I think that A&C title should be “Buck Privates Come Home” – my error.
I was born in 1965 also, but I definitely remember the Stooges shorts being hosted on Officer Joe Bolton on WPIX when I was a wee lad. I’m not sure if Bolton was still filming new introductions or if they were merely recycling older shows from the ‘60’s, but PIX carried those episodes into the early '70’s. I also remember Popeye cartoons introduced by Captain Eugene McCarthy on WNEW-TV.
I also remember that back in the 3-D craze of the early 1980’s, I went to see a 3-D film down at the 8th Street Playhouse (I’m almost positive it was Andy Warhol’s “Flesh for Frankenstien” which would be completely incongruous) and they played a 3-D Woody Woodpecker cartoon as well as a 3-D Three Stooges short! I can’t remember the title… but the Stooges played private detectives and there was a mad scientist and a gorilla (the usual cheap gorilla suit) involved in the action!
Shemp was Moe’s brother and was one of the original Stooges back in the days when they comedic sidemen for Ted Healy. Younger brother Curly joined in the early ‘30’s and the Stooges broke out and launched their series of comic two-reelers for Columbia. Shemp, meanwhile, earned a name for himself as a supporting character in numerous comedies (he had some memorable scenes with Abbott and Costello in their “Buck Privates Go Home”). When Curly suffered a stroke in the mid 1940’s, Shemp came back to the fold to fill in. When Shemp died in the '50’s, comedian Joe Besser (famous as Stinky the Kid on the Abbott and Costello TV show) replaced him. Besser left the Stooges as their careers were fading in the late '50’s and two-reel shorts were becoming an extinct form. Curly Joe DeRita stepped in to fill Besser’s shoes just in time for the boys to launch their much belated but short lived feature length career with 1959’s “Have Rocket Will Travel.”
As for “Porgy and Bess,” no word on whether 35mm or 70mm, but the phrase “rolled through a projector” is used in Clearview’s webpage description. I’m guessing if this were a 70mm engagement, it would be played up pretty big in the write-up.
Seems that “Blade Runner” will be a Digital Presentation, per Clearview’s webpage on the engagement. Also looks like it’ll be a two-week engagement from October 5th through October 18th. Advance tickets (general admission) are available now.
I’m with Ron… I don’t find it at all difficult to get beyond the ads. I find them very unobtrusive. Compare this site to other commercial and popular sites on the net and the ads here are extraordinarily discreet. Sure, it’s a little odd to see the word “PSORIASIS” right below a theater description – but I think the benefits of financially subsidizing the maintenance of this site far outweigh the minor inconvenience of having to put up with a few text advertisements that one can easily scroll by.
Excellent job, Patrick and Ross, particularly if this is just the first pass and you expect further modifications and improvements to the integration of the advertisements.
Same with the music labels, Rory. Always a new format or remastered/remixed version of an old album coming out. The classic line on this is from “Men in Black,” where Tommy Lee Jones is explaining how the Gov’t releases new alien technology as needed to raise funds and points to the next generation compact musical-storage device and says to Will Smith, “Which means I’ll have to buy the White Album again!”
There were definite back-room deals made between Huang and Manes, bobosan. I remember reading about them in the papers or seeing reportson the news about the implication of Manes' involvement in the Board of Estimate reversal on the landmark designation.
Yup. Thanks Pete! I now recall each of those films – just a difference of 15 million years! I never saw “Quatermass and the Pit,” though I am aware of its existence.
They are simply being asked for donations, Warren. Strictly voluntary. Member contributions in the form of informative posts and photos are invaluable, but the cost of hosting all this information on a server large enough to accommodate the data and the visitor traffic is quite tangible and – I’m sure – a burden. Patrick and Ross have been generous to fund this worthwhile enterprise for seven years and, now, all they ask is that those of us who are willing and able to make a contribution (no matter how small) to help offset that cost, please be kind enough to chip in and put up with a few unobtrusive advertisements. Is it so much to ask?
