The Marion Theatre opened on 11th September 1941 with “Aloma of the South Seas” starring Dorothy Lamour. The seating capacity given in Film Daily Yearbook, 1943 edition was 800 and it was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidiary E.J. Sparks.
The seating capacity of the Odeon Leicester Square has been reduced recently. During late April/early May 2005 the Royal Circle has been closed to allow for the balcony to be re-stepped and re-seated with new stadium style seats. I will try and find out what the current total seating capacity for the main original screen is (stalls and circle).
Current seating capacity in the original main auditorium is 1,492. This is due mainly to larger seats and re-spacing plus the loss of several rows from the rear orchestra when the foyer was recently enlarged into the auditorium space to accomodate a concession stand. This area was where the projection booth was located when it was moved from its ‘upper location’ when Cinemiracle was installed in the 1950’s
London had 3 newsreel/short subject cinemas located in railway stations.
1. Located at Victoria Station (Platform 19) as mentioned above and listed on Cinema Treasures (demolished)
2. Waterloo Station, (demolished)
3. Baker Street Underground Tube Station – Topical News Theatre (currently retail use).
When cinema newsreels ceased production due to tv coverage, the newsreel cinemas first went over to all cartoon and short subjects. Later in the 1960’s they went over to screening double bill feature films (apart from the Victoria Station Cartoon Cinema which had no toilet facilities, and continued on cartoons until it closed in 1981)
No, Marquee is not available online, but you can look on the Theatre Historical Society of America website and that edition is available to purchase as a back-issue.
I agree that this suggests another screen could be at a different address or even in the same building. As the Bob Damron Address Book lists only Gay establishments, there would be no need to list a North Station Cinema II (that’s if one ever existed), as it probably screened ‘straight’ adult porn.
Comments on the South Station Cinema /theaters/9196/ suggest first that the North Station had possibly Three screens and then another posting states it had One.
Suwanti;
Many thanks for your detailed history of the original Queens Theatre. I wonder if it had a British architect?
Is the 2nd Queens theatre located adjacent (next door)? Is it still open as a twin cinema?
I have notified the webmasters on the site to amend the headers on this theatre to include your corrections. Maybe you could add the 2nd Queens Theatre and any others you know of, as this part of the world is uncharted territory for most of us cinema researchers.
Thanks
After closing in 1958 it became a church, then a boxing auditorium and in 1983 it was converted into a disco. In 2000, I went into the current ‘swap meet’ market retail space that it is its current use and could find no trace of a theatre interior.
I will be in NYC (from the UK) and look forward to going back to Loew’s Jersey to see the theatre ‘in action’ on the night of ‘Crack’ & ‘Body’.
I haven’t been inside the building since I organised a tour for the Cinema Theatre Association (UK) back in November 2000, so I am especially keen to see how the ongoing restoration is progressing and of course enjoy an evening at the movies, in a true movie palace.
My copy of the Bob Damron Address Book;1977 edition (a gay guide to the USA) gives the address of the South Station Cinema as 23 South Street, Boston, MA. 02111
First opened as a newsreel theatre, the Trans-Lux Theatre went over to screening feature films from December 1948, the first being Samuel Goldwyn’s production of “Enchantment”.
For its last year of operation June 1973 to May 1974 it was known as the Town II Theatre when it was taken over by Don King’s Town Theatre Group.
It is not listed in Film Daily Yearbooks that I have; 1941 and 1943 editions, but is listed in the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. with a seating capacity of 790.
Thanks Warren, I think your last posting gives credence to the facts that this Eagle Theatre is located at 1059 Manhattan Avenue, that it was formally the Manhattan Theatre, later the Midway Theatre.
In which case this entire posting needs to be deleted and moved over to the Midway Theatre listing on the site /theaters/8418/
cmg; Marquee Vol 12 Nos 1 & 2 (a double edition issue) for the First and Second Quarter 1980. The article on the Warner Theatre, Atlantic City is on pages 4 – 12.
That’s about $31 a ticket, still its nice to be able to site and watch a movie sitting in the circle (balcony to you in the USA)! I bet they are raking it in with the new Star Wars movie which premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square last night. TV coverage looeked great.
The original seating capacity for the Avo Theatre was 700.
The Marion Theatre opened on 11th September 1941 with “Aloma of the South Seas” starring Dorothy Lamour. The seating capacity given in Film Daily Yearbook, 1943 edition was 800 and it was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidiary E.J. Sparks.
Film Daily Yearbook’s in the 1940’s and 1950’s give a seating capacity of 700 for the Rivoli Theatre
The Bellevue Theater opened in September 1937 with the movie “Mountain Music” starring Martha Raye. The original seating capacity was given as 651.
It closed in 1963 and was purchased by the Samis Grotto Shrine in February 1966, currently known as the Samis Grotto Temple.
