No, they’re stereo slides and I’ll get them scanned. It’s going to take me a little while to get them as I have them in storage. I’ll get in touch just as soon as I can find them.
We went through the Tivoli while it was being demolished. In fact, the lobby was already gone. (The theater had closed after the riots in the late 60’s, and was an absolute mess.) During the demolition, the stage wall collapsed onto a house behind the theater. I don’t think anyone was hurt as it happened during the day when nobody was home.
Good luck and please keep us posted on your project. It’s a shame what happened to Newark and all those great theaters.
Mr. Heid; are you still known as the “Hurricane on the Xylophone?”
What can you tell us about appearing in a stage show at the celebrated Roxy? What were the backstage areas like, and were they still well maintained at this late stage in the theaters history? How many shows did you do a day, and what occupied your time while the feature was playing?
The pressbook for HELL’S ISLAND mentions the New York Paramount doing that for their VistaVision presentations. Over the weekend, I’ll copy and post the exact description. It was quite interesting, and points to the level of showmanship which existed in theaters at that time.
I talked with one of the workers when they were gutting out the theater. Nothing remains, it was cleared right to the brick walls. He did tell me that they found an old abandoned studio in the theater that was used for broadcasting movie premieres over the radio.
You’re right Ed, I’m sorry. I looked at it quickly and it didn’t look like I remembered it from the early 80’s when I worked on 44th Street. That’s the original stage door, for sure.
The other set of doors are new and were added when the theater was gutted. Looking at the vintage newsreel footage, I don’t think the theater had any exit doors on 44th street.
No, the stage door is further down the street towards 8th Avenue. It doesn’t have an air duct above it, and looks identical to the picture posted above.
As I recall, the door still has some wiring or outline of the light fixture that once sat above it. In the old newsreel footage, there was also a “stage door” sign which appeared to be brass.
Ed, the original stage door is a single door which now opens to a staircase going down to the basement. Back in the early 80’s, it had a list on it with many of the big names that played the theater. (Somebody cared enough to identify that door and make the list sometime after the theater closed.) Unfortunately, sometime after 1984, the door was painted black and the list was covered over.
The original backstage area was modified to match the existing office space in the Paramount building.
For instance, in newsreel footage, the stage door on 44th street opens to a level area backstage. Now, that very same door opens to a staircase going down to the basement. I was down in that area a few years ago (the deli next door had the original stage door open) and it was all new (1960’s vintage) construction. There appeared to be nothing intact from the theater.
I’ve tried poking around that building and can find nothing that appeared to be from the theater, except for some old (very old) stairwells.
Good luck in your search. Let us know what you find!
Tom, if they had 3600 people on 44th street, the entire street would have been jam-packed. But, the crowd outside the windows only went from 7th Avenue to a few hundred feet past the theater.
In the outtakes of the footage, Dean and Jerry are shown at the table in that room signing the pictures and then walking to the window to throw them out. It was a very plain room with a table and an empty mirror. I’ve seen photos of their dressing rooms, and the mirrors were usually covered with family photos and telegrams. I can’t state for an absolute fact that it isn’t one of their dressing rooms, but I don’t think it is based on the photographic evidence. I feel they may have moved down a few floors to throw out the pictures so they would be closer to the ground.
Several years ago, I went searching in the building to try and find that window. But, the interior space was converted to offices and I didn’t feel comfortable poking around. I believe the guts of the building were totally ripped out when the theater was demolished anyway, so nothing would remain of the dressing rooms.
Tom; the exact window can be determined from the raw newsreel footage which Mr. Lewis has in his archive. Paramount shot about 20 minutes of footage, and I remember several shots of them in the window. The camera slowly pans down to the street level, and you get a good view of the building in relation to the Times building behind it. I can try to look at that footage next time I’m in California and let you know.
By the way, that window was not their dressing room, but was a few floors closer to street level. Jerry does have a tendency to exaggerate. The footage shows a packed 44th street, but there were probably more like 750-1000 people packed in that small area. They were screaming and making a lot of noise though!
Another interesting angle in the un-used footage shows the crowd waiting to enter the theater. The line extends from the boxoffice and goes all the way down 43rd street to 8th Avenue.
But they also played the Capitol, Roxy and Loew’s State in New York City…
Patsy; I enjoy Dean as much as the next person, but what does this have to do with the Paramount Theatre?
That is one sad photo. What a shame.
Hi Ron,
No, they’re stereo slides and I’ll get them scanned. It’s going to take me a little while to get them as I have them in storage. I’ll get in touch just as soon as I can find them.
Bob
Ron; yes, I did take some slides. Let me dig those out of storage, and I’ll post them.
We went through the Tivoli while it was being demolished. In fact, the lobby was already gone. (The theater had closed after the riots in the late 60’s, and was an absolute mess.) During the demolition, the stage wall collapsed onto a house behind the theater. I don’t think anyone was hurt as it happened during the day when nobody was home.
