Atlanta police are on the hunt for a man who they believe is behind the back-to-back burglaries of “Ignition (Remix)” singer R. Kelly‘s two Georgia homes.
Johns Creek Police Department Captain Chris Byers tells People that a warrant is out for the arrest of Alfonso “Doc” Walker, a musician and former associate of Kelly’s who hired movers to clean out and sell off all of Kelly’s belongings under the guise that the hit-maker was moving his operations out of Atlanta.
Kelly’s empty home in Johns Creek was first discovered on Nov. 26 by a cleaning lady who...
Johns Creek Police Department Captain Chris Byers tells People that a warrant is out for the arrest of Alfonso “Doc” Walker, a musician and former associate of Kelly’s who hired movers to clean out and sell off all of Kelly’s belongings under the guise that the hit-maker was moving his operations out of Atlanta.
Kelly’s empty home in Johns Creek was first discovered on Nov. 26 by a cleaning lady who...
- 12/7/2017
- by Dave Quinn
- PEOPLE.com
Another woman is coming forward with allegations of physical, verbal and sexual abuse that she received from R. Kelly.
Kitti Jones, a former Dallas radio DJ and divorced mother of one, detailed years of her alleged abuse in a new profile for Rolling Stone published on Monday. The report comes just over a month after Jerhoda Pace alleged that she had an underage sexual relationship with the singer while detailing her life as part of Kelly’s alleged “sex cult” during an interview on The Real.
In July BuzzFeed News published a report that alleged Kelly had at least six...
Kitti Jones, a former Dallas radio DJ and divorced mother of one, detailed years of her alleged abuse in a new profile for Rolling Stone published on Monday. The report comes just over a month after Jerhoda Pace alleged that she had an underage sexual relationship with the singer while detailing her life as part of Kelly’s alleged “sex cult” during an interview on The Real.
In July BuzzFeed News published a report that alleged Kelly had at least six...
- 10/24/2017
- by Brianne Tracy
- PEOPLE.com
A woman alleging that she had an underage sexual relationship with R. Kelly says the singer had a woman who trained her to “please him.”
Jerhonda Pace recently sat down for an interview with The Real, where she detailed her life as part of Kelly’s alleged “sex cult.”
Pace said that at 16 years old, she was introduced to a female trainer who taught her sexual acts to perform on the “Ignition: Remix” singer.
“I went out there to his tour bus and you have him naked and you have her naked,” she said of the first time she met the woman.
Jerhonda Pace recently sat down for an interview with The Real, where she detailed her life as part of Kelly’s alleged “sex cult.”
Pace said that at 16 years old, she was introduced to a female trainer who taught her sexual acts to perform on the “Ignition: Remix” singer.
“I went out there to his tour bus and you have him naked and you have her naked,” she said of the first time she met the woman.
- 9/19/2017
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
A new report from BuzzFeed News alleges that R&B singer R. Kelly has kept at least six women in his Chicago and Georgia properties who allegedly fulfill his desires and are punished if they break any of his “rules.”
“You have to ask for food. You have to ask to go use the bathroom,” Kelly’s former personal assistant, Cheryl Mack, tells BuzzFeed. “ is a master at mind control … He is a puppet master.” Mack did not respond to People’s request for comment.
In a statement to People, Kelly’s lawyer, Linda Mensch, strongly denied the allegations.
“Mr.
“You have to ask for food. You have to ask to go use the bathroom,” Kelly’s former personal assistant, Cheryl Mack, tells BuzzFeed. “ is a master at mind control … He is a puppet master.” Mack did not respond to People’s request for comment.
In a statement to People, Kelly’s lawyer, Linda Mensch, strongly denied the allegations.
“Mr.
- 7/18/2017
- by Char Adams
- PEOPLE.com
R. Kelly's lawyer has responded to allegations that the singer is holding women against their will in an alleged abusive "cult."
Buzzfeed News reported on Monday that at least two sets of parents have reported the 50-year-old singer to police, claiming that they've lost contact with their young daughters after they began to live with Kelly. Kelly's lawyer, Lisa Mensch, tells Et that the "Trapped in the Closet" singer vehemently denies all the allegations.
"Mr. Robert Kelly is both alarmed and disturbed at the recent revelations attributed to him," the statement reads. "Mr. Kelly unequivocally denies such allegations and will work diligently and forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his name."
Watch: R. Kelly Is Skeptical of Bill Cosby's Accusers -- 'There's Something Strange About It'
Buzzfeed News' story focuses primarily on the story of parents "J." and "Tim" -- withholding both their names and their daughter's name to protect their privacy -- who...
Buzzfeed News reported on Monday that at least two sets of parents have reported the 50-year-old singer to police, claiming that they've lost contact with their young daughters after they began to live with Kelly. Kelly's lawyer, Lisa Mensch, tells Et that the "Trapped in the Closet" singer vehemently denies all the allegations.
"Mr. Robert Kelly is both alarmed and disturbed at the recent revelations attributed to him," the statement reads. "Mr. Kelly unequivocally denies such allegations and will work diligently and forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his name."
Watch: R. Kelly Is Skeptical of Bill Cosby's Accusers -- 'There's Something Strange About It'
Buzzfeed News' story focuses primarily on the story of parents "J." and "Tim" -- withholding both their names and their daughter's name to protect their privacy -- who...
- 7/17/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
R. Kelly is pushing back against a BuzzFeed report that he’s holding a number of young women against their will as part of an “abusive cult” at his rented homes. In a statement issued Monday, the R&B star denied the report. “Mr. Robert Kelly is both alarmed and disturbed at the recent revelations attributed to him,” a statement issued by the singer’s spokesman and published by TMZ reads. “Mr. Kelly unequivocally denies such allegations and will work diligently and forcibly to pursue his accusers and clear his name.” Also Read: R Kelly Condemned by Twitter Over 'Cult'...
- 7/17/2017
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
[Warning! Although all reviews contain information that the listener will not know until they hear the album, this review (which is actual a preview, since the album will not have been released at the time of posting) is highly detailed. If you are a Marillion fan who would prefer not to be "influenced" specifically in any way prior to your first listen, suffice to say that I am giving the album 4.5 out of 5 stars.]
"The cold war's gone, but those bastards'll find us another one They're here to protect you, don't you know? So get used to it - Get used to it!... The sense that it's useless, and the fear to try Not believing the leaders, the media that feed us Living with the big lie."
("Living With the Big Lie," from Brave)
In the 27 years since Steve Hogarth took over as lead vocalist for Marillion, the band has had only one bona fide concept album: the aurally and emotionally stunning Brave (1994). Using as a starting point the (true) news story of a young woman found roaming around an area of England -- who did not know who she was, or where she had come from, and even refused to speak to the police or the media -- the band created a fictional "back story" for her, which included some fairly "dark" elements,...
"The cold war's gone, but those bastards'll find us another one They're here to protect you, don't you know? So get used to it - Get used to it!... The sense that it's useless, and the fear to try Not believing the leaders, the media that feed us Living with the big lie."
("Living With the Big Lie," from Brave)
In the 27 years since Steve Hogarth took over as lead vocalist for Marillion, the band has had only one bona fide concept album: the aurally and emotionally stunning Brave (1994). Using as a starting point the (true) news story of a young woman found roaming around an area of England -- who did not know who she was, or where she had come from, and even refused to speak to the police or the media -- the band created a fictional "back story" for her, which included some fairly "dark" elements,...
- 9/15/2016
- by Ian Alterman
- www.culturecatch.com
“You have offended my family and you have offended the Shaolin Temple!”
Enter The Dragon (1973) plays this weekend (August 12th and 13th) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.
In the early seventies America was going through a period of fascination with martial arts, and at the center of the Kung-Fu craze was the actor Bruce Lee. Enter The Dragon (1973) is the best (and best-known) of the five films that Lee starred in. His mysterious and tragically early death at the age of 33 shortly after completing Enter The Dragon only served to heighten public interest in his skills
The plot contains elements drawn from spy thrillers of the James Bond type. The story is set in Hong Kong. The hero Mr Lee (lee) is recruited by British Intelligence on an undercover mission to infiltrate the island hideaway of the villain Mr Han.
Enter The Dragon (1973) plays this weekend (August 12th and 13th) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.
