I think the Cine 42 was a Norman Adie operation – he and the Brandts ran most of those houses on the deuce. The pictures that played those houses in 1970s were playing in drive-ins in other parts of the country. The Deuce, due to the absence of drive-ins in New York, was the only indoor booking for many of these pictures. One epic in particular that comes to mind from that era was ‘Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama’. It was the kind of stuff that today goes direct to video – they don’t even strike any prints.
Al, when Cinema 5 renovated it and christened it Manhattan 1 & 2, they put the stand in that position, creating the single lobby like a real twin theatre (unlike the C1&2 and the B/C around the corner). When CO renovated they replaced the Cinema 5 stand with a bigger one in the same spot.
davebazooka, thanks for posting the Lamb drawings – not only did he build beautiful theatres, he drew beautiful architectural plans, particularly the elevations and section-thru’s – the way he puts views within views, most architects don’t go to all that trouble, they just make more drawings. If that is a complete set of drawings with full structural, mechanical and architectural plans, it would be interesting to take it to Tishman Corp. or some other big general contracting firm and have it priced out to see how much it would cost to build today.
Considering our 21st century security concerns, does one have to be affiliated in some way with Columbia University to go in that library and look at this kind of material? I’d like to go there myself.
Ed, in the Stir Crazy ad, they have it in CinemaRadio at the Loews 83rd Street – I can’t make out the small type on the CR slug to see the details, can you see it on the original paper? I knew CinemaRadio as a sound system in drive-in theatres – the soundtrack was broadcast over a low power frequency to the car radios, thus eliminating the need for (and maintenance of) the speakers on the posts next to each car. Any of the projectionists on here know why they would have it in an indoor theatre?
Once he closed the Cinema Studio it didn’t open again, but I think it sat there vacant for a long time before it was demolished for the B&N and apartment construction.
This was opened by National General Theatres. When I lived in the high-rise across the street in 1973 Mann Theatres was operating it. National (not National General) took over the Great Northern Theatre after RKO left town in the 70s. I thought this one closed earlier than 1986 – it was small, never did any business because the Great Northern, Fairview and Westgate Cinema City got all the good pictures.
A friend recently went to that wonderful vacation-spot, the Isle of Long, and when she returned brought me a brochure from the Greenport Theatre. Looking through it, lo and behold, was a picture of an auditorium with the Beekman marquee signatures hanging on the wall. While I personally feel they would look much better hanging on the front of the New York Twin, I guess we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth – at least SOMETHING was saved and used SOMEWHERE. I scanned the photo and put it on my photobucket page View link
There are a few photos of the actual Beekman there also that were taken by davebazooka, I hope he doesn’t mind.
I guess the Electric Lady recording studios (where Hendrix recorded) is gone – when I worked here the entrance was next door to the theatre, but the facility itself was in the basement under the theatre…
Farrington Street IS the street at the east side of the Keith’s property – Main St. ends at Northern Blvd. I’m sure the drawings at the library are this Keith’s theatre. The atmospheric theatres were in vogue with Lamb and Eberson in the late 20s and early 30s.
THX is not a sound system. It is a set of standards of ideal movie-watching conditions established by George Lucas' organization regarding audio, picture, acoustics and miscellaneous light and noise distractions such as the sound of air conditioning units rumbling on the roof above the auditorium or stray light from exit signs spilling on to the screen. When the auditorium meets the standards, it is certified by THX.
Heat and humidity will bother the polyester film stock used by the studios today. It creates static, and the layers of film don’t peel apart easily and now and then more than one layer gets pulled into the brain causing a wrap – even with a professional projectionist hovering over it.
Wow! What a stunningly ordinary building – certainly adds something to the neighborhood – and doesn’t it blend in well with the buildings on either side of it? What is it, by the way – more desperately needed over-priced condominiums?
Ed, that quote is from Vincent Scully, architectural historian and author. He said, in his properly bitter obituary of the McKim, Mead & White Pennsylvania Station, “Through it one entered the city like a god…. One scuttles in now like a rat.”
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound accusatory, it’s just that the Loews name will disappear soon enough. They may own the place, but the name on the building and the pylon is still Loews.
Bway, Queens was the last of the 4 boros to develop (Staten Island was always considered “over there” by some, even today, and not part of NYC). Prior to the consolidation of 1898 New York City was only Manhattan and part of The Bronx. Brooklyn was a city unto itself, and Queens was considered Long Island and had its own little towns and villages, i.e. Long Island City, Newtown, Flushing, Jamaica. After the consolidation and despite the best efforts of the City of New York and the U.S.Postal Service everyone sticks to the old time names. When I lived in Jackson Heights around 1997 everyone in my neighborhood received a notice from the Post Office declaring that everyone with a 113XX zip code were to use Flushing NY as their address and no more Jackson Hts, Elmhurst, Rego Park, Forest Hills or whatever. Predictably, everyone threw those notices in the wastebasket and ignored them. Old habits die hard.
Here in the Beautiful Bronx is a similar situation, people who live near the Hudson River use Riverdale NY and not Bronx NY as their address.
I think the Cine 42 was a Norman Adie operation – he and the Brandts ran most of those houses on the deuce. The pictures that played those houses in 1970s were playing in drive-ins in other parts of the country. The Deuce, due to the absence of drive-ins in New York, was the only indoor booking for many of these pictures. One epic in particular that comes to mind from that era was ‘Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama’. It was the kind of stuff that today goes direct to video – they don’t even strike any prints.
