From the Wishful Thinking Dept. Several internet sites, including Ain’t It Cool News, have reported that there was a test screening of “The Producers” in Edgewater, NJ several days ago. The posted comments have been very favorable, noting that the film comes across as a faithful adaptation of the Broadway hit as well as a throwback to old fashioned movie musicals (no “Moulin Rouge” here); the audience apparently applauded after the end of each number. Assuming these comments are accurate, what an ideal RCMH Christmas attraction this would have made.
The Ziegfeld has shown revivals during the late summer/early fall period when quality first run films are often scarce. “Funny Girl” was playing at the Ziegfeld on 9/11 (I remember walking by the Ziegfeld on my way home from the office on that terrible day) and “The Way We Were” was revived during a similar time frame in 2003. I passed on “Funny Girl” but went to a sparsely attended weekend screening of “The Way We Were.”
If Clearview is considering booking a revivial at the Ziegfeld during the upcoming slow season, why not take a chance on a non-Streisand film this time?
Interesting ad in tomorrow’s Times for “The Baxter.” Produced and released by IFC, it will be playing exclusively in Clearview theaters throughout the NYC metro area starting next Friday. Corporate synergy at work. The ad highlights the engagement at the IFC Center, but the list of Clearview theaters in Manhattan showing the film includes the 62nd & Broadway cinema and the Ziegfeld. Even though the film seems a better fit for the IFC Center than the Ziegfeld, it’s odd to see the IFC Center favored over the Ziegfeld (not to mention a film screening simultaneously at the Ziegfeld and the 62nd & Broadway cinema).
Another source: the documentary “Final Cut: the Making and Unmaking of Heaven’s Gate” which was shown at several film festivals last year (including Toronto) and aired on the Trio cable channel earlier this year.
I attended the evening show on the first day of the abbreviated Cinema 1 engagement in November 1980. The screening was sold out. Tickets for the Cinema 1 engagement were sold in advance by mail order, although unlike a true roadshow, the seating was unreserved. Several rows were cordoned off for United Artists executives, who arrived shortly before the beginning of the screening. I was sitting a few rows behind the UA execs, who emerged from the auditorium at the end of the screening looking shell-shocked. As the credits rolled, some members of the audience booed; a group seated behind me countered the booing by cheering when they spotted the name of a friend in the credits.
Within a day or two of the opening, UA announced that the film would be withdrawn from release after a week at Cinema 1. The nearly four hour cut was, I believe, presented with an intermission.
The caption under the first photo states that the new Embassy was built on the same location as the old Embassy. I don’t believe that’s accurate. The old Embassy was situated on the east side of Moody Street (it may have been directly across Moody Street from the also long-gone Grover Cronin department store). The new Embassy is on a side street near Moody.
Very interesting article from the Crimson. It’s probably worth noting that the author of that article, Frank Rich, is one of the op-ed contributors to The New York Times (and before that, he was the film critic for Time magazine, and then the theater critic for the Times; nicknamed “The Butcher of Broadway”). His son, Simon, is co-editor in chief of the Harvard Lampoon, which just published a very amusing parody of Premiere magazine.
Just glanced at today’s “Island” ad in the Times. The number of daily screenings at the Ziegfeld (and yes, the ad states DLP) is down to three; the last showing starts at the absurdly early hour of 8:15 pm. At least Clearview decided to not to close the Ziegfeld until the next attraction.
I disagree about the Times. I had been considering seeing “The Island” at the Ziegfeld during its first week of release but had difficulty fitting a screening into my schedule (and decided against seeing it after hearing bad word of mouth). I checked the Times' ads for “The Island” daily during that first week, and each edition indicated that the Ziegfeld (and Loews 34th Street) were presenting the film digitally in Manhattan.
Even if roadshows were not on the way out by 1972, “The Godfather” would have been a surprising choice for roadshow exhibition due to its content and rating. More often than not, a film presented as a roadshow was an historical epic or a musical aimed at general audiences, such as “Nicholas and Alexandra” (GP-rated) and “Fiddler on the Roof” (G-rated), two of the final roadshows that were in release at the time of the opening of “The Godfather.” An R-rated roadshow would have been unusual.