In the early seventies America was going through a period of fascination with martial arts, and at the center of the Kung-Fu craze was the actor Bruce Lee. Enter The Dragon (1973) is the best (and best-known) of the five films that Lee starred in. His mysterious and tragically early death at the age of 33 shortly after completing Enter The Dragon only served to heighten public interest in his skills
The plot contains elements drawn from spy thrillers of the James Bond type. The story is set in Hong Kong. The hero Mr Lee (lee) is recruited by British Intelligence on an undercover mission to infiltrate the island hideaway of the villain Mr Han.
- 8/8/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The recordings Woody Allen made of his comedy routines in the mid-Sixties will once again be available at an affordable price. November 25th will see the release of a comprehensive two-disc set – The Stand-Up Years: 1964 – 1968 – which will contain everything from the three records Allen released in the Sixties, along with a previously unreleased routine and more bonus audio. The additional material comprises 25 minutes of excerpts from the 2012 film Woody Allen: A Documentary, in which he discusses how stand-up comedy changed his life, as well as liner notes by the documentary's producer and director,...
- 9/22/2014
- Rollingstone.com
Chicago – Saturday, June 21st, 2014, marked a special night at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago – “A Salute to Dick Cavett.” The iconic talk show host, who seemingly knew every celebrity and newsmaker of the 20th Century, was honored for his broadcasting career, which has spanned over 50 years.
Richard Alva “Dick” Cavett was born – like his fellow talk show host Johnny Carson – in Nebraska. Like Carson, he began his entertainment career as a magician, right before he began college at Yale University. Shortly after graduating from Yale in the late 1950s, he was working at Time Magazine when he saw a notice in the newspaper that Jack Paar – then the host of “The Tonight Show” –was having difficulties with his opening monologues. Cavett wrote some jokes, and hand delivered them to Paar, who used them that night. The door to his career was open for Cavett, as he was hired...
Richard Alva “Dick” Cavett was born – like his fellow talk show host Johnny Carson – in Nebraska. Like Carson, he began his entertainment career as a magician, right before he began college at Yale University. Shortly after graduating from Yale in the late 1950s, he was working at Time Magazine when he saw a notice in the newspaper that Jack Paar – then the host of “The Tonight Show” –was having difficulties with his opening monologues. Cavett wrote some jokes, and hand delivered them to Paar, who used them that night. The door to his career was open for Cavett, as he was hired...
- 6/25/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Bringing their undeniable sex appeal to another spread, R Kelly and Irina Shayk scored a feature in V magazine’s Music issue.
While striking a few poses with the 28-year-old Russian stunner for the sultry Albert Watson photo shoot, the “Do What U Want” hitmaker chatted about his work with Mother Monster Lady Gaga and his rap opera, “Trapped in the Closet.”
“It’s an honor to be working with greatness,” the 47-year-old R&B crooner declared. “When I say that I say it with all my heart, because she is great on stage and off. She is so talent.”
In regards to his time consuming project, Mr. Kelly stated, “When I first started writing ‘Trapped in the Closet,’ I didn’t know myself what is was.”
He continued, “I had one chapter and I had no hook. It never turned into a song, it was a cliff-hanger and one chapter led to another,...
While striking a few poses with the 28-year-old Russian stunner for the sultry Albert Watson photo shoot, the “Do What U Want” hitmaker chatted about his work with Mother Monster Lady Gaga and his rap opera, “Trapped in the Closet.”
“It’s an honor to be working with greatness,” the 47-year-old R&B crooner declared. “When I say that I say it with all my heart, because she is great on stage and off. She is so talent.”
In regards to his time consuming project, Mr. Kelly stated, “When I first started writing ‘Trapped in the Closet,’ I didn’t know myself what is was.”
He continued, “I had one chapter and I had no hook. It never turned into a song, it was a cliff-hanger and one chapter led to another,...
- 3/3/2014
- GossipCenter
For an episode titled “The Thunder Man,” this week’s Banshee was an unexpectedly strong showcase for the feminine side of its cast. The titular figure of legend, awkwardly brought up by Alex Longshadow while threatening Kai’s niece with a rambling monologue, is a being of unparalleled strength and vitality, but adopts an unassuming appearance. And while Alex, Kai, and plenty of the other swingin’ dicks around Banshee might fancy themselves as big deals hidden within small packages, “The Thunder Man” contrasts their egos with the clear, uncompromised drive most of the show’s women have.
Most, but not all, as with Dava being held to only a few minutes of screen time, Rebecca had to pull double duty as the weekly damsel in distress, in addition to her usual role as clothing agnostic eye candy. The initial spunk and willfulness that got her expelled from her family’s...
Most, but not all, as with Dava being held to only a few minutes of screen time, Rebecca had to pull double duty as the weekly damsel in distress, in addition to her usual role as clothing agnostic eye candy. The initial spunk and willfulness that got her expelled from her family’s...
- 1/18/2014
- by Sam Woolf
- We Got This Covered
Showing off her acting skills along with her vocals, Lady Gaga took the stage to perform "Do What You Want" with R Kelly at the 2013 American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday (November 24).
The Mother Monster showed off her figure in a sparkling body suit while portraying a secretary to the Commander in Chief, played by Mr. Kelly himself.
Before heading out for her white horse arrival earlier in the night, Gaga took to her Twitter page to keep her Little Monsters guessing about her wardrobe, tweeting, "Getting ready for red carpet ! #AMAs can't wait! what do you wanna wear this spring? What do think is the new thing? #guessmydesigner."
In case you're wondering, Gaga wowed on the red carpet in a lavender color Versace gown! Check out R. Kelly and Lady Gaga's performance in the player below!
[HD] Lady Gaga - Do What U Want [feat. R... by...
The Mother Monster showed off her figure in a sparkling body suit while portraying a secretary to the Commander in Chief, played by Mr. Kelly himself.
Before heading out for her white horse arrival earlier in the night, Gaga took to her Twitter page to keep her Little Monsters guessing about her wardrobe, tweeting, "Getting ready for red carpet ! #AMAs can't wait! what do you wanna wear this spring? What do think is the new thing? #guessmydesigner."
In case you're wondering, Gaga wowed on the red carpet in a lavender color Versace gown! Check out R. Kelly and Lady Gaga's performance in the player below!
[HD] Lady Gaga - Do What U Want [feat. R... by...
- 11/25/2013
- GossipCenter
Chicago – Bring up the immortal classic “A Christmas Carol,” by author Charles Dickens, then bring up how many film and TV versions have been done using its basic story. After a half hour of listing every conceivable production, a gay version won’t be found. “Scrooge & Marley” is the new film that takes care of that category. The premiere was last week in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre.
The Cast and Production Crew of ‘Scrooge & Marley’ at The Music Box Theater, Chicago
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
Featuring an essential array of talent – including David Pevsner (Scrooge), Tim Kazurinsky (Marley), Bruce Vilanch (Fezziwig), Megan Cavanagh (Ghost of Christmas Present) and Richard Ganoung (Charity Solicitor) – “Scrooge & Marley” updates the story to present day, places its characters in the gay community and contains flashbacks to the disco era and the go-go 1980s. With a combination of camp and the...
The Cast and Production Crew of ‘Scrooge & Marley’ at The Music Box Theater, Chicago
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
Featuring an essential array of talent – including David Pevsner (Scrooge), Tim Kazurinsky (Marley), Bruce Vilanch (Fezziwig), Megan Cavanagh (Ghost of Christmas Present) and Richard Ganoung (Charity Solicitor) – “Scrooge & Marley” updates the story to present day, places its characters in the gay community and contains flashbacks to the disco era and the go-go 1980s. With a combination of camp and the...
- 12/3/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
"Trapped in the Closet," R. Kelly's sui generis "hip hopera" about infidelity, lies, little people and literal and figurative closets returns to IFC on Friday, November 23 at 9pm with new chapters about complicated misadventures of Sylvester, Cathy, Chuck, Rufus and company, with Kelly adding two additional roles to the array of characters he's already playing himself, Eddie Murphy-style -- Dr. Perry, a marriage counselor at Rufus and Cathy’s church, and Beeno, an underworld kingpin. Kelly recently told Time he's shot 20 new chapters of "Trapped." IFC.com will be unveiling one new installment a day online after the on-air premiere. If you need a refresh on the tangled web that is the previous "Trapped" saga, all 22 previous chapters are up online, but we suggest just turning to Mr. Kelly himself. Kelly summarizes his saga in the new interim chapter below: "Well if this hasn't taught you nothing...
