Warren – Once again, many thanks! I just tried checking Andrew Stone out for those films. No soap on IMDb, and no info on the two shorts there or on Google. But maybe someday…It could be I’m thinking of a different series, as I don’t remember any adults being in these things, just kids, and maybe just soapbox racers. But of course I’m going with a memory that has to reach back a long, long time. So you’re probably right about all of it.
Hi Warren – Are you a movie genius? You seem to know everything.Anyway, thanks; it’s the first information I’ve ever found on these films. But after seeing your message I tried both titles with IMDb, Cinema Treasures, Google and Yahoo, and found nothing. If you ever come up with more information, or, better yet, a source, I’ve love to hear from you.
Circa 1943-45 every Saturday morning they’d show kids' auto races, silents, that we all thought were screamingly exciting and funny. My memory is that the cars were soapbox-derby types. At the end of the film, there’d be a winner, and whoever had the winning number on their ticket would get a prize. I’d love to see at least one of these again, but I’ve searched for years and haven’t been able to find any for sale, or even noted anywhere. Does anyone have a clue? Chaplin made a short called something like “Kids' Auto Races”, but these shorts, which were different every week, had nothing to do with Chaplin.
Hi Broadway. Hope you’re still watching this site. Yesterday I got in a book called “Brooklyn’s Flatbush”. On page 133 the whole page is taken up by your theatre. It was called the Mardi Gras, at 1295-97 Nostrand Avenue, at the corner of Clarkson. The photo is dated 1916.
There’s no indication of anything playing there, though the words “Motion Pictures” are on the face of the building. The caption explains that by 1921 “this building housed an automobile dealership, and today is a produce store”. If you’re interested in the book, just Google brooklynpix. It also has, on page 107, a full-page photo of the Century Theater in 1916. A Theda Bara movie is the highlight.
Thanks Warren. I’ll see what I can find on that photo and article. Meanwhile, interesting to find out that the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library actually has a file on the theatre.
Richard
There seems to be some confusion between the Belmont and the West Forty-Eighth Street theatre, which apparently was across the street at 124 West 48th Street. It had previously been Uncle Sam’s Music Hall, which Robert Benchley reviewed in the January 27, 1940 New Yorker. He found their show offensive, “not one a father could take his children to”. He did admit his protest was somewhat “vitiated by the fact that the child in question was at the moment towering over me from a height of six foot two and was accompanied by his wife”.
Apparently undaunted, Uncle Sam’s continued on, and in the March 16th, 1940 Cue Magazine, advertised “She Gave Him All She Had”, and
suggested audiences “hiss the villain”. Nevertheless, on May 12,1940 Uncle Sam’s became the 48th Street Music Hall, and initiated a run of silent movies. Many stars attended the festivities on the opening night, Walter Huston, Madge Evans, Gertrude Lawrence, etc. The silents continued until May 26, 1941. At times the theatre had free admission, the bucks apparently being brought in by beer, liquor and food.
Richard O'Brien
As long as we’ve begun talking about the Forty-Eighth Street Music Hall, I’ve got some info I’ll post under the Belmont. All of these theatres, like the Miami, should be listed under each of their individual names. I’d have found the Miami listing years ago if it had been listed, or even cross-listed.
richard o'brien
Hi Al – I saw Pinocchio when I was six and was sorely disappointed. As far as I was concerned, Jiminy Cricket was the star, as he was the only thing I liked, except maybe Monstro the whale. I did love Jiminy.
Thanks Al. I did get the Times listing sometime back, and now own “Fightin' It Out”. I was thrilled when I saw Hoot Gibson’s name appear on the screen, as my mother’s sisters had talked about him. What a disappointment! He didn’t fight, he didn’t shoot anything much, he didn’t kill anyone. Poor fare for a six-year-old boy. I did find, when I bought a tape of it, that I remembered some of it, particularly the disappointing parts!
