A slice of the Astoria’s marquee can be seen in this July, 1981 photo. Stripes, Escape from New York, For Your Eyes Only, and Superman II were playing.
I noticed the barricades around the parking lot with “No Trespassing – property of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago” two weeks ago. The building has been donated to Chabad Lubavitch and will be renovated into their new girls' school within two years.
The video you have from the library is the film that is being shown at the Portage next Saturday. It was written and directed by Steve Samtur of Back in The Bronx. It is not the same video as the YouTube clip.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
7:30 PM Uptown: Potrait of a Palace (John Pappas & Michael Bisberg, 2006, 26 min)
8:00 PM Preserve Me a Seat (Apartment 101 Films, 2006, 144 min)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
7:00 PM The Wizard of Austin Boulevard (Louis Antonelli, 1994, 30 min)
7:30 PM Loew’s Paradise Theatre (Back in the Bronx, 2003, 30 min)
8:00 PM Memoirs of a Movie Palace (Christian Blackwood, 1980, 47 min)
9:00 PM Theatre Preservation Panel Discussion
Tickets are $9 per day, $16 for both days. For information about the films, download the flyer (requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader).
It is available on DVD at apartment101films.com. The panel discussion at the Portage will be filmed for inclusion on a 2-disc special edition DVD release in the future.
The 2003 documentary Loew’s Paradise Theatre, narrated by WPIX anchor Marvin Scott, will be shown on Saturday, September 15 at the Portage Theater as part of the “Preserving Palaces” documentary film festival, along with The Wizard of Austin Boulevard and Memoirs of a Movie Palace. The festival begins on Friday, September 14 with Uptown: Portrait of a Palace and Preserve Me a Seat (chronicling efforts to save the Indian Hills in Omaha, Gayety/Publix in Boston, DuPage in Lombard, and Villa in Salt Lake City). A theatre preservation discussion panel will follow the films on Saturday night. For complete information, visit www.portagetheater.org.
And if you don’t mind a drive of a couple hours, there’s the Oriental in Milwaukee, which I think is the only regularly-operating movie theater in the area that has a balcony.
It was still open as of October 20, as was the neighboring car wash.
The Jefferson in 1982
The two remaining stores in the Metro have closed.
The marquee of the RKO Fordham, circa 1956, is visible in the background of this photo.
This photo shows the Loew’s Mt. Vernon in the late 1940s.
The side wall of the Prospect can be seen in this 1971 photo of a B58 bus on 41st Road.
A slice of the Astoria’s marquee can be seen in this July, 1981 photo. Stripes, Escape from New York, For Your Eyes Only, and Superman II were playing.
The Missouri Theater can be seen in the background of this photo, probably taken in the early 1950s.
Correction to the above: the panel was not filmed.
I noticed the barricades around the parking lot with “No Trespassing – property of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Chicago” two weeks ago. The building has been donated to Chabad Lubavitch and will be renovated into their new girls' school within two years.
The video you have from the library is the film that is being shown at the Portage next Saturday. It was written and directed by Steve Samtur of Back in The Bronx. It is not the same video as the YouTube clip.
Correction to the above: Preserve Me a Seat is 104 minutes, not 144.
On Friday and Saturday, September 14-15, the Portage Theater will be hosting the Preserving Palaces film festival. The program begins Friday at 7:30 PM with Uptown: Portrait of a Palace and Preserve Me a Seat (chronicling efforts to save the Indian Hills in Omaha, Gayety/Publix in Boston, DuPage in Lombard, and Villa in Salt Lake City). The festival continues Saturday, September 15 at 7:00 PM with The Wizard of Austin Boulevard, Loew’s Paradise Theatre, and Memoirs of a Movie Palace. A theatre preservation discussion panel will follow the films on Saturday night. For complete information, visit www.portagetheater.org.