- 10/17/2012
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
R. Kelly has cancelled a number of public events following a 'health emergency'. The 45-year-old singer was due to launch a book today (27.06.12) in New York and appear on NBC's 'Today' show and the 'Jimmy Fallon Show' but has pulled out after suffering from problems relating to surgery he had on his vocal chords last year. A representative for R. Kelly told TMZ.com: 'The book launch is postponed due to a health emergency that has sidelined Mr. Kelly in Chicago. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this has caused. 'Initial indications are that he is suffering from complications from surgery he had last year to treat an abscess on his vocal chords. It is unclear how...
- 6/27/2012
- Monsters and Critics
11:48 Am Pt -- Kelly's people tell us ... "Initial indications are that he is suffering from complications from surgery he had last year to treat an abscess on his vocal cords."Besides the book launch party ... Kelly has also had to bail on the "Jimmy Fallon Show" and canceled an appearance on NBC's "Today" show. Kelly's people note, "It is unclear how long Kelly may be sidelined."R. Kelly is suffering from a mysterious "health...
- 6/27/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
R. Kelly is the personification of “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” To some, his straightforward riffs on his sex life are nothing but creative kryptonite, while others hail his work as subversive performance art. Wherever the critical buck stops with Mr. Kelly, one cannot hear the line, “more curves than a racetrack / and I just wanna ride it,” from his new single “It’s On,” without developing a case of the giggles. The track, which features DJ Khaled and Ace Hood, is from Kells’ forthcoming album, Black Panties, which we assume is a 10 Things I ...
- 5/10/2012
- avclub.com
Remember when we tallied the 8 Most Annoying Gay Male Characters in TV History? That turned out to be very cathartic for me, and I thank you for joining me on that annoying journey. But the saga isn't over yet: Now we're counting off the nine most annoying reality TV stars in history, and I may need your help in naming offenders 10-150. Contribute those in the comments.
Word of caution: "Annoying" is sometimes an awesome trait. Definitely not always, but I make notice of the reality stars who rightfully wear the honor of "most annoying" like a badge of honor.
1. Survivor's Colton Cumbie
Yeah, nothing about this guy deserves a badge of honor. Can you believe there was a time when we'd have considered Richard Hatch one of the most annoying gay contestants on a reality series? Oh, our innocence! Survivor: One World's Colton Cumbie was a racist,...
Word of caution: "Annoying" is sometimes an awesome trait. Definitely not always, but I make notice of the reality stars who rightfully wear the honor of "most annoying" like a badge of honor.
1. Survivor's Colton Cumbie
Yeah, nothing about this guy deserves a badge of honor. Can you believe there was a time when we'd have considered Richard Hatch one of the most annoying gay contestants on a reality series? Oh, our innocence! Survivor: One World's Colton Cumbie was a racist,...
- 5/1/2012
- by virtel
- The Backlot
We all know Ira Deutchman, but for the record, Ira has been making, marketing and distributing films since 1975, having worked on over 150 films including some of the most successful independent films of all time. He was one of the founders of Cinecom and later created Fine Line Features—two companies that were created from scratch and in their respective times, helped define the independent film business. Currently Deutchman is Managing Partner of Emerging Pictures, a New York-based digital exhibition company. He is also a Professor of Professional Practice in the Graduate Film Division of the School of the Arts at Columbia University, where he is the head of the Producing Program. He is also active in Art House Convergence and wrote this inspirational blog for them. It inspired my own reminiscence which was quite fun to do. It will go up tomorrow. I hope my readers enjoy this. If it inspires you, I will publish yours here as well.
Posted on October 3, 2011 by Ira Deutchman
I grew up in movie theaters. At a very young age, my mother started bringing me to matinees and later we would pile the family into the car and head to the local drive-in for double features. In my adolescent and teenage years, the fact that my family moved around so much meant that I had few friends. I spent all my spare time in movie theaters. By the time I went to college, movies were my life. I used to pride myself on the fact that I could name the theater where I saw every film I’d ever seen.
On a recent trip to Chicago, I walked around the Loop–the site of many of my most formative movie moments–and was astonished to see how little was left of what was one of the most beautiful movie theater districts anywhere. It made me very sad, but motivated me to write this piece about the movie theaters for which I have the fondest memories. They are in chronological order according to where they fit in my life.
The Park Plaza Theater in the Bronx was most likely my first movie theater experience. It was only a few blocks from where we lived, and this is where my mother first exposed me to movies. I remember the matrons in their white suits and flashlights trying to keep the kids–who were required to sit in a separate section unless they were accompanied by parents–quiet. The first movie I actually remember was a film that terrified me at the time. It had images that stuck with me throughout my life, even though I couldn’t remember what film it was. It was only as an adult that I realized that the movie I had seen was “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
Loews Paradise, also in the Bronx, was a magnificent place. Even as a kid, going there to see a movie was a special occasion. I remember being on a shopping expedition with my mother to Alexander’s (right across the street from the Paradise) and seeing banners and posters for ”Tom Thumb” with Russ Tamblyn as the little guy. I became obsessed with seeing that film, until my parents finally gave in and brought me to see it–even though it would have been cheaper to wait for it to play in a closer neighborhood theater.
Another memory that sticks with me is when I went to see a Jerry Lewis film at the Paradise–I think it may have been “The Bellboy”–with a neighbor who used to babysit for me. She was a huge Jerry Lewis fan and, throughout the film, she was laughing so hard, she kept hitting me.
In the early ’60s, my family moved to the south side of Chicago. My neighborhood movie theaters were only a short walk from where we lived. Almost every weekend, I went to see whatever was playing at those theaters. There was theHamilton and the Jeffery,both on 71st Street, and theChelton on 79th. Since this was before the ratings system, there were many films coming out that I wanted to see that had been designated as “adults only,” so I was prevented from seeing them without my parents. Fortunately, every Sunday the Chelton had a special kiddie matinee for 25 cents admission. As the kiddie film was ending, if you hid out in the men’s room, you could wait until after they cleared the theater and stay to see the adult film that came afterward. So every Sunday, I dragged my brother Larry to the Chelton and for a quarter (he got in free), we saw such “adult” films as “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold,” “Fate is the Hunter,” and “Goldfinger” (which my parents were furious about my having seen once they saw the provocative poster). They had no idea that I was in the process of reading all the James Bond books, which were far racier than the films.
Another neighborhood theater was the Avalon, which was a huge movie palace and as magnificent as the Paradise. When something played at the Avalon, it was well worth walking the slightly extra distance to see it there. The Avalon mostly played big event movies after they completed their downtown roadshow runs, like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “West Side Story.”
One day, I heard that the Avalon was one of a dozen or so theaters in the Chicago area that was going to have a special screening of “Having A Wild Weekend,” and that the Dave Clark Five were going to appear in person at the theater. Apparently, the promoters had timed things so that the group could appear at each of the theaters where the film would be playing that day. The big show at the Avalon was a Saturday morning matinee. I got in line early, and was shaking with excitement when I realized that I would indeed get in. There were more than 2,500 seats and the place was packed. A man came out on stage and announced that the group would be making its appearance before the film, and would be there momentarily. The crowd started to scream. Moments later, the Dave Clark Five marched out on stage, and the place went wild. There was a scuffle near the stage and the next thing we knew, the five of them had left the stage. The lights went off and the movie started. The next morning, it was in the newspaper that one of the group had suffered a broken wrist in the “near-riot” that ensued at the Avalon.
After awhile, I began to get impatient waiting for new movies to make it to the neighborhood theaters. I was also old enough to go to the Loop by myself, either by taking the Illinois Central train or, in good weather, riding my bicycle along Lake Michigan.
The theaters in the Loop started running shows at 9am, sometimes with no one in the audience. Many years later, when I was already in the film business, I was told that the Chicago projectionists union was one of the strongest in the country, and that the projectionists had to be paid for the full day whether there were shows or not. So most of the theaters simply opted to go ahead with the shows. This was great for me, since I could get there early and see films that would have been difficult to get into later in the day.
There were many gorgeous theaters in the Loop, but I had two favorites, The United Artists and the Woods. They were both grand movie palaces and had long histories that were completely lost on me at the time. All I cared about was that they were showing the latest, greatest movies. And they knew how to market them. The theaters tried to outdo each other in terms of the special displays they created for the films that were playing. The entire fronts of the theaters were covered by photos and posters for the films. The marquees screamed out whatever sensational lines they could think of to entice people into the theaters.
