I think we need a Dick Tracy Decoder Ring to get to the bottom of ‘Tonino’s nefarious comments! The last “Rollo” I remember hearing about was on “Sanford and Son”… Calling on Grady and Aunt Esther to help us figure it all out!
I, too, think the screen may be a bit on the small side for a theater of this size… particularly given that the house runs straight back in a rectangular box. The Rivoli, this most certainly is not. Those old palaces (massive as they might have been) fanned out from the screen and had overhang balconies that placed the front loges very close to the image… those screens may not have been all that much larger than the Ziegfeld’s, but they certainly seemed much larger, from most vantage points. The shape of the Ziegfeld, unfortunately, has a reverse telescopic effect as you sit further back in the theater.
Having said that, I tend to sit rather close to the screen, so the Ziegfeld works just fine for me. I tyically sit dead center in about the 10th row. From this vantage point, I found myself thoroughly immersed in the screening of “Casino Royale” I attended last month.
I am deeply saddened to learn of Jim Rankin’s passing. I didn’t know him personally, nor did I have the pleasure of even a casual email exchange, but his amiable and most learned presence on this site was most appreciated. While his invaluable input surely will be missed on these pages, I think it was his civility and exquisite eloquence that I respect most about him and will endeavor to honor by holding my own small contributions here to the same high standard. Perhaps we can ALL honor Jim in this manner and carry a bit of that civility and respect towards each other as we go forward in the new year and beyond. Seems to me that would be something that might have brought a glint of pride to Jim’s eyes.
Has that been confirmed? And what is the effective date of the changeover? I recently heard that the annual spring run at the Beacon by the Allman Brothers Band has been announced for 2007.
And to answer Bway’s final question, it appears the building was completely gutted to its brick outer walls before being converted to retail & office space (also the fate of Lamb’s Bayside Theater on Bell Boulevard).
Not sure what that first response has to do with this blog… In any event…
Like you, Michael, I used to choose the movies I saw based purely on their trailers or newspaper ads (and in the case of films I saw on 42nd Street, the posters and stills in the outer lobby display cases)… In fact, I still have that same impulse in theaters today when a particularly intriguing trailer is shown (“Man, I have to see that film!”). But, also like you, these days I find myself more easily being dissuaded from many new releases by negative reviews, and probably for the same reasons – at these prices, I have to be more discerning about how I spend my movie-going bucks each year.
I will eventually see whatever it is I want to see on DVD or cable, but unless I strike during opening weekend, when my drive to see a particular film might be stronger than my willingness to allow negative critical reaction to steer me away, I do become a bit slavish to the consensus of professional reviewers – particularly those in the NY Times, whose opinions are at least better articulated and elaborated upon than in most of the tabloids.
I kind of miss those pell-mell days when I would charge out to the cinema every weekend to see whatever I deemed of interest despite whatever negative or positive press the film provoked.
Balloonhedz… I stored some of those images in my scrapbook on photobucket.com. Here’s a link to a 2005 shot I took of the retro-marquee canopy and entrance. You can advance through all the photos there by clicking “next” or view all the thumbnails by clicking “see all” just above it.
Hey Vito… Yes, address numbering schemes vary on Long Island from town to town – even when it’s the same thoroughfare (such as Jericho Turnpike, Hillside Avenue, Sunrise Highway, Merrick Road, etc.) running continuously through each town. The numbering for Woodbury would be different from that of Syosset.
Got it! I’m still wondering… did they have the stage and screen show running continously through the night? The overtime pay must have been great for the performers if so!
If the last complete show started at 10:15pm, how on Earth did they remain open until dawn?!? Did the movie play continuously without the stage show during the wee hours?
I would tend to doubt that they’d be stripping the landmarked areas or purposely damaging remaining ornamentation in these areas. I don’t think Boymelgreen is as underhanded and criminal as Huang was when he conducted his assault on the building’s interior during the ‘80’s. I observed a good deal of debris in the storefront that I was in a few weeks back… I imagine the materials being carted away were rubble from the demolition of interior walls within the retail spaces and perhaps from damage that had previously been inflicted during Huang’s reign of terror. Anyway… we have no true confirmation that Boymelgreen is, in fact, pulling out of the project… do we? Mike69’s conversation with that woman on the site is intriguing, but hardly definitive.
