There was a time in the grand era of movie palaces where the theater we saw a movie at was as important as the film itself.Names like Marcus Loew and William Fox built
and operated theater palaces that were created to give the common man a feeling
of royalty, even if only for a couple of hours while they were entertained by
the latest fare from Hollywood. Studios,
too, built monuments to showmanship where the movies they made could be seen in
all their splendor.
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Many of these theaters still exist; Grauman’s
Chinese in Hollywood, The Loew’s Jersey in Jersey City, the Fox Theatres in
Atlanta and Detroit, among others. Some
are now performing arts centers, but a few still operate the way they were
originally conceived – as movie theaters.
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Washington, D.C. does not come to mind as a city
with a great movie palace legacy. It is
too busy being the capital of the free world. Â
But in the 1920s through the 1940s, it could hold its own with any other
large city with great downtown motion picture cathedrals. Two of these theaters still exist; The
Warner, built in 1927 serves as a performing arts and concert venue; and The
Uptown, which still operates as a movie palace, just like it did on October 29th,
1936, the night it opened.
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Washingtonians know and cherish the Uptown as the
city’s last surviving movie palace within the city limits. The Uptown was built and originally run by
Warner Brothers.  As time went on the
theater was sold to RKO Stanley Warner theatres, then to Circle Theatres, a
local chain, finally ending up as an AMC theatre today. From 1982 to 1985, I was fortunate to
occasionally work at the Uptown as a projectionist. I usually had the honor of substituting for
the regular projectionist on some of his days off. Being part of the experience, actually
running the show at Washington’s best theater is a job I would have done
without pay.
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The Uptown started as an art deco movie theater,
and stayed that way until 1963, when it was decided that the Uptown should be
Washington, D.C.’s Cinerama showplace.Â
The auditorium was completely remodeled to accommodate the wide, curved
screen of Cinerama, which was shown originally using three projectors.  The Cinerama screen originally measured 85
feet in width and about 30 feet in height that ran from nearly floor to
ceiling. The screen was curved at 146
degrees to envelope the audience in the Cinerama experience.
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Only one three projector Cinerama movie was ever
shown at the Uptown, 1963’s “How The West Was Won.â€Â As most movie fans know, that was also the
last three strip Cinerama movie produced.Â
From that point, Cinerama pictures were made and shown with 70MM film
using a single camera and projector. The
Uptown to this day, is equipped for 70MM projection and over the years,
especially in the 1960s, ran a great number of 70MM Cinerama pictures. During the 1980s, the Uptown ran almost
exclusively 70MM prints. Â Â A trip to the
projection booth today will reveal the word “Cinerama†still adorning two the
Century 35/70 projectors.
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The Uptown has a long history of hosting the world
premieres of many big pictures. In my
opinion the high water mark came on April 1st, 1968 when “2001: A
Space Odyssey†had its world premiere at the Uptown in 70MM Cinerama. Even today when “2001†plays at the Uptown,
the crowds are huge, often selling out the auditorium that today seats over
800. Other movies that have premiered at
the Uptown include: “The Hunt For Red Octoberâ€, “Backdraftâ€, “Mississippi
Burningâ€, and “Jurassic Parkâ€. Kevin
Costner has used the theatre for the world premieres of three of his pictures,
“Robin Hoodâ€, “Dances With Wolvesâ€, and most recently, “The Guardianâ€. With “Jurassic Parkâ€, the Uptown made history
as the first theatre to show a movie in the DTS sound process, as “Jurassic
Park†was the first motion picture released in DTS.
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The Uptown has also hosted premieres of restored
classics. David Lean appeared at the
theater for the D.C. premiere of his restored “Lawrence Of Arabiaâ€. He was so impressed with The Uptown that he
cut short his time with the press covering the event so he could watch his
movie there. Kim Novak attended the
opening of “Vertigoâ€, and Jean Simmons and Tony Curtis attended the April 1991
opening of “Spartacusâ€. All of these premieres
were presented in 70MM on the huge Cinerama screen.
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The screen today measures 76 feet in width and even
35MM Cinemascope uses the entire width of the curved screen. You can get a look
at the Uptown today and see moments from its past on YouTube by clicking here
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Should you ever get the opportunity to visit our
nation’s capital, be sure to plan a trip up Connecticut Avenue to one of
America’s best remaining movie palaces, The Uptown.
Bob Collins is a former theatre manager,
projectionist, and radio disc jockey who is now a voice talent and video
producer. Visit him on-line at BOBVOX.COM.
