“The Lion King” is still at the New Amsterdam. Disney announced the move to the Minskoff a few months ago. My recollection is that the move will take place in early summer. “Mary Poppins” opens at the New Amsterdam in November.
While it is good to hear that a small country movie house has been well maintained and preserved, I think this story needs to be put in context. The Rigas family was brought down by one of the largest corporate scandals in U.S. history; John Rigas and at least one of his sons are facing lengthy prison terms, essentially for treating Adelphia Communications, the cable company that John Rigas founded, as their personal piggy bank.
Coudersport was the beneficiary of considerable largesse from the Rigases over the years, and the source of much of that generosity was derived from funds that were illegally diverted by the Rigases from Adelphia. I wouldn’t be surprised if this theatre was kept afloat and preserved, at least in part, due to illegally diverted funds.
The concept of roadshow intermissions isn’t entirely foreign to the Ziegfeld. The hugely successful 70MM re-release of “Lawrence” in 1989 had an intermission, as did the 70MM engagements of “My Fair Lady” and “Spartacus” in the early 1990s.
Also, in 2002 or 2003 the Ziegfeld brought back “Lawrence” in 70MM for a run of several weeks; a friend of mine saw it then and said there was an intermission (and the print shown was in great shape).
Interesting to note the number of 70MM engagements of “Lawrence” in NYC in recent years—-far more than any other film that I can think of. In addition to the three 70MM engagements at the Ziegfeld (1989, 2002/3 and 2006), “Lawrence” was also screened in 70MM for a few weeks at the Paris, probably in the mid to late 1990s.
Agreed re: “Dolly.” In October 2002, I attended a screening of the new 70MM print at The American Cinematheque/Egyptian in L.A. (promoted as the first public showing of the new print). A silly movie, but tuneful and quite a visual feast in 70MM. If Clearview decides to continue the revival program at the Ziegfeld, “Dolly” would be a fine addition, provided that Clearview can obtain the right print.
Question to those who, unlike me, stayed until the end of the “MFL” screening. In the restored version of the film, there is a series of end credits listing the individuals behind the restoration (the accompanying music track is, I believe, the exit music from the original road show version). Were those end credits included on the Ziegfeld print? If not, then I wonder if the print shown at the Ziegfeld was the restored version.
I did not ask for a refund for MFL on Friday night. I was tempted to do so, but as I wanted to support the revival concept (and in the hope that MFL was an anomaly), I decided not to. When an usher in the lobby asked why I was leaving early, I told her and she apologized.
I completely agree with cutting Clearview/the Ziegfeld some slack. I had no expectation that the MFL print would come close to the restored 70MM print that I saw at the Ziegfeld in the early 90s.
On the other hand, when the quality of the print is this bad, there is no point in exhibiting it for a paying audience.
I attended tonight’s MFL screening for about an hour before giving up. The 35MM print is in poor condition. Numerous scratches, faded colors and tinny sound. During one reel, the dialogue and music were accompanied by a considerable amount of audio interference that sounded like static. The rest of my group decided to stick it out, but they were also dismayed by the condition of the print. I noticed several other walkouts before I departed. Very disappointing, especially after seeing the restored 70MM print of MFL at the Ziegfeld in the 90s.
The film was preceded by commercials (no trailers) that were hard to see due to insufficient projection lighting. When I asked one of the ushers about the problem, I was told that the lighting problem would be resolved when the film started (it was).
The above comments about A. Alan Friedberg and the failure to maintain the Sack theaters remind me of the screening of “Dances With Wolves” that I attended in the large auditorium of the increasingly rundown Charles complex. A. Alan was seated a few seats in front of me at that screening, and I came close to telling him how disappointed I was to see the best auditorium in the city in such shoddy shape.
Reaction to “The Producers” from critics and audiences alike has been sharply divided. I prefer the stage version with Lane and Broderick (which I saw six times), but the film is enjoyable if you can accept the staginess of the presentation—-the film is an odd hybrid of a filmed stage production (such as the tv version of “Sweeney Todd”) and a movie.
In his review on “Ebert and Roeper,” Ebert said “I loved the play and liked the movie.” I agree.
According to today’s Variety, the Fenway is slated to be sold:
“As the result of an antitrust review of the AMC and Loews merger, which was announced in June and is expected to close early next year, the exhibs will sell 10 theaters in six cities.
The exhibexhib bizbiz is closely monitored by antitrust officials so that one chain does not, in effect, have a monopoly on movies in any particular market. Because Loews and AMC had competitive theaters in several distribdistrib zones, some sell-off was expected (Daily Variety, June 22).