Hmmm. That first tag sounds like logical hyperbole for the original “Godzilla”, but I know that movie was released in the U.S. a year earlier. And that line would make too much sense. I’ll bet they’re a pair of outlandish tags for an AIP horror double-bill! I’m sure if we search the net hard enough, we’ll find the films – so spill it quick, Warren! Now my curiosity is piqued!
I agree Bill… I think the ads are quite tasteful and discreet. What would be more hideous and repugnant would be to see CT shut down because Patrick and Ross were no longer able bear the financial burden of keeping it running!
I have a DVD of video footage shot by Hollywood90038 in 1990 in which you can see the boarded up Movieland awaiting conversion to retail use (actually, the auditorium would remain open for a few years as the disco Dance USA). I captured the following screen-shots from the DVD:
Forgive the blurry captures. Is that shot down 47th the actual theater sidewall? The boarded up windows are throwing me off. I assume the fire escape is from the theater balcony, but I may have my orientation confused.
The excellent documentary “Inside Deep Throat” contains some archival footage of the August ‘72 raid on the San Francisco Adult Movies I described in the intro above.
Here’s a screenshot image I snagged from a cable TV showing of the film showing a police crowbar about to pry some of the signage off of the facade above the cinema’s entrance.
Here’s another image of signage coming down from above the outdoor box office. Other footage of this raid (too blurry and quick cut for me to capture) includes a policeman ripping down a crudely handwritten sign (in colored marker) on thin paper from a vestibule sidewall advertising the “stereo sound” and “bright bold living color” adults-only presentations within.
Forgot to add that Hollywood90038 also shot some video of the same location – albeit taken from 7th Avenue looking to the west down 49th – a couple of years later in 1992.
The images are blurry, but it seems that the same marquee now reads “PINK” and I’m thinking it might be a cabaret rather than cinema at this point – looks like the attractions board reads “LIVE” something or other (maybe “LIVE LADIES”?).
CT Member Hollywood90038 was kind enough to share with me a DVD of some home-video footage he shot of Times Square in 1990. As he was shooting around the intersection of 49th and Broadway, the camera pans to the left and glimpses the marquee of the Circus Cinema on B'way and then along the signage for the RKO Video store on the southeast corner and then along 49th Street where he finds a small triangular marquee for the World Theater.
This is NOT the famous World Theatre where “Deep Throat” premiered – obviously the marquee is much smaller but also the theatre is located on a completely different site. The old World nee Punch and Judy was on the north side of 49th between 6th and 7th, whereas the World depicted in Hollywood’s video footage is on the south side of 49th on the short block between 7th and B'way. Had this been a former mini-cinema location or cabaret site that the owners of the World Theatre picked up or leased out once Rockefeller Centre kicked them out of their original site on the next block?
The excellent documentary “Inside Deep Throat” has been playing on HBO lately. I snagged a few screenshots (actually through use of my digital camera and the pause button on my DVR) of the archival newsreel footage depicting the World Theatre during the engagement of “Deep Throat” starting in June of 1972 and the subsequent raid conducted by NY’s finest later that year (please excuse the murky quality on some of these):
Note on the schedule board that the feature was presented along with some “loops” – presumably an assemblage of old-style stag loops from peep-show nickelodeons? Also interesting that the last show at 11:50pm is advertised as letting out at 12:54am. IMBD lists the film’s running time as 61 minutes – leaving a mere 3 minutes for those “loops!”
The empty marquees came in the very late ‘80’s and early '90’s at the hand of the City’s desire to have the area redeveloped – not due to dwindling movie-going crowds. Those theaters were forced to be shuttered – it was not a voluntary act. The Duece grinders drew substantial evening audiences through at least 1986 (when I stopped attending) and probably right up to 1988 – at which point the City took over half the theatre properties on the block and turned the strip into a veritable ghost-town. Even still, the Lyric, Selwyn, Rialto and Harris Theaters hung on for a few years beyond that.