A roadshow presentation often required considerable advance planning (booking a theater for an extended run, selling tickets by mail order—-sometimes up to a year in advance of the opening, etc.), and my understanding of the production history of “The Godfather” is that Paramount didn’t realize the quality of the film until late in post production. After all, the film was based on a pulpy (although successful) book, from a young director with an uneven track record with critics and audiences and starring an actor who hadn’t had a hit in over a decade—-not necessarily the elements for a prestige release suitable for roadshow treatment.
Interesting to note, though, that Brando’s next film to debut in NYC was presented on a roadshow basis, albeit one of a non-traditional sort. The initial exclusive run of “Last Tango in Paris” on the Upper East Side was on a “hard ticket” basis; I believe the theater was the Trans Lux East (later The Gotham).
The advertisements in the NY Times for “The Island” have consistently stated DLP for the screenings at the Ziegfeld.
Given the fast flop of “The Island” I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ziegfeld will soon go dark temporarily—-which as other posters have noted, has happened from time to time over the years.
I visited the Varsity for the first time last night for a screening of “Ladies in Lavender.” While the theater has a charming Art Deco ambience, repair and upgrading are badly needed. The men’s restroom was dirty (i.e., it stank) and several of the toilets/urinals were not working. And the quality of the soundproofing between the two auditoriums is about the worst I have experienced (and that includes the Angelika and Lincoln Plaza in NYC). “Mad Hot Ballroom” was playing next door, and after last night I feel that I have already seen it. It would be a shame if the Varsity doesn’t survive, as it’s the primary commercial venue for independent and foreign films on Oahu and by far the oldest operating film theater on the island. Unfortunately, the signs aren’t promising, given the continuing rumors of a closing and the obvious lack of attention from Consolidated to the condition of the theater.
Regarding major hits in the final years of the stage/show program at RCMH: I remember ads for “The Sunshine Boys” in the NY Times promoting it as the biggest hit in the history of RCMH. “The Sunshine Boys” was, I believe, RCMH’s Christmas attraction in 1975.
I visited the Colonial often when vacationing at Lake Winnespaukee in the 1970s and 1980s and have many fond memories of that theater. Much more atmospheric than the twin cinema in nearby Gilford.
By the mid 1980s the Colonial had been subdivided into at least four auditoriums. The above reference to the Colonial being a single screen is wrong, unless the theater had been renovated subsequent to the subdivision.
The Historical Society excerpt used for the above summary states that “the Colonial is once again operating as a movie house” but the theater is listed as closed. Which is correct? If the Colonial is now closed, does anyone know when the Colonial closed and what the plans are for the site?
The appendix of King’s book states that the Charles opened in 1966 (the text states April 1967). Similar glitch regarding the opening of the Pi Alley (1968 or 1969?).
The appendix of King’s book states that the Paris was “demolished about 2000.” The theater was closed in early 1993 and was quickly replaced by a Walgreens.
I would add a caveat to Ron’s above comment. The Paris was the last newly built theater that opened as a single screen and wasn’t subsequently subdivided OR had additional screens added. The large auditorium at the Charles, which opened in either 1966 or 1967 according to King (the text and the appendix provide different opening dates) was never subdivided; the second and third Charles screens were separate from the large auditorium.
King implies that the second iteration of the Beacon Hill opened as a triplex (“Ben Sack moved his Beacon Hill theatre into the new Beacon Hill Theatres 1-2-3…”). As noted above, the Beacon Hill wasn’t subdivided until the early 1980s.
King’s book is mistaken as to the opening date. The Sack Cinema 57 (which is how the theater was described at least in its early years, not “Sack 57 Cinemas”) was open by no later than December 1971, when “A Clockwork Orange” began a long exclusive run there.
King also states that the 57 was twinned shortly after opening. Not so; the theater always operated as a two screen complex.