After unloading the 10 theaters — five each from AMC and Loews, comprising 93 screens total — the merged company will be left with 437 locations and 5,843 screens in the U.S., making it the second-largest chain after Regal, which has 6,264 screens…[the list of sites to be sold include] the AMC Fenway 13 in Boston and the Loews Meridian 16 in Seattle."
According to today’s Variety, the E-Walk is slated to be sold:
“As the result of an antitrust review of the AMC and Loews merger, which was announced in June and is expected to close early next year, the exhibs will sell 10 theaters in six cities.
The exhibexhib bizbiz is closely monitored by antitrust officials so that one chain does not, in effect, have a monopoly on movies in any particular market. Because Loews and AMC had competitive theaters in several distribdistrib zones, some sell-off was expected (Daily Variety, June 22).
After unloading the 10 theaters — five each from AMC and Loews, comprising 93 screens total — the merged company will be left with 437 locations and 5,843 screens in the U.S., making it the second-largest chain after Regal, which has 6,264 screens.
However, several of the theaters now on the auction block are considered strong earners in film-distrib circles. Included on the for-sale list is one of the biggest-grossing theaters in the country, the Loews E-Walk 13 in GothamGotham.
It is across 42nd Street in Times Square from the AMC Empire 25, which is the biggest-grossing moviehouse in the country.
Also on the list is the AMC Fenway 13 in Boston and the Loews Meridian 16 in Seattle.
Other locations now up for grabs include: in Chicago, the AMC City North 14 and Loews Webster Place 11; in D.C., the AMC Union Station 9 and Loews Wisconsin Ave. 6; in San Francisco, the AMC Kabuki 8 and AMC Van Ness 14; and in Dallas, the Loews Keyston 16."
According to the Clearview website, the inflated prices will only last for as long as the Ziegfeld shows “The Producers” exclusively (12/16 to 12/24). Ticket prices will be reduced to $10.75 starting on Christmas Day, when the film moves into wider release.
I passed by the Ziegfeld today and noticed that the theater is now selling tickets for the exclusive engagement of “The Producers” starting on December 16. Close to round the clock shows are scheduled for the opening weekend: the first show starts at 9:15 a.m. and the last show at 1:30 a.m.
Just as the Broadway version set a new ticket high of $100, the film version is doing the same for movie admissions. All seats for all performances (no senior or children discounts and, of course, no bargain matinees): $12.50.
FYI. For those of you who like to track what film played which NYC theater (and for how long), there is a new resource. The New Yorker magazine recently released a set of DVD-ROMs featuring all of the content from every issue of the magazine from 1925 through early 2005, including the weekly film theater listings. The set is surprisingly affordable (retails for $100 but is available at online stores for much less).
Regarding the above post about films that played the Ziegfeld. “Victor/Victoria,” “Hair,” and each of the three “That’s Entertainment” films played there (all of which were initially at the Ziegfeld on an exclusive basis).
Not sure about “Ishtar” but I don’t believe that “The Wiz” was shown at the Ziegfeld; the Manhattan first run engagements of “The Wiz” were at Loews theaters, including the Astor Plaza.
“The Producers” is slated to open exclusively in NY and LA on December 16 prior to a limited expansion on Christmas Day (to approx 1,200 screens) and full expansion on January 13. So the Ziegfeld may show “The Producers” exclusively in NYC between December 16 and 25.
The Coronet was never twinned. The Coronet and Baronet were renamed Coronet I and II at least several years before the theaters were closed and demolished. I don’t recall if Coronet I was the former Coronet and Coronet II the former Baronet or vice-versa.
My recollection is that the Cinema I screen (prior to twinning) was curved.
I saw two other Sensurround presentations at the GC Shoppers World in addition to “Earthquake”: “Midway” and “Rollercoaster.” The Sensurround equipment was relocated to Cinema II for those two films, which were released after Cinema I had been twinned.
Update on my last post: According to Boxofficemojo.com, Universal has changed the release strategy for “The Producers.” Opening in limited release on Friday, December 16 with a wide release starting a month later (January 13). Very similar to Miramax’s strategy for “Chicago.”
This would be a perfect attraction for the Ziegfeld.
I just glanced at the artist’s rendering of the Loew’s Natick in the 1967 report, which confirmed my impression that much changed between the report and construction. The artist’s rendering shows a large building with auditoriums situated on the left side. The shorter(non-auditorium) side of the building seems far too large just for a theater lobby; I assume that other commercial uses were contemplated for most of that space (another hint that other uses were planned is that the right side of the building has a separate front entrance from the theater).
