tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post1299484924629659725..comments2024-03-23T21:46:50.843-04:00Comments on the passionate moviegoer: adventures in movie reviewing: "caddyshack" joe baltakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-15454319992855976502018-10-29T20:07:00.877-04:002018-10-29T20:07:00.877-04:00Paul, I remember all too well the mutilation of th...Paul, I remember all too well the mutilation of the great Loew's State Theatre (I saw Ben-Hur there in its Ultra Panavision 70 glory)...The same atrocity was performed at the Warner Cinerama (formerly the Strand) on 47th Street, which became a tri-plex - The orchestra section became the Warner; the mezzanine and balcony were called the Penthouse; and the backstage area became an intimate art theatre, the Orleans. With the Ziegfeld gone, Radio City Music Hall is the only remaining great New York movie theatre, but it doesn't show movies anymore. I remember when you could see a movie and a stage show for a buck. Now you can see just the stage show for $100!Kevin Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16951372389921640120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-18463943924729116742018-10-29T19:15:20.938-04:002018-10-29T19:15:20.938-04:00Kenney also co-wrote "Animal House," as ...Kenney also co-wrote "Animal House," as well as the National Lampoon's famous 1963 high school yearbook. Obviously, both a very talented and deeply troubled guy. (As I recall, the note he left before his fatal fall/jump read, "These are some of my favorite days I've ever wasted." It's hard for me not to read that as a suicide note.)wwolfenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-21327426155575702282018-10-28T12:30:11.682-04:002018-10-28T12:30:11.682-04:00Thanks, Paul!Thanks, Paul!joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-55733871469201030792018-10-28T03:52:43.637-04:002018-10-28T03:52:43.637-04:00Re: The State theatre...
This was a one-time movi...Re: The State theatre...<br /><br />This was a one-time movie palace on Broadway that was turned into the most ridiculous "twin" theatre I've ever seen. Leows separated the balcony and orchestra sections with a soundproof barrier creating to fairly large rooms.<br /><br />The lower level had a much smaller screen, since it couldn't go up very high. The upper theatre had a HUGE screen for the size of the room, as they had removed the old proscenium (from the vaudeville and legit days). The way the theatre was raked (one of the first "arena seating" movie houses that I know of) it was almost IMAX scale, since the audience in the front row was only about 15 feet from the screen, which went a bit lower than the seats.<br /><br />The lower theatre was 35mm. The upper was 70mm. The lower was an uncovered screen, the upper had a curtain, but the tassels were the original "palace" sized, so they looked a bit like something out of the land of the giants.<br /><br />I remember when Star Trek: The Motion Picture was running on both screens. One listing in the NY Times had an asterisk for "35 mm Dolby". The other listing (same house) had a † for "70mm 6-track stereo". I'll give you a guess as to which had the longer lines.Paul Margulieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04357628086168148184noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-605361641560763622018-10-26T08:55:21.197-04:002018-10-26T08:55:21.197-04:00We all know Cadddyshack but in this case, the movi...We all know Cadddyshack but in this case, the movie was the McGuffin. What really happened was "the incident." Impossible not to read. Terrific. kKikinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-44117934850632717332018-10-25T21:28:30.474-04:002018-10-25T21:28:30.474-04:00Well, here's a little project someone could do...Well, here's a little project someone could do: Get ahold of the approved final shooting script and compare it to the finished film.mike schlesingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15824197221204862706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-84597084471481247312018-10-25T21:06:10.505-04:002018-10-25T21:06:10.505-04:00Buñuel- I've always had the same impression an...Buñuel- I've always had the same impression and the version of the film prepared by Warner Bros. for TV syndication back in the late '80s pretty much confirms that. That version eliminates several questionable (for television) sequences and fills in the time with scenes cut from the movie, a lot of which involves the home life of the young caddy (Michael O'Keefe) in the film. I got the distinct impression that the film was originally about the caddy with all these oddball characters circling around him. But the release version is all about the oddballs with the caddy playing second fiddle to them.<br /><br /> -J <br /><br /><br />joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-10399344128915625342018-10-25T20:55:53.494-04:002018-10-25T20:55:53.494-04:00I was struck by your parenthetical comment that no...I was struck by your parenthetical comment that no one paid attention to the screenplay while filming "Caddyshack." I've read for years that Murray improvised his part in the movie, but it looks to me like everyone is going off-script in the film.Buñuelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-53126148444318218172018-10-25T15:41:02.170-04:002018-10-25T15:41:02.170-04:00Bizarre from beginning to end.Bizarre from beginning to end.Joan Mintz Ulmernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-15537982734405854562018-10-25T15:17:59.965-04:002018-10-25T15:17:59.965-04:00Yes, Joe, those old moguls schooled their people o...Yes, Joe, those old moguls schooled their people on how to behave when they were representing the studios. I think old Jack Warner would have yelled, "You'll never work in this town again!"Charlottenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-10145940918353207632018-10-25T14:49:05.234-04:002018-10-25T14:49:05.234-04:00Yikes! Thanks, Mike. Correction made. -JYikes! Thanks, Mike. Correction made. -Jjoe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-42033358583433728762018-10-25T14:43:08.723-04:002018-10-25T14:43:08.723-04:00Wow, what a story. And yes, I'd wager that dru...Wow, what a story. And yes, I'd wager that drugs were a big part of that.<br /><br />BTW, it's Wile E. Coyote.mike schlesingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15824197221204862706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-73363289700972358122018-10-25T14:19:16.730-04:002018-10-25T14:19:16.730-04:00Jill, you have a great memory. Yes, an excellent r...Jill, you have a great memory. Yes, an excellent reporter named Jill Gerston (another Jill!) wrote a fabulous Philadelphia Inquirer story on a similar situation that she experienced with the actor Judd Hirsch. I've always thought that Jill wrote the definitive piece on dubious (to put it mildly)show-business behavior. It ran in the May 15th, 1980 edition of the Inky and is worth checking out on microfiche at the Philadelphia library (if you ever get back to the area). -J joe baltakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11467420961490314339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-28390198206428297842016-03-29T13:29:44.931-04:002016-03-29T13:29:44.931-04:00Joe- I remember reading that column when I was liv...Joe- I remember reading that column when I was living in Philly. I also remember another reporter - for The Philadelphia Inquirer - writing a similar piece around the same time about an unpleasant interview that she had with a self-important actor. Both articles made a vivid impression on me.Jillnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18439960.post-80007225487362922132016-03-29T13:27:02.276-04:002016-03-29T13:27:02.276-04:00what a weird story! Given the era and the cast of ...what a weird story! Given the era and the cast of characters I'm guessing drugs played a role in this person's bad behaviorIlananoreply@blogger.com