My mistake about the midtown Comedy Theatre. It was located at 108 West 41st Street and built in 1909. It became the Mercury Theatre in 1937 and was home to the troupe of the same name founded by Orson Welles and John Houseman, before being demolished in 1942.
I’m trying to research that Comedy Theatre, but I’m guessing you might be right about it possibly being a live performance space exclusively. There was a live performance Comedy Theatre run by William Collier up on W. 36th Street circa 1910 into at least the late 1920’s. I wonder if this was an earlier incarnation, from before the theater district migrated north to Longacre Square (later known as Times Square).
Archives… Thanks for the response. I only wish that the film industry would take back a little pride in the exhibition of some of their more prestigious offerings allow for some exclusive or limited release “roadshow” style engagements. There should be theaters that can execute good curtain and house-light cues and see to it that audiences never have to stare blankly at a screen that stares blankly back at them. You remember the word for this… “showmanship”. And I believe it can exist, even in today’s wide-release environment. Even if it were just a handful – 5 or 6 top offerings per year. Raise the ticket prices a bit, run exclusive at a theater like the Ziegfeld for 3 or 4 weeks and then go general release. If the movie’s over 2 and ½ hours, let’s have an overture and intermission. Make it feel like an event.
And I also share your wishes that the industry dip into the collective archives and prepare top-notch prints for revival of classic titles. Let them be seen and enjoyed as they ought to be – in the dark, up on a big screen and with an enthusiastic audience. With digital technology getting better and better and image degredation becoming an increasingly minor factor, the cost factor of having to strike new prints for prestigious art-house revivals will be a thing of the past. Digital presentation may well offer an affordable way for studios to get back in the game of re-releasing back catalog and spurring re-newed interest in same on the DVD market. Imagine being able to have a digital presentation of an epic like “Ben Hur” with the data transfered from restored 70mm elements… looking like it came fresh from the lab! And having the 1000th showing look as pristine as the first! Perhaps the resolution isn’t there yet, but I’m sure its close and I’ll bet it will be there soon enough.
Lost… I didn’t register for the Cyburbia link. If you give it a moment to load, you may still scroll down through the photos on that page despite the message advising that you have not logged in.
As I mentioned in the introduction, Zukor and his partners formed “The Automatic Vaudeville Company” to operate this arcade, and it seems from the images I just posted that Automatic Vaudeville was used as the name of the establishment. However, once the theater was installed on the second floor, the name Crystal Hall was instituted. I don’t know that Automatic Vaudeville ever applied to anything other than the penny-operated mutascopes on the ground floor, so I’m not convinced that it should be listed as a previous name. Ceartainly the “one cent” sign did not apply to the theater. According to my research, a separate 5 cents admission was charged to view the two-reel projections in the upstairs auditorium.
Warren… I think I owe you an apology. My first paragraph comments above reflect a misreading of your last comment – which I thought was directed sarcastically at some members here on CT who have commented on other theater pages about current exterior renovation projects. I beg pardon.
In all fairness, the desecration had taken place a number of years prior to the creation of Cinema Treasures, let alone the posting of my photos on May 9th, Warren. The desecration at, say, the Elmwood Theater in Queens is actually happening in the present tense and reasonably evokes response in this forum.
Still… I wonder where the good citzenry of RVC were when this ugly modernization of the Fantasy was taking place. It seems that more than just being concealed behind a new facade, the old ornamentation was completely demolished, including the balustraded parapet wall above the storefronts, the window fenestration on the upper facade and that beautiful church-like vault over the marquee and theater entrance. Despite having attended some films here many years ago when it was still a single screen, I cannot recall if the original facade was more or less intact at the time (we’re talking about the very early 1980’s) nor do I recollect much about the interior – although I do recall that this was one of the nicest theaters I used to frequent at the time.
Lost, I used to have a copy of a great vintage “Black Cat” poster in my bedroom when I was a teen. Let’s not forget that they were also first rate in “Son of Frankenstein” together – the last film in the series in which Karloff played the Monster. Lugosi’s portrayal of ‘Igor’ in that movie might be his best ever performance on film. I also enjoyed their scenes together in Robert Wise’s excellent “The Body Snatcher” from 1945, although Lugosi’s role was much smaller – and his career definitely well on the slide by then.
Trolling around the web, I found some old images of the Crystal Hall. Here’s an exterior shot taken very early on (the caption reads 1900, but this may just be an approximation) when the establishment was merely a penny arcade. This interior shot of the arcade is also dated 1900. It appears to have been much larger than I assumed.
