How large is the screen here? I went once many years ago to see Silk Stockings in Cinemascope because at that point only pan and scan versions were available. I remember the size of the screen being unimpressive. Even a 50ft screen for 2001 is pretty dinky.
Great photo of 7th Av Cleopatra billboard for Rivoli.
Don’t know if this is an urban legend or if it happened with the original ad campaign but I read it had to do with the this billboard.
Harrison was not included. He threatened to sue and they painted him in. It does look like he’s an afterthought.
Finally got to see it when they restored it in ‘13.
Thought it was terrific. Great Mankiewicz script. 'Egyptian generosity, two heads for the price of one!’ And that final tableau which turns into a painting is a stunner on a large screen.
Lawrence at the Criterion and Cleopatra at the Rivoli. I envy those of you who were going to NY cinemas then.
Between the Nome spectacle and Serenade to the Stars that certainly was a great summer for Music Hall stage shows and films. Had I been around then I would certainly spent a lot of time at the Hall. Though I’m not sure the burning of Nome was a suitable accompaniment with The Nun’s Story. The stage shows should have been reversed. Anybody have photos of these productions?
You know I love putting down the Ziegfeld because it was a joke compared to other NY houses. Even the Todd AO Oklahoma at Cinema one was a much better experience than it ever would have been at the Ziegfeld. I’d rather even see many other 70MM spectacles at other east side houses which I did with El Cid which I believe was at the Gotham.
Ziegfeld screen size 50 ft. Warner Cinerama 81 ft.
They both had very close seating capacities. Except the Ziegfeld was a long shoe box. The ‘loge’ was a block away from the screen.
I mean we are talking the Minetta Lane compared to the Winter Garden.
2001 Would be terrible at the Walter Reade. It’s widescreen uses up a smaller portion of its screen size. Yeah it’s one of those. Instead of the screen expanding it gets smaller.
This made about as much sense for a holiday show as if they had The Guns of Navarone for the ‘61 Christmas film. And Navarone is by the way a much better movie.
As a neighborhood house it was magnificent and as large as some of the wonder theaters so it might as well have been one even if it wasn’t official. When you think about it all the ‘wonder’ theaters were neighborhood theaters.
Can’t believe it made it to ‘74 and was still torn down. If I had known it existed I would have made the daunting trip to Queens.
Looks more elaborate than it was in the ‘70s. Really a stunning spectacle. I’m sure all the sets have been disposed of quite a while ago. The choral stair icons were last used in '76. I never saw them again after that.
Last I saw it was second run at the Criterion before the multiplexing. Brought a friend who had never been in the theater before and she was so impressed. Sad that that Astor Plaza bunker got first run films and the great Criterion which was one of NY’s top theaters was so quickly reduced to exploitation fare in the early'70s.
True. Some of the films chosen even through the forties seem odd choices for holiday films. But then they hit it on the nose with things like Cover Girl and National Velvet. But then look at Sayonara in the 50s. A very odd movie for Christmas.
I think after the failure of Happiest Millionaire this film was extensively cut. Look at the timing . That’s short for a major musical. It might even have been initially thought of as a roadshow as Millionaire was which was then cut down for the Music Hall’s Christmas show after bombing at the Boyd in Philadelphia. They went further with this one.
Per the posted ad for Dr Dolittle comment:State I was the orchestra and State II was the balcony.
By Christmas ‘69 neither film was at this theater. Chitty Chitty was long gone. I saw it summer of '69 at a drive-in and Oliver went into wide release for Christmas '69 and was no longer a reserved seat attraction at least in NY. Paint Your Wagon was the reserved seat attraction in State II in '69 and the last one ever at Loew’s State. I think the X rated Without a Stitch(somebody correct me if I’m wrong) might have been the State I Christmas film heralding in the Times Square squalor of 70s drugs and exploitation.
I saw Dolittle in the suburbs at Christmas time ‘68 and knew even as a child it was a dog. Tried watching it on DVD and stopped at the intermission with no desire to go back to it. Funny because it has a very good score. Even Bobby Darin put out a good album of the songs. It’s probably the reason Tommy Tune tried to make it into a stage musical which didn’t make it to Broadway.
Once the reviews came out the box office must have just died. But it made a spectacular billboard across the street above the Astor and Victoria. Remember seeing it on my way with my family to The Happiest Millionaire at the Music Hall. Somebody must have a photo of that.
I realize this is confusing but at the end of 2001 in ‘76 the print most definitely said Cinerama at the end(I was very surprised to see this.) In '78 it said 70MM. I know it was not a Cinerama presentation but for some reason the '76 presentation was so much more impressive.