Ron: I agree. The book offers considerable detail as to the history of Boston theaters until the 1960s or thereabouts. Subsequent decades are given a comparatively cursory review. If the author left the Boston area in the 1970s or 1980s, that would help account for the less-detailed treatment and the errors and omissions. When I have the chance, I will review those final chapters again for factual glitches.
I am not entirely sure which date is correct, but after briefly reviewing King’s book I would not conclusively rely on the date he provided. The book appears in many ways to be an impressive feat of research, particularly with respect to theaters of the 1800s and the first half of the 1900s (the primary focus of the book). I reviewed the final chapters focusing on the 1950s onward and that quick review revealed a number of factual errors, such as a reference to the twinning of the 57 (it was always a two screen complex), the Paris being demolished “around 2000,” etc.
My hunch is that the Globe writer was referring to developments such as stadium seating and digital projection as “modern amenities” and not to the architecture.
The original single screen auditorium was twinned in 1976 (the first attraction at one of the twinned screens was “Marathon Man”) and the screens in the back followed a few years later. The first time I saw a film in one of those auditoriums in the back was the reissue of “Fiddler on the Roof” which I think was in 1978 or 1979.
From today’s Boston Globe (excerpt from an article on the Loews/AMC merger):
The seven-screen Circle Theater at Cleveland Circle, owned by National Amusements' Showcase Cinemas of Dedham, was built in 1965 and has relatively few modern amenities.
ErikH
commented about
Waikiki 3on
Jun 21, 2005 at 9:38 am
Regarding the status of the shuttered Waikiki 1-3 and the IMAX auditorium (from the 6/21/05 edition of the Honolulu Advertiser):
Full-time, year-round circus on tap in Waikiki
By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer
A troupe of contortionists, acrobats and high-wire artists is coming to Waikiki with plans to dazzle visitors and residents with regular performances in the former IMAX theater on Seaside Avenue.
Mystika Hawaii LLC recently signed a multiyear lease with landowner Robertson Properties Group and is expected to begin twice-daily shows as early as next spring in a deal that will add another new attraction to O'ahu’s primary visitor destination.
“It’s really going to add a nice entertainment flavor to the area, not only for tourists but for the local people,” said Greg Swedelson, Robertson Properties vice president of acquisitions and leasing.
Details of the show are being kept under wraps by Mystika’s Florida-based organizers, but it will be sort of a “mini Cirque du Soleil” with vaudeville-style acts including gravity-defying stunts and other amazing human performances, Swedelson said.
Mystika is affiliated with the Moscow State Circus, a traveling troupe out of Sarasota, Fla., that has toured in Hawai'i. But Jamie Brown, a local real-estate broker who represented Mystika, said the new show will be of a higher caliber than Moscow State Circus acts.
“It is completely different,” Brown said. “It’s going to be much more like a Vegas Cirque du Soleil kind of show.”
Mystika is expected to provide the Florida-based group another show with a more permanent venue, while adding a new attraction to the wave of renovation and redevelopment of Waikiki hotels, shopping centers, roads and beaches over the past several years.
Rick Egged, executive director of the Waikiki Improvement Association, said Mystika will complement the handful of live productions that include comedy, magic, music and Polynesian shows.
“I think it’s a great addition to our entertainment fare,” he said.
The IMAX theater, which opened in 1991 with a towering screen and 420 seats, was closed two years ago by Consolidated Amusement Co., a Robertson Properties affiliate that acquired the theater in 1999 from Utah-based Destination Cinema.
Robertson Properties is Consolidated’s real-estate development sister company, replacing the Waikiki III theater on Kalakaua Avenue with a two-story retail complex housing Foot Locker, California Pizza Kitchen, Whaler’s Market, a steak-and-seafood restaurant and about 80 kiosks.
The California-based development company also is seeking a large retail tenant to occupy the former Waikiki I and II theater building next to the IMAX on Seaside. Swedelson said Robertson Properties is talking to a couple of big-box retailers for the 26,265-square foot site, but it is still available.
