On a previous posting somebody mentions 80 ft screens in NY. Where are they? I would love know. Even the Ziegfeld has only a 50ft screen. Pretty pathetic for the only roadshow house left in Manhattan(and I believe it only showed one roadshow film-Marooned in ‘69. Others were reserved performances. Correct me though if I’m wrong.)
It seems that those who now run the Music Hall have no interest in films whatsoever. Remember years ago that first run film presentation was not so much about making a pile of money from the get go but giving it the best possible send off. It had everything to do with showmanship and class. Real money was usually not made until second and third run. Disney pulled Snow White from the Hall after five weeks(when it surely could have run a few more) simply because he wanted the neighborhood money after getting the Music Hall’s prestige. He would continue using the Music Hall for special films until his death.
William were Oliver and Funny Girl presented at the State and the Criterion in NY in blow up 70mm? Neither was filmed in the process and neither were advertised in their original roadshow engagements as being in presented in 70mm. It seems odd that two major films at this time playing at 70mm houses were simply shown in Panavision. Maybe Columbia had a major budget crunch concerning prints. Interestingly these are probably the only two of the hardticket movies at this time that made money.
Guys you should read my post about the Astor Plaza I wrote under the Capitol in response to William’s description of December ‘68 in Times
Square. How ironic that you are all waxing nostalgic about this place. Well as they say one’s man’s junk is another man’s treasure!
As well I would love to know what played in 70mm and where. Did Star Wars play at the Stanley Warner in NJ in 70mm or do we think it did.
When the roadshows played the smaller towns like Montclair and Asbury Park were they 70 or 35? And what in the world happened to all those prints?
I remember walking through Times Square with my parents in December at the time William describes being blown away by all the colorful marquees and signs(the Criterion had a couple of Funny Girl logos spinning aroung on the marquee.) There was a huge block long sign for Star above the Astor and Victoria. How I wanted to go into every theater!
However my parents went to get advance tickets for Promises Promises at the Shubert and I remember looking into the deep chasm where the Astor Plaza was about go up. Little did I know that what had been there was the great Astor Hotel and this was New York’s first step in the destruction of its greatest neighborhood.
Rhett- The 68' would be for Todd AO and other 70mm films but definitely 100' for Cinerama.
Does anybody know the measurements of the Astor Plaza and Ziegfeld’s screens?
As a single screen I saw a double bill of In The Heat of the Night and West Side Story and in the summer of ‘70 The Boatniks. I remeber thinking how nice it was and then suddenly the wall went up.
Rhett-Can you call Star Wars a 70MM masterpiece when it was not filmed as such? I think if I remember correctly in the late 70’s and 80’s there were many big films released as 70MM blow ups but they never look nearly as good as the real thing.
Again, lets have a cinema with at least a 68 ft screen in NY so that we can see the real and even the ersatz.
I’ve said somewhere on this site that when I saw Singin in the Rain here in ‘75 the image was surprisingly small and there is an old Hitchcock where there is a chase through the Music Hall during the film presentation and the image is that small. So I guess from when the Music Hall opened to the 50’s people were watching a pretty small screen. So what was that like for the audiences in the second and third mezzanines during this era when the Hall frequently filled up? Their powers of concentration must have been enormous.
Unfortunately when the screen is opened for the Magnascope lenses the image becomes fairly grainy.
William was 80 Days released in NY in ‘83? I have no memory of this. And why would they strike 70mm prints and then release it cut? In fact the last memory I have of this film in a theater was the re-release when I was a boy. I have been dying to see it again in a theater since then. Now would have been the perfect time but I guess Warners is looking at the Jackie Chan version to be their publicity. I guess now we’ll never see it as it was originally presented. Ah well.
Pete,
Then you know how glorious these films are on screen and how worthwhile they are to show them in theaters(and not screening rooms.) As I pointed out above the Lady restoration got only a weeks 70mm play in NY could have played much longer and then in NJ as well. Had they been more enterprising they could have made a lot more money and gotten more publicity for the video. To be fair to Mr. May a 10 million restoration for 80 Days has left me speechless.
William – The release of the video of 80 Days could have been preceeded by restored 70mm prints of the film in major cities with an enormous amount of attendant publicity much like Lawrence, Lady and Spartacus. Have you ever seen this film on TV? It just lays there and bores you stiff and many people wonder how it ever got an Oscar. Obviously outside of Todd’s gift for generating publicity at the time it must have been whopping show in Todd AO. And remember audiences had already had quite a bit of experience with the Cinerama travelogues. Look at how much money the Disney people had made with the careful maintainng and exploitation of their catalogues. Look at how Warners treated Annie Get Your Gun. The film had not been seen in decades and then straight to video. It finally had a NY theater engagement and it shows at the Film Forum! What are they thinking?!
I’m sorry but if all that matters to you is video then Dick is doing a great job but if the films themselves matter then forget it.
Money and showmanship are not mutually exclusive.
But this is the height of the tourist season in July!
Considering how the Music Hall is used now I guess Andrew Stein’s idea of turning it into the NY stock exchange back in the 70’s wasn’t much different.