Also I assumed the screen size of the Warner Cinerama after the theater had been split was the same size it had been when it showed single screen Cinerama. It was huge curved and the 70MM/Todd AO festival in ‘78 was astounding which is one of the reasons I could never take the Ziegfeld seriously. Too bad it had become an exploitation house in the 70s.
The Rivoli and Warner were the real thing. Even the Bellevue in Montclair was a better 70MM house. They all blew the Ziegfeld away.
It looks like the photo with Fiddler on the marquee is not a stage production from ‘67 but the original Chicago film engagement in '71 or'72 when the film was running roadshow.
One of the great endings to an MGM musical which I believe even made it into the 1st That’s Entertainment film. The last all star MGM musical of its kind and should have been the Easter show. Wide wide Cinemascope which probably looked great at the Music Hall.
By the way I believe Anthony Mordente is Tony Mordente who was in the original cast of WSS and one of the Jets in the film. Married Chita Rivera.
This movie is 2 hours and 34 minutes giving lie to the claim that the Music Hall had movies cut to fit in with the stage show. Also maybe someone who is very familiar with this film can help with it. I could swear it has two endings.
I took an old DVD of it out of the library, watched it with my mother and was very surprised that Russell and Guinness decide to get married at the end. Even my old conservative mother commented on it. ‘So they do get married!’
I at a much later date started watching it from the middle on TCM. Didn’t mean to but got caught up in it again. It ended where they just decide to be friends.
Anyone know if this film really has two endings and which the Music Hall played?
NYer with all due respect I appreciate many of your photos but do you feel perhaps in the photo section we should concentrate on the Music Hall’s history as a presentation house rather than a concert venue? Personally I feel a bit of a pang when I see these ads. I realize the Hall still exists because of these concerts but I like seeing people celebrate its glory years as a film and stage show house which made it a cinema treasure.
Concerning NYer Pink Panther ad. That’s very early for a post Easter film. How many weeks did Henry Orient play and what date was Easter that year?
And did Pink Panther open everywhere before opening in NY? That’s unusual as well.
If I had a time machine it’s one of the top films I would have chosen to see at the Hall.
Comfortably Cool posted White Cliffs of Dover announcement.
Amazing that June Lockhart who plays the grown up Elizabeth Taylor is still with us.
A wonderful movie.
Wow Jimmy Durante and Marta Eggerth on the same program! What I would have given to see that.
How large is the screen here? I went once many years ago to see Silk Stockings in Cinemascope because at that point only pan and scan versions were available. I remember the size of the screen being unimpressive. Even a 50ft screen for 2001 is pretty dinky.
Great photo of 7th Av Cleopatra billboard for Rivoli.
Don’t know if this is an urban legend or if it happened with the original ad campaign but I read it had to do with the this billboard.
Harrison was not included. He threatened to sue and they painted him in. It does look like he’s an afterthought.
Finally got to see it when they restored it in ‘13. Thought it was terrific. Great Mankiewicz script. 'Egyptian generosity, two heads for the price of one!’ And that final tableau which turns into a painting is a stunner on a large screen.
Lawrence at the Criterion and Cleopatra at the Rivoli. I envy those of you who were going to NY cinemas then.
Now all they need to do is get rid of the fake arch and the lights from the arch and choral stairs.
Between the Nome spectacle and Serenade to the Stars that certainly was a great summer for Music Hall stage shows and films. Had I been around then I would certainly spent a lot of time at the Hall. Though I’m not sure the burning of Nome was a suitable accompaniment with The Nun’s Story. The stage shows should have been reversed. Anybody have photos of these productions?
And watch the 11 minute film after which is the New York of one’s dreams.
You know I love putting down the Ziegfeld because it was a joke compared to other NY houses. Even the Todd AO Oklahoma at Cinema one was a much better experience than it ever would have been at the Ziegfeld. I’d rather even see many other 70MM spectacles at other east side houses which I did with El Cid which I believe was at the Gotham.
Ziegfeld screen size 50 ft.
Warner Cinerama 81 ft.
They both had very close seating capacities. Except the Ziegfeld was a long shoe box. The ‘loge’ was a block away from the screen.
I mean we are talking the Minetta Lane compared to the Winter Garden.
2001 Would be terrible at the Walter Reade. It’s widescreen uses up a smaller portion of its screen size. Yeah it’s one of those. Instead of the screen expanding it gets smaller.
Loew’s Lincoln Square in 1959. Hmmm…
I wonder what was playing on the Imax screen.
This made about as much sense for a holiday show as if they had The Guns of Navarone for the ‘61 Christmas film. And Navarone is by the way a much better movie.
As a neighborhood house it was magnificent and as large as some of the wonder theaters so it might as well have been one even if it wasn’t official. When you think about it all the ‘wonder’ theaters were neighborhood theaters.