From the Wishful Thinking Dept. Several internet sites, including Ain’t It Cool News, have reported that there was a test screening of “The Producers” in Edgewater, NJ several days ago. The posted comments have been very favorable, noting that the film comes across as a faithful adaptation of the Broadway hit as well as a throwback to old fashioned movie musicals (no “Moulin Rouge” here); the audience apparently applauded after the end of each number. Assuming these comments are accurate, what an ideal RCMH Christmas attraction this would have made.
The Ziegfeld has shown revivals during the late summer/early fall period when quality first run films are often scarce. “Funny Girl” was playing at the Ziegfeld on 9/11 (I remember walking by the Ziegfeld on my way home from the office on that terrible day) and “The Way We Were” was revived during a similar time frame in 2003. I passed on “Funny Girl” but went to a sparsely attended weekend screening of “The Way We Were.”
If Clearview is considering booking a revivial at the Ziegfeld during the upcoming slow season, why not take a chance on a non-Streisand film this time?
Interesting ad in tomorrow’s Times for “The Baxter.” Produced and released by IFC, it will be playing exclusively in Clearview theaters throughout the NYC metro area starting next Friday. Corporate synergy at work. The ad highlights the engagement at the IFC Center, but the list of Clearview theaters in Manhattan showing the film includes the 62nd & Broadway cinema and the Ziegfeld. Even though the film seems a better fit for the IFC Center than the Ziegfeld, it’s odd to see the IFC Center favored over the Ziegfeld (not to mention a film screening simultaneously at the Ziegfeld and the 62nd & Broadway cinema).
Another source: the documentary “Final Cut: the Making and Unmaking of Heaven’s Gate” which was shown at several film festivals last year (including Toronto) and aired on the Trio cable channel earlier this year.
I attended the evening show on the first day of the abbreviated Cinema 1 engagement in November 1980. The screening was sold out. Tickets for the Cinema 1 engagement were sold in advance by mail order, although unlike a true roadshow, the seating was unreserved. Several rows were cordoned off for United Artists executives, who arrived shortly before the beginning of the screening. I was sitting a few rows behind the UA execs, who emerged from the auditorium at the end of the screening looking shell-shocked. As the credits rolled, some members of the audience booed; a group seated behind me countered the booing by cheering when they spotted the name of a friend in the credits.
Within a day or two of the opening, UA announced that the film would be withdrawn from release after a week at Cinema 1. The nearly four hour cut was, I believe, presented with an intermission.
The caption under the first photo states that the new Embassy was built on the same location as the old Embassy. I don’t believe that’s accurate. The old Embassy was situated on the east side of Moody Street (it may have been directly across Moody Street from the also long-gone Grover Cronin department store). The new Embassy is on a side street near Moody.
Interesting photos. The caption under the first photo is incorrect, though. The Chestnut Hill cinema opened in 1975, not 1979.
Very interesting article from the Crimson. It’s probably worth noting that the author of that article, Frank Rich, is one of the op-ed contributors to The New York Times (and before that, he was the film critic for Time magazine, and then the theater critic for the Times; nicknamed “The Butcher of Broadway”). His son, Simon, is co-editor in chief of the Harvard Lampoon, which just published a very amusing parody of Premiere magazine.
Just glanced at today’s “Island” ad in the Times. The number of daily screenings at the Ziegfeld (and yes, the ad states DLP) is down to three; the last showing starts at the absurdly early hour of 8:15 pm. At least Clearview decided to not to close the Ziegfeld until the next attraction.
I disagree about the Times. I had been considering seeing “The Island” at the Ziegfeld during its first week of release but had difficulty fitting a screening into my schedule (and decided against seeing it after hearing bad word of mouth). I checked the Times' ads for “The Island” daily during that first week, and each edition indicated that the Ziegfeld (and Loews 34th Street) were presenting the film digitally in Manhattan.
Even if roadshows were not on the way out by 1972, “The Godfather” would have been a surprising choice for roadshow exhibition due to its content and rating. More often than not, a film presented as a roadshow was an historical epic or a musical aimed at general audiences, such as “Nicholas and Alexandra” (GP-rated) and “Fiddler on the Roof” (G-rated), two of the final roadshows that were in release at the time of the opening of “The Godfather.” An R-rated roadshow would have been unusual.
