On Friday October 25th, the 8th Wonder of the World returns to Journal Square for the first time in nearly 70 years. The original KING KONG (1933), the landmark classic that set the standard for stop-motion special effects, will be presented on our huge 50-foot screen in a beautiful 35mm print. This new print includes deleted scenes that were cut in the late 1930's, and have only recently been restored from 35mm materials. Also shown will be the classic 1942 Tom and Jerry cartoon, FRAIDY CAT.

On Saturday October 26th, our matinee presentation is the hilarious 1984 comedy GHOSTBUSTERS, starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. This brand new stereo print will be presented in wide screen Panavision. Also on hand for this special kiddie matinee will be Casper, the Friendly Ghost in a newly restored print of the 1954 cartoon, BOO MOON.

Saturday evening, October 26th, is a double-feature that any horror fan can sink their teeth into: FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (1943), starring horror icons Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi, will be shown in a new 35mm print. Plus, the 1958 Hammer Studios classic HORROR OF DRACULA, starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, will be presented in an archival, Technicolor print. This film helped to launch the enormously successful horror cycle of the fifties and sixties which, for the first time, presented all the horror in lush, blood-red Technicolor. This screening will mark the first time it is being shown in an original dye-transfer Technicolor print in the New York area in over 30 years.

The Loew's Jersey opened its solid brass doors in 1929 as the "most lavish temple of entertainment in New Jersey." Once slated for demolition, it stands today as one of the finest surviving movie palaces in the Tri-State area. Currently undergoing restoration, the Loew's Jersey is strongly committed to the serious presentation of motion picture film, and is the only theatre in the Metropolitan Area presenting 35mm prints of classic films with authentic carbon arc illumination.

The Loew's Jersey is located on Journal Square in Jersey City. We are directly across the street from the Path Transportation Center, and convenient bus and train service is available from mid-town Manhattan. The theatre is just minutes from the Holland/Lincoln Tunnels, George Washington Bridge and New Jersey Turnpike. Ample parking is available in the lot directly behind the theatre. For more information and detailed directions, please visit our website at www.loewsjersey.org or call 201-798-6055.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to experience classic films in the way they were meant to be seen - in the glory of 35mm on the big screen in a magnificent theatre. Bring your friends, bring your family and enjoy the "Movie Palace Experience" at the fabulous Loew's Jersey!

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We will be presenting BOO MOON in 3-D next year as part of the Loew's Jersey's 50th anniversary 3-D festivals. We'll be sure to post details on this site!

It would be great to contact the gentleman that worked on this cartoon. Would you happen to know where we can reach him? Please contact me off site. Thanks!

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The print of KING KONG arrived yesterday, and it is absolutely stunning. Great quality and beautiful black and white printing. With the exception of occasional scratches, the deleted scenes are inserted flawlessly. I've never seen the film look this good!

Unfortunately, Warner Bros. advised us yesterday afternoon that the print of FRAIDY CAT will not be available. Apparently, someone at the studio has determined that this classic Tom and Jerry cartoon is not politically correct. In its place on Friday, we will screen Daffy Duck in THE GREAT PIGGY BANK ROBBERY. My apologies for this last minute change.

Our usual level of showmanship will be somewhat compromised this weekend. The grand curtain in front of the screen has developed a problem on its track, and has begun to tear. In order to avoid further damage, we will not be able to utilize the curtain this weekend. It's very frustrating to not have it operational. Until we can raise the necessary funds to perform the repairs to the track, I'm sorry to say that the curtain will have to remain open.

Some true Friends of the Loew's have gone to bat in helping with material this weekend, and I'd like to thank them. Pete Apruzzese, Brian Bavosa, Bill Duelly, Mitchell Dvoskin and Ray Faiola have allowed us to display some unique, original memorabilia from their collections. Special thanks to Sabucat Productions and Jeff Joseph for loaning some rare 35mm trailers from their vast trailer archive. Thanks to all of you for your help!

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Unfortunately, Warner Bros. advised us yesterday afternoon that the print of FRAIDY CAT will not be available. Apparently, someone at the studio has determined that this classic Tom and Jerry cartoon is not politically correct. In its place on Friday, we will screen Daffy Duck in THE GREAT PIGGY BANK ROBBERY. My apologies for this last minute change.

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I think I have seen this film, but I can't remember anything about it; what do they feel is the problem with it?

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Our usual level of showmanship will be somewhat compromised this weekend. The grand curtain in front of the screen has developed a problem on its track, and has begun to tear. In order to avoid further damage, we will not be able to utilize the curtain this weekend. It's very frustrating to not have it operational. Until we can raise the necessary funds to perform the repairs to the track, I'm sorry to say that the curtain will have to remain open.

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Any idea of a cost to put this right?

From what I understand, the cartoon (like all early Tom and Jerry titles) features an un-seen maid, with a stereotypical dialect. I guess they felt it might upset our audience. We offered to accept full responsibility, but they will not release the print.

The damage to the curtain just happened the other day, so we'll have to bring in some people to look at the problem. At this point in time, we have no idea what the cost will be to repair the problem. This is so frustrating! I really hate the idea that people will enter the auditorium with an exposed screen. It goes against all of our efforts towards proper showmanship and presentation. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do by tomorrow night.

Although most of the original ornamentation is in place at the Loew's Jersey (except for statuary and fountains in the hallways and lobbys), it was sad to see the toll that time has taken on the theatre. It was like going back to the childhood home that you loved and seeing the windows broken, the paint peeling, etc. And yet, the details and ornamentation were overwhelming and the atmosphere made me feel like I was 10 years old again.

Perhaps even more than the movie itself, all of the trailers and other ancillary materials and snipes brought me back to my childhood (and also gave the audience lots of laughs.) Even the trailer for Ghostbusters seemed like it came from some long by-gone era.

