Lincoln Plaza Cinemas Landlord Says New Art-House Theater Is Expected; Petitioners Don’t Want ‘Hipster’ Theater
News that the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas at 62nd and Broadway is expected to close next month shocked the neighborhood, and led one New Yorker to start petition to keep it open.
The petition was launched by Jeremiah Moss, whose blog Vanishing New York has led to a book about the decline of independent businesses in New York. It asks Milstein Properties and Howard Milstein to keep the theater as an art-house cinema, to retain the Talbots who have run it for 35 years, and to keep it accessible to the largely elderly clientele. The petition says it shouldn’t be a mainstream chain theater or one that caters to “hipsters.” As of Monday morning, it had 1,268 signatures.
In an email a Milstein spokeswoman said “it is expected to be a similar type of art house Cinema.” The Milstein company had said in a previous statement (added to our first story) that the theater needs renovations and that’s why it’s closing. But the spokeswoman did not respond to questions about why they won’t simply do the renovations and then have the Talbots return. She also did not respond to a question about whether the rent was raised.
Image via Lincoln Plaza Cinemas.
I don’t fall into the “elderly clientele” demographic, but decided to go to this theater a few days ago because I didn’t want to wait for Darkest Hour to get a wider distribution. It was my first time in the place and thought it was dreary, cramped and had the most uncomfortable seats I’ve ever experienced in a movie house. I can’t comment on the other aspects of this story, but the place absolutely needs renovations.
i am older, and the rare times i go to a commercial movie theater i forget, until i’m seated, how different the experience is compared to what i expect.
the volume is usually very loud. the carpets and seats make me squirm—sticky upholstery, sticky floors—gruesome. people talking as if they were at home make me feel angry, even if i ask for quiet, and get it. people’s use of cell phones with the wandering bright light they emit are way too distracting for my comfort.
i don’t need or want any of that. nor do i want the smell of the popcorn oil used nowadays. maybe it’s an emitted popcorn fragrance pumped into the air to induce further sales, i don’t know.
i do know it is generally an unpleasant experience and only tolerable if the movie is very good, good enough to override my other senses.
i last saw Blue Jasmine there, and all was good, maybe because of the very small crowd.
i have the solution for you – watch DVDs in the comfort of your own home
Really? That’s your answer? Hopefully there are still public places where folks can gather and not be assaulted by blaring noise and horrible films that (somehow) attract humungous crowds on the first weekend.
We don’t all want the same crap and we have this weird idea that the public common can still accommodate minority tastes, quiet, and nuance.
I saw The Darkest Hour there, as soon as it showed there, and I was perfectly comfortable:) I never
found the staff to be particularly unfriendly. The phony friendliness that turns into snark-talking behind customers’ backs and such is worse than low-key indifference. Rudeness is the worst, but I never found them to be rude. I don’t care for fanciness, hipness or modern decor…
LINCOLN PLAZA: I love you just the way you are!!!
Please do not close this necessary and loved theater.
Milstein Properties needs to answer these tough questions and reconsider this decision. The Talbots have made Lincoln Plaza a great Upper West Side institution. Why fix what isn’t broken? Why destroy a neighborhood art-house cinema that has served the community in a wonderful fashion for thirty-five years? We’ve already lost the Cinema Studio, New Yorker, Metro…Now this?
–
You are correct.
It is sad that the Upper West Side is losing everything that made it a neighborhood.
Can Monica Blum from the so-called Lincoln Center Business Improvement (oh, what improvement???) comment on how her board member Milstein seems to not care what the public has to say or the neighbors when it comes to the local theatre? Can Monica Blum tells us how all her REBNY members continue to NOT support local small businesses and kick them out for chain stores? Can Monica Blum tell us what the metrics is for her keeping her job?
The purpose of a BID is to maintain the area, keep the side-walks clean, clean out the garbage cans (you might notice the BID logo on them) and provide security. They were created by cities like NYC to keep business area clean without having to use tax money.
They are not there to decide what business stay open, or what businesses take over a vacant spot. They are not advocates for the community. It is merely an association of business owners to keep their area safe and clean.
Here are some sites with info on the BIDs:
https://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/why-business-improvement-districts-work-5613.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/how-a-business-improvement-district-helps/2017/07/20/bd0af15c-6717-11e7-8eb5-cbccc2e7bfbf_story.html?utm_term=.e975ea39bd0f
“”They are cartels for landlords,” said Moshe Adler, an adjunct professor of urban planning at Columbia University. “Make no mistake, BIDs may help small businesses when it suits them. But their fundamental role is advancing the interests of property owners.”
“Perhaps the most noteworthy accomplishment by any BID happened earlier this year, when the Alliance for Downtown New York teamed up with the de Blasio administration to persuade the council to let landlords rent 110,000 square feet of designated public space to commercial retailers. Jerold Kayden, a Harvard professor of urban planning and design, estimated the move boosted the value of the rezoned properties by as much as $77 million, a windfall for their owners—including Brookfield Asset Management and RXR Realty—which are, of course, Alliance members.”
And by “usually”, they mean ALL THE TIME.
“Before the City Council approves a new BID, landlords must agree to perpetually fund the organization via assessments on their properties, typically a few hundred dollars per month depending on square footage and sidewalk frontage. Usually these expenses are passed on to commercial tenants through higher rents. By law, BID boards are controlled by landlords, which doesn’t sit well with some business owners.”
“For more than three years, Mattos has been leading the fight against expanding the BID, which she sees as a Trojan horse for gentrification that will force out longtime residents and business owners. She would prefer a merchants association, where local business owners, not landlords, would call the shots. “Do we really need those who say they know better dictating our neighborhood’s future?” she said.”
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20160918/REAL_ESTATE/160919896/clean-operators-or-shadow-governments-critics-of-business#utm_medium=email&utm_source=cnyb-morning10&utm_campaign=cnyb-morning10-20160919
If the badly needed renovations happen it might look ‘hipster’ but I assure you, it won’t be a ‘hipster’ hangout. Ever. The Upper West Side is one of the least ‘hipster’ neighborhoods in NYC. I love the film curation at LPC but the experience is not worth the money. Needs a major overhaul.
Agree!
I’m optimistic that Lincoln Plaza will not be another AMC type place. I don’t have reason to think Millstein is lying. I don’t think anyone, including seniors, dislikes comfortable seating, escalators that work, and a few more amenities — even a cafe/wine bar! That’s not hipster, contemporary rather than tired, passé, says this senior devotee.
🌲🍀🌲🍀🌲🍀🌲🍀🌲🍀🌲🍀🌲🍀🌲🍀🌲🍀
I was saddened too when I first heard the news of the closing of LPC. But this actually great news that a new cinema will be taking over. When I recall, the uncomfortable seats, inability to reserve seats, etc. and the complete lack of investment in customer amenities at LPC, I realized it is time for a change!
Among other reasons, I choose to go to this theater because they do NOT have reserved seating. Nothing is more frustrating than getting stuck sitting behind someone who’s twice my height, or a group of people talking and texting. In addition, there were 3 instances when I went to