Can’t believe it made it to ‘74 and was still torn down. If I had known it existed I would have made the daunting trip to Queens.
Looks more elaborate than it was in the ‘70s. Really a stunning spectacle. I’m sure all the sets have been disposed of quite a while ago. The choral stair icons were last used in '76. I never saw them again after that.
Superman here seems like a joke.
Last I saw it was second run at the Criterion before the multiplexing. Brought a friend who had never been in the theater before and she was so impressed. Sad that that Astor Plaza bunker got first run films and the great Criterion which was one of NY’s top theaters was so quickly reduced to exploitation fare in the early'70s.
True. Some of the films chosen even through the forties seem odd choices for holiday films. But then they hit it on the nose with things like Cover Girl and National Velvet. But then look at Sayonara in the 50s. A very odd movie for Christmas.
Wouldn’t this be ‘56? Also it’s the old marquee which would be modified for the same years 10 Commandments and last until its sad multiplexing.
Also the first Goldie Hawn/Kurt Russell movie. Though the age difference here is a bit disconcerting.
I think after the failure of Happiest Millionaire this film was extensively cut. Look at the timing . That’s short for a major musical. It might even have been initially thought of as a roadshow as Millionaire was which was then cut down for the Music Hall’s Christmas show after bombing at the Boyd in Philadelphia. They went further with this one.
Am I going blind? Streisand didn’t star in What’s Up Doc? O'Neal was the only star?
Look at March 28 upload.
Per the posted ad for Dr Dolittle comment:State I was the orchestra and State II was the balcony.
By Christmas ‘69 neither film was at this theater. Chitty Chitty was long gone. I saw it summer of '69 at a drive-in and Oliver went into wide release for Christmas '69 and was no longer a reserved seat attraction at least in NY. Paint Your Wagon was the reserved seat attraction in State II in '69 and the last one ever at Loew’s State. I think the X rated Without a Stitch(somebody correct me if I’m wrong) might have been the State I Christmas film heralding in the Times Square squalor of 70s drugs and exploitation.
I saw Dolittle in the suburbs at Christmas time ‘68 and knew even as a child it was a dog. Tried watching it on DVD and stopped at the intermission with no desire to go back to it. Funny because it has a very good score. Even Bobby Darin put out a good album of the songs. It’s probably the reason Tommy Tune tried to make it into a stage musical which didn’t make it to Broadway.
Once the reviews came out the box office must have just died. But it made a spectacular billboard across the street above the Astor and Victoria. Remember seeing it on my way with my family to The Happiest Millionaire at the Music Hall. Somebody must have a photo of that.
I realize this is confusing but at the end of 2001 in ‘76 the print most definitely said Cinerama at the end(I was very surprised to see this.) In '78 it said 70MM. I know it was not a Cinerama presentation but for some reason the '76 presentation was so much more impressive.
Also I assumed the screen size of the Warner Cinerama after the theater had been split was the same size it had been when it showed single screen Cinerama. It was huge curved and the 70MM/Todd AO festival in ‘78 was astounding which is one of the reasons I could never take the Ziegfeld seriously. Too bad it had become an exploitation house in the 70s.
The Rivoli and Warner were the real thing. Even the Bellevue in Montclair was a better 70MM house. They all blew the Ziegfeld away.
It looks like the photo with Fiddler on the marquee is not a stage production from ‘67 but the original Chicago film engagement in '71 or'72 when the film was running roadshow.
One of the great endings to an MGM musical which I believe even made it into the 1st That’s Entertainment film. The last all star MGM musical of its kind and should have been the Easter show. Wide wide Cinemascope which probably looked great at the Music Hall.
By the way I believe Anthony Mordente is Tony Mordente who was in the original cast of WSS and one of the Jets in the film. Married Chita Rivera.
This movie is 2 hours and 34 minutes giving lie to the claim that the Music Hall had movies cut to fit in with the stage show. Also maybe someone who is very familiar with this film can help with it. I could swear it has two endings.
I took an old DVD of it out of the library, watched it with my mother and was very surprised that Russell and Guinness decide to get married at the end. Even my old conservative mother commented on it. ‘So they do get married!’
I at a much later date started watching it from the middle on TCM. Didn’t mean to but got caught up in it again. It ended where they just decide to be friends.
Anyone know if this film really has two endings and which the Music Hall played?
NYer with all due respect I appreciate many of your photos but do you feel perhaps in the photo section we should concentrate on the Music Hall’s history as a presentation house rather than a concert venue? Personally I feel a bit of a pang when I see these ads. I realize the Hall still exists because of these concerts but I like seeing people celebrate its glory years as a film and stage show house which made it a cinema treasure.