Richard
Warren – Thanks for the info, which matches what I have for the 48th Street Music Hall. But what I’m looking for is the Miami Theatre, which for the week of October 28th and the following week, had the program I saw of “The Eagle”, etc. By the way, it finally occurred to me to look up the Keaton shown in the photo of the Miami, and he never made anything called “Roaring Rails”; there was feature of that name with Harry Carey. Strange. Oh.And IS the 48th Street Music Hall listed on Cinema Treasures?
In any event, hope you have the name of that Chaplin with the “Eagle” program.
Warren – Thanks for the info, which matches what I have for the 48th Street Music Hall. But what I’m looking for is the Miami Theatre, which for the week of October 28th and the following week, had the program I saw of “The Eagle”, etc. By the way, it finally occurred to me to look up the Keaton shown in the photo of the Miami, and he never made anything called “Roaring Rails”; there was feature of that name with Harry Carey. Strange. Oh.And IS the 48th Street Music Hall listed on Cinema Treasures?
In any event, hope you have the name of that Chaplin with the “Eagle” program.
Warren – Because I couldn’t correct the above, I wasn’t able to add: Is it possible that I can buy an 8X10 glossy of that photo? And if anyone knows what the Chaplin was that I saw that day in November, 1940, I’d love to find out. Plus, of course, if there’s a photo showing that program I saw…
Richard O'Brien
Warren – Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve been searching for years for a photo of the Miami when it was a silent-movie house. For those who might be curious, that photograph was taken the week of March 7, 1940, when Gloria Swanson was starring in “Manhandled”, Buster Keaton in “Roaring Rails”, Charlie Chaplin, or was it Billy Armstrong, possibly a Chaplin imitator, in “Call the Cops”. Chaplin didn’t make a short of that name, and IMDb gives the credit to Armstrong. Finally, “Broken Ways”, a D.W. Griffith Western short with Harry Carey and salient members of the Griffith stock company.
All this knowledge came about through my trying to track down a program I saw at the Miami when my father took me to what he said was the last silent movie theatre in New York. We got there late, so I probably never noticed the entrance. A serial was already well on its way, and as it turned out, it was the final episode. A woman was obviously the star. I was already agog. I was six years old. I loved the movies and I loved to read. I’d discovered that with silents you could do both! It was a transforming experience. I’ve loved, and sought out, silents ever since.
I still remember the program; the serial (what was it called? who was she star? I wondered virtualy all of my life; my father said he was sure it wasn’t Pearl White), a Hoot Gibson short, a Chaplin (I’ve since seen too many of his shorts to remember which one), possibly a newsreel of that period, and finally, the great “The Eagle”, with Valentino! I ate that one up, somehow even revelling in its sophistication, which it seems hardly likely I caught onto.
Anyway, for virtually all of my life I’ve thought about that program and wondered who the heroine was of that serial, and its name. On arriving home I asked the aunt I was then living with, and she suggested if it wasn’t Pearl, perhaps Ruth Roland or Helen Holmes.
Finally the computer arrived, and years of research revealed there had actually been two silent movie theatre during that period, the other being the 48th Street Music Hall (not on Cinema Treasures, unless listed under the name of another venue, as has happened with the Miami). As I searched, I noted the names of all the films at both theatres. Finally, when the New York Times went online (but not at that time to the general public) I hired a research, and almost immediately I had the answer: Pearl White in “Plunder”. Why my father didn’t recognize her, I’ll never know. Anyway, I now own the Hoot short, “The Eagle”, all of Chaplin’s shorts, and what remains (so far) of the last chapter of “Plunder”. All that I then needed was to finally see what the Miami’s exterior looked like. And you, Warren, provided that, as I discovered a couple of days ago.
If anyone has any curiosity about a movie or program of films shown at the Miami during this period (apparently from December 19, 1939 through the week of November 11, 1940, with a few short breaks during that period), I’d be happy to provide the answer.