A roadshow presentation often required considerable advance planning (booking a theater for an extended run, selling tickets by mail order—-sometimes up to a year in advance of the opening, etc.), and my understanding of the production history of “The Godfather” is that Paramount didn’t realize the quality of the film until late in post production. After all, the film was based on a pulpy (although successful) book, from a young director with an uneven track record with critics and audiences and starring an actor who hadn’t had a hit in over a decade—-not necessarily the elements for a prestige release suitable for roadshow treatment.
Interesting to note, though, that Brando’s next film to debut in NYC was presented on a roadshow basis, albeit one of a non-traditional sort. The initial exclusive run of “Last Tango in Paris” on the Upper East Side was on a “hard ticket” basis; I believe the theater was the Trans Lux East (later The Gotham).
The advertisements in the NY Times for “The Island” have consistently stated DLP for the screenings at the Ziegfeld.
Given the fast flop of “The Island” I wouldn’t be surprised if the Ziegfeld will soon go dark temporarily—-which as other posters have noted, has happened from time to time over the years.
I visited the Varsity for the first time last night for a screening of “Ladies in Lavender.” While the theater has a charming Art Deco ambience, repair and upgrading are badly needed. The men’s restroom was dirty (i.e., it stank) and several of the toilets/urinals were not working. And the quality of the soundproofing between the two auditoriums is about the worst I have experienced (and that includes the Angelika and Lincoln Plaza in NYC). “Mad Hot Ballroom” was playing next door, and after last night I feel that I have already seen it. It would be a shame if the Varsity doesn’t survive, as it’s the primary commercial venue for independent and foreign films on Oahu and by far the oldest operating film theater on the island. Unfortunately, the signs aren’t promising, given the continuing rumors of a closing and the obvious lack of attention from Consolidated to the condition of the theater.
Regarding major hits in the final years of the stage/show program at RCMH: I remember ads for “The Sunshine Boys” in the NY Times promoting it as the biggest hit in the history of RCMH. “The Sunshine Boys” was, I believe, RCMH’s Christmas attraction in 1975.
I visited the Colonial often when vacationing at Lake Winnespaukee in the 1970s and 1980s and have many fond memories of that theater. Much more atmospheric than the twin cinema in nearby Gilford.
By the mid 1980s the Colonial had been subdivided into at least four auditoriums. The above reference to the Colonial being a single screen is wrong, unless the theater had been renovated subsequent to the subdivision.
The Historical Society excerpt used for the above summary states that “the Colonial is once again operating as a movie house” but the theater is listed as closed. Which is correct? If the Colonial is now closed, does anyone know when the Colonial closed and what the plans are for the site?
The appendix of King’s book states that the Charles opened in 1966 (the text states April 1967). Similar glitch regarding the opening of the Pi Alley (1968 or 1969?).
The appendix of King’s book states that the Paris was “demolished about 2000.” The theater was closed in early 1993 and was quickly replaced by a Walgreens.
I would add a caveat to Ron’s above comment. The Paris was the last newly built theater that opened as a single screen and wasn’t subsequently subdivided OR had additional screens added. The large auditorium at the Charles, which opened in either 1966 or 1967 according to King (the text and the appendix provide different opening dates) was never subdivided; the second and third Charles screens were separate from the large auditorium.
King implies that the second iteration of the Beacon Hill opened as a triplex (“Ben Sack moved his Beacon Hill theatre into the new Beacon Hill Theatres 1-2-3…”). As noted above, the Beacon Hill wasn’t subdivided until the early 1980s.
King’s book also states that the Pi Alley was twinned “soon” after opening in 1969. The theater was subdivided in 1978.
King’s book is mistaken as to the opening date. The Sack Cinema 57 (which is how the theater was described at least in its early years, not “Sack 57 Cinemas”) was open by no later than December 1971, when “A Clockwork Orange” began a long exclusive run there.
King also states that the 57 was twinned shortly after opening. Not so; the theater always operated as a two screen complex.
