Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre

Im sorry yea its the old Hollywood movie theatre that became the Mark Hellinger.

I thought the TImes Squre Church was the old Mark Hellinger theatre??? Ive been in there and its just. oh my god -stunning!

I thought the TImes Squre Church was the old Mark Hellinger theatre??? Ive been in there and its just. oh my god -stunning!

What a shame that the last movie palace located within Times Square is being dismantled. I was in this theatre a number of times on my vists to the Big Apple. Although, you could not compare this to the Rivoli, Capital, or Loew’s State, it was still a movie palace. And to know it is being chopped up for another drug store and restaurants is just sad. I remember seeing the two part Russian version of “War and Peace” which was being released by the Walter Reade Company, which also operated the theatre at the time. The ushers wore “Russian” costumes. Also saw “The Shoes of the Fisherman” which was not an outstanding movie, but made better by the theatre I saw it in. Oh well, I guess we better get used to the shoeboxes of today. At least for some of us we have the memory of what moviegoing was truly like in the 1950’s and 1960s!

Most of the times with them saying you can’t go into the location is, they are removing any historical elements from the theatre’s design. Before anyone knows that it has been removed and the location can not be deemed a historical landmark by the city. From what I saw, they are going right to the brick walls in their gutting.

Alas, they wouldn’t let me in to take photos, but the guy there said they are suppose to be building a store in the auditorium (a CVS or Duane Reade no doubt)and two resturants upstairs.

I’m sorry to report that they appear to be demolishing the interior to the brick walls. There were workers on scaffolds attacking the decorative plaster with hammers the other day.

There is no hope for this once grand theater.

yes, that’s what I thought. It was definitely operational during the DeMille period.

I wasn’t referring to the loge section, but to a separate enclosed area under the balcony (as I recall on the right side of the auditorium facing the screen). It even included a multi-channel array of loudspeakers.

veyyoung, the special section was like Warren said. It was a roped off section at the front of the balcony and designated “loge.” The short stairways leading to the balcony ended at a small walkway extending the width of the balcony section which was up and toward the rear of the theater with the loge section down and toward the front of the theater toward the screen. The view was excellent from those loge seats and there were almost always usherettes on duty on both sides of that walkway. The loge section was available to anyone who wanted to pay the higher price. Incidentally there were two balcony access stairways, one on either side of the balcony. I sure hope that wonderful staff found suitable work after Loew’s left. I guess some of the younger ones wound up in the army as I did. The theater as it was when I was there can be found at:

View link

Ian Howells, this fantastic site amazes me too. Sure glad I found it.

Jes! this fantastic site never ceases to amaze me. I was on a trip to NY recently and happened to have my camera with me and took 3 or 4 photos of the exterior of this theatre. The amazing thing is that in the 18yrs of visiting NY i always wondered what this theatre/cinema was. I thought id take a few pics and send them here. Low and behold i log on a few days ago and there she is!!! I had no idea as most people would have any idea what a fantastic palace lay behind such a sad and decrepid exterior. I will read with great enthusiasm as to what its future will hold. Does times Sq need yet another office block?

Rew, was this “special seating section in front” a separate section on the orchestra floor? Thanks.