Terrific photos! Thanks Life. Not sure if they’ve been posted before, but in a string this long, it’s not a bad thing to re-post items such as this every so often.
And that has exactly what to do with Lost Memory? ‘Tonino, you and I have remained quite civil to each other up to now (I assume that the “D” in my last name above was a typo?) and I have no interest in engaging in our own scuffle here – but you can’t claim innocence in rehashing the ill will that turned this site into a battleground so many months ago when you needless lash out at someone who has absolutely nothing to do with the exchange of words between Warren and mikemovies. An exchange that took place back in September, no less. Cuesto non e justo, 'Tonino! Not to mention that there was no “gang”, for if there was, then I guess I would have been a part of it. A gang implies some sort of organization – and I can tell you there was NONE of that! There may have been a group of folks with a like minded view of the situation, but it was not a concerted effort. Lost Memory has no more control over mikemovies’ comments and posts here than you do. Please. Let’s put away the cross-correlation programs and other apparati di spionaggio and leave this all behind us. It’s old already. And this is the time of year to ring in the new and ring out the old.
Be of good cheer, folks. Let us peacefully return this page to discussions of the Parthenon Theater and move on. Buon Anno a tutti!
I’m really having a hard time trying to figure out why ‘Tonino had to rekindle the flame here. Actually, seems to me that he’s just flat out baiting Lost Memory – who, I can assure all of you, is not an alias of mikemovies or anyone else. The theater pages have been nice and quiet and on topic for the most part and for quite a while here, so why make any insinuations at all?!?
It’s just pointless… Please, ‘Tonino, let’s not go forward into the new year leading with the wrong foot. Rather, let’s remain civil and tolerant of each other – and it seems to me that it is not just Lost Memory who perceives a lack of civility in your recent comments here. Cheers, everyone. I hope your New Year is a happy, healthy and prosperous one!
If you’re investors have a stash on the order of, say, $75 – $100 million, you can have a look at the old RKO Keith’s in Flushing. The developer who owns it may be interested in selling and that place is certainly special. But, more realistically, the old Mayfair/Demille Theater in Times Square sits vacant – although, I’m not sure how much money it would take to prep the place for live performance. If you are serious, that’s probably your best bet.
Andrew Lerner posted a link to his blog a while back where he states that the theater was replaced by an Office Depot, which later expanded to include several other stores, including a Petco. Lost Memory followed up with the address for the Office Depot in Syosset as 565 Jericho Tunrpike. I just looked up Petco in Syosset and it, too, has a 565 Jericho Turnpike address. I think we can go with that, at least until we see any evidence that the theater used a different number.
Michael Coate… You are quite correct for pointing out the proper name for your indispensible website! I apologize for perpetuating any misunderstandings as to the site’s identity. Call it editorial laziness, but it seems more expeditious to refer to it as “70mm in NY” since that is how so many on CT know it. Out of respect, I will endeavor to be more accurate when referring to the terrific resource you have created. As far as I’m concerned, there are four invaluable resources online when it comes to cinema and movie houses: Cinema Treasures (of course); From Script to DVD; American Widescreen Museum; Internet Movie Database. I think I prefer them in that order, too – although I suppose it depends on just what it is I need to look up!
My sincerest wishes for a very happy and prosperous new year for all!
Is Rev. Ike indiscriminate about the kind of acts that are allowed to play at the theater? I wonder what the congregation would make of the traveling freak show that accompanies annual runs by the Allman Brothers Band or Phil Lesh and Friends! As a member of that crowd, I can say that I would definitely look forward to seeing shows at the old 175th! Somehow, I’m skeptical that this will ever come to pass.
Ha. Thanks Al… At the moment, I am free from the Forum Theater’s clutches! Hope Santa was good to everyone. Looking forward to a healthy and happy new year for all on CT.
