Not to my knowledge. I used to go there from time to time decades ago. They were next to the Stuart. I have an ad in front of me from November, 1963 when they were showing PROMISES! PROMISES! with Jayne Mansfield.
It’s interesting to see that foreign films played there from time to time as well, i.e.: WILD STRAWBERRIES, BELLE DE JOUR, A MAN AND A WOMAN, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, MALIZIA, ALL SCREWED UP, LAST TANGO IN PARIS. Not what you normally associate with the Uptown.
I don’t believe the U.S. release of AIDA was of a subtitled print at all. While indeed sung in Italian, there were sporadic bits of “summarizing” English narration for each episode and no subtitles provided. The 1982 re-issue (same version) at the Guild was with reserved performances, but not reserved seats. The original opera was heavily truncated, with startling jumps, even within arias, where music was cut out. In his review for the New York Times for the 1954 opening, Bosley Crother referred to the then virtualy unknown Sophia Loren as “a handsome woman”!!!
No, definitely not. The Palace was further up on the opposite side of the street…about 500 feet away. I’ve been to both theatres: the Palace when it showed films in the 1970s and 1980s and the former Majestic in the 1990s when the auditorium was open. I believe it may have been used for local theatre productions for a time. I’d like to find out where the Gem Theatre, listed as 1231 Main Street in directories, was located in relation to those two places.
The theatre screened movies even before 1969 as stated in the description. In April, 1961 Federico Fellini’s then-sensational LA DOLCE VITA began its New York run at this theatre.
As I response to an email I sent the Bijou regarding the above concern of mine, I received this response:
Mr. DeLuca,
Since becoming a nonprofit and with the resultant management change we have made many changes. I understand the importance of having the correct equipment and we purchased a 1:33 aspect ratio lens several months ago. Recent films shown at the Bijou including Modern Times and The Animation Show have all used the lens, as did The Boy with the Green Hair. This film was the children’s matinee title for the past two Saturdays and has finished its run. The new matinee film for the next two Saturdays is The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.
I hope this puts your concerns to rest, that we have dealt with the matter accordingly.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Newton
General Manager
Bijou Community Cinema
Phone/fax 508-757-5311 www.bijoucinema.org
Last year at the Bijou I had a very bad experience with the post-war German film series. The projectionist had to choose between cutting off heads or cutting off subtitles. So he cut off heads. I went into the projection booth to speak to him. He understood the problem but said he could do nothing about it because the theatre did not own the correct lenses or aperture plates for a proper screening. I asked for a refund and left. This is an extremely important issue…showing the image as it was meant to be seen, not arbitrarily cropped. The theatre would have trouble showing the current “My Architect” properly as well, because that is also a 1:1.33 Academy ratio film.
In its heyday the Rainbo ran four nights a week, and continuously on Sunday from 2 to 11 P.M. The top admission was 25 cents for adults and 11 cents for kids at Sunday matinees.
I used to love this theatre before its conversion, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, into a cinema-cafe'. I do not find watching a movie here now a good experience: sub-standard projection and sound, awkward mobile seating on a flat floor, insufficiently darkened auditoriums (I guess seeing what you eat is more important than seeing the movie!) The former manager-projectionist Ralph was a true professional, and watching movies at the Castle in those days used to be an enjoyable experience. I’m happy the theatre is open and functioning, but I wish the place were better.
Cinema 2 (Cinema II) was where Pontecorvo’s THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS opened to great acclaim in 1967. It was put into the Beekman, a substantially larger theatre, after that. The movie is currently getting a major re-issue, because of its relevance to events in Israel/Palestine and Iraq.
The policy on Cinema Treasures seems to be to give a venue its latest name. Amusing hypothesis: if before the Roxy Theatre closed, it had been a porno theatre for a few weeks under the name “Pussycat Palace”, would it have to be listed here as “Pussycat Palace” rather than the Roxy???
I fully agree, but then the World should not be listed as the Embassy 49th Street either because it was a major art house under that name for many decades and “Embassy 49th Street” only for a relatively brief time also.
In June of 1979, as an adjunct to the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, there was a retrospective of the films of Roberto Rossellini. Many of the screenings took place at the Garden Theatre. I had come down from Rhode Island to see all of what was shown and grew to love both the city and this wonderful theatre.
I went to the 68th Street Playhouse many times over the years. The film I remember most that premiered here (in 1984) was the Danish ZAPPA, directed by Bille August, a potent story about adolescent turmoil. Despite fine reviews, ZAPPA was not a commercial success and seems to have completely disappeared from the planet.
This theatre has dependably excellent projection and 70mm capability in the large auditorium, and they sporadically do revival series of selected films in 70mm. Memory: as a teenager in 1960 I went to the Coolidge Corner for the first time ever to see Francois Truffaut’s THE 400 BLOWS. It made an indelible impression on me. It’s a shame that the original entrance and part of the lobby were turned into a commercial space, so that one has to go in through a thoroughly banal-looking side entrance carved out of a wall. Uggh!
Not to my knowledge. I used to go there from time to time decades ago. They were next to the Stuart. I have an ad in front of me from November, 1963 when they were showing PROMISES! PROMISES! with Jayne Mansfield.
The Brattle in Cambridge, Massachusetts uses rear-projection.
The theatre was used by the Associate Artists Opera Company for a November 1974 production of Antonio Salieri’s rarely-heard FALSTAFF.
