Sorry, theatre operators have no right to break federal law. By blocking cell phones, you’re also blocking emergency police, fire, rescue squad, etc.
They are entitled to construct their buildings in such a way that cell phones don’t work (metal shielding, Faraday Cage, etc.), but the law specifies that ‘active’ jamming gear is highly illegal.
Interesting, then. When we saw Clearview’s books a few years ago (when we were looking to acquire them), the Ziegfeld showed the operating loss I mentioned above, which was also confirmed independently. Glad things have improved since then.
The rent is low comparative to other Manhattan real estate, but they still pay the same utilities, payroll, taxes, as everyone else. Of the approximately 28 shows a week they run, only about 8 cover their own expenses. Every other show is a loss.
That is not the case. If that were so, then no theatre would ever lose money, and we know that is not true. There is a minimal house allowance that is deducted from the gross ticket sales, but if the deal includes using that, they end up paying more in box office percentage to the studio.
The Lafayette Theatre’s HORROR-THON Film Festival returns on October 19-20-21!
FLASH: Bela Lugosi’s Dracula cape (worn by him on-screen in “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein”) will be displayed at the 2pm show on Sunday of Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein! This one-of-a-kind artifact comes to the Lafayette courtesy of collector Todd Feiertag. Go to: View link for more information.
Here’s the complete HORROR-THON 2007 line-up:
Friday, October 19,
8:00pm – Ed Wood’s PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE plus Ed Wood Home Movies and more (Now in color for the first time!)
Saturday, October 20
2:00pm – FRANKENSTEIN starring Boris Karloff and Colin Clive
4:15pm – MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, starring Vincent Price and Hazel Court
8:00pm – THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, starring Lon Chaney, the silent horror classic will have LIVE Pipe Organ Accompaniment by Jeff Barker
Sunday, October 21
2:00pm – ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN; PLUS – Bela Lugosi’s original Dracula cape (as worn in this film) will be displayed at this showing!
4:15pm – CURSE OF THE DEMON starring Dana Andrews – uncut British version!
7:30pm – Robert Wise’s THE HAUNTING starring Julie Harris and Richard Johnson
All tickets – $8 per movie. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each showtime and you can buy your tickets at the door for each movie.
Vito – I wish I had seen some of those shows you did – they sound wonderful. In my own limited way, I try and recreate that at the Lafayette with my classic shows (though with only a single traveler curtain and limited lighting choices, I can’t go that far).
Thanks for the update, Howard. That’s the same 35mm IB Technicolor print that played in NYC a few years ago. I sure hope the Ziegfeld has invested in getting their two projector setup running and is not subjecting this one of a kind print to the platter.
Thanks, vito. I figured it would have to be off DVD since the theatres are all playing the same titles on the same nights and the likelihood of there being that many 35mm prints of those titles available is nil. Any way you can find out who is supplying the DVDs? There are some versions that are better than others.
Would you allow me to reproduce it on the Lafayette’s website with a credit to you? I’m slowly expanding our collection of vintage photos as we come across them and that 1947 shot would be wonderful to display. Feel free to contact me by direct e-mail (click my name, then click the “e-mail” link on my profile page).
We tend not to re-run things during our Saturday morning shows, so that’ll be it for a long time on that one. Come by this Saturday for James Cagney in Public Enemy!
Bill – They appear to only block a video or television release. It has screened a number of times in the past decade in California and in NYC at the AMMI or MoMA (I’m not sure which).
No, you can buy tix for the Succasunna classics online. This week’s show on MovieTickets is listed and available to buy (though does anybody really think The Breakfast Club is a classic of any kind?)
It looked and sounded excellent, if I may say so. Very dynamic with nice separation – it sounds as if they either used the original 4-track mix (assuming it had one) or made a new mix using the original stereo music tracks (which were unearthed a few years ago for a double CD of the complete soundtrack) and then did a nice “steering” of the dialog and effects.
Bill – there’s word on another forum that someone went to the Ziegfeld to get tickets and was told that the showings might be canceled. If you look at MovieTickets, you can’t buy actually tix for any of the shows.
Here is the fall season of Big Screen Classics at the Lafayette – hope to see you at the shows! Showtime is 11:30am, doors open at 11 for pre-show music on the Mighty Wurlitzer. All tickets are $6.00
September 8
THE GREAT ESCAPE
Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
Presented in Panavision
September 15
THE PUBLIC ENEMY
James Cagney, Jean Harlow
September 22
ANCHORS AWEIGH
Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson
September 29
AFTER THE THIN MAN
William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart
October 6
Billy Wilder’s ONE, TWO, THREE
James Cagney, Horst Bucholz, Arlene Francis
Presented in Panavision
October 13
Stanley Kubrick’s THE KILLING
Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards
October 27
THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD
Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher
Special Visual Effects by Ray Harryhausen
November 3
ALL THE KING’S MEN
Broderick Crawford, Joanne Dru, John Ireland
November 10
TARZAN AND HIS MATE
Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan
Original UNCUT version
November 17
MY LITTLE CHICKADEE
W.C. Fields, Mae West
November 24
Ian Fleming’s GOLDFINGER
Sean Connery as James Bond – 007
December 1
Alfred Hitchcock’s THE LADY VANISHES
Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave
December 8
Stanley Donen’s CHARADE
Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau
December 15
Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers
PLUS: The Lafayette Theatre’s Christmas Spectacular!
