Correction: the “Lion in Winter” music was from the original soundtrack, not played on the organ. Either way, it was another very cool example of showmanship.
Yesterday’s “Becket” show ended in a very clever way, I thought … organist Jeff Barker started playing the theme from “The Lion in Winter”, the next movie made about King Henry II, played once again by Peter O'Toole. Of all the movies I’d ever seen from childhood TV viewings that I had yet to see in its original widescreen form, “Becket” was by far the one I most wanted to see. Thanks to the Lafayette and Pete, Nelson, etc., I can now cross that one off my list. Also thanks to the Lafayette, the Film Forum, the Ziegfeld, the Loew’s Jersey, widescreen DVD and cable airings, etc., I find I can’t come up with another film to replace it with. Yesterday marked a true turning point in my moviegoing life!
If I go to this next one, it’ll be to meet the one and only Patty McCormack, and to get her autograph on my “Bad Seed” DVD.
Vincent: The Chiller convention is held twice a year, in April and October. It’s usually in East Rutherford but this time they’re moving to Secaucus NJ. I’ve been to around 4 of them. One of the biggest highlights for me was meeting Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood from “2001”. There are several conventions around the area all year round: Star Trek, comics, etc. Just a few months ago there was a first annual Twilight Zone convention in Hasbrouck Heights NJ, but I didn’t find out about it in time to go. Maybe next year …
Longislandmovies: I’d say there were around 300 people at “West Side Story” on Tuesday night and about twice that many for “Grease” last Friday night. The “Grease” turnout was the biggest I’d seen at the Ziegfeld since “Raiders of the Lost Ark” back in March of this year.
Russ also appeared in what is probably one of the 5 best horror films ever made, Robert Wise’s “The Haunting”. And in all fairness to George and his appearance, remember he was pushing 70 years old at the time. We all looked better 40-something years ago! And Ed, I really do think he was there for “West Side Story”. He and Russ sat next to each other on the convention floor. A lot of actors from non-genre films and TV shows show up at Chiller. I’ve met the actors who played Cissy and Jody on “Family Affair” as well as Carol Lynley (who did appear in the horror classic “Bunny Lake is Missing”). This year’s edition will feature actors from “A Christmas Story” and also famous British rockers Denny Laine and Pete Best.
I met George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn at a Chiller Theater convention in November 2003, in East Rutherford NJ. Both were very nice guys – I got to take a picture with each of them:
Last night’s print had very noticeable directional stereo during the songs (“Maria”) and some of the dialogue (Tony on the left side of the screen saying “Bottles, knives, guns!” when the gangs are planning the rumble at Doc’s Candy Store).
Today’s the last day to see it – tomorrow’s shows have been cancelled. Probably another fashion shoot or premiere of a bad new movie.
The print from February didn’t have that UA logo, though, and it was much more scratched up than the one we saw tonight. I know what you mean about the whistles, though. The quality of the print itself made up for that. Some of the colors in the overture’s abstract impression of the city were so intense they made my eyes hurt.
Tonight the Ziegfeld showed a beautiful new 35mm print of “West Side Story”. The size of the image from the front row and the flawless quality of the print made me feel like I was finally seeing it in 70mm (I almost did, back in the summer of ‘62 at the Bellevue in Upper Montclair NJ, but at the last minute it didn’t happen). That film has got to be one of the five best examples of widescreen filmmaking in the last fifty years.
While talking to a friendly Ziegfeld employee in the lobby, somebody came up to her and asked which was the entrance to “Theater #1”. When she told him it was one big theater, I said I hoped it would never be twinned or split up in any way. She said the owners of the building, Fisher Brothers, would never allow that to happen, ever.
Tonight I finally got to see “Cabaret” at the Ziegfeld, where it first opened in New York. In 1972 I didn’t see it till it played in New Jersey – took me 34 years to rectify that mistake.
I first saw “Grease” on the night it opened in 1978, in North Chelmsford, Mass. The mostly teen audience seemed to be embarrassed that it was a musical – most of them got up and went to the lobby whenever a song came on. I made up for that show tonight at the “Grease” sing-along. The center section was practically full. Everyone sang along with the onscreen lyrics, and lots of people recited their favorite dialogue in perfect sync with the actors. Applause after every song. Great, great show. I haven’t had this much ‘50’s-style fun since the Lafayette showed “Robot Monster” in 3D.
The new James Bond film “Casino Royale” opens at the Ziegfeld on November 17th.
Well then, Robert, I’m glad I get this chance to thank you personally for that amazing show. Everyone in that audience appreciated the great job you did. Hard to believe that was 25 years ago, but it’s one of those things you don’t forget.