I think what’s lost in this debate is the level of architectural detail and craftsmanship that went into erecting these local houses of the 1920’s. Many nabes similar in splendor to the Madison were built throughout the boroughs – and even in the suburbs beyond City limits. That such lavish appointments were afforded a “mere nabe” is astonishing to consider in these days of banal multiplex drones. Of course, as the construction of nabes into the 1930’s increased in number – and as live shows (and therefore the need for stage facilities) became obsolete – the theaters became smaller in size and less elaborate in design. Changing architectural tastes also impacted the look of these theaters – as the classic Adamesque and other roccoco styles were phased out in favor of the more streamlined Art Deco and Art Moderne movements.
I think when we are presented with the handsome appointments and intricate decor of a large theatre like the Madison, we find it hard to reconcile its ranking in the distribution circuit as just another nabe – like the relatively plain 600-seat neighborhood itch.
Thanks for that terrific post on the theatre’s history, StanMalone.
Here’s an image of the theater that I captured from the documentary “Inside Deep Throat.” Based on StanMalone’s comments, I think we can pretty reliably date the image from 1973.
I also think an AKA is in order for “Walton Street Art Theatre.”
Thanks, Ken. I’ve been trying to figure out what the darkened part of the marquee reads – as it really did not appear to be “Tenth St.” I thought perhaps “Wilson St,” but I know believe that “Walton St” fits perfectly. Do any of your theater resources list a “Walton Street Art Theatre” amongst their numbers? I think we have the makings of a new listing here.
I have to correct myself again. Shemp Howard was not in “Buck Privates Come Home”… the A&C film I was thinking about is “In the Navy.” OK, nuff said.
I think that A&C title should be “Buck Privates Come Home” – my error.
I was born in 1965 also, but I definitely remember the Stooges shorts being hosted on Officer Joe Bolton on WPIX when I was a wee lad. I’m not sure if Bolton was still filming new introductions or if they were merely recycling older shows from the ‘60’s, but PIX carried those episodes into the early '70’s. I also remember Popeye cartoons introduced by Captain Eugene McCarthy on WNEW-TV.
I also remember that back in the 3-D craze of the early 1980’s, I went to see a 3-D film down at the 8th Street Playhouse (I’m almost positive it was Andy Warhol’s “Flesh for Frankenstien” which would be completely incongruous) and they played a 3-D Woody Woodpecker cartoon as well as a 3-D Three Stooges short! I can’t remember the title… but the Stooges played private detectives and there was a mad scientist and a gorilla (the usual cheap gorilla suit) involved in the action!
Shemp was Moe’s brother and was one of the original Stooges back in the days when they comedic sidemen for Ted Healy. Younger brother Curly joined in the early ‘30’s and the Stooges broke out and launched their series of comic two-reelers for Columbia. Shemp, meanwhile, earned a name for himself as a supporting character in numerous comedies (he had some memorable scenes with Abbott and Costello in their “Buck Privates Go Home”). When Curly suffered a stroke in the mid 1940’s, Shemp came back to the fold to fill in. When Shemp died in the '50’s, comedian Joe Besser (famous as Stinky the Kid on the Abbott and Costello TV show) replaced him. Besser left the Stooges as their careers were fading in the late '50’s and two-reel shorts were becoming an extinct form. Curly Joe DeRita stepped in to fill Besser’s shoes just in time for the boys to launch their much belated but short lived feature length career with 1959’s “Have Rocket Will Travel.”
And there’s this special one-night engagement of a Pearl Jam concert video on September 25th, again via Digital Projection.
As for “Porgy and Bess,” no word on whether 35mm or 70mm, but the phrase “rolled through a projector” is used in Clearview’s webpage description. I’m guessing if this were a 70mm engagement, it would be played up pretty big in the write-up.
Seems that “Blade Runner” will be a Digital Presentation, per Clearview’s webpage on the engagement. Also looks like it’ll be a two-week engagement from October 5th through October 18th. Advance tickets (general admission) are available now.
