Loew's Jersey Theatre
54 Journal Square,
Jersey City,
NJ
07306
54 Journal Square,
Jersey City,
NJ
07306
98 people
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First time I saw Kong complete with the censored parts.
Interesting that when this opened at the Music Hall in ‘33 nobody was bothered by these elements including the families that were bringing their children.
Even Sign of the Cross has some racy parts that would be considered strong today.
How were those prints of KING KONG and FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN? I believe what’s on DVD of KING KONG is the best the film has ever looked. I saw KING KONG in a theatre in the seventies, with restored footage, but the print was dark and murky. FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN looks generally OK on DVD, but has a lot of specks and scratches. Unless Universal does a digital restoration, I don’t image any prints out there look that great.
All of the prints for this past weekend’s “Going Ape” film series were, in my opinion, of excellent quality (especially “Planet of the Apes, which I loved seeing in w-i-d-e screen format). As usual, the technical staff were in top form – picture bright and sound clear.
Attendance was 230 for “Planet of the Apes” (considered very good for a Friday night), around 50 for “Mighty Joe Young” (Saturday matinee) and mid- to upper-200s for the “King Kong”/“Son of Kong” double feature. I expected better, considering that these were the last screenings of the 2007-08 film season. Then again, there is the lack of air-conditioning to consider (and the four-day-long heat wave several days earlier, plus hot weather again and torrential rain on Saturday, did not help matters much) – surprisingly, taking all of this into account, the temperature level was not that bad (although I didnâ€\t dare venture upstairs to check the balcony level for comfort)!
There are no plans yet in place for Septemberâ€\s movie weekend (although I do know it will be probably scheduled at the end of the month). However, I CAN tell you to mark your calendars for October 3, 4 & 5 for a MAJOR celebration…
“WONDER WEEKENDâ€: The “official†and formal rededication of the fully-restored Robert Morton “Wonder†Organ! A series of special events will be held to acknowledge the brilliant restoration achievement, as well as to benefit both the Garden State Theatre Organ Society and the Friends of the Loewâ€\s. These include…
Friday, Oct. 3rd:
Buffet Dinner featuring pianist Rio Clemente (5:30-7:30 PM)
and
Jelani Eddington in Concert (8 PM)
(dinner and concert: $60)
Saturday, Oct. 4th:
Lew Williams in Concert (3-5 PM – $30)
Dennis James accompanying a feature-length silent film! (8 PM – $10)
Sunday, Oct. 5th:
Ralph Ringstad Jr. in Concert, along with the 20-piece Silver Starlite Orchestra (2-4 PM – $30)
The above events can be attended on an individual basis. Admission to the entire series is $130 â€" the “package deal” also includes tours of the Loewâ€\s Jersey AND Stanley theatres, luncheon, pizza party and open console session, as well as a commemorative T-shirt.
For more information, and to register in advance for the complete series package, visit the GSTOS “Wonder Weekend†event site.
Volunteer event staff will likely be needed at the theatre throughout the weekend â€" contact the Friends of the Loew’s at to find out when and how to assist.
Yes, the Brooklyn Paramount was probably the most beautiful of them all. That proscenium soars, and I like the idea that it was a “semi-atmospheric” with that lattice work over the balcony. Parts of the Brooklyn Paramount are still there, and it has reopened as a theatre. I hope it can be restored along with the Kings.
The Kings certainly has the most beautiful lobby, and the shallow balcony is a wonderful feature that adds intimacy to the auditorium.
I’m partial to the Jersey. I grew up in that theatre (it spoiled for anything less, which is a lot of places), and I like the “opera house” look of the Jersey auditorium. I suppose that all of the Wonder Theatres have perfect sight lines.
One could make a study of just how much work went into laying out the seating. It would take at least a paragraph to explain all that went into it. Suffice it to say, the sight lines in the Jersey are perfect from every seat.
I’m glad to hear about the “King Kong” turnout. Perhaps word of mouth is finally starting to pay off.
I have heard that the Jersey a/c “sort of” works, but that it needs a complete and very costly overhaul. Used to love going in there in a hot summer day back in the 1970s. It was ice cold. I remember the fake icicles hanging from the marquee.
If you go to the orch pit and look up at the entire theater it looks quite beautiful.
Also the proscenium is much more ornate than that of the San Francisco Fox which I was disappointed to find was on the dull side.
The most beautiful of all of the NY theaters at least according to the pictures in the Best Remaining Seats seems to be the Brooklyn Paramount.
Very nice showing of King Kong Sat night with a very large crowd.
