather than memory)?
The original operator was American International Theatres (AIT). Edwards acquired it (and other area venues) in 1985.
bigjoe59: Didn’t you ask this a while back? And, if I remember correctly, it was answered with a venue by venue breakdown of the roadshow bookings. Anyway, the answer you’re seeking can be found in the article Showcase Presentations in Washington, DC.
“The Ten Commandments” first-run roadshow at St. Francis played 12 weeks (2/21-5/15/57).
And here is a related link to a work-in-progress article pertaining to roadshow & large format presentations in San Francisco.
bigjoe59: Finian’s Rainbow, Sweet Charity and Paint Your Wagon.
“Krakatoa, East of Java” large-format playdates article.
Opened March 9, 1961
What company or chain ran the Naro in the early 1980s?