I’m with Ron… I don’t find it at all difficult to get beyond the ads. I find them very unobtrusive. Compare this site to other commercial and popular sites on the net and the ads here are extraordinarily discreet. Sure, it’s a little odd to see the word “PSORIASIS” right below a theater description – but I think the benefits of financially subsidizing the maintenance of this site far outweigh the minor inconvenience of having to put up with a few text advertisements that one can easily scroll by.
Excellent job, Patrick and Ross, particularly if this is just the first pass and you expect further modifications and improvements to the integration of the advertisements.
Same with the music labels, Rory. Always a new format or remastered/remixed version of an old album coming out. The classic line on this is from “Men in Black,” where Tommy Lee Jones is explaining how the Gov’t releases new alien technology as needed to raise funds and points to the next generation compact musical-storage device and says to Will Smith, “Which means I’ll have to buy the White Album again!”
There were definite back-room deals made between Huang and Manes, bobosan. I remember reading about them in the papers or seeing reportson the news about the implication of Manes' involvement in the Board of Estimate reversal on the landmark designation.
Yup. Thanks Pete! I now recall each of those films – just a difference of 15 million years! I never saw “Quatermass and the Pit,” though I am aware of its existence.
Never heard of that one either. So what is the first film… “20 Million Miles to Earth?” That’s one of the Quartermass films from Britain, isn’t it?
They are simply being asked for donations, Warren. Strictly voluntary. Member contributions in the form of informative posts and photos are invaluable, but the cost of hosting all this information on a server large enough to accommodate the data and the visitor traffic is quite tangible and – I’m sure – a burden. Patrick and Ross have been generous to fund this worthwhile enterprise for seven years and, now, all they ask is that those of us who are willing and able to make a contribution (no matter how small) to help offset that cost, please be kind enough to chip in and put up with a few unobtrusive advertisements. Is it so much to ask?
Hmmm. That first tag sounds like logical hyperbole for the original “Godzilla”, but I know that movie was released in the U.S. a year earlier. And that line would make too much sense. I’ll bet they’re a pair of outlandish tags for an AIP horror double-bill! I’m sure if we search the net hard enough, we’ll find the films – so spill it quick, Warren! Now my curiosity is piqued!
And more repugnant still if CT members were unwilling to contribute in any way they can to help sustain the site!
I agree Bill… I think the ads are quite tasteful and discreet. What would be more hideous and repugnant would be to see CT shut down because Patrick and Ross were no longer able bear the financial burden of keeping it running!
I have a DVD of video footage shot by Hollywood90038 in 1990 in which you can see the boarded up Movieland awaiting conversion to retail use (actually, the auditorium would remain open for a few years as the disco Dance USA). I captured the following screen-shots from the DVD:
Marquee and facade
Sidewall down 47th
Marquee profile
Forgive the blurry captures. Is that shot down 47th the actual theater sidewall? The boarded up windows are throwing me off. I assume the fire escape is from the theater balcony, but I may have my orientation confused.
The excellent documentary “Inside Deep Throat” contains some archival footage of the August ‘72 raid on the San Francisco Adult Movies I described in the intro above.
Here’s a screenshot image I snagged from a cable TV showing of the film showing a police crowbar about to pry some of the signage off of the facade above the cinema’s entrance.
Here’s another image of signage coming down from above the outdoor box office. Other footage of this raid (too blurry and quick cut for me to capture) includes a policeman ripping down a crudely handwritten sign (in colored marker) on thin paper from a vestibule sidewall advertising the “stereo sound” and “bright bold living color” adults-only presentations within.
Forgot to add that Hollywood90038 also shot some video of the same location – albeit taken from 7th Avenue looking to the west down 49th – a couple of years later in 1992.
West 49th – 1992
Zoom in closer
The images are blurry, but it seems that the same marquee now reads “PINK” and I’m thinking it might be a cabaret rather than cinema at this point – looks like the attractions board reads “LIVE” something or other (maybe “LIVE LADIES”?).
