Nov. 22, 1932 “THE KID FROM SPAINâ€
MAY 1, 1941 “CITIZEN KANEâ€
DECEMBER 1957 “THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAIâ€
OCTOBER 1958 “THE ROOTS OF HEAVENâ€
MARCH 20, 1959 “THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANKâ€
NOVEMBER 1960 “SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLOâ€
DECEMBER 1960 “CAN-CANâ€
DECEMBER 1961 “JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERGâ€
JUNE 1969 “BEN-HURâ€
JUNE 1969 “GOODBYE, MR, CHIPSâ€
Roadshows, as two a day advanced sales showings, date back to the silent era with “The Birth of a Nation” being an early hit sold this way. “Oklahoma!” was not the first by any definition.
The Mayfair was bigger than most roadshow houses and therefore not first choice. “Spartacus” was the first.
According to a January 1957 Variety article, the 1959 Rugoff & Becker remodel was a total gutting that kept only the shell of the original 34th Street theatre building.
According to William’s posts above, the Radio City 70mm CinemaScope image was 69ft X 31ft. The presentation and sound on “KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE” was not well received and the run was deemed as hastily rushed by MGM into the theatre before the similar “PRINCE VALIANT” was released by Fox that April.
In 1955 the NYT published an article that states the that the Radio City flat horizontal VistaVision projection for “WHITE CHRISTMAS” was 68ft x 28ft.
The Paramount horizontal VistaVision image was 64ft x 35ft.
The Roxy CinemaScope was 64.5ft x 26.5ft.
The Warner Cinerama was a very curved 67ft x 24.5ft.
As far as quality of presentation, the Todd-AO process was deemed superior to all, although screen dimensions for “OKLAHOMA!” and “AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS” are not mentioned.
The Village Voice carried ads for the Thalia back in the sixties. It may take some google archive searching but this issue, for example, shows “THE TITAN”, “THE IDIOT”, “THE ETERNAL MASK”, “ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO”, “THE NIGHT WATCH”, “BLACK ORPHEUS”, “LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD”, ANIMAL FARM", “CHARLIE CHAPLIN SHORTS”, “THE LEOPARD”, “NIGHT AND FOG”, “THE LAW”, and “THE DOLL” one week in July 1965.
I am not sure what some of you are referring to as Hollywood greed. Every advance made to projectors from sound on film, mylar film stock, cue marks, automatic lens changers, zenon lamps, platters, remote timers, and rewind tables all made the skills to run them less crucial as the pay rates went up to about ten times a theatre manager’s salary
This article isn’t about the demise of a craft. Good technicians will always be needed even for a digital projector. This article is about the demise of a union that became obsolete back in the seventies due to their own devices.
I wonder if Mr. Rivierzo was around when Local 306 was a closed shop and that seriously outdated “test” was designed to keep women, hispanics and African-Americans out of their union. The test had been written by the union and administered by the union who then gave “friendly” applicants and relatives the answers. Wasn’t it in the eighties, when Mr. Rivierzo was running porn, that Local 306 agreed to run VHS tapes at union rates in competition with 35mm theatres? Was Mr. Rivierzo around when Local 306 choked 70mm projection by demanding two and sometimes three projectionists on duty any time a 70MM film was being run?
We can all wax melancholy about an era when white men could keep their well paid union jobs even if they failed to show up for work or ran a cassette player for their pay. As long as they could collect union dues, the industry’s survival was never their concern. Now it is surviving just fine without them.
That was APRIL 1969 for the “Ben-Hur” reissue.
Some Palace Roadshows
Nov. 22, 1932 “THE KID FROM SPAINâ€
MAY 1, 1941 “CITIZEN KANEâ€
DECEMBER 1957 “THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAIâ€
OCTOBER 1958 “THE ROOTS OF HEAVENâ€
MARCH 20, 1959 “THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANKâ€
NOVEMBER 1960 “SUNRISE AT CAMPOBELLOâ€
DECEMBER 1960 “CAN-CANâ€
DECEMBER 1961 “JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERGâ€
JUNE 1969 “BEN-HURâ€
JUNE 1969 “GOODBYE, MR, CHIPSâ€
Roadshows, as two a day advanced sales showings, date back to the silent era with “The Birth of a Nation” being an early hit sold this way. “Oklahoma!” was not the first by any definition.
