I guess we should just be glad it’s being shown in New York at all. But, contrary to what Bob said, too bad it ISN’T playing the Ziegfeld. Like it or not, that’s the only theater left in the city that can even come close to what the 1968 showings at the DeMille must have been like.
Justin: I don’t think there are any rocking chair seats in the Ziegfeld. If there are, they must be in the upstairs section, where I never sit (too far away from the screen).
I’d gladly pay $14 for the Cinerama Dome in the ArcLight complex – and I wish we had one of those here in New York – but how about the rest of the theaters there? That’s a high price for a multiplex (although I’m sure it’s a nice one).
Justin: I think the Empire has morning bargain matinees on weekends, but like we said up above, they can afford it. I’ll always go out of my way and pay the extra few dollars to see something at the Ziegfeld, though. At least you still get something for your money – the theater itself – even when the movie is bad. That’s why “Hairspray” was like a breath of fresh air … a new movie that was really, really good. A rarity these days.
There were no doubt more people seeing “Hairspray” at the Empire last night than there were at the Ziegfeld, but discriminating moviegoers will always be glad to make the extra schlep up to 54th St.
Only the see-through curtain was used last night – better than nothing. But the movie “Hairspray” was sensational. Projection and sound were perfect. A movie like that was made to be shown at the Ziegfeld. The audience ate it up. The best new movie I’ve seen there in several years, since at least “Master and Commander” and “Chicago”.
“Dirty Dancing” (20th Anniversary) coming in for one week starting 8/24. Followed by “Saturday Night Fever” (30th anniversary) for one week starting 8/31. Hopefully more Classics will follow.
A couple of weeks ago the Ziegfeld used the curtains for a Friday night showing of “Ratatouille”. I’m going there tonight for “Hairspray” – I’ll let you know.
This theater is indirectly mentioned in Paddy Chayefsky’s Oscar-winning screenplay for “Marty”, the 1955 Best Picture Oscar winner. The scene takes place in the Bronx. Someone says “I’ll never forgive LaGuardia for cutting burlesque out of New York City”, and his friend says, “There’s a burlesque in Union City. Why don’t we go down to Union City?”
There’s a 7-foot-tall can of hairspray on display in the lobby, so it probably will play there. I think every big movie musical made in the last few years has played the Ziegfeld.
I was thinking only of really big-screen theaters there, which is why I forgot the Lafayette in Suffern, NY. The screen may not be super large, but the appearance of the theater and everything about the way it is run makes it one of the best in the country.
I guess “Marriage on the Rocks” was the actual first movie screened, even though it was a one-time-only engagement. My friend and frequent poster Jeff S. owns a 35mm print of that film. I’d like to think it was the same one that opened the Stanley Warner that night in 1965.
Like Pete Apruzzese, I too saw “Blade Runner” on opening night at the Loew’s Meadows 6 in Secaucus NJ. The screen wasn’t opened all the way for anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 until about 30 minutes into the picture (opening night glitches, I guess). I had read Philip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and was very disappointed that the movie was nothing like the book. It also seemed to be a comedown from Ridley Scott’s last film, “Alien”. In the years since, I’ve come to appreciate “Blade Runner” for the good movie it is without all that baggage I brought to it in 1982, but it never seemed like a truly great film to me. Its fans should be happy to know it just got included in the new edition of the AFI Top 100 Movies list for the first time.
The Capitol called their upstairs front rows “divans”. My dad got “2001” tickets for that section in 1968, and before I went I wasn’t sure what kind of seats we were going to get. I pictured them to be something like boxes in an opera house. But it was just the front couple of rows in the upstairs, at eye level with the middle part of the Cinerama screen.
Richard Holden: Thanks for sharing those incredible memories with all of us. Posts like yours are what makes Cinema Treasures one of the best websites out there.
Referring to what MBD said: I didn’t know the big auditorium had been divided in half. When did that happen? I saw “The Phantom Menace” there in 1999 (the first digital presentation) and it looked intact to me. Although I realize a lot of bad things can happen to a very large theater in the course of 8 years.
I guess we should just be glad it’s being shown in New York at all. But, contrary to what Bob said, too bad it ISN’T playing the Ziegfeld. Like it or not, that’s the only theater left in the city that can even come close to what the 1968 showings at the DeMille must have been like.
View link
Justin: I don’t think there are any rocking chair seats in the Ziegfeld. If there are, they must be in the upstairs section, where I never sit (too far away from the screen).
I’d gladly pay $14 for the Cinerama Dome in the ArcLight complex – and I wish we had one of those here in New York – but how about the rest of the theaters there? That’s a high price for a multiplex (although I’m sure it’s a nice one).