Now if only they could get a sponsor to pay for airconditioning for weekends during the summer…
If you go to the orch pit and look up at the entire theater it looks like the interior faberge' easter egg.feei
The photo referenced above by Bill is indeed spectacular and when compared to Gabe’s photo of the San Francisco Fox it makes you think more highly of the Loews Jersey. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that the Loew’s Jersey is a beautiful theater and I’m incredibly grateful that it has survived, but in my opinion, the Jersey ranks number 5 of the Five Wonder Theaters.
Arguably, The Kings (when restored) would probably be the most beautiful of all. Even in its ruined state, it is an amazing architectural splendor. It would be hard for me to rank The Paradise, The Valencia and The 175th Street. However, I would place all four in front of the Jersey. That is not a smack down of the Jersey. It is, in fact, a testimony to how spectaular these 5 theaters are. That they could have been conceived as a group and brought to market very close to each other and manage to survive to the present day is nothing short of a miracle. All of these theaters are in areas that had substantial problems in the last 40 years, but all of these areas are now on an upswing.
My heartfelt thanks to the Friends of Loews Jersey who preserved this great theater for our generation and the ones that follow. May we see even greater success at The Kings.
In reply to Bill Huelbig’s photo reference — That is one great photo of the Loew’s Jersey. I would love to have a large print of it. It reminds me very much of a photo of The Fox Theatre, San Francisco that was taken in 1929:
View link
The Fox was designed by Thomas W. Lamb, and so was the Loew’s Midland Theatre (another that is very similar to the Jersey and the Fox). Even though Rapp & Rapp was the firm that designed the Loew’s Jersey, I strongly suspect that Lamb was a consulting architect for the Loew’s Jersey, which is a theory I have never heard offered before. OK, the Jersey Lobby is very much a Rapp & Rapp lobby (e.g. Chicago Theatre, Rialto Square), but that Jersey auditorium I believe is probably the work of Lamb.
For other reasons, I believe that the NY Paramount was not designed by Lamb: it strikes me as a firm/committee design.
Oh what the heck, I’ll say it. The Paramount was “boxy and narrow.” The Jersey is egg-shaped and wide. It has the “curviness” and attention to presentation detail that Lamb was so famous for. There is hardly a straight line in the Jersey auditorium which makes for a better theatre all around — sight lines, acoustics, audience psychology.
In a nutshell, I like to give credit where credit is due, and many signs and clues tell me that Lamb designed the Jersey auditorium. What are your thoughts on this?
This has been posted on the website Cinemaretro.com:
This Friday, June 13, the landmark Loew’s Theatre in Jersey City, New Jersey will be screening the 1968 sci-fi classic Planet of the Apes starring Charlton Heston to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the movie. Showtime is at 8:00 PM – and the following day, the theater will present three other simian-themed classics:a matinee of Might Joe Young and evening screenings of King Kong/ Son of Kong (both on a bargain two-for-one double bill.) If you feel there aren’t enough big apes on the screen, you can also meet our illustrious editor-in-chief Lee Pfeiffer, who will be introducing Planet of the Apes on Friday (and revealing a bit of news that will excite Ape maniacs!)
The Loew’s is true movie palace that is being painstakingly restored to it’s former glory thanks to a dedicated group of volunteers. The theater is regarded as one of the most magnificent in the nation – and features low admission prices ($6; $4 for seniors and kids aged 12 and under), uniformed ushers (remember those?) who actually escort you to your seat and $1 popcorn and soft drinks. New York movie fans have been patronizing the theater because its only minutes from midtown Manhattan by the Path train service. A great feature of the screenings is that they generally include displays of original movie memorabila and collectibles and movie lovers meet in the luxurious lobby before and after the show to discuss common interests. Oh, and for our latest self-serving promotion, we can say you can now get back issues of Cinema Retro on sale in the theater lobby. So join Cinema Retro in going “Ape” this Friday night.
This was in today’s New York Times:
View link
I hope there’s someone who goes to see “Planet of the Apes” this Friday (June 13th) that can report on the quality of the print.
Is it at all possible to get a dialogue going that addresses some of the ‘complaints’ on this thread regarding the programming at the Loew’s, as well as Bob'spoint-of-view? It seems to me that there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes information that we’re not privy to that would answer some very pointed questions.
I would give my eye teeth to see this film at the Loew’s Jersey (the 10th row would be about right (at least until they open the balcony again):
Happy Harmonies “TO SPRING” (1936):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3mSVMXqMCw
Hmmm — VHS vs. a 50 foot screen with true Technicolor and carbon arc light. Who wins? Need I even ask the question?
Interesting thing of it is that this being an MGM product, it was probably shown at the Loew’s Jersey some 72 years ago. How’s that for history!?
Are you working on programming anywhere else now?
So Bob what happened?
I remember some of those programs and they were great and that Technicolor weekend looks like it would have been a knockout.
