Ben-Hur (1959) and seeing it on a big screen

This past April I went to see Ben Hur at the Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge IL. I tried to imagine myself as a film goer of 1959 seeing this up on the screen for the first time. The lavish sets and cinematography really are nothing but impressive. Experiencing that chariot race again reminded me that none of it was done with CGI.

The Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge, Illinois opened in 1928

"Ben-Hur" started at 7 PM, and left the theater at about 11 PM

Now Showing: "Ben Hur". 

I've always been curious about the film's subtitle "A Tale of the Christ". This subtitle made a bit more sense to me on this rewatch, seeing how the entire film leads up to the final miracle of Christ.  In the Bible a number of Christ's miracles are mentioned, including healings; what's not told are the life stories of those people that were healed, such as the blind man for example. This movie is an attempt to dramatize one of those families touched by the Christ. 

The current state of independent theaters in Chicagoland

The other day I reported sad news about the Patio theater - a golden-age Chicago movie palace that for the past few years has been a great venue for classic film screenings and second run films. It's now closed because the owner cannot afford the $50,000 cost to fix the air conditioning.  It's sad that this had to happen, because in 2012 the owner successfully raised $50,000 in a Kickstarter campaign to purchase a digital projector. And I'm happy to say that I went to see the James Bond in Skyfall from that projector more than once. The 35MM projector still was in great condition, and I recently saw a great pre code classic there last week (I'll have a review of it soon).

Unfortunately, the owner lost the vision he had when he reopened the theater and talked about keeping it open "for generations to come". In this recent interview with the Chicago Tribune, his attitude is anything but optimistic. He complains about the admission price, the single theater, and the horrors of borrowing money.

Adding to the hardship is the fact that the theater is not in the best location in the city.

Most people I know that have attended the classic film screenings have had to travel half-way across the city, a commute of anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour (or more). And it's not close to any trains or subways. Two other neighborhood movie houses - The Music Box and The Logan - are doing much better and drawing in healthy crowds each week, offering more to the audience than what the Patio has been able to do. Both have multiple screens. The Logan has a bar and hosts events throughout the week such as Trivia nights. The Music Box is probably the #1 theater in Chicago to see art and foreign films. And both are near train stations and downtown Chicago, which makes a big difference in my opinion.

Another independent theater in the Chicago area is experiencing some great fundraising success. Just this morning I heard that the 101 -year old Wilmette Theater raised enough money on Kickstarter to avoid shutting its doors (read the piece from CBS Chicago here). The owners of the 2-screen theater in suburban Chicago successfully raised $70,000 to purchase a digital projector for their second screen (they already had one digital projector for their other screen).

This article from the Chicago Tribune reports on yet another success story:

"Tim O'Connor, co-owner of the Catlow Theater in Barrington -- and a recent donor to the Wilmette Theatre's Kickstarter campaign – said the online fundraising mechanism prevented his own historic, single-screen movie house from being shuttered in 2012. "We had 60 days to raise $100,000 in donations for a new screen and a new digital projection system, but when we reached our goal in the first seven days, people were asking us, 'what else do you need'" recalled O'Connor, who said the Kickstarter campaign ended up raising $175,000."

It all goes to show that it's not easy to run a decades-old movie house.

There are some success stories, and there are some failures, as in the case with the Patio.

Theaters of Jacksonville, Florida USA

Note: this post is part of the photo series Vintage Movie Theaters across the USA

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Last December my friend and I embarked on a road trip, from Tallahassee to Savannah, then down to Jacksonville Florida! 

 After crossing the Georgia-Florida line heading south on I-95 we took a ride on A1A to see Amelia Island. There's some interesting history there, and I may do blog post on Amelia Island in the future. A "Pippi Longstocking" movie was filmed there in the 1980s, but I've never seen it. 

We then continued on A1A and got to see as much as the coast as we could get to in one afternoon. 

 We then headed west on US Route 90 into Jacksonville. 

Our first stop was to check out a lovely theater in the San Marco neighborhood of Jacksonville, located on the east side of the St. John's River.  

The street it's on reminds me of a downtown of a small town, not a street in a big city!

San Marco Theatre

1996 San Marco Boulevard, Jacksonville, FL 32207

"Opened in 1938, the beautifully maintained San Marco Theatre remains immune to the travails of time and the Art Deco style movie palace is still showing movies after 63 years. Featured on the back cover of Davis Cone’s book, Popcorn Palaces, the San Marco Theatre is one of the most elegant and opulent cinemas in the city, designed by architect Roy Benjamin." - Cinema Treasures

We then had to cross the Main Street Bridge in order to cross the river to get the downtown part of Jacksonville. It is a neat bridge, built in 1941.