Richard O'Brien
Warren – Once again, many thanks! I just tried checking Andrew Stone out for those films. No soap on IMDb, and no info on the two shorts there or on Google. But maybe someday…It could be I’m thinking of a different series, as I don’t remember any adults being in these things, just kids, and maybe just soapbox racers. But of course I’m going with a memory that has to reach back a long, long time. So you’re probably right about all of it.
I’ll cross my fingers.
Hi Warren – Are you a movie genius? You seem to know everything.Anyway, thanks; it’s the first information I’ve ever found on these films. But after seeing your message I tried both titles with IMDb, Cinema Treasures, Google and Yahoo, and found nothing. If you ever come up with more information, or, better yet, a source, I’ve love to hear from you.
Circa 1943-45 every Saturday morning they’d show kids' auto races, silents, that we all thought were screamingly exciting and funny. My memory is that the cars were soapbox-derby types. At the end of the film, there’d be a winner, and whoever had the winning number on their ticket would get a prize. I’d love to see at least one of these again, but I’ve searched for years and haven’t been able to find any for sale, or even noted anywhere. Does anyone have a clue? Chaplin made a short called something like “Kids' Auto Races”, but these shorts, which were different every week, had nothing to do with Chaplin.
Hi Broadway. Hope you’re still watching this site. Yesterday I got in a book called “Brooklyn’s Flatbush”. On page 133 the whole page is taken up by your theatre. It was called the Mardi Gras, at 1295-97 Nostrand Avenue, at the corner of Clarkson. The photo is dated 1916.
There’s no indication of anything playing there, though the words “Motion Pictures” are on the face of the building. The caption explains that by 1921 “this building housed an automobile dealership, and today is a produce store”. If you’re interested in the book, just Google brooklynpix. It also has, on page 107, a full-page photo of the Century Theater in 1916. A Theda Bara movie is the highlight.
Thanks Warren. I’ll see what I can find on that photo and article. Meanwhile, interesting to find out that the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library actually has a file on the theatre.
Richard
Thanks!
There seems to be some confusion between the Belmont and the West Forty-Eighth Street theatre, which apparently was across the street at 124 West 48th Street. It had previously been Uncle Sam’s Music Hall, which Robert Benchley reviewed in the January 27, 1940 New Yorker. He found their show offensive, “not one a father could take his children to”. He did admit his protest was somewhat “vitiated by the fact that the child in question was at the moment towering over me from a height of six foot two and was accompanied by his wife”.
Apparently undaunted, Uncle Sam’s continued on, and in the March 16th, 1940 Cue Magazine, advertised “She Gave Him All She Had”, and
suggested audiences “hiss the villain”. Nevertheless, on May 12,1940 Uncle Sam’s became the 48th Street Music Hall, and initiated a run of silent movies. Many stars attended the festivities on the opening night, Walter Huston, Madge Evans, Gertrude Lawrence, etc. The silents continued until May 26, 1941. At times the theatre had free admission, the bucks apparently being brought in by beer, liquor and food.
Richard O'Brien
As long as we’ve begun talking about the Forty-Eighth Street Music Hall, I’ve got some info I’ll post under the Belmont. All of these theatres, like the Miami, should be listed under each of their individual names. I’d have found the Miami listing years ago if it had been listed, or even cross-listed.
richard o'brien
Hi Al – I saw Pinocchio when I was six and was sorely disappointed. As far as I was concerned, Jiminy Cricket was the star, as he was the only thing I liked, except maybe Monstro the whale. I did love Jiminy.
Richard
Thanks Al. I did get the Times listing sometime back, and now own “Fightin' It Out”. I was thrilled when I saw Hoot Gibson’s name appear on the screen, as my mother’s sisters had talked about him. What a disappointment! He didn’t fight, he didn’t shoot anything much, he didn’t kill anyone. Poor fare for a six-year-old boy. I did find, when I bought a tape of it, that I remembered some of it, particularly the disappointing parts!
