If you are looking for a good revival house -- check out the
Stanford Theater in Palo Alto:
http://www.stanfordtheatre.org
Thats quite a schedule for this summer!
Evan
----- Original Message -----
From: "Franc" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 5:43:18 PM GMT -07:00 US/Canada Mountain
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
You may be talking about the Phoenix or the Variety which are both
gone or the Theatre St. Mark's which is also gone. Gone also are the
New Yorker and the Thalia uptown, which sucked as a theater because
it had rear-screen projection, but was a revival house nonetheless.
Leonard Nimoy funded a Thalia screening room at Symphony Space but
it's selection of films leaves something to be desired. I stopped
going to MOMA to see films but the museum staff ran the film program
so unprofessionally and their house prints were the pits. There's
really no place to see any classic films in NYC on an on-going
basis. At least in Hollywood, the Egyptian is dedicated to
preserving some of the history of the town. FRANC
-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Halegua Comic Art [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 6:30 PM
To: Franc; [email protected]
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
I'm sad to hear that Franc.. It's one of the things I miss about
"back home" in NYC that we had all those little theatres that showed
French movies and such.
there used to be a theatre on - I want to say 13th street - about
1st/2nd ave that showed that stuff (it was to be sure between 8th st
& 14th street area).. Of course I'm talking 30 years ago. I used to
see one of my favorite films "A Film About Jimi Hendrix" - once or
twice a year at that theatre..it was very small, maybe 300-400
seats. I also saw Claire's Knee there with my first girlfriend back
when I was 17 or so..
I have no illusions that it's still there
At 03:19 PM 6/18/2009, Franc wrote:
There used to be a lot of really good revival houses in NY that
showed the classics as well as lesser known titles. Do you know how
many are around today? NONE. There's the Film Society of Lincoln
Center but their choice of films has gotten extremely precious and
eclectic, I suspect because nobody was going to see titles they
could watch on DVD. It's too bad because watching films on
television is just a different experience from watching films on big
screens such as the one at Radio City Music Hall, which also does
not show movies anymore. Too bad. Generation X doesn't have any
idea what they're missing. FRANC
-----Original Message-----
From: MoPo List [ mailto:[email protected] ] On Behalf Of
David Kusumoto
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 5:09 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
From: MoPo List [ mailto:[email protected] ] On Behalf Of
David Kusumoto
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 5:09 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
** Interesting theory, but I'm not quite buying it, unless it's an
east vs. west coast cultural thing. Last year I went to a Bette
Davis centennial tribute hosted by AMPAS and Olivia de Havilland
made a surprise visit, flying all the way from Paris to answer
questions about her relationship with Bette -- and the place was
packed even though there was no film to show, just a bunch of primo
Bette clips; I also remember a screening of "The Graduate" that had
lines snaking around the block at the AMPAS Samuel Goldwyn Theater
in Beverly Hills (not to be confused with the Kodak Theater in
Hollywood), even though the event sold out weeks in advance. The
stand-by line was ridiculous; that picture has been re-cycled on DVD
many times and the audience was a mix of young and old; of course,
for film buffs, the presence of theater director Mike Nichols and co-
star Katherine Ross could've been a draw, but I remember being a
little disappointed that Dustin Hoffman didn't show.
** No, there's gotta be something else at play especially when
L.A., which is hardly a mecca for high culture -- can outdraw NY for
these vintage film beauties screened in an high quality
environment. The Goldwyn Theater is massive and everytime I go to
these things, nearly every seat is filled; the sound system is great
and people are polite. This theater has magnificent one-sheets of
the Best Picture winners on display, some linen-backed, and some
not. And there's always a roped off section for celebrities who
show up -- upper middle center of the theater. Probably the same
set-up in NY, which I have to think is a superior experience to L.A.
with its traffic problems and lack of live theater etiquette already
prevalent mid-town.
** With Robert Osbourne of TCM hosting the 1939 series in NY, I'm
flummoxed. I don't pay much attention to the present-day interests
of Generation X, Y or the New Millennials because I'm optimistic
that if they like films at all, they'll eventually come around to
appreciating the classics. I remember as a pre-teen somewhat
detesting B/W films until I saw Casablanca -- and that got the ball
rolling. $5 to see a pristine GWTW or Wizard of Oz print with big-
time sound in a luxurious theater? Shoot, I'd pay $20 or more for
the same experience.
-d.
-----Original Message-----
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:37:55 -0400
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
To: [email protected]
I think it's more than the economy. It's the availability of these
titles on DVD and Generation X. My father-in-law loves these movies
but he'd just as soon watch them on his miniscule analog TV set at
home and Generation X wouldn't know a good movie from StarTrek. FRANC
-----Original Message-----
From: MoPo List [ mailto:[email protected] ] On Behalf Of
Toochis Morin
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 3:20 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
From: MoPo List [ mailto:[email protected] ] On Behalf Of
Toochis Morin
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 3:20 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
It's a sad state of affairs in NYC. The largest industry has been
hit hard. Maybe that's the reason for the lack of enthusiasm. I
wish I were there to watch it!