But this is the height of the tourist season in July!
Considering how the Music Hall is used now I guess Andrew Stein’s idea of turning it into the NY stock exchange back in the 70’s wasn’t much different.
How do people who make these decisions get their jobs?
I assume they’re recruited from the FBI and the CIA. Nothing else seems to explain such waste and staggering incompetency.
If Dick May really said this he sounds just like another overpaid executive who might as well be in the hardware business. If you struck a restored Todd AO print and presented it in lavish style at the Ziegfeld you’d make your money back and then some. Maybe this is the same guy who felt a Cinerama showing of 2001 in 2001 in New York wasn’t worth the sweat off his brow. When I saw the restored My Fair Lady at the Ziegfeld in ‘93 which played for about a week I went to 3 showings and every one was packed. It could have played there for weeks but instead they had to bring in some ludicrous action flick with Meryl Streep.
William what is the size of the of the cinemascope screen? From what I remember from seeing 7 Brides there in the late 70’s it is larger than the 70mm screen. Also was Darling Lillie a blow up like Scrooge or real 70mm? Blow-ups never looked good at the Music Hall. Both Scrooge and Tom Sawyer were somewhat grainy and washed out but Airport in Todd AO with those old fashioned glossy Ross Hunter production values looked sensational.
Airport opened at the Music Hall not at the Warner.Except for a few films in the 30’s the Music Hall always opened a film in NY until the mid 70’s.(Though they probably should have taken 2nd run a few roadshow films like Gigi and Millie.)
It was interesting that it turned out to be a surprise hit with the young as I assume the road show audience was an older one and in'68 when the middle-aged were going to see Funny Girl and Oliver on hardticket the young were going to Graduate and Rosemary’s Baby.
Now it seems the young into reserved seating. But I guess year long runs are a thing of the past.
Dave these films that have gone pink can they be restored to their original brilliant 50’s colors and what is the size of the screen? What would be the cost of restoring a three strip Cinerama film?
I understand a 70mm restoration could cost fromm $200,000 to $300,000.
Well I think now it’s time for a comprehensive list of all theaters in NY, their hardticket films and dates of opening and closing and the date when a film at same theater(if this being the case) switched to continuous performances.
Please list under this page of the Astor Plaza.
On a previous posting somebody mentions 80 ft screens in NY. Where are they? I would love know. Even the Ziegfeld has only a 50ft screen. Pretty pathetic for the only roadshow house left in Manhattan(and I believe it only showed one roadshow film-Marooned in ‘69. Others were reserved performances. Correct me though if I’m wrong.)
It seems that those who now run the Music Hall have no interest in films whatsoever. Remember years ago that first run film presentation was not so much about making a pile of money from the get go but giving it the best possible send off. It had everything to do with showmanship and class. Real money was usually not made until second and third run. Disney pulled Snow White from the Hall after five weeks(when it surely could have run a few more) simply because he wanted the neighborhood money after getting the Music Hall’s prestige. He would continue using the Music Hall for special films until his death.
I for one can’t wait and would it be looking a gift horse in the mouth to ask for Asbury Park and Atlantic City as well?(give them an inch…)
William were Oliver and Funny Girl presented at the State and the Criterion in NY in blow up 70mm? Neither was filmed in the process and neither were advertised in their original roadshow engagements as being in presented in 70mm. It seems odd that two major films at this time playing at 70mm houses were simply shown in Panavision. Maybe Columbia had a major budget crunch concerning prints. Interestingly these are probably the only two of the hardticket movies at this time that made money.
Guys you should read my post about the Astor Plaza I wrote under the Capitol in response to William’s description of December ‘68 in Times
Square. How ironic that you are all waxing nostalgic about this place. Well as they say one’s man’s junk is another man’s treasure!
As well I would love to know what played in 70mm and where. Did Star Wars play at the Stanley Warner in NJ in 70mm or do we think it did.
When the roadshows played the smaller towns like Montclair and Asbury Park were they 70 or 35? And what in the world happened to all those prints?
I remember walking through Times Square with my parents in December at the time William describes being blown away by all the colorful marquees and signs(the Criterion had a couple of Funny Girl logos spinning aroung on the marquee.) There was a huge block long sign for Star above the Astor and Victoria. How I wanted to go into every theater!
However my parents went to get advance tickets for Promises Promises at the Shubert and I remember looking into the deep chasm where the Astor Plaza was about go up. Little did I know that what had been there was the great Astor Hotel and this was New York’s first step in the destruction of its greatest neighborhood.
Rhett- The 68' would be for Todd AO and other 70mm films but definitely 100' for Cinerama.
Does anybody know the measurements of the Astor Plaza and Ziegfeld’s screens?
As a single screen I saw a double bill of In The Heat of the Night and West Side Story and in the summer of ‘70 The Boatniks. I remeber thinking how nice it was and then suddenly the wall went up.
Rhett-Can you call Star Wars a 70MM masterpiece when it was not filmed as such? I think if I remember correctly in the late 70’s and 80’s there were many big films released as 70MM blow ups but they never look nearly as good as the real thing.
