By very detailed emails, Jim Rankin assisted Friends of the Boyd (www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org) in our understanding and retrieval of our original Lighting Control Panel.
He also inquired about the non-original, but interesting grillwork on the Yeadon Theater (no demolished) in suburban Philadelphia.
I’ve enjoyed his many postings on so many theaters on this site!
The theater’s website has photos and history of the auditorium ceiling dome mural, which was painted in 1985. The site also discusses the restoration of the theater.
When I saw movies in 2001, I was told that Theater 3 had 262 seats and Theater 4 had 300 seats.
Visiting this past weekend, I was told Theater 1 also has 300 seats. 12-22 Friday evening’s first show of “The Good Shepherd” looked like it sold out, in its opening weekend. Sound was only from behind the screen. Red fabric was at the top of the side walls and the back wall of the auditorium. The rest of the side walls are off white with sconces that have lights on top of what look like corkscrews. The seats are luxury seats.
The theater is on the 3rd floor. The lobby continues to have a red tent like ceiling. A hall to the right of the lobby leads to the auditoriums and to a bar.
I don’t understand what this paragraph means-
“Considering the importance of this project, Todd Katz, holder of the Paramount Theatre property, enthusiatically moved the holdings, and tributed by mural painting of the Paramount and Strand theatres on his new property of operations of Siperstein Paints located at Route 36, Long Branch , NJ.”
“moved the holdings”?
“tributed by mural painting”?
Not part of Sameric chain. The Eric 3 was replaced by the Bridge theater. The Cinemagic 3 was not an Eric. I believe it was a Budco, and it might have earlier been a GCC. I think it was built in the 1970’s. It closed 2005. My notes from 2003 indicate auditorium 3 had 219 seats.
Having read the description of the theater on this website, and looked at the exterior and interior photos, I am impressed by how wonderful this Art Deco gem is and overjoyed that it will be saved and open again to benefit the public! This is a giant win win, and all parties are to be congratulated!
Regards from Philadelphia, www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org, volunteering to save our Art Deco theatrical showplace.
At our website, How to Help, you can find my direct email address towards the bottom of the page. I’d appreciate hearing from you directly including whether you saw any differences today inside the Boyd from recently. I’m not sure what was “cleared out” unless you mean concession stand that was removed last year from the Grand Lobby. And, I am eager to know whether For Sale on the small auditorium property or the Boyd itself, if you are sure on that point.
I am going to also seek direct clarification from the ownership. Thanks.
Under the marquee is the original, historic Boyd Theatre. To the west, closer to 20th than 19th Street, is the long blank wall of the three former small auditoriums. The small auditoriums aren’t historic, and that space was gutted and available for rent. Is that where you heard workers and where you saw a new for sale sign?
If you enter your contact information at www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org you will receive our free email Weekly Updates. The last formal notice from Live Nation, the Boyd’s owner, was that they were considering whether to proceed with the project or place the theater up for sale. The Friends of the Boyd will continue to volunteer to ensure the Boyd is restored and reopened.
The marquee says Anthropolgie and the store is packed with shoppers! Festive holiday music is piped in. Very decorative metal railings go to a downstairs level and an upper level, accompanied by huge ornate metal chandeliers and other ornate decoration.
I love single screen movie theaters, especially ones that use their curtain before the movie as this one always did. I saw a few movies at the Guild 50 in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, and would still travel there to see movies if they were being shown. However, the interior was plain as a theater as a post says above. The most interesting part was going upstairs to look out the windows. The old theater’s interior is actually more entertaining now!
The slanted ceilings are also found into the Men’s restroom. The sink is a long communal trough like metal shelf, with spigots.
Before the Saturday afternoon matinee began, there were no slides (fine with me) but also no music. Four or five movie previews preceded the movie. Thankfully, there were no commercials in the pre-show.
