Loew's Capitol Theatre
1645 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
1645 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10019
47 people favorited this theater
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LOEW’S CAPITOL CINERAMA [1968]
BROADWAY AT 54TH ST
NEW YORK, NY
70mm 6-Channel Stereo [December 1959]
Solomon and Sheba [1959]
Cinerama 7-Channel Stereo [August 1962]
The Wonderful World of The Brothers Grimm [1962]
How The West Was Won [1963]
The Best of Cinerama [1963]
Windjammer (Cinerama) [1964]
Cinerama [70mm] 6-Channel Stereo [June 1964]
Circus World [1964]
Cheyenne Autumn [1964] [Exhibited in 70mm Cinerama process]
Doctor Zhivago [1965]
The Hallelujah Trail [1965]
2001 a space odyssey [1968]
36 years ago today at this very minute (1:30 PM show) I was about to experience the ultimate trip, “2001: A Space Odyssey” on the Capitol’s incredible Cinerama screen. Just wanted to commemmorate the life-changing event.
I was in the Capitol during my first visit to NYC in 1962. Sadly it had been ‘Cineramarised’, and the original architecture covered up. I didn’t realize till years later that the auditorium of our Regent Theatre Melbourne was a copy of the Capitol! I have lived with the Regent for most of my life, helping to save it from demolition. When I can get a photo put up, you will see ‘the Capitol’! Only difference, after the 1945 fire, the proscenium was squared off. I am always happy to correspond with anybody re this theatre and more info or additional photos.
I was in the Capitol during my first visit to NYC in 1962. Sadly it had been ‘Cineramarised’, and the original architecture covered up. I didn’t realize till years later that the auditorium of our Regent Theatre Melbourne was a copy of the Capitol! I have lived with the Regent for most of my life, helping to save it from demolition. When I can get a photo put up, you will see ‘the Capitol’! Only difference, after the 1945 fire, the proscenium was squared off. I am always happy to correspond with anybody re this theatre and more info or additional photos.
I was in the Capitol during my first visit to NYC in 1962. Sadly it had been ‘Cineramarised’, and the original architecture covered up. I didn’t realize till years later that the auditorium of our Regent Theatre Melbourne was a copy of the Capitol! I have lived with the Regent for most of my life, helping to save it from demolition. When I can get a photo put up, you will see ‘the Capitol’! Only difference, after the 1945 fire, the proscenium was squared off. I am always happy to correspond with anybody re this theatre and more info or additional photos.
I was in the Capitol during my first visit to NYC in 1962. Sadly it had been ‘Cineramarised’, and the original architecture covered up. I didn’t realize till years later that the auditorium of our Regent Theatre Melbourne was a copy of the Capitol! I have lived with the Regent for most of my life, helping to save it from demolition. When I can get a photo put up, you will see ‘the Capitol’! Only difference, after the 1945 fire, the proscenium was squared off. I am always happy to correspond with anybody re this theatre and more info or additional photos.
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.
Thanks, William, for that brilliant vision back to the glory days of movies in Times Square. I was only 13 at the time and got to attend only one of those engagements, “2001”. If only I was the age I am now back in 1968 – I would’ve went to see ‘em all.
The Capital Theatre was to come alive with one more stage show, a benefit all-star performance, on it’s last night and then quietly close. “2001: A Space Odyssey” would journey over to a new home at the Warner Cinerama. Around that time the Forum had a move-over of the “The Odd Couple”, which had played a number of weeks at the Music Hall. The New Embassy was playing “Targets”. The Rivoli Theatre had “Gone With The Wind” in 70MM. During the Fall season on Broadway, “Funny Girl” in 70MM was at the Criterion, “Star!” opened in 70MM at the Rivoli, “Finian’s Rainbow” was at the Penthouse in 70MM. “Oliver!” opened in 70MM at the newly reopened Loew’s State 1 and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” was at the Loew’s State 2 in 70MM. Each of them will be playing within a maximum of six blocks of each other. Boy, was that a Great Time to be in Times Square.
Thank you brucec for expressing it all so well.
I believe “Dr Zhivago” also played the Capitol another MGM release. “Dr Zhivago” also was MGM’S biggest box-office hit 2nd only to “Gone With The Wind”. MGM big three were “Gone With The Wind”,“DR Zhivago” and “Ben Hur” in terms of Box Office. The Capitol was the flagship of Loews-MGM which controlled more talent than any studio in the history of motion pictures. I never had the pleasure of ever being in the Capitol but I did tour the MGM studio lot in 1967 when the lot was still intact. Lot 1 was where all the sound stages were, Lot 2 was across the street with all its backlot sets like the Andy Hardy Street, The New York Street,Esther Williams outdoor swimming pool,Meet Me in St Louis Street and Lot 3 which was down the street and contained jungle sets, western towns and WW11 European Street Sets. MGM had the best backlot in Hollywood and I have seen them all. If Sony purchased MGM it will be reunited with its historic Studio which consists only of Lot 1. IF Time Warner purchases MGM the studio will be reunited with its motion picture past. Time Warner owns the vast MGM pre 1986 film library. Its ironic because Sony wanted to purchase MGM back in the 1980’s and instead purchased Columbia Pictures.Many in the film industry will never forgive Kerkorian for detroying Hollywood’s greatest film studio.At least the Capitol died a grand lady showing MGM"s “2001:A Space Odyssey” an exclusive run reserved seat attraction.MGM the studio has been reduced from a roar to a meow and will never be the same.brucec
I saw How The West Was Won at this theatre. It was a great theatre. If you went to the top of the theatre and pulled the curtain you could see rows of the original seats still in place. Lobby was spectacular. If there was one NY theatre they could have kept it should have been this one. I never got to the Roxy so I can not compare them.