Of the many films that I saw at the Woods, one of my fondest memories was seeing “A Hard Days Night” the week it opened. The place was packed with screaming kids. I was way up in the balcony. When the Beatles began singing a song, the entire audience clapped along.
My recollection is that a lot of the films that played at the Woods were horror films or thrillers. I recall seeing a few William Castle films, some of the Edgar Allen Poe adaptations by Roger Corman and, in 1967, “Wait Until Dark,” for which they advertised that all the lights in the theater would be turned off for the last few minutes of the film. I can never remember being so scared in a film.
At the United Artists, I recall stumbling into an early morning showing of ”A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” not knowing anything about the film other than the strange title. I laughed so hard that I went back several more times to see it.
Right down the block from those theaters were the Cinestage and the Michael Todd. These were the more prestigious theaters, where you could see the latest blockbuster roadshow releases–in many cases a completely different (longer) version of the film than would be released in the neighborhoods. At these theaters I saw “2001: A Space Odyssey” (several times) and ”The Sound of Music” (several times), among many more “event” films.
In 1967, we moved again, this time to Highland Park, in Chicago’s north suburbs. My theater of choice was the Edens Theater, which was visible from the Edens Expressway. Unlike all the previous theaters, the Edens was not an old theater. It was a modernist masterpiece and a state-of-the-art facility that frequently had exclusive runs of films for the entire North Shore. Since it was a single-screen theater, hit films would settle in and play for long periods of time. One day I went to see “Bonnie and Clyde” at the Edens; I believe that was the moment I decided I wanted to make movies some day. I’m sure the massive screen and the incredible sound at the Edens added to the experience. I went back and saw “Bonnie and Clyde” at least five times, and since I didn’t have my drivers license yet, each time I saw the film one of my parents had to drive me. One day, as I was settling into my seat in the nearly empty theater, my Dad suddenly sat down next to me. I must have looked shocked as he said to me,” You keep coming to see this film so much, I decided to see what it is you like so much.” Throughout the film, he kept looking at me, wondering what kind of pervert he was bringing up.
A year or so later, my uncle was visiting from out of town, and took me to the Esquire on the north side of Chicago to see a film that he had read was all the rage. The Esquire was a beautiful deco palace, and one of the nicest places to see a film in Chicago. I would go there many times over the years, the last time being for the premiere of “Hoop Dreams” decades later. The film was “Easy Rider,” and it was on a double bill with a foreign language film that I can’t remember. They also showed a short called “De Duva (The Dove),” a great parody of early Bergman (It’s available on YouTube). My education continued.
A couple of years later, we moved again, this time to Paramus, NJ. The most spectacular local theater was the Stanley Warner Route 4. It started as a single-screen 2,000 seat theater, added a second screen in the the mid-70′s and eventually was carved up into little pieces. I practically lived at the theater all through high school. One memorable experience was trying to get in to see “Woodstock” and being turned away because I was too young. It looked to me like they were turning away the entire interested audience.
I also spent a lot of time at the Bergen Mall Cinema, which was the local art house. Here I saw such films as “Women in Love,” Fellini’s “Satyricon,” “Zabriskie Point,” and numerous films that were distributed by Cinema 5, a company that I would end up working for a number of years later. It was eye opening, and contributed to my radicalization in my teenage years. This theater may have been a shoebox in the middle of a suburban mall, but it was responsible for expanding the horizons of the youth of Bergen County. [Interestingly, I can't find any decent pictures of either of these two theaters.]
Then it was off to Chicago again, where I went to college. In Evanston, where the Northwestern campus was located, there were two downtown theaters, the Varsity and theValencia. They were both smaller movie palaces, but by the early ’70s they were in bad shape, mostly showing grindhouse films. That didn’t mean that I didn’t check them out. Given the recreational bent of the times, hanging at those two theaters could be a lot of fun.
However, the real action was in Chicago, and there were theaters showing films for every taste. The Carnegiewas the fancy art house, playing the latest foreign language films that were being written about in the New York Times. It was architecturally undistinguished and shared the same building with Mr. Kelly’s night club and a large parking structure. But the presentation was first class.
Repertory cinema was all over town, most notably at theBiograph and at thePlayboy at Clark and Division, which my college roommate referred to as the “center of the world.” The Biograph, of course, is world famous for being the place where Dillinger was killed after seeing a movie. The seat where Dillinger sat that night was painted gold so that patrons could find it easily. There was something special about seeing a film from the ’20s or ’30s in a setting that was so authentic to that time.
The Playboy was nowhere near as atmospheric, but it’s programming was something else. By day, the theater was an art house, playing the second tier art films that couldn’t get bookings at the Carnegie. But by night the Playboy became Chicago’s best repertory house. They called it the “Playboy All-Night Show,” and it was a different double feature every night, starting at midnight. One night it would be two Marx Brothers films, the next night two Ken Russell films, the next night, two by Antonioni. It was like someone was programming my Netflix queue, only in a movie theater. You can imagine my many bleary-eyed mornings, trying to stay awake through classes after having sat through two amazing films that ended at 4:00 am or later. (Yes, that’s Roger Ebert posing in front of the Playboy.)
After college, I ended up moving to New York City. I got a job with Cinema 5, which owned and operated most of the classiest theaters in Manhattan. It was a dream come true. Every Friday, the office manager would come by everyone’s desk and hand them 4 passes to any of the theaters, with an expiration date of the following week–use it or lose it. No chance of that for me. If anything, 4 passes were hardly enough, and I took to asking around for passes that others weren’t using.
The theaters were well-kept to the point of obsessiveness. I would be asked to run over to a theater to make sure the bathrooms were clean. The presentation was classy and always top-notch.
My absolute favorite of the theaters was the Plaza, which was the most atmospheric. I experienced some of the earliest examples of the coming American Independent movement at the Plaza, including “Hester Street,” “Pumping Iron,” “Harlan County USA” and others. Since the Plaza was right around the corner from the Cinema 5 office, we had our acquisition screenings there, so I spent many a morning drinking my coffee and eating my bagel in the first row of the loge section of the theater, screening some movie that we might be interested in acquiring. After awhile, the theater manager permitted me to park my bicycle in the theater when I rode it to work.
I always loved Cinema 1 and 2 on Third Avenue. It was before they had carved it into a third theater, and before it was allowed to get run down. It was a glittering example of a thoroughly modern movie theater, eschewing curtains for a black fabric strip that would come down from the ceiling before each show to mask the proper screen ratio. I used up a lot of those Cinema 5 passes at these theaters. When I started working there, Robert Altman’s “Nashville” was just beginning a record-setting run at Cinema 2. I had already seen the film once at the Esquire before leaving Chicago, but now I had the chance to see it over and over again, and I did. I probably saw the film 20 times in my first six months working at the company.
Another favorite was the Beekman. It was an art deco jewel, and probably the most beautiful movie theater that I’d ever seen that was built to be a movie theater. Woody Allen also loved the Beekman, and typically insisted that his films open there. I recall seeing “Love and Death” many times at the Beekman.
But I didn’t spend all of my time at the Cinema 5 theaters. I still had a taste for older films and frequented Dan Talbot’s New Yorker, and the Thalia, both of which were in the neighborhood where I lived. This was the golden age of double features, and the New York rep houses were trying to outdo each other in the cleverness of their programming.
In the years since, as my career led me to do business with many of the theaters I grew up with, I never lost my fondness for them. But one-by-one, just about all the theaters I have mentioned disappeared. The Thalia still exists, but the original parabolic floor has been straightened out and there is no longer any fixed seating. Cinema 1 & 2 have spawned a 3rd screen that has wrecked the perfect symmetry of the other two. The Biograph has been renovated and is being used by a theater company. The Esquire was cut up into smaller theaters many years ago, and now sits empty. The Avalon also sits abandoned. The Paradise is still there and has recently been partially restored, but it’s mainly used for events. All the rest are gone.
