Big Joe, I still have souvenir programs for movies like Reds, Star Wars, Rocky II, Moonraker, Octopussy, etc. And a number of those booklets were neighborhood engagements. Of course, distribution and roll out was much different in the latter ‘70’s and ‘80’s than it was during the roadshow period.
I attended the Tonys at Radio City in 2001. That was the year The Producers took home a lot of gold. We had first tier seats. The seats adjacent to ours were occupied by the proud parents of a gypsy who was making his Broadway debut in the revival of 42nd Street. I believe they had travelled from Ohio or some other midwestern state to watch him perform with the ensemble. And in the row ahead of us, I spied the actor Jason Isaacs (The Patriot, Harry Potter) viewing the proceedings through a pair of Opera glasses.
Correction… the old Loew’s Bay Terrace was converted to retail space after it closed. The new multiplex was built a few hundred feet to the west down 26th Ave.
I’m not sure the smilebox presentation would work well for a regular anamorphic or spherical widescreen film. It does wonders for a true three-strip Cinerama flick like HTWWW or Brothers Grimm, where the viewing plane gets distorted and just doesn’t work in a flat screen presentation.
Nolan just wanted a nice analog representation of what 2001: A Space Odyssey looked like to audiences back in 1968 – albeit without the gigantic curved Cinerama screen (no doubt a huge part of the initial 2001 experience). Still, no digital overlays, no color correcting… Just a nice fresh 70mm print off the interpositive as may have been enjoyed by audiences on general release, anyway.. My understanding is that the film is being restored digitally in preparation for a 50th anniversary Blu-ray release later in the year. That will have all the digital bells and whistles applied and make for wonderful viewing at home – and maybe even at the odd cinema in 4K projection, if the powers that be are so inclined. But that end product will not look like a negative to film transfer would have looked in 1968.
My daughter, whom I turned on to this movie 18 years ago when she was 8 years old (courtesy of TCM New Year’s midnight showing back in 2000-2001), is going to the 7:30 tonight to see it on the big screen for the first time in her life. I think she’s in for a special treat!
To answer another part of your question, IAMMMMW was filmed in Ultra Panavision 70, which used anamorphic lenses. The lenses for Super Panavision 70, the system used in 2001, are spherical, not anamorphic.
Unlike IAMMMMW, I don’t believe there were ever any rectified prints struck for 2001 to be shown on the deeply curved Cinerama screens during its initial run. And even had there been, without any curved screens in existence today (save for the Cinerama Dome in LA or Martin Theatre in Seattle), it would make no sense to have the new prints rectified for the curvature.
Bigjoe…. The new 70mm print is NOT remastered or restored in anyway. As we’ve been discussing at some length, these showings will be of a few fresh prints that have been struck from the interpositives, which themselves were made back in 1999. Of course it would be wonderful if every city had a screen as big as those of yore (or even the Ziegfeld) but these prints should look pretty fantastic – and completely analog – on any size screen. Go find the biggest screen you can, grab a seat dead center and close up, and enjoy the ride!
Cinema70… I’m interested in knowing what happened to the original camera negative for 2001? You mean to say MGM and Kubrick allowed the negative to be mishandled or destroyed? That’s almost unthinkable!
When a film is restored and remastered, these days, the process generally entails digitally scanning the original negative into a computer at very high resolution (I think 4K is the current standard) and then digitally restoring the image frame by frame using professional computer applications. I also believe the negative, if not well cared for, is physically “cleaned” in some chemical way before the scan. In the case of 2001, I’m guessing the original negative has been through a cleaning process last time there was a BluRay release, and more likely than not, it is already maintained in pretty good shape. Nolan is bypassing the digital restoration (and any restoration for that matter) for these screenings, and striking new 70mm prints from that original camera negative. No digital interference at all.
