I remember as a boy going through the Bergen Record and seeing My Fair Lady playing a reserved seat engagement at the Claridge. Did it play on the Cinerama screen in 70mm? Was anybody in it during this period? Montclair had 3 hard ticket houses. The Bellevue, the Claridge and the Wellmont. That’s a lot for a suburban town when New York city was not that far from it. I wonder how well these reserved seat engagements did. SOM obviously did very well as it played longer there than at Manhattan’s Rivoli.
Oops sorry. I left out ‘summer.’ Variety said it would be Broadway’s first summer without a roadshow playing in many years. When I mentioned Fiddler I meant that there was only one more summer with a Broadway roadshow.
When Variety announced that Hello Dolly was closing at the Rivoli it said that this would be the first time in 15 or 18 years(I don’t remember which because there were the Cinerama films) Broadway would be without a roadshow film. There would only be one more Fiddler in ‘72.
The failure of Man of La Mancha (I couldn’t figure why they gave it the roadshow treatment when nobody was clamoring for it, and it probably was why SOM opened its re-release at the National and not the Rivoli, such a missed opportunity for me, even though La Mancha ended its run there before the re-release) finally finished off the Hollywood roadshow. It should have opened continuous run or at Radio City where it would have had some sort of success.
Good to hear. I’ve only watched bits and pieces of it on TV and have never had it in any video format. The only time I saw it in its entirety was when I saw it at the Embassy in Times Square. It had a full audience(which surprised me as this was the 80s) and was a lot of fun.
I thought with a 4k release it was about time to have it and watch it again.
Now when do we get Ben Hur in 4k? I’m a big Chuck, DeMille and Wyler fan.
Wow. CCI What do you think of the recent 4k of Commandments? I got it but I haven’t seen it yet. Was it a mistake?
And do you think that test reel shown in ‘67 is in anyone’s archive? The only classic films blown up for 70mm release that I’ve known of was the very successful roadshow release of GWTW in '67 and then the very odd choice of The Jolson Story released at the Ziegfeld where I assume a third of the visual information went missing.
GWTW doesn’t bother me so much because that is how I got to know the film when it came to the suburbs in ‘68 where I assume it was show in Panavision. And then in 70mm at the Rivoli in '74 and the Bellevue in Monclair. As wrong as it is it’s stuck in my head as a wide screen movie. I wonder what my reaction would be to it now if a print still existed which I doubt.
Maybe you know this CCI. Why didn’t Lean film Zhivago in 70mm? Because Ponti wanted to save money? Didn’t Lean have the clout at this point to say it has to be in 70mm? Most major roadshow films were still being filmed in 70mm at this point. It seems unusual to me.
Well I saw a few 70mm films on the Rivoli’s large curved screen and there were no focus problems. On the Warner Cinerama’s curved screen as well when they had their 70mm festival. I understand when Lean’s Lawrence was restored he wanted it on a flat screen in London. When Zhivago had its world premiere at the Capitol in NY did he not like the curved screen? Did anybody see it there.
The screen version of the famous stage show, which Twentieth Century-Fox has produced and which opened last night at the Criterion with a benefit showing for the Police Athletic League, is a tremendously big picture. It runs for close to three hours and fills a huge arcing panel that goes with its projection process, Todd-AO.
The Todd AO screen at the St James in Asbury Park where I saw Hello Dolly had a flat screen and so did Radio City when it showed the Todd AO Airport. It was just another 70mm format it seems.
When the Criterion showed South Pacific I believe I read in the initial reviews it was shown on a large curved screen. The Variety reviewer said the faces looked like Mt Rushmore.
That makes sense that they replaced Angela’s name with Celeste’s and then had to change it back after she returned. So Page had just started when 2001 opened at the Capitol.