Our next destination was the Florida Theater.  Elvis Presley made one of his first concert appearances there. 

Here's the view of it coming off the ramp.

Florida Theatre

128 East Forsyth Street, Jacksonville, FL 32202

"This theater, located on Forsyth Street in downtown Jacksonville, is beautiful. It opened in 1927 and was designed to look like a Moorish courtyard at night inside, complete with dark blue sky with glowing stars, lit balconies and fountains. The theatre was designed with central heating and air conditioning." - Cinema Treasures

BELOW: I love this old fashioned ticket booth.

I wish we had more time to go inside. I'm sure it's stunning inside!

BELOW: Sign says "Welcome to Downtown Jacksonville"

Next up on the agenda is another urban movie theater of a bygone era, the Murray Hill Theater, now a concert venue in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Jacksonville (932 S. Edgewood Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32205). My friend worked on a construction project nearby.  

"This theater is listed at open in 1950. It showed many B movies and was very popular. In the 2000’s, it was in use as a nightclub. By 2008 it was hosting concerts". - Cinema Treasures

There was only time for a couple of snapshots. But imagine coming to see a 3D monster movie here in the 1950s!

Photos from Savannah Georgia, USA

Here are some of my favorite pics from my trip to Savannah last December.  

 

The historic area of Savannah is divided into squares, with each one forming a little community. Here's a picture of one of them. You'll see locals walk their dogs, or even a wedding party's photo shoot.

A good old fashioned brick and mortar bookstore. The E. Shaver Bookstore.

Clary's Restaurant, where 1997's Midnight In the Garden of Good & Evil was filmed.

The wall inside had lots of photos of the cast and crew of the film. Had pecan waffles here. 

I took one of the famous trolley tours around the city, and jumped on and off at various locations. Here's the riverfront. Shops & restaurants are here. 

Bar where Julia Roberts filmed Something to Talk About in 1995.

The square where Forrest Gump was filmed (the Tom Hanks bench scene)

Across the street is the historic Savannah Theater.

Here's the world famous Leopold's Ice Cream. If you are in Savannah, you must stop here. They are famous for their Tutti Fruitti -flavor ice cream. Hollywood producer Stratton Leopold owns this place, and all of his movie posters are on the wall (Wolfman, Sum of All Fears). The line was out the door and the place was packed when I was there.

Right next door is the SCAD theater; film fests and classic movie screenings are held here.

This use to be an old theater but I don't know it's history...will have to research this. 

Also nearby is the Lucas Theater, primarily a performing arts venue, they also show films.

An ad is promoting a Jimmy Stewart film fest! 

One of the coolest statues in the city (and there are MANY of them!) is this one honoring the great songwriter Johnny Mercer who was from Savannah.

The statue is by a bus terminal.

At first I thought the paper he was holding was a songbook, but it's actually a newspaper, as the statue is based on a photo of him leaning against a fire hydrant in New York. 

I had a great time here and would come back again one day. 

There is so much to see, and so much beautiful architecture, such as this lovely home:

 

Movie theaters of Southeastern Georgia, USA (photos)

Note: this post is part of the photo series Vintage Movie Theaters across the USA

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Last month, my friend and I embarked on a road trip, beginning west of Tallahassee and onward to Savannah. On December 28, we made our way through two cities in southeastern Georgia and came across some cool vintage theaters. So what was I do ? Snap, snap away, of course. Here are the pics. Hope you enjoy them.

Driving east on Route 38, we made our way through Valdosta, Georgia...

and came across the Dosta Playhouse, which is now used primarily for live theater shows.

According to Cinema Treasures, the theater first opened in 1941, and showed movies.

One user commented that the theater used to be segregated.

Continuing northeast on Route 38, we passed through Waycross, Georgia.

First we saw the RITZ theater, which is - sadly - closed now. 

But according to Cinema Treasures, it was a thriving theater

in the 1940s and 50s.

A close-up of the relief - don't you just love this? 

Just around the block is another theater - The Ritz. 

Was originally a vaudeville house, and opened around 1913 according to Cinema Treasures.

It had a grand reopening in 1935, and showed movies starring Katherine Hepburn and Claudette Colbert. 

I love these old box office windows!!!!

They are so rare!

Now it is used primarily for community theater.