Eric's Place Theatre

My first time at this theatre was to see “Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines”. That was when it was still the Trans-Lux Theatre. Although I was really disappointed in the size of the theatre especially for a “roadshow” attraction. However, I think it is still a shame to permit the theatre to sit there and rot. Maybe the theatre was not a great “money machine”, but how much income has been generated since it closed in 1993? We have become a totally disposable society, in addition to the desire for the almighty dollar! Well, enough of this. This was certainly no “picture palace” but it deserves a better fate than what it has become!

Thanks for your posting and the info you provided, Jimmy. For you or anyone else who is in the know – to what end is work being done in the former Eric’s Place Theater space? For reuse as a cinema? For other perfoming arts use? For retail or other purposes?

No, i dont have the exact dates, but I know that the Trans-Lux chain had been around for many years. There were several located in Manhattan. I am sure some diligent research will turn up the answers you need. I’m also sure that the hyphenated “trans” and “lux” suggests a merging of at least two separate companies. What I would like to know is at what point the T-L chain decided to become a “newsreel” provider, and, also when it deemed to appropriate to utilize rear-screen projection (see my msg of 11/25/04 above). pls let us know what u find out. this was a very unusual chain in the history of American film theater organizations. Good luck.

It is now empty, vacant and the Phila Daily “News” columnist who names himself “The Pissmeister” calls the area by the boxoffice which is generally always filled with unfortunate people one of the stinkiest places in all of Philadelphia. Wasnt’t always that way.
As a part of the Trans-Lux chain, it was one of the few strange theatres that had rear-screen projection. Apparently, the chain was of the belief that audiences would be disturbed by a beam of light shining over their heads from behind. When, in the 1953/54 season, it was decided to install CinemaScope, a brand new projection booth at the back of the theatre had to be built. This accounts for the unreasonable amount of time – nearly a week – it took to tool up for 35mm ‘scope.
The house had a checkered booking policy specializing in, sometimes, British product (“The Mouse That Roared”), or esoteric American films (“Lolita”), and once even an expensive roadshow offering(“Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines”).
For reasons which shall forever escape me, Fox booked a 70mm print of “Alien” in 1979. The house at that time belonged to the techno-challenged SamEric group whose policy concerning screen shape and size at that time was firmly: the larger in square footage, the better, aspect ratio be damned. I saw “Alien” opening afternoon on a screen, though as big as it could possibly be in terms of square feet, had a blisteringly incorrect ratio of LESS than 2:1. In later years, someone must have told the chain’s engineering department or their architects of their horrid error, for a few years later the house ran correctly a first for Philadelphia: a 70mm double feature: “Poltergeist” (reissue) and “Star Trek: Wrath of Khan” (reissue). Though the image was smaller to a large degree, this time they had the aspect ratio of 2.2:1 correct.

Eric’s Place played ‘Star Wars’ in 1977, but the movie later moved to the former Eric Mark I theatre after a few weeks because they wanted to exhibit ‘Star Wars’ in 70mm. In later years, the other two films in the SW trilogy would play at the Sameric.