If you enjoy this subject, you owe it to yourself to check out the Cinema Treasures web site. I found many of the photos used in this piece on that site under a Creative Commons license. Full photo credits below:
Photo Credits:
Park Plaza: NYCago.com
Loews Paradise: Brad Smith, Cinema Treasures
Hamilton: Nick Coston, Cinema Treasures
Jeffery: Senorsock, Cinema Treasure
Avalon: Ira Deutchman
Woods: John P. Keating Jr, Cinema Treasures
United Artists: John P. Keating Jr, Cinema Treasures
Michael Todd: John P Keating Jr, Cinema Treasures
Edens: Didi, Dim Beauty of Chicago
Esquire: Ira Deutchman
Varsity: Ira Deutchman
Carnegie: David Zornig, Cinema Treasures
Biograph: Norman Plant, Cinema Treasures
Playboy: Tim O’Neill, Cinema Treasures
Plaza: William, Cinema Treasures
Cinema 1&2: Dave-Bronx, Cinema Treasures
Beekman: Patrick Crowley, Cinema Treasures
New Yorker: MovieswithDad, Cinema Treasures This entry was posted in Film and tagged Bronx, Chicago, Highland Park, Movie Theaters, New York City, Paramus. Bookmark the permalink. ← Master Class: Independent Film Financing Let River Rest in Peace → 5 Responses to Movie Theaters I’ve Known and Loved Sydney Levine says: October 3, 2011 at 8:57 pm
I love this! I’ll try to do it…just the photos. you write better than I
Jordi Wijnalda says: October 3, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Wow, Ira – this really hit home for me. No, I have not experienced any of this first-hand myself, but it once again reaffirmed for me that a different decade might have been better for me… In some ways, at least. Thanks a lot for sharing this!
Juliet Goodfriend says: October 5, 2011 at 10:10 am
Ira, your memory is as awesome as your love of, and history in, films and theaters. Thanks, for the memories..da dah da dah da daah, etc (I can’t even remember the lyrics!).
Juliet
DanZee says: October 5, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Unfortunately theaters bear the scars of the ups and downs of the movie industry. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, you had huge theaters showing films continuously to large masses of coming-and-going people. The television age shifted that to films you couldn’t (yet) see on TV, such as long-running “event” pictures or a constantly changing schedule of foreign and repertory films. During the 1980s, the film studios revved up production again using independent producers (and their money) that shifted theaters to a multiplex design of more screens but smaller “box” theaters. The older theaters were abandoned or cut up, and even today theater owners skimp on building maintenance. Just as the old movie palaces have met the wrecking ball, throughout the 2000′s multiplexes have been plowed over for newer restaurant-themed superplexes. And at some point, even they will be replaced with something different. It’s all a cycle.
Carl Spence says: October 11, 2011 at 3:30 am
The timing of this article is fortuitous as we are re-opening a 85 year old movie palace – the uptown cinemas from October 20th in Seattle. It has the original single screen with the addition of two smaller stadium auditoriums that were added next door in the mid-80s. We are currently restoring the 50s marquee and getting the place ready to open in a short amount of time. Very exciting times in Seattle for movie going!
Posted on October 3, 2011 by Ira Deutchman
I grew up in movie theaters. At a very young age, my mother started bringing me to matinees and later we would pile the family into the car and head to the local drive-in for double features. In my adolescent and teenage years, the fact that my family moved around so much meant that I had few friends. I spent all my spare time in movie theaters. By the time I went to college, movies were my life. I used to pride myself on the fact that I could name the theater where I saw every film I’d ever seen.
On a recent trip to Chicago, I walked around the Loop–the site of many of my most formative movie moments–and was astonished to see how little was left of what was one of the most beautiful movie theater districts anywhere. It made me very sad, but motivated me to write this piece about the movie theaters for which I have the fondest memories. They are in chronological order according to where they fit in my life.
The Park Plaza Theater in the Bronx was most likely my first movie theater experience. It was only a few blocks from where we lived, and this is where my mother first exposed me to movies. I remember the matrons in their white suits and flashlights trying to keep the kids–who were required to sit in a separate section unless they were accompanied by parents–quiet. The first movie I actually remember was a film that terrified me at the time. It had images that stuck with me throughout my life, even though I couldn’t remember what film it was. It was only as an adult that I realized that the movie I had seen was “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.”
Loews Paradise, also in the Bronx, was a magnificent place. Even as a kid, going there to see a movie was a special occasion. I remember being on a shopping expedition with my mother to Alexander’s (right across the street from the Paradise) and seeing banners and posters for ”Tom Thumb” with Russ Tamblyn as the little guy. I became obsessed with seeing that film, until my parents finally gave in and brought me to see it–even though it would have been cheaper to wait for it to play in a closer neighborhood theater.
Another memory that sticks with me is when I went to see a Jerry Lewis film at the Paradise–I think it may have been “The Bellboy”–with a neighbor who used to babysit for me. She was a huge Jerry Lewis fan and, throughout the film, she was laughing so hard, she kept hitting me.
In the early ’60s, my family moved to the south side of Chicago. My neighborhood movie theaters were only a short walk from where we lived. Almost every weekend, I went to see whatever was playing at those theaters. There was theHamilton and the Jeffery,both on 71st Street, and theChelton on 79th. Since this was before the ratings system, there were many films coming out that I wanted to see that had been designated as “adults only,” so I was prevented from seeing them without my parents. Fortunately, every Sunday the Chelton had a special kiddie matinee for 25 cents admission. As the kiddie film was ending, if you hid out in the men’s room, you could wait until after they cleared the theater and stay to see the adult film that came afterward. So every Sunday, I dragged my brother Larry to the Chelton and for a quarter (he got in free), we saw such “adult” films as “The Spy Who Came in From the Cold,” “Fate is the Hunter,” and “Goldfinger” (which my parents were furious about my having seen once they saw the provocative poster). They had no idea that I was in the process of reading all the James Bond books, which were far racier than the films.
Another neighborhood theater was the Avalon, which was a huge movie palace and as magnificent as the Paradise. When something played at the Avalon, it was well worth walking the slightly extra distance to see it there. The Avalon mostly played big event movies after they completed their downtown roadshow runs, like “Lawrence of Arabia” and “West Side Story.”
One day, I heard that the Avalon was one of a dozen or so theaters in the Chicago area that was going to have a special screening of “Having A Wild Weekend,” and that the Dave Clark Five were going to appear in person at the theater. Apparently, the promoters had timed things so that the group could appear at each of the theaters where the film would be playing that day. The big show at the Avalon was a Saturday morning matinee. I got in line early, and was shaking with excitement when I realized that I would indeed get in. There were more than 2,500 seats and the place was packed. A man came out on stage and announced that the group would be making its appearance before the film, and would be there momentarily. The crowd started to scream. Moments later, the Dave Clark Five marched out on stage, and the place went wild. There was a scuffle near the stage and the next thing we knew, the five of them had left the stage. The lights went off and the movie started. The next morning, it was in the newspaper that one of the group had suffered a broken wrist in the “near-riot” that ensued at the Avalon.
After awhile, I began to get impatient waiting for new movies to make it to the neighborhood theaters. I was also old enough to go to the Loop by myself, either by taking the Illinois Central train or, in good weather, riding my bicycle along Lake Michigan.
The theaters in the Loop started running shows at 9am, sometimes with no one in the audience. Many years later, when I was already in the film business, I was told that the Chicago projectionists union was one of the strongest in the country, and that the projectionists had to be paid for the full day whether there were shows or not. So most of the theaters simply opted to go ahead with the shows. This was great for me, since I could get there early and see films that would have been difficult to get into later in the day.
There were many gorgeous theaters in the Loop, but I had two favorites, The United Artists and the Woods. They were both grand movie palaces and had long histories that were completely lost on me at the time. All I cared about was that they were showing the latest, greatest movies. And they knew how to market them. The theaters tried to outdo each other in terms of the special displays they created for the films that were playing. The entire fronts of the theaters were covered by photos and posters for the films. The marquees screamed out whatever sensational lines they could think of to entice people into the theaters.
Of the many films that I saw at the Woods, one of my fondest memories was seeing “A Hard Days Night” the week it opened. The place was packed with screaming kids. I was way up in the balcony. When the Beatles began singing a song, the entire audience clapped along.
My recollection is that a lot of the films that played at the Woods were horror films or thrillers. I recall seeing a few William Castle films, some of the Edgar Allen Poe adaptations by Roger Corman and, in 1967, “Wait Until Dark,” for which they advertised that all the lights in the theater would be turned off for the last few minutes of the film. I can never remember being so scared in a film.
At the United Artists, I recall stumbling into an early morning showing of ”A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” not knowing anything about the film other than the strange title. I laughed so hard that I went back several more times to see it.
