Comments from bigjoe59

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bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Cinema Studio 1 & 2 on May 7, 2012 at 4:36 pm

Hello- shortly before it closed didn’t this theater hold a festival of Hitchcock films that hadn’t been show theatrically for some time because of copyright issues? i remember two of films were VERTIGO and THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Carnegie Hall Cinema on May 7, 2012 at 4:03 pm

Hello-

not mentioned as yet is that for a short period in the late 70s i believe this theater was a gay porn house.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Loew's Capitol Theatre on May 7, 2012 at 3:41 pm

Hello-

a mistake of sorts in the intro needs to be corrected. true the Capitol was running the original roadshow engagement of 2001 in the late spring of 1968 shortly before it closed and was later demolished. but the roadshow run of 2001 did not end at this point as well. said engagement was switched to the Warner Cinerama at Bway & 47 St. where it continued to do good business for several more weeks.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Cinerama Hollywood on May 7, 2012 at 11:38 am

Hello From NYC To My Fellow Moviegoers In L.A.–

two quick questions-

1.at the Archlight Cinemas attached to the Cinerama Dome there is of course a surcharge for 3-D, IMAX and 3-D IMAX films. but what is the charge for a regular film? in NYC it varies. some art houses charge $11 or $12 but the big chain multipexes are obviously more. for instance the Chelsea multipex run by Clearview Cinemas charges $13.25 whereas the Regal 42 St. and Union Square multiplexes charge $14.

2.it is certainly worth a trip out to L.A. to see “The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm” in 3-Strip Cinerama at the Dome. so is there any real news are the possibility?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on May 6, 2012 at 4:27 pm

i share Bill H.’s sentiment. Nov. of 1982 about 3 weeks before it opened the theater had a special screening of “Gandhi”. after the film was over director Richard Attenborough made an appearence and did a some q & a. at the end when people were leaving the theater i walked up to him thanked him for a wonderful film and shook his hand. i then said “i hope you have your Oscar speech for winning Best Director ready. he humbly replied "don’t you think that’s jumping the gun a bit?”. then he thanked me for wishing him well with the film.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on May 4, 2012 at 8:10 pm

Hello To Ed S.–

you’ve been most helpful with my inquiries. so hopeful indepth knowledge will be of assistance this time as well.

1.in my searching for the oldest movie theater in Manhattan built from scratch as a movie theater i came across something quite fascinating. its been said many times by many people that many of the grand old movie theaters built in the approx. 1913-1941 period were killed off either by the almost effect of t.v. or by neighborhoods “changing”. what i found interesting were the decent number of movie theaters in Manhattan that closed up shop long before anyone ever heard of t.v. or any neighborhoods “changed”. of course the stock market crash of Oct. 1929 didn’t help but a number of theaters closed up shop even before Oct. 1929. and i’m not
necessarily talking about hole in the wall theaters but decent theaters. so what’s your take on this most interesting matter.

2.Thomas Lamb designed many grand old movie theaters in the 1913-1941 period. i always said “damn that man was prolific”. now about a month ago i found out that after he made a name for himself he started up an architectural firm with many architects working under him.
the article therefore implied that some of the grand old movie theaters attributed to Lamb may actually have been designed by other architects in the firm. now if this is true how to we know which movie theaters that have always been attributed to Lamb were actually designed by him?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on May 4, 2012 at 6:03 pm

Hello Again-

interesting discussion. as i said i saw the theater’s debut film “Marooned” in its roadshow run. i still have the souvenir program. therefore this theater has always held a special place in my heart. to which a question- is there any real danger of the theater closing anytime in the near future? or is it just rumors/hearsay? in other
words are we perhaps being a bit on the pessimistic side about its future?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about AMC Lincoln Square 13 on May 1, 2012 at 3:55 pm

Hello-

i saw TITANIC in Imax 3-D at the 34 St.Multiplex. it was shown without an intermission which it never had. why would the Lincoln Square show it with an intermission?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 30, 2012 at 5:48 pm

Hello To My Fellow Posters-

2 new notes-

*in 1910 “movies” were at the most 22 mins.long? so i’m guessing they alternated thru out the day with vaudeville acts.how long the Apollo continued to show movies doesn’t matter. my point was that its the oldest theater i have found to date that was built from the ground up expressly to show movies.