Re: The Great Escape – it’s a print struck a couple of years ago by MGM. The print should be in Dolby Stereo. A 4-track mag of The Great Escape – if they even exist any longer – would be badly faded as it was not a Technicolor release.
One reason I absolutely wouldn’t go to a platter with a single screen is if you have a mechanical breakdown in the projector head, you’ll lose the show completely and your entire gross for the show. If you have dual projectors, you can at least finish the show with a break between reels and have minimal refunds.
I would suggest adding 6000' (1 hour) reel capacity to your machines, that way most films only require one changeover, but you can also screen festival and vault prints via 20 minute reels.
Sorry, theatre operators have no right to break federal law. By blocking cell phones, you’re also blocking emergency police, fire, rescue squad, etc.
They are entitled to construct their buildings in such a way that cell phones don’t work (metal shielding, Faraday Cage, etc.), but the law specifies that ‘active’ jamming gear is highly illegal.
Here is some historical data regarding numbers of tickets sold:
Year – Box Office Gross – Avg. Ticket Price – #’s Sold
1930 – 732 million – .20/ticket – 3.66 billion tickets sold
1935 – 566 million – .24/ticket – 2.39 billion tickets sold
1940 – 735 million – .28/ticket – 2.62 billion tickets sold
1945 – 1,450 million – .34/ticket – 4.264 billion tickets sold
1950 – 1,376 million – .48/ticket – 2.86 billion tickets sold
1955 – 1326 million – .52/ticket – 2.55 billion tickets sold
1960 – 951 million – .69/ticket – 1.38 billion tickets sold
1965 – 927 million – 1.02/ticket – 909 million tickets sold
1970 – 1,162 million – 1.55/ticket – 750 million tickets sold
1975 – 2,115 million – 2.05/ticket – 1.03 billion tickets sold
1980 – 2,749 million – 2.60/ticket – 1.06 billion tickets sold
1985 – 3,749 million – 3.55/ticket – 1.06 billion tickets sold
1990 – 5,022 million – 4.23/ticket – 1.19 billion tickets sold
1995 – 5,490 million – 4.35/ticket – 1.26 billion tickets sold
2000 – 7,670 million – 5.39/ticket – 1.40 billion tickets sold
2001 – 8,410 million – 5.65/ticket – 1.49 billion tickets sold
2002 – 9,520 million – 5.80/ticket – 1.64 billion tickets sold
2003 – 9,490 million – 6.03/ticket – 1.57 billion tickets sold
2004 – 9,540 million – 6.21/ticket – 1.54 billion tickets sold
2005 – 8,990 million – 6.40/ticket – 1.40 billion tickets sold
2006 – 9,490 million – 6.58/ticket – 1.44 billion tickets sold
Interesting, then. When we saw Clearview’s books a few years ago (when we were looking to acquire them), the Ziegfeld showed the operating loss I mentioned above, which was also confirmed independently. Glad things have improved since then.
The rent is low comparative to other Manhattan real estate, but they still pay the same utilities, payroll, taxes, as everyone else. Of the approximately 28 shows a week they run, only about 8 cover their own expenses. Every other show is a loss.
That is not the case. If that were so, then no theatre would ever lose money, and we know that is not true. There is a minimal house allowance that is deducted from the gross ticket sales, but if the deal includes using that, they end up paying more in box office percentage to the studio.
The Ziegfeld loses about a million dollars every year. They are not profitable, especially under Clearview’s control.
Spartacus should be 13 reels. Sounds like you have one reel, which runs about 16-18 minutes,
As for the worth, ask the studio – Universal.
According to his son, he was buried in one of the many capes he wore on stage as Dracula.
The cape we are displaying was a Universal Studios Costume Department cape that was worn by Bela in the film Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.
The Lafayette Theatre’s HORROR-THON Film Festival returns on October 19-20-21!
FLASH: Bela Lugosi’s Dracula cape (worn by him on-screen in “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein”) will be displayed at the 2pm show on Sunday of Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein! This one-of-a-kind artifact comes to the Lafayette courtesy of collector Todd Feiertag. Go to: View link for more information.
Here’s the complete HORROR-THON 2007 line-up:
Friday, October 19,
8:00pm – Ed Wood’s PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE plus Ed Wood Home Movies and more (Now in color for the first time!)
