Ziegfeld Theatre
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
141 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
131 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 4,511 comments
The only event where we had a wall-to-wall screen, was during the “Cinerama” engagement of May 1973. Temporary screen with curtain projected from a slide. We never had a wall-to-wall screen in 35mm scope or 70mm. - custodian of WR historical files.
@ Mike (saps): Look at that photo again. The screen IS wall-to-wall; you’re looking at a pre-feature card projected in the old Academy-standard aspect ratio, but the screen itself is much wider than that image.
The text of the article on ABCNews.com refers to the venue as Ziegfeld Ballroom.
https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Culture/harry-meghan-pursued-highly-aggressive-paparazzi-car-chase/story?id=99391446
ABC News just showed the Ziegfeld. Harry and Meghan were there last night before they were chased by paparazzi. Sadly, the reporter called it a theater, instead of the ballroom it’s been turned into.
Vindanpar Yeah the Warner Cinerama had huge screens in both auditoriums. The Rivoli screen was great too. I saw several films there before they Twined it.
I did want to see that at the Ziegfeld but never got around to it. It ended well for me, though, because I got to see it in real Cinerama in Dayton, Ohio in 1996.
That Cinerama(though as I said actually 70MM) screen would have been so great for their presentations of films like Spartacus, My Fair Lady, Lawrence and other 70MM films. I guess I’m the last person alive who saw This is Cinerama there. Nobody else has remarked on it for quite a while. It is exactly 50 years ago and I was pretty young but old enough to have been knocked out by it. The film itself not so much as it wasn’t true Cinerama and the print was poor.
You can see from the second photo ever posted on this thread, that the screen was hardly wall-to-wall.
It was hardly wall to wall. 50ft was small for a theater that size. I always found it a disappointment. I was used to the Rivoli(when they used the D150 screen) and Warner Cinerama which had truly large immersive screens. But the screen installed for the Cinerama presentation was spectacular. Though no curtain. I guess size is subjective.
Mikeoaklandpark, I agree the Ziegfeld had a very large screen. I remember seeing, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, there is the early 80’s.
The screen at the Ziegfeld was always wall to wall. There was nothing shoebox about it when I loved there. It had side masking and top masking. For 70 MM films all the masking side and top were open. For 2.35 scope the side masking was open and the top masking came down slightly. Even flat 1.85 the screen was huge.
As per CC’s recently posted ad it was just a 70 MM film. Not Cinerama. But the Ziegfeld finally got a screen that fit the theater rather than their usual shoebox sized screen for such a large place. Unfortunately they got rid of it. But to see their other 70 MM films presented on it would have been amazing. Like the Times Square road show houses of old.
It was part of the ticket sale. I know the price was much more than a regular movie for that 2 week engagement
Hello-
to Mikeoaklandpark- out of curiosity was the Dreamgirls souvenir program you referred to an actual one sold in lobby or a deluxe freebie hand out?
It was reserved performances even in Philly. I know it was also in 70MM
Ryan’s Daughter should have gotten a Rivoli or Criterion opening. It deserved roadshow grandeur. Not east side kitsch.
The ad for Gandhi didn’t specify anything. It just listed the three showtimes. I posted a Gandhi ad in Photos.
Hello-
Ryan’s Daughter played here on an actual reserved performance engagement which meant once the film ended you had to leave the theater. so since I can’t remember I’m asking if Gandhi was shown here on reserved performance engagement or a regular continuous engagement.
I posted an ad in Photos which gives the 3 showtimes that day: 1, 5 and 9 pm. That movie was even longer than Gandhi.
I think even Ryan’s Daughter played that way in 1970-71. The reserved seat era was coming to a close.
Hello-
its fascinating that eventhough Gandhi was a long film with an intermission they screened it on a regular continuous performance schedule.
The only other show to play a 2 week reserved seat engagement was Dreamgirls in 2006. They also had a souvenir program.
No special schedule. 3 shows a day, at 12, 4 and 8. There was an intermission. I saw it there about 6 or 7 times.
Hello-
if i remember correctly the only traditional roadshow engagement to play this theater was Marooned which opened this theater Dec. 1969. the next Fall 1970 Ryan’s Daughter opened on a reserved performance engagement. which brings me to my question- when Gandhi opened here Dec. 1982 was it on a reserved performance basis or a regular continuous performance basis? after all it was a long film with an intermission.
Can anybody state with accuracy what the projection throw distance was at the Zieg, and the lamphouse wattage? Thanks!