*actually of the 12 theaters built on 42 St. between 7th and 8th Avenues two were built with the intend of showcasing “movies”. aside from the Apollo the other was the Candler. it opened in 1914 with the Italian epic “Anthony and Cleopatra”. the original intend didn’t quite take hold and a short while later it became a legit house.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Apr 30, 2012 at 5:09 pm

Hello Again-

what neighboring tower are you referring to? if the air rights were already sold a while back does that mean if God forbid the land was redeveloped they could only build a new structure the same size/height as the theater?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Apr 30, 2012 at 11:41 am

i thank my fellow poster for the reply to my post. well at least i have an answer as to why the Ziegfeld has never been twinned. this could easily have been done by separating the elevated rear section of the orchestra. so my other question is simple. why haven’t the owners of the theater sold it? i wholeheartedly thank them for keeping the theater open but i’m guessing they could could get a huge truck load of cash even in today’s economy if they decided to sell the theater and the land for redeveloping.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 26, 2012 at 10:40 pm

Hello To Ed S.–

you have a point but hey i like searching.:–)

my original post/query was specifically about the first movie theater in Manhattan built brick
by brick from the ground up expressly to show
movies. for the longest period the oldest ones to fit my criteria that i was able to find were the ornate Regent and the moderately sized Bunny both from 1913. yet in the last two days i found out that the late Apollo on 42 St. was in fact built expressly to show films as well as vaudeville in 1910. so it bests the other two theaters by 3 years. hey you never know maybe with a little more searching i might find another Manhattan movie theater that fits my criteria that bests the Apollo.

speaking of the city as a whole(meaning all 5 boroughs) the answer might be The Nicoland Theater in the Bronx one of the very first theaters designed by renowned architect Thomas Lamb. it was at 768 Westchester Avenue and opened at the end of 1908.

one other note. the Westchester Theater at 2319 Westchester Avenue opened according to its page on this website in 1914. i then contacted the Bronx County Historical Society to ask if they had any additional info/photos on the this theater. guess what? the society’s reference librarian sent me an e-mail containing a photo of the Westchester Theater that existed at 2319 Westchester Avenue. the caption states it was owned and operated by George Hoffman. here comes the good part. the Westchester Theater at 2319 Westchester Avenue according to the photo’s caption opened in 1904 10 years before its page on this website said it opened. interesting hey?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 26, 2012 at 3:22 pm

Hello To My Fellow Posters-

i do enjoy reading all your replies especially the witty ones. :–)

two new notes- *regardless of the sexual orientation and gender of the audience members or whatever activity they might have been engaged in am i correct in my statement that in its porn years the Variety Photoplays never showed gay porn only straight porn.

*my original post was about whether the ornate B.F. Moss Regent and the moderate sized Bunny both from 1913 were the 1st theaters built brick by brick from the ground up specifically to show to photoplays or flickers as they were called at the time. i asked this because since movies exploded like fire works after their debut at Koster and Bial’s Music Hall in April of 1896 i simply couldn’t believe that no theater built expressly to show movies were built until the Regent and Bunny of 1913. well they say if you search long enough you’ll find what you’re looking for. i had always assumed that the Apollo on 42 St.(which was torn down with its neighbor the Lyric to built the theater now known as the Foxwoods Theater)was built from the get go as a “legit” house to use an old term. well guess what? it was built from the get go to be a combo movie and vaudeville theater. so since it bests the Regent and the Bunny by 3 years it takes the crown as the oldest theater i’ve found to date that was built from the get go to show movies.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Ziegfeld Theatre on Apr 24, 2012 at 9:45 pm

Hello-

i have been a big fan of this theater since seeing its debut engagement the Dec.1969 roadshow run of “Marooned”. its always a joy to see a film here. a simple question- the land under the theater must be worth a bzallion dollars even in today’s economy so how has Clearview Cinemas been able to keep it open? has the chain promised to keep the theater open and never sale it or tear down. i have wondered this the last few years especially since this theater and the Paris are i believe the only single screen movie theaters left in Manhattan.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 24, 2012 at 9:32 pm

Hello Again-

many thanks for my fellow posters replies to my inquiry. the first Rialto was torn down in 1932? and the Regent while in good shape as been renovated/refurbished etc….. many times for its use as a church. so what either theater looked like when they first opened is anyone’s guess. i hedging the bet the reason
they were considered “movie palaces” is they were larger and more ornate then any other movie theater in Manhattan at the time of their openings.

as the Streetscapes article reiterates many of the first movie theaters in the first 10 years 1896-1906 were simply converted store fronts, retail spaces, music halls or stage theaters. therefore considering how popular movies became after their April 1896 debut i can’t believe there weren’t any movie theaters built from the ground up specifically as movie theaters until the Bunny and Regent of 1913.

also i greatly enjoy reading the Streetscapes column every Sunday in the NY Times but in the older column posted i believe Gray made a mistake. i have been going into the Union Square and East Village areas since i was in college and i never remember the Variety Photoplays ever showing gay porn. before being torn down a few years ago it was unused for a few years and before that it had been converted to an off Broadway theater like 25? years ago. now before that it showed straight porn not gay. the long gone Pocket Theater two blocks down 3rd Ave. showed gay porn.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 23, 2012 at 5:42 pm

Hello Again-

i thank AlAlvarez and techman707 for replying to mu question. unfortunately the Loew’s State didn’t open till August of 1921. this would place it 8 years after B.F. Moss' Regent(the 1st “movie palace” built in Manhattan)and 5 years after the first Rialto(the first “movie palace” built in the Times Square area).