It’s frustrating when they only do one weekend a month and every other one seems a disappointment.
I know what you mean Gabe. My proposed Technicolor tribute had input from Martin Scorcese, and an event discussing the history of Technicolor was going to be part of the weekend.
The look of dye-transfer with carbon arc light is truly magnificent, and that’s why I made every effort to include original IB Technicolor prints in my programs. (Even when I presented 16mm shows in the lobby to help save the theater, I ran a Technicolor print of THIS ISLAND EARTH.) When Bob Eberenz and I were restoring the projection booth and film capability to the auditorium, we both agreed that the Jersey should be the prominent area venue for such archival prints as Technicolor, Perspecta stereo, 3-D, etc.
In case you missed it, these are the events which I presented in 35mm:
April 5 – 7 2002 – The first annual comedy weekend includes a Salute to Laurel and Hardy featuring WAY OUT WEST, the East Coast premiere of a newly restored Technicolor trailer to THE ROGUE SONG, and a Hearst Metrotone newsreel not shown in nearly 70 years. Saturday night we present an archival dye-transfer Technicolor print of IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD, complete with overture, intermission and police radio calls. (The lines wrap around Journal Square for this show, and we bring in over 600 admissions!) On Sunday, 4/7, we present the 50th anniversary of the New Jersey premiere of Abbott and Costello’s JACK AND THE BEANSTALK, shown in a pristine archival SuperCineColor print. Members of Costello’s family attend, and rare shorts/cartoons are included in the program.
April 20, 2002: The 90th anniversary of the Titanic includes a screening of the seldom shown A NIGHT TO REMEMBER, and James Cameron’s TITANIC. Special guests include Charles A. Haas & John P. Eaton, authors of Titanic: A Journey through Time; Titanic: Triumph & Tragedy; and Titanic: Destination Disaster. Many rare artifacts are displayed in the lobby.
April 26 & 27, 2002: Our first Science-Fiction weekend includes CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND; a classic double-feature Kiddie Matinee of THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS with DR. WHO AND THE DALEKS – presented in dye-transfer Technicolor. The highlight of the weekend is a pristine print of FORBIDDEN PLANET, shown for the first time since 1956 in its original 3 channel Perspecta Stereophonic Sound. Rare Perspecta shorts include an MGM Symphony and Tom and Jerry cartoon, plus a Perspecta demo film. Special guests include the family of Robert Fine, the man who developed Perspecta for MGM in 1954. Rare posters and collectibles are on display in the lobby, and more lines wrap around the block for this unique event. Over 700 people attend this presentation.
May 3 & 4, 2002: The final event of the first “official” classic film season is a James Bond weekend, with more archival dye-transfer Technicolor prints of GOLDFINGER; ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE and DR. NO. Also, loads of rare trailers, production shorts and TV spots are shown between films.
October 25 & 26, 2002: Our second film season opens with a Halloween Spooktacular Weekend. Horror classics KING KONG and FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN are shown in brand new prints, GHOSTBUSTERS is presented as a Saturday matinee, and HORROR OF DRACULA is screened in yet another rare archival Technicolor print. Rare shorts include BOO MOON and THE GREAT PIGGY BANK ROBBERY.
November 22 – 24, 2002: Great Teams are saluted with brand new restored prints of the Sherlock Holmes classics THE SCARLET CLAW with THE PEARL OF DEATH, courtesy of the UCLA Film Archive. Laurel and Hardy return with BABES IN TOYLAND, the only 16mm print shown while I was involved. (The only available 35mm print was an edited re-issue, and I felt it was more important to present the original un-cut version. Surprisingly, the 16mm looks very good on the big screen with xenon illumination.) The highlight of this weekend is the proclamation by Governor James E. McGreevey of Martin and Lewis Weekend throughout the State of New Jersey. We present an archival Technicolor print of ARTISTS AND MODELS, plus rare Martin and Lewis performance footage in 35mm newsreels and 16mm TV kinescopes.
January 31 – February 1, 2003: Alfred Hitchcock is saluted with PSYCHO, SABOTEUR and yet another archival Technicolor print – THE BIRDS.
February 28 – March 1, 2003: Chivalry returns to Journal Square with MGM’s first CinemaScope feature KNIGHTS OF THE ROUNDTABLE; IVANHOE and another Technicolor print – THE VIKINGS.
March 29 & 30, 2003: The second annual Classic Comedy Weekend includes: SONS OF THE DESERT, A NIGHT AT THE OPERA, ROAD TO MOROCCO, THE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS (in Technicolor) plus rare shorts including THREE LITTLE BEERS, A-PLUMBING WE WILL GO, BRIDELESS GROOM and MUSH AND MILK.