Right down the block from those theaters were the Cinestage and the Michael Todd. These were the more prestigious theaters, where you could see the latest blockbuster roadshow releases–in many cases a completely different (longer) version of the film than would be released in the neighborhoods. At these theaters I saw “2001: A Space Odyssey” (several times) and ”The Sound of Music” (several times), among many more “event” films.
In 1967, we moved again, this time to Highland Park, in Chicago’s north suburbs. My theater of choice was the Edens Theater, which was visible from the Edens Expressway. Unlike all the previous theaters, the Edens was not an old theater. It was a modernist masterpiece and a state-of-the-art facility that frequently had exclusive runs of films for the entire North Shore. Since it was a single-screen theater, hit films would settle in and play for long periods of time. One day I went to see “Bonnie and Clyde” at the Edens; I believe that was the moment I decided I wanted to make movies some day. I’m sure the massive screen and the incredible sound at the Edens added to the experience. I went back and saw “Bonnie and Clyde” at least five times, and since I didn’t have my drivers license yet, each time I saw the film one of my parents had to drive me. One day, as I was settling into my seat in the nearly empty theater, my Dad suddenly sat down next to me. I must have looked shocked as he said to me,” You keep coming to see this film so much, I decided to see what it is you like so much.” Throughout the film, he kept looking at me, wondering what kind of pervert he was bringing up.
A year or so later, my uncle was visiting from out of town, and took me to the Esquire on the north side of Chicago to see a film that he had read was all the rage. The Esquire was a beautiful deco palace, and one of the nicest places to see a film in Chicago. I would go there many times over the years, the last time being for the premiere of “Hoop Dreams” decades later. The film was “Easy Rider,” and it was on a double bill with a foreign language film that I can’t remember. They also showed a short called “De Duva (The Dove),” a great parody of early Bergman (It’s available on YouTube). My education continued.
A couple of years later, we moved again, this time to Paramus, NJ. The most spectacular local theater was the Stanley Warner Route 4. It started as a single-screen 2,000 seat theater, added a second screen in the the mid-70′s and eventually was carved up into little pieces. I practically lived at the theater all through high school. One memorable experience was trying to get in to see “Woodstock” and being turned away because I was too young. It looked to me like they were turning away the entire interested audience.
I also spent a lot of time at the Bergen Mall Cinema, which was the local art house. Here I saw such films as “Women in Love,” Fellini’s “Satyricon,” “Zabriskie Point,” and numerous films that were distributed by Cinema 5, a company that I would end up working for a number of years later. It was eye opening, and contributed to my radicalization in my teenage years. This theater may have been a shoebox in the middle of a suburban mall, but it was responsible for expanding the horizons of the youth of Bergen County. [Interestingly, I can't find any decent pictures of either of these two theaters.]
Then it was off to Chicago again, where I went to college. In Evanston, where the Northwestern campus was located, there were two downtown theaters, the Varsity and theValencia. They were both smaller movie palaces, but by the early ’70s they were in bad shape, mostly showing grindhouse films. That didn’t mean that I didn’t check them out. Given the recreational bent of the times, hanging at those two theaters could be a lot of fun.
However, the real action was in Chicago, and there were theaters showing films for every taste. The Carnegiewas the fancy art house, playing the latest foreign language films that were being written about in the New York Times. It was architecturally undistinguished and shared the same building with Mr. Kelly’s night club and a large parking structure. But the presentation was first class.
Repertory cinema was all over town, most notably at theBiograph and at thePlayboy at Clark and Division, which my college roommate referred to as the “center of the world.” The Biograph, of course, is world famous for being the place where Dillinger was killed after seeing a movie. The seat where Dillinger sat that night was painted gold so that patrons could find it easily. There was something special about seeing a film from the ’20s or ’30s in a setting that was so authentic to that time.
The Playboy was nowhere near as atmospheric, but it’s programming was something else. By day, the theater was an art house, playing the second tier art films that couldn’t get bookings at the Carnegie. But by night the Playboy became Chicago’s best repertory house. They called it the “Playboy All-Night Show,” and it was a different double feature every night, starting at midnight. One night it would be two Marx Brothers films, the next night two Ken Russell films, the next night, two by Antonioni. It was like someone was programming my Netflix queue, only in a movie theater. You can imagine my many bleary-eyed mornings, trying to stay awake through classes after having sat through two amazing films that ended at 4:00 am or later. (Yes, that’s Roger Ebert posing in front of the Playboy.)
After college, I ended up moving to New York City. I got a job with Cinema 5, which owned and operated most of the classiest theaters in Manhattan. It was a dream come true. Every Friday, the office manager would come by everyone’s desk and hand them 4 passes to any of the theaters, with an expiration date of the following week–use it or lose it. No chance of that for me. If anything, 4 passes were hardly enough, and I took to asking around for passes that others weren’t using.
The theaters were well-kept to the point of obsessiveness. I would be asked to run over to a theater to make sure the bathrooms were clean. The presentation was classy and always top-notch.
My absolute favorite of the theaters was the Plaza, which was the most atmospheric. I experienced some of the earliest examples of the coming American Independent movement at the Plaza, including “Hester Street,” “Pumping Iron,” “Harlan County USA” and others. Since the Plaza was right around the corner from the Cinema 5 office, we had our acquisition screenings there, so I spent many a morning drinking my coffee and eating my bagel in the first row of the loge section of the theater, screening some movie that we might be interested in acquiring. After awhile, the theater manager permitted me to park my bicycle in the theater when I rode it to work.
I always loved Cinema 1 and 2 on Third Avenue. It was before they had carved it into a third theater, and before it was allowed to get run down. It was a glittering example of a thoroughly modern movie theater, eschewing curtains for a black fabric strip that would come down from the ceiling before each show to mask the proper screen ratio. I used up a lot of those Cinema 5 passes at these theaters. When I started working there, Robert Altman’s “Nashville” was just beginning a record-setting run at Cinema 2. I had already seen the film once at the Esquire before leaving Chicago, but now I had the chance to see it over and over again, and I did. I probably saw the film 20 times in my first six months working at the company.
Another favorite was the Beekman. It was an art deco jewel, and probably the most beautiful movie theater that I’d ever seen that was built to be a movie theater. Woody Allen also loved the Beekman, and typically insisted that his films open there. I recall seeing “Love and Death” many times at the Beekman.
But I didn’t spend all of my time at the Cinema 5 theaters. I still had a taste for older films and frequented Dan Talbot’s New Yorker, and the Thalia, both of which were in the neighborhood where I lived. This was the golden age of double features, and the New York rep houses were trying to outdo each other in the cleverness of their programming.
In the years since, as my career led me to do business with many of the theaters I grew up with, I never lost my fondness for them. But one-by-one, just about all the theaters I have mentioned disappeared. The Thalia still exists, but the original parabolic floor has been straightened out and there is no longer any fixed seating. Cinema 1 & 2 have spawned a 3rd screen that has wrecked the perfect symmetry of the other two. The Biograph has been renovated and is being used by a theater company. The Esquire was cut up into smaller theaters many years ago, and now sits empty. The Avalon also sits abandoned. The Paradise is still there and has recently been partially restored, but it’s mainly used for events. All the rest are gone.
If you enjoy this subject, you owe it to yourself to check out the Cinema Treasures web site. I found many of the photos used in this piece on that site under a Creative Commons license. Full photo credits below:
Photo Credits:
Park Plaza: NYCago.com
Loews Paradise: Brad Smith, Cinema Treasures
Hamilton: Nick Coston, Cinema Treasures
Jeffery: Senorsock, Cinema Treasure
Avalon: Ira Deutchman
Woods: John P. Keating Jr, Cinema Treasures
United Artists: John P. Keating Jr, Cinema Treasures
Michael Todd: John P Keating Jr, Cinema Treasures
Edens: Didi, Dim Beauty of Chicago
Esquire: Ira Deutchman
Varsity: Ira Deutchman
Carnegie: David Zornig, Cinema Treasures
Biograph: Norman Plant, Cinema Treasures
Playboy: Tim O’Neill, Cinema Treasures
Plaza: William, Cinema Treasures
Cinema 1&2: Dave-Bronx, Cinema Treasures
Beekman: Patrick Crowley, Cinema Treasures
New Yorker: MovieswithDad, Cinema Treasures This entry was posted in Film and tagged Bronx, Chicago, Highland Park, Movie Theaters, New York City, Paramus. Bookmark the permalink. ← Master Class: Independent Film Financing Let River Rest in Peace → 5 Responses to Movie Theaters I’ve Known and Loved Sydney Levine says: October 3, 2011 at 8:57 pm
I love this! I’ll try to do it…just the photos. you write better than I
Jordi Wijnalda says: October 3, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Wow, Ira – this really hit home for me. No, I have not experienced any of this first-hand myself, but it once again reaffirmed for me that a different decade might have been better for me… In some ways, at least. Thanks a lot for sharing this!
