RKO Warner Twin Theatre
1579 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
1579 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
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Showing 51 - 75 of 378 comments
Hello-
based on the intro at top this theater which opened as the Strand in 1914 retained its original interior décor till it was converted to Cinerama in 1953?
Opening day ad for CHMEFMHAFTH posted in photos (lol)
Hello-
to vindanpar- yes I still have the long horizontal program from when I saw 2001 at the Capitol. its in mint condition. I looked at eBay and saw it goes for $125. damn.
also I myself went to the office for National Publishers which was in a large office building that was at the N.E. corner of Bway and 42 St.. this was toward the end of the roadshow era say 69/70. several of my programs had been damaged in an accident. the receptionist was kind enough to let me look thru the stock room. It was like being a kid in a candy store.
bigjoe do you have the original 2001 souvenir book? The long horizontal rectangular one with the original space exploration cover art? How many do you have and what condition are they in? It goes for quite a bit of money on ebay. I have mine in a closet somewhere. Haven’t looked at it since forever. Though I brought it with me to the play Doubles to get Dullea to sign it but chickened out at the last minute. Got it new by going to the National Publishers office itself where I got a slew of in new condition souvenir books. You see the address for it in many of the 60s roadshow films books. But I’m sure you know this.
“SCENT” was the original in 70mm Smell-o-Vision. Since the film bombed and was somewhat of a travelogue mystery/comedy, it was re-edited and blown up for Cinerama release as “Holiday in Spain”. That also failed. The version shown on TCM was the Cinerama version but it seemed to have some 70mm scenes added in from the original.
Hello-
to Al A. as always thanks for the info. two additional
quick questions-
I ask about whether it was presented “in Cinerama” since the Cinerama logo is used on the cover of the new Twilight Time restored/remastered Blu-ray disc.
also was “Holiday in Spain” the exact same film as “scent of Mystery” except for the Smell-o-Vision part?
Alvarez you are fast.
American.
Mike knew that but he was being difficult.
What’s an anagram for Cinerama?
It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
I don’t believe there is a movie called IAMMMMW
“HOLIDAY IN SPAIN” opened here as “SCENT OF MYSTERY” in Smell-o-Vision, but not in Cinerama. I don’t believe “THE GOLDEN HEAD” ever played Manhattan.
Was reading about Jack Davis and when his father took his first trip to NY he walked out of the subway in Times Square and saw the IAMMMMW billboard. He was like Wow! Davis was very proud.
Hello-
did both “Holiday in Spain” and “The Golden Head” open here and if so were they advertised as being “in Cinerama”?
I disagree. The Strand, or Mark Strand as originally known, is considered a landmark in the history of movie palaces, and should be honored here that way, not by a tawdry modernization into twins.
The title heading should be RKO Warner Twin or RKO Cinerama Twin.
“Finian’s Rainbow” premiered here (Penthouse) 50 years ago today.
An ad from 1968 for the transfer of “2001” to the Cinerama from the doomed Loew’s Capitol can be viewed here
“Scent of Mystery” was on TCM recently in its Cinerama version. I can’t think of a film more deserving of this Mad Magazine spoof.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156665651544886&set=gm.10157719732744832&type=3&theater&ifg=1
I looked up the ads and one of the reasons for the long run may have been that for much of it, the film ran a Broadway show schedule with matinees only on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday with three shows on Saturdays. So for much of the run, there was only one show per day.
Success on the Main Stem doesn’t always equal boffo b.o. in the nabes.
—abel.
Hello-
I may have asked this question in the past if so please so kind as to reply with any additional thoughts on the matter. I like The Greatest Story Ever Told which i saw twice during its roadshow here. now at the time it was considered a financial dud for United Artists. this is where my question comes in. the film’s roadshow run at this theater ran 44 weeks which is a decent run for a roadshow film. so if it was such a $$$ dud for UA couldn’t the Warner have gotten out of showing it? i can’t believe they’d show the film for 44 weeks if it wasn’t at least breaking even each week.
Maybe I need to resee Ice Station Zebra. I saw it as a boy when it came to the suburbs though remember seeing the billboard above the Strand/Warner at Christmas of ‘68. I remember it looking very fake on cheesy indoor sets that was supposed to be outdoors like some sort of 50s science fiction film. Maybe it was a better experience at the Strand. Who knows maybe Camelot was better there as well and I remember that being pretty awful. I didn’t even bother to see it at the '78 70mm festival. But My Fair Lady, South Pacific and Paint Your Wagon(yes really, though I wish it had been filmed in 70mm) were spectacular.
1961 photo added via Mark MacDougal. “Exodus” at the Warner Theatre. Note the additional Exodus neon lettering that was added over the Warner neon. Similar to when “Cleopatra” played the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo of Pantages sign below)
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/292/photos/195710
Does anyone have more info on the 1956 “Lady in Black ” Promotional handouts for Cinerama’s “Seven Wonders Of The World” Photo ?