Loew's 34th Street Showplace

I saw SO many movies here! Last one I remember for sure was Titanic. As I recall there were no auditorium on the ground floor. Just concessions. Then upstairs there were two auditoriums and downstairs there was one. It had that wonderful 70’s-style interior decor, full of orange, brown, and gold. It didn’t have the personality of the wonderful Orpheum up on 86th St, nor the sheer size of the Astor Plaza, but it was a good theater to see movies in. And the Murray Hill was just up 34th St. and there was another theater directly across 34th St. so you could be pretty sure of finding the movie you wanted in the neighborhood.

Thanks Coate for posting this. The Hunt for Red October was the last movie I saw here.

Watched ‘Raiders’ 1 and 2 here. Back in the days when you could camp out and watch the same movie several times in a row. The manager at this theatre, Lewis $Hart, found my wallet once after a screening of ‘Jaws IV – The Revenge’ and proudly returned it to me. Claimed that Brooke Shields and Warren Beatty, “your boy,” regularly watched movies here. We became good friends and he and his boys once helped me push my pathetic VW Karmann Ghia down the street when the carburetor gave out one afternoon. Lewis moved to the Kips Bay 14, cleaned the theaters there and recently retired. He thought for years that I was actor Christopher Atkins. Before the theatre was built – one of the few places I can remember before construction and after demolition – it was a parking lot, and my friend Orhan and I would roll empty beer bottles across its puckered concrete until they would disintegrate like Steve Austin’s space craft making its ill-fated landing. Good times.

Of all the Manhattan cinemas I had the pleasure of visiting this is one out of the three or four I frequented the most. I saw many movies here, most of them good. The list is long but distinguished. I’ve included them below in no particular order. The basement auditorium was probably the best for seeing an event movie, like “Star Wars,” or “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” especially in 70 MM. The two upstairs ones were fine too. I liked the sloped seating.

Return of the Jedi A View to a Kill Explorers Rocky IV The Delta Force Pretty in Pink Back to School Radio Days Moonstruck The Accused Rain Man Mississippi Burning Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade The Hunt for Red October

“Schlocky pedigree”, are you referring to Loews?

Porky’s opened as a test engagement in two cities in November 1981 before going wide on March 19th, 1982. Porky’s was also one of the opening engagements of the National Twin when that theatre was redone.

It is amazing how quickly this place came and went. I remember when it opened and, since my doctor’s office was situated in the vicinity, would occasionally catch a late afternoon showing after a visit. I also distinctly remember seeing Prizzi’s Honor with my parents just after its release. After the film, we had a fine seafood dinner at a place called Dolphins which, alas, is also history.

I remember my shock when, sometime in the early 1990’s, I paassed the site of I knew of as being a modern movie house, and saw a vacant lot instead.

All three auditoria were equipped with 70mm projection. And there were times when all three were indeed simultaneously running 70mm presentations (the good old days…)

Hard to believe there no photos of this theater if it opened in 1981.

Here were the bookings from the theatre’s first five years (1981-1986):

