I believe the date of that ad was December 15, which means the movie opened on the 16th. It was a hit so it must have played at least three weeks, which makes it the movie you saw on the 31st (I am really envious!).
The ads I posted yesterday for West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, Marty etc. were copied from microfilm in 1972, the year I began college. The location of the New York Times microfilm collection in the library basement of Seton Hall U. was probably the best thing I learned the whole time I was there! I taped them to pieces of oak tag and hung them on my bedroom wall, and they were still taped to the oak tag 33 years later. They were only collecting dust where they were, so it was better to post them here and share them with people who’d really appreciate them, like you guys.
Most of my other posts are from the Hackensack Public Library’s microfilm collection – I’ve been going there on my days off – but a few of them are from an actual New York Times Arts and Leisure section from 1968 that I still have intact (because of “2001: A Space Odyssey”).
Notice the lower left corner. Vito, you were an ear-witness. If I were about 10 years older than I was at the time (5), I would’ve seen it here for sure.
From 1955: the little low-budget movie based on a TV play that went all the way to the top prize at the Academy Awards. I like the way the Sutton is mentioned in one of the critics' quotes.
From Shaun Considine’s biography of Paddy Chayefsky, “Mad as Hell”:
In New York, the film continued to run for an unprecedented 39 weeks at one theatre only, the Sutton. “That was the first time that people from the suburbs ever went to a movie on the East Side,” said Bernie Kamber. “They’d come in on the subway from Queens or from the Bronx, get off at 59th Street, walk two blocks south, then stand on line for MARTY.”
Here are ads copied from microfilm in 1972, my first year of college. That explains the poor quality – microfilm readers have improved quite a lot since then – but I’m glad I still had them. The first is in two parts, from 1953:
I saw it there with 4 other people, and it was so crowded we had to split up and sit separately (first time I ever had to do that). Other films I saw here: “Swept Away”, “Seven Beauties”, “Days of Heaven”, “The Man Who Fell to Earth”.
Vincent is right – it was a Bergen Record ad. I saw “Hawaii” at the Montauk in Passaic (featured in the ad). I always thought it was a big roadshow hit because it played for almost a year (41 weeks) at the DeMille in Manhattan, and Julie Andrews was tops at the box office – at least until “Star” came along.
Isn’t it strange how you can remember an image you passed on a drive-in screen for almost 40 years? The one that I remember best is Charlton Heston getting sprayed with a firehose in “Planet of the Apes” at the Route 3 Drive-In in Rutherford.
“Free Coffee Served in Our TV Lounge”. I guess that was for between shows. If the movie was as good as “Judgment at Nuremberg”, who’d want to sit in the TV lounge instead? :)
Look directly above the Lafayette ad. You can see evidence of the end of one great acting career (Joan Crawford in “Trog”) and the beginning of another (Bob De Niro in “Born to Win”).
Jerry, that is indeed a nice shot. That Saul Bass graphic on the Victoria marquee is so powerful, like all his graphics and logos. Apparently that’s all that was indeed for people to know that the movie was “The Man With the Golden Arm”.
They’re acting like “Goldfarb” was a movie the world was waiting for. Or maybe Fox knew it was a stinker, and figured an ad like this might drum up some curiosity in it?
It’s weird seeing Alexander Knox as a romantic comedy lead – to me he will always be “Wilson”.
>> Shane has a big Latin American stage show(makes sense) and its kicked off with Gilbert and Sullivan?!!!
I guess all you can say is …That’s showbiz!
I believe the date of that ad was December 15, which means the movie opened on the 16th. It was a hit so it must have played at least three weeks, which makes it the movie you saw on the 31st (I am really envious!).
The ads I posted yesterday for West Side Story, The Wizard of Oz, Marty etc. were copied from microfilm in 1972, the year I began college. The location of the New York Times microfilm collection in the library basement of Seton Hall U. was probably the best thing I learned the whole time I was there! I taped them to pieces of oak tag and hung them on my bedroom wall, and they were still taped to the oak tag 33 years later. They were only collecting dust where they were, so it was better to post them here and share them with people who’d really appreciate them, like you guys.