Here’s a wider angle that is dated 1910. It appears that by this time, the theater had been added on the second floor and the name Crystal Hall advertised at the top of the facade. Note the “Comedy Theatre” sign next door. Looks like a separate establishment and I wonder if it’s listed here on CT. I lifted that photo from the Cyburbia Forum website, where it may be found about a quarter of the way down the page.
Finally, at the top of this page is a 1909 evening shot of the facade with the words “Crystal Hall” clearly visible on the arch above the entrance alcove.
Back on July 4th, 2004, Jay Herson posted here that he had commissioned an artist to create a painting of the Utopia marquee and entrance, based on a 1995 photo he took of the theater.
Here is a link to that image on the artist’s website. Jay had the artist change the titles on the marquee to match a double bill he had seen there back in 1953.
More movie memories Lost, thanks. If I recall, Karloff sports a thick head of curly locks in “The Invisible Ray.” Man, back in the ‘70’s when I was growing up, these movies were ALL OVER the local stations in NYC – particularly on weekends on late nights. I think Lee Meriwether only portrayed Catwoman in the 1966 feature film version of “Batman.” On the ABC TV show, Catwoman was played by the Amazonian Julie Newmar and later by the extremely feline Eartha Kitt.
That last postcard image of the Grand Lounge off the rotunda is very interesting. It’s dated 1946 and the description states the room is “newly refurbished” – I imagine the floor-to-ceiling mirror treatment on the walls was entirely new. Were any other parts of the theater refurbished in this manner in the ‘40’s? I know that drapery was installed in the auditorium at some point (I’m guessing with the Cinemascope installation in the '50’s), which obscured some of the proscenium detail work.
Wow. I remember seeing “4D Man” on TV when I was a kid. I haven’t thought about that movie in eons! This page may veer uncomfortably off-topic for a some folks, but it sure does jog a lot of old ‘50’s and '60’s sci-fi memories! I remember as a child pondering Lansing’s fate stuck in that thick cement wall for days after I first saw this one! I remember being keen on seeing the movie only because I knew Lansing from an odd “Star Trek” episode that was intended to be a pilot for a spin-off series in which he’d co-star with a very young Teri Garr. The network didn’t bite and the adventures of his character, “Gary Seven”, were never produced.
I don’t have a paper handy to check, but it’s possible the theater isn’t listed at all. When I was at the Mayfair in October of 2005 to take those interior photos, I did not take note of an odor such as that which “taurus” on Yahoo so eloquently described. However, the floors were a bit tacky.
In any event, the name on the marquee is “Bombay” just as the name on the old Earle marquee in Jackson Heights is now “Eagle.” The Eagle Theater page on CT accurately reflects its current name with “Earle” as a previous name, and so should the Mayfair’s page be amended to “Bombay Theater.”
A Times article on October 22, 1930, preceded the one Lost Memory alludes to regarding the opening of the Mayfair. In the short blurb, it is revealed that the new theater would seat 2300 patrons and would be managed by Walter Reade. It also states that a policy of continuous performances would begin following the opening night festivities on October 31st.
The November 1 article by Mordaunt Hall – mostly a review of the Amos ‘n’ Andy film “Check and Double Check” – includes the following descriptive passage:
“It is a lavishly decorated, spacious theater with sparkling hangings, wonderfully comfortable seats, roomy aisles and an enormous proscenium arch. It has modernistic ideas in its architecture, with bronze, marble and sculptured plaster. Above the orchestra seats is a highly effective luminous dome. The auditorium, which includes the orchestra, loges and mezzanine, seats 2,300.”
The article goes on to praise the “special thermostatic control” with theater ventilation, cooling and heating controled by a turn of an “electric switch.” Further, “not a footfall could be heard on the thickly carpeted floor. The plush covered seats were very comfortable, and more than one tall man with long legs commented on the space in the cross aisles.”
As for the presentation itself… After the opening speech from Will Hayes and some introductions, “the house was darkened, and while the Stars and Stripes floated on a huge screen, said to be 22 by 24 feet, a baritone singer rendered ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ Then came amusing and interesting newsreel topics and, wonder of wonders, there was no further delay in bringing ‘Check and Double Check’ to the same giant screen.”
Hey Ligg… Not sure if I read your 2nd paragraph above correctly, but just wanted to clarify that the neighborhood theater in Fresh Meadows you’re talking about was never a twin. The Mayfair Theater was always a single screen, to the best of my knowledge, right through its dying days as a porn house and re-birth as the Bombay. I lived near the theater for many years and posted some photos that I took last year (plus an exterior shot from the early ‘90’s) on its CT page.