The image was impressively large, seemingly using all of the height available in the theatre. Seems to me that a 1.85 and especially an anamorphic presentation in this theatre would have so much less height as to be far less impressive.

The color images in the trailers had a color depth and sheen that you don't usually see today (in the older films, but not in the later Ghostbusters trailer, which was dark and murky). How much of this is due to the Technicolor processes used in the films and how much is due to the carbon arc presentation, I couldn't tell you. But while watching it, it almost made me think that either the carbon arc or the color processes were the equivalent of "analog" as compared with today's colder "digital" images. There were very warm colors in the "Horror of Dracula" trailer and extremely bright colors in the "Artists & Models" trailer that you never see on film today. But maybe that's because most filmmakers today desaturate the colors in their films.

The other aspect that impressed me was the sound quality. I had expected to be completely turned off by the optical (obviously non-Dolby) 1930's sound quality. Even as a kid I thought that film sound sucked, especially after getting a chance to see some of the Todd-AO and Cinerama films in first-run theatres. But the sound was surprisingly effective. I didn't miss the stereo spread, the higher frequencies or lower distortion of today's sound systems. At the same time that much of the dialogue sounded clipped, it also sounded surprisingly warm. And the long reverb delay time of the theatre's acoustics also brought me back to my youth and made me smile.

The print of King Kong was probably as good as could be expected for a 70-yr-old film and it was great to see it on a large screen, but the problem in seeing Kong in a theatre is that it made all of the special effects so much more obvious.

I'd estimate the crowd at 200-300 people. They were all very enthusiastic and cheered and laughed throughout the presentation. I just might swing back there tonight for the two horror films.

(I'd have posted something about tonight's 16mm movie palace tungsten screening, but I'm afraid that John P. and the Screencheck inspectors might have come to visit!)

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The print of KING KONG (and the trailer/cartoon reel) were all presented in the original 1.37 aspect ratio. When we run anything anamorphic 2.35, or widescreen 1.85, we use the full width of the 50 foot screen, and drop the top masking accordingly. It fills the entire proscenium opening, and is quite impressive. That's a really wide image. As a comparison, the 1.37 picture is about 35 feet wide.

I agree with your opinions on the picture quality. To go from a pair of 1950's IB Technicolor trailers, to a 1980's trailer, was a bit jarring. Just goes to show you how much the quality had changed in both color and printing. Also, the dye-transfer prints really come to life with carbon arc illumination. That's the light source they were printed and timed for, and it really does make a difference.

The audio is going through a Sony DCP, and vintage Altec tube amplifiers from the mid-fifties. The speaker cabinets on stage are the same vintage Altec Voice of the Theatre units. They certainly have a nice, warm quality that is somewhat lacking in todays digital processes.

On Friday, November 22nd at 7:30, we present two classic Sherlock Holmes mysteries. In THE SCARLET CLAW (1944), Holmes and Watson travel to Canada to solve a series of grisly murders where the victims have had their throats ripped out. This film is considered the very best of the Universal/Holmes mysteries. Our second feature is THE PEARL OF DEATH (1944), with Holmes on the trail of the cursed Borgia Pearl, and nearly meeting his demise at the hands of The Creeper, a horribly disfigured homicidal maniac.

These two classic features have not looked this good in nearly 60 years. Recently restored from deteriorating nitrate film elements by the UCLA Film Archive, the Loew's Jersey is pleased to present the New York area premiere of these beautiful 35mm restorations.

On November 23rd at 2:00, we present the perennial Laurel and Hardy holiday favorite BABES IN TOYLAND (aka MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS - 1934.) Stanley Dum and Ollie Dee save Toyland from the evil Silas Barnaby (and the hideous bogeymen) in Victor Herbert's timeless classic. We will be presenting the original, un-cut black and white version.

On November 23rd at 7:30, we proudly pay tribute to Dean Martin and (New Jersey's own) Jerry Lewis. First teaming in 1946 at Atlantic City's 500 Club, this great duo rose to the very top of the entertainment industry. By the time they went their separate ways in 1956, they had become one of the most successful comedy teams of all time - conquering movies, television, radio, nightclubs, theatres and concert halls.

Our feature presentation is ARTISTS AND MODELS (1955) which is considered to be one of their very best as a team. Directed by former animation director Frank Tashlin, Dean and Jerry are transformed into living cartoons in this wild film which features some of the most outrageous sight gags of the 1950's. We are pleased to present an original 35mm dye-transfer Technicolor print, which showcases some of the most saturated comic-book-color cinematography from that era. It will look absolutely stunning with authentic carbon arc illumination on our huge 50-foot screen.

This special tribute will also include original 1951 newsreel footage (unseen in over 50 years) of Martin and Lewis performing in a Hollywood nightclub. Many feel that Dean and Jerry were at their very best in front of a live audience, and this rare footage perfectly captures the spontaneity and manic energy of this great team. Plus, we will have unique memorabilia on display in the Grand Lobby, including original movie posters and collectibles.

For more information, please visit our website at here

Due to a scheduling conflict, the screening of Laurel and Hardy's BABES IN TOYLAND has been changed to Sunday, November 24th at 2 PM. I apologize for the change and inconvenience.

Unfortunately, we are unable to locate a 35mm print of the original MGM version. We will be presenting this feature with an excellent 16mm copy which was reduction printed from the original un-cut nitrate fine grains. I've seen this print, and the quality is outstanding. The image on our screen will be the same size as our normal 1.37 35mm presentations, and it will be projected with xenon light. You won't be disappointed!

For additional information on our restored 35mm Sherlock Holmes double-feature, or Martin and Lewis tribute, please visit our website at here

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