Comments from Al Alvarez

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Olympia Theatre at Gusman Center on May 29, 2009 at 8:43 am

Vintage shot of the Olympia marquee circa 1928 (BEAU BROADWAY):

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Olympia Theatre at Gusman Center on May 29, 2009 at 8:35 am

The mezzanine of the Olympia:

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Paramount Theatre on May 29, 2009 at 8:30 am

Fairfax interior view:

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Loew's Normandy Twin Open-Air Theatre on May 29, 2009 at 8:21 am

There are several views of the Normandy here:

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Loew's Orpheum Twin Theatre on May 27, 2009 at 2:32 pm

Was that the same entrance used for the Cine?

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on May 27, 2009 at 2:30 pm

I actually worked out of the Ziegfeld for years when it was Cineplex Odeon and once had a good look at Fanny’s shoes.

I have been in the industry my whole life and I know the drill. You get a call a day before a premiere from a distributor flunky telling you they want the theatre a day early for a technical run-through. You tell them it is too late to change the schedule and they need to come in overnight instead. They argue the point and some New York studio hotshot throws a tantrum and calls LA to complain. Someone from LA calls Clearview headquarters in New jersey and plays the Hollywood ‘friend’ card.

If the operations guys at Clearview have no balls, the distributor bullies get their way and the Ziegfeld’s dwindling customers get screwed yet again. You then put an hourly staff member up front to issue refunds for rickets sold and take the abuse for your failure to play the movie you falsely advertised.

We were able to stop this most of the time when I was there since the media used to jump all over Cineplex Odeon so head office backed us up. (We had faces then!)

This customer will now be missing.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on May 27, 2009 at 12:50 pm

Howard, as I always do, I checked both the Clearview site and Movietickets.com and both showed the movie as playing this morning. Both were updated this afternoon.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on May 27, 2009 at 10:32 am

Not being a particularly avid “STAR TREK” fan I decided to go see it anyway since it has received good reviews and it was soon leaving the one remaining large single screen cinema in New York.

Since I live just west of 42nd Street, as usual, I bypassed the two busy multiplexes on that street, with their comfortable chairs and staggered show times, in order to support the Ziegfeld. For the third time this year I was let down. All advertised showings of “STAR TREK” have been cancelled for the remainder of the week and a new film opens Friday.

I have been happily walking that extra New York City mile and bypassing AMC and Regal for two years. It will not happen again.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Lafayette Theatre on May 27, 2009 at 7:47 am

The word is “cliche”, not “clique”.

“Forrest Gump” covers MY generations with live clips, I think that defines time capsule.

The character is “Network” was killed for good ratings, not bad, just like the contrived divorce happening on a current reality show.

The Film Forum has not discovered a major new director in over fifty years since they rarely premiere new films these days and just get new prints of classics or run mediocre made for video documentaries.

“The Hospital” was a far bigger hit than “Marty”.

So whose comment have the most watery feces?

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Lafayette Theatre on May 27, 2009 at 6:38 am

Since “ROCKY” was practically a remake of the excellent “MARTY”, I think it remains a timeless classic. The lack of a clear happy ending clearly makes it a product of it’s time since audiences today cannot handle nuance and will therefore reject anyone just “going the distance”.

“NETWORK”, a fine film in 1976, no longer works as satire because TV has become more ridiculous than even that screenplay could have expected.

“FORREST GUMP” and ‘TAXI DRIVER" are time capsules of their generation and also brilliant films.

I think we can all agree that all these films are better than anything we have available first-run today and that the Lafayette Theatre can be thanked for running this series.

As for talking in theatres, only a savage would think it is as inevitable as drug addiction.

(Damn, so close!)

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Stadium Theatre on May 26, 2009 at 10:30 am

The last mention in the New York Times appears to be in 1938.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Capitol Theatre on May 25, 2009 at 8:31 am

The architect was E.T. Wells.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about State senator proposes movie theater tax on May 20, 2009 at 9:16 am

Most states tax ticket sales. This is a tax on the rent paid to film distributors by exhibitors.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about State senator proposes movie theater tax on May 19, 2009 at 7:23 pm

One of these jerks props up every now and then. I wonder why Republicans always always attack the media and Hollywood when things aren’t going their way. Maybe he should tax guns and AM radio broadcasters first.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Paramount Theatre on May 18, 2009 at 10:48 am

As a personal subscriber to Proquest, I can assure you that you are wrong. My contract specifies ALL images are for personal use only and cannot be published in any way, including electronic.

The original ad mats are part of the copyright of the films themselves and are usually owned by studios, not newspapers. Ad agencies can be sued for even altering them these days.

All reproduced movie ad art work technically requires permission even if studios rarely bother unless another studio is stealing their campaign.

I agree that ken mc should have, at least, given that book some credit as it may help sales. But you already took care of that.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Sunrise Drive-In on May 18, 2009 at 7:51 am

In Sumner Redstone’s biography he mentions running the concession stand here for his dad who owned the drive-in. It was the beginning of his interest in movies and real estate.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Remembering Cinerama (Part 30: Baltimore) on May 17, 2009 at 9:12 pm

I don’t think ‘twopointthreefivetoone’ knows what the difference between CINERAMA and Cinerama Releasing really was.

TWOPOINT, it was the difference between really big screen 3D IMAX and your home HDTV.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Lucille Lortel Theatre on May 17, 2009 at 9:03 am

As the Theater De lys.

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Paramount Theatre on May 16, 2009 at 5:33 pm

Waaren, since the ads you post often have the Proquest “reproduction prohibited” tag still on them, isn’t this comment a bit hypocritical?

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Bijou Cinema on May 15, 2009 at 3:19 pm

This from the book THE TRANSFORMATION OF CINEMA (Eileen Bowser).

“In September 1910 a WORLD reporter visiting the Comet at Third Avenue near Twelfth Street in New York’s Lower East Side tenement district approved the lighting conditions there. He wrote there was enough diffused light to read by, yet the screen was bright. Men, women and children filled the hall. He also approved the ventilating system and reported that an usher wandered the aisles spraying a sweet-smelling liquid. Unfortunately, he added, they ran ‘junk’ films- a Vitagraph and a Selig missing their titles, recognized by their trademarks on the sets and believed to be a year old.”

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Herald Square Theatre on May 15, 2009 at 2:52 pm

According to the book THE TRANSFORMATION OF CINEMA (Eileen Bowser) this started showing movies as Loew’s Herald Square on October 20, 1913 with a program of five reels and evening admission of fifty cents.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Cinema Studio 1 & 2 on May 13, 2009 at 7:05 am

Sounds more like “SAPS AT SEA”.

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Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Radio City Music Hall on May 11, 2009 at 9:40 am

No, actually that was the Center in that ad.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Southport Cinema & Drafthouse on May 10, 2009 at 11:39 am

The Southport opened as a Chris McGuire Cinema in 1968. It was twinned in 1980 and became a drafthouse cinema in 1983 and closed around 1993.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez commented about Art Towne Twin on May 10, 2009 at 11:32 am

The Towne opened as a Chris McGuire Cinema.