The actual theater had a small lobby on the left side of the building with a single screen to the right of the lobby (two small auditoriums were added to the left of the lobby in the early 1980s), and throughout its existence the Loew’s remained a stand-alone structure. There were no other commercial uses.
I assume that there must have been changes in the plan for the Loew’s Natick subsequent to the 1967 report; the theater was originally a single screen and not a twin. I went to the Loew’s often as a youngster and remember seeing “Oliver!” there in 1969 when it was a single screen, unlike the twin General Cinema at Shoppers World across Route 9. The first time I visited the Loew’s Natick after twinning (the auditorium was split down the middle) was for a reissue of “The Sound of Music.” “Last Tango” was playing in the other auditorium, so the year was probably 1973.
The estimated seating capacity from that report also seems high; the aggregate number of seats post twinning was probably closer to 1,200-1,500.
The special edition DVD of “Ben-Hur” released this week includes a customized trailer for the Loew’s State, announcing the upcoming reserved seat engagement. The DVD also features newsreel footage showing a line of people waiting to buy tickets at the State (used as a photo op for Charlton Heston), as well as footage from the world premiere at the State.
I would have loved to have been at that test screening of “The Producers.” Several sites (including Ain’t It Cool News) have posted comments from the NJ test screening, noting that the audience response was ecstatic.
I attended the first Broadway preview of “The Producers” in March 2001. Even though the intermission lasted 45 minutes due to set problems, no one complained. A smash from day one.
Last I heard, Universal plans a wide release starting on December 21, in contrast to Miramax’s slow rollout of “Chicago,” which had a very successful exclusive run at the Ziegfeld.
The Ziegfeld has been temporarily closed to the public during slow periods for years. Former owners Walter Reade and Cineplex Odeon also shuttered the Ziegfeld on occasion.
The F word is used once in the stage version of “The Producers”, in a song (“The King of Broadway”) that wasn’t included in the film. “The Producers” hasn’t been rated yet; the version tested this week was a rough cut. For the record, only one of Brooks' films was rated R (“Blazing Saddles”).
“The Lion King” is still at the New Amsterdam. Disney announced the move to the Minskoff a few months ago. My recollection is that the move will take place in early summer. “Mary Poppins” opens at the New Amsterdam in November.
While it is good to hear that a small country movie house has been well maintained and preserved, I think this story needs to be put in context. The Rigas family was brought down by one of the largest corporate scandals in U.S. history; John Rigas and at least one of his sons are facing lengthy prison terms, essentially for treating Adelphia Communications, the cable company that John Rigas founded, as their personal piggy bank.
Coudersport was the beneficiary of considerable largesse from the Rigases over the years, and the source of much of that generosity was derived from funds that were illegally diverted by the Rigases from Adelphia. I wouldn’t be surprised if this theatre was kept afloat and preserved, at least in part, due to illegally diverted funds.
The concept of roadshow intermissions isn’t entirely foreign to the Ziegfeld. The hugely successful 70MM re-release of “Lawrence” in 1989 had an intermission, as did the 70MM engagements of “My Fair Lady” and “Spartacus” in the early 1990s.
Also, in 2002 or 2003 the Ziegfeld brought back “Lawrence” in 70MM for a run of several weeks; a friend of mine saw it then and said there was an intermission (and the print shown was in great shape).
Interesting to note the number of 70MM engagements of “Lawrence” in NYC in recent years—-far more than any other film that I can think of. In addition to the three 70MM engagements at the Ziegfeld (1989, 2002/3 and 2006), “Lawrence” was also screened in 70MM for a few weeks at the Paris, probably in the mid to late 1990s.
Agreed re: “Dolly.” In October 2002, I attended a screening of the new 70MM print at The American Cinematheque/Egyptian in L.A. (promoted as the first public showing of the new print). A silly movie, but tuneful and quite a visual feast in 70MM. If Clearview decides to continue the revival program at the Ziegfeld, “Dolly” would be a fine addition, provided that Clearview can obtain the right print.
Question to those who, unlike me, stayed until the end of the “MFL” screening. In the restored version of the film, there is a series of end credits listing the individuals behind the restoration (the accompanying music track is, I believe, the exit music from the original road show version). Were those end credits included on the Ziegfeld print? If not, then I wonder if the print shown at the Ziegfeld was the restored version.
