I did not even mention all the crazy stunts the theatres pulled, Thanks 42nd for reminding me, it was a big part of the fun when you worked the theatres in those days. Halloween was a hoot, we would have all night and midnight horror movies with stage shows featuring Frankenstien and Dracula, folks would come dressed as their favorite monster. Forgive us for posting in what should be Paramount threads, but this could be fun, anyone else have any stories?
The 1950s were a great time for movie theatres, we never knew what new inovation was coming next. Starting in 1952 with Cinerama,
3-D, and wide screen, thru the early 50s with CinemaScope, VistaVision, stereo sound and of course Todd-Ao and 70mm. Then there were all the fun gimmicks like Mile Todd’s Smell-O-Vision, Or William Castle wiring up theatre seats to jolt audiences, and Emergo, sending a plastic skeleton flying across the theatre. A couple of horror films had fake nurses and ambulances outside the theatres because “your heart may not be able to take the horror”.
Darn, we had fun! Anyone remember any more?
The article suggests the folks were there only for Benny, the 83 minute running time of the movie was just to long to endure. Benny was not always around during the movie, sometimes between shows he would dash over to Carnegie Hall for a quickie appearance before a more sedate and polite audience. This according to the article.
According to an article in todays New York paper, back in 1939 when Benny Goodman appeared at the Paramount, the movie playing, which was “Zaza” staring Claudette Colbert, never had a thespian’s chance.
Shrill shouts of “We want Benny!” drowned out the soundtrack. Patrons demanded Goodman music felt the movie merely delayed the stage show. I just had to share this with all of you, it was just to fun to pass up.
Vincent I think more theatre owners haver got to begin thinking the way we do. With attendance numbers decreasing, they must find ways to bring em back to the theatres. God knows we have the resources to equip the theatre with mind blowing “Super Projection” on giant screens with better sound than they can generate at home. Other problems I hear about all the time stem from the rudeness of many theatre goers, everything from ringing cell phones to crying babies has got to be addressed, Then there is the problem of DVDs, Of course the studios make a fortune on the DVD sales, but it hurts theatre owners when the DVD is available so soon after the movies release, the talk now is to shorten the window between release of films and DVDs. We can give them what they can’t get at home, it’s time we started doing that,IMAX is a step in the right direction.
Multiplex’s are here to stay but there has to movie theatres as well, tear down those 100 seat screening rooms being called theatres today.
Michael,
I had not visited the site in a while, happy to see you have included IMAX. The format is growing, many young people have never seen a true 70mm movie and are loving it. At National Amusements Cinema Delux in White Plains New York we are splitting three IMAX movies over the course of the day. Charlie, Batman, and Nascar, all are very popular. The format continues to improve with new and more user friendly software, many of the bugs have been worked out and the technical support is first rate. The prints are holding up very well, we have found keeping a high humidity level in the booth has made a big difference, we keep the booth like a rain forest and the prints love it. Oh and I promise to visit the website more often.
Michael, Since IMAX is a 70mm format, I think it may be time to start an IMAX listing on your website, it may be the only 70mm we will see for a long time.
Dennis, the IMAX theatres are gaining momentium, National Amusements has plans to incorporate an IMAX theatre in future locations. When a movie like “Batman Begins” or “Charlie” plays in IMAX, people will go out of the way to see it in the IMAX version rather than the 35mm.
Warners is very hot on the idea and has plans for more releases, the new Harry Potter will be shown in IMAX in November and Lucas is planning an IMAX release of all the “Star Wars” films. I would love to see “2001” in IMAX as well.
“The Ziegfeld is the only theatre in the country equipped with 6-track stereophonic sound.”
Michael, I can just see the foam building around your mouth and the smoke coming out of your ears when you read that. I still cannot believe they actually made that claim.
Mark, the whole thing was sooo 50s, like 3-Ds,“A lion in your lap,and a girl in your arms” or CinemScope’s “The miracle you see
without glasses”
Nice memories!
I remember well those kiddie matinee Saturdays which were popular when I first started in the theatres. We would have 10 cartoons, a stooge comedy, this weeks exciting chapter of a serial and usually a western feature, the Durango Kid was popular. Then of course the matrons would roam the ailes with their trusty flashlights, keeping order and making sure all the kiddies were in the childrens section.
Currently there are three Digital sound formats available. All releases today carry Quad sound tracks, which means all four sound tracks (3 digital and 1 analog) are on the print. Of the three the most popular is Dolby, it’s a good sound when it works properly, however it must be maintaned. The original installations included a penthouse reader similar to the old magnetic penthouses which sat above the projector head, but most installations now have a “basement reader” which has both the analog and digital pickup heads mounted in the optical sound head below the projector head.
