JSA: I always thought the screen size was 50' wide, but I can’t prove it. I think I heard that back in the early ‘70s, but a memory that old can’t be trusted. Maybe someone else can give an exact figure.
Luis, you’re right about the blockbusters getting a chance to do well at the Ziegfeld. Out of the ones you mentioned, I hope it’s Spider-Man 3. That looks like the best of them. The early fall downtime would also be a great excuse to bring the Classics back.
And if they do, Vincent, you should try to attend one of the shows. The Ziegfeld is almost 40 years old. It’s been standing longer than the Roxy stood, and it’s part of New York history now, like it or not. If you sit in about the 8th row center and the screen is open to its full expanse, you’ll feel like you’re back in the days of the great old Times Square theaters you miss so much. The Ziegfeld is the only theater in the city that even comes close to re-creating that experience – you have to concede that.
And after the summer blockbusters die down in 6 weeks or so, I hope they go back to a fall edition of the Classics. I’m sure they’d be filling more seats with the Classics right now than they are with “Zodiac”.
I hadn’t heard about Betty until the day after it was announced. My cousin told me, and we watched “The Greatest Show on Earth” (a Music Hall attraction) that night to honor her.
Thanks, Bob, for the great ad … “And Introducing Geraldine Page”. I’d never been to the Fabian but I’ve been to the Montauk several times. That’s still standing too, right?
I attended a preview of Paramount’s “In and Out” (Kevin Kline and Joan Cusack) and was asked to fill out a comment sheet. It was fun to do it, but I now realize that was in 1997 – 10 years ago already. I also wonder if it still gets done today.
Re: Warren’s October 1966 ad. I wonder how MGM got away with proclaiming “Winner of 6 Academy Awards” in their “Zhivago” ads. They were counting Art Direction and Set Decoration as two separate awards, and they’re not. But that put them one Oscar up on “The Sound of Music”. I love both movies dearly, but it’s still false advertising.
Ken: It was still good to see that photo again. Please continue to post any other photos you have. There’s room here for all of them, even with the duplication.
Rhett is right about it being a very nice theater. And when you realize it’s the last single-screen left in Bergen County … I don’t want to state the obvious, but that really makes it a cinema treasure.
I’m going to the Rialto tonight to see “Venus”. I checked back through my collection of old Bergen County movie ads to see what played at the Rialto over the years. They showed “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” on the day I was born in 1954. Other great shows include “Lawrence of Arabia”, “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”, “Bye Bye Birdie”, “From Russia With Love”, “You Only Live Twice”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, many more. I’ll keep them in mind tonight when I visit the theater for the first time in more than 30 years (I saw Fellini’s “Amarcord” there in 1975).
Thanks for the good news, Gary. I too am anxiously hoping for the return of the Classics but if “Dreamgirls” is still making money, and people are still choosing to see it at the Ziegfeld instead of anywhere else – nothing wrong with that!
Henry Blanke produced both “The Nun’s Story” and “The Miracle”. The great commercial and critical success of the first must’ve made up for the big flop of the second.
“The Miracle” was supposed to be the first story film in Cinemiracle (a Cinerama-like giant screen process which had been used for the 1958 travelogue “Windjammer”), but it was filmed in the much cheaper Technirama instead.
Astyanax has an excellent idea there. A new 35mm print of “Becket” played the Film Forum last month, but a movie that big really should be seen at the Ziegfeld for maximum effect.
“Dreamgirls” is still playing at the Ziegfeld. It’s listed through the Thursday afternoon 2:30 show, but nothing is listed after that on the Clearview website.
To the Classics Series faithful: Keep hope alive! And to Forrest136: there was extremely large interest from the public to last year’s two series. Check out the posts above going back about one year ago.
Will06: I sure hope so. Last year they started on Super Bowl Weekend so they’re already late, but maybe “Dreamgirls” is still doing good business. The next couple of weeks will tell one way or the other.
The first time I made the trip alone from New Jersey to a Manhattan revival house was to see “The Birds” at the Elgin. To this sheltered teenager it seemed a slightly dangerous place, and had a strange smell too (pot?). But that was part of why it was so memorable. And where else in those days could you see “The Birds” on a screen that big? I went back several more times – I recall seeing “Nights of Cabiria” there.
I photographed these classic Cinerama pictures that were hanging in the lobby of the Clairidge – and got my camera confiscated for it until the movie ended. They thought I was going to bring it into the theater, but I didn’t bother telling them I’d never do that. I wasn’t the least bit interested in how the Clairidge looks now, but in 1961 … that’s a different story.
JSA: I always thought the screen size was 50' wide, but I can’t prove it. I think I heard that back in the early ‘70s, but a memory that old can’t be trusted. Maybe someone else can give an exact figure.
Luis, you’re right about the blockbusters getting a chance to do well at the Ziegfeld. Out of the ones you mentioned, I hope it’s Spider-Man 3. That looks like the best of them. The early fall downtime would also be a great excuse to bring the Classics back.
