dallasmovietheaters … would appreciate inks to all the information about the Syracuse Paramount.
Schine did not have to sell the Eckel. It remained a Schine theater until the early 1970s. At that time Schine ether sold or leased the theater and it was renamed the Biograph and ran hardcore porn.
Schine was found in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act (US vs Schine Circuit) Although Schine had to sell many of its theaters in NY state and Ohio, in Syracuse the court required Schine and RKO to end their pooling agreement. By ending the pooling agreement with RKO, Schine, which owed one first run, the Eckel, was allowed to purchase a second first run theater.* In 1947 the Paramount became Schine’s Paramount and was under the circuit’s control until it closed in 1967
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Records_and_Briefs_of_the_United_States/Qzm80q9_5J4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=RKO
See second to last entry, the link to Page 29
See link to page 160 for details on the Schine - RKO pooling agreement in Syracuse
Substantial information on Schine’s operations in Syracuse can be found in the 1947 US Supreme Court response to Schine Circuit’s request for a re-hearing (RE: the Federal court’s anti trust decision)
From the court’s summary of evidence and testimony, RKO had operated the Paramount since 1929 and possibly earlier
Appendix A pg 160:
“At this time (1929) RKO was operating the Paramount and Keith theaters and Schine was operating the Eckel which it had acquired in 1927”
“During 1935 Schine and RKO formed a partnership and pooling arrangement of all their first run Syracuse theaters and first run product and organized the SKE Operating Company for this purpose. Shortly thereafter the SKE Operating Company acquired the Strand Theater lease from Warner”
The Federal court determined the Schine Circuit violated the Sherman Act. Schine operated 132 theaters in six states and
the court required 58 be sold.
In Syracuse, the court required an end to the pooling agreement with RKO. But Schine was not required to sell the Eckel, the one theater it owned. Instead Schine was allowed to operate a second first run theater in Syracuse, a deal it completed in 1947.
The court doesn’t identify the second theater. But it had to be the Paramount, which along with the Eckel, were the only Syracuse theaters advertised as Schine’s from the late 1940’s through the mid 1960’s.
Interesting about the product split. The Keith’s also booked most of the AIP releases. The first five Corman/Poe titles, the Beach Party series, Black Sunday, Burn Witch Burn and the sword and sandal pictures all played at the Keith’s
RKO-Schine
The 1947 United States Supreme Court response to Schine’s request for a re-hearing, provides a thorough summary of the business relationship between RKO and Schine.
Under APPENDIX A pages 160 -177, the court summarizes testimony and evidence from the Federal court hearing:
“In 1935 the five first run theaters in Syracuse were the Eckel, Keith, Paramount, Loew and Strand. The Empire, a downtown 1,500 seat theater, was sometimes a first run house and at various times played all runs and operated under all policies
“The Syracuse Strand Theater Corporation … gave a ten year lease on the (Strand) theater to Warner which operated it (from 1929) until about 1935
“At this time RKO was operating the Paramount and Keith theaters and Schine was operating the Eckel which it had acquired in 1927
“During 1935 Schine and RKO formed a partnership and pooling arrangement of all their first run Syracuse theaters and first run product and organized the SKE Operating Company for this purpose. Shortly thereafter the SKE Operating Company acquired the Strand Theater lease from Warner
“Under the pooling agreement the control of this corporation was equally divided between RKO and Schine. Schine operated the theaters and RKO booked and bought the pictures. Schine received 40 percent of the profits and RKO 60 percent. Since that time Schine has received 30 percent and RKO 70 percent of the profits. The partnership between RKO and Schine is still in force”
The Federal court decision, affirmed by the Supreme Court, required the existing pooling arrangement with RKO dissolved, but did not require Schine to sell any theaters in Syracuse.
“In June 1947 the RKO Schine pool in Syracuse was dissolved so that Schine now owns 2 first run theaters outright and competes with RKO and Loew’s. This dissolution was approved by Judge Knight” (footnote pg 29 of Schine’s request for a re-hearing)
1) Prior to the pooling agreement with RKO, Schine owned one theater, the Eckel. After the pooling agreement was dissolved, Schine owned two first run theaters. The second was most likely the Paramount
2) Since profitability depends on booking choices, RKO would seem to be the partner making the important decisions under the SKE pooling agreement. This would explain RKO’s larger share of the profits, initially 60% and later 70%
3) RKO booked and bought pictures for SKE, yet contracts with the major distributors for Syracuse first run, clearances and pricing were with Schine. This might indicate that Schine was a front for RKO, who actually booked the theaters and took the larger share of the profits.
