Excerpt from the New York Times' review of a Dead End Kids picture “Call A Messenger”
“To say that "Call a Messenger” fits in with the policy of the Rialto, which is to improve on any time-tested formula for shock by the simple expedient of doubling the dose, is to say everything. It doubles the dose, and although this method, on a few unfortunate occasions, has been known to prove fatal, it ought rather to be good for a minute portion of amusement in the present case."
Many of you have probably heard the recent buzz surrounding the upcoming construction project for the Virginia Theatre, in particular the replacement of the marquee. We thought it would be helpful to provide you with the facts.
One of our top priorities for the historic Virginia Theatre is to restore it, as best as possible, to its original glory of the 1920’s when it first opened. The current marquee is not original to the building, in fact it was not placed on the building until the 1950’s and does not fit with the original style and design of the theatre. If you look closely you’ll notice that the current marquee blocks much of the beautiful Italian Renaissance Revival style detail of the upper floors of the building, which the original style did not.
The new marquee will NOT have an LED reader board. Like the original, the letters on the new marquee will still have to be hand placed to promote upcoming shows and it will visually look more like that of the original, but the back lighting and undercarriage lighting will be greener in overall energy efficiency. The current marquee is not energy efficient, is no longer operating as it should and would be costly to repair. In addition, replacement of the marquee to one more fitting of the original, has been a component of the overall restoration master plan since that plan was adopted in 2000.
The architectural firm of Westlake Reed and Leskosky, known for their historic restoration projects including historical theatres, has designed the next phase of the restoration and bids are currently being accepted for this project which, along with the marquee, includes replacement of the outer and inner doors, renovation of the entire lobby from floor to ceiling, repairing the lost plaster, the concession stand as well as replacement of the west storefront windows, preserving the copper trim as was done two years ago in the east lobby. The Champaign Park District will consider the result of the bids in April. Construction is scheduled to begin in June and continue through the fall.
The Virginia Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in October of 2003 as a property of local (not national) significance. According to National Register personnel and the National Register website, National Register listing places no restrictions on the use or renovation of the property as long as there are no federal monies attached to the property, which for the Virginia, there are not.
For more information, please contact Bobbie Herakovich at 819-3819 or stop by the Bresnan Meeting Center at 706 Kenwood in Champaign to review the plans.
Per the theater owners Champaign Park District, a new marquee is coming — more in the style of 1921’s original, which will reveal more of the Italian Rennaissance Revival style detail of the facade. The present marquee was installed in the 1950s (maybe in 1955 when the lobby and ticketed booth were remodeled.)
The Park District issued a press release today (I got it in a PDF) and if I can copy the text I will post it here.
Any links to pics of the original marquee would be welcome!
I don’t know when the last movie played, but I do remember when it returned to showing movies after its stint as a legit playhouse. It was an odd joy to be in a restored 42nd Street theater, including carpeting, drapes, chandeliers and quality seating, to see “DC Cab” (released 12/16/83).
In the heart of little old New York,
You’ll find a thoroughfare.
It’s the part of little old New York
That runs into Times Square.
A crazy quilt that “Wall Street Jack” built,
If you’ve got a little time to spare,
I want to take you there.
Come and meet those dancing feet,
On the avenue I’m taking you to,
Forty-Second Street.
Hear the beat of dancing feet,
It’s the song I love the melody of,
Forty-Second Street.
Little “nifties” from the Fifties,
Innocent and sweet;
Sexy ladies from the Eighties,
Who are indiscreet.
They’re side by side, they’re glorified
Where the underworld can meet the elite,
Forty-Second Street.
I’d like to add that the American Airlines auditorium is a loving restoration of the original Selwyn theater and is not “all-new;” the Selwyn is intact. (The lobby collapsed during construction of the surrounding office building and is new.)
The Hilton was built from the ground up (except for the exterior walls and some decorative elements saved from the Lyric/Apollo demolitions.)
The Selwyn is still functioning as a playhouse (American Airlines,) the Victory is running a successful children’s theater business, the Times Square and Liberty are intact and awaiting viable proposals. Elements of the Lyric and Apollo are present in the Hilton (nee Ford, and needs a more permanent name.)