Another note, the Mayfair had gone porn long before any multiplexes had opened in the area. I think it just eventually succombed to competition from television and the larger Century’s Meadows Theater on Horace Harding Expressway (which opened in the 1940’s). The Meadows didn’t go twin until the Mayfair was already running XXX. It was gutted and turned 7 screen multiplex around 1989 – probably due to competition from the Cinema City 5 screen theater that had opened a few years earlier from converted retail space on the other side of the LIE.
Bad news, guys. I just passed the theater this afternoon and it seems that the missing wall between the storefront and the Keith’s interior has been replaced. The blue plywood gate at the entrance to the storefront was still wide open, but it looked like workers have erected a new wall to replace the missing brick or concrete partition at the back of the store. I couldn’t tell from my vantage point (I stopped my car in the right lane) whether it was plywood or some sort of tarpulin. It appeared to be a flat, black obstruction.
Damn! Talk about a missed opportunity! I have a camera on my cell phone (not a very good one) but I had left the phone in my car that day I got inside!
I didn’t notice, Tom S. I was looking mostly ahead and to the right. I got as far as the next room which was the foyer between the smoking lounge and the powder room/toilets. I never really got any further than the threshold, because lighting got dimmer and I was a bit disoriented, not knowing exactly where I was standing until I got back home and checked davebazooka’s blueprint images. I don’t recall seeing a mirror or a door. It might have been an indication on the wall of where a vanity or some kind of decoration might have been. Now that I think of it, there might have been a door on the right wall (perhaps a broom or utility closet), but I can’t recall precisely.
This being a smoking room, I doubt there would be a door exiting the building into the adjacent building. Actually, I don’t think there’d be an exit door into the adjacent building at all, much less in an area with public access. Moreover, there is no indication of a doorway in the plans.
Filmprojector… is the Dolby cinema server the hard drive on which the digital cinema presentation is stored? If so, I guess the device has been out-of-order for sometime. And the newspaper ads have been misleading folks interested in seeing a digital presentation for weeks! By the way, Saturday night was also the first time I took my pre-teen son and cousin to the Ziegfeld and they were mightily impressed. My 13-year old cousin in particluar – having been raised as he’s been on Long Island multiplexes. My son had never been in a movie theater as big as the Ziegfeld, but he has been to B'way theaters and Radio City Music Hall before.
Attended the 6:30pm show of “Casino Royale” last night (Saturday) with a nice big house in attendance. I’d say there were anywhere from 700-800 people, with only the first 4 or 5 of the orchestra and the loge section at the rear relatively empty. I enjoyed the movie a lot and it was definitely a buzz seeing it here with such a large and well-behaved crowd. When we walked in, the curtains were open for the on-screen advertisements, but just before showtime, the projectionist closed the curtains for a few moments before re-opening them to allow for the Clearview pre-show reel. After the reel, a few previews were shown – of most interest to the audience, the excellent trailer for “Spiderman 3.”
I forgot to take note of whether the marquee or signage outside the theater advertised a digital presentation, but the newspaper ad that ran in the times clearly indicates that this was to be the case. However, I noticed some minor blemishes right away – during the Columbia logo, in fact – that immediately betrayed the fact that this was a film presentation. I also spotted the change-over cues in the upper right corner as did Erik H and Bill Huelbig when they saw the film here. A first rate presentation, nonetheless.
Thanks, Warren. I forgot about the Loew’s connection to the Capitol and the Metropolitan completely escaped my mind. Architectural splendor aside, the Kings would have been too remote from the downtown hub (and Brooklyn’s own “theater district”) to have been considered a true flagship for the borough.
Well… obviously we’re debating her for the sake of debating… isn’t that what a blog is all about? I don’t think anyone would argue that in a big roomy theater at a sparsely attended show there would be much of an issue. And truly, who really cares if you can find a seat a row or two in either direction? But as a matter of common decency, I think folks should be considerate of others when planning their night out at the movies with friends – like, how about an honest effort to get there in a timely fashion? Saving a seat for one or two friends might be reasonable, but four or five or – egads, Patrick – nine?!?!? And at a crowded opening night screening? That’s really what we’re talking about here … and if you ask me, I think it’s rude.
My mistake about the midtown Comedy Theatre. It was located at 108 West 41st Street and built in 1909. It became the Mercury Theatre in 1937 and was home to the troupe of the same name founded by Orson Welles and John Houseman, before being demolished in 1942.