Writer Steve Vertlieb brought to our attention that he has posted a wonderful, heartfelt tribute to the legendary Forrest J. Ackerman on his web site, The Thunder Child. Steve recalls how he first met the legendary horror movie authority - way back in 1965 when he and his brother Erwin received a coveted invitation to attend the first Famous Monsters of Filmland Convention in New York City. It would lead to a wonderful friendship that would last decades and end only with "Forry"'s recent passing. To read click here
Harrison Ford's first post-Indy sequel feature film will be based on the novel The Cure. It will mark the debut of the CBS Films production slate. Ford will co-star with Brendan Fraser in the pic to be directed by Tom Vaughan. The fact-based story finds Fraser cast as the desperate father of two children who are suffering from a genetic disorder that is supposedly incurable. As a last resort, he seeks help from Ford, who plays an irascible doctor known for his penchant for unorthodox medical treatments. No title for the film has been unveiled. No other casting has been announced and the film is slated for an April shoot date. The movie represents Ford's inevitable branching out into non-action roles, though some of his earlier efforts in this regard have not been financial successes. The Mosquito Coast, Regarding Henry and the remake of Sabrina were all fine films that afforded him some of his most impressive acting achievements, but audiences wanted to see him as a man of action. For more click here
A nude photo of Madonna in 1979 is expected to haul in at least $10,000 at a Christies auction on February 12. The photographer paid the struggling 20 year-old dancer a flat fee of $25 to pose for several provocative photographs. Some of them appeared in Playboy in the 1980s when Madonna's star was rising. They show that at the time Madge was no fan of the Brazilian look and favored going au natural. The photo above is a cropped version. To see the whole magilla, click here. By the way, given Madonna's penchant for exhibitionism, wouldn't a fully clothed photo of her be considered rarer? - Lee Pfeiffer
Producer Brian Grazer will bring a remake of John Steinbeck's classic novel East of Eden the screen. Tom Hooper, riding high from the accolades he won for HBO's John Adams series, will direct. The Steinbeck tale told of a troubled California family and the film version, directed by Elia Kazan, starred James Dean. Grazer has been trying to do the remake since 2004, when Ron Howard was slated to direct. For more click here.Â
Marshall Terrill's Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel will be turned into a big screen biopic. The film will trace the legendary star's rise to stardom. It will also address some of the more controversial aspects of his life and career. McQueen's widow Barbara Minty is co-operating on the project. The main problem will be casting: finding a suitable actor to take on the role of a screen legend is always fraught with problems. However, McQueen's story is a compelling one and, if properly made, the film could be a winner. For more click here
Film journalist Mike Malloy remembers the scrupled actor
McGoohan as Danger Man John Drake in a scene from the feature film Koroshi that was derived from the TV series. (Photo: Mike Malloy collection.)
Most movie-star hopefuls enter the entertainment industry knowing full well they will have to scratch and claw out a career for themselves in ways that compromise their previously held values. This is not to say they’ll necessarily cheat and backstab to make it in The Biz (it often comes to that), but they certainly won’t turn down precious advancement opportunities on moral grounds.
Recently deceased, thoughtful thesp Patrick McGoohan (“The Prisoner,†Ice Station Zebra, Braveheart, “Secret Agentâ€) found a different route to stardom, one that reflected his very principled beliefs. And because he made choices detrimental to his fame—he could’ve been 007, after all—and yet became an international film and TV star nonetheless, one would like to believe his was an irrepressible talent that shone through despite the actor’s lack of career-mindedness.
The eponymous role in Henrik Ibsen’s play Brand was considered the definitive role of McGoohan’s 1950s career. He played the part both on the London stage and, fortunately for posterity, for a BBC broadcast that has been released as a PAL DVD. It’s little wonder that the character—a priest who took his principles to new heights and extremes (“Unless you give all, you give nothing!â€)—fit the actor like a glove; he was soon proving that he too lived according to a distinct personal code. Shortly thereafter, McGoohan declined the role of James Bond, reportedly citing moral objections.
McGoohan’s passing on the 007 part came as the franchise’s first feature—1962’s Dr. No—was being developed, and almost all accounts had him disliking the spy’s brutish use of force and sexual promiscuity. This version of events is certainly reinforced by examining McGoohan’s 1960s television breakthrough of “Danger Man†(which was actually two different British shows of the same name, the latter of which ran as “Secret Agent†stateside). McGoohan’s spy character, John Drake, was a more-brains-than-brawn agent who wasn’t seen to carry a gun or kill a man (although each episode had its requisite fistfight) and wasn’t caught bedding a woman onscreen.