The seating capacity of the Odeon Leicester Square has been reduced recently. During late April/early May 2005 the Royal Circle has been closed to allow for the balcony to be re-stepped and re-seated with new stadium style seats. I will try and find out what the current total seating capacity for the main original screen is (stalls and circle).
Listed as open in the Film Daily Yearbooks 1941 through 1950 editions that I have. A seating capacity of 800 is given in the 1940’s.
Current seating capacity in the original main auditorium is 1,492. This is due mainly to larger seats and re-spacing plus the loss of several rows from the rear orchestra when the foyer was recently enlarged into the auditorium space to accomodate a concession stand. This area was where the projection booth was located when it was moved from its ‘upper location’ when Cinemiracle was installed in the 1950’s
London had 3 newsreel/short subject cinemas located in railway stations.
1. Located at Victoria Station (Platform 19) as mentioned above and listed on Cinema Treasures (demolished)
2. Waterloo Station, (demolished)
3. Baker Street Underground Tube Station – Topical News Theatre (currently retail use).
When cinema newsreels ceased production due to tv coverage, the newsreel cinemas first went over to all cartoon and short subjects. Later in the 1960’s they went over to screening double bill feature films (apart from the Victoria Station Cartoon Cinema which had no toilet facilities, and continued on cartoons until it closed in 1981)
Thanks Ron for your information on this theatre.
Listed in Film Daily Yearbooks, 1941 and 1943 editions as the South Station Terminal Theatre with a seating capacity of 500.
The 1950 edition of F.D.Y. has a Terminal Theatre listed (800 seats) so not sure if this is the same theatre
No, Marquee is not available online, but you can look on the Theatre Historical Society of America website and that edition is available to purchase as a back-issue.
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~angell/thsa/ Click on Publications, Marquee then back issues
I agree that this suggests another screen could be at a different address or even in the same building. As the Bob Damron Address Book lists only Gay establishments, there would be no need to list a North Station Cinema II (that’s if one ever existed), as it probably screened ‘straight’ adult porn.
Comments on the South Station Cinema /theaters/9196/ suggest first that the North Station had possibly Three screens and then another posting states it had One.
The Myrtle Theatre is listed in the Film Daily Yearbook,1943 edition as being in Thornton, not Johnston. It has a seating capacity given as 200.
Suwanti;
Many thanks for your detailed history of the original Queens Theatre. I wonder if it had a British architect?
Is the 2nd Queens theatre located adjacent (next door)? Is it still open as a twin cinema?
I have notified the webmasters on the site to amend the headers on this theatre to include your corrections. Maybe you could add the 2nd Queens Theatre and any others you know of, as this part of the world is uncharted territory for most of us cinema researchers.
Thanks
After closing in 1958 it became a church, then a boxing auditorium and in 1983 it was converted into a disco. In 2000, I went into the current ‘swap meet’ market retail space that it is its current use and could find no trace of a theatre interior.
I will be in NYC (from the UK) and look forward to going back to Loew’s Jersey to see the theatre ‘in action’ on the night of ‘Crack’ & ‘Body’.
I haven’t been inside the building since I organised a tour for the Cinema Theatre Association (UK) back in November 2000, so I am especially keen to see how the ongoing restoration is progressing and of course enjoy an evening at the movies, in a true movie palace.
My copy of the Bob Damron Address Book;1977 edition (a gay guide to the USA) gives the address of the South Station Cinema as 23 South Street, Boston, MA. 02111
First opened as a newsreel theatre, the Trans-Lux Theatre went over to screening feature films from December 1948, the first being Samuel Goldwyn’s production of “Enchantment”.
For its last year of operation June 1973 to May 1974 it was known as the Town II Theatre when it was taken over by Don King’s Town Theatre Group.
Yes, the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square has a Licenced Bar selling alcoholic drinks.
It is not listed in Film Daily Yearbooks that I have; 1941 and 1943 editions, but is listed in the 1950 edition of F.D.Y. with a seating capacity of 790.
Thanks Warren, I think your last posting gives credence to the facts that this Eagle Theatre is located at 1059 Manhattan Avenue, that it was formally the Manhattan Theatre, later the Midway Theatre.
In which case this entire posting needs to be deleted and moved over to the Midway Theatre listing on the site /theaters/8418/
Agreed?
cmg; Marquee Vol 12 Nos 1 & 2 (a double edition issue) for the First and Second Quarter 1980. The article on the Warner Theatre, Atlantic City is on pages 4 – 12.
That’s about $31 a ticket, still its nice to be able to site and watch a movie sitting in the circle (balcony to you in the USA)! I bet they are raking it in with the new Star Wars movie which premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square last night. TV coverage looeked great.
The Film Daily Yearbook, 1950 edition gives a seating capacity of the Raymond Theatre as 554.
The original seating capacity for the Lincoln Theatre was 950.