Toochis
-----Original Message-----
From: David Kusumoto [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 11:56:07 AM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
From: David Kusumoto [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2009 11:56:07 AM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
Thanks to all who wrote private notes about my post last night re:
Hollywood's Greatest Year, 1939. Honestly, I got the press release
announcing the L.A. version of the 1939 series with clean prints and
super sound -- and I thought I had a jump on everyone else -- but
NO. The tickets for the most popular showings were sold out online
within minutes; I would LOVE to see most of these films on a big
screen, which include shorts, cartoons, newsreels and other period
pieces; it's the best buy anywhere. I'm thinking that film buffs in
in NY aren't interested in this thing because of traffic or
whatever, I mean, some of the showings are on a weekday; but the
public transit system can't be beat out there -- and the GWTW
showing is on a Saturday afternoon with an intermission. I was just
puzzled, that's all. -d.
-----Original Message-----
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:16:04 -0700
From: [email protected]
Subject: Never a bigger year for Hollywood than 1939
To: [email protected]
** Amazingly -- the AMPAS 1939 Best Picture series in New York is --
as of this moment -- just two days before opening -- NOT sold out!
What's wrong with you guys back east?
** Here in Southern California, the two most popular pictures
nominated for Best Picture sold out instantly (GWTW and Wizard of
Oz). The tickets are dirt cheap, the accommodations are clean and
spotless, the Academy screen is gigantic; the prints are the best --
with the only downside being no refreshments allowed inside (but
that's always been a plus and THE policy at all AMPAS screenings; I
prefer silence to to listening to tourists unwrapping candy bars or
eating their smelly, nitrate-filled hot dogs). Anyone in the Tri-
state area should get out of work early and treat themselves for a
great night at the movies. For more info on the NYC screening at
the Lighthouse International on 111 E. 59th St., visit:
http://www.oscars.org/events-exhibitions/events/2009/mnwo-bestpics1939.html
** Like others out here, I've attended numerous AMPAS screenings
-- and they are a spectacular value -- and they almost always have
an extra bonus, e.g., surviving cast or crew members in a post-
screening chat, sometimes autographs, etc. Well worth attending for
only 5 bucks -- you can even order your tickets online. It's
probably the only chance to see these 1939 beauties on a big screen
with clean prints!
** Thinking out loud -- I can't think of another year (1939) that
comes closest to boasting a list of films that at least have a
"ringing familiarity" to MoPoers....
** 1946 comes closest for me with The Postman Always Rings Twice,
It's A Wonderful Life, Gilda, Best Years of Our Lives, The Killers,
Notorious, The Razor's Edge, The Big Sleep, The Yearling, My Darling
Clementime, Great Expectations, The Stranger, Brief Encounter (which
had a 1946 release in the U.S.), Dark Corner, Somewhere in the
Night, Diary of a Chambermaid, Bringing Up Father, To Each His Own,
The Strange Love of Martha Hyers, and for Alan Ladd fans -- Two
Years Before the Mast and the Blue Dahlia -- with Miracle on 34th
Street sneaking under there but not really cuz it's a 1947 SUMMER
release but I always lop it in there because 1946-1947 were great
years for post-war Hollywood (where box-office attendance reached
its peak, never to be topped again in America).
** I can think of these titles for 1939 alone; those listed in
BOLD were nominated for Best Picture (back then there were 10
nominees in this category):
The Women
Young Mr. Lincoln
Gulliver's Travels
Wizard of Oz
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Gone With the Wind
Beau Geste
Dark Victory
Destry Rides Again
Goodbye Mr. Chips
Drums Along the Mohawk
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Ninotchka
Only Angels Have Wings
Of Mice and Men
Love Affair
Stanley and Livingstone
Roaring Twenties
Wuthering Heights
Alexander Graham Bell
Stagecoach
Gunga Din
Hound of the Baskervilles
On Borrowed Time
That's a list would ordinarily cover several decades of greatness,
let alone a single year. Some films released that year were of
course way better than others, and some aren't even classics; but I
bet most MoPoer's will recognize nearly every title above -- which I
think is remarkable when you consider "nearly" NONE of us were alive
in 1939. I'm an Oscar nut/amateur historian and I have to think
really hard just to come up with the Best Picture nominees for 2005
-- off the top of my head are Brokeback Mountain, Good Night, Good
Luck, Capote (my fave that year) and Crash and I come up one short;
I could look it up at IMDB but that would be cheating. -d.
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