The basement reader does not seem to work as well as the penthouse reader, there are LEDs that begin to dimish and must be kept at a recommended power to operate properly. When this is not monitored you will experience the kind of sound Vincent described. In addition the quality of the sound can be determined by the condition of the print and how the sound image was printed on the print. You might notice a change in the quality of the sound from reel to reel. Clearly there is work to be done but when it works properly and the amplifiers and equalization is set to spec, the sound can be rather good. Unfortunatly some theatres just let the equipment run and run without proper maintenance and the result can be rather awful. The six tracks: left,center,right,left surround, right surround and sub woofers must also be balanced, I have heard theatres were the surround levels are set too high and that can be distracting.
Yes, National Amusements is vey high on the Cinema Delux concept, Commack, Long Island will host one next year. With attendance numbers going down you can expect N.A to lead the way to new and exciting ideas to bring people back. You can also expect N.A. to include more IMAX theatres in their complexes.
One last note about the Amboy, demolition has begun next door on the old Razz which became Red Robin, a National Amusement property.
The land is far to valuable for that. For the most part, other than for use as a flea market, drive-in’s in areas with a winter climate sit vacant for most of the year, which is one main reason we lost Hazlet, Atco, Newark and others. The Multiplex Theatres built on those sites are much more profitable. Currently there are no plans to
to rebuild Amboy, although there have been plans in the past, one in 1992 to expand and renovate the exsisting building and another more recent one to tear it down and build a new one. Both plans have been scrubbed for now. If I hear any news I will post it.
Yes Garth, The theatre is not going to reopen. Plans are now underway to remove the contents. The future of the property, owned by National Amusements, have not been announced.
I was not sure were to post this, so I thought why not here.
As all of you know “This is Cinerama” had a wonderfull intro by Lowell Thomas, it was a short 35mm film which played to introduce the movie. I have only the sound portion but I hope this bring back memories. click on free download in Rapidshare. You will need
RealPlayer View link
myrtleleave, that was quite a Christmas season in 1954, if I recall we had “No Business like Show Business” at the Roxy and down the street at RCMH you could see “White Christmas”, anyone remember what was at the Paramount and Rivoli?
Warren, you are quite correct, the Paramount sign on the buildings entrance is all that remains. I already wrote to those idiots at HRC explaining they were not entitled to any claims to the legandary Parmount name and question their rights to try and do so. I have not had a response, which is not a surprise. I am not a fan of the current marquee either, to me it’s just a sad reminder of the devastaion of a great theatre. I do like what McDonalds did, it’s a wonderfull tribute to what once was the Great White Way.
Ugh, THAT PLACE!!!! One of the first projection jobs I had when I first started working for Consoladated in the early 70s was as a relief projectionist, I worked just about every theatre on Oahu.
The Kaimuki was the one and only theatre I hated working in. The booth access was a straight ladder leading up from the lobby, once you reached the top you had to then hoist yourself up thru a kind of roof hatch, carring what ever you had with you in your mouth. Once inside you were usually greeted by the resident flying roaches who tried to steal your lunch. The booth was a filthy, uncomfortable
place to work. Any other projectionists, managers remember this place? Scott B are you out there?
Oh Warren, seeing that interior again was brought back so many wonderfull memories. While I was going to high school, my very first job in theatres was as an usher/marguee changer at the Lane. Vic Lobello, the projectionist taught me how to run the projectors and became a good friend and mentor to me. I stayed in the projection, and then theatre management, game untill I retired. I owe my entire carrer to my beginings at the Lane. The picture you posted reminded me of those great days with Vic, owner Elias Moses, assistant manager Josie,and Grady the maintanence man who also taught me a lot. I also worked for Fabian at the Paramount for a while but it was not the same as the family atmosphere at the Lane.
I remember working the Queen in the early 70s when it was owned by Royal theatres, It had 70mm capabilities thu rarely used it. Later Royal sold the theatre to a man named Mr.Yu who turned it into a hardcore porno theatre. In the mid 80s, during a porno crackdown, the police held a raid and everyone including a friend of mine who was the projectionist got arrested. That was pretty much the end of the theatres life as a movie house.
I did not even mention all the crazy stunts the theatres pulled, Thanks 42nd for reminding me, it was a big part of the fun when you worked the theatres in those days. Halloween was a hoot, we would have all night and midnight horror movies with stage shows featuring Frankenstien and Dracula, folks would come dressed as their favorite monster. Forgive us for posting in what should be Paramount threads, but this could be fun, anyone else have any stories?