Sorry, that was an error during entry. Boston, Massachusetts! Needs to be corrected.
It’s interesting to see that foreign films played there from time to time as well, i.e.: WILD STRAWBERRIES, BELLE DE JOUR, A MAN AND A WOMAN, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, MALIZIA, ALL SCREWED UP, LAST TANGO IN PARIS. Not what you normally associate with the Uptown.
My suspicion is that the Gem and the Majestic were the same theatre. I’m not sure.
sorry, Crowther.
I don’t believe the U.S. release of AIDA was of a subtitled print at all. While indeed sung in Italian, there were sporadic bits of “summarizing” English narration for each episode and no subtitles provided. The 1982 re-issue (same version) at the Guild was with reserved performances, but not reserved seats. The original opera was heavily truncated, with startling jumps, even within arias, where music was cut out. In his review for the New York Times for the 1954 opening, Bosley Crother referred to the then virtualy unknown Sophia Loren as “a handsome woman”!!!
No, definitely not. The Palace was further up on the opposite side of the street…about 500 feet away. I’ve been to both theatres: the Palace when it showed films in the 1970s and 1980s and the former Majestic in the 1990s when the auditorium was open. I believe it may have been used for local theatre productions for a time. I’d like to find out where the Gem Theatre, listed as 1231 Main Street in directories, was located in relation to those two places.
The theatre screened movies even before 1969 as stated in the description. In April, 1961 Federico Fellini’s then-sensational LA DOLCE VITA began its New York run at this theatre.
As I response to an email I sent the Bijou regarding the above concern of mine, I received this response:
Mr. DeLuca,
Since becoming a nonprofit and with the resultant management change we have made many changes. I understand the importance of having the correct equipment and we purchased a 1:33 aspect ratio lens several months ago. Recent films shown at the Bijou including Modern Times and The Animation Show have all used the lens, as did The Boy with the Green Hair. This film was the children’s matinee title for the past two Saturdays and has finished its run. The new matinee film for the next two Saturdays is The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm.
I hope this puts your concerns to rest, that we have dealt with the matter accordingly.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Newton
General Manager
Bijou Community Cinema
Phone/fax 508-757-5311
www.bijoucinema.org
Last year at the Bijou I had a very bad experience with the post-war German film series. The projectionist had to choose between cutting off heads or cutting off subtitles. So he cut off heads. I went into the projection booth to speak to him. He understood the problem but said he could do nothing about it because the theatre did not own the correct lenses or aperture plates for a proper screening. I asked for a refund and left. This is an extremely important issue…showing the image as it was meant to be seen, not arbitrarily cropped. The theatre would have trouble showing the current “My Architect” properly as well, because that is also a 1:1.33 Academy ratio film.
In its heyday the Rainbo ran four nights a week, and continuously on Sunday from 2 to 11 P.M. The top admission was 25 cents for adults and 11 cents for kids at Sunday matinees.
The address was 561 Smithfield Avenue.
I used to love this theatre before its conversion, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, into a cinema-cafe'. I do not find watching a movie here now a good experience: sub-standard projection and sound, awkward mobile seating on a flat floor, insufficiently darkened auditoriums (I guess seeing what you eat is more important than seeing the movie!) The former manager-projectionist Ralph was a true professional, and watching movies at the Castle in those days used to be an enjoyable experience. I’m happy the theatre is open and functioning, but I wish the place were better.
Yes, they definitely were.
Yes, Mr. Coles, I too knew Roger personally and I loaned my 16mm print of Rossellini’s DESIDERIO, from my private collection, for that series.
Cinema 2 (Cinema II) was where Pontecorvo’s THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS opened to great acclaim in 1967. It was put into the Beekman, a substantially larger theatre, after that. The movie is currently getting a major re-issue, because of its relevance to events in Israel/Palestine and Iraq.
The policy on Cinema Treasures seems to be to give a venue its latest name. Amusing hypothesis: if before the Roxy Theatre closed, it had been a porno theatre for a few weeks under the name “Pussycat Palace”, would it have to be listed here as “Pussycat Palace” rather than the Roxy???
I fully agree, but then the World should not be listed as the Embassy 49th Street either because it was a major art house under that name for many decades and “Embassy 49th Street” only for a relatively brief time also.
In June of 1979, as an adjunct to the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, there was a retrospective of the films of Roberto Rossellini. Many of the screenings took place at the Garden Theatre. I had come down from Rhode Island to see all of what was shown and grew to love both the city and this wonderful theatre.
Roberto Rossellini’s numbing GERMANY YEAR ZERO opened here in September, 1949.
I went to the 68th Street Playhouse many times over the years. The film I remember most that premiered here (in 1984) was the Danish ZAPPA, directed by Bille August, a potent story about adolescent turmoil. Despite fine reviews, ZAPPA was not a commercial success and seems to have completely disappeared from the planet.
This theatre has dependably excellent projection and 70mm capability in the large auditorium, and they sporadically do revival series of selected films in 70mm. Memory: as a teenager in 1960 I went to the Coolidge Corner for the first time ever to see Francois Truffaut’s THE 400 BLOWS. It made an indelible impression on me. It’s a shame that the original entrance and part of the lobby were turned into a commercial space, so that one has to go in through a thoroughly banal-looking side entrance carved out of a wall. Uggh!
Some comments on this theatre can be found in the entry for the Little Carnegie Playhouse, which was located a block from the Angelika 57.