Again, lets have a cinema with at least a 68 ft screen in NY so that we can see the real and even the ersatz.
I’ve said somewhere on this site that when I saw Singin in the Rain here in ‘75 the image was surprisingly small and there is an old Hitchcock where there is a chase through the Music Hall during the film presentation and the image is that small. So I guess from when the Music Hall opened to the 50’s people were watching a pretty small screen. So what was that like for the audiences in the second and third mezzanines during this era when the Hall frequently filled up? Their powers of concentration must have been enormous.
Unfortunately when the screen is opened for the Magnascope lenses the image becomes fairly grainy.
William was 80 Days released in NY in ‘83? I have no memory of this. And why would they strike 70mm prints and then release it cut? In fact the last memory I have of this film in a theater was the re-release when I was a boy. I have been dying to see it again in a theater since then. Now would have been the perfect time but I guess Warners is looking at the Jackie Chan version to be their publicity. I guess now we’ll never see it as it was originally presented. Ah well.
Pete,
Then you know how glorious these films are on screen and how worthwhile they are to show them in theaters(and not screening rooms.) As I pointed out above the Lady restoration got only a weeks 70mm play in NY could have played much longer and then in NJ as well. Had they been more enterprising they could have made a lot more money and gotten more publicity for the video. To be fair to Mr. May a 10 million restoration for 80 Days has left me speechless.
William – The release of the video of 80 Days could have been preceeded by restored 70mm prints of the film in major cities with an enormous amount of attendant publicity much like Lawrence, Lady and Spartacus. Have you ever seen this film on TV? It just lays there and bores you stiff and many people wonder how it ever got an Oscar. Obviously outside of Todd’s gift for generating publicity at the time it must have been whopping show in Todd AO. And remember audiences had already had quite a bit of experience with the Cinerama travelogues. Look at how much money the Disney people had made with the careful maintainng and exploitation of their catalogues. Look at how Warners treated Annie Get Your Gun. The film had not been seen in decades and then straight to video. It finally had a NY theater engagement and it shows at the Film Forum! What are they thinking?!
I’m sorry but if all that matters to you is video then Dick is doing a great job but if the films themselves matter then forget it.
Money and showmanship are not mutually exclusive.
But this is the height of the tourist season in July!
Considering how the Music Hall is used now I guess Andrew Stein’s idea of turning it into the NY stock exchange back in the 70’s wasn’t much different.
But this is the height of the tourist season in July!
Considering how the Music Hall is used now I guess Andrew Stein’s idea of turning it into the NY stock exchange back in the 70’s wasn’t much different.
How do people who make these decisions get their jobs?
I assume they’re recruited from the FBI and the CIA. Nothing else seems to explain such waste and staggering incompetency.
If Dick May really said this he sounds just like another overpaid executive who might as well be in the hardware business. If you struck a restored Todd AO print and presented it in lavish style at the Ziegfeld you’d make your money back and then some. Maybe this is the same guy who felt a Cinerama showing of 2001 in 2001 in New York wasn’t worth the sweat off his brow. When I saw the restored My Fair Lady at the Ziegfeld in ‘93 which played for about a week I went to 3 showings and every one was packed. It could have played there for weeks but instead they had to bring in some ludicrous action flick with Meryl Streep.
William what is the size of the of the cinemascope screen? From what I remember from seeing 7 Brides there in the late 70’s it is larger than the 70mm screen. Also was Darling Lillie a blow up like Scrooge or real 70mm? Blow-ups never looked good at the Music Hall. Both Scrooge and Tom Sawyer were somewhat grainy and washed out but Airport in Todd AO with those old fashioned glossy Ross Hunter production values looked sensational.
Airport opened at the Music Hall not at the Warner.Except for a few films in the 30’s the Music Hall always opened a film in NY until the mid 70’s.(Though they probably should have taken 2nd run a few roadshow films like Gigi and Millie.)
But Mike that was a blow-up. Maybe somebody could provide a list of the films in the last 35 years that were actually filmed in 70mm.
Saw Little Dorrit here on hard ticket. Wonderful little gem of a theater. Too bad it’s no longer open to the public.
It was interesting that it turned out to be a surprise hit with the young as I assume the road show audience was an older one and in'68 when the middle-aged were going to see Funny Girl and Oliver on hardticket the young were going to Graduate and Rosemary’s Baby.
Now it seems the young into reserved seating. But I guess year long runs are a thing of the past.
Sorry Wanda. So why didn’t she review it ? I thought she was the first string critic at the time. Or did they both share the post?
Dave these films that have gone pink can they be restored to their original brilliant 50’s colors and what is the size of the screen? What would be the cost of restoring a three strip Cinerama film?
I understand a 70mm restoration could cost fromm $200,000 to $300,000.
Well I think now it’s time for a comprehensive list of all theaters in NY, their hardticket films and dates of opening and closing and the date when a film at same theater(if this being the case) switched to continuous performances.
Please list under this page of the Astor Plaza.