I wonder if the Dolans posess sufficient cultural awareness and interest in preservation to restore the organ to full functionality. I hope the NYTOS is successful in their negotiations.
If Mike has the “remakes” he should have plenty of space on his photobucket account, so I’ll leave it to him to post them here along with the newer images he snapped upon his second visit to the Keith’s – the responsibilities of new parenthood permitting.
Just to be clear, the Cinemart was attributed with being the oldest continuously operating INDEPENDENT cinema in Queens. Even with closures in the 1930’s, that distinction may very well be valid. See the thread above regarding this topic beginning with a post by Lost Memory on November 29th.
According to the great 70mm in New York website, “The Sound of Music” opened at the Syosset as part of an expanded hard-ticket roadshow engagement on June 25th, 1965, and played for 78 weeks! That would have definitely carried it through June of 1966 and beyond.
Good luck with your plans, LI-Tom! Happy Holidays to all!
Woah! What’s up with the formatting of this page? I think the lengthy url posted in the September 9th comments by Unwanted but Sold might have something to do with it. I’ve noticed that long url strings often do not text-wrap on CT and cause the page layout to “explode.” The post may have to be deleted to fix the problem. I’ve also found that you can use the “Preview” button below to see how any html code you post might affect the page layout.
Wow. I’ve been offline for a few days and missed quite a lot! I’m so glad that you were able to get in and take some photos, Mike69… and happier still that you went back a second time with Tom. I’m looking forward to you posting images from your second expedition! Should you plan on going back for a third time sometime this week, I’d love to tag along. I have a new Nikon digital SLR that takes great photos in low lighting – I might even get my hands on a tripod for the occasion. I should be around all week, except for Wednesday. By the way, congrats on the newborn!
Warren… If you can’t share your enhanced versions of Mike’s photos due to a lack of space on your photobucket account, I have plenty of room on mine and would gladly host them – if you are interested. I already have an album dedicated to the Keith’s.
I think we need a Dick Tracy Decoder Ring to get to the bottom of ‘Tonino’s nefarious comments! The last “Rollo” I remember hearing about was on “Sanford and Son”… Calling on Grady and Aunt Esther to help us figure it all out!
I bet Whit Bissell would know what to do…
I, too, think the screen may be a bit on the small side for a theater of this size… particularly given that the house runs straight back in a rectangular box. The Rivoli, this most certainly is not. Those old palaces (massive as they might have been) fanned out from the screen and had overhang balconies that placed the front loges very close to the image… those screens may not have been all that much larger than the Ziegfeld’s, but they certainly seemed much larger, from most vantage points. The shape of the Ziegfeld, unfortunately, has a reverse telescopic effect as you sit further back in the theater.
Having said that, I tend to sit rather close to the screen, so the Ziegfeld works just fine for me. I tyically sit dead center in about the 10th row. From this vantage point, I found myself thoroughly immersed in the screening of “Casino Royale” I attended last month.
I am deeply saddened to learn of Jim Rankin’s passing. I didn’t know him personally, nor did I have the pleasure of even a casual email exchange, but his amiable and most learned presence on this site was most appreciated. While his invaluable input surely will be missed on these pages, I think it was his civility and exquisite eloquence that I respect most about him and will endeavor to honor by holding my own small contributions here to the same high standard. Perhaps we can ALL honor Jim in this manner and carry a bit of that civility and respect towards each other as we go forward in the new year and beyond. Seems to me that would be something that might have brought a glint of pride to Jim’s eyes.
Hmm. Dorsey, the Andrews Sisters… Seems bookers at the old Carlton sure gave it a good solid try with acts of that caliber.
Has that been confirmed? And what is the effective date of the changeover? I recently heard that the annual spring run at the Beacon by the Allman Brothers Band has been announced for 2007.
And to answer Bway’s final question, it appears the building was completely gutted to its brick outer walls before being converted to retail & office space (also the fate of Lamb’s Bayside Theater on Bell Boulevard).