I’m trying to research that Comedy Theatre, but I’m guessing you might be right about it possibly being a live performance space exclusively. There was a live performance Comedy Theatre run by William Collier up on W. 36th Street circa 1910 into at least the late 1920’s. I wonder if this was an earlier incarnation, from before the theater district migrated north to Longacre Square (later known as Times Square).
Archives… Thanks for the response. I only wish that the film industry would take back a little pride in the exhibition of some of their more prestigious offerings allow for some exclusive or limited release “roadshow” style engagements. There should be theaters that can execute good curtain and house-light cues and see to it that audiences never have to stare blankly at a screen that stares blankly back at them. You remember the word for this… “showmanship”. And I believe it can exist, even in today’s wide-release environment. Even if it were just a handful – 5 or 6 top offerings per year. Raise the ticket prices a bit, run exclusive at a theater like the Ziegfeld for 3 or 4 weeks and then go general release. If the movie’s over 2 and ½ hours, let’s have an overture and intermission. Make it feel like an event.
And I also share your wishes that the industry dip into the collective archives and prepare top-notch prints for revival of classic titles. Let them be seen and enjoyed as they ought to be – in the dark, up on a big screen and with an enthusiastic audience. With digital technology getting better and better and image degredation becoming an increasingly minor factor, the cost factor of having to strike new prints for prestigious art-house revivals will be a thing of the past. Digital presentation may well offer an affordable way for studios to get back in the game of re-releasing back catalog and spurring re-newed interest in same on the DVD market. Imagine being able to have a digital presentation of an epic like “Ben Hur” with the data transfered from restored 70mm elements… looking like it came fresh from the lab! And having the 1000th showing look as pristine as the first! Perhaps the resolution isn’t there yet, but I’m sure its close and I’ll bet it will be there soon enough.
Lost… I didn’t register for the Cyburbia link. If you give it a moment to load, you may still scroll down through the photos on that page despite the message advising that you have not logged in.
As I mentioned in the introduction, Zukor and his partners formed “The Automatic Vaudeville Company” to operate this arcade, and it seems from the images I just posted that Automatic Vaudeville was used as the name of the establishment. However, once the theater was installed on the second floor, the name Crystal Hall was instituted. I don’t know that Automatic Vaudeville ever applied to anything other than the penny-operated mutascopes on the ground floor, so I’m not convinced that it should be listed as a previous name. Ceartainly the “one cent” sign did not apply to the theater. According to my research, a separate 5 cents admission was charged to view the two-reel projections in the upstairs auditorium.
Warren… I think I owe you an apology. My first paragraph comments above reflect a misreading of your last comment – which I thought was directed sarcastically at some members here on CT who have commented on other theater pages about current exterior renovation projects. I beg pardon.
In all fairness, the desecration had taken place a number of years prior to the creation of Cinema Treasures, let alone the posting of my photos on May 9th, Warren. The desecration at, say, the Elmwood Theater in Queens is actually happening in the present tense and reasonably evokes response in this forum.
Still… I wonder where the good citzenry of RVC were when this ugly modernization of the Fantasy was taking place. It seems that more than just being concealed behind a new facade, the old ornamentation was completely demolished, including the balustraded parapet wall above the storefronts, the window fenestration on the upper facade and that beautiful church-like vault over the marquee and theater entrance. Despite having attended some films here many years ago when it was still a single screen, I cannot recall if the original facade was more or less intact at the time (we’re talking about the very early 1980’s) nor do I recollect much about the interior – although I do recall that this was one of the nicest theaters I used to frequent at the time.
The caption also mispells “Brandon” as “Branford.”
Lost, I used to have a copy of a great vintage “Black Cat” poster in my bedroom when I was a teen. Let’s not forget that they were also first rate in “Son of Frankenstein” together – the last film in the series in which Karloff played the Monster. Lugosi’s portrayal of ‘Igor’ in that movie might be his best ever performance on film. I also enjoyed their scenes together in Robert Wise’s excellent “The Body Snatcher” from 1945, although Lugosi’s role was much smaller – and his career definitely well on the slide by then.
Trolling around the web, I found some old images of the Crystal Hall. Here’s an exterior shot taken very early on (the caption reads 1900, but this may just be an approximation) when the establishment was merely a penny arcade. This interior shot of the arcade is also dated 1900. It appears to have been much larger than I assumed.