The signage is coming along. The backlighting on the sort of upside down “L” shaped sign at the corner of Merrick and Hempstead was abnormally bright before they affixed the lettering and logo! Also, I know I’ve been remiss in not uploading demolition pics of the old UA building I took a couple of years back, but I went on a European vacation shortly thereafter and then moved (still in Lynbrook, only about 6 blocks away) and haven’t yet been able to set up my office space and computer so I can easily go through and edit the pics! I’ll get there, robboehm!
During that last renovation, they scrapped the original Seventh Ave facade entirely (marquee and office building above the entry foyer included) and incorporated it into the facade of the new high rise hotel that was constructed above and around the theater at the corner of W 47th. So, a recreation of the original marquee is probably not in the cards. It would actually look entirely incongruous with the rest of the facade, frankly.
I like the director’s cut, but I must say the original theatrical narration goes well with the film’s neo-Noir aesthetic.
Also wanted to say that I think the new AT&T iPhone 8 commercial – where the guy buys the new phone for his wife and also buys one on her behalf for himself – was filmed in the balcony area cafe of the Empire. You can see the auditorium dome and glimpses of the proscenium in the background. Sure looks like the Empire, anyway.
Just posted an image of an advertisement for the Lynbrook Airdrome for the week of August 16th, 1915. According to the item, the Airdrome could fit upwards of 1,000 patrons, and was covered with canvas and netting, presumably to protect against the insect population. It also notifies us that cushions were provided for all, and that admission (10 cents for adults and just a nickel for children) allowed for patrons to stay as long as they wished.
Just added a photo of Atlantic Ave circa 1932/33 that shows a glimpse of the Arcade Theatre marquee. This is the same pic I’ve seen in rotation on the display screens mounted inside the Lynbrook Deli.
Saw this flick at the Rivoli in its entirety for the first time. Had previously tried to sneak in to the UA Lynbrook Quartet to see it (with tickets to the PG rated Rocky II), but we were rousted out by a savvy usher after only 20 minutes or so! They cared a lot less about enforcing MPAA restrictions in Times Square!
Great pics! Of course, having never been in the Roxy, I know nothing about the geography of the place, but seems to me the Roxy was a separate establishment from the peep place. And I think the grocery store is where the Frisco Gay Cinema/Tomcat/Rick Nelson had once operated. All part of that same building. Amazing how fluid and transient these storefront occupants were over the years. Just 4 or 5 years before or after these shots and the signage over each entrance might have been completely different.
This is very true. I think it is the same building. If you look at Ken Roe’s pic, there is a shallow architectural ledge above the signage and below the 2nd floor. Seems to me that it runs the length of the entire building, encompassing all of those storefronts. I could be wrong. I seem to recall one of those video peep show emporiums around that spot, and/or maybe a pizzeria or Greek fast food joint east of the Roxy and New Am. Would have been right about where the subway entrance came up.
Yes, Al. I remember seeing that Tomcat/Rick Nelson listing and even commented on it a few years ago. But I didn’t believe it was the site of the Roxy. There is a pic of the Frisco Gay Cinema in the photo section on that page and it appears to show the entrance too far east of the New Amsterdam – indeed they are separated by several storefronts. When Ken Roe added the photo, he offered that the Keystone Bookstore that operated out of a storefront right up against the New Amsterdam was to later become the Roxy. The photo is dated 1978. I seem to recall trying to leverage that information into a possible avenue of research on the Roxy, but it turned out to be a dead end at the time.
And thank you, Mike. It’s been a long while. Went to Europe last summer on vacation and then went through the sale and purchase of old and new residences shortly thereafter. Still not done unpacking – and haven’t set up my computer yet! Moved all of 6 blocks, but might as well have been 600 miles!
Big Joe, I still have souvenir programs for movies like Reds, Star Wars, Rocky II, Moonraker, Octopussy, etc. And a number of those booklets were neighborhood engagements. Of course, distribution and roll out was much different in the latter ‘70’s and ‘80’s than it was during the roadshow period.
