Comments from Mike (saps)

Showing 1,101 - 1,125 of 2,130 comments

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Jun 6, 2011 at 2:06 pm

Let’s get some photos of this house posted, quick. That office building now showing is dreadful.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Jun 6, 2011 at 1:32 pm

Although I know it would mean reconfiguring the proscenium and curtains, I think that this movie sheet could stand a replacement expansion — there is so much room on either side of the present screen, a larger screen would really be eye-popping. Right now it looks a little old-fashioned and not quite state-of-the-art.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Long Beach Cinema 4 on Jun 4, 2011 at 1:10 pm

Test of NY Post article dated 6/3/11:

ong Beach, LI, is getting its movie theater back.

The beach town’s four-screen cinema is reopening after mysteriously closing in late April.

Its owner, PL Long Beach LLC, announced today that the theater would reopen June 10 after undergoing renovations that include a new 3-D screen.

When the theater closed, residents were left to wonder what had happened. Signs were simply taken down and the glass covered up with paper. Town officials were even were unaware about what had happened.

The theater’s owner said today that it planned to lease the space out for retail stores but changed direction after the community made it clear it wanted a place to see movies. Long Beach Cinema is the only theater in the town.

.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about AMC 34th Street 14 on May 31, 2011 at 7:17 am

This theater has caught on, because there always seems to be a nice crowd — not over-packed, but just enough to have a good movie-going experience. I especially like the bargain matinees, and its proximity to Penn Station.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about AMC Empire 25 on May 10, 2011 at 6:09 pm

Justin, like most (all?) AMC theaters coast-to-coast, all shows here starting before noon are only $6.00. And the regular admission price of $13. is not much higher than the usual suburban price (your beloved AMC Rockaway is $11., for example.)

And I’ve never waited on line, especially with about 20 ticket kiosks in the lobby.

So, please…stop in next time you’re in the neighborhood. And once you’re in the door you can wander around nearly at will, checking out the different levels and cinemas. You’ll be glad you did.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Long Beach Cinema 4 on Apr 30, 2011 at 3:33 pm

From Long Beach Herald:

On April 1, Long Beach resident George Ennis, who hosts the annual George Ennis Film Festival, said he had booked the theater at Long Beach Cinemas at 179 E. Park Ave., where he planned to hold a pre-screening of the festival’s short films on May 25.

Ennis said that the pre-screening event â€" a lead-in to the film festival on June 5 at the Cabana, that also raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation â€" was expected to attract about 150 people to view the roughly 10 to 12 short films that would be presented at the festival and showcase the work of amateur and professional filmmakers.

“A lot of people were looking forward to it,” Ennis said. “Having [the pre-screening] at the theater put a little bit more legitimacy to the film festival.”

So Ennis said it came as a shock when the movie theater manager told him that the event would have to be canceled. The manager, Ennis said, informed him that theater’s owners had abruptly closed the business the night before. On Thursday, the theater’s coming attraction posters and movie listings were removed, and the lights inside the building were off.

“I went by [Thursday] and wanted to ask [the manager] a question,” Ennis said. “When I saw there was no coming attraction signs, I knew something was fishy.”

Ennis said the manager later contacted him to apologize and explained what had happened.

“Evidently the owners came in the middle of the night and said ‘we’re wrapping it up,’” Ennis said. “Who knew that two days ago, driving by the theater, that they were going to pull the rug out.”

The abrupt closure came as a shock to many residents, Ennis said, adding that even the manager seemed a bit unsure as to why the owners closed the business without any notice. Neither the manager nor the building’s owner, Philip Pilevsky of Philips International, returned calls for comment on Friday. City Manager Charles Theofan could not be reached for comment on Friday. Another city official with the building department said on Friday that he was not sure why the theater had closedOn April 1, Long Beach resident George Ennis, who hosts the annual George Ennis Film Festival, said he had booked the theater at Long Beach Cinemas at 179 E. Park Ave., where he planned to hold a pre-screening of the festival’s short films on May 25.

Ennis said that the pre-screening event â€" a lead-in to the film festival on June 5 at the Cabana, that also raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation â€" was expected to attract about 150 people to view the roughly 10 to 12 short films that would be presented at the festival and showcase the work of amateur and professional filmmakers.