now no offense meant toward nickelodeons but i was always of the impression they were decent sized storefronts/retail spaces etc.. . that were renovated to show films but were not theaters as we use the term today. so between the movies debut at Koster and Bial’s Music Hall in April of 1896 and the opening of B.F. Moss' Regent in 1913 there had to been at least one or two more moderate sized edifices built specifically to show movies. i can’t believe the Regent was the first purpose built movie theater whether large,medium or small built in Manhattan.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 23, 2012 at 3:12 pm

Hello Again-

i know the B.F.Moss Regent on 135 St. was the first “movie palace” built in Manhattan and that the 1st Rialto of 1916 on 7th Ave.&42 St. was the first “movie palace” built in the Times Square area. this leads me to my question. after their debut as it were at Koster and Bial’s Music Hall in April of 1896 films had to be shown in quickly redone/renovated theaters/music halls since movie theaters obviously didn’t exist yet. so what was the 1st purpose built from the ground up movie theater in Manhattan?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Gaiety Burlesk on Apr 21, 2012 at 8:33 pm

Hello-

1.i went to the Gaiety on a regular enough basis thru out the 30 years it was open. to the best of my knowledge it was never known as the Kings Cinema.

2.also the theater closed the 3rd week of March
2005 not 2006.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Apr 20, 2012 at 3:59 pm

Hello Again-

i’m sure every theater no matter how well built it was or even if still in good condition doesn’t get redone/refurbished etc….to some extant over the years simply to keep it viable. so even if the Chinese has been redone/refurnished etc…over
the years at least its still Chinese in mode and is still a single screen first run theater since the day it opened. so other than the Chinese the only other theater i have found using this site
that fits the criteria in my March 22 post is the Uptown in D.C..

so i thank Danny B. for mentioning the Regency Village. also i guess i should just use the term grand old movie theater rather than palace. to which is the Regency Village still a single screen theater that has operated as a 1st run venue since the day it opened? for instance in terms of grand old movie theaters including palaces we have the Castro in San Francisco which is still a single screen venue and in damn good shape. but although it has been in continuous operation since the day it opened in 1924? it was built from the get go as a 2nd/ 3rd run neighborhood theater. i am referring to theaters built as 1st run venues that have continued to operate as such.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about TCL Chinese Theatre on Apr 19, 2012 at 7:54 pm

Hello- i would greatly appreciate it if my fellow posters could hope me with the question in my post of March 22. thanks in advance.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 18, 2012 at 11:02 am

Hello To Fellow Posters-

i originally asked this question a few months back so i was wondering if anyone has found the answer yet. when i first came upon this excellent website was i surprised in the intro above for this theater above that for a short time it was called the Mark 1-2-3. now i have been an avid theatergoer most of my adult life and have frequently used the TKTS booth which is right across from this theater since the day it opened in June of 1973. yet i never remember seeing Mark 1-2-3 on the marquee even for a minute amount of time. has anyone ever found a photo?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 17, 2012 at 3:41 pm

Hello-

i thank you for your reply but the Art Greenwich was off of 12 St. a stone’s throw from the now suttered St. Vincent’s Hospital. i am referring to the two theaters that were actually on 8th St. the 8th St.Playhouse was almost at 6th. Avenue. the other theater was almost at Bway. but its not listed under any of the names i can think of. its now used as an auditorium by NYU.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Embassy 1,2,3 Theatre on Apr 17, 2012 at 2:16 pm

Hello to Everyone-

while i like this website immensely the 1 problem is that theaters aren’t necessarily listed by the name they’re best known by. i have been searching for a bit to find a theater on 8th St. closer to Broadway. i found the 8th St. Playhouse which was closer to 6th Ave. but what was the name of the theater closer to Bway. i can’t find it under any of the names it knew it by. its now used by NYU as an auditorium.

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Cinerama Hollywood on Apr 12, 2012 at 9:20 pm

Hello Again To My Fellow Posters-

while we’re on the subject. why is it that some companies have been better at keeping prints of their roadshow widescreen epics in damn good condition that other companies? for instance none of the dvds of UA’s widescreen roadshow epics released by MGM Home Video have been the complete roadshow prints. whereas all the dvds and now blu-ray discs that Warner Bros. Home Video have released of MGM’S widescreen roadshow epics have been the
complete roadshow prints. what gives?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 commented about Cinerama Hollywood on Apr 12, 2012 at 1:32 pm

Hello To My Fellow Posters-

speaking of negatives and prints etc…. i have a question that has always bugged me a bit. in the late 90s when vhs was still the dominant home video format MGM/UA Home Video created a new vhs series titled “MGM/UA Screen Epics”. all the films were digitally remastered with new art work for the slip case packaging. this is where my question comes in- the prints of THE ALAMO,ITS MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD and HAWAII that were reissued in this series were the original roadshow prints. yet the currently available dvds of these three films which are the only dvds i have ever come across are the general release prints not the roadshow prints. if complete roadshow prints were available for the vhs series why not use them for the dvds? is there a reason why they couldn’t?