The 1950s were a great time for movie theatres, we never knew what new inovation was coming next. Starting in 1952 with Cinerama,
3-D, and wide screen, thru the early 50s with CinemaScope, VistaVision, stereo sound and of course Todd-Ao and 70mm. Then there were all the fun gimmicks like Mile Todd’s Smell-O-Vision, Or William Castle wiring up theatre seats to jolt audiences, and Emergo, sending a plastic skeleton flying across the theatre. A couple of horror films had fake nurses and ambulances outside the theatres because “your heart may not be able to take the horror”.
Darn, we had fun! Anyone remember any more?
The article suggests the folks were there only for Benny, the 83 minute running time of the movie was just to long to endure. Benny was not always around during the movie, sometimes between shows he would dash over to Carnegie Hall for a quickie appearance before a more sedate and polite audience. This according to the article.
According to an article in todays New York paper, back in 1939 when Benny Goodman appeared at the Paramount, the movie playing, which was “Zaza” staring Claudette Colbert, never had a thespian’s chance.
Shrill shouts of “We want Benny!” drowned out the soundtrack. Patrons demanded Goodman music felt the movie merely delayed the stage show. I just had to share this with all of you, it was just to fun to pass up.
Well thanks Bill, ya know this business just gets into your blood and becomes a very important part of your life, I think Rob Endres would agree.
Vincent I think more theatre owners haver got to begin thinking the way we do. With attendance numbers decreasing, they must find ways to bring em back to the theatres. God knows we have the resources to equip the theatre with mind blowing “Super Projection” on giant screens with better sound than they can generate at home. Other problems I hear about all the time stem from the rudeness of many theatre goers, everything from ringing cell phones to crying babies has got to be addressed, Then there is the problem of DVDs, Of course the studios make a fortune on the DVD sales, but it hurts theatre owners when the DVD is available so soon after the movies release, the talk now is to shorten the window between release of films and DVDs. We can give them what they can’t get at home, it’s time we started doing that,IMAX is a step in the right direction.
Multiplex’s are here to stay but there has to movie theatres as well, tear down those 100 seat screening rooms being called theatres today.
theatres and DVDs.
Michael,
I had not visited the site in a while, happy to see you have included IMAX. The format is growing, many young people have never seen a true 70mm movie and are loving it. At National Amusements Cinema Delux in White Plains New York we are splitting three IMAX movies over the course of the day. Charlie, Batman, and Nascar, all are very popular. The format continues to improve with new and more user friendly software, many of the bugs have been worked out and the technical support is first rate. The prints are holding up very well, we have found keeping a high humidity level in the booth has made a big difference, we keep the booth like a rain forest and the prints love it. Oh and I promise to visit the website more often.
Michael, Since IMAX is a 70mm format, I think it may be time to start an IMAX listing on your website, it may be the only 70mm we will see for a long time.
Dennis, the IMAX theatres are gaining momentium, National Amusements has plans to incorporate an IMAX theatre in future locations. When a movie like “Batman Begins” or “Charlie” plays in IMAX, people will go out of the way to see it in the IMAX version rather than the 35mm.
Warners is very hot on the idea and has plans for more releases, the new Harry Potter will be shown in IMAX in November and Lucas is planning an IMAX release of all the “Star Wars” films. I would love to see “2001” in IMAX as well.
“The Ziegfeld is the only theatre in the country equipped with 6-track stereophonic sound.”
Michael, I can just see the foam building around your mouth and the smoke coming out of your ears when you read that. I still cannot believe they actually made that claim.
Mark, the whole thing was sooo 50s, like 3-Ds,“A lion in your lap,and a girl in your arms” or CinemScope’s “The miracle you see
without glasses”
Nice memories!
I remember well those kiddie matinee Saturdays which were popular when I first started in the theatres. We would have 10 cartoons, a stooge comedy, this weeks exciting chapter of a serial and usually a western feature, the Durango Kid was popular. Then of course the matrons would roam the ailes with their trusty flashlights, keeping order and making sure all the kiddies were in the childrens section.
Currently there are three Digital sound formats available. All releases today carry Quad sound tracks, which means all four sound tracks (3 digital and 1 analog) are on the print. Of the three the most popular is Dolby, it’s a good sound when it works properly, however it must be maintaned. The original installations included a penthouse reader similar to the old magnetic penthouses which sat above the projector head, but most installations now have a “basement reader” which has both the analog and digital pickup heads mounted in the optical sound head below the projector head.