Even if Drake was the sanitized version of Bond, McGoohan cut a suave, intelligent figure—and one with the ability to summon up a tremendously forceful dialogue delivery when needed (the American-born, Irish-raised actor perhaps possessed the small screen’s most intimidating bark of toughguyspeak). It was therefore little surprise that McGoohan was reportedly offered the Bond role again, sometime in the late ‘60s and/or early ‘70s (which certainly fits with the Connery-Lazenby-Connery tumult the film series was undergoing). A second refusal of 007 has even more significance, as McGoohan would have then certainly understood the extent of riches and fame he was forgoing (even if the Bond series was at its shakiest point, being terribly out of step with the era’s counterculture).
Instead of Bond, McGoohan launched another television project in the late ‘60s—this time of his own conception. In the 17-part mini-series “The Prisoner,†he not only starred but also occasionally directed and wrote (usually pseudonymously). Often described as “television’s first masterpiece,†the show boasted a plot—about a spy who tries to resign but who is instead whisked away to a secret island where a bizarre society tries to break his spirit and crack open his head full of espionage secrets—that functioned as a brilliant allegory exposing the dangers of conformity and group culture. Some of the episodes, including the absurd finale, were too nonsensical (it was the hippy-dippy late ‘60s, mind you), but the better ones rank right up with Ayn Rand in their power to promote the idea of individualism. McGoohan had used the Bond-fueled fluffy spy craze to create something of importance.
A bit of negative personal information regarding McGoohan came from the set of the 1979 Clint Eastwood vehicle Escape from Alcatraz, when the joke was born that McGoohan, who was boozing during production, couldn’t be doubled in a hand close-up, because director Don Siegel couldn’t find another actor who had the shakes that bad. It’s been suggested the actor was drinking to protect against the bitter cold, but we fans rationalize that any drinking resulted from the burden of genius of the man who created “The Prisoner.â€
“Genius†is not a stretch, but “principled to the point of career injury†is rock-solid certain. Circa 1997, a fan-made Patrick McGoohan webshrine existed, containing reprints of rare interviews with the generally reclusive actor. Although your humble writer was then new to the Internet, he quickly zeroed in on the site and checked back regularly. Then one day in the late ‘90s, the site bore a message that it would cease to operate, as McGoohan himself had contacted the webmaster and requested the removal of all content. This was possibly another instance of McGoohan’s preference for privacy, but it’s not hard to imagine the actor having a disdain for idol worship of pop-cultural figures too.
On a more personal note, your writer got a phone call from McGoohan in 2002, in response to an interview request for an “almost 007†article—in fact, the only returned phone call received in connection with the piece. Sure, it could’ve been the sturdy Irish name of Mike Malloy that prompted McGoohan to phone (he declined to comment about “events that happened 40 years ago†but graciously accepted my nervous, short-of-breath praise of his career), but the actor didn’t have to bother with some journalist writing a spec piece. But he did, and it’s nice to imagine a returned phone call out of courtesy (and general obligation to one’s fellow man) was his standard operating procedure.
Maybe it’s just as well that he shuffled off this mortal coil earlier this week. Today’s world is such that a crass, shallow fame anthem like The Pussycat Dolls’ “When I Grow Up†can instruct tweens to aim at stardom for the spoils of “nice cars and groupies.†There’s little room for understanding a Patrick McGoohan, who acted because he excelled at the craft but who accepted projects with guidance from his personal convictions. And if AMC TV’s remake of “The Prisoner†serves ultimately to dilute the power of the original when it airs later this year, it’s best that Patrick McGoohan departs dearly now.
Vanity Fair writer Bruce Handy has an excellent appreciation of composer John Barry's work and career - plus some exclusive reflections from the multiple Oscar-winner himself. Click here to read. (Thanks to Nick Sheffo for the head's up).
The latest instance of celebrity child abuse just occurred with actress Lisa Bonet and actor boyfriend Jason Momoa naming their newborn Nakoa-Wolf Manakauapo Namakaeha Momoa. As usual, a celebrity couple has justified this madness with some pseudo intellectual claptrap about each name having an inspiring meaning - presumably in the Klingon language. The only one we'll bet is applauding the move is Moon Unit Zappa, who now can claim to have only the second stupidest name among showbiz offspring. Why do we care? We don't - but it gave us the excuse to run this photo of the incredibly sexy Bonet from her vintage voodoo thriller Angel Heart. For more click here