David, although “CHELSEA GIRLS” had a successful year end run at the Regency in December 1966, it had already premiered in September of that year at the Film-maker’s Cinematheque on 41st street where it showed for several weeks to great acclaim.
Someday we will tell younger generations about a time when there were 38 screens on 42nd street, across from each other, showing 2D & 3D Hollywood fare, art house, opera, philharmonic concerts, Broadway shows and grind house schlock, all at the same time, to audiences who enjoyed sitting together, albeit in smaller screens than in the heyday of cinema.
Although not the Roxy, this is sure better than Skype. Enjoy it while it is still here.
You can always tell how good the weekend business was at the Empire by how many broken glass front doors they have on Monday. “FAST FIVE” was a two-front door movie.
The Metropolitan mezzanine did not over look the lobby as you can see in the first photo. I think that mezzanine shot may be of the RKO Kenmore, or some other Loews house.
I am also very glad to see Ed return. New Yorkers with an honest view of our city’s glorious past AFTER 1959 are very rare on this site.
By the way hdtv267, the Ziegfeld exclusive premieres of “RYAN’S DAUGHTER”, “CABARET”, “FELLINI’S ROMA”, “TOMMY”, “CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND”,“APOCALYPSE NOW” and “THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST” were pretty important to movie history.
If you scroll down this story about Bill Clinton waxing melancholy about the hookers of Times Square you will find a photo of the entrance to a Samson theatre in Times Square.
As a 17 year old tourist on my first trip to NY in 1974 I walked from the Port Authority down 8th Avenue to my room at the Edison Hotel on 47th street through a sea of pretty young blonde wigged hookers grabbing my suitcase and asking me if I wanted a date.
Sorry, rvb. They are not meant to be photos of the World on this page.
What Ed and I are trying to get information is on the World theatre with an entrance around the corner from the Circus theatre photos above. That location is not yet listed on CT.
The brick front of the World looks just like the pub, so I think it is still there. When the Circus was closed both it and Pink were described as ‘theatres’ by the authorities.
Ed, if it helps, I believe is was the same location operating as PINK at 204 West 49th Street. It shared a building with the CIRCUS and may now be a Playwright Celtic Pub.
Ed, I never went to either one but I remember that the first one caused quite a stir as the first VHS theatre. The 35mm locations were concerned about the trend and the projectionist union was charging them standard 35mm rates basically for operating a VHS player.
The second location is murkier and less is written about it as it was not a trend setter, but some Village Voice ads show as many as twelve titles showing at one time.
By all means go ahead and enter them on CT. I am not quite sure of their lifespans.
I do have several books about the Deuce that walk a fine line between social archeology and smut.
Since Ken Roe has added another porn Metropolitan does anyone know when the Metropolitan closed and when THE MET opened?
The Village Voice ads above are from 1970.
David, although “CHELSEA GIRLS” had a successful year end run at the Regency in December 1966, it had already premiered in September of that year at the Film-maker’s Cinematheque on 41st street where it showed for several weeks to great acclaim.
I agree saps.
Someday we will tell younger generations about a time when there were 38 screens on 42nd street, across from each other, showing 2D & 3D Hollywood fare, art house, opera, philharmonic concerts, Broadway shows and grind house schlock, all at the same time, to audiences who enjoyed sitting together, albeit in smaller screens than in the heyday of cinema.
Although not the Roxy, this is sure better than Skype. Enjoy it while it is still here.
I think it is the rowdy mob scene there on weekends. It is specially bad on major horror and action flicks, as it always has been on 42nd street.
By the way, don’t knock the 240 people per day per screen. The Ziegfeld and the Paris could only dream of such an average.
You can always tell how good the weekend business was at the Empire by how many broken glass front doors they have on Monday. “FAST FIVE” was a two-front door movie.
AGR,
I think you are simply wrong and need to stop now.
Although I think Wikipedia is always suspect, their simple description is pretty good.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VistaVision
The Metropolitan mezzanine did not over look the lobby as you can see in the first photo. I think that mezzanine shot may be of the RKO Kenmore, or some other Loews house.
This intro needs to be should be corrected.
“City Cinemas' Cinema 1, 2, and 3 was just two doors down from the now vanished Baronet & Coronet”
It is still there. Only the Baronet/Coronet is gone.
I am also very glad to see Ed return. New Yorkers with an honest view of our city’s glorious past AFTER 1959 are very rare on this site.
By the way hdtv267, the Ziegfeld exclusive premieres of “RYAN’S DAUGHTER”, “CABARET”, “FELLINI’S ROMA”, “TOMMY”, “CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND”,“APOCALYPSE NOW” and “THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST” were pretty important to movie history.
If you scroll down this story about Bill Clinton waxing melancholy about the hookers of Times Square you will find a photo of the entrance to a Samson theatre in Times Square.
View link
Found a marquee shot here:
http://img685.imageshack.us/img685/1027/58s44.jpg
There is a shot of the Cine Lido in the book NEW YORK THEN AND NOW but it is from so far away that even the marquee title is illegible.
View link
Roger, I have no idea if they were ‘hetero’ or even women at all. That would not have bothered me in the least.
What did out-of-towners think?
As a 17 year old tourist on my first trip to NY in 1974 I walked from the Port Authority down 8th Avenue to my room at the Edison Hotel on 47th street through a sea of pretty young blonde wigged hookers grabbing my suitcase and asking me if I wanted a date.
I thought I had died and gone to heaven.
Tokens for sale:
View link
It’s difficult to make this underground venue look glorious but this photographer has done his best.
View link
Great thread here on Times Square theatres:
View link
There is an interesting collection of ads here:
View link
Sorry, rvb. They are not meant to be photos of the World on this page.
What Ed and I are trying to get information is on the World theatre with an entrance around the corner from the Circus theatre photos above. That location is not yet listed on CT.
You can clearly see the three floors in this shot.
View link
LOL. tip ‘toe’.
To make matters even murkier, Ed, I believe the Big Top briefly operated as the WORLD as well.
View link
The brick front of the World looks just like the pub, so I think it is still there. When the Circus was closed both it and Pink were described as ‘theatres’ by the authorities.
Ed, if it helps, I believe is was the same location operating as PINK at 204 West 49th Street. It shared a building with the CIRCUS and may now be a Playwright Celtic Pub.
Ed, I never went to either one but I remember that the first one caused quite a stir as the first VHS theatre. The 35mm locations were concerned about the trend and the projectionist union was charging them standard 35mm rates basically for operating a VHS player.
The second location is murkier and less is written about it as it was not a trend setter, but some Village Voice ads show as many as twelve titles showing at one time.
By all means go ahead and enter them on CT. I am not quite sure of their lifespans.
I do have several books about the Deuce that walk a fine line between social archeology and smut.