4) Outside of the pooling agreement with RKO, Schine held short term leases (2-3 years) on the James and Palace theaters in the mid 1940’s
To avoid a lot of confusion, I’ve removed my earlier comments on RKO and the Schine circuit
Don’t want to knock Landmark because they have done such a great job restoring and maintaining the interior of the former Loew’s State. But since taking control of the theater 45 years ago, why have they let the marquee fall into disrepair? At their web site, Landmark says the marquee is beyond repair after suffering through too many Syracuse winters.
Given its raged condition, it’s unlikely any regular maintenance had been scheduled over the years. It’s also unlikely there are structural or safety issues since the marquee hasn’t been removed.
It was operational when Landmark took control of the theater and remained in working condition until at least 1985. The photo with “North by Northwest” playing gives a good idea what the marquee looks like with all lights working.
Landmark may have decided there was no reason to maintain the current marquee because it was not part of the original construction. They’ve been trying to secure funds to install a replica of the original 1928 style marquee for many years.
But Loew’s removed the original 1928 marquee over 70 years ago and replaced it with the current one. Clearly the circuit that built the theater wanted a completely different style marquee when they replaced the original.
Which brings up an important question: Should theater restoration include designs that the original builder/exhibitor abandoned?
Along with the Northridge earthquake, this complex was probably the final nail in the coffin for the Egyptian and Hollywood Pacific. The Vogue and Fox probably would have closed either way. But the Hollywood Pacific was still doing business with pictures like Silence of the Lambs and Sea of Love. Alien, Aliens and Return of the Jedi were typical premiers at the Egyptian in the 80’s. Instead of finding a way to keep the Hollywood blvd theaters vital, local pols approved this multiplex for one of the best locations on the blvd.
How could the Hollywood Pacific and Egyptian compete?
Before the restore, the Paramount had a terrific curved 70mm screen … great for viewing Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
No question that installing these wide screens upset the original proscenium arch… not only at the Paramount, but the Chinese, Egyptian, Warner Hollywood and most every movie palace.
At the same time because of their size, these movie palaces could easily accommodate the largest screens and were the ideal place for an audience to get the full impact of Scope and 70mm. Check out the photo of the D-150 screen at Cinema treasures Egyptian site to get an idea. This was the screen before the AFI renovation.
The proscenium arch was a carry over from live theater, where it helped hide stage craft and kept audiences focused on center stage. It was never needed for projecting movies, no matter what aspect ratio was projected. Most movie palaces were converted vaudeville houses and live stage acts were still occasionally booked along with the feature. Keeping the arch made sense.
But with recent restorations, it doesn’t seem as if anyone was aware that the original proscenium arch and modern screen aspect ratios didn’t fit together well. The big question should have been, do we focus on the best screening experience or an architectural feature that’s part of the experience only when the house lights are up?
Went through a number of name changes . . unfortunately Kallet, as sited in the Syracuse.com article, was not one of them.
During 50’s and 60’s (and possibly earlier) operated as the Westcott and owned by the Gilbert family. Played the French film A Man and a Woman (1966) for well over a year … hyped as audience demand but supposedly distribs would not book the theater because they could not recover their percentage of the gross. Fact or urban legend?
At some point (after worn out print of A Man and a Woman could no longer run through the projector?) theater changed hands and operated as The Studio (late 60’s/early 70’s). But once again (another change of hands?) returned to operation as the Westcott.
Was this theater at one time called the Strand?
My great uncle owned a Strand theater in Elmira. It was 2nd run with double bills changing every three days and the theater was dark on Wednesdays. Closed in the mid 1960’s. I remember visiting him a couple of times when I was around 11 years old and always had the greatest time. The projectionist let me rewind reels and showed me how to do reel change-overs. The screen was always exposed although there was a curtain but not operational. The black border curtains did open wider for Scope pictures . .. although the extra width seemed to be just a few feet on either side. So there was really not much difference in screen size between Flat and Scope films. The projector’s anamorphic lens could be adjusted to fit the screen and I’m sure that to fill the top and bottom of the screen the sides of the picture were heavily cropped.
I’m pretty sure this was formerly the Strand, although the Strand had a moving light marque, so I may be mistaken.
dallasmovietheaters … would appreciate inks to all the information about the Syracuse Paramount.
Schine did not have to sell the Eckel. It remained a Schine theater until the early 1970s. At that time Schine ether sold or leased the theater and it was renamed the Biograph and ran hardcore porn.