I think I said this to you before but I don’t remember Nick and Al having a souvenir book at the Criterion. I know there was one but for some reason the day I went there wasn’t one. It was the first thing I would look for and I should have asked. Even the non roadshow Cabaret had a book at the Ziegfeld. Did you buy the souvenir books for Happiest Millionaire, 1776 and Tom Sawyer at the Music Hall? I know those films had one but I don’t recall them being sold there.
The Ziegfeld only had one reserved seat film and I don’t believe it played there very long. In fact I don’t even know why Marooned was a reserved seat presentation in the first place. It certainly could have been a continuous run film. Nothing special about it.
This is in response to bigjoe’s comment on the Hollywood Egyptian page concerning D 150 but the response belongs here.
There were only two films produced in D 150-The Bible and Patton at respectively Loew’s State and the Criterion. I did see 2001 here in 1977 presented on the D 150 screen and it was one of the greatest film experiences of my life which I have written about before. I haven’t seen it since because I can’t imagine it on a smaller screen though because it was a very good price I bought the 4k version but I haven’t watched it. The size of the image is such an integral part of the film. I had seen the film as a boy but I had no recollection of it. So when the large curtains started slowly closing in that vast theater at the moment you realized HAL was reading their lips it was a hair raising moment that can never be duplicated again. Especially if you know the film. I had no idea it was coming and it was awesome-a word I rarely use.
I posted a picture of Kubrick with his family at the Capitol 2001 premiere and you see the Winter Garden across the street with Janis Paige in Mame. It was like the world premiere though the film actually had it at the DC Uptown a few days before.
I remember as a boy going through the Bergen Record and seeing My Fair Lady playing a reserved seat engagement at the Claridge. Did it play on the Cinerama screen in 70mm? Was anybody in it during this period? Montclair had 3 hard ticket houses. The Bellevue, the Claridge and the Wellmont. That’s a lot for a suburban town when New York city was not that far from it. I wonder how well these reserved seat engagements did. SOM obviously did very well as it played longer there than at Manhattan’s Rivoli.
1:30? Was there a late afternoon showing? I never knew 2001 went the 3 a day roadshow route. I believe Sound of Music never did it.
Oops sorry. I left out ‘summer.’ Variety said it would be Broadway’s first summer without a roadshow playing in many years. When I mentioned Fiddler I meant that there was only one more summer with a Broadway roadshow.
When Variety announced that Hello Dolly was closing at the Rivoli it said that this would be the first time in 15 or 18 years(I don’t remember which because there were the Cinerama films) Broadway would be without a roadshow film. There would only be one more Fiddler in ‘72.
I think this may have been Russell Markert’s last show retiring after having been with the Music Hall since its opening.
The failure of Man of La Mancha (I couldn’t figure why they gave it the roadshow treatment when nobody was clamoring for it, and it probably was why SOM opened its re-release at the National and not the Rivoli, such a missed opportunity for me, even though La Mancha ended its run there before the re-release) finally finished off the Hollywood roadshow. It should have opened continuous run or at Radio City where it would have had some sort of success.
Yes after it was cleaned up I saw Bambi here. Seriously.
Good to hear. I’ve only watched bits and pieces of it on TV and have never had it in any video format. The only time I saw it in its entirety was when I saw it at the Embassy in Times Square. It had a full audience(which surprised me as this was the 80s) and was a lot of fun. I thought with a 4k release it was about time to have it and watch it again. Now when do we get Ben Hur in 4k? I’m a big Chuck, DeMille and Wyler fan.
Coming from Peter Apruzzese I feel better that I didn’t throw $20 away.
I based my purchase of Commandments 4k on the bluray.com review which was absolutely ecstatic.
Wow. CCI What do you think of the recent 4k of Commandments? I got it but I haven’t seen it yet. Was it a mistake?
And do you think that test reel shown in ‘67 is in anyone’s archive? The only classic films blown up for 70mm release that I’ve known of was the very successful roadshow release of GWTW in '67 and then the very odd choice of The Jolson Story released at the Ziegfeld where I assume a third of the visual information went missing.