Not sure what that first response has to do with this blog… In any event…
Like you, Michael, I used to choose the movies I saw based purely on their trailers or newspaper ads (and in the case of films I saw on 42nd Street, the posters and stills in the outer lobby display cases)… In fact, I still have that same impulse in theaters today when a particularly intriguing trailer is shown (“Man, I have to see that film!”). But, also like you, these days I find myself more easily being dissuaded from many new releases by negative reviews, and probably for the same reasons – at these prices, I have to be more discerning about how I spend my movie-going bucks each year.
I will eventually see whatever it is I want to see on DVD or cable, but unless I strike during opening weekend, when my drive to see a particular film might be stronger than my willingness to allow negative critical reaction to steer me away, I do become a bit slavish to the consensus of professional reviewers – particularly those in the NY Times, whose opinions are at least better articulated and elaborated upon than in most of the tabloids.
I kind of miss those pell-mell days when I would charge out to the cinema every weekend to see whatever I deemed of interest despite whatever negative or positive press the film provoked.
Balloonhedz… I stored some of those images in my scrapbook on photobucket.com. Here’s a link to a 2005 shot I took of the retro-marquee canopy and entrance. You can advance through all the photos there by clicking “next” or view all the thumbnails by clicking “see all” just above it.
Hey Vito… Yes, address numbering schemes vary on Long Island from town to town – even when it’s the same thoroughfare (such as Jericho Turnpike, Hillside Avenue, Sunrise Highway, Merrick Road, etc.) running continuously through each town. The numbering for Woodbury would be different from that of Syosset.
Got it! I’m still wondering… did they have the stage and screen show running continously through the night? The overtime pay must have been great for the performers if so!
If the last complete show started at 10:15pm, how on Earth did they remain open until dawn?!? Did the movie play continuously without the stage show during the wee hours?
I would tend to doubt that they’d be stripping the landmarked areas or purposely damaging remaining ornamentation in these areas. I don’t think Boymelgreen is as underhanded and criminal as Huang was when he conducted his assault on the building’s interior during the ‘80’s. I observed a good deal of debris in the storefront that I was in a few weeks back… I imagine the materials being carted away were rubble from the demolition of interior walls within the retail spaces and perhaps from damage that had previously been inflicted during Huang’s reign of terror. Anyway… we have no true confirmation that Boymelgreen is, in fact, pulling out of the project… do we? Mike69’s conversation with that woman on the site is intriguing, but hardly definitive.
Terrific photos! Thanks Life. Not sure if they’ve been posted before, but in a string this long, it’s not a bad thing to re-post items such as this every so often.
And that has exactly what to do with Lost Memory? ‘Tonino, you and I have remained quite civil to each other up to now (I assume that the “D” in my last name above was a typo?) and I have no interest in engaging in our own scuffle here – but you can’t claim innocence in rehashing the ill will that turned this site into a battleground so many months ago when you needless lash out at someone who has absolutely nothing to do with the exchange of words between Warren and mikemovies. An exchange that took place back in September, no less. Cuesto non e justo, 'Tonino! Not to mention that there was no “gang”, for if there was, then I guess I would have been a part of it. A gang implies some sort of organization – and I can tell you there was NONE of that! There may have been a group of folks with a like minded view of the situation, but it was not a concerted effort. Lost Memory has no more control over mikemovies’ comments and posts here than you do. Please. Let’s put away the cross-correlation programs and other apparati di spionaggio and leave this all behind us. It’s old already. And this is the time of year to ring in the new and ring out the old.
Be of good cheer, folks. Let us peacefully return this page to discussions of the Parthenon Theater and move on. Buon Anno a tutti!
I’m really having a hard time trying to figure out why ‘Tonino had to rekindle the flame here. Actually, seems to me that he’s just flat out baiting Lost Memory – who, I can assure all of you, is not an alias of mikemovies or anyone else. The theater pages have been nice and quiet and on topic for the most part and for quite a while here, so why make any insinuations at all?!?
It’s just pointless… Please, ‘Tonino, let’s not go forward into the new year leading with the wrong foot. Rather, let’s remain civil and tolerant of each other – and it seems to me that it is not just Lost Memory who perceives a lack of civility in your recent comments here. Cheers, everyone. I hope your New Year is a happy, healthy and prosperous one!
