Loew's Capitol Theatre

1645 Broadway,
New York, NY 10019

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Showing 201 - 225 of 1,085 comments

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 23, 2018 at 8:41 am

As 1977 turned into 1978, I waited in vain to see the marquee of the Loew’s Astor Plaza because they were showing Star Wars. They never did show it – the theater was located slightly west of Broadway.

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 23, 2018 at 7:06 am

Vindanpar was right about My Fair Lady. The top ticket price was $5.50 every night, going up to $6.50 on New Year’s Eve.

All the roadshows had special New Year’s Eve shows. I used to watch the ball drop on TV, hoping I’d get to see some of the marquees. They always showed the Criterion.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on May 22, 2018 at 1:53 pm

this is the website. Costs though differ over time due to people, conditions, etc. https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 on May 22, 2018 at 1:25 pm

Hello-

to Howard B. do you know if a chart that will adjust for inflation? for instance A Daughter of the Gods produced by William Fox which opened Oct. of 1916 cost a cool $1,000,000 making it the most expensive film made up to that time. what would that $1,000,000 be today?

vindanpar
vindanpar on May 22, 2018 at 12:01 pm

$44.31.

Which I would happily pay today to see a Super Panavision 70(not digital)print with 6track stereo(analog.) I assume this no longer exists.

vindanpar
vindanpar on May 22, 2018 at 11:50 am

Mezz for My Fair Lady at the Criterion was $5.50(I’m pretty sure) for weekend evenings in ‘64. What is that today?

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on May 21, 2018 at 2:40 pm

I just calculated inflation online at the federal Dept Labor, for $4 in 1968 and it says $29.27. However, as nice as the Village East is, it isn’t from my understanding (having never been there) the Capitol, so a lesser charge is appropriate.

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 21, 2018 at 1:32 pm

Good thing I still have my souvenir program that my dad bought for me at the Capitol on June 15, 1968. Price: $1. Price of each ticket that day: $4. That was a very big ticket in 1968. Similar to the $20 that the Village East is charging now, but it’s worth it.

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 21, 2018 at 1:30 pm

Howard: There was no program at the Friday night show. I was hoping for one.

HowardBHaas
HowardBHaas on May 21, 2018 at 1:20 pm

So for those who saw it at Village East (or others reading this thread) is there a printed 2001 program being handed out (or sold)?

bigjoe59
bigjoe59 on May 21, 2018 at 12:40 pm

Hello-

I saw 2001 this past Sat. at the Village East. It was ! WOW !. but I noticed three slight rips. why would it have been so horrible if Nolan had repaired the rips. is Nolan saying classic films should never be restored?

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 20, 2018 at 9:36 am

NYer: I did talk to Keir Dullea at the latest Chiller. He talked about going to the Cannes Film Festival with Christopher Nolan. He said Gary Lockwood had pneumonia but would soon recover. He didn’t say if they were coming back, but they’d been there together twice before. So the chances are good.

MarkDHite
MarkDHite on May 20, 2018 at 8:16 am

Oh gosh. I had heard John Harvey was Ill. I’m sorry to know he has died. He was the nicest person, and the work he put into that Cinerama run in Dayton, I think it was about 1.5 years, was unbelievable. Installing the screen and projectors, which he owned, and then running almost all of the shows himself. His prints of HTWWW and This Is Cinerama were as gorgeous as you could ever hope to see. May he Rest In Peace!

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 20, 2018 at 6:38 am

I saw How the West Was Won at the New Neon in Dayton, OH, and it was quite a special presentation. At the time (1996) it was the only theater in the United States equipped to show real 3-strip Cinerama. The man behind the Cinerama revival, John Harvey, just died earlier this month. Fans of Cinerama have a lot to be grateful to him for.

MarkDHite
MarkDHite on May 19, 2018 at 8:26 pm

No sadly I was never in the Capitol. I saw 2001 during the 1990s Cinerama revival at the New Neon Cinema. Fantastic, but not the same as your experience at the Capitol.

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 19, 2018 at 4:42 am

Mark, where did you see it in Cinerama? Hope it was at the Capitol.

MarkDHite
MarkDHite on May 19, 2018 at 4:35 am

That’s exciting news! Thanks Bill.

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 18, 2018 at 8:42 pm

Just got back. The 73rd time turned out to be one of the best. Our projectionist introduced himself before the show. He said that the patrons who’d never seen it were in for an unforgettable Friday night. He wasn’t kidding.

The print was beautiful. About 3 or 4 scratches, but they only reminded you that you were watching a 70mm print. Some scenes were darker than I’d become used to, but it made the colors more intense. The volume level was exactly what a fan of the film would want.

I went with my cousin. We saw it together in 35mm in 1969, and he didn’t like it. Tonight, he liked it.

If you’ve only seen 2001 on video, it’s a completely different experience in 70mm. It really is the ultimate trip.

MarkDHite
MarkDHite on May 18, 2018 at 5:55 pm

73 times? Holy crap! That’s amazing. I think I’ve seen it about five times and once in Cinerama.

markp
markp on May 18, 2018 at 2:43 pm

Bill Huelbig, as a long time projectionist, Ill be curious to hear your assessment of the print condition. I know if I was running it at the E Walk or Lincoln Square, it would be perfect.

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 18, 2018 at 12:01 pm

Here is the 12/14/2001 ad for the Astor Plaza engagement of 2001.

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 18, 2018 at 7:23 am

Yes, tonight at 7:30. I’m wearing my Stanley Kubrick t-shirt. This will be my 73rd theatrical viewing of the movie. 8 times in Cinerama.

MarkDHite
MarkDHite on May 18, 2018 at 7:04 am

Bill, it will be great to hear your impressions of the new print then! Are you going today?

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 18, 2018 at 7:02 am

I saw 2001 at the Astor Plaza during its engagement there in the year 2001. The print was not too good, and the intermission was cut out and the two halves were spliced together. It was still a great show. The sound was especially powerful.

I must have seen 2001 at the Ziegfeld at least 15-20 times.

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 17, 2018 at 8:41 pm

There have been complaints about the Ziegfeld’s decor and color scheme, or about the 50-foot-wide screen not being big enough, but to each his own. I’ve loved the Ziegfeld ever since I saw West Side Story there in 1970.