Saturday, October 20
2:00pm – FRANKENSTEIN starring Boris Karloff and Colin Clive
4:15pm – MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, starring Vincent Price and Hazel Court
8:00pm – THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, starring Lon Chaney, the silent horror classic will have LIVE Pipe Organ Accompaniment by Jeff Barker
Sunday, October 21
2:00pm – ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN; PLUS – Bela Lugosi’s original Dracula cape (as worn in this film) will be displayed at this showing!
4:15pm – CURSE OF THE DEMON starring Dana Andrews – uncut British version!
7:30pm – Robert Wise’s THE HAUNTING starring Julie Harris and Richard Johnson
All tickets – $8 per movie. Doors open 30 minutes prior to each showtime and you can buy your tickets at the door for each movie.
Go to: View link for more information.
It’s a documentary about the creation of Cinerama, it’s not in Cinerama.
Vito – I wish I had seen some of those shows you did – they sound wonderful. In my own limited way, I try and recreate that at the Lafayette with my classic shows (though with only a single traveler curtain and limited lighting choices, I can’t go that far).
“Downgraded” to run reel-to-reel? Whatever…
Thanks for the update, Howard. That’s the same 35mm IB Technicolor print that played in NYC a few years ago. I sure hope the Ziegfeld has invested in getting their two projector setup running and is not subjecting this one of a kind print to the platter.
Thanks, vito. I figured it would have to be off DVD since the theatres are all playing the same titles on the same nights and the likelihood of there being that many 35mm prints of those titles available is nil. Any way you can find out who is supplying the DVDs? There are some versions that are better than others.
The Ziegfeld has stadium seating for the back half. The rest of the seating is the normal preferred orchestral rake.
Vito –
I’ve read about these screenings on another forum and the attendees stated that they are showing these off DVD. Is that true?
Great photo, Bea-Anita.
Would you allow me to reproduce it on the Lafayette’s website with a credit to you? I’m slowly expanding our collection of vintage photos as we come across them and that 1947 shot would be wonderful to display. Feel free to contact me by direct e-mail (click my name, then click the “e-mail” link on my profile page).
We tend not to re-run things during our Saturday morning shows, so that’ll be it for a long time on that one. Come by this Saturday for James Cagney in Public Enemy!
Bill – They appear to only block a video or television release. It has screened a number of times in the past decade in California and in NYC at the AMMI or MoMA (I’m not sure which).
No, you can buy tix for the Succasunna classics online. This week’s show on MovieTickets is listed and available to buy (though does anybody really think The Breakfast Club is a classic of any kind?)
It looked and sounded excellent, if I may say so. Very dynamic with nice separation – it sounds as if they either used the original 4-track mix (assuming it had one) or made a new mix using the original stereo music tracks (which were unearthed a few years ago for a double CD of the complete soundtrack) and then did a nice “steering” of the dialog and effects.
Bill – there’s word on another forum that someone went to the Ziegfeld to get tickets and was told that the showings might be canceled. If you look at MovieTickets, you can’t buy actually tix for any of the shows.
Here is the fall season of Big Screen Classics at the Lafayette – hope to see you at the shows! Showtime is 11:30am, doors open at 11 for pre-show music on the Mighty Wurlitzer. All tickets are $6.00
September 8
THE GREAT ESCAPE
Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
Presented in Panavision
September 15
THE PUBLIC ENEMY
James Cagney, Jean Harlow
September 22
ANCHORS AWEIGH
Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson
September 29
AFTER THE THIN MAN
William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart
October 6
Billy Wilder’s ONE, TWO, THREE
James Cagney, Horst Bucholz, Arlene Francis
Presented in Panavision
October 13
Stanley Kubrick’s THE KILLING
Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards
October 27
THE 7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD
Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher
Special Visual Effects by Ray Harryhausen
November 3
ALL THE KING’S MEN
Broderick Crawford, Joanne Dru, John Ireland
November 10
TARZAN AND HIS MATE
Johnny Weissmuller, Maureen O'Sullivan
Original UNCUT version
November 17
MY LITTLE CHICKADEE
W.C. Fields, Mae West
November 24
Ian Fleming’s GOLDFINGER
Sean Connery as James Bond – 007
December 1
Alfred Hitchcock’s THE LADY VANISHES
Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave
December 8
Stanley Donen’s CHARADE
Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau
December 15
Frank Capra’s IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers
PLUS: The Lafayette Theatre’s Christmas Spectacular!
Re: The Great Escape – it’s a print struck a couple of years ago by MGM. The print should be in Dolby Stereo. A 4-track mag of The Great Escape – if they even exist any longer – would be badly faded as it was not a Technicolor release.
One reason I absolutely wouldn’t go to a platter with a single screen is if you have a mechanical breakdown in the projector head, you’ll lose the show completely and your entire gross for the show. If you have dual projectors, you can at least finish the show with a break between reels and have minimal refunds.
I would suggest adding 6000' (1 hour) reel capacity to your machines, that way most films only require one changeover, but you can also screen festival and vault prints via 20 minute reels.