The Alden was already showing movies in 1934. In 1963 it switched from years of sub-runs and revivals to first-run German language films.
That experiment must have failed as the theatre was closed, remodeled, and re-opened in 1964 as the Regency, showing sub-runs and revivals until it became the city’s last surviving revival house. In 1987, responding to the newfound affluence of the upper west side, Cineplex Odeon remodeled the Regency once more and re-invented it as a first-run pseudo art house.
This was the same venue as the RKO 86th Street Twin which opened in December 1971 and was closed by Cineplex Odeon in October 1986 with plans to quickly remodel the site and re-open.
That did not occur and landlord and construction delays continued until it finally re-opened in 1989.
This theatre was still open in October 1968 when it closed after playing “For Love Of Ivy”. It was replaced by the Gimbels store and the RKO 86th street Twin.
The popular photos of the premier of “The Jazz Singer” featuring Al Jolson and the Warner brothers in front of the theatre were for an invitational sold out live performance by Jolson several days before the movie opened, designed as a publicity stunt. The movie was not shown that night.
On the real premier opening night, not only was Al Jolson not present, neither were the Warner brothers who had gone to California for the funeral of Sam Warner, who had died the day before.
More recent research has shown that not only was opening night not a sensation but that the film did not sell out. It was not even the most popular film of the week in Times Square and acceptance of sound hardly an overnight revolution caused by “The Jazz Singerâ€. Not only had “Don Juan†had already played this theatre with sound earlier in the year and done better than “The Jazz Singerâ€, but audiences had already been watching sound newsreels for several years.
The stories that have been repeated since have mostly been fabrications created in later years and fueled by Vitaphone publicity and Warner Bros. multi-picture deal with Al Jolson. “The Jazz Singer†was a mild success in big cities and failed in most smaller markets. The lack of sound theatres (there were only 400 nationwide at the time) made it impossible for it to make much of an impression and the Jewish cantor plot left most audiences outside the larger markets cold. In Boston, for example, the film had to be quickly pulled after a poor opening.
Much of the phenomena repeated today comes from the fictional plot of the movie “Singin’ In the Rainâ€. There was no audience hysteria, no Variety headlines, no sound hoopla in the opening ads, no rush to wire theatres, and no rush to train actors to speak. Silent movies continued to be made for several years and were among the most profitable. Sound caught on because Hollywood pushed it on theatres in order to create demand for weak product during the depression, not unlike the way they push 3D today.
The intro needs to be adjusted. This Adonis was closed in 1994 and demolished and 1995. By 1996 the Adonis concept have moved down to the Cameo, /theaters/7531/
I think the comments from Ed Solero and Lost memory on the Paree page about multiple screening floors at this location and at the Frisco may explain how the Avon 7, Mini, Frisco, and the last incarnation of the Park-Miller may have all operated from this site with overlapping dates.
It became a triplex in late 1976 when it became the Mark Triplex. It became the Embassy 2, 3, 4 in December 1977 when Guild took it over and the Embassy 1, 2, 3 in 1997 after the Embassy 1 on 46th street closed.
Since Embassy 2, 3, 4 was neither its last name nor its most important phase, it should probably be listed as the Mayfair.
The address must have been 732 or 734 Seventh Avenue based on its proximity to the Avon 7, making an almost certainty it was the Mini Cinema before it became the Frisco.
This Mount Morris was already showing movies in 1911 according to the NYT. It is still listed in the Film Daily Yearbook for 1947 as the Teatro Hispano with an address of 1 West 166th street.
The Patio had a separate boxoffice and entrance. When the theatre was tripled, the main boxoffice sold all tickets but the Patio (screen # 3), still had a separate doorman. Wometco did a nice job twinning their main screens. They were not sloppy rush jobs like General Cinema did in Florida.
Almost, Ed.
“Wedding Bell Blues” and “Head Above Water” had short runs after “The Designated Mourner” and before “The Pillow Book”.
You were only off about a month.
The Thalia dates back to 1931.
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According to this NYT article, the 68th Street Playhouse was converted from an apartment building to a vaudeville and movie house in 1914.
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It closed in July 1997 with “The Pillow book”.
The Alden was already showing movies in 1934. In 1963 it switched from years of sub-runs and revivals to first-run German language films.
That experiment must have failed as the theatre was closed, remodeled, and re-opened in 1964 as the Regency, showing sub-runs and revivals until it became the city’s last surviving revival house. In 1987, responding to the newfound affluence of the upper west side, Cineplex Odeon remodeled the Regency once more and re-invented it as a first-run pseudo art house.
Closed in January 1955 with a Swan Song Festival of revivals. By then it was advertised as the TRANS-LUX 60TH ON MADISON.