Richard
Warren – Thanks for the info, which matches what I have for the 48th Street Music Hall. But what I’m looking for is the Miami Theatre, which for the week of October 28th and the following week, had the program I saw of “The Eagle”, etc. By the way, it finally occurred to me to look up the Keaton shown in the photo of the Miami, and he never made anything called “Roaring Rails”; there was feature of that name with Harry Carey. Strange. Oh.And IS the 48th Street Music Hall listed on Cinema Treasures?
In any event, hope you have the name of that Chaplin with the “Eagle” program.
Richard O'Brien
Warren – Thanks for the info, which matches what I have for the 48th Street Music Hall. But what I’m looking for is the Miami Theatre, which for the week of October 28th and the following week, had the program I saw of “The Eagle”, etc. By the way, it finally occurred to me to look up the Keaton shown in the photo of the Miami, and he never made anything called “Roaring Rails”; there was feature of that name with Harry Carey. Strange. Oh.And IS the 48th Street Music Hall listed on Cinema Treasures?
In any event, hope you have the name of that Chaplin with the “Eagle” program.
Richard O'Brien
Warren – Because I couldn’t correct the above, I wasn’t able to add: Is it possible that I can buy an 8X10 glossy of that photo? And if anyone knows what the Chaplin was that I saw that day in November, 1940, I’d love to find out. Plus, of course, if there’s a photo showing that program I saw…
Richard O'Brien
Oops. Sorry for all the typos in the above. I couldn’t figure out how to correct them.
Richard O'Brien
Warren – Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve been searching for years for a photo of the Miami when it was a silent-movie house. For those who might be curious, that photograph was taken the week of March 7, 1940, when Gloria Swanson was starring in “Manhandled”, Buster Keaton in “Roaring Rails”, Charlie Chaplin, or was it Billy Armstrong, possibly a Chaplin imitator, in “Call the Cops”. Chaplin didn’t make a short of that name, and IMDb gives the credit to Armstrong. Finally, “Broken Ways”, a D.W. Griffith Western short with Harry Carey and salient members of the Griffith stock company.
All this knowledge came about through my trying to track down a program I saw at the Miami when my father took me to what he said was the last silent movie theatre in New York. We got there late, so I probably never noticed the entrance. A serial was already well on its way, and as it turned out, it was the final episode. A woman was obviously the star. I was already agog. I was six years old. I loved the movies and I loved to read. I’d discovered that with silents you could do both! It was a transforming experience. I’ve loved, and sought out, silents ever since.
I still remember the program; the serial (what was it called? who was she star? I wondered virtualy all of my life; my father said he was sure it wasn’t Pearl White), a Hoot Gibson short, a Chaplin (I’ve since seen too many of his shorts to remember which one), possibly a newsreel of that period, and finally, the great “The Eagle”, with Valentino! I ate that one up, somehow even revelling in its sophistication, which it seems hardly likely I caught onto.
Anyway, for virtually all of my life I’ve thought about that program and wondered who the heroine was of that serial, and its name. On arriving home I asked the aunt I was then living with, and she suggested if it wasn’t Pearl, perhaps Ruth Roland or Helen Holmes.
Finally the computer arrived, and years of research revealed there had actually been two silent movie theatre during that period, the other being the 48th Street Music Hall (not on Cinema Treasures, unless listed under the name of another venue, as has happened with the Miami). As I searched, I noted the names of all the films at both theatres. Finally, when the New York Times went online (but not at that time to the general public) I hired a research, and almost immediately I had the answer: Pearl White in “Plunder”. Why my father didn’t recognize her, I’ll never know. Anyway, I now own the Hoot short, “The Eagle”, all of Chaplin’s shorts, and what remains (so far) of the last chapter of “Plunder”. All that I then needed was to finally see what the Miami’s exterior looked like. And you, Warren, provided that, as I discovered a couple of days ago.
If anyone has any curiosity about a movie or program of films shown at the Miami during this period (apparently from December 19, 1939 through the week of November 11, 1940, with a few short breaks during that period), I’d be happy to provide the answer.
Richard O'Brien