If you’re investors have a stash on the order of, say, $75 – $100 million, you can have a look at the old RKO Keith’s in Flushing. The developer who owns it may be interested in selling and that place is certainly special. But, more realistically, the old Mayfair/Demille Theater in Times Square sits vacant – although, I’m not sure how much money it would take to prep the place for live performance. If you are serious, that’s probably your best bet.
Andrew Lerner posted a link to his blog a while back where he states that the theater was replaced by an Office Depot, which later expanded to include several other stores, including a Petco. Lost Memory followed up with the address for the Office Depot in Syosset as 565 Jericho Tunrpike. I just looked up Petco in Syosset and it, too, has a 565 Jericho Turnpike address. I think we can go with that, at least until we see any evidence that the theater used a different number.
Michael Coate… You are quite correct for pointing out the proper name for your indispensible website! I apologize for perpetuating any misunderstandings as to the site’s identity. Call it editorial laziness, but it seems more expeditious to refer to it as “70mm in NY” since that is how so many on CT know it. Out of respect, I will endeavor to be more accurate when referring to the terrific resource you have created. As far as I’m concerned, there are four invaluable resources online when it comes to cinema and movie houses: Cinema Treasures (of course); From Script to DVD; American Widescreen Museum; Internet Movie Database. I think I prefer them in that order, too – although I suppose it depends on just what it is I need to look up!
My sincerest wishes for a very happy and prosperous new year for all!
Is Rev. Ike indiscriminate about the kind of acts that are allowed to play at the theater? I wonder what the congregation would make of the traveling freak show that accompanies annual runs by the Allman Brothers Band or Phil Lesh and Friends! As a member of that crowd, I can say that I would definitely look forward to seeing shows at the old 175th! Somehow, I’m skeptical that this will ever come to pass.
Ha. Thanks Al… At the moment, I am free from the Forum Theater’s clutches! Hope Santa was good to everyone. Looking forward to a healthy and happy new year for all on CT.
I wonder if the Dolans posess sufficient cultural awareness and interest in preservation to restore the organ to full functionality. I hope the NYTOS is successful in their negotiations.
If Mike has the “remakes” he should have plenty of space on his photobucket account, so I’ll leave it to him to post them here along with the newer images he snapped upon his second visit to the Keith’s – the responsibilities of new parenthood permitting.
Just to be clear, the Cinemart was attributed with being the oldest continuously operating INDEPENDENT cinema in Queens. Even with closures in the 1930’s, that distinction may very well be valid. See the thread above regarding this topic beginning with a post by Lost Memory on November 29th.
According to the great 70mm in New York website, “The Sound of Music” opened at the Syosset as part of an expanded hard-ticket roadshow engagement on June 25th, 1965, and played for 78 weeks! That would have definitely carried it through June of 1966 and beyond.
Good luck with your plans, LI-Tom! Happy Holidays to all!
Woah! What’s up with the formatting of this page? I think the lengthy url posted in the September 9th comments by Unwanted but Sold might have something to do with it. I’ve noticed that long url strings often do not text-wrap on CT and cause the page layout to “explode.” The post may have to be deleted to fix the problem. I’ve also found that you can use the “Preview” button below to see how any html code you post might affect the page layout.
Happy holidays to all!
Wow. I’ve been offline for a few days and missed quite a lot! I’m so glad that you were able to get in and take some photos, Mike69… and happier still that you went back a second time with Tom. I’m looking forward to you posting images from your second expedition! Should you plan on going back for a third time sometime this week, I’d love to tag along. I have a new Nikon digital SLR that takes great photos in low lighting – I might even get my hands on a tripod for the occasion. I should be around all week, except for Wednesday. By the way, congrats on the newborn!
Warren… If you can’t share your enhanced versions of Mike’s photos due to a lack of space on your photobucket account, I have plenty of room on mine and would gladly host them – if you are interested. I already have an album dedicated to the Keith’s.
Happy Holidays to all on CT!