The Mayfair was bigger than most roadshow houses and therefore not first choice. “Spartacus” was the first.
Add “Cast A Giant Shadow” (4-1-1966), perhaps in 35mm.
October 9, 1959.
I am pretty sure it was Variety.
An ad for “COME BACK, AFRICA”;
View link
Thanks for that Dave-Bronx.
Here is a relaunch ad:
Note the claim about the birth of NYC exhibition having occurred on 34th Street.
View link
rvb, that would have been the Avenue.
/theaters/6407/
According to a January 1957 Variety article, the 1959 Rugoff & Becker remodel was a total gutting that kept only the shell of the original 34th Street theatre building.
According to William’s posts above, the Radio City 70mm CinemaScope image was 69ft X 31ft. The presentation and sound on “KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE” was not well received and the run was deemed as hastily rushed by MGM into the theatre before the similar “PRINCE VALIANT” was released by Fox that April.
In 1955 the NYT published an article that states the that the Radio City flat horizontal VistaVision projection for “WHITE CHRISTMAS” was 68ft x 28ft.
The Paramount horizontal VistaVision image was 64ft x 35ft.
The Roxy CinemaScope was 64.5ft x 26.5ft.
The Warner Cinerama was a very curved 67ft x 24.5ft.
As far as quality of presentation, the Todd-AO process was deemed superior to all, although screen dimensions for “OKLAHOMA!” and “AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS” are not mentioned.
Yes, Cineplex Odeon.
This ad claims the Embassy 46th street was “the world’s first news-reel theatre.”
View link
An ad for the December 1957 re-opening as the Odeon.
View link
Ad for the August 1957 re-launching of the Palace as an “important” first-run house.
View link
This is wonderful news, Phillip.
This theatre is already listed.
/theaters/16673/
Opening day ad here:
View link
Cinema Village has three screens.
The Ziegfeld, Big Manhattan (Imaginasian), Walter Reade, Lefrak IMAX, and Maysles are still there.
bobob,
The Village Voice carried ads for the Thalia back in the sixties. It may take some google archive searching but this issue, for example, shows “THE TITAN”, “THE IDIOT”, “THE ETERNAL MASK”, “ONE POTATO, TWO POTATO”, “THE NIGHT WATCH”, “BLACK ORPHEUS”, “LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD”, ANIMAL FARM", “CHARLIE CHAPLIN SHORTS”, “THE LEOPARD”, “NIGHT AND FOG”, “THE LAW”, and “THE DOLL” one week in July 1965.
View link
Well done to all, especially Ken.
I am not sure what some of you are referring to as Hollywood greed. Every advance made to projectors from sound on film, mylar film stock, cue marks, automatic lens changers, zenon lamps, platters, remote timers, and rewind tables all made the skills to run them less crucial as the pay rates went up to about ten times a theatre manager’s salary
This article isn’t about the demise of a craft. Good technicians will always be needed even for a digital projector. This article is about the demise of a union that became obsolete back in the seventies due to their own devices.
The two little screens opened in December 1969 and the theatre advertised as “Florida’s only triple theatre”
Mike, this theatre was/is in Deerfield Beach and is already listed.
/theaters/15990/
I wonder if Mr. Rivierzo was around when Local 306 was a closed shop and that seriously outdated “test” was designed to keep women, hispanics and African-Americans out of their union. The test had been written by the union and administered by the union who then gave “friendly” applicants and relatives the answers. Wasn’t it in the eighties, when Mr. Rivierzo was running porn, that Local 306 agreed to run VHS tapes at union rates in competition with 35mm theatres? Was Mr. Rivierzo around when Local 306 choked 70mm projection by demanding two and sometimes three projectionists on duty any time a 70MM film was being run?
We can all wax melancholy about an era when white men could keep their well paid union jobs even if they failed to show up for work or ran a cassette player for their pay. As long as they could collect union dues, the industry’s survival was never their concern. Now it is surviving just fine without them.
This photo used to be available to see here.
View link
New York Theatre & Annex should be an aka.