Most of my other posts are from the Hackensack Public Library’s microfilm collection – I’ve been going there on my days off – but a few of them are from an actual New York Times Arts and Leisure section from 1968 that I still have intact (because of “2001: A Space Odyssey”).
From December 1959:
View link
Notice the lower left corner. Vito, you were an ear-witness. If I were about 10 years older than I was at the time (5), I would’ve seen it here for sure.
From October 1961 – opening night of “West Side Story”:
View link
From 1955: the little low-budget movie based on a TV play that went all the way to the top prize at the Academy Awards. I like the way the Sutton is mentioned in one of the critics' quotes.
View link
From Shaun Considine’s biography of Paddy Chayefsky, “Mad as Hell”:
In New York, the film continued to run for an unprecedented 39 weeks at one theatre only, the Sutton. “That was the first time that people from the suburbs ever went to a movie on the East Side,” said Bernie Kamber. “They’d come in on the subway from Queens or from the Bronx, get off at 59th Street, walk two blocks south, then stand on line for MARTY.”
From December 1931. All seats 35 cents:
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From August 1939:
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This played at the Route 3 for three weeks – most movies didn’t play there for more than one week:
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Here’s part of another ad for “Kiss Me, Stupid”:
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Here are ads copied from microfilm in 1972, my first year of college. That explains the poor quality – microfilm readers have improved quite a lot since then – but I’m glad I still had them. The first is in two parts, from 1953:
View link
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The next is from 1959:
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Here is an ad from when the Mall had the exclusive area showing of one of the biggest hits of 1967:
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I saw it there with 4 other people, and it was so crowded we had to split up and sit separately (first time I ever had to do that). Other films I saw here: “Swept Away”, “Seven Beauties”, “Days of Heaven”, “The Man Who Fell to Earth”.
Vincent is right – it was a Bergen Record ad. I saw “Hawaii” at the Montauk in Passaic (featured in the ad). I always thought it was a big roadshow hit because it played for almost a year (41 weeks) at the DeMille in Manhattan, and Julie Andrews was tops at the box office – at least until “Star” came along.
Isn’t it strange how you can remember an image you passed on a drive-in screen for almost 40 years? The one that I remember best is Charlton Heston getting sprayed with a firehose in “Planet of the Apes” at the Route 3 Drive-In in Rutherford.
Talk about your showmanship – this midnight double feature looks like it was composed of nothing but. I wish they still did things like this today:
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Announcing the opening of the Spring Valley Theatre, July 1962:
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“Free Coffee Served in Our TV Lounge”. I guess that was for between shows. If the movie was as good as “Judgment at Nuremberg”, who’d want to sit in the TV lounge instead? :)
An excellent article on the Route 59 from Roland Lataille’s Cinerama website:
http://cinerama.topcities.com/route59.htm
Here is an ad for its inaugural attraction, “West Side Story”:
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This has gotta be the first time an ad used gay prostitution to sell a movie. Leave it to Otto Preminger to break another taboo:
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1971: Like everybody else, the Lafayette was showing X-rated movies:
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Look directly above the Lafayette ad. You can see evidence of the end of one great acting career (Joan Crawford in “Trog”) and the beginning of another (Bob De Niro in “Born to Win”).
The Lafayette was showing this crowd-pleaser in August 1965:
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Sorry – that date is August 12, 1964.
Announcing the opening of Cinema 46 in July 1964:
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Not exactly a Music Hall ad, but an indication of the power of the Music Hall name with the moviegoing public in 1967:
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Jerry, that is indeed a nice shot. That Saul Bass graphic on the Victoria marquee is so powerful, like all his graphics and logos. Apparently that’s all that was indeed for people to know that the movie was “The Man With the Golden Arm”.
Check out this unusual ad, under the one for “Kiss Me, Stupid” at the Astor.
View link
They’re acting like “Goldfarb” was a movie the world was waiting for. Or maybe Fox knew it was a stinker, and figured an ad like this might drum up some curiosity in it?