5/22/1981 Bustin' Loose (5 weeks)
5/22/1981 The Fan (3 weeks)
5/22/1981 Outland in 70mm (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo and Megasound)
6/12/1981 Raiders Of The Lost Ark in 70mm (14 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/26/1981 For Your Eyes Only (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/26/1981 Stripes (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/24/1981 Blow Out (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/7/1981 Tarzan, The Ape Man (3 weeks)
8/28/1981 Body Heat (6 weeks)
8/28/1981 Take This Job and Shove It (1 week)
9/4/1981 The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia (2 weeks, stereo)
9/18/1981 Continential Divine (2 weeks)
9/18/1981 Mommie Dearest (7 weeks)
10/2/1981 Paternity (2 weeks, stereo)
10/9/1981 Rich and Famous (4 weeks)
10/16/1981 All The Marbles (2 weeks, stereo)
10/30/1981 Halloween II (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/6/1981 Chanel Solitaire (1 week)
11/6/1981 Time Bandits (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/13/1981 Rich and Famous (RE/MO, 1 week)
11/20/1981 Body and Soul (3 weeks)
11/20/1981 Only When I Laugh (MO, 3 weeks, stereo)
12/9/1981 Taps (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/11/1981 Rollover (6 weeks)
12/18/1981 Neighbors (4 weeks, stereo)
1/15/1982 Absence Of Malice (MO, 6 weeks, stereo)
1/22/1982 On Golden Pond (6 weeks)
1/29/1982 Four Friends (MO, 2 weeks, stereo)
2/12/1982 Cannery Row (1 week)
2/19/1982 Shoot The Moon (4 weeks)
2/26/1982 Death Wish II (3 weeks)
3/5/1982 Missing (3 weeks)
3/19/1982 Porky’s (9 weeks)
3/19/1982 Quest For Fire in 70mm (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/26/1982 I Ought To Be In Pictures (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/16/1982 The Amateur (3 weeks)
4/30/1982 Partners (3 weeks)
5/7/1982 Paradise (2 weeks)
5/14/1982 Conan The Barbarian (5 weeks)
5/21/1982 Annie in 70mm (9 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/21/1982 Fighting Back (2 weeks)
6/4/1982 Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan in 70mm (8 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/18/1982 Firefox (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/16/1982 A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy (4 weeks)
7/23/1982 The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas (3 weeks, 4-track stereo)
7/30/1982 Night Shift (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/13/1982 Star Wars (RE, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/13/1982 The Sword and The Sorcerer (MO, 1 week, Dolby Stereo)
8/20/1982 The Road Warrior (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/20/1982 Summer Lovers (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/27/1982 Zapped (2 weeks, stereo)
9/3/1982 Fast Times At Ridgemont High (3 weeks)
9/10/1982 The Beach Girls (1 week)
9/17/1982 Das Boot (dubbed version known as The Boat) (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/17/1982 Inchon (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/24/1982 Amityville II: The Possession (2 weeks)
10/1/1982 My Favorite Year (10 weeks)
10/1/1982 Tempest (MO, 3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/8/1982 Q: The Winged Serpent (2 weeks)
10/22/1982 First Blood (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/22/1982 Monsignor (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/12/1982 The Missionary (4 weeks)
11/19/1982 The Empire Strikes Back (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/8/1982 The Verdict (10 weeks)
12/10/1982 Airplane II: The Sequel (5 weeks)
12/10/1982 The Toy (6 weeks)
1/14/1983 Spring Fever (2 weeks)
1/21/1983 Sophie’s Choice (10 weeks)
1/28/1983 Enigma (1 week)
2/4/1983 Tootsie (MO, 14 weeks)
2/18/1983 The Lords Of Discipline (5 weeks)
3/25/1983 Bad Boys (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/1/1983 Tender Mercies (4 weeks, stereo)
4/15/1983 Flashdance (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/29/1983 Valley Girl (1 week, stereo)
5/6/1983 Doctor Detroit (2 weeks, stereo)
5/13/1983 Blue Thunder in 70mm (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/20/1983 Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone in 3-D (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/25/1983 Return Of The Jedi in 70mm (16 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/8/1983 Trading Places (11 weeks)
6/17/1983 WarGames (MO, 6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/29/1983 Krull in 70mm (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/19/1983 Easy Money (6 weeks)
8/26/1983 Mr. Mom (5 weeks)
9/16/1983 Strange Invaders (2 weeks)
9/28/1983 The Big Chill (11 weeks)
9/28/1983 Eddie and The Cruisers (MO, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/30/1983 Beyond The Limit (3 weeks)
10/14/1983 A Boy and His Dog (RE, 1 week, Dolby Stereo)
10/21/1983 The Dead Zone (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/21/1983 Under Fire (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
10/28/1983 Richard Pryor: Here and Now (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/18/1983 Amityville 3-D (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
11/23/1983 Under Fire (MO, 1 week, Dolby Stereo)
12/2/1983 Educating Rita (MO, 2 weeks)
12/16/1983 The Man Who Loved Women (4 weeks, stereo)
12/16/1983 To Be Or Not To Be (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/16/1983 Uncommon Valor (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
1/13/1984 The Big Chill (RE/MO, 1 week)
1/20/1984 Angel (MO, 4 weeks, stereo)
1/20/1984 Scandalous (2 weeks, stereo)
1/27/1984 Broadway Danny Rose (7 weeks)
2/3/1984 Reckless (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/17/1984 Footloose (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/2/1984 Against All Odds (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/16/1984 Tank (1 week)
3/23/1984 Broadway Danny Rose (RE/MO, 1 week)
3/30/1984 Romancing The Stone (10 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/6/1984 Hard To Hold (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/6/1984 Moscow On The Hudson (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/20/1984 Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (MO, 2 weeks)
5/4/1984 The Bounty (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/23/1984 Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom in 70mm (12 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/1/1984 Star Trek III: The Search For Spock in 70mm (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/8/1984 Ghostbusters (15 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/29/1984 Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (35mm version, 3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/20/1984 Best Defense (3 weeks)