I attended the Tonys at Radio City in 2001. That was the year The Producers took home a lot of gold. We had first tier seats. The seats adjacent to ours were occupied by the proud parents of a gypsy who was making his Broadway debut in the revival of 42nd Street. I believe they had travelled from Ohio or some other midwestern state to watch him perform with the ensemble. And in the row ahead of us, I spied the actor Jason Isaacs (The Patriot, Harry Potter) viewing the proceedings through a pair of Opera glasses.
Correction… the old Loew’s Bay Terrace was converted to retail space after it closed. The new multiplex was built a few hundred feet to the west down 26th Ave.
Then again, I could be wrong! That was pretty spectacular looking, NYer!!!
I’m not sure the smilebox presentation would work well for a regular anamorphic or spherical widescreen film. It does wonders for a true three-strip Cinerama flick like HTWWW or Brothers Grimm, where the viewing plane gets distorted and just doesn’t work in a flat screen presentation.
Nolan just wanted a nice analog representation of what 2001: A Space Odyssey looked like to audiences back in 1968 – albeit without the gigantic curved Cinerama screen (no doubt a huge part of the initial 2001 experience). Still, no digital overlays, no color correcting… Just a nice fresh 70mm print off the interpositive as may have been enjoyed by audiences on general release, anyway.. My understanding is that the film is being restored digitally in preparation for a 50th anniversary Blu-ray release later in the year. That will have all the digital bells and whistles applied and make for wonderful viewing at home – and maybe even at the odd cinema in 4K projection, if the powers that be are so inclined. But that end product will not look like a negative to film transfer would have looked in 1968.
My daughter, whom I turned on to this movie 18 years ago when she was 8 years old (courtesy of TCM New Year’s midnight showing back in 2000-2001), is going to the 7:30 tonight to see it on the big screen for the first time in her life. I think she’s in for a special treat!
I actually saw 2001 at the Zeigfeld during one of it’s late life “classics” programming between first-run engagements maybe 10 or 12 years ago.
To answer another part of your question, IAMMMMW was filmed in Ultra Panavision 70, which used anamorphic lenses. The lenses for Super Panavision 70, the system used in 2001, are spherical, not anamorphic.
Unlike IAMMMMW, I don’t believe there were ever any rectified prints struck for 2001 to be shown on the deeply curved Cinerama screens during its initial run. And even had there been, without any curved screens in existence today (save for the Cinerama Dome in LA or Martin Theatre in Seattle), it would make no sense to have the new prints rectified for the curvature.
Bigjoe…. The new 70mm print is NOT remastered or restored in anyway. As we’ve been discussing at some length, these showings will be of a few fresh prints that have been struck from the interpositives, which themselves were made back in 1999. Of course it would be wonderful if every city had a screen as big as those of yore (or even the Ziegfeld) but these prints should look pretty fantastic – and completely analog – on any size screen. Go find the biggest screen you can, grab a seat dead center and close up, and enjoy the ride!
Cinema70… I’m interested in knowing what happened to the original camera negative for 2001? You mean to say MGM and Kubrick allowed the negative to be mishandled or destroyed? That’s almost unthinkable!
When a film is restored and remastered, these days, the process generally entails digitally scanning the original negative into a computer at very high resolution (I think 4K is the current standard) and then digitally restoring the image frame by frame using professional computer applications. I also believe the negative, if not well cared for, is physically “cleaned” in some chemical way before the scan. In the case of 2001, I’m guessing the original negative has been through a cleaning process last time there was a BluRay release, and more likely than not, it is already maintained in pretty good shape. Nolan is bypassing the digital restoration (and any restoration for that matter) for these screenings, and striking new 70mm prints from that original camera negative. No digital interference at all.