Justin: I think the Empire has morning bargain matinees on weekends, but like we said up above, they can afford it. I’ll always go out of my way and pay the extra few dollars to see something at the Ziegfeld, though. At least you still get something for your money – the theater itself – even when the movie is bad. That’s why “Hairspray” was like a breath of fresh air … a new movie that was really, really good. A rarity these days.
I guess that would be the Empire 42nd St., with all those elevators that seem like they’re never going to arrive.
$11.00 for adults, I think $7.00 for children under 12 and seniors. No bargain matinees.
There were no doubt more people seeing “Hairspray” at the Empire last night than there were at the Ziegfeld, but discriminating moviegoers will always be glad to make the extra schlep up to 54th St.
Only the see-through curtain was used last night – better than nothing. But the movie “Hairspray” was sensational. Projection and sound were perfect. A movie like that was made to be shown at the Ziegfeld. The audience ate it up. The best new movie I’ve seen there in several years, since at least “Master and Commander” and “Chicago”.
“Dirty Dancing” (20th Anniversary) coming in for one week starting 8/24. Followed by “Saturday Night Fever” (30th anniversary) for one week starting 8/31. Hopefully more Classics will follow.
A couple of weeks ago the Ziegfeld used the curtains for a Friday night showing of “Ratatouille”. I’m going there tonight for “Hairspray” – I’ll let you know.
This theater is indirectly mentioned in Paddy Chayefsky’s Oscar-winning screenplay for “Marty”, the 1955 Best Picture Oscar winner. The scene takes place in the Bronx. Someone says “I’ll never forgive LaGuardia for cutting burlesque out of New York City”, and his friend says, “There’s a burlesque in Union City. Why don’t we go down to Union City?”
It’s official – starts July 20th:
View link
There’s a 7-foot-tall can of hairspray on display in the lobby, so it probably will play there. I think every big movie musical made in the last few years has played the Ziegfeld.
You can find listings for the Stanley Warner in the Bergen Record. The Hackensack Public Library has all the issues on microfilm, in the basement.
I was thinking only of really big-screen theaters there, which is why I forgot the Lafayette in Suffern, NY. The screen may not be super large, but the appearance of the theater and everything about the way it is run makes it one of the best in the country.
My favorites:
New York: The Ziegfeld
Washington DC: The Uptown
Los Angeles: Grauman’s Chinese, Cinerama Dome, The El Capitan.
Thanks to Michael Coate and Bill Kallay, here’s the answer to Movieguru’s question:
View link
I guess “Marriage on the Rocks” was the actual first movie screened, even though it was a one-time-only engagement. My friend and frequent poster Jeff S. owns a 35mm print of that film. I’d like to think it was the same one that opened the Stanley Warner that night in 1965.
Like Pete Apruzzese, I too saw “Blade Runner” on opening night at the Loew’s Meadows 6 in Secaucus NJ. The screen wasn’t opened all the way for anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1 until about 30 minutes into the picture (opening night glitches, I guess). I had read Philip K. Dick’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and was very disappointed that the movie was nothing like the book. It also seemed to be a comedown from Ridley Scott’s last film, “Alien”. In the years since, I’ve come to appreciate “Blade Runner” for the good movie it is without all that baggage I brought to it in 1982, but it never seemed like a truly great film to me. Its fans should be happy to know it just got included in the new edition of the AFI Top 100 Movies list for the first time.
Sorry. I just wanted to add to the discussion about upstairs seating that was going on here.
As you can see here, the divans were the highest-priced seats ($4.25!)
View link
The Capitol called their upstairs front rows “divans”. My dad got “2001” tickets for that section in 1968, and before I went I wasn’t sure what kind of seats we were going to get. I pictured them to be something like boxes in an opera house. But it was just the front couple of rows in the upstairs, at eye level with the middle part of the Cinerama screen.
Richard Holden: Thanks for sharing those incredible memories with all of us. Posts like yours are what makes Cinema Treasures one of the best websites out there.
Huge crowd last night for “Strangers on a Train” and Farley Granger. The most people I’ve seen there since “Forbidden Planet”.
Thanks for the pictures, Photoman 1001. My favorite is “The Original Lobby”.
Thanks for the pictures, Lost Memory. I was getting hungry looking at the one of Boulevard Drinks. That place is great!
Referring to what MBD said: I didn’t know the big auditorium had been divided in half. When did that happen? I saw “The Phantom Menace” there in 1999 (the first digital presentation) and it looked intact to me. Although I realize a lot of bad things can happen to a very large theater in the course of 8 years.