The Boyd is not standing through pure happenstance! Facts determine survival- owners who kept it standing and later of fights for its preservation!! In the 1980’s the Historical Commission fought for it, in this decade the Preservation Alliance has fought for it, and for 4 years the Friends of the Boyd, www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org has fought for it! Numerous volunteers have devoted much time for the Boyd. Those volunteers have not included TheaterBuff1
One point of the article was the to meet demand and to be better showplaces, new movie theaters are designing their largest auditoriums as even larger with more seats and bigger screens.
I’m not sure if I can fit it into my schedule to travel to the Ziegfeld (not my nabe theater) but I might because I think it would be nice to sit there with a full house and see the lobby display. I am also pleased to sit there before the movie and look at the closed curtain before the movie. Full houses in large auditoriums and closed curtains are becoming quite rare on the East Coast.
The Ziegfeld was built to be a NYC “exclusive” house
(movie playing there before it is released in the other theaters) so this is a great use. For almost every mainstream release, the Ziegfeld doesn’t attract enough customers since the movie is playing at so many other nearby theaters. Any special presentations such as this one should be encouraged and supported.
There is one mistake that I can spot: the Uptown in Washington, D.C. was built in 1936 rather than 1933. For decades it has been the greatest movie theater in the East Coast for blockbusters and for revivals of epics. It is rumored that AMC might depart it.
December 6 In Focus magazine “Secrets of Size” article details why movie theater auditoriums have dramatically shrunk over time, but also explains a revived construction of bigger auditoriums.
An accompanying chart provides examples of existing and former movie palaces. A graphic shows the typical seating layout of a megaplex. A seating chart of Radio City Music Hall is also provided.
Theater naming rights aren’t usually sold to corporations but rather are LEASED for a term of years, like 5 or 7, etc. So, they not only didn’t buy the theaters, they probably didn’t even buy the naming rights forever either.
I wrote how our visit went on today’s Weekly Update to Friends of the Boyd, www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org as follows:
By luxury bus, Friends of the Boyd went Saturday to Hershey. Twenty seven volunteers and supporters enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of the Hershey Theatre. See a photo of some Friends in the classical Greek style Lobby: View link
When we visited BACKSTAGE, we were amazed at the size of the stage! Almost all the large Touring Musicals can be accommodated. The Boyd’s new stagehouse will be even larger!
The Hershey Theatre has been totally restored. Its interior is beautiful throughout. We saw the twinkling stars and the clouds moving across the “atmospheric sky” of the spectacular auditorium. We were told that unlike older theaters such as opera houses, the Hershey’s auditorium was built without columns and so every seat has a perfect SIGHTLINE. The Boyd also has perfect sightlines, and no columns blocking views.
CLASSIC FILMS this season are Citizen Kane, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Sunset Boulevard, Roman Holiday, Easter Parade, and Some Like It Hot, each with an organ concert first. http://www.hersheytheatre.com/films.html
A professional organist was present to rehearse for a concert the next day, so he treated us to a short concert on the PIPE ORGAN.
The tour guide told us she shows the theater to many SCHOOL GROUPS, telling them about its history and how the decorative features like the Mosaic ceiling downstairs was created (two craftsmen spent two years laying the tiny tiles one square at a time!).
Karen Noonan, President of the Theatre Historical Society of America, is unaware of any other group working to save a movie palace that sponsored a field trip to see a restored theater. Friends of the Boyd are pleased to be first! Like the Hershey, we also plan for the Boyd to be restored for shows, a classic film series, an organ, and public tours.
After the tour, we enjoyed a delicious lunch in the landmark Hotel Hershey, and visited the outdoor gardens and the beautiful public spaces.
Quaintest Theater
Built within a former church, the Newtown is a single screener with a balcony that recently added digital sound and this year has a classic series in 35 mm.
The Yeadon “no” should read “now demolished.
By very detailed emails, Jim Rankin assisted Friends of the Boyd (www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org) in our understanding and retrieval of our original Lighting Control Panel.
He also inquired about the non-original, but interesting grillwork on the Yeadon Theater (no demolished) in suburban Philadelphia.
I’ve enjoyed his many postings on so many theaters on this site!
Rest in peace!