GWTW doesn’t bother me so much because that is how I got to know the film when it came to the suburbs in ‘68 where I assume it was show in Panavision. And then in 70mm at the Rivoli in '74 and the Bellevue in Monclair. As wrong as it is it’s stuck in my head as a wide screen movie. I wonder what my reaction would be to it now if a print still existed which I doubt.
And wasn’t Ryan’s Daughter one of the very last films shot in 70mm for years?
Maybe you know this CCI. Why didn’t Lean film Zhivago in 70mm? Because Ponti wanted to save money? Didn’t Lean have the clout at this point to say it has to be in 70mm? Most major roadshow films were still being filmed in 70mm at this point. It seems unusual to me.
Well I saw a few 70mm films on the Rivoli’s large curved screen and there were no focus problems. On the Warner Cinerama’s curved screen as well when they had their 70mm festival. I understand when Lean’s Lawrence was restored he wanted it on a flat screen in London. When Zhivago had its world premiere at the Capitol in NY did he not like the curved screen? Did anybody see it there.
Crowther’s South Pacific review:
The screen version of the famous stage show, which Twentieth Century-Fox has produced and which opened last night at the Criterion with a benefit showing for the Police Athletic League, is a tremendously big picture. It runs for close to three hours and fills a huge arcing panel that goes with its projection process, Todd-AO.
The Todd AO screen at the St James in Asbury Park where I saw Hello Dolly had a flat screen and so did Radio City when it showed the Todd AO Airport. It was just another 70mm format it seems.
When the Criterion showed South Pacific I believe I read in the initial reviews it was shown on a large curved screen. The Variety reviewer said the faces looked like Mt Rushmore.
What exactly is this person protecting? A theater box office from 70 years ago? What’s up with that?
That makes sense that they replaced Angela’s name with Celeste’s and then had to change it back after she returned. So Page had just started when 2001 opened at the Capitol.
I think I said this to you before but I don’t remember Nick and Al having a souvenir book at the Criterion. I know there was one but for some reason the day I went there wasn’t one. It was the first thing I would look for and I should have asked. Even the non roadshow Cabaret had a book at the Ziegfeld. Did you buy the souvenir books for Happiest Millionaire, 1776 and Tom Sawyer at the Music Hall? I know those films had one but I don’t recall them being sold there.
Probably. I just remember it as not looking like an especially big budget film worthy of the road show treatment. Did it have a souvenir book?
The Ziegfeld only had one reserved seat film and I don’t believe it played there very long. In fact I don’t even know why Marooned was a reserved seat presentation in the first place. It certainly could have been a continuous run film. Nothing special about it.
It was probably shown in regular 35 mm. This is the re release from the early 70s.
I always wondered why it didn’t play the Hall. It seemed like a no brainer.
I wonder if the Music Hall didn’t want this film after presenting all the other A and R films not finding it up to snuff.
This is in response to bigjoe’s comment on the Hollywood Egyptian page concerning D 150 but the response belongs here.
There were only two films produced in D 150-The Bible and Patton at respectively Loew’s State and the Criterion. I did see 2001 here in 1977 presented on the D 150 screen and it was one of the greatest film experiences of my life which I have written about before. I haven’t seen it since because I can’t imagine it on a smaller screen though because it was a very good price I bought the 4k version but I haven’t watched it. The size of the image is such an integral part of the film. I had seen the film as a boy but I had no recollection of it. So when the large curtains started slowly closing in that vast theater at the moment you realized HAL was reading their lips it was a hair raising moment that can never be duplicated again. Especially if you know the film. I had no idea it was coming and it was awesome-a word I rarely use.
I posted a picture of Kubrick with his family at the Capitol 2001 premiere and you see the Winter Garden across the street with Janis Paige in Mame. It was like the world premiere though the film actually had it at the DC Uptown a few days before.