The program will be:
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14
7:30 PM Uptown: Potrait of a Palace (John Pappas & Michael Bisberg, 2006, 26 min)
8:00 PM Preserve Me a Seat (Apartment 101 Films, 2006, 144 min)
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
7:00 PM The Wizard of Austin Boulevard (Louis Antonelli, 1994, 30 min)
7:30 PM Loew’s Paradise Theatre (Back in the Bronx, 2003, 30 min)
8:00 PM Memoirs of a Movie Palace (Christian Blackwood, 1980, 47 min)
9:00 PM Theatre Preservation Panel Discussion
Tickets are $9 per day, $16 for both days. For information about the films, download the flyer (requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader).
It is available on DVD at apartment101films.com. The panel discussion at the Portage will be filmed for inclusion on a 2-disc special edition DVD release in the future.
The documentary Preserve Me a Seat, chronicling efforts to save the Gayety (as well as the Indian Hills in Omaha, DuPage in Lombard, IL, and Villa in Salt Lake City) will be shown on Friday, September 14 at the Portage Theater in Chicago, IL as part of the “Preserving Palaces” documentary film festival, along with Uptown: Portrait of a Palace. The festival continues Saturday, September 15 with The Wizard of Austin Boulevard, Loew’s Paradise Theatre, and Memoirs of a Movie Palace. A theatre preservation discussion panel will follow the films on Saturday night. For complete information, visit www.portagetheater.org.
Preserve Me a Seat will be shown on Friday, September 14 at the Portage Theater in Chicago, IL as part of the “Preserving Palaces” documentary film festival, along with Uptown: Portrait of a Palace. The festival continues Saturday, September 15 with The Wizard of Austin Boulevard, Loew’s Paradise Theatre, and Memoirs of a Movie Palace. A theatre preservation discussion panel will follow the films on Saturday night. For complete information, visit www.portagetheater.org.
Preserve Me a Seat will be shown on Friday, September 14 at the Portage Theater in Chicago, IL as part of the “Preserving Palaces” documentary film festival, along with Uptown: Portrait of a Palace. The festival continues Saturday, September 15 with The Wizard of Austin Boulevard, Loew’s Paradise Theatre, and Memoirs of a Movie Palace. A theatre preservation discussion panel will follow the films on Saturday night. For complete information, visit www.portagetheater.org.
Memoirs of a Movie Palace will be shown on Saturday, September 15 at the Portage Theater in Chicago, IL as part of the “Preserving Palaces” documentary film festival, along with The Wizard of Austin Boulevard and Loew’s Paradise Theatre. The festival begins on Friday, September 14 with Uptown: Portrait of a Palace and Preserve Me a Seat (chronicling efforts to save the Indian Hills in Omaha, Gayety/Publix in Boston, DuPage in Lombard, and Villa in Salt Lake City). A theatre preservation discussion panel will follow the films on Saturday night. For complete information, visit www.portagetheater.org.
The 2003 documentary Loew’s Paradise Theatre, narrated by WPIX anchor Marvin Scott, will be shown on Saturday, September 15 at the Portage Theater as part of the “Preserving Palaces” documentary film festival, along with The Wizard of Austin Boulevard and Memoirs of a Movie Palace. The festival begins on Friday, September 14 with Uptown: Portrait of a Palace and Preserve Me a Seat (chronicling efforts to save the Indian Hills in Omaha, Gayety/Publix in Boston, DuPage in Lombard, and Villa in Salt Lake City). A theatre preservation discussion panel will follow the films on Saturday night. For complete information, visit www.portagetheater.org.
Uptown: Portrait of a Palace will be shown on Friday, September 14 at the Portage Theater as part of the “Preserving Palaces” documentary film festival, along with Preserve Me a Seat (chronicling efforts to save the Indian Hills in Omaha, Gayety/Publix in Boston, DuPage in Lombard, and Villa in Salt Lake City). The festival continues Saturday, September 15 with The Wizard of Austin Boulevard, Loew’s Paradise Theatre, and Memoirs of a Movie Palace. A theatre preservation discussion panel will follow the films on Saturday night. For complete information, visit www.portagetheater.org.
Groundbreaking for renovations, October 10, 2001
Providence Journal editorial on the closing of the Revival House
And if you don’t mind a drive of a couple hours, there’s the Oriental in Milwaukee, which I think is the only regularly-operating movie theater in the area that has a balcony.
See BWChicago’s post right above yours. It was the same photo.