Al, when Cinema 5 renovated it and christened it Manhattan 1 & 2, they put the stand in that position, creating the single lobby like a real twin theatre (unlike the C1&2 and the B/C around the corner). When CO renovated they replaced the Cinema 5 stand with a bigger one in the same spot.
davebazooka, thanks for posting the Lamb drawings – not only did he build beautiful theatres, he drew beautiful architectural plans, particularly the elevations and section-thru’s – the way he puts views within views, most architects don’t go to all that trouble, they just make more drawings. If that is a complete set of drawings with full structural, mechanical and architectural plans, it would be interesting to take it to Tishman Corp. or some other big general contracting firm and have it priced out to see how much it would cost to build today.
Considering our 21st century security concerns, does one have to be affiliated in some way with Columbia University to go in that library and look at this kind of material? I’d like to go there myself.
Ed, in the Stir Crazy ad, they have it in CinemaRadio at the Loews 83rd Street – I can’t make out the small type on the CR slug to see the details, can you see it on the original paper? I knew CinemaRadio as a sound system in drive-in theatres – the soundtrack was broadcast over a low power frequency to the car radios, thus eliminating the need for (and maintenance of) the speakers on the posts next to each car. Any of the projectionists on here know why they would have it in an indoor theatre?
Once he closed the Cinema Studio it didn’t open again, but I think it sat there vacant for a long time before it was demolished for the B&N and apartment construction.
This was opened by National General Theatres. When I lived in the high-rise across the street in 1973 Mann Theatres was operating it. National (not National General) took over the Great Northern Theatre after RKO left town in the 70s. I thought this one closed earlier than 1986 – it was small, never did any business because the Great Northern, Fairview and Westgate Cinema City got all the good pictures.
BTW, these are probably the signs from the marquee, since the one from above the windows apparently went down with the ship…
Yes, it appears that they changes the white neon tubing to [gasp!] pink (and I thought Cineplex was dead).
A friend recently went to that wonderful vacation-spot, the Isle of Long, and when she returned brought me a brochure from the Greenport Theatre. Looking through it, lo and behold, was a picture of an auditorium with the Beekman marquee signatures hanging on the wall. While I personally feel they would look much better hanging on the front of the New York Twin, I guess we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth – at least SOMETHING was saved and used SOMEWHERE. I scanned the photo and put it on my photobucket page
View link
There are a few photos of the actual Beekman there also that were taken by davebazooka, I hope he doesn’t mind.
I guess the Electric Lady recording studios (where Hendrix recorded) is gone – when I worked here the entrance was next door to the theatre, but the facility itself was in the basement under the theatre…
Farrington Street IS the street at the east side of the Keith’s property – Main St. ends at Northern Blvd. I’m sure the drawings at the library are this Keith’s theatre. The atmospheric theatres were in vogue with Lamb and Eberson in the late 20s and early 30s.
Irv Saver’s claim-to-fame –
THX is not a sound system. It is a set of standards of ideal movie-watching conditions established by George Lucas' organization regarding audio, picture, acoustics and miscellaneous light and noise distractions such as the sound of air conditioning units rumbling on the roof above the auditorium or stray light from exit signs spilling on to the screen. When the auditorium meets the standards, it is certified by THX.
…but I never heard if Greg went with him or stayed here…
Keith went back home to Tacoma when he left Cineplex – his family ran drive-in theatres in that area…..
Heat and humidity will bother the polyester film stock used by the studios today. It creates static, and the layers of film don’t peel apart easily and now and then more than one layer gets pulled into the brain causing a wrap – even with a professional projectionist hovering over it.
Wow! What a stunningly ordinary building – certainly adds something to the neighborhood – and doesn’t it blend in well with the buildings on either side of it? What is it, by the way – more desperately needed over-priced condominiums?
Ed, that quote is from Vincent Scully, architectural historian and author. He said, in his properly bitter obituary of the McKim, Mead & White Pennsylvania Station, “Through it one entered the city like a god…. One scuttles in now like a rat.”
The Sensurround equipment sent out to the theatres by Universal Studios for Midway and Rollercoaster was Cerwin-Vega.
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound accusatory, it’s just that the Loews name will disappear soon enough. They may own the place, but the name on the building and the pylon is still Loews.
Could we lose the AMC on these theatres until they actually put the Loews name to death, i.e. change the signs? Why rush it?
Amen!
According to the April 2001 Loews directory, the Harbor Mall Cinemas had seat counts of 233; 195; 265; 265; 120; 120; 200; 265 – total 1663 seats.
The place looks like a mess, but it blends in with the rest of the neighborhood, which is a bigger mess.
Bway, Queens was the last of the 4 boros to develop (Staten Island was always considered “over there” by some, even today, and not part of NYC). Prior to the consolidation of 1898 New York City was only Manhattan and part of The Bronx. Brooklyn was a city unto itself, and Queens was considered Long Island and had its own little towns and villages, i.e. Long Island City, Newtown, Flushing, Jamaica. After the consolidation and despite the best efforts of the City of New York and the U.S.Postal Service everyone sticks to the old time names. When I lived in Jackson Heights around 1997 everyone in my neighborhood received a notice from the Post Office declaring that everyone with a 113XX zip code were to use Flushing NY as their address and no more Jackson Hts, Elmhurst, Rego Park, Forest Hills or whatever. Predictably, everyone threw those notices in the wastebasket and ignored them. Old habits die hard.
Here in the Beautiful Bronx is a similar situation, people who live near the Hudson River use Riverdale NY and not Bronx NY as their address.