Schine was found in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act (US vs Schine Circuit) Although Schine had to sell many of its theaters in NY state and Ohio, in Syracuse the court required Schine and RKO to end their pooling agreement. By ending the pooling agreement with RKO, Schine, which owed one first run, the Eckel, was allowed to purchase a second first run theater.* In 1947 the Paramount became Schine’s Paramount and was under the circuit’s control until it closed in 1967
See link to page 160 for details on the Schine - RKO pooling agreement in Syracuse
Not sure why the marquee has been stripped but still looks like the Vista will be reopening:
“Tarantino filed a permit application to operate a cafe and arcade at the Vista Theatre in Los Feliz that will also offer wine and beer” March 14 2022
https://la.eater.com/2022/3/14/22973111/quentin-tarantino-director-vista-movie-theater-renovation-los-angeles-am-intel
Substantial information on Schine’s operations in Syracuse can be found in the 1947 US Supreme Court response to Schine Circuit’s request for a re-hearing (RE: the Federal court’s anti trust decision)
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Records_and_Briefs_of_the_United_States/Qzm80q9_5J4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=RKO
From the court’s summary of evidence and testimony, RKO had operated the Paramount since 1929 and possibly earlier
Appendix A pg 160: “At this time (1929) RKO was operating the Paramount and Keith theaters and Schine was operating the Eckel which it had acquired in 1927”
“During 1935 Schine and RKO formed a partnership and pooling arrangement of all their first run Syracuse theaters and first run product and organized the SKE Operating Company for this purpose. Shortly thereafter the SKE Operating Company acquired the Strand Theater lease from Warner”
The Federal court determined the Schine Circuit violated the Sherman Act. Schine operated 132 theaters in six states and the court required 58 be sold.
In Syracuse, the court required an end to the pooling agreement with RKO. But Schine was not required to sell the Eckel, the one theater it owned. Instead Schine was allowed to operate a second first run theater in Syracuse, a deal it completed in 1947.
The court doesn’t identify the second theater. But it had to be the Paramount, which along with the Eckel, were the only Syracuse theaters advertised as Schine’s from the late 1940’s through the mid 1960’s.
Interesting about the product split. The Keith’s also booked most of the AIP releases. The first five Corman/Poe titles, the Beach Party series, Black Sunday, Burn Witch Burn and the sword and sandal pictures all played at the Keith’s
RKO-Schine
The 1947 United States Supreme Court response to Schine’s request for a re-hearing, provides a thorough summary of the business relationship between RKO and Schine.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Records_and_Briefs_of_the_United_States/Qzm80q9_5J4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=keiths%20theater%20syracuse%20ny
Under APPENDIX A pages 160 -177, the court summarizes testimony and evidence from the Federal court hearing:
“In 1935 the five first run theaters in Syracuse were the Eckel, Keith, Paramount, Loew and Strand. The Empire, a downtown 1,500 seat theater, was sometimes a first run house and at various times played all runs and operated under all policies
“The Syracuse Strand Theater Corporation … gave a ten year lease on the (Strand) theater to Warner which operated it (from 1929) until about 1935
“At this time RKO was operating the Paramount and Keith theaters and Schine was operating the Eckel which it had acquired in 1927
“During 1935 Schine and RKO formed a partnership and pooling arrangement of all their first run Syracuse theaters and first run product and organized the SKE Operating Company for this purpose. Shortly thereafter the SKE Operating Company acquired the Strand Theater lease from Warner
“Under the pooling agreement the control of this corporation was equally divided between RKO and Schine. Schine operated the theaters and RKO booked and bought the pictures. Schine received 40 percent of the profits and RKO 60 percent. Since that time Schine has received 30 percent and RKO 70 percent of the profits. The partnership between RKO and Schine is still in force”
The Federal court decision, affirmed by the Supreme Court, required the existing pooling arrangement with RKO dissolved, but did not require Schine to sell any theaters in Syracuse.
“In June 1947 the RKO Schine pool in Syracuse was dissolved so that Schine now owns 2 first run theaters outright and competes with RKO and Loew’s. This dissolution was approved by Judge Knight” (footnote pg 29 of Schine’s request for a re-hearing)
1) Prior to the pooling agreement with RKO, Schine owned one theater, the Eckel. After the pooling agreement was dissolved, Schine owned two first run theaters. The second was most likely the Paramount
2) Since profitability depends on booking choices, RKO would seem to be the partner making the important decisions under the SKE pooling agreement. This would explain RKO’s larger share of the profits, initially 60% and later 70%
3) RKO booked and bought pictures for SKE, yet contracts with the major distributors for Syracuse first run, clearances and pricing were with Schine. This might indicate that Schine was a front for RKO, who actually booked the theaters and took the larger share of the profits.