I’m sure you know that almost all the 42nd Street theaters showed mainstream Hollywood and genre movies (karate, gore), not porn.
The Victory and Rialto showed porno, and later the Anco, but these theaters showed double and triple bills of regular, though sometimes obscure, movies:
New Amsterdam
Cine 42
Harris
Liberty
Empire
Selwyn
Apollo
Times Square
Lyric
I don’t think the closings were completely natural. (Maybe the New Amsterdam was) but many were hastened along by development money. It wasn’t a case of abandoned theaters being re-discovered years later; most of these houses went from showing movies to being parts of various redevelopment proposals, some of which have actually come to pass while others still lie vacant.
I miss the double and triple features; I skip many movies now that I would have seen as part of double bill. I started going in the mid-70’s until the end, and while it was all those things that Ed said, I still miss sitting in the balcony and seeing movies in those faded showplaces.
I recently saw a great movie from 1964 — Becket, starring Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole — on TCM and read that it premiered here at the Loew’s State. I wish I could have seen it on the big screen in a showplace like the State. I’m afraid we’ll never see the likes of it again.
Reading that Frankenstein ad I noticed a funny coincidence—It says No One Seated During Final Reel, which is a precursor or foreshadowing of the policy at this same theater for Psycho 30 years later, when no one was seated after the feature began. (I like to publish this same comment once every five years.)
Well, the walls may have been standing but the roof and every single thing in the place that wasn’t removed beforehand were completely demolished — it was a just a very big hole in the ground before the Ford Center was constructed.
It has air conditioning. It’s just not working.
Excerpt from the New York Times' review of a Dead End Kids picture “Call A Messenger”
“To say that "Call a Messenger” fits in with the policy of the Rialto, which is to improve on any time-tested formula for shock by the simple expedient of doubling the dose, is to say everything. It doubles the dose, and although this method, on a few unfortunate occasions, has been known to prove fatal, it ought rather to be good for a minute portion of amusement in the present case."
Press release 3/10/10:
Many of you have probably heard the recent buzz surrounding the upcoming construction project for the Virginia Theatre, in particular the replacement of the marquee. We thought it would be helpful to provide you with the facts.
One of our top priorities for the historic Virginia Theatre is to restore it, as best as possible, to its original glory of the 1920’s when it first opened. The current marquee is not original to the building, in fact it was not placed on the building until the 1950’s and does not fit with the original style and design of the theatre. If you look closely you’ll notice that the current marquee blocks much of the beautiful Italian Renaissance Revival style detail of the upper floors of the building, which the original style did not.
The new marquee will NOT have an LED reader board. Like the original, the letters on the new marquee will still have to be hand placed to promote upcoming shows and it will visually look more like that of the original, but the back lighting and undercarriage lighting will be greener in overall energy efficiency. The current marquee is not energy efficient, is no longer operating as it should and would be costly to repair. In addition, replacement of the marquee to one more fitting of the original, has been a component of the overall restoration master plan since that plan was adopted in 2000.
The architectural firm of Westlake Reed and Leskosky, known for their historic restoration projects including historical theatres, has designed the next phase of the restoration and bids are currently being accepted for this project which, along with the marquee, includes replacement of the outer and inner doors, renovation of the entire lobby from floor to ceiling, repairing the lost plaster, the concession stand as well as replacement of the west storefront windows, preserving the copper trim as was done two years ago in the east lobby. The Champaign Park District will consider the result of the bids in April. Construction is scheduled to begin in June and continue through the fall.
The Virginia Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in October of 2003 as a property of local (not national) significance. According to National Register personnel and the National Register website, National Register listing places no restrictions on the use or renovation of the property as long as there are no federal monies attached to the property, which for the Virginia, there are not.
For more information, please contact Bobbie Herakovich at 819-3819 or stop by the Bresnan Meeting Center at 706 Kenwood in Champaign to review the plans.
The CPD press release said the marquee was designed by Westlake Reed and Leskowsky and that the plans may be viewed at the CPD office.
Per the theater owners Champaign Park District, a new marquee is coming — more in the style of 1921’s original, which will reveal more of the Italian Rennaissance Revival style detail of the facade. The present marquee was installed in the 1950s (maybe in 1955 when the lobby and ticketed booth were remodeled.)
