GCC opened the current Mazza Galleria, not the prior downstairs triplex as my Intro states; /theaters/14856/
GCC also opened & operated the Jenifer, but in its later years, others operated it. I saw movies in all three venues.
I haven’t been copied on comments, so I didn’t realize there was a question. I have googled BoxOffice only with specific dates, but I am not an expert at using that journal. For the record, I never experienced the Randolph. I hope more people will write of their recollections.
Please add another comment when you open, including your website link if you have one, the number of seats in each auditorium, and anything else you’d like to add such as digital surround sound capabilities, 35 mm or 2 k or 4 k projection, and whether you’ve ever run a movie theater before.
I’m sure you realize you will be competing against Landmark’s E Street for arthouse films.
Final film from current management, from Senator’s email today:
Presented with a rare 1977 35 mm British I.B. Technicolor print
from a private collection.
Show times:
4:30 pm
8:00 pm
Doors open at 4:00 pm for the 4:30 show.
Admission FREE
The Force Is With Them!
Baltimore’s Senator Theatre Ends 71 Years of Continuous
Family Ownership and Operation.
“Friends of The Senator” Express A New Hope for a Rapid Reopening
Baltimore, MD
July 21, 2010
The Friends of The Senator (FOTS) theatre advocacy group announced today
that Wednesday 7/21 marks the final day of operation for Baltimore’s historic
Senator Theatre. The shutdown date was designated by Baltimore’s City Hall.
Instructions are to cease operations, and for the theatre’s ex-owner to remove
all personal items. Baltimore City took ownership of the renowned, single screen
Art Deco landmark at a foreclosure auction in July of 2009.
For the final evening of operation, the FOTS are encouraging patrons to join
us for a gathering of The Senator’s extended family, including long time
manager Gayle Grove and The Senator’s popular border collie staff, Natty Boh
and Nipper.
The evening will feature two free celebratory screenings of a rare 1977 British
I.B. Technicolor print of “Star Wars: A New Hope” from a private collection.
Free screenings of the two hour feature will be at 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm. Doors
open at 4:00 pm for the 4:30 show.
“We wanted to do something really special for the last film to be shown at
The Senator, to honor Tom Kiefaber and his family, as well as The Senator’s
long term staff,” said FOTS President Tom Harris, who has camped on the
sidewalk at The Senator for past Star Wars midnight openings with his family.
“A film collector approached us about this rare original release print of Star
Wars, and the film is such a touchstone for so many of us, we went for it.”
“This is where I came in,” said Tom Kiefaber, in reference to Star Wars in 1977.
“I grew up in The Senator, and I officially joined the family business in 1977, just
as Star Wars was about to change the film industry forever. The saying ‘this
is where I came in’ comes from my youth, when the theatres ran short subjects,
newsreels, and features continuously. We would often arrive in the middle of a
show and stay until it was starting the repeat, noting this is where I came in."
Also popular in those days were the weekly "cliffhanger” serials where a
young George Lucas found inspiration for “Star Wars.”
“With The Senator going dark for an indefinite time, we all feel a great
disturbance in the Force,” said FOTS Managing Director Laura Perkins.
“Kathleen Cusack from the new management team predicts The Senator may
only stay dark a few days, and we hope the Cusack team understands
the importance of the theatre to this community and reopens The Senator as
quickly as possible.”
“We have many concerns about what’s in store for The Senator, particularly
plans to demolish original features that define the character of the building’s interior,” noted Kiefaber, “but we have no choice but to accept as graciously as possible that the force is with them.”
I asked Vince Young, who frequently contributes to this site, where in downtown Phila. did “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” play, and also “The Deer Hunter” and he has ok'ed my posting his reply:
opened 10/01/69 @ The Fox. What a wonderful opening day that must’ve been…Fox had been running a double-bill of Bullitt and Bonnie and Clyde previously, and the 10/1 “all day prevue day” was BC and Bullitt together. Makes me recall some of the amazing “prevue day” double bills that were here locally.
Am glad you asked about Deer Hunter. I thought there was something a bit historical about its run here, and it seems that it may have been the last “reserved Performances only…tickets on sale for first six weeks” engagement that I can remember here. It opened Friday 02/23/79 @ The Stagedoor. Two shows daily, three on weekends.
I enjoyed it very much at the then single screen Dupont in D.C. I think the northwestern DC cinemas (such as the Avalon) played the same movies as “downtown” but I don’t recall if the Dupont would have co-played it with the Avalon. I enjoyed “II” at the Uptown, and III here in the Phila. region at the Yeadon.
I went to a movie at the Festival. Curtains are used sometimes at the Ziegfeld, as you know, Mike, though not all the time. Both are wonderful theaters.
Yesterday, I was pleased to see that employees were not wearing City Cinema T shirts as I had seen months ago but were now once again elegantly attired. Usher who took ticket stubs wore white shirt, black vest, black pants.
