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Home Archives for Fun Stuff On Location

June 12, 2015 By iluvcinema 2 Comments

Hometown Movie Palaces

First off, my apologies for not posting recently. The work-life balance has been a bit askew meaning that I have not had the leisure or pleasure of waxing poetic about my latest and greatest thoughts about the world of cinema.

But enough of that. I am glad to return with a bit of Friday nostalgia, inspired by:

  1. My recent screening of the 4K restoration of The Third Man (more on that in a separate post) and
  2. My participation in the free course inspired by the TCM’s Summer of Darkness, which showcases the thrilling cinematic movement/genre known as film noir.

I am taken back momentarily to how these films were exhibited to audiences of their time – movie palaces and movie theaters.

Often built by studios, whether big or small, these buildings were opulent pieces of architecture, often designed and styled in the fashion of the day, including, art deco and a generic Hollywood-defined “oriental style.”

For years growing up near Gramatan Avenue (part of the commercial district of my hometown of Mount Vernon, NY), we would frequently walk by a sad, dilapidated edifice that for my part, felt haunted by echoes of the past. I always referred to it as “the RKO Theatre.” A quick internet search, revealed a little more about the history, including the formal name, RKO Proctor Theater).

proctor interior
Proctor Theatre, interior. Mount Vernon, NY (Photo source: Architecture and Building, Volume 46)
Proctor Theatre, exterior. Mount Vernon, NY. Photo source: Architecture and Building, Volume 46
Proctor Theatre, exterior. Mount Vernon, NY. Source: Architecture and Building, Volume 46

Here is a link to a couple of additional interior shots from the same source.

Now to think about, this all makes sense to me now because right across the street there was named “Proctor’s Pharmacy,” a concern that is still in operation.

Shout out and many thanks to one of my recent favorite internet resources – Cinema Treasures – for their comprehensive database of all manner of building in the United States was/is dedicated to the exhibition of film. It was in this archive that I was not only able to find information about my abandoned, beloved neighborhood theater above, but where I also “discovered” several other theaters in Mount Vernon that were lost to time (hint: the hyperlink will tell you a little more about the theater and location; also be sure to check out user comments – very informative):

Embassy Theatre (no photo)

Biltmore Theater

biltmore
Photo source: Cinema Treasures

Loew’s Mount Vernon Theatre

Loew's Mount Vernon (Source: Cinema Treasures)
Loew’s Mount Vernon – sign visible in the upper right corner (Source: Cinema Treasures)

Parkway Theatre (no photo) I had forgotten I knew about this one. Also on Gramatan Avenue (a little further up in the Fleetwood section of Mount Vernon). A very faint, distant memory recalls me (again) walking by this theater and seeing a poster for the release of The Elephant Man. Interesting fact about this location’s fate – it now houses a funeral home.

Do you have a hometown/local/now long gone, forgotten building you remember fondly as a place where you would enjoy watching films? Share below.

Filed Under: Fun Stuff, On Location Tagged With: mount vernon new york, mount vernon ny movie palaces, movie theaters, old movie palaces, On Location

October 14, 2013 By iluvcinema 1 Comment

“Behind the Screen” at the Museum of the Moving Image

image

This past Saturday I ventured out to Astoria, Queens (NY) and made my first ever visit to the Museum of the Moving Image. For the uninitiated, MoMI (as I am calling it) is “the country’s only museum dedicated to the art, history, technique, and technology of the moving image in all its forms.” (Source: Museum of the Moving Image website)

My focus of interest, of course is cinematic, and I was not disappointed to find on offer, ranging from film screenings to film-related installations. A centerpiece in the exhibition area is Behind the Screen, an ongoing collection of ephemera that “introduces visitors to the history of the moving image, from 19th optical toys to the present-day impact of digital tools on film editing and post-production.” (Source: Museum of the Moving Image website)

Among the highlights for me on my visit include:

  • portrait photography of Hollywood stars from the silent through studio area,
  • Else Lancaster’s wig from The Bride of Frankenstein;
  • Bette Davis’ wig from Jezebel;
  • the fan magazines;
  • script treatments from Citizen Kane and This Gun for Hire;
  • Star Wars action figures and play sets;
  • and very creepily, the life masks from the likes of Dorothy McGuire (The Enchanted Cottage).

Here are a couple of photos from the walkabout:

Sorry Breaking Bad fans – one collection of snaps you will not see are from the collection of costumes and props from the recently-retired television series (photographing the pieces was strictly prohibited). There were other television related pieces on view and photograph, including Robin Williams’ space costume from Mork and Mindy and one of Bill Cosby’s sweaters from The Cosby Show.

If you are ever in the NYC area, I highly recommend that you catch the N/Q train to 36th Avenue for a wonderful opportunity to see common and obscure items from the world of cinema and television.

image

Filed Under: Fun Stuff, On Location Tagged With: behind the screen exhibit, museum of the moving image

September 3, 2013 By iluvcinema 7 Comments

Films Set in North Carolina

This post is inspired by my recent excursion to the state of North Carolina. Usually, I visit the greater Charlotte area (family and friends being the reason) but this time around I was in the “central/northern-ish” part of the state.

lush_landscape__appalachian_mountains__north_carolina

Anyway, as with most things in life, I tied my trip back to the movies, did some digging around and came up with a list of some of my fave flicks set in the Tar Heel State.

  • Cape Fear (1991) – very able remake to a classic film.
  • This is Spinal Tap (1984) – well at least part of it was set
  • George Washington (2000) – see previous post on Green’s latest, “Prince Avalanche”
  • The Descent (2005) – horror generally not my genre du jour but this was quite watchable

Honorable Mention for films I should have seen by now:

  • Being There (1979)
  • Junebug (2005)
  • Cold Mountain (2003) – yeah my big bro spoiled the ending for me. So there you go.

And a final shoutout to a film that has yet to be released: Serena starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

That’s me done; how about you? Hit the comments section below with some of your favorites.

Filed Under: On Location Tagged With: north carolina

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