Loew's Capitol Theatre

I was in the Capitol during my first visit to NYC in 1962. Sadly it had been ‘Cineramarised’, and the original architecture covered up. I didn’t realize till years later that the auditorium of our Regent Theatre Melbourne was a copy of the Capitol! I have lived with the Regent for most of my life, helping to save it from demolition. When I can get a photo put up, you will see ‘the Capitol’! Only difference, after the 1945 fire, the proscenium was squared off. I am always happy to correspond with anybody re this theatre and more info or additional photos.

I was in the Capitol during my first visit to NYC in 1962. Sadly it had been ‘Cineramarised’, and the original architecture covered up. I didn’t realize till years later that the auditorium of our Regent Theatre Melbourne was a copy of the Capitol! I have lived with the Regent for most of my life, helping to save it from demolition. When I can get a photo put up, you will see ‘the Capitol’! Only difference, after the 1945 fire, the proscenium was squared off. I am always happy to correspond with anybody re this theatre and more info or additional photos.

I remember walking through Times Square with my parents in December at the time William describes being blown away by all the colorful marquees and signs(the Criterion had a couple of Funny Girl logos spinning aroung on the marquee.) There was a huge block long sign for Star above the Astor and Victoria. How I wanted to go into every theater!
However my parents went to get advance tickets for Promises Promises at the Shubert and I remember looking into the deep chasm where the Astor Plaza was about go up. Little did I know that what had been there was the great Astor Hotel and this was New York’s first step in the destruction of its greatest neighborhood.

The Capital Theatre was to come alive with one more stage show, a benefit all-star performance, on it’s last night and then quietly close. “2001: A Space Odyssey” would journey over to a new home at the Warner Cinerama. Around that time the Forum had a move-over of the “The Odd Couple”, which had played a number of weeks at the Music Hall. The New Embassy was playing “Targets”. The Rivoli Theatre had “Gone With The Wind” in 70MM. During the Fall season on Broadway, “Funny Girl” in 70MM was at the Criterion, “Star!” opened in 70MM at the Rivoli, “Finian’s Rainbow” was at the Penthouse in 70MM. “Oliver!” opened in 70MM at the newly reopened Loew’s State 1 and “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” was at the Loew’s State 2 in 70MM. Each of them will be playing within a maximum of six blocks of each other. Boy, was that a Great Time to be in Times Square.

I believe “Dr Zhivago” also played the Capitol another MGM release. “Dr Zhivago” also was MGM’S biggest box-office hit 2nd only to “Gone With The Wind”. MGM big three were “Gone With The Wind”,“DR Zhivago” and “Ben Hur” in terms of Box Office. The Capitol was the flagship of Loews-MGM which controlled more talent than any studio in the history of motion pictures. I never had the pleasure of ever being in the Capitol but I did tour the MGM studio lot in 1967 when the lot was still intact. Lot 1 was where all the sound stages were, Lot 2 was across the street with all its backlot sets like the Andy Hardy Street, The New York Street,Esther Williams outdoor swimming pool,Meet Me in St Louis Street and Lot 3 which was down the street and contained jungle sets, western towns and WW11 European Street Sets. MGM had the best backlot in Hollywood and I have seen them all. If Sony purchased MGM it will be reunited with its historic Studio which consists only of Lot 1. IF Time Warner purchases MGM the studio will be reunited with its motion picture past. Time Warner owns the vast MGM pre 1986 film library. Its ironic because Sony wanted to purchase MGM back in the 1980’s and instead purchased Columbia Pictures.Many in the film industry will never forgive Kerkorian for detroying Hollywood’s greatest film studio.At least the Capitol died a grand lady showing MGM"s “2001:A Space Odyssey” an exclusive run reserved seat attraction.MGM the studio has been reduced from a roar to a meow and will never be the same.brucec

Edward:
Although Edith Head designed the costumes for a couple of MGM films right at the end of both their careers she was not head designer at Metro but Paramount. That prize postion belonged over the years to Adrian,Irene,Helen Rose and finally Walter Plunkett who remained salaried but not working until Kerkorian closed the production wardrobe.

The old MGM lot(Sony) also has a spacious and well equipped theaterette for the employees just inside the studio gates…..

Its ironic that the Capitol showed its last film 2001 which was an MGM release in 1968. MGM which was controlled by Loews until 1959. With the destruction of the Capitol MGM also was never the same. 1968 was the last year MGM showed a profit on its movies as a major film studio. MGM went into a severe decline after this and has never recovered. MGM was purchased 3 times by KIRK Kerkorian starting in 1969. Under Kerkorian Hollywood’s greatest studio was reduced from a roar to a meow. Kerkorian has again placed MGM for sale but its a shadow of its former self. Its big asset is its huge film library of 4000 films which are mostly non MGM films. The real MGM is owned by Time Warner which owns all MGM films prior to 1986. Loews is also for sale. The destruction of the Capitol marked an end of an era the likes of which we will never see again.brucec

I can remember Kate Cameron being the first string critic in the ‘60’s. She always gave four stars to all the big roadshow pictures. I believe Wanda Hale was second string, followed by Kathleen Carroll who did become head critic at the paper in the '70’s. Maybe she was assigned to “2001” because she was the youngest? Most of its audience turned out to be younger people (my dad was 39 at the time and he hated it).

Vincent: It was Kathleen Carroll who panned “2001” in the Daily News. But even she felt, maybe subsconsciously, that it was something special. Her review began like this: “"2001” is not a movie. It’s an experience.“ Wanda Hale actually liked it. She called it a "grand spectacle” in her yearly wrap-up column in the World Almanac.

Regarding the above erroneous legend of the photo. I saw 2001 in 70mm twice on the Rivoli’s curved screen in ‘76 and then a few years later. One of the three best cinema experiences(combining film and theater) of my life. The two others:My Fair Lady at the Criterion and Singing in the Rain at the Music Hall.

“Planet of the Apes” played the Capitol and the 72nd St. Playhouse at the same time starting in early February 1968. I can’t remember the exact date, though. The next movie to play the Capitol was “2001”. It was shown to the New York critics (who mostly tore it apart) on April 1st, and it opened to the public on April 3rd. I remember reading the **½ star review in the New York Daily News on the day Martin Luther King was assassinated, 4/4/68.

2001 was the Easter attraction in ‘68 at the Capitol and moved later to the Warner Cinerama when the Capitol was to be torn down.
Unfortunately this was the only time 2001 was presented in New York in Cinerama. All of us who didn’t get to see it then have never seen it in its original presentation. So when exactly did Planet play at the Capitol?