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Topic: What to see in the big apple or Long Island

Frank A. Phillips
Film Handler

Posts: 13
From: Burton, Mi USA
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 01-08-2001 05:29 AM

I will be in Long Island for just a few days the end of January and was wonderin' if there is a booth I should see, new or olde, single or multiple projectors. My first trip and maybe only trip so wanna see something besides buildings.

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Mark Ogden
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 943
From: Little Falls, N.J.
Registered: Jun 99

posted 01-08-2001 06:48 AM

I'm afraid that there isn't much on Long Island that would be worth going out of your way for, just your standard assortment of chain multi's and the occasional run down independent conversion.

Now that I think of it, the Syosset Theater in Syosset has some historical significance. It was originally the "Cinema 150" and was built in the late 60's to accomadate an experiment in extreme wide guage projection, a 150mm. print. Needless to say, that didn't go anywhere, but it's still regarded as Long Island's showplace theater. Coupla' Norelcos now, and one big screen. I'm mildly surprised this place has managed to stay as a single over the years.

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Frank A. Phillips
Film Handler

Posts: 13
From: Burton, Mi USA
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 01-08-2001 07:19 AM

Thanks for the info Mark. I'll look it up.

Frank

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Dick Vaughan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1032
From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 01-08-2001 07:56 AM

Mark

I think you'll find the Cinema 150 at Syossett is or was probably a United Artists theatre with a deep curved screen for use with Dimension 150 sytem in the late 60's / early 70's.

This used 70mm prints with special 150 degree filming/projection angles .The lenses are magnificent beasts. The only two films commercially released using this system were "The Bible -In The Beginning" and "Patton -Lust For Glory"

The thought of 150mm wide film makes me shudder. That said the film reviewer for our local paper wrote an interesting piece when we upgraded from mono to full 6 track mag using a CP200 back in the early 80's.

He said that we were the only cinema in our area to have Dolby stereo and 700mm projection!!!

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John Eickhof
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 588
From: Wendell, ID USA
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 01-08-2001 09:55 PM

If you have time, you may want to visit Kelmar Systems, they manufacture automation, LED units, and many other projectionist freindly items! The founder, Andy Marglin would probably be most pleased to have a visitor! You can see how stuff is made!
The address is: 284 Bradway, Huntington Station, NY. fone# 516-421-1230
Tell him John Eickhof sent ya!

If you want to see how screens are made...
visit Technikote Corp. 63 Seabring St. Brooklyn NY. fone 718-624-6429 Ask for Mitch
And tell him John Eickhof sent ya!

Enjoy your trip!!! There's always more out there besides theatres!

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 01-12-2001 08:54 AM

Kelmar's Andy Marglin has lots of great stories to share. He was a "console operator" in the early days of Cinerama --- the guy that sat in the auditorium at a console, keeping the three projectors in sync and monitoring the sound.

------------------
John P. Pytlak, Senior Technical Specialist
Worldwide Technical Services, Entertainment Imaging
Eastman Kodak Company
Research Labs, Building 69, Room 7419
Rochester, New York, 14650-1922 USA
Tel: 716-477-5325 Cell: 716-781-4036 Fax: 716-722-7243
E-Mail: john.pytlak@kodak.com

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 01-12-2001 09:29 AM

Speaking of Cinerama. Years ago, in my early days of projection, one of my projection technitions at the time had his own cinerama set up in his house. He has since installed this equipment into a functioning theater in Dayton Ohio. His name is John Harvey. The name of the theater is The Neon, As far as I know it is still installed there. He had several films ranging from This is Cinerama to How the west was won. I credit this man for keeping my interests alive and learn as much as I can.

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Harry Robinson
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 155
From: Franklin Tennessee
Registered: Dec 1999

posted 01-12-2001 10:03 AM

Sadly, the owners of the Neon Cinema have opted to dissolve their relationship with John and Cinerama. The showings were an inconvenience, apparently. I talked with him last week, and he said he was in the midst of re-installing the equipment in his house. It seems a waste. The Cinerama experience is not only a facinating combination of mechanical whizbangs resulting in the kind of media experience IMAX accomplishes with state-of-the-art technology, it also opens a window to many cultural attitudes of the fifties.

The documentaries are naive and arched in tone, and they reveal more than they ever intended about their time and place

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Darryl Spicer
Film God

Posts: 3250
From: Lexington, KY, USA
Registered: Dec 2000

posted 01-12-2001 05:05 PM

Sad to hear that John is no longer involved with the public showings of Cinerama. During the early days he used to tell me some interesting stories about the cinerama opperations in the hey day of the process. I miss some of those conversations. I guess that Neon theater has went ahead with plans to twin the theater something they were going to do before John convinced them to install cinerama.

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Frank A. Phillips
Film Handler

Posts: 13
From: Burton, Mi USA
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 01-14-2001 06:26 PM

Thanks to all youse gize for the information BUT I'll be having, at most a whole day that will be split between two days. Bet on it that I'll be making phone calls and trying to see as much as I can afore I return.

Thanks to all of you

Frank

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Dick Vaughan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1032
From: Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 01-15-2001 02:25 AM

Although the New Neon cinema has decided not to continue with Cinerama the format is by no means dead. We still show "This is Cinerama" on the first Saturday of every month at 1.30pm and include other three strip material in the Widescreen Weekend segment of our annual Bradford Film Festival http://www.bradfordfilmfestival.org.uk

This year John Harvey is loaning us his copy of Cinerama Holiday for the event.

We also have prints of How The West was Won ( in glorious Technicolour) and as far as we know the only three strip copy of Windjammer.

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David Miller
Film Handler

Posts: 18
From: Kent, WA, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 01-15-2001 03:55 AM

The Cinerama in Seattle ran John Harvey's prints of "How the West Was Won" and "This is Cinerama" last June for the first public showing of Cinerama since the 1960's in Seattle. This summer there are plans in the works to do the same thing again during the Seattle International Film Festival.

Anyone in Seattle during May or June of 2001 should look into the details as the dates get closer.

------------------
David Miller
millerdk@plu.edu
Projectionist, Seattle Cinerama

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