“A lot of people were looking forward to it,” Ennis said. “Having [the pre-screening] at the theater put a little bit more legitimacy to the film festival.”

So Ennis said it came as a shock when the movie theater manager told him that the event would have to be canceled. The manager, Ennis said, informed him that theater’s owners had abruptly closed the business the night before. On Thursday, the theater’s coming attraction posters and movie listings were removed, and the lights inside the building were off.

“I went by [Thursday] and wanted to ask [the manager] a question,” Ennis said. “When I saw there was no coming attraction signs, I knew something was fishy.”

Ennis said the manager later contacted him to apologize and explained what had happened.

“Evidently the owners came in the middle of the night and said ‘we’re wrapping it up,’” Ennis said. “Who knew that two days ago, driving by the theater, that they were going to pull the rug out.”

The abrupt closure came as a shock to many residents, Ennis said, adding that even the manager seemed a bit unsure as to why the owners closed the business without any notice. Neither the manager nor the building’s owner, Philip Pilevsky of Philips International, returned calls for comment on Friday. City Manager Charles Theofan could not be reached for comment on Friday. Another city official with the building department said on Friday that he was not sure why the theater had closed. Ennis said that he was given no indication that the theater was in danger of shutting its doors.

Ennis said that he was given no indication that the theater was in danger of shutting its doors.

“I’ve been talking to the manager on a weekly basis â€" there was no indication that it would close,” Ennis said. “The manager didn’t really get into why it closed that much, but I can only guess that it was for financial reasons.”

For many years, Long Beach Cinema, the only movie theater in Long Beach, was located at the corner of Long Beach Road and Park Avenue. The theater boasts four movie screens and is located on the former site of the Lido Theater, said Carole Shahda Geraci, of the Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society.

Ennis acknowledged that, as of Friday, it was still unclear if the theater was shutting its doors permanently. “The manager said that he couldn’t tell me for sure that it was going to reopen in a few weeks, but he said that it didn’t look that way,” Ennis said.

Now, Ennis said that his pre-screening benefit may be relocated to the Cabana, and said that the theater’s closure is a bit of a letdown.

“It’s a little difficult â€" this would have put [the event] in a much more conducive atmosphere to concentrate on the films,” Ennis said. “And it’s going to hurt a little from a contribution standpoint.”

Check out next week’s issue of the Herald for expanded coverage.

Link includes a photo.

View link

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Long Beach Cinema 4 on Apr 30, 2011 at 3:27 pm

Theater looks closed. Nothing on the marquee, no one sheets, nothing in the box office.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Liberty Theatre on Apr 30, 2011 at 3:15 pm

Well, they did tear down Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, The Metropolitan Opera House and the Roxy.

Thank goodness they missed Grand Central, Radio City Music Hall and
the High Line.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Loew's Metropolitan Theatre on Apr 27, 2011 at 7:55 pm

The mezzazine lounge didn’t look like that when I frequented the theater, from 1983 to closing. The opening had been covered over by a floor, making a very large lounge space with very little decor.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Apr 22, 2011 at 2:09 pm

Ed, where’ve you been? It’s nice to see your name all over the threads again.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Brattle Theatre on Apr 18, 2011 at 6:31 pm

What an interesting life he seems to have led. Here’s an excerpt from the NY Times obituary:

Cyrus I. Harvey, a quirky entrepreneur who created two significant brands in disparate fields â€" Janus Films, a distributor of movies by international directors like Bergman, Fellini and Kurosawa, and Crabtree & Evelyn, the purveyor of aromatic soaps and botanicals â€" died Thursday in Dayville, Conn. He was 85 and lived in Woodstock, Conn.

Janus Films, founded in 1956, grew from his part ownership of the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, Mass., which he and a partner, the actor Bryant Haliday, had transformed from a live-theater venue to a movie house that showed the art films Mr. Harvey had grown to love as a Fulbright scholar in Paris.

“Instead of spending two years at the Sorbonne, he spent two years at the cinémathèque,” his wife said.

