Ziegfeld Theatre

There is probably as much chance of Fox properly presenting this film at the Ziegfeld as there is of the studio rebuilding the Roxy at 7th and 50th and showing it with its original stage show.

I would love to see this at the Music Hall during one of their dark periods, but I guess it’s just wishful thinking.

Pablo what does art theaters mean?
Cinema Village, Angelica, the Quad?
Maybe somebody at Fox has a functioning neuron in the brain(though I wouldn’t count on it) and they’ll show it at the Ziegfeld.

Vito: here’s the link to the “King and I” screening info. I hope they bring it back someday!

View link

I asked my friend how big the theater was. He said about 250-300 seats, but the screen was very impressive. So it sure ain’t the Roxy, but I’m still sorry I missed this screening.

I wonder, did they have a mag stereo print of “King and I”?

How big is the theatre there?

They have been running classic films at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta for the as long as I can remember in the summers. It is a wonderful experience complete with pre-show entertainment in the form of a real live (!) organ player leading crowd singalongs.

Coca-cola has sponsored this Summer Film Series for years (no ads before the show either). They have shown a mix of mostly (7 or 8) classics (e.g. ‘Laurence of Arabia’, ‘Hitchcock’) with maybe 2 or 3 current releases. I saw ‘Gladiator’ there when it was released and it was impressive to see on the large 50ft screen. While this may not seem special you must understand that beyond the 70s era cinderblock boxes and the new stadiumplexes of the New South, alone stands the Fox Theatre.

Now in NYC, I fear for the future of the Ziegfeld, especially with the Beekman passing, and plan to see every movie I can bear (‘Robots’ is playing currently, ouch) knowing that every bit counts. I suggest everyone take someone who hasn’t been this summer, to help their business, if not for the uninitiated experience if it goes the way of the wrecking ball.

If the Ziegfeld ever goes away, I will soon follow.

Regarding theater curtains: I remember wondering as a VERY YOUNG kid, whether the image that was seen when a movie theater’s curtains opened or closed was an image projected upon a solid curtain or whether it was an image that shone through a thin curtain (like the sun shining through home window curtains). Of course as an older kid I realized that the image was being projected upon an opaque curtain, but when I first went to the movies as a four(?)-year old I wasn’t sure.

As a pre-schooler, theatre curtains were one of the “mysteries of life” — like figuring out whether the light inside the refrigerator was always lit, even when the door was closed, or whether it was built in some way so that it lit up as soon as one started to open the door.

By the way, one scene from “Raging Bull” was shot just about down the block from the current Film Forum (that was, of course, 15[?] years or so before the Film Forum moved to its current location). The scene where Jake Lamotta first spots his future wife was filmed at the Carmine St. pool on W. Houston St. The dressing room vans (with one that was set-up to be a barber shop — to give all the 1970s[?] long-haired guys1940s[?] haircuts) were parked on St. Luke’s place. Antique cars were parked on W. Houston. And, if I remember correctly, the modern-day street lamps on W. Houston were dressed up with placards making them look like old-fashioned street lamps.

Saw Raging Bull last night. They had the pre-film slide show which was out of focus. Then the curtains were closed, opened and the show began. There was a pretty large crowd for the 7 PM show. It was great to see this film on a large screen. The print and sound were terrific. Originally this film was going to be shown at the Film Forum in Jan. but it was pulled at the last minute. I am a regular at the Forum but I am glad they made the switch to the Ziegfeld. What a great place to see one of the finest films of all time.

As a teen I worked at the local movie palace as an usher. One of my jobs was to “pull the curtain”. Just before the 1:00 matinee I would go up the stairs and go backstage, the audience, mostly kids, knew then that the show was about to start and went wild with applause. The projectionist would then buzz me to open the curtain.
Ahh, to once again open that curtain and hear those cheers.

In recent years I only remember the curtain being used for “Lawrence of Arabia” in 2002, and now “Raging Bull”. It was definitely not used for “The Phantom of the Opera” on New Year’s Eve – it might have made the movie a little better than it was.

I saw “Raging Bull” at the Ziegfeld last night and the crowd was bigger than I expected, and very much into the movie as well. The presentation was quite good too – only 3 commercials and one trailer, and they opened and closed the curtains. It was also my first time seeing black and white on the Ziegfeld screen. I’m glad I went. Now let’s see if they extend the exclusive engagement beyond the originally announced ten days – I’m sure they’ll do better with this great classic than with the latest Hollywood dud they’ve got booked into the theater next.

The Ziegfeld may not be ideal but it’s one of the few theaters that attempts to recreate the grandeur of the old movie palaces. The only other surviving NYC movie theater (that continues to operate as a movie theater, that is) that even comes close is the Loews auditorium at the Loews Lincoln Square.

And seeing a classic film at the Ziegfeld in 70MM is a great experience (such as “My Fair Lady” in the early 1990s and the hit revival of “Lawrence of Arabia” that played the Ziegfeld for months in 1989).