Robert, I attended one of the Sunday afternoon “Napoleon” shows at Radio City. The only seat I could get was in the back row of the third mezzanine, right underneath you if you were working that day. But even from that faraway vantage point, the 3-screen sequence was an awesome sight.
If only some rich Hollywood bigshot would do for Cinerama what Francis Ford Coppola did for “Napoleon”.
Robert and Ed: You’re right. Cinerama is a wonderful process, flaws and all. But the last time I saw it, in Hollywood 2005 (“How the West Was Won”), the presentation was so skillful that whatever flaws there were in the process were not even noticed! Cinerama must be to a projectionist what playing in the World Series is to a baseball player.
Here’s a November 1968 Bergen Record ad announcing the revolutionary new concept of the twin theater, before the concept really caught on (perhaps too well):
Vito, I hope Universal does that too. “Mulholland Drive” wasn’t a box office smash but it did OK business, and more importantly it was a great movie that earned Lynch a Best Director Oscar nomination. He’s too good a director to have his films struggle to get widely seen.
I was checking out the old Bergen Record microfilms today, to see if “Becket” played the Lafayette back in 1964. Apparently not – when other UA circuit theaters were showing it, the Lafayette’s attraction was “Rio Conchos”. But no matter – the really important thing is that “Becket” will be playing the Lafayette in 2006, October 14th to be exact, something all fans of the film in the tri-state area should be extremely grateful for.
Vito said: “I believe we will see less and less film. Think about it, a lot fewer people are using film to take pictures today.”
David Lynch shot his new 3-hour film “Inland Empire” on digital video. Now if only some brave US distributor will have the courage to pick up the movie so we can all have a chance to see it!
Thanks Robert and Ed (and whoever originally posted the picture) for the ad and the picture. The ad makes “3 Ring Circus” sound like the second VistaVision film after “White Christmas”, but I always thought that was “Strategic Air Command”. Anyway, it must’ve been one of the very first VistaVision releases.
Thanks for the great “Jaws” ad, Robert. I saw it again last night (the Ziegfeld standing in for the Rivoli) and it was just as exciting the 14th time as it was the first!
Correction: the “Lion in Winter” music was from the original soundtrack, not played on the organ. Either way, it was another very cool example of showmanship.
Yesterday’s “Becket” show ended in a very clever way, I thought … organist Jeff Barker started playing the theme from “The Lion in Winter”, the next movie made about King Henry II, played once again by Peter O'Toole. Of all the movies I’d ever seen from childhood TV viewings that I had yet to see in its original widescreen form, “Becket” was by far the one I most wanted to see. Thanks to the Lafayette and Pete, Nelson, etc., I can now cross that one off my list. Also thanks to the Lafayette, the Film Forum, the Ziegfeld, the Loew’s Jersey, widescreen DVD and cable airings, etc., I find I can’t come up with another film to replace it with. Yesterday marked a true turning point in my moviegoing life!
Relating to the “West Side Story” discussion above, here are the autographs I got from Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris:
View link
If I go to this next one, it’ll be to meet the one and only Patty McCormack, and to get her autograph on my “Bad Seed” DVD.
Vincent: The Chiller convention is held twice a year, in April and October. It’s usually in East Rutherford but this time they’re moving to Secaucus NJ. I’ve been to around 4 of them. One of the biggest highlights for me was meeting Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood from “2001”. There are several conventions around the area all year round: Star Trek, comics, etc. Just a few months ago there was a first annual Twilight Zone convention in Hasbrouck Heights NJ, but I didn’t find out about it in time to go. Maybe next year …
Longislandmovies: I’d say there were around 300 people at “West Side Story” on Tuesday night and about twice that many for “Grease” last Friday night. The “Grease” turnout was the biggest I’d seen at the Ziegfeld since “Raiders of the Lost Ark” back in March of this year.
Russ also appeared in what is probably one of the 5 best horror films ever made, Robert Wise’s “The Haunting”. And in all fairness to George and his appearance, remember he was pushing 70 years old at the time. We all looked better 40-something years ago! And Ed, I really do think he was there for “West Side Story”. He and Russ sat next to each other on the convention floor. A lot of actors from non-genre films and TV shows show up at Chiller. I’ve met the actors who played Cissy and Jody on “Family Affair” as well as Carol Lynley (who did appear in the horror classic “Bunny Lake is Missing”). This year’s edition will feature actors from “A Christmas Story” and also famous British rockers Denny Laine and Pete Best.
http://www.chillertheatre.com/gt/gtc4.htm
I met George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn at a Chiller Theater convention in November 2003, in East Rutherford NJ. Both were very nice guys – I got to take a picture with each of them:
View link
View link
Last night’s print had very noticeable directional stereo during the songs (“Maria”) and some of the dialogue (Tony on the left side of the screen saying “Bottles, knives, guns!” when the gangs are planning the rumble at Doc’s Candy Store).