I did not ask for a refund for MFL on Friday night. I was tempted to do so, but as I wanted to support the revival concept (and in the hope that MFL was an anomaly), I decided not to. When an usher in the lobby asked why I was leaving early, I told her and she apologized.
I completely agree with cutting Clearview/the Ziegfeld some slack. I had no expectation that the MFL print would come close to the restored 70MM print that I saw at the Ziegfeld in the early 90s.
On the other hand, when the quality of the print is this bad, there is no point in exhibiting it for a paying audience.
I attended tonight’s MFL screening for about an hour before giving up. The 35MM print is in poor condition. Numerous scratches, faded colors and tinny sound. During one reel, the dialogue and music were accompanied by a considerable amount of audio interference that sounded like static. The rest of my group decided to stick it out, but they were also dismayed by the condition of the print. I noticed several other walkouts before I departed. Very disappointing, especially after seeing the restored 70MM print of MFL at the Ziegfeld in the 90s.
The film was preceded by commercials (no trailers) that were hard to see due to insufficient projection lighting. When I asked one of the ushers about the problem, I was told that the lighting problem would be resolved when the film started (it was).
The above comments about A. Alan Friedberg and the failure to maintain the Sack theaters remind me of the screening of “Dances With Wolves” that I attended in the large auditorium of the increasingly rundown Charles complex. A. Alan was seated a few seats in front of me at that screening, and I came close to telling him how disappointed I was to see the best auditorium in the city in such shoddy shape.
Reaction to “The Producers” from critics and audiences alike has been sharply divided. I prefer the stage version with Lane and Broderick (which I saw six times), but the film is enjoyable if you can accept the staginess of the presentation—-the film is an odd hybrid of a filmed stage production (such as the tv version of “Sweeney Todd”) and a movie.
In his review on “Ebert and Roeper,” Ebert said “I loved the play and liked the movie.” I agree.
According to today’s Variety, the Fenway is slated to be sold:
“As the result of an antitrust review of the AMC and Loews merger, which was announced in June and is expected to close early next year, the exhibs will sell 10 theaters in six cities.
The exhibexhib bizbiz is closely monitored by antitrust officials so that one chain does not, in effect, have a monopoly on movies in any particular market. Because Loews and AMC had competitive theaters in several distribdistrib zones, some sell-off was expected (Daily Variety, June 22).
After unloading the 10 theaters — five each from AMC and Loews, comprising 93 screens total — the merged company will be left with 437 locations and 5,843 screens in the U.S., making it the second-largest chain after Regal, which has 6,264 screens…[the list of sites to be sold include] the AMC Fenway 13 in Boston and the Loews Meridian 16 in Seattle."
According to today’s Variety, the E-Walk is slated to be sold:
“As the result of an antitrust review of the AMC and Loews merger, which was announced in June and is expected to close early next year, the exhibs will sell 10 theaters in six cities.
The exhibexhib bizbiz is closely monitored by antitrust officials so that one chain does not, in effect, have a monopoly on movies in any particular market. Because Loews and AMC had competitive theaters in several distribdistrib zones, some sell-off was expected (Daily Variety, June 22).
After unloading the 10 theaters — five each from AMC and Loews, comprising 93 screens total — the merged company will be left with 437 locations and 5,843 screens in the U.S., making it the second-largest chain after Regal, which has 6,264 screens.
However, several of the theaters now on the auction block are considered strong earners in film-distrib circles. Included on the for-sale list is one of the biggest-grossing theaters in the country, the Loews E-Walk 13 in GothamGotham.
It is across 42nd Street in Times Square from the AMC Empire 25, which is the biggest-grossing moviehouse in the country.
Also on the list is the AMC Fenway 13 in Boston and the Loews Meridian 16 in Seattle.
Other locations now up for grabs include: in Chicago, the AMC City North 14 and Loews Webster Place 11; in D.C., the AMC Union Station 9 and Loews Wisconsin Ave. 6; in San Francisco, the AMC Kabuki 8 and AMC Van Ness 14; and in Dallas, the Loews Keyston 16."
According to the Clearview website, the inflated prices will only last for as long as the Ziegfeld shows “The Producers” exclusively (12/16 to 12/24). Ticket prices will be reduced to $10.75 starting on Christmas Day, when the film moves into wider release.
I passed by the Ziegfeld today and noticed that the theater is now selling tickets for the exclusive engagement of “The Producers” starting on December 16. Close to round the clock shows are scheduled for the opening weekend: the first show starts at 9:15 a.m. and the last show at 1:30 a.m.