The theater’s website has photos and history of the auditorium ceiling dome mural, which was painted in 1985. The site also discusses the restoration of the theater.
Evening photo:
View link
No food or drinks:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/billadler/290529849/
View up the block:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/katmere/55099418/
When I saw movies in 2001, I was told that Theater 3 had 262 seats and Theater 4 had 300 seats.
Visiting this past weekend, I was told Theater 1 also has 300 seats. 12-22 Friday evening’s first show of “The Good Shepherd” looked like it sold out, in its opening weekend. Sound was only from behind the screen. Red fabric was at the top of the side walls and the back wall of the auditorium. The rest of the side walls are off white with sconces that have lights on top of what look like corkscrews. The seats are luxury seats.
The theater is on the 3rd floor. The lobby continues to have a red tent like ceiling. A hall to the right of the lobby leads to the auditoriums and to a bar.
I don’t understand what this paragraph means-
“Considering the importance of this project, Todd Katz, holder of the Paramount Theatre property, enthusiatically moved the holdings, and tributed by mural painting of the Paramount and Strand theatres on his new property of operations of Siperstein Paints located at Route 36, Long Branch , NJ.”
“moved the holdings”?
“tributed by mural painting”?
Here’s the link to theater operator website with photos of the theater’s interior!
http://www.phoenixtheatres.com/unionpictures.htm
Not part of Sameric chain. The Eric 3 was replaced by the Bridge theater. The Cinemagic 3 was not an Eric. I believe it was a Budco, and it might have earlier been a GCC. I think it was built in the 1970’s. It closed 2005. My notes from 2003 indicate auditorium 3 had 219 seats.
my link ddn’t work- that’s www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org
Having read the description of the theater on this website, and looked at the exterior and interior photos, I am impressed by how wonderful this Art Deco gem is and overjoyed that it will be saved and open again to benefit the public! This is a giant win win, and all parties are to be congratulated!
Regards from Philadelphia, www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org, volunteering to save our Art Deco theatrical showplace.
At our website, How to Help, you can find my direct email address towards the bottom of the page. I’d appreciate hearing from you directly including whether you saw any differences today inside the Boyd from recently. I’m not sure what was “cleared out” unless you mean concession stand that was removed last year from the Grand Lobby. And, I am eager to know whether For Sale on the small auditorium property or the Boyd itself, if you are sure on that point.
I am going to also seek direct clarification from the ownership. Thanks.
Under the marquee is the original, historic Boyd Theatre. To the west, closer to 20th than 19th Street, is the long blank wall of the three former small auditoriums. The small auditoriums aren’t historic, and that space was gutted and available for rent. Is that where you heard workers and where you saw a new for sale sign?
If you enter your contact information at www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org you will receive our free email Weekly Updates. The last formal notice from Live Nation, the Boyd’s owner, was that they were considering whether to proceed with the project or place the theater up for sale. The Friends of the Boyd will continue to volunteer to ensure the Boyd is restored and reopened.
The marquee says Anthropolgie and the store is packed with shoppers! Festive holiday music is piped in. Very decorative metal railings go to a downstairs level and an upper level, accompanied by huge ornate metal chandeliers and other ornate decoration.
I love single screen movie theaters, especially ones that use their curtain before the movie as this one always did. I saw a few movies at the Guild 50 in the late 1980’s and 1990’s, and would still travel there to see movies if they were being shown. However, the interior was plain as a theater as a post says above. The most interesting part was going upstairs to look out the windows. The old theater’s interior is actually more entertaining now!
Somebody obviously didn’t read the article.
The slanted ceilings are also found into the Men’s restroom. The sink is a long communal trough like metal shelf, with spigots.
Before the Saturday afternoon matinee began, there were no slides (fine with me) but also no music. Four or five movie previews preceded the movie. Thankfully, there were no commercials in the pre-show.