The basement reader does not seem to work as well as the penthouse reader, there are LEDs that begin to dimish and must be kept at a recommended power to operate properly. When this is not monitored you will experience the kind of sound Vincent described. In addition the quality of the sound can be determined by the condition of the print and how the sound image was printed on the print. You might notice a change in the quality of the sound from reel to reel. Clearly there is work to be done but when it works properly and the amplifiers and equalization is set to spec, the sound can be rather good. Unfortunatly some theatres just let the equipment run and run without proper maintenance and the result can be rather awful. The six tracks: left,center,right,left surround, right surround and sub woofers must also be balanced, I have heard theatres were the surround levels are set too high and that can be distracting.
Thanks myrtlleave, I was working at the Staten Island Paramount when White Christmas played there, perhaps it was Dec 20th as well.
Thanks guys, I did not remember White Christmas leaving RCMH before Christmas. Good for the nabes I guess.
Yes, National Amusements is vey high on the Cinema Delux concept, Commack, Long Island will host one next year. With attendance numbers going down you can expect N.A to lead the way to new and exciting ideas to bring people back. You can also expect N.A. to include more IMAX theatres in their complexes.
One last note about the Amboy, demolition has begun next door on the old Razz which became Red Robin, a National Amusement property.
The land is far to valuable for that. For the most part, other than for use as a flea market, drive-in’s in areas with a winter climate sit vacant for most of the year, which is one main reason we lost Hazlet, Atco, Newark and others. The Multiplex Theatres built on those sites are much more profitable. Currently there are no plans to
to rebuild Amboy, although there have been plans in the past, one in 1992 to expand and renovate the exsisting building and another more recent one to tear it down and build a new one. Both plans have been scrubbed for now. If I hear any news I will post it.
Yes Garth, The theatre is not going to reopen. Plans are now underway to remove the contents. The future of the property, owned by National Amusements, have not been announced.
ERD you make a good point, I am just bitter about the loss of the Paramount and have decided to take offense to the HRC’s use of the Paramount name.
I was not sure were to post this, so I thought why not here.
As all of you know “This is Cinerama” had a wonderfull intro by Lowell Thomas, it was a short 35mm film which played to introduce the movie. I have only the sound portion but I hope this bring back memories. click on free download in Rapidshare. You will need
RealPlayer
View link
myrtleleave, that was quite a Christmas season in 1954, if I recall we had “No Business like Show Business” at the Roxy and down the street at RCMH you could see “White Christmas”, anyone remember what was at the Paramount and Rivoli?
Warren, you are quite correct, the Paramount sign on the buildings entrance is all that remains. I already wrote to those idiots at HRC explaining they were not entitled to any claims to the legandary Parmount name and question their rights to try and do so. I have not had a response, which is not a surprise. I am not a fan of the current marquee either, to me it’s just a sad reminder of the devastaion of a great theatre. I do like what McDonalds did, it’s a wonderfull tribute to what once was the Great White Way.
Ugh, THAT PLACE!!!! One of the first projection jobs I had when I first started working for Consoladated in the early 70s was as a relief projectionist, I worked just about every theatre on Oahu.
The Kaimuki was the one and only theatre I hated working in. The booth access was a straight ladder leading up from the lobby, once you reached the top you had to then hoist yourself up thru a kind of roof hatch, carring what ever you had with you in your mouth. Once inside you were usually greeted by the resident flying roaches who tried to steal your lunch. The booth was a filthy, uncomfortable
place to work. Any other projectionists, managers remember this place? Scott B are you out there?
Oh Warren, seeing that interior again was brought back so many wonderfull memories. While I was going to high school, my very first job in theatres was as an usher/marguee changer at the Lane. Vic Lobello, the projectionist taught me how to run the projectors and became a good friend and mentor to me. I stayed in the projection, and then theatre management, game untill I retired. I owe my entire carrer to my beginings at the Lane. The picture you posted reminded me of those great days with Vic, owner Elias Moses, assistant manager Josie,and Grady the maintanence man who also taught me a lot. I also worked for Fabian at the Paramount for a while but it was not the same as the family atmosphere at the Lane.
Who operated the theatre when “Rocky Horror” played, and when did it close?
I remember working the Queen in the early 70s when it was owned by Royal theatres, It had 70mm capabilities thu rarely used it. Later Royal sold the theatre to a man named Mr.Yu who turned it into a hardcore porno theatre. In the mid 80s, during a porno crackdown, the police held a raid and everyone including a friend of mine who was the projectionist got arrested. That was pretty much the end of the theatres life as a movie house.