4) Outside of the pooling agreement with RKO, Schine held short term leases (2-3 years) on the James and Palace theaters in the mid 1940’s
To avoid a lot of confusion, I’ve removed my earlier comments on RKO and the Schine circuit
Don’t want to knock Landmark because they have done such a great job restoring and maintaining the interior of the former Loew’s State. But since taking control of the theater 45 years ago, why have they let the marquee fall into disrepair? At their web site, Landmark says the marquee is beyond repair after suffering through too many Syracuse winters.
Given its raged condition, it’s unlikely any regular maintenance had been scheduled over the years. It’s also unlikely there are structural or safety issues since the marquee hasn’t been removed.
It was operational when Landmark took control of the theater and remained in working condition until at least 1985. The photo with “North by Northwest” playing gives a good idea what the marquee looks like with all lights working.
Landmark may have decided there was no reason to maintain the current marquee because it was not part of the original construction. They’ve been trying to secure funds to install a replica of the original 1928 style marquee for many years.
But Loew’s removed the original 1928 marquee over 70 years ago and replaced it with the current one. Clearly the circuit that built the theater wanted a completely different style marquee when they replaced the original.
Which brings up an important question: Should theater restoration include designs that the original builder/exhibitor abandoned?
Did this thing even last ten years?
Along with the Northridge earthquake, this complex was probably the final nail in the coffin for the Egyptian and Hollywood Pacific. The Vogue and Fox probably would have closed either way. But the Hollywood Pacific was still doing business with pictures like Silence of the Lambs and Sea of Love. Alien, Aliens and Return of the Jedi were typical premiers at the Egyptian in the 80’s. Instead of finding a way to keep the Hollywood blvd theaters vital, local pols approved this multiplex for one of the best locations on the blvd.
How could the Hollywood Pacific and Egyptian compete?
And this thing didn’t even last 10 years.
Before the restore, the Paramount had a terrific curved 70mm screen … great for viewing Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
No question that installing these wide screens upset the original proscenium arch… not only at the Paramount, but the Chinese, Egyptian, Warner Hollywood and most every movie palace.
At the same time because of their size, these movie palaces could easily accommodate the largest screens and were the ideal place for an audience to get the full impact of Scope and 70mm. Check out the photo of the D-150 screen at Cinema treasures Egyptian site to get an idea. This was the screen before the AFI renovation.
The proscenium arch was a carry over from live theater, where it helped hide stage craft and kept audiences focused on center stage. It was never needed for projecting movies, no matter what aspect ratio was projected. Most movie palaces were converted vaudeville houses and live stage acts were still occasionally booked along with the feature. Keeping the arch made sense.
But with recent restorations, it doesn’t seem as if anyone was aware that the original proscenium arch and modern screen aspect ratios didn’t fit together well. The big question should have been, do we focus on the best screening experience or an architectural feature that’s part of the experience only when the house lights are up?
Went through a number of name changes . . unfortunately Kallet, as sited in the Syracuse.com article, was not one of them.
During 50’s and 60’s (and possibly earlier) operated as the Westcott and owned by the Gilbert family. Played the French film A Man and a Woman (1966) for well over a year … hyped as audience demand but supposedly distribs would not book the theater because they could not recover their percentage of the gross. Fact or urban legend?
At some point (after worn out print of A Man and a Woman could no longer run through the projector?) theater changed hands and operated as The Studio (late 60’s/early 70’s). But once again (another change of hands?) returned to operation as the Westcott.
Was this theater at one time called the Strand?
My great uncle owned a Strand theater in Elmira. It was 2nd run with double bills changing every three days and the theater was dark on Wednesdays. Closed in the mid 1960’s. I remember visiting him a couple of times when I was around 11 years old and always had the greatest time. The projectionist let me rewind reels and showed me how to do reel change-overs. The screen was always exposed although there was a curtain but not operational. The black border curtains did open wider for Scope pictures . .. although the extra width seemed to be just a few feet on either side. So there was really not much difference in screen size between Flat and Scope films. The projector’s anamorphic lens could be adjusted to fit the screen and I’m sure that to fill the top and bottom of the screen the sides of the picture were heavily cropped.
I’m pretty sure this was formerly the Strand, although the Strand had a moving light marque, so I may be mistaken.