Edward:
Although Edith Head designed the costumes for a couple of MGM films right at the end of both their careers she was not head designer at Metro but Paramount. That prize postion belonged over the years to Adrian,Irene,Helen Rose and finally Walter Plunkett who remained salaried but not working until Kerkorian closed the production wardrobe.
The old MGM lot(Sony) also has a spacious and well equipped theaterette for the employees just inside the studio gates…..
Brucec:
Loews Cineplex Entertainment is owned by Onex Corp. (Toronto). They may sell all or part of this theatre chain. Onex acquired the Galaxy Theatre chain in Canada in 2003, created Cineplex Galaxy LP in early 2004, and also operates Cineplex Odeon theatres.
Sony has expressed interest in MGM. They currently own the former MGM lot, from which Columbia/TriStar Pictures also operates. The union would join MGM’s corporate offices to its fomer movie lot in Culver City. 30 years after its destruction, a modified version of MGM studios would come back to life. (The rubby slippers, backlot and Edith Head are all long gone)
Its ironic that the Capitol showed its last film 2001 which was an MGM release in 1968. MGM which was controlled by Loews until 1959. With the destruction of the Capitol MGM also was never the same. 1968 was the last year MGM showed a profit on its movies as a major film studio. MGM went into a severe decline after this and has never recovered. MGM was purchased 3 times by KIRK Kerkorian starting in 1969. Under Kerkorian Hollywood’s greatest studio was reduced from a roar to a meow. Kerkorian has again placed MGM for sale but its a shadow of its former self. Its big asset is its huge film library of 4000 films which are mostly non MGM films. The real MGM is owned by Time Warner which owns all MGM films prior to 1986. Loews is also for sale. The destruction of the Capitol marked an end of an era the likes of which we will never see again.brucec
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.
I can remember Kate Cameron being the first string critic in the ‘60’s. She always gave four stars to all the big roadshow pictures. I believe Wanda Hale was second string, followed by Kathleen Carroll who did become head critic at the paper in the '70’s. Maybe she was assigned to “2001” because she was the youngest? Most of its audience turned out to be younger people (my dad was 39 at the time and he hated it).
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?
Vincent: It was Kathleen Carroll who panned “2001” in the Daily News. But even she felt, maybe subsconsciously, that it was something special. Her review began like this: “"2001” is not a movie. It’s an experience.“ Wanda Hale actually liked it. She called it a "grand spectacle” in her yearly wrap-up column in the World Almanac.
The review of “2001” was my most anticipated review ever. I was sure it would be the first sci-fi film since “The Day the Earth Caught Fire” in 1962 to get four stars. Imagine how I felt when I saw the **½ under the headline “Kubrick Space Film is Way Out”, over a dismissive review that occupied less than one column of a page in the paper. I think this was the first time I realized that it doesn’t matter what a critic says about a movie – it’s my own opinion that really counted (I was 13). I knew the movie was going to be great, and when I finally saw it … hey, it’s 36 years later and we’re still talking about it!
Regarding the above erroneous legend of the photo. I saw 2001 in 70mm twice on the Rivoli’s curved screen in ‘76 and then a few years later. One of the three best cinema experiences(combining film and theater) of my life. The two others:My Fair Lady at the Criterion and Singing in the Rain at the Music Hall.
This was the lowest rating I believe ever given by the Daily News to a roadshow film which very often gave them four stars(Wanda Hale knew which side her bread was buttered on.)
Just the fact that Planet played also on the East Side first run was bad news for Times Square.
“Planet of the Apes” played the Capitol and the 72nd St. Playhouse at the same time starting in early February 1968. I can’t remember the exact date, though. The next movie to play the Capitol was “2001”. It was shown to the New York critics (who mostly tore it apart) on April 1st, and it opened to the public on April 3rd. I remember reading the **½ star review in the New York Daily News on the day Martin Luther King was assassinated, 4/4/68.
I saw “2001” for the first time at Loew’s Capitol on June 1, 1968. I saw it a second time at the Warner Cinerama on Oct. 4, 1968. When the Warner closed on Feb. 8, 1987, New York City no longer had a theatre capable of Cinerama projection.
2001 was the Easter attraction in ‘68 at the Capitol and moved later to the Warner Cinerama when the Capitol was to be torn down.
Unfortunately this was the only time 2001 was presented in New York in Cinerama. All of us who didn’t get to see it then have never seen it in its original presentation. So when exactly did Planet play at the Capitol?