Here’s a wider angle that is dated 1910. It appears that by this time, the theater had been added on the second floor and the name Crystal Hall advertised at the top of the facade. Note the “Comedy Theatre” sign next door. Looks like a separate establishment and I wonder if it’s listed here on CT. I lifted that photo from the Cyburbia Forum website, where it may be found about a quarter of the way down the page.
Finally, at the top of this page is a 1909 evening shot of the facade with the words “Crystal Hall” clearly visible on the arch above the entrance alcove.
Back on July 4th, 2004, Jay Herson posted here that he had commissioned an artist to create a painting of the Utopia marquee and entrance, based on a 1995 photo he took of the theater.
Here is a link to that image on the artist’s website. Jay had the artist change the titles on the marquee to match a double bill he had seen there back in 1953.
More movie memories Lost, thanks. If I recall, Karloff sports a thick head of curly locks in “The Invisible Ray.” Man, back in the ‘70’s when I was growing up, these movies were ALL OVER the local stations in NYC – particularly on weekends on late nights. I think Lee Meriwether only portrayed Catwoman in the 1966 feature film version of “Batman.” On the ABC TV show, Catwoman was played by the Amazonian Julie Newmar and later by the extremely feline Eartha Kitt.
That last postcard image of the Grand Lounge off the rotunda is very interesting. It’s dated 1946 and the description states the room is “newly refurbished” – I imagine the floor-to-ceiling mirror treatment on the walls was entirely new. Were any other parts of the theater refurbished in this manner in the ‘40’s? I know that drapery was installed in the auditorium at some point (I’m guessing with the Cinemascope installation in the '50’s), which obscured some of the proscenium detail work.
Wow. I remember seeing “4D Man” on TV when I was a kid. I haven’t thought about that movie in eons! This page may veer uncomfortably off-topic for a some folks, but it sure does jog a lot of old ‘50’s and '60’s sci-fi memories! I remember as a child pondering Lansing’s fate stuck in that thick cement wall for days after I first saw this one! I remember being keen on seeing the movie only because I knew Lansing from an odd “Star Trek” episode that was intended to be a pilot for a spin-off series in which he’d co-star with a very young Teri Garr. The network didn’t bite and the adventures of his character, “Gary Seven”, were never produced.
I don’t have a paper handy to check, but it’s possible the theater isn’t listed at all. When I was at the Mayfair in October of 2005 to take those interior photos, I did not take note of an odor such as that which “taurus” on Yahoo so eloquently described. However, the floors were a bit tacky.
In any event, the name on the marquee is “Bombay” just as the name on the old Earle marquee in Jackson Heights is now “Eagle.” The Eagle Theater page on CT accurately reflects its current name with “Earle” as a previous name, and so should the Mayfair’s page be amended to “Bombay Theater.”
A Times article on October 22, 1930, preceded the one Lost Memory alludes to regarding the opening of the Mayfair. In the short blurb, it is revealed that the new theater would seat 2300 patrons and would be managed by Walter Reade. It also states that a policy of continuous performances would begin following the opening night festivities on October 31st.
The November 1 article by Mordaunt Hall – mostly a review of the Amos ‘n’ Andy film “Check and Double Check” – includes the following descriptive passage:
“It is a lavishly decorated, spacious theater with sparkling hangings, wonderfully comfortable seats, roomy aisles and an enormous proscenium arch. It has modernistic ideas in its architecture, with bronze, marble and sculptured plaster. Above the orchestra seats is a highly effective luminous dome. The auditorium, which includes the orchestra, loges and mezzanine, seats 2,300.”
The article goes on to praise the “special thermostatic control” with theater ventilation, cooling and heating controled by a turn of an “electric switch.” Further, “not a footfall could be heard on the thickly carpeted floor. The plush covered seats were very comfortable, and more than one tall man with long legs commented on the space in the cross aisles.”
As for the presentation itself… After the opening speech from Will Hayes and some introductions, “the house was darkened, and while the Stars and Stripes floated on a huge screen, said to be 22 by 24 feet, a baritone singer rendered ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ Then came amusing and interesting newsreel topics and, wonder of wonders, there was no further delay in bringing ‘Check and Double Check’ to the same giant screen.”
As of October, 1985, RCDTJ, GG’s Long Island empire also included the Old Country Twin in Plainview. See the ad I posted above on Aug 23rd, 2006.
Hey Ligg… Not sure if I read your 2nd paragraph above correctly, but just wanted to clarify that the neighborhood theater in Fresh Meadows you’re talking about was never a twin. The Mayfair Theater was always a single screen, to the best of my knowledge, right through its dying days as a porn house and re-birth as the Bombay. I lived near the theater for many years and posted some photos that I took last year (plus an exterior shot from the early ‘90’s) on its CT page.