I’m not happy with small popcorn now costing $6.50 and small soda now costing $4.50, skipping both. I enjoyed popcorn & sode before City Cinemas tookover, when it was more reasonably priced than many other places.
Projection, sound, use of curtains, enjoying movie from the balcony, wonderful graphics for the movie “Agora” on the marquee, all ensured that the Paris continues to be one of the nation’s flagship arthouses.
“Coco & Igor” starts Friday for almost a 2 month run, and will surely be a popular hit here.
I’m familiar enough with all these theaters, having written or rewritten their introductions on this website, and seeing movies each year in them. It IS unusual for the same movie to be at all of them. However, I doubt AMC is thinking one bit about the Avalon. I’m guessing AMC is only thinking of one thing: how much money the chain will make at the theaters it is placing this movie at.
Myself, I’m not going to see “Sex and the City 2” at all.
Comic book & movie characters seeking “donations”? Do you mean they are panhandlers seeking cash for themselves? that’s the property of the theater, right?
I agree with Brucec that the Loews Kings would be the most spectacular in NYC, in terms of former movie palaces. I haven’t been inside but have seen photos & reviewed Top 10 movie palaces in US lists made long ago by Theatre Historical Society of America founders.
New Amsterdam is an Art Nouveau masterpiece.
Radio City Music Hall is neat, and one of the world’s most famous movie palaces.
Loews 175th is very interesting.
The Hollywood (now a church) is equisite though not as huge as the Loews Kings.
That said, remembering that the style of Loews Kings is a far older style than Art Deco or exotic/atmospheric, the Loews Kings may be one the 2 best of its particular neo-classical styles among movie palaces in the US. (I’m using neoclassical in a broad way, more like ornate opera houses in Europe, with the gilt and marble). The other would be the Uptown in Chicago. Of course, there’s many other wonderful examples such as the Hollywood, and so forth, but in terms of grandeur, the Loews Kings is one of the nation’s greatest.
Today’s Philadelphia Inquirer article about the live shows and the rescue of the theater,
View link
Here’s John Coursey’s recent photo of the Movies at Midway, which inspired its addition to this website & our quest to discover its history:
View link
Proposed future of this theater:
View link
GCC opened the current Mazza Galleria, not the prior downstairs triplex as my Intro states;
/theaters/14856/
GCC also opened & operated the Jenifer, but in its later years, others operated it. I saw movies in all three venues.
I haven’t been copied on comments, so I didn’t realize there was a question. I have googled BoxOffice only with specific dates, but I am not an expert at using that journal. For the record, I never experienced the Randolph. I hope more people will write of their recollections.
Please add another comment when you open, including your website link if you have one, the number of seats in each auditorium, and anything else you’d like to add such as digital surround sound capabilities, 35 mm or 2 k or 4 k projection, and whether you’ve ever run a movie theater before.
I’m sure you realize you will be competing against Landmark’s E Street for arthouse films.
Final film from current management, from Senator’s email today:
Presented with a rare 1977 35 mm British I.B. Technicolor print
from a private collection.
Show times:
4:30 pm
8:00 pm
Doors open at 4:00 pm for the 4:30 show.
Admission FREE
The Force Is With Them!
Baltimore’s Senator Theatre Ends 71 Years of Continuous
Family Ownership and Operation.
“Friends of The Senator” Express A New Hope for a Rapid Reopening
Baltimore, MD
July 21, 2010
The Friends of The Senator (FOTS) theatre advocacy group announced today
that Wednesday 7/21 marks the final day of operation for Baltimore’s historic
Senator Theatre. The shutdown date was designated by Baltimore’s City Hall.
Instructions are to cease operations, and for the theatre’s ex-owner to remove
all personal items. Baltimore City took ownership of the renowned, single screen
Art Deco landmark at a foreclosure auction in July of 2009.
For the final evening of operation, the FOTS are encouraging patrons to join
us for a gathering of The Senator’s extended family, including long time
manager Gayle Grove and The Senator’s popular border collie staff, Natty Boh
and Nipper.
The evening will feature two free celebratory screenings of a rare 1977 British
I.B. Technicolor print of “Star Wars: A New Hope” from a private collection.
Free screenings of the two hour feature will be at 4:30 pm and 8:00 pm. Doors
open at 4:00 pm for the 4:30 show.
“We wanted to do something really special for the last film to be shown at
The Senator, to honor Tom Kiefaber and his family, as well as The Senator’s
long term staff,” said FOTS President Tom Harris, who has camped on the
sidewalk at The Senator for past Star Wars midnight openings with his family.
“A film collector approached us about this rare original release print of Star
Wars, and the film is such a touchstone for so many of us, we went for it.”
“This is where I came in,” said Tom Kiefaber, in reference to Star Wars in 1977.
“I grew up in The Senator, and I officially joined the family business in 1977, just
as Star Wars was about to change the film industry forever. The saying ‘this
is where I came in’ comes from my youth, when the theatres ran short subjects,
newsreels, and features continuously. We would often arrive in the middle of a
show and stay until it was starting the repeat, noting this is where I came in."
