Good story, Chuck, but this trend is not new. For example, during Christmas 1922 Mary Pickford’s TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY was playing at over 20 theatres in Manhattan alone. That was around one-fifth of all the available screens.
Back in the late eighties there was a Harlem gang known as THE TRANSFORMERS. Among their exploits was standing in movie lines in numbers of up to 200. Once the ticket taker opened the screen for seating, one member would scream “Tranformers transform!” and a rabble of teenagers would storm the entrance, knocking down and hurting the ticket taker and movie-goers in the process.
The National, like most Times Square theatres, was often the recipient of this group’s attention and judging from Ed Blanks post above, it had already started by 1980.
To answer an old question (LeonLeonidoff on Mar 24, 2008 at 1:07pm), “South Pacific†moved here in October 1958 in order to accommodate the roadshow run of WB’s “The Old Man and the Sea†at the Criterion. Magna Distributors, Todd â€"AO and the theatre agreed to pull “Around the World in 80 Days†after two years in order to make room for “SP†with the Todd-AO presentation. The contract for “80 Days†at the Rivoli had run out anyway.
I assume WB would not let the Criterion off the hook and “80 Days†had recently opened other roadshow runs in the greater NY market anyway. It opened a “popular price†run in the city at Loews by Thanksgiving of that year.
PROVOCATIVE comments can initiate a discussion that, when positive, can stimulate and inform. I see nothing wrong with provocative comments nor the decision of others to stay anonymous by choosing nicknames or singular first names on this site. It is their right.
PROVACATIVE is a woman’s fragrance by Elizabeth Arden and therefore quite off-topic.
The 1934 Film Daily Yearbook shows a STAR theatre at 136 Third Avenue with 290 seats as well as the larger Lexington STAR location. Does anyone have any more info on this?
In spite of all the good intentions, near the end, Frank’s programming at the Biograph was delivering some of the worst grosses in the Cineplex Odeon chain. Say what you may about CO, they never walked away from a profitable venture and dwindling revival audiences were not even covering the costs of the new 35mm prints.
It is our good fortune in NY that the tiny Film Forum can meet current the demand without the melancholy burden of profit.
Then you should have written “…Your still off topic!”, otherwise you were paraphrasing and not quoting at all.
The description of this theatre fails to mention that it was built to service the Afro-Caribbean community of Coconut Grove and often ran stage shows along with the films. It operated from the mid-fifties through to the late seventies playing mostly late run double features.
The Bunche Park section of Miami-Dade dates back to the early fifties and was established for black WWII veterans and named after the then recent the Nobel Peace Prize winner. The theatre was closed by the late sixties.
Great website, Harvey. I also saved Miami movie ad clippings as a kid and you brought back some great memories. I later worked for an agency that placed many exploitation ads which were often censored by the Miami Herald.
If you adjust the 1965 dollar for 1978 inflation twice as many Americans saw THE SOUND OF MUSIC movie than the GREASE movie. However, THE SOUND OF MUSIC was a failure in most foreign countries and grossed less than 30% of the domestic take with markets such as Germany and Austria taking out the musical numbers altogether to try to break even. GREASE did even better in foreign market than in the US and ended up with almost the same world wide viewers in total.
The first Broadway musical production of GREASE ran for seven years from 1972. Unlike THE SOUND OF MUSIC which was a financial failure even after three years, GREASE has been performed somewhere non-stop since.
I guess if you combine the stage production with the movie GREASE has sold more tickets than any other musical in history including MARY POPPINS and SNOW WHITE.
I have seen GREASE more often than any other movie and I never get tired of it. It is not my favorite film but it is certainly the most tolerable for repeat viewings.
A CASTLE theatre was showing movies at this address in 1919. Could it be the same building as the Garrick?
Was this the same as the Roxy Twin at one point?
Advertised as the Broadway Photoplay in 1919.
Good story, Chuck, but this trend is not new. For example, during Christmas 1922 Mary Pickford’s TESS OF THE STORM COUNTRY was playing at over 20 theatres in Manhattan alone. That was around one-fifth of all the available screens.
I guess what goes around comes around.