And if they do, Vincent, you should try to attend one of the shows. The Ziegfeld is almost 40 years old. It’s been standing longer than the Roxy stood, and it’s part of New York history now, like it or not. If you sit in about the 8th row center and the screen is open to its full expanse, you’ll feel like you’re back in the days of the great old Times Square theaters you miss so much. The Ziegfeld is the only theater in the city that even comes close to re-creating that experience – you have to concede that.
And after the summer blockbusters die down in 6 weeks or so, I hope they go back to a fall edition of the Classics. I’m sure they’d be filling more seats with the Classics right now than they are with “Zodiac”.
I hadn’t heard about Betty until the day after it was announced. My cousin told me, and we watched “The Greatest Show on Earth” (a Music Hall attraction) that night to honor her.
Thanks, Bob, for the great ad … “And Introducing Geraldine Page”. I’d never been to the Fabian but I’ve been to the Montauk several times. That’s still standing too, right?
I attended a preview of Paramount’s “In and Out” (Kevin Kline and Joan Cusack) and was asked to fill out a comment sheet. It was fun to do it, but I now realize that was in 1997 – 10 years ago already. I also wonder if it still gets done today.
Vito, what was the name of the important picture? We can see if it stood the test of time.
Re: Warren’s October 1966 ad. I wonder how MGM got away with proclaiming “Winner of 6 Academy Awards” in their “Zhivago” ads. They were counting Art Direction and Set Decoration as two separate awards, and they’re not. But that put them one Oscar up on “The Sound of Music”. I love both movies dearly, but it’s still false advertising.
Ken: It was still good to see that photo again. Please continue to post any other photos you have. There’s room here for all of them, even with the duplication.
Rhett is right about it being a very nice theater. And when you realize it’s the last single-screen left in Bergen County … I don’t want to state the obvious, but that really makes it a cinema treasure.
I’m going to the Rialto tonight to see “Venus”. I checked back through my collection of old Bergen County movie ads to see what played at the Rialto over the years. They showed “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” on the day I was born in 1954. Other great shows include “Lawrence of Arabia”, “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”, “Bye Bye Birdie”, “From Russia With Love”, “You Only Live Twice”, “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”, many more. I’ll keep them in mind tonight when I visit the theater for the first time in more than 30 years (I saw Fellini’s “Amarcord” there in 1975).
Thanks for the good news, Gary. I too am anxiously hoping for the return of the Classics but if “Dreamgirls” is still making money, and people are still choosing to see it at the Ziegfeld instead of anywhere else – nothing wrong with that!
Henry Blanke produced both “The Nun’s Story” and “The Miracle”. The great commercial and critical success of the first must’ve made up for the big flop of the second.
“The Miracle” was supposed to be the first story film in Cinemiracle (a Cinerama-like giant screen process which had been used for the 1958 travelogue “Windjammer”), but it was filmed in the much cheaper Technirama instead.
Astyanax has an excellent idea there. A new 35mm print of “Becket” played the Film Forum last month, but a movie that big really should be seen at the Ziegfeld for maximum effect.
“Dreamgirls” is still playing at the Ziegfeld. It’s listed through the Thursday afternoon 2:30 show, but nothing is listed after that on the Clearview website.
To the Classics Series faithful: Keep hope alive! And to Forrest136: there was extremely large interest from the public to last year’s two series. Check out the posts above going back about one year ago.
Was it Keye Luke? On the tour I took, the guide said the well-known Chinese-American actor painted all the murals in the theater.
Will06: I sure hope so. Last year they started on Super Bowl Weekend so they’re already late, but maybe “Dreamgirls” is still doing good business. The next couple of weeks will tell one way or the other.
MikePSJ: “Jaws” was rated PG, with this addition: “… but may be too INTENSE for younger children.”
The first time I made the trip alone from New Jersey to a Manhattan revival house was to see “The Birds” at the Elgin. To this sheltered teenager it seemed a slightly dangerous place, and had a strange smell too (pot?). But that was part of why it was so memorable. And where else in those days could you see “The Birds” on a screen that big? I went back several more times – I recall seeing “Nights of Cabiria” there.
One benefit of being a nun back in the 60s – you got to see Cinerama:
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I photographed these classic Cinerama pictures that were hanging in the lobby of the Clairidge – and got my camera confiscated for it until the movie ended. They thought I was going to bring it into the theater, but I didn’t bother telling them I’d never do that. I wasn’t the least bit interested in how the Clairidge looks now, but in 1961 … that’s a different story.
View link
View link
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You’re right, JSA. That’s a pilgrimage I would really love to make. I’m surprised it hasn’t played there for more than 11 years.
Oh wait – for the 7th time at the Dome. 8th time in L.A., though.
Wow, Michael – another first-rate job. I really hope the Cinerama Dome plays “2001” again soon, for the 8th time!