8/10/1984 Red Dawn (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/15/1984 The Woman In Red (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/24/1984 Oxford Blues (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
8/31/1984 Bolero (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/21/1984 All Of Me (5 weeks, stereo)
9/21/1984 Until September (3 weeks, stereo)
10/5/1984 Teachers (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/12/1984 Garbo Talks (2 weeks)
10/19/1984 Thief Of Hearts (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/26/1984 Firstborn (3 weeks)
10/26/1984 The Terminator (7 weeks)
11/16/1984 Just The Way You Are (1 week, stereo)
11/21/1984 A Christmas Story (RE, 1 week)
11/21/1984 Supergirl (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/30/1984 A Nightmare On Elm Street (1 week)
12/5/1984 Beverly Hills Cop (15 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/7/1984 2010: The Year We Make Contact in 70mm (10 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/14/1984 The Cotton Club in 70mm (9 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/15/1985 The Breakfast Club (5 weeks)
2/15/1985 Turk 182! (2 weeks, stereo)
3/1/1985 The Sure Thing (4 weeks)
3/22/1985 Baby: Secret Of The Lost Legend (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/22/1985 Mask (6 weeks)
3/29/1985 Desperately Seeking Susan (11 weeks, stereo)
4/5/1985 The Sure Thing (RE/MO, 1 week)
4/12/1985 Cat’s Eye (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/26/1985 Stick (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/3/1985 Gotcha! (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/10/1985 Rustler’s Rhapsody (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/22/1985 Brewster’s Millions (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/24/1985 A View To A Kill (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/14/1985 D.A.R.Y.L. (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/14/1985 Prizzi’s Honor (8 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/3/1985 Back To The Future (14 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/12/1985 Explorers (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/2/1985 Weird Science (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/9/1985 Summer Rental (2 weeks)
8/16/1985 Year Of The Dragon in 70mm (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/23/1985 Teen Wolf (2 weeks)
9/6/1985 Compromising Positions (MO, 9 weeks)
9/20/1985 Creator (1 week, stereo)
9/27/1985 Maxie (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/11/1985 Marie (4 weeks, stereo)
10/11/1985 Silver Bullet (3 weeks, stereo)
11/1/1985 To Live and Die In L.A. (4 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/8/1985 That Was Then, This Is Now (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/8/1985 Transylvania 6-5000 (3 weeks)
11/22/1985 Fever Pitch (2 weeks, stereo)
11/27/1985 Rocky IV in 70mm (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/27/1985 Rocky IV (35mm version, 7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/4/1985 Young Sherlock Holmes in 70mm (8 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/10/1985 A Chorus Line in 70mm (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
1/17/1986 Brazil (8 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
1/31/1986 The Clan Of The Cave Bear (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
1/31/1986 Youngblood (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/7/1986 F/X (7 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/14/1986 The Delta Force (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
2/28/1986 Pretty In Pink (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/14/1986 Gung Ho (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
3/26/1986 The Money Pit (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/11/1986 Critters (3 weeks)
4/18/1986 Legend (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
4/18/1986 Wise Guys (6 weeks)
5/2/1986 Blue City (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/9/1986 Fire With Fire (2 weeks)
5/16/1986 Top Gun in 70mm (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/23/1986 Poltergeist II: The Other Side (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
5/30/1986 At Close Range (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/11/1986 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (6 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/13/1986 Back To School (11 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
6/27/1986 Running Scared (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
7/25/1986 Haunted Honeymoon (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/1/1986 Howard The Duck in 70mm (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/8/1986 Heartburn (MO, 7 weeks)
8/15/1986 Running Scared (RE/MO, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/29/1986 Born American (2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
8/29/1986 Bullies (1 week)
9/5/1986 Legal Eagles (MO, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/12/1986 Running Scared (RE/MO, 1 week, Dolby Stereo)
9/19/1986 The Men’s Club (3 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/19/1986 Shanghai Surprise (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
9/26/1986 Crocodile Dundee (11 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
9/26/1986 Foreign Body (1 week, Dolby Stereo)
10/3/1986 Heartburn (RE/MO, 1 week)
10/8/1986 Peggy Sue Got Married (7 weeks)
10/10/1986 Top Gun (RE, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
10/24/1986 Soul Man (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/26/1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 70mm (10 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
11/26/1986 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (35mm version, 2 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/12/1986 The Golden Child (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
12/12/1986 Three Amigos (5 weeks, Dolby Stereo)

I can confirm that it opened on May 22, 1981 with THE FAN, BUSTIN' LOOSE and OUTLAND. They may have received a temporary permit made official in January.

This theatre is mentioned in Loew’s 1981 annual report:

“The success of the new Loews 34th Street Showplace, which opened in New York City in May, fully met the most optimistic expectations of management. This new triplex theatre includes all the amenities for which Loews Theatres are noted. The same concepts have been embodied in the Division’s new projects in growing suburban areas outside New York City.”