Just as the Broadway version set a new ticket high of $100, the film version is doing the same for movie admissions. All seats for all performances (no senior or children discounts and, of course, no bargain matinees): $12.50.
FYI. For those of you who like to track what film played which NYC theater (and for how long), there is a new resource. The New Yorker magazine recently released a set of DVD-ROMs featuring all of the content from every issue of the magazine from 1925 through early 2005, including the weekly film theater listings. The set is surprisingly affordable (retails for $100 but is available at online stores for much less).
Regarding the above post about films that played the Ziegfeld. “Victor/Victoria,” “Hair,” and each of the three “That’s Entertainment” films played there (all of which were initially at the Ziegfeld on an exclusive basis).
Not sure about “Ishtar” but I don’t believe that “The Wiz” was shown at the Ziegfeld; the Manhattan first run engagements of “The Wiz” were at Loews theaters, including the Astor Plaza.
“The Producers” is slated to open exclusively in NY and LA on December 16 prior to a limited expansion on Christmas Day (to approx 1,200 screens) and full expansion on January 13. So the Ziegfeld may show “The Producers” exclusively in NYC between December 16 and 25.
The Coronet was never twinned. The Coronet and Baronet were renamed Coronet I and II at least several years before the theaters were closed and demolished. I don’t recall if Coronet I was the former Coronet and Coronet II the former Baronet or vice-versa.
My recollection is that the Cinema I screen (prior to twinning) was curved.
I saw two other Sensurround presentations at the GC Shoppers World in addition to “Earthquake”: “Midway” and “Rollercoaster.” The Sensurround equipment was relocated to Cinema II for those two films, which were released after Cinema I had been twinned.
Update on my last post: According to Boxofficemojo.com, Universal has changed the release strategy for “The Producers.” Opening in limited release on Friday, December 16 with a wide release starting a month later (January 13). Very similar to Miramax’s strategy for “Chicago.”
This would be a perfect attraction for the Ziegfeld.
I just glanced at the artist’s rendering of the Loew’s Natick in the 1967 report, which confirmed my impression that much changed between the report and construction. The artist’s rendering shows a large building with auditoriums situated on the left side. The shorter(non-auditorium) side of the building seems far too large just for a theater lobby; I assume that other commercial uses were contemplated for most of that space (another hint that other uses were planned is that the right side of the building has a separate front entrance from the theater).
The actual theater had a small lobby on the left side of the building with a single screen to the right of the lobby (two small auditoriums were added to the left of the lobby in the early 1980s), and throughout its existence the Loew’s remained a stand-alone structure. There were no other commercial uses.
I assume that there must have been changes in the plan for the Loew’s Natick subsequent to the 1967 report; the theater was originally a single screen and not a twin. I went to the Loew’s often as a youngster and remember seeing “Oliver!” there in 1969 when it was a single screen, unlike the twin General Cinema at Shoppers World across Route 9. The first time I visited the Loew’s Natick after twinning (the auditorium was split down the middle) was for a reissue of “The Sound of Music.” “Last Tango” was playing in the other auditorium, so the year was probably 1973.
The estimated seating capacity from that report also seems high; the aggregate number of seats post twinning was probably closer to 1,200-1,500.
The special edition DVD of “Ben-Hur” released this week includes a customized trailer for the Loew’s State, announcing the upcoming reserved seat engagement. The DVD also features newsreel footage showing a line of people waiting to buy tickets at the State (used as a photo op for Charlton Heston), as well as footage from the world premiere at the State.
I would have loved to have been at that test screening of “The Producers.” Several sites (including Ain’t It Cool News) have posted comments from the NJ test screening, noting that the audience response was ecstatic.
I attended the first Broadway preview of “The Producers” in March 2001. Even though the intermission lasted 45 minutes due to set problems, no one complained. A smash from day one.
Last I heard, Universal plans a wide release starting on December 21, in contrast to Miramax’s slow rollout of “Chicago,” which had a very successful exclusive run at the Ziegfeld.
The Ziegfeld has been temporarily closed to the public during slow periods for years. Former owners Walter Reade and Cineplex Odeon also shuttered the Ziegfeld on occasion.
The F word is used once in the stage version of “The Producers”, in a song (“The King of Broadway”) that wasn’t included in the film. “The Producers” hasn’t been rated yet; the version tested this week was a rough cut. For the record, only one of Brooks' films was rated R (“Blazing Saddles”).