Back in the late eighties there was a Harlem gang known as THE TRANSFORMERS. Among their exploits was standing in movie lines in numbers of up to 200. Once the ticket taker opened the screen for seating, one member would scream “Tranformers transform!” and a rabble of teenagers would storm the entrance, knocking down and hurting the ticket taker and movie-goers in the process.
The National, like most Times Square theatres, was often the recipient of this group’s attention and judging from Ed Blanks post above, it had already started by 1980.
“The Old Man and the Sea” played for only ten weeks, but I am sure WB had a deal even before “SP” came into play.
The Rivoli may have been more attractive due to the extra seats.
To answer an old question (LeonLeonidoff on Mar 24, 2008 at 1:07pm), “South Pacific†moved here in October 1958 in order to accommodate the roadshow run of WB’s “The Old Man and the Sea†at the Criterion. Magna Distributors, Todd â€"AO and the theatre agreed to pull “Around the World in 80 Days†after two years in order to make room for “SP†with the Todd-AO presentation. The contract for “80 Days†at the Rivoli had run out anyway.
I assume WB would not let the Criterion off the hook and “80 Days†had recently opened other roadshow runs in the greater NY market anyway. It opened a “popular price†run in the city at Loews by Thanksgiving of that year.
What “facade” was there to destroy here?
Bunche Park is near Miami Lakes and may now be part of that city.
Rialto East and Rialto III should be added as AKA names here.
Still no comment from the English professor on CiNdi’s stream of consciousness post. Hmm.
He must be away in his CHALET.
PROVOCATIVE comments can initiate a discussion that, when positive, can stimulate and inform. I see nothing wrong with provocative comments nor the decision of others to stay anonymous by choosing nicknames or singular first names on this site. It is their right.
PROVACATIVE is a woman’s fragrance by Elizabeth Arden and therefore quite off-topic.
The 1934 Film Daily Yearbook shows a STAR theatre at 136 Third Avenue with 290 seats as well as the larger Lexington STAR location. Does anyone have any more info on this?
Ok, I’ll be the spoiler.
In spite of all the good intentions, near the end, Frank’s programming at the Biograph was delivering some of the worst grosses in the Cineplex Odeon chain. Say what you may about CO, they never walked away from a profitable venture and dwindling revival audiences were not even covering the costs of the new 35mm prints.
It is our good fortune in NY that the tiny Film Forum can meet current the demand without the melancholy burden of profit.
Then you should have written “…Your still off topic!”, otherwise you were paraphrasing and not quoting at all.
The description of this theatre fails to mention that it was built to service the Afro-Caribbean community of Coconut Grove and often ran stage shows along with the films. It operated from the mid-fifties through to the late seventies playing mostly late run double features.
The delay helped the Angelika establish itself as the top arthouse in NYC.
This first shows up in the NYT movie section as the 34th Street in 1923.
The Bunche Park section of Miami-Dade dates back to the early fifties and was established for black WWII veterans and named after the then recent the Nobel Peace Prize winner. The theatre was closed by the late sixties.
I find the use of the singular “LOEW” in the programs above interesting. I have not seen that elsewhere.
Great website, Harvey. I also saved Miami movie ad clippings as a kid and you brought back some great memories. I later worked for an agency that placed many exploitation ads which were often censored by the Miami Herald.
If you adjust the 1965 dollar for 1978 inflation twice as many Americans saw THE SOUND OF MUSIC movie than the GREASE movie. However, THE SOUND OF MUSIC was a failure in most foreign countries and grossed less than 30% of the domestic take with markets such as Germany and Austria taking out the musical numbers altogether to try to break even. GREASE did even better in foreign market than in the US and ended up with almost the same world wide viewers in total.
The first Broadway musical production of GREASE ran for seven years from 1972. Unlike THE SOUND OF MUSIC which was a financial failure even after three years, GREASE has been performed somewhere non-stop since.
On video and DVD, GREASE wins every time.
The stage version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC was not a big hit.
I guess if you combine the stage production with the movie GREASE has sold more tickets than any other musical in history including MARY POPPINS and SNOW WHITE.
Palace closings and twinning started way before 1979. GREASE played in shoe-box multiplex theatres all over the US.
I have seen GREASE more often than any other movie and I never get tired of it. It is not my favorite film but it is certainly the most tolerable for repeat viewings.