Another note, the Mayfair had gone porn long before any multiplexes had opened in the area. I think it just eventually succombed to competition from television and the larger Century’s Meadows Theater on Horace Harding Expressway (which opened in the 1940’s). The Meadows didn’t go twin until the Mayfair was already running XXX. It was gutted and turned 7 screen multiplex around 1989 – probably due to competition from the Cinema City 5 screen theater that had opened a few years earlier from converted retail space on the other side of the LIE.
Bad news, guys. I just passed the theater this afternoon and it seems that the missing wall between the storefront and the Keith’s interior has been replaced. The blue plywood gate at the entrance to the storefront was still wide open, but it looked like workers have erected a new wall to replace the missing brick or concrete partition at the back of the store. I couldn’t tell from my vantage point (I stopped my car in the right lane) whether it was plywood or some sort of tarpulin. It appeared to be a flat, black obstruction.
Damn! Talk about a missed opportunity! I have a camera on my cell phone (not a very good one) but I had left the phone in my car that day I got inside!
I didn’t notice, Tom S. I was looking mostly ahead and to the right. I got as far as the next room which was the foyer between the smoking lounge and the powder room/toilets. I never really got any further than the threshold, because lighting got dimmer and I was a bit disoriented, not knowing exactly where I was standing until I got back home and checked davebazooka’s blueprint images. I don’t recall seeing a mirror or a door. It might have been an indication on the wall of where a vanity or some kind of decoration might have been. Now that I think of it, there might have been a door on the right wall (perhaps a broom or utility closet), but I can’t recall precisely.
This being a smoking room, I doubt there would be a door exiting the building into the adjacent building. Actually, I don’t think there’d be an exit door into the adjacent building at all, much less in an area with public access. Moreover, there is no indication of a doorway in the plans.
Filmprojector… is the Dolby cinema server the hard drive on which the digital cinema presentation is stored? If so, I guess the device has been out-of-order for sometime. And the newspaper ads have been misleading folks interested in seeing a digital presentation for weeks! By the way, Saturday night was also the first time I took my pre-teen son and cousin to the Ziegfeld and they were mightily impressed. My 13-year old cousin in particluar – having been raised as he’s been on Long Island multiplexes. My son had never been in a movie theater as big as the Ziegfeld, but he has been to B'way theaters and Radio City Music Hall before.
Attended the 6:30pm show of “Casino Royale” last night (Saturday) with a nice big house in attendance. I’d say there were anywhere from 700-800 people, with only the first 4 or 5 of the orchestra and the loge section at the rear relatively empty. I enjoyed the movie a lot and it was definitely a buzz seeing it here with such a large and well-behaved crowd. When we walked in, the curtains were open for the on-screen advertisements, but just before showtime, the projectionist closed the curtains for a few moments before re-opening them to allow for the Clearview pre-show reel. After the reel, a few previews were shown – of most interest to the audience, the excellent trailer for “Spiderman 3.”
I forgot to take note of whether the marquee or signage outside the theater advertised a digital presentation, but the newspaper ad that ran in the times clearly indicates that this was to be the case. However, I noticed some minor blemishes right away – during the Columbia logo, in fact – that immediately betrayed the fact that this was a film presentation. I also spotted the change-over cues in the upper right corner as did Erik H and Bill Huelbig when they saw the film here. A first rate presentation, nonetheless.
Thanks, Warren. I forgot about the Loew’s connection to the Capitol and the Metropolitan completely escaped my mind. Architectural splendor aside, the Kings would have been too remote from the downtown hub (and Brooklyn’s own “theater district”) to have been considered a true flagship for the borough.
I meant “here” not “her” in the first sentence of that last post.
Well… obviously we’re debating her for the sake of debating… isn’t that what a blog is all about? I don’t think anyone would argue that in a big roomy theater at a sparsely attended show there would be much of an issue. And truly, who really cares if you can find a seat a row or two in either direction? But as a matter of common decency, I think folks should be considerate of others when planning their night out at the movies with friends – like, how about an honest effort to get there in a timely fashion? Saving a seat for one or two friends might be reasonable, but four or five or – egads, Patrick – nine?!?!? And at a crowded opening night screening? That’s really what we’re talking about here … and if you ask me, I think it’s rude.
Math was not my great subject… obviously the discrepancy is 400 seats in the Times' count, not 500.