CT Member Hollywood90038 was kind enough to share with me a DVD of some home-video footage he shot of Times Square in 1990. As he was shooting around the intersection of 49th and Broadway, the camera pans to the left and glimpses the marquee of the Circus Cinema on B'way and then along the signage for the RKO Video store on the southeast corner and then along 49th Street where he finds a small triangular marquee for the World Theater.
Here’s one view of this marquee and here’s a closer shot that I captured from the DVD.
This is NOT the famous World Theatre where “Deep Throat” premiered – obviously the marquee is much smaller but also the theatre is located on a completely different site. The old World nee Punch and Judy was on the north side of 49th between 6th and 7th, whereas the World depicted in Hollywood’s video footage is on the south side of 49th on the short block between 7th and B'way. Had this been a former mini-cinema location or cabaret site that the owners of the World Theatre picked up or leased out once Rockefeller Centre kicked them out of their original site on the next block?
Any ideas out there? KenRoe? AlAlvarez? RobertR?
The excellent documentary “Inside Deep Throat” has been playing on HBO lately. I snagged a few screenshots (actually through use of my digital camera and the pause button on my DVR) of the archival newsreel footage depicting the World Theatre during the engagement of “Deep Throat” starting in June of 1972 and the subsequent raid conducted by NY’s finest later that year (please excuse the murky quality on some of these):
Marquee at twilight
Schedule board – Plus Loops!
Display case artwork
The Raid – under the canopy
The Raid – banner comes down
The Raid – cop inspects banner
Marquee after raid
Marquee after raid – alt shot
Note on the schedule board that the feature was presented along with some “loops” – presumably an assemblage of old-style stag loops from peep-show nickelodeons? Also interesting that the last show at 11:50pm is advertised as letting out at 12:54am. IMBD lists the film’s running time as 61 minutes – leaving a mere 3 minutes for those “loops!”
Hey Ken… You might have been a bit hungry when you added the AKA above. That should be “Walton Street Art Theatre” not “Walnut Street!”
Cheers!
The empty marquees came in the very late ‘80’s and early '90’s at the hand of the City’s desire to have the area redeveloped – not due to dwindling movie-going crowds. Those theaters were forced to be shuttered – it was not a voluntary act. The Duece grinders drew substantial evening audiences through at least 1986 (when I stopped attending) and probably right up to 1988 – at which point the City took over half the theatre properties on the block and turned the strip into a veritable ghost-town. Even still, the Lyric, Selwyn, Rialto and Harris Theaters hung on for a few years beyond that.
I think what’s lost in this debate is the level of architectural detail and craftsmanship that went into erecting these local houses of the 1920’s. Many nabes similar in splendor to the Madison were built throughout the boroughs – and even in the suburbs beyond City limits. That such lavish appointments were afforded a “mere nabe” is astonishing to consider in these days of banal multiplex drones. Of course, as the construction of nabes into the 1930’s increased in number – and as live shows (and therefore the need for stage facilities) became obsolete – the theaters became smaller in size and less elaborate in design. Changing architectural tastes also impacted the look of these theaters – as the classic Adamesque and other roccoco styles were phased out in favor of the more streamlined Art Deco and Art Moderne movements.
I think when we are presented with the handsome appointments and intricate decor of a large theatre like the Madison, we find it hard to reconcile its ranking in the distribution circuit as just another nabe – like the relatively plain 600-seat neighborhood itch.
Thanks for that terrific post on the theatre’s history, StanMalone.
Here’s an image of the theater that I captured from the documentary “Inside Deep Throat.” Based on StanMalone’s comments, I think we can pretty reliably date the image from 1973.
I also think an AKA is in order for “Walton Street Art Theatre.”
Thanks, Ken. I’ve been trying to figure out what the darkened part of the marquee reads – as it really did not appear to be “Tenth St.” I thought perhaps “Wilson St,” but I know believe that “Walton St” fits perfectly. Do any of your theater resources list a “Walton Street Art Theatre” amongst their numbers? I think we have the makings of a new listing here.