Ron: I agree. The book offers considerable detail as to the history of Boston theaters until the 1960s or thereabouts. Subsequent decades are given a comparatively cursory review. If the author left the Boston area in the 1970s or 1980s, that would help account for the less-detailed treatment and the errors and omissions. When I have the chance, I will review those final chapters again for factual glitches.
I am not entirely sure which date is correct, but after briefly reviewing King’s book I would not conclusively rely on the date he provided. The book appears in many ways to be an impressive feat of research, particularly with respect to theaters of the 1800s and the first half of the 1900s (the primary focus of the book). I reviewed the final chapters focusing on the 1950s onward and that quick review revealed a number of factual errors, such as a reference to the twinning of the 57 (it was always a two screen complex), the Paris being demolished “around 2000,” etc.
My hunch is that the Globe writer was referring to developments such as stadium seating and digital projection as “modern amenities” and not to the architecture.
The original single screen auditorium was twinned in 1976 (the first attraction at one of the twinned screens was “Marathon Man”) and the screens in the back followed a few years later. The first time I saw a film in one of those auditoriums in the back was the reissue of “Fiddler on the Roof” which I think was in 1978 or 1979.
Regarding the date of the opening of the Circle.
From today’s Boston Globe (excerpt from an article on the Loews/AMC merger):
The seven-screen Circle Theater at Cleveland Circle, owned by National Amusements' Showcase Cinemas of Dedham, was built in 1965 and has relatively few modern amenities.
Regarding the status of the shuttered Waikiki 1-3 and the IMAX auditorium (from the 6/21/05 edition of the Honolulu Advertiser):
Full-time, year-round circus on tap in Waikiki
By Andrew Gomes
Advertiser Staff Writer
A troupe of contortionists, acrobats and high-wire artists is coming to Waikiki with plans to dazzle visitors and residents with regular performances in the former IMAX theater on Seaside Avenue.
Mystika Hawaii LLC recently signed a multiyear lease with landowner Robertson Properties Group and is expected to begin twice-daily shows as early as next spring in a deal that will add another new attraction to O'ahu’s primary visitor destination.
“It’s really going to add a nice entertainment flavor to the area, not only for tourists but for the local people,” said Greg Swedelson, Robertson Properties vice president of acquisitions and leasing.
Details of the show are being kept under wraps by Mystika’s Florida-based organizers, but it will be sort of a “mini Cirque du Soleil” with vaudeville-style acts including gravity-defying stunts and other amazing human performances, Swedelson said.
Mystika is affiliated with the Moscow State Circus, a traveling troupe out of Sarasota, Fla., that has toured in Hawai'i. But Jamie Brown, a local real-estate broker who represented Mystika, said the new show will be of a higher caliber than Moscow State Circus acts.
“It is completely different,” Brown said. “It’s going to be much more like a Vegas Cirque du Soleil kind of show.”
Mystika is expected to provide the Florida-based group another show with a more permanent venue, while adding a new attraction to the wave of renovation and redevelopment of Waikiki hotels, shopping centers, roads and beaches over the past several years.
Rick Egged, executive director of the Waikiki Improvement Association, said Mystika will complement the handful of live productions that include comedy, magic, music and Polynesian shows.
“I think it’s a great addition to our entertainment fare,” he said.
The IMAX theater, which opened in 1991 with a towering screen and 420 seats, was closed two years ago by Consolidated Amusement Co., a Robertson Properties affiliate that acquired the theater in 1999 from Utah-based Destination Cinema.
Robertson Properties is Consolidated’s real-estate development sister company, replacing the Waikiki III theater on Kalakaua Avenue with a two-story retail complex housing Foot Locker, California Pizza Kitchen, Whaler’s Market, a steak-and-seafood restaurant and about 80 kiosks.
The California-based development company also is seeking a large retail tenant to occupy the former Waikiki I and II theater building next to the IMAX on Seaside. Swedelson said Robertson Properties is talking to a couple of big-box retailers for the 26,265-square foot site, but it is still available.