Juliet Goodfriend says: October 5, 2011 at 10:10 am
Ira, your memory is as awesome as your love of, and history in, films and theaters. Thanks, for the memories..da dah da dah da daah, etc (I can’t even remember the lyrics!).
Juliet
DanZee says: October 5, 2011 at 4:12 pm
Unfortunately theaters bear the scars of the ups and downs of the movie industry. During the Golden Age of Hollywood, you had huge theaters showing films continuously to large masses of coming-and-going people. The television age shifted that to films you couldn’t (yet) see on TV, such as long-running “event” pictures or a constantly changing schedule of foreign and repertory films. During the 1980s, the film studios revved up production again using independent producers (and their money) that shifted theaters to a multiplex design of more screens but smaller “box” theaters. The older theaters were abandoned or cut up, and even today theater owners skimp on building maintenance. Just as the old movie palaces have met the wrecking ball, throughout the 2000′s multiplexes have been plowed over for newer restaurant-themed superplexes. And at some point, even they will be replaced with something different. It’s all a cycle.
Carl Spence says: October 11, 2011 at 3:30 am
The timing of this article is fortuitous as we are re-opening a 85 year old movie palace – the uptown cinemas from October 20th in Seattle. It has the original single screen with the addition of two smaller stadium auditoriums that were added next door in the mid-80s. We are currently restoring the 50s marquee and getting the place ready to open in a short amount of time. Very exciting times in Seattle for movie going!
- 3/26/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly’s son, Greg Kelly, has been accused of raping a woman last year, ABC News is reporting. The Manhattan district attorney is investigating the co-anchor of Fox’s ‘Good Day New York,’ which his lawyer, Andrew Lankler, has confirmed. “Mr. Kelly strenuously denies any wrongdoing and is cooperating fully with the district attorney’s investigation. We know that the district attorney’s investigation will prove Mr. Kelly’s innocence,” he said. The alleged rape took place at a party at South Street Seaport in October, which the woman attended with coworkers from her Wall Street firm. The incident reportedly happened in her office, after the two left the...
- 1/27/2012
- by karen
- ShockYa
Greg Kelly, a co-anchor of the "Good Day New York" morning show and the son of New York's police commissioner, has been accused of rape.
No charges have been filed in the case, and through his lawyer Kelly "strenuously denies" the allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman last fall. Kelly was absent from "Good Day New York," which airs on the city's Fox affiliate, on Thursday (Jan. 26); the show covered the story but didn't say if that was the reason Kelly was out.
Outside New York, Kelly is probably best known as a frequent subject of jokes on E!'s "The Soup." The 43-year-old is the son of Raymond Kelly, New York City's police commissioner. Because of Greg Kelly's family ties to the department, the NYPD turned over investigation of the case to the Manhattan district attorney's office.
According to the New York Times, the woman filed a complaint with police on Tuesday,...
No charges have been filed in the case, and through his lawyer Kelly "strenuously denies" the allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman last fall. Kelly was absent from "Good Day New York," which airs on the city's Fox affiliate, on Thursday (Jan. 26); the show covered the story but didn't say if that was the reason Kelly was out.
Outside New York, Kelly is probably best known as a frequent subject of jokes on E!'s "The Soup." The 43-year-old is the son of Raymond Kelly, New York City's police commissioner. Because of Greg Kelly's family ties to the department, the NYPD turned over investigation of the case to the Manhattan district attorney's office.
According to the New York Times, the woman filed a complaint with police on Tuesday,...
- 1/26/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
With strong delusions of adequacy, "Sins of the Father" offered us the conclusion to the three-episode story of Eric Sanders murder trial.
I so called it on Roseanna Remmick! Not that I should be happy because that means the show has gone into cookie-cutter and predictable mode.
When she walked in and a defense witness was sitting alone in her office I knew we had taken our final step into the realm of her being insane. What District Attorney is going to interview a defense witness without defense counsel (or some other lawyer) being there? Oh, that's right, the one that wants to witness tamper (sigh).
On the flipside of the coin from unrealistic, predictable, writing, we have the fine nuances that are needed to write a scene to appropriately use (and explain) gallows humor. As usual, Molina was brilliant, from telling the joke about the tigers to when he...
I so called it on Roseanna Remmick! Not that I should be happy because that means the show has gone into cookie-cutter and predictable mode.
When she walked in and a defense witness was sitting alone in her office I knew we had taken our final step into the realm of her being insane. What District Attorney is going to interview a defense witness without defense counsel (or some other lawyer) being there? Oh, that's right, the one that wants to witness tamper (sigh).
On the flipside of the coin from unrealistic, predictable, writing, we have the fine nuances that are needed to write a scene to appropriately use (and explain) gallows humor. As usual, Molina was brilliant, from telling the joke about the tigers to when he...
- 10/6/2011
- by jim@tvfanatic.com (Jim G.)
- TVfanatic
...but "Glee" makes flash mobs look so tame!
Machine Gun Kelly, a Cleveland-based rapper signed to P. Diddy's label, has been arrested, but not for anything particularly scandalous. No guns, no clubs, no sex involved! Instead, Kelly's crime involved a flash mob. You know, when a bunch of people gather in a pubic place and then dance once they get a signal.
Kelly started the party via Twitter, where he's followed by 70,000 fans. "I'm thinking about doing a flash mob at a mall or something tomorrow lol cleveland should we do one while I'm home?" he tweeted, and later, "Today we flash mob No Matter What! 5pm at SouthPark mall in the foodcourt, wear disguises, dont move to you hear 'Cleveland' play then Rage!"
Unfortunately, when he refused to get down off a table while "raging," the police weren't too amused. He was arrested in the food court. Now that's the good life.
Machine Gun Kelly, a Cleveland-based rapper signed to P. Diddy's label, has been arrested, but not for anything particularly scandalous. No guns, no clubs, no sex involved! Instead, Kelly's crime involved a flash mob. You know, when a bunch of people gather in a pubic place and then dance once they get a signal.
Kelly started the party via Twitter, where he's followed by 70,000 fans. "I'm thinking about doing a flash mob at a mall or something tomorrow lol cleveland should we do one while I'm home?" he tweeted, and later, "Today we flash mob No Matter What! 5pm at SouthPark mall in the foodcourt, wear disguises, dont move to you hear 'Cleveland' play then Rage!"
Unfortunately, when he refused to get down off a table while "raging," the police weren't too amused. He was arrested in the food court. Now that's the good life.
- 8/23/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Damn writer Gareth Bunkham and his perfect article on 52 Reasons Why Back To The Future Might Just Be The Greatest Film Of All Time. Since that cracking article was reissued last week by WhatCulture!; I have been honoured with the task of proving why, one of my favourite films of all time, a one Donnie Darko, should join this prestigious list, that along with the 80’s sci-fi blockbuster, so far includes;
Ghostbusters,
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho,
Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver.
and Jaws!
As Donnie Darko turns 10 years old this year, below are 50 reasons and to all you Darko fans, enjoy:
1. Richard Kelly
Writer, director, visionary, Richard Kelly made Donnie Darko what it is today – a magical film that inspires and entertains on every viewing. For a first time filmmaker, the direction and innovation of Donnie Darko is stunning and for a debut feature, highly admirable. I could go on...
Ghostbusters,
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho,
Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver.
and Jaws!
As Donnie Darko turns 10 years old this year, below are 50 reasons and to all you Darko fans, enjoy:
1. Richard Kelly
Writer, director, visionary, Richard Kelly made Donnie Darko what it is today – a magical film that inspires and entertains on every viewing. For a first time filmmaker, the direction and innovation of Donnie Darko is stunning and for a debut feature, highly admirable. I could go on...
