Criterion Theatre
1514 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
1514 Broadway,
New York,
NY
10036
27 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 611 comments
vindanpar The lower level theaters were horrible. My TV screen and living roon was bigger.
You can see what the lower level looked like on page 14 before it was turned into those horrible theaters Mike talked about. I was never in them. I don’t remember those chairs(which seem out of place) just setees along the edges
The Criterion started its roadshow career with the world premiere of The Ten Commandments followed by the world premiere of South Pacific and ended it with the World premiere of Patton. Not too shabby. After there were Tora… and N&A but they were such bombs I don’t count them. It held the second premiere of Lawrence after its opening in London with Lean’s complete film. It was after the Criterion opening Lean decided to cut it so I don’t know how long the theater showed the original cut. It might have been only a couple of days. It got great reviews in NY so Lean’s decision to cut it is baffling. It was going to be a long film no matter what.
And do you know that space in the lower level(you would not have called it a basement) had been when it was a single screen theater a large oval shaped Edwardian style lounge off of which were the ladies and men’s rooms. It was very elegant. There was a reason the Criterion held world or US premieres of some of the biggest films of the 50s and 60s. An enormously prestigious house. Ray Stark reserved it for the Funny Girl world premiere when the film started filming in ‘67. And Jack Warner chose it for the world premiere of My Fair Lady.
I’ve probably said this before, but those five basement theaters were the most dreadful houses in all of New York, much worse than the faded beauties and utilitarian newcomers on 42nd Street. Water leaks, puddles, mold and mildew, rats, uncomfortable seats and small screens. Egads!
Thank you Cineast. I never saw before the marquee of Half a Sixpence at the Criterion and always wanted to. I was too young to have seen it there which for me would have been great. Next door was Dr Dolittle in Todd AO in the single screen Loews State and up Broadway you could see 2001 at the Capitol. Why couldn’t I have been there?
Unfortunately when I was old enough it was playing things like Mandingo. No thanks. At least I got to see the first Superman there after it moved over from the Astor Plaza. I brought a friend who had never been in there before and she loved the place. And just a few years before we had seen together Reeve on Broadway when he was a nobody in A Matter of Gravity.
1959 Otto Bettmann photo in link below. After reading the Terms of Use page, it just wasn’t worth posting it to the gallery.
https://photos.com/featured/traffic-and-stores-in-times-square-bettmann.html
Lucky you! How lucky that you were able to see those films in those theaters. I remember passing them with my parents but my parents would never pay roadshow prices for a movie. I was too young to go on my own and certainly did not have the money. Loew’s State was twinned in ‘68. I wish I could have seen it as a single screen theater. Clear Day was a perfect Music Hall movie and should have played there.
vindanpar, I saw “Funny Girl” at the Criterion in October of 1968, when I was 18. Having been a Barbra fanatic since the beginning of her career, it was an exciting event for me; it would have been, no matter what the theater, but being in the legendary Criterion made it extra special. I then saw her second film, “Hello, Dolly!” at the even more celebrated Rivoli, and her third, “On a Clear Day” at Loew’s State, which, if my memory serves me correctly, was twinned by 1970.
World Premiere of “The Ten Commandments” at the Criterion Theatre November 8, 1956 via YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqrChkS08lU
I Googled Roadshow engagement Criterion theatre.
https://www.google.com/search?q=roadshow+engagement+criterion+theatre&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjSvNbk-InzAhUKg3IEHXkVDEYQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=roadshow+engagement+criterion+theatre&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQDFDEMFjEMGDcWGgAcAB4AIABSogBSpIBATGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=FJpGYdLiJ4qGytMP-aqwsAQ&bih=847&biw=1500&client=firefox-b-1-d
Thoroughly Modern Millie had its world premiere as a roadshow engagement at this theater in March of ‘67. Kino has put out what they consider the roadshow bluray of this movie. What better way to celebrate a deluxe first run Times Square theater than to celebrate the films that opened there and how we can recreate those experiences though the theaters are long gone.
Hello-
I did see Funny Girl here during its roadshow engagement. my father was the head bartender in a prominent restaurant a block away. the manager and the head usher of this theater often had a drink after work at the bar/restaurant where my father worked so they were able to get him excellent seats. the one thing I remember is the WOW factor of the Don’t Rain On My Parade number right before the intermission.
also what defines a “successful roadshow” run. is it simply how long the run was? for instance N&A the last roadshow engagement here is one of my favorite historical epics ever yet its run here wasn’t as long as MFL or Funny Girl. the last successful roadshow engagement simply in terms of $$$ is Fiddler on the Roof which ran at the Rivoli for approx. a year.
Anybody see Funny Girl at the Criterion? Alas I was too young. How was the presentation? To me it seems like the last great successful roadshow film.
How lucky! I’ve seen them both perform but never had the pleasure of meeting them. That happened with me when I had Rex Harrison and Jeremy Brett sign my MFL souvenir book. It’s like they hadn’t seen it in forever and were delighted.
No, at the Chiller autograph show in Jersey. In fact Ann-Margret was very interested in it and put on her glasses and looked it over front and back. She was very cool.
Was this at a showing of the film?
I’m crazy jealous.
The Twilight Time “Bye Bye Birdie” was limited to 3000 copies. I got to meet and have it signed by Ann-Margret and Bobbie Rydell. I’ll be picking up the new Columbia edition too. Wonder if it’s the same source.
Oh bigjoe59 say it ain’t so!
Bye Bye Birdie.
Which Columbia will finally be releasing at the end of this month. I missed the Twilight Time which now goes for crazy amounts of money.
Hello-
to vindanpar- I got the blu-ray of Oliver issued by Twilight Time and while I still enjoyed the film the color at times seemed a bit washed out. its almost worth getting the Columbia Classics Vol.2 4k set this Sept. just to get the Oliver disc.
also this is embarrassing but I’ve been trying to figure out
what BBB stands for.
And I think it’s on the regular DVD.
I don’t have it but I read about it. They messed up something concerning the intermission like leaving out the entr'acte before the second half.
What was the issue with Sweet Charity. I have it and it is perfect it has two versions the roadshow version and regular movie version. I was very please the sound and picture were perfect on the Blu Ray
Well Kino also put out Sweet Charity. Let’s hope they manage to not make the same mistake they made with that one with TMM. Remember these people who are doing the work probably weren’t even alive during the roadshow era so they don’t know what the experience was like. Columbia gave two huge hits like BBB and Oliver! to Twilight Time. Who can figure out why these decisions are made?
Did you go to the Astor Plaza Aids benefit of TMM where Andrews was supposed to appear but canceled due to ill health? Channing did appear of course. Letters were read from the other cast members including Moore, Fox and Gavin. Joel Siegel introduced the film and for some idiotic reason went on to trash it. Channing then in the most charming way imaginable as the experienced pro she was went on to trash him. Who knows what the hell he was thinking when he was speaking to an audience of TMM fans.
Hello-
to vindanpar- don’t you think its interesting that the blu-ray disc of the roadshow cut Of Thoroughly Modern Millie is being issued by Kino and not Universal Home Video?
Hello-
the comments you related about what people have said about the TSOM blu-ray disc baffle me. as I said before the 50th Anniversary blu-ray disc played on my 43" 4K tv in terms of both the colors and crispness of picture image defines the term spectacular. so if there are people who say the colors is off on the blu-ray disc need new glasses or need to get their eyes checked.