Today’s the last day to see it – tomorrow’s shows have been cancelled. Probably another fashion shoot or premiere of a bad new movie.
The print from February didn’t have that UA logo, though, and it was much more scratched up than the one we saw tonight. I know what you mean about the whistles, though. The quality of the print itself made up for that. Some of the colors in the overture’s abstract impression of the city were so intense they made my eyes hurt.
Tonight the Ziegfeld showed a beautiful new 35mm print of “West Side Story”. The size of the image from the front row and the flawless quality of the print made me feel like I was finally seeing it in 70mm (I almost did, back in the summer of ‘62 at the Bellevue in Upper Montclair NJ, but at the last minute it didn’t happen). That film has got to be one of the five best examples of widescreen filmmaking in the last fifty years.
While talking to a friendly Ziegfeld employee in the lobby, somebody came up to her and asked which was the entrance to “Theater #1”. When she told him it was one big theater, I said I hoped it would never be twinned or split up in any way. She said the owners of the building, Fisher Brothers, would never allow that to happen, ever.
Tonight I finally got to see “Cabaret” at the Ziegfeld, where it first opened in New York. In 1972 I didn’t see it till it played in New Jersey – took me 34 years to rectify that mistake.
Yes, they displayed the original lyrics. “Greased Lightning” actually got applause BEFORE the song started, in anticipation of it.
I first saw “Grease” on the night it opened in 1978, in North Chelmsford, Mass. The mostly teen audience seemed to be embarrassed that it was a musical – most of them got up and went to the lobby whenever a song came on. I made up for that show tonight at the “Grease” sing-along. The center section was practically full. Everyone sang along with the onscreen lyrics, and lots of people recited their favorite dialogue in perfect sync with the actors. Applause after every song. Great, great show. I haven’t had this much ‘50’s-style fun since the Lafayette showed “Robot Monster” in 3D.
The new James Bond film “Casino Royale” opens at the Ziegfeld on November 17th.
Well then, Robert, I’m glad I get this chance to thank you personally for that amazing show. Everyone in that audience appreciated the great job you did. Hard to believe that was 25 years ago, but it’s one of those things you don’t forget.
Robert, I attended one of the Sunday afternoon “Napoleon” shows at Radio City. The only seat I could get was in the back row of the third mezzanine, right underneath you if you were working that day. But even from that faraway vantage point, the 3-screen sequence was an awesome sight.
If only some rich Hollywood bigshot would do for Cinerama what Francis Ford Coppola did for “Napoleon”.
Robert and Ed: You’re right. Cinerama is a wonderful process, flaws and all. But the last time I saw it, in Hollywood 2005 (“How the West Was Won”), the presentation was so skillful that whatever flaws there were in the process were not even noticed! Cinerama must be to a projectionist what playing in the World Series is to a baseball player.
Here’s a November 1968 Bergen Record ad announcing the revolutionary new concept of the twin theater, before the concept really caught on (perhaps too well):
View link
Vito, I hope Universal does that too. “Mulholland Drive” wasn’t a box office smash but it did OK business, and more importantly it was a great movie that earned Lynch a Best Director Oscar nomination. He’s too good a director to have his films struggle to get widely seen.
I was checking out the old Bergen Record microfilms today, to see if “Becket” played the Lafayette back in 1964. Apparently not – when other UA circuit theaters were showing it, the Lafayette’s attraction was “Rio Conchos”. But no matter – the really important thing is that “Becket” will be playing the Lafayette in 2006, October 14th to be exact, something all fans of the film in the tri-state area should be extremely grateful for.
Vito said: “I believe we will see less and less film. Think about it, a lot fewer people are using film to take pictures today.”
David Lynch shot his new 3-hour film “Inland Empire” on digital video. Now if only some brave US distributor will have the courage to pick up the movie so we can all have a chance to see it!
Thanks Robert and Ed (and whoever originally posted the picture) for the ad and the picture. The ad makes “3 Ring Circus” sound like the second VistaVision film after “White Christmas”, but I always thought that was “Strategic Air Command”. Anyway, it must’ve been one of the very first VistaVision releases.
It’s a glass display saying “Hollywood Classics”. The graphics are similar to the ones on the flyer:
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To make it easier, here are the last 17 ads I posted to various theater pages. They’re mostly for LA, with a few NY, NJ and DC ones thrown in:
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Vito and Robert: I recently posted some old ads for Los Angeles theaters (Grauman’s Chinese, El Capitan, Cinerama Dome, Hawaii Theatre).
Thanks for the great “Jaws” ad, Robert. I saw it again last night (the Ziegfeld standing in for the Rivoli) and it was just as exciting the 14th time as it was the first!