- 8/3/2011
- by Adam Lock
- Obsessed with Film
Getty Leslie Caron arrives at Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
Still spritely at 79, actress Leslie Caron happily reminisced about her career before a Thursday night screening of her 1951 film “An American in Paris.” The French actress, who was hand-picked by star Gene Kelly to co-star in the Academy Award-winning MGM musical, told a sold-out crowd at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre that she only auditioned to be polite to Mr. Kelly and was surprised when she was offered the role.
“Thank god...
Still spritely at 79, actress Leslie Caron happily reminisced about her career before a Thursday night screening of her 1951 film “An American in Paris.” The French actress, who was hand-picked by star Gene Kelly to co-star in the Academy Award-winning MGM musical, told a sold-out crowd at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre that she only auditioned to be polite to Mr. Kelly and was surprised when she was offered the role.
“Thank god...
- 4/30/2011
- by Michelle Kung
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical
The Variety report seems hesitant to break out the "H"-word, but we'll do it: filmmakers Richard Kelly ('Donnie Darko') and Eli Roth ('Hostel') are teaming up for a (gasp) horror film called 'Corpus Christi,' and already, based only on those names, we're pretty darn intrigued. Described as a "contemporary thriller" (hehe), the film will follow a "mentally unstable Iraq war veteran ... who forges a strange friendship with his boss ... the wealthy and politically ambitious owner of a supermarket chain."
The early plot synopsis is nice and vague, just the way a good ol' contemporary thriller should be described. Mr. Kelly will write and direct, and Mr. Roth will produce, alongside Kelly's partner, Sean McKittrick. No casting to announce just yet, but Big V indicates that the filmmakers plan to get rolling within the next few weeks. They also mention...
The Variety report seems hesitant to break out the "H"-word, but we'll do it: filmmakers Richard Kelly ('Donnie Darko') and Eli Roth ('Hostel') are teaming up for a (gasp) horror film called 'Corpus Christi,' and already, based only on those names, we're pretty darn intrigued. Described as a "contemporary thriller" (hehe), the film will follow a "mentally unstable Iraq war veteran ... who forges a strange friendship with his boss ... the wealthy and politically ambitious owner of a supermarket chain."
The early plot synopsis is nice and vague, just the way a good ol' contemporary thriller should be described. Mr. Kelly will write and direct, and Mr. Roth will produce, alongside Kelly's partner, Sean McKittrick. No casting to announce just yet, but Big V indicates that the filmmakers plan to get rolling within the next few weeks. They also mention...
- 2/17/2011
- by Scott Weinberg
- Moviefone
Filed under: Movie News, Cinematical
The Variety report seems hesitant to break out the "H"-word, but we'll do it: filmmakers Richard Kelly ('Donnie Darko') and Eli Roth ('Hostel') are teaming up for a (gasp) horror film called 'Corpus Christi,' and already, based only on those names, we're pretty darn intrigued. Described as a "contemporary thriller" (hehe), the film will follow a "mentally unstable Iraq war veteran ... who forges a strange friendship with his boss ... the wealthy and politically ambitious owner of a supermarket chain."
The early plot synopsis is nice and vague, just the way a good ol' contemporary thriller should be described. Mr. Kelly will write and direct, and Mr. Roth will produce, alongside Kelly's partner, Sean McKittrick. No casting to announce just yet, but Big V indicates that the filmmakers plan to get rolling within the next few weeks. They also mention...
The Variety report seems hesitant to break out the "H"-word, but we'll do it: filmmakers Richard Kelly ('Donnie Darko') and Eli Roth ('Hostel') are teaming up for a (gasp) horror film called 'Corpus Christi,' and already, based only on those names, we're pretty darn intrigued. Described as a "contemporary thriller" (hehe), the film will follow a "mentally unstable Iraq war veteran ... who forges a strange friendship with his boss ... the wealthy and politically ambitious owner of a supermarket chain."
The early plot synopsis is nice and vague, just the way a good ol' contemporary thriller should be described. Mr. Kelly will write and direct, and Mr. Roth will produce, alongside Kelly's partner, Sean McKittrick. No casting to announce just yet, but Big V indicates that the filmmakers plan to get rolling within the next few weeks. They also mention...
- 2/17/2011
- by Scott Weinberg
- Cinematical
Hell Hollow by Ronald Kelly
“From out of a shadowy backwoods hollow, echoes a dark threat from the past, nearly a century lost and forgotten.
The rural town of Harmony, Tennessee possessed a disturbing secret; a secret so ancient that most of its residents were completely unaware of it. Even the last survivors of a vigilante raid long ago have filed the tragic events of that autumn night away, totally unaware of the evil that remains, dormant, but forever patient, among the tall pines and thick-leaved kudzu of a place known only as Hell Hollow.
There it would have remained, unrevealed, if not for a handful of unknowing participants. Four kids, bored for excitement during one of the hottest summers on record. A killer on the run, dodging his latest atrocity. And a rape victim on a deadly mission – scarred in both body and mind. All have a hand in...
“From out of a shadowy backwoods hollow, echoes a dark threat from the past, nearly a century lost and forgotten.
The rural town of Harmony, Tennessee possessed a disturbing secret; a secret so ancient that most of its residents were completely unaware of it. Even the last survivors of a vigilante raid long ago have filed the tragic events of that autumn night away, totally unaware of the evil that remains, dormant, but forever patient, among the tall pines and thick-leaved kudzu of a place known only as Hell Hollow.
There it would have remained, unrevealed, if not for a handful of unknowing participants. Four kids, bored for excitement during one of the hottest summers on record. A killer on the run, dodging his latest atrocity. And a rape victim on a deadly mission – scarred in both body and mind. All have a hand in...
- 8/2/2010
- by Peter Schwotzer
- FamousMonsters of Filmland
After decades of not saying even a peep, except occasionally and briefly at martial art tournaments or film fan conventions, the current issue of Shock Cinema magazine (Number 38) has a new exclusive interview with the one and only, “our” Bruce Lee, Jim Kelly. In a detailed extensive interview Kelly talks about his career, his films and of course, what it was like working with The Master, Bruce Lee on Enter The Dragon.
No doubt this is a must read for any fan of blaxploitation films, exploitation films, 1970’s movies, martial arts films and those like me who have been wondering what the hell Kelly has been up to all these years?
And here’s a very short but sweet film clip of Mr. Kelly, behind the mask, in action…...
No doubt this is a must read for any fan of blaxploitation films, exploitation films, 1970’s movies, martial arts films and those like me who have been wondering what the hell Kelly has been up to all these years?
And here’s a very short but sweet film clip of Mr. Kelly, behind the mask, in action…...
- 6/23/2010
- by Sergio
- ShadowAndAct
Britain's Queen Elizabeth was jokingly killed off by a BBC radio DJ. DJ Danny Kelly of BBC Wm station played the national anthem half-way through his two-hour afternoon show yesterday (17.05.10) before making the shock announcement that the 84-year-old monarch had died. Danny, 39, somberly told up to a quarter of a million listeners in the West Midlands that he had some '"astonishing news" to deliver, before stating "Queen Elizabeth II has now died". Within seconds, producer Mark Newman jumped on air, saying: "You can't say that". Mr. Kelly then clarified that he'd actually been referring to a friend on his Facebook page who called himself "Queen Elizabeth II", but who had vanished from the website. A BBC spokesman has...
- 5/18/2010
- Monsters and Critics
I seem to be one of the few people in the online world that doesn't think Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko is a very good movie. However, to continue the insanity I am also one of the few people that didn't hate Southland Tales. Of course, the C+ I gave Southland in my review will prompt people to say I still didn't like it all that much, but that's what happens when you only look at grades and don't actually read. Next up for Mr. Kelly is The Box, a film starring Cameron Diaz and James Marsden as Norma and Arthur, a couple with a young child who receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which promises to deliver its owner $1 million with the press of a button. However, pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world... someone they don't know.
- 6/25/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Ann Kelly, the New Jersey woman accused of having an affair with Bruce Springsteen in divorce papers, has come out swinging. In a 27-page court document filed Tuesday, Ann accuses her husband Arthur of being a jealous, abusive spouse who committed adultery numerous times himself. Ann, 44, continues to deny she had an affair with The Boss, and claims her husband made the accusation because "he and his attorney felt there could be 'big money' in this ... because, true or not, the celebrity would want this to 'go away.' " Arthur's attorney, Edward Fradkin, tells People that his client denies the allegations in his wife's counterclaim.
- 5/20/2009
- by Diane Herbst
- PEOPLE.com
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