The signage is coming along. The backlighting on the sort of upside down “L” shaped sign at the corner of Merrick and Hempstead was abnormally bright before they affixed the lettering and logo! Also, I know I’ve been remiss in not uploading demolition pics of the old UA building I took a couple of years back, but I went on a European vacation shortly thereafter and then moved (still in Lynbrook, only about 6 blocks away) and haven’t yet been able to set up my office space and computer so I can easily go through and edit the pics! I’ll get there, robboehm!
Fantastic pic, with amazing detail when you zoom in on the full size and do a little panning and scanning. Thanks for sharing the find, David!
During that last renovation, they scrapped the original Seventh Ave facade entirely (marquee and office building above the entry foyer included) and incorporated it into the facade of the new high rise hotel that was constructed above and around the theater at the corner of W 47th. So, a recreation of the original marquee is probably not in the cards. It would actually look entirely incongruous with the rest of the facade, frankly.
Hmm. Looking at it again with the benefit of being able to pause and take a longer look, perhaps it isn’t the Empire after all.
I like the director’s cut, but I must say the original theatrical narration goes well with the film’s neo-Noir aesthetic.
Also wanted to say that I think the new AT&T iPhone 8 commercial – where the guy buys the new phone for his wife and also buys one on her behalf for himself – was filmed in the balcony area cafe of the Empire. You can see the auditorium dome and glimpses of the proscenium in the background. Sure looks like the Empire, anyway.
Just posted an image of an advertisement for the Lynbrook Airdrome for the week of August 16th, 1915. According to the item, the Airdrome could fit upwards of 1,000 patrons, and was covered with canvas and netting, presumably to protect against the insect population. It also notifies us that cushions were provided for all, and that admission (10 cents for adults and just a nickel for children) allowed for patrons to stay as long as they wished.
Just added a photo of Atlantic Ave circa 1932/33 that shows a glimpse of the Arcade Theatre marquee. This is the same pic I’ve seen in rotation on the display screens mounted inside the Lynbrook Deli.
I should hasten to add that I found this photo in the fine Arthur Mattson book, The History Of Lynbrook.
Saw this flick at the Rivoli in its entirety for the first time. Had previously tried to sneak in to the UA Lynbrook Quartet to see it (with tickets to the PG rated Rocky II), but we were rousted out by a savvy usher after only 20 minutes or so! They cared a lot less about enforcing MPAA restrictions in Times Square!
Great pics! Of course, having never been in the Roxy, I know nothing about the geography of the place, but seems to me the Roxy was a separate establishment from the peep place. And I think the grocery store is where the Frisco Gay Cinema/Tomcat/Rick Nelson had once operated. All part of that same building. Amazing how fluid and transient these storefront occupants were over the years. Just 4 or 5 years before or after these shots and the signage over each entrance might have been completely different.
This is very true. I think it is the same building. If you look at Ken Roe’s pic, there is a shallow architectural ledge above the signage and below the 2nd floor. Seems to me that it runs the length of the entire building, encompassing all of those storefronts. I could be wrong. I seem to recall one of those video peep show emporiums around that spot, and/or maybe a pizzeria or Greek fast food joint east of the Roxy and New Am. Would have been right about where the subway entrance came up.
Yes, Al. I remember seeing that Tomcat/Rick Nelson listing and even commented on it a few years ago. But I didn’t believe it was the site of the Roxy. There is a pic of the Frisco Gay Cinema in the photo section on that page and it appears to show the entrance too far east of the New Amsterdam – indeed they are separated by several storefronts. When Ken Roe added the photo, he offered that the Keystone Bookstore that operated out of a storefront right up against the New Amsterdam was to later become the Roxy. The photo is dated 1978. I seem to recall trying to leverage that information into a possible avenue of research on the Roxy, but it turned out to be a dead end at the time.
And thank you, Mike. It’s been a long while. Went to Europe last summer on vacation and then went through the sale and purchase of old and new residences shortly thereafter. Still not done unpacking – and haven’t set up my computer yet! Moved all of 6 blocks, but might as well have been 600 miles!