The Park District issued a press release today (I got it in a PDF) and if I can copy the text I will post it here.
Any links to pics of the original marquee would be welcome!
I don’t know when the last movie played, but I do remember when it returned to showing movies after its stint as a legit playhouse. It was an odd joy to be in a restored 42nd Street theater, including carpeting, drapes, chandeliers and quality seating, to see “DC Cab” (released 12/16/83).
I haven’t seen The African Queen yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I’m saving it for the big screen.
Fantastic photo, ken. One of the best I’ve seen.
Columbia 1910 to 1930 (20 years)
Mayfair 1930 to 1960 (30 years)
DeMille 1960 to 1976 (16 years)
Mark Triplex 1976 to 1977 (1 year)
Embassy 2, 3, 4 1977 to 1997 (20 years)
Embassy 1, 2, 3 1997 to 1998 (1 year)
Is that about right?
In the heart of little old New York,
You’ll find a thoroughfare.
It’s the part of little old New York
That runs into Times Square.
A crazy quilt that “Wall Street Jack” built,
If you’ve got a little time to spare,
I want to take you there.
Come and meet those dancing feet,
On the avenue I’m taking you to,
Forty-Second Street.
Hear the beat of dancing feet,
It’s the song I love the melody of,
Forty-Second Street.
Little “nifties” from the Fifties,
Innocent and sweet;
Sexy ladies from the Eighties,
Who are indiscreet.
They’re side by side, they’re glorified
Where the underworld can meet the elite,
Forty-Second Street.
I’d like to add that the American Airlines auditorium is a loving restoration of the original Selwyn theater and is not “all-new;” the Selwyn is intact. (The lobby collapsed during construction of the surrounding office building and is new.)
The Hilton was built from the ground up (except for the exterior walls and some decorative elements saved from the Lyric/Apollo demolitions.)
Porno ran at the Rialto 1 and 2, Victory, Harem, and Roxy for years, and for the last years also at the Anco.
The Selwyn is still functioning as a playhouse (American Airlines,) the Victory is running a successful children’s theater business, the Times Square and Liberty are intact and awaiting viable proposals. Elements of the Lyric and Apollo are present in the Hilton (nee Ford, and needs a more permanent name.)
I’m sure you know that almost all the 42nd Street theaters showed mainstream Hollywood and genre movies (karate, gore), not porn.
The Victory and Rialto showed porno, and later the Anco, but these theaters showed double and triple bills of regular, though sometimes obscure, movies:
New Amsterdam
Cine 42
Harris
Liberty
Empire
Selwyn
Apollo
Times Square
Lyric
No, I think it that the projectionist has to be told before EACH show to use the curtain. Sheer madness.
That 1980 photo posted on April 7, 2009 brought back some memories!
I don’t think the closings were completely natural. (Maybe the New Amsterdam was) but many were hastened along by development money. It wasn’t a case of abandoned theaters being re-discovered years later; most of these houses went from showing movies to being parts of various redevelopment proposals, some of which have actually come to pass while others still lie vacant.
I miss the double and triple features; I skip many movies now that I would have seen as part of double bill. I started going in the mid-70’s until the end, and while it was all those things that Ed said, I still miss sitting in the balcony and seeing movies in those faded showplaces.
42nd Street was more like a ghost town than a pit at the time the theaters were shuttered and re-development hadn’t kicked in.
I recently saw a great movie from 1964 — Becket, starring Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole — on TCM and read that it premiered here at the Loew’s State. I wish I could have seen it on the big screen in a showplace like the State. I’m afraid we’ll never see the likes of it again.
Reading that Frankenstein ad I noticed a funny coincidence—It says No One Seated During Final Reel, which is a precursor or foreshadowing of the policy at this same theater for Psycho 30 years later, when no one was seated after the feature began. (I like to publish this same comment once every five years.)
A NY Times' review of the PBS show “Blueprint America” features a photo of this theater now in use as a parking garage.
Link to photo: View link
Link to article: View link
Craig, are you listening?
Separate admissions?
Well, the walls may have been standing but the roof and every single thing in the place that wasn’t removed beforehand were completely demolished — it was a just a very big hole in the ground before the Ford Center was constructed.