Stopped showing movies in May 1949 with the classic “Carnival In Flanders”
The last movies at the Ziegfeld were “Once Upon a Time” and “Shadows in the Night” in August 1944.
This was the same venue as the RKO 86th Street Twin which opened in December 1971 and was closed by Cineplex Odeon in October 1986 with plans to quickly remodel the site and re-open.
That did not occur and landlord and construction delays continued until it finally re-opened in 1989.
RKO 86th St. Twin is an aka here.
This theatre was still open in October 1968 when it closed after playing “For Love Of Ivy”. It was replaced by the Gimbels store and the RKO 86th street Twin.
The Little Carnegie closed in April 1982 after an extended run-in with Susan Sarandon’s aforementioned lemony breasts.
“Atlantic City” was not a bad way out for this classy venue.
This theatre was already operating as a newsreel site in December 1938.
The 1953 release of “Lili” ran for almost two years.
It closed in 1965 after a run of “cat Ballou”.
Hollywood hype control.
The popular photos of the premier of “The Jazz Singer” featuring Al Jolson and the Warner brothers in front of the theatre were for an invitational sold out live performance by Jolson several days before the movie opened, designed as a publicity stunt. The movie was not shown that night.
On the real premier opening night, not only was Al Jolson not present, neither were the Warner brothers who had gone to California for the funeral of Sam Warner, who had died the day before.
More recent research has shown that not only was opening night not a sensation but that the film did not sell out. It was not even the most popular film of the week in Times Square and acceptance of sound hardly an overnight revolution caused by “The Jazz Singerâ€. Not only had “Don Juan†had already played this theatre with sound earlier in the year and done better than “The Jazz Singerâ€, but audiences had already been watching sound newsreels for several years.
The stories that have been repeated since have mostly been fabrications created in later years and fueled by Vitaphone publicity and Warner Bros. multi-picture deal with Al Jolson. “The Jazz Singer†was a mild success in big cities and failed in most smaller markets. The lack of sound theatres (there were only 400 nationwide at the time) made it impossible for it to make much of an impression and the Jewish cantor plot left most audiences outside the larger markets cold. In Boston, for example, the film had to be quickly pulled after a poor opening.
Much of the phenomena repeated today comes from the fictional plot of the movie “Singin’ In the Rainâ€. There was no audience hysteria, no Variety headlines, no sound hoopla in the opening ads, no rush to wire theatres, and no rush to train actors to speak. Silent movies continued to be made for several years and were among the most profitable. Sound caught on because Hollywood pushed it on theatres in order to create demand for weak product during the depression, not unlike the way they push 3D today.
Encore Worldwide Cinemas is an aka here.
The intro needs to be adjusted. This Adonis was closed in 1994 and demolished and 1995. By 1996 the Adonis concept have moved down to the Cameo, /theaters/7531/
I think the comments from Ed Solero and Lost memory on the Paree page about multiple screening floors at this location and at the Frisco may explain how the Avon 7, Mini, Frisco, and the last incarnation of the Park-Miller may have all operated from this site with overlapping dates.
Operating as the all-male Spartan theatre in 1978 with male dancers and “3 male erotic films” while Eastworld was the other screen.
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This location most likely became the Pussycat 2 in later years.
The intro needs some adjusting.
It became a triplex in late 1976 when it became the Mark Triplex. It became the Embassy 2, 3, 4 in December 1977 when Guild took it over and the Embassy 1, 2, 3 in 1997 after the Embassy 1 on 46th street closed.
Since Embassy 2, 3, 4 was neither its last name nor its most important phase, it should probably be listed as the Mayfair.
A police report of adult establishment in 1995 lists the LAP MOVIE THEATRE at 204 West 47th Street. Has anyone heard of that one?
It looks like it was demolished.
That photo also shows the Frisco outlasting the Avon 7.
Nice shot, Ken.
The address must have been 732 or 734 Seventh Avenue based on its proximity to the Avon 7, making an almost certainty it was the Mini Cinema before it became the Frisco.
This Mount Morris was already showing movies in 1911 according to the NYT. It is still listed in the Film Daily Yearbook for 1947 as the Teatro Hispano with an address of 1 West 166th street.
“So what’s the story?”
It was big hit at the time.
The Patio had a separate boxoffice and entrance. When the theatre was tripled, the main boxoffice sold all tickets but the Patio (screen # 3), still had a separate doorman. Wometco did a nice job twinning their main screens. They were not sloppy rush jobs like General Cinema did in Florida.
The orange awning next door was an Arbys. The China Club across the street just had a stabbing in January.