APRIL 26 & 27, 2003: “The Many Faces of Frankenstein” includes the re-premiere of Thomas Edison’s long-lost 1910 FRANKENSTEIN; Boris Karloff’s 1931 FRANKENSTEIN; the 1958 Hammer classic REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN (in Technicolor) and Mel Brooks' YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. Shorts include THIRD-DIMENSIONAL MURDER, and ultra-rare 35MM trailers of many Universal Horror Frankenstein classics. This special event was co-sponsored by the Fort Lee Film Commission.
You’ll note that the only weekend which did not include a film in IB was the Titanic anniversary, for obvious reasons.
In total, I presented 11 features in original dye-transfer Technicolor 35mm prints while I was Director of Film Programming.
The colors in “Dr. Who” on the big Loew’s screen reminded me so much of something I had only seen as a youngster in Radio City. It’s hard to put into words, but I’m sure you know what I mean. It’s a combination of the immense screen size, the carbon-arc light, and the color process. You never forget it, once you see it—and it is very rare today.
In my opinion, the Loew’s should have a Technicolor weekend, but you might want to use some “educational advertising” for those who don’t know what it is.
Thanks Gabe, glad you enjoyed “Dr. Who and the Daleks.” That was a mint 35mm dye-transfer Technicolor/Techniscope print. It certainly looked nice on that 50 foot screen!
The other unusual show of which I’m very proud was the 50th anniversary screening of Abbott and Costello’s “Jack and the Beanstalk.” It was shown 50 years to the day after it’s World Premiere at the Fabian in Paterson, and we had quite a crowd that Sunday afternoon. (I think around 350-400 paid admissions.)
Plus, it was a pristine Super-Cinecolor print from 1952. It’s not often you get to see one of those on the big screen!
When I was Director of Film Programming at the Jersey, I had secured the booking of a mint, 35mm dye-transfer Technicolor print of THE GANG’S ALL HERE. (There’s more than one.) It was to be part of a Technicolor weekend, showcasing archival dye-transfer 35mm prints from various archives and private collectors.
I had also secured Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Vertigo, War of the Worlds, Goldfinger and several other rare features, shorts and trailers. The Technicolor company was interested in sponsoring it.
Alas, it never happened. Sure would have been fun!
I heard that only one Techinicolor print is available for showing of Gang’s all Here. A friend went to see it at Film Forum and said it was not in good shape.
But alas I don’t think it’s the kind of film the Friends of the Loews is interested in.
Except for a few biggies they don’t seem to go in for musicals or maybe they found they don’t draw in an audience?
Really looking forward to the “Apes Marathon.” I haven’t seen an apes marathon in Journal Square since I was 12 years old.
BTW, why do I always think of the Loew’s Jersey when I watch this clip?: “The Polka Dot Polka” from “The Gang’s All Here.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTIgbXtRW4I
Would love to see this sometime on the big screen of the Loew’s. Could you imagine the audiences' faces?! The last time I saw a reaction like that was when the Loew’s shows “Dr. Who and The Daleks.” People were speechless, non-plussed. Later on they talked about it for weeks.
For the final classic film weekend of the 2007-08 season, Loew’s Jersey “Goes Ape"…
Friday, June 13th
8:00 PM: “Planet of the Apes†(1968, 1:52)
Saturday, June 14th
3:30 PM: “Mighty Joe Young†(1949, 1:24)
7:00 PM – double feature: “King Kong†(1933, 1:40) — “Son of Kong†(1933, 1:10 – starts Alex Theatre:55 PM)
Attendance figures for some of these screenings surprised me – “A Clockwork Orange” on June 9th did about 300 (surprisingly good for this movie, more so since it was shown on a Friday night). Meanwhile, on June 10th, “Blade Runner: The Final Cut” attracted over 500 fans (no surprise there) while “The Terminator” pulled in…70 (ouch!).
I’d say the booming echo is part of the package with the Loew’s because of its massive size and towering height. Friday’s showing of “A Clockwork Orange” was actually helped by the echo whenever the music came on. I’d never heard it like that before, with that much power. Alex himself would no doubt have approved.
I attended the screening of Bladerunner last night with a couple of friends and we had a great time. There was a big turnout and the movie looked gorgeous. I had recently watched the newest director’s cut after receiving it for Christmas, so was really looking forward to seeing it on the big screen. I was not disappointed. You could really appreciate the magnificent special effects and all the work that was put into them.
I do have one question for you guys though. The sound last night was especially boomy and echoey. Dialogue was oftentimes undecipherable. For a movie whose plot is already complicated, this didn’t help. Is it just the nature of a big movie palace, or was there something they could have adjusted?