Good luck and please keep us posted on your project. It’s a shame what happened to Newark and all those great theaters.
“Movies…the way they were meant to be seen!”
Gee, it seems that I’ve heard that somewhere before…
Can someone please explain to me why this new Megaplex is a “Cinema Treasure?”
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned one of MGM’s big stars of the 1940’s: Lassie.
YankeeMike; the Feb 10 and 11 classic film weekend is a clever benefit for an animal rescue fund.
Film programming at Loew’s Jersey has NOT gone to the dogs.
Fascinating, and thank you for taking the time to answer. You provide a rare insight which I certainly appreciate.
No, I don’t know you personally. But I did find a website about you and that’s where I read about the “Hurricane on the Xylophone.”
Mr. Heid; are you still known as the “Hurricane on the Xylophone?”
What can you tell us about appearing in a stage show at the celebrated Roxy? What were the backstage areas like, and were they still well maintained at this late stage in the theaters history? How many shows did you do a day, and what occupied your time while the feature was playing?
The pressbook for HELL’S ISLAND mentions the New York Paramount doing that for their VistaVision presentations. Over the weekend, I’ll copy and post the exact description. It was quite interesting, and points to the level of showmanship which existed in theaters at that time.
Do you think they will be evicting people from those offices, demolishing them and working from original blueprints to reconstruct the lobby?
Where are they going to get all that marble???
I talked with one of the workers when they were gutting out the theater. Nothing remains, it was cleared right to the brick walls. He did tell me that they found an old abandoned studio in the theater that was used for broadcasting movie premieres over the radio.
You’re right Ed, I’m sorry. I looked at it quickly and it didn’t look like I remembered it from the early 80’s when I worked on 44th Street. That’s the original stage door, for sure.
The other set of doors are new and were added when the theater was gutted. Looking at the vintage newsreel footage, I don’t think the theater had any exit doors on 44th street.
Bob
No, the stage door is further down the street towards 8th Avenue. It doesn’t have an air duct above it, and looks identical to the picture posted above.
As I recall, the door still has some wiring or outline of the light fixture that once sat above it. In the old newsreel footage, there was also a “stage door” sign which appeared to be brass.
Ed, the original stage door is a single door which now opens to a staircase going down to the basement. Back in the early 80’s, it had a list on it with many of the big names that played the theater. (Somebody cared enough to identify that door and make the list sometime after the theater closed.) Unfortunately, sometime after 1984, the door was painted black and the list was covered over.
The original backstage area was modified to match the existing office space in the Paramount building.
For instance, in newsreel footage, the stage door on 44th street opens to a level area backstage. Now, that very same door opens to a staircase going down to the basement. I was down in that area a few years ago (the deli next door had the original stage door open) and it was all new (1960’s vintage) construction. There appeared to be nothing intact from the theater.
I’ve tried poking around that building and can find nothing that appeared to be from the theater, except for some old (very old) stairwells.
Good luck in your search. Let us know what you find!
Tom, if they had 3600 people on 44th street, the entire street would have been jam-packed. But, the crowd outside the windows only went from 7th Avenue to a few hundred feet past the theater.
In the outtakes of the footage, Dean and Jerry are shown at the table in that room signing the pictures and then walking to the window to throw them out. It was a very plain room with a table and an empty mirror. I’ve seen photos of their dressing rooms, and the mirrors were usually covered with family photos and telegrams. I can’t state for an absolute fact that it isn’t one of their dressing rooms, but I don’t think it is based on the photographic evidence. I feel they may have moved down a few floors to throw out the pictures so they would be closer to the ground.
Several years ago, I went searching in the building to try and find that window. But, the interior space was converted to offices and I didn’t feel comfortable poking around. I believe the guts of the building were totally ripped out when the theater was demolished anyway, so nothing would remain of the dressing rooms.
The stage door and dressing room windows were on 44th street.
Warren is correct. Those postcards are not the RKO Proctor’s on Market Street.
Tom; the exact window can be determined from the raw newsreel footage which Mr. Lewis has in his archive. Paramount shot about 20 minutes of footage, and I remember several shots of them in the window. The camera slowly pans down to the street level, and you get a good view of the building in relation to the Times building behind it. I can try to look at that footage next time I’m in California and let you know.
By the way, that window was not their dressing room, but was a few floors closer to street level. Jerry does have a tendency to exaggerate. The footage shows a packed 44th street, but there were probably more like 750-1000 people packed in that small area. They were screaming and making a lot of noise though!
Another interesting angle in the un-used footage shows the crowd waiting to enter the theater. The line extends from the boxoffice and goes all the way down 43rd street to 8th Avenue.
Bob
What happened to Divinity? The Paradise Theaters biggest supporter has been MIA since 10/27!