The Boyd is not standing through pure happenstance! Facts determine survival- owners who kept it standing and later of fights for its preservation!! In the 1980’s the Historical Commission fought for it, in this decade the Preservation Alliance has fought for it, and for 4 years the Friends of the Boyd, www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org has fought for it! Numerous volunteers have devoted much time for the Boyd. Those volunteers have not included TheaterBuff1
One point of the article was the to meet demand and to be better showplaces, new movie theaters are designing their largest auditoriums as even larger with more seats and bigger screens.
I hope this theater survives, but the opening of casinos in PA has no relationship to the viability of this cinema.
I’m not sure if I can fit it into my schedule to travel to the Ziegfeld (not my nabe theater) but I might because I think it would be nice to sit there with a full house and see the lobby display. I am also pleased to sit there before the movie and look at the closed curtain before the movie. Full houses in large auditoriums and closed curtains are becoming quite rare on the East Coast.
The Ziegfeld was built to be a NYC “exclusive” house
(movie playing there before it is released in the other theaters) so this is a great use. For almost every mainstream release, the Ziegfeld doesn’t attract enough customers since the movie is playing at so many other nearby theaters. Any special presentations such as this one should be encouraged and supported.
There is one mistake that I can spot: the Uptown in Washington, D.C. was built in 1936 rather than 1933. For decades it has been the greatest movie theater in the East Coast for blockbusters and for revivals of epics. It is rumored that AMC might depart it.
December 6 In Focus magazine “Secrets of Size” article details why movie theater auditoriums have dramatically shrunk over time, but also explains a revived construction of bigger auditoriums.
An accompanying chart provides examples of existing and former movie palaces. A graphic shows the typical seating layout of a megaplex. A seating chart of Radio City Music Hall is also provided.
View link
Rob Bender photos from our 12-2-06 Friends of the Boyd www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org field trip are here:
http://www.robbender.com/gallery/hershey
Theater naming rights aren’t usually sold to corporations but rather are LEASED for a term of years, like 5 or 7, etc. So, they not only didn’t buy the theaters, they probably didn’t even buy the naming rights forever either.
I wrote how our visit went on today’s Weekly Update to Friends of the Boyd, www.FriendsOfTheBoyd.org as follows:
By luxury bus, Friends of the Boyd went Saturday to Hershey. Twenty seven volunteers and supporters enjoyed a behind the scenes tour of the Hershey Theatre. See a photo of some Friends in the classical Greek style Lobby:
View link
When we visited BACKSTAGE, we were amazed at the size of the stage! Almost all the large Touring Musicals can be accommodated. The Boyd’s new stagehouse will be even larger!
The Hershey Theatre has been totally restored. Its interior is beautiful throughout. We saw the twinkling stars and the clouds moving across the “atmospheric sky” of the spectacular auditorium. We were told that unlike older theaters such as opera houses, the Hershey’s auditorium was built without columns and so every seat has a perfect SIGHTLINE. The Boyd also has perfect sightlines, and no columns blocking views.
CLASSIC FILMS this season are Citizen Kane, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Sunset Boulevard, Roman Holiday, Easter Parade, and Some Like It Hot, each with an organ concert first. http://www.hersheytheatre.com/films.html
A professional organist was present to rehearse for a concert the next day, so he treated us to a short concert on the PIPE ORGAN.
The tour guide told us she shows the theater to many SCHOOL GROUPS, telling them about its history and how the decorative features like the Mosaic ceiling downstairs was created (two craftsmen spent two years laying the tiny tiles one square at a time!).
Karen Noonan, President of the Theatre Historical Society of America, is unaware of any other group working to save a movie palace that sponsored a field trip to see a restored theater. Friends of the Boyd are pleased to be first! Like the Hershey, we also plan for the Boyd to be restored for shows, a classic film series, an organ, and public tours.
After the tour, we enjoyed a delicious lunch in the landmark Hotel Hershey, and visited the outdoor gardens and the beautiful public spaces.
Having been to the Newtown, I was pleased to write this blurb for 11-22-06 Philadelphia Weekly article on suburban Philadelphia movie theaters,
View link
Quaintest Theater
Built within a former church, the Newtown is a single screener with a balcony that recently added digital sound and this year has a classic series in 35 mm.