Mr. Harvey and Mr. Haliday showed Janus films at the Brattle and at the 55th Street Playhouse in New York. They had named the company for a Roman god usually depicted with two heads facing in different directions.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about 55th Street Playhouse on Apr 18, 2011 at 6:28 pm

What an interesting life he seems to have led. Here’s the lead paragraph of the Times obituary:

Cyrus I. Harvey, a quirky entrepreneur who created two significant brands in disparate fields â€" Janus Films, a distributor of movies by international directors like Bergman, Fellini and Kurosawa, and Crabtree & Evelyn, the purveyor of aromatic soaps and botanicals â€" died Thursday in Dayville, Conn. He was 85 and lived in Woodstock, Conn.

And hee’s the mention of the Brattle theater and 55th Street Playhouse:

Janus Films, founded in 1956, grew from his part ownership of the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, Mass., which he and a partner, the actor Bryant Haliday, had transformed from a live-theater venue to a movie house that showed the art films Mr. Harvey had grown to love as a Fulbright scholar in Paris.

“Instead of spending two years at the Sorbonne, he spent two years at the cinémathèque,” his wife said.

Mr. Harvey and Mr. Haliday showed Janus films at the Brattle and at the 55th Street Playhouse in New York. They had named the company for a Roman god usually depicted with two heads facing in different directions.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Embassy 49th Street Theatre on Apr 16, 2011 at 3:12 pm

Nice page and cool links!

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 16, 2011 at 2:58 pm

Here is a shot I hadn’t seen before, which I found on someone’s flickr acount.

View link

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Winter Garden Theatre on Apr 12, 2011 at 1:56 pm

It’s nice to see a little action on a thread other than the usual suspects.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Embassy 1 Theatre on Mar 27, 2011 at 1:23 am

Techman, I hope this helps:

What’s playing at the Roxy?
I’ll tell you what’s playing at the Roxy.
A picture about a Minnesota man falls in love with a Mississippi girl
That he sacrifices everything and moves all the way to Biloxi.
That’s what’s playing at the Roxy.

What’s in the Daily News?
I’ll tell you what’s in the Daily News.
Story about a man bought his wife a small ruby
With what otherwise would have been his union dues.
That’s what’s in the Daily News.

What’s happening all over?
I’ll tell you what’s happening all over.
Guy sitting home by a television set
That used to be something of a rover.

That’s what’s happening all over.

(Or so sayeth Frank Loesser!)

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Palace Theatre on Feb 21, 2011 at 7:30 pm

And how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about International Theatre on Feb 20, 2011 at 10:38 pm

Warren’s links posted on May 16, 2008 are still working and are worth checking out. (Where is he, anyway? I miss him.)

I recently saw It Should Happen to You on TCM, starring Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon, and I noticed the “International” theater’s marquee said it was an NBC television studio.

I believe the big billboard that she puts her name on is the one directly to the right of the theater, which billboard is noticable in all the exterior shots posted here.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Ambassador Theatre on Feb 12, 2011 at 6:27 am

Chuck1231, could you re-post the Dr. Zhivago picture you added on April 10, 2005? Right now in order to see it one has to log into your photobucket account.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about RKO Albee Theatre on Feb 9, 2011 at 2:20 pm

Brad, you have an amazing collection of fascinating theater marquees. Thank goodness Barto and Mann so thoroughly documented their appearances.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Feb 9, 2011 at 10:01 am

Um, that should have been provided, not proved!

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Feb 9, 2011 at 9:59 am

Nice image of the Underwater wrap-around ad, lifted from three posts above proved by hdtv267.

http://media.oldmovieexhibition.com/bnr.jpg

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about New Amsterdam Theatre on Jan 30, 2011 at 6:36 pm

The Laffmovie was the Empire, right?

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about New Amsterdam Theatre on Jan 30, 2011 at 5:31 pm

I am happy to report that I saw movies at every one of the those theaters between 1975 and their closings. Except the Pix, which I may have visited during its incarnation as Peep-O-Rama, but that business may have only used the lobby and not the main auditorium.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Jan 26, 2011 at 4:05 pm

I’d love to see one of the Times' ads, especially near the beginning of the run.