Also popular in those days were the weekly "cliffhanger” serials where a
young George Lucas found inspiration for “Star Wars.”
“With The Senator going dark for an indefinite time, we all feel a great
disturbance in the Force,” said FOTS Managing Director Laura Perkins.
“Kathleen Cusack from the new management team predicts The Senator may
only stay dark a few days, and we hope the Cusack team understands
the importance of the theatre to this community and reopens The Senator as
quickly as possible.”
“We have many concerns about what’s in store for The Senator, particularly
plans to demolish original features that define the character of the building’s interior,” noted Kiefaber, “but we have no choice but to accept as graciously as possible that the force is with them.”
I asked Vince Young, who frequently contributes to this site, where in downtown Phila. did “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” play, and also “The Deer Hunter” and he has ok'ed my posting his reply:
opened 10/01/69 @ The Fox. What a wonderful opening day that must’ve been…Fox had been running a double-bill of Bullitt and Bonnie and Clyde previously, and the 10/1 “all day prevue day” was BC and Bullitt together. Makes me recall some of the amazing “prevue day” double bills that were here locally.
Am glad you asked about Deer Hunter. I thought there was something a bit historical about its run here, and it seems that it may have been the last “reserved Performances only…tickets on sale for first six weeks” engagement that I can remember here. It opened Friday 02/23/79 @ The Stagedoor. Two shows daily, three on weekends.
Pretty Interior views are found here: View link
2007 photo of awesome looking grand lobby
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pomax/514661349/
2009 photo of lobby
View link
2010 photo of auditorium
View link
I enjoyed it very much at the then single screen Dupont in D.C. I think the northwestern DC cinemas (such as the Avalon) played the same movies as “downtown” but I don’t recall if the Dupont would have co-played it with the Avalon. I enjoyed “II” at the Uptown, and III here in the Phila. region at the Yeadon.
The decor of both El Cap & the Crest are magnificient! RIP, Joe Musil.
Article about summer 2010 closure for 13 weeks for interior restoration:
View link
I went to a movie at the Festival. Curtains are used sometimes at the Ziegfeld, as you know, Mike, though not all the time. Both are wonderful theaters.
That marquee looks nice! I hope they are succeeding with renting it out often.
Zink was the architect. There were competing plans to construct by different companies.
I’m sure the Paris is doing as well.
Yesterday, I was pleased to see that employees were not wearing City Cinema T shirts as I had seen months ago but were now once again elegantly attired. Usher who took ticket stubs wore white shirt, black vest, black pants.
I’m not happy with small popcorn now costing $6.50 and small soda now costing $4.50, skipping both. I enjoyed popcorn & sode before City Cinemas tookover, when it was more reasonably priced than many other places.
Projection, sound, use of curtains, enjoying movie from the balcony, wonderful graphics for the movie “Agora” on the marquee, all ensured that the Paris continues to be one of the nation’s flagship arthouses.
“Coco & Igor” starts Friday for almost a 2 month run, and will surely be a popular hit here.
We all want to see any picture of the panel so please post on a site like flickr and link here!
This May 22 article says vertical sign to be replicated:
View link
Interior & exterior photos, including historic ones:
http://www.ibdb.com/venueimages.php?id=1496
Having seen a movie in the very pretty auditorium (while visiting LA), I emailed my plea and hope everybody else does, too!
I’m familiar enough with all these theaters, having written or rewritten their introductions on this website, and seeing movies each year in them. It IS unusual for the same movie to be at all of them. However, I doubt AMC is thinking one bit about the Avalon. I’m guessing AMC is only thinking of one thing: how much money the chain will make at the theaters it is placing this movie at.
Myself, I’m not going to see “Sex and the City 2” at all.
Don’t be so harsh. Clearview booked “Sex and the City 2” at the Ziegfeld, so perhaps it is perceived as a mega hit.
Comic book & movie characters seeking “donations”? Do you mean they are panhandlers seeking cash for themselves? that’s the property of the theater, right?
I agree with Brucec that the Loews Kings would be the most spectacular in NYC, in terms of former movie palaces. I haven’t been inside but have seen photos & reviewed Top 10 movie palaces in US lists made long ago by Theatre Historical Society of America founders.
New Amsterdam is an Art Nouveau masterpiece.
Radio City Music Hall is neat, and one of the world’s most famous movie palaces.
Loews 175th is very interesting.
The Hollywood (now a church) is equisite though not as huge as the Loews Kings.
That said, remembering that the style of Loews Kings is a far older style than Art Deco or exotic/atmospheric, the Loews Kings may be one the 2 best of its particular neo-classical styles among movie palaces in the US. (I’m using neoclassical in a broad way, more like ornate opera houses in Europe, with the gilt and marble). The other would be the Uptown in Chicago. Of course, there’s many other wonderful examples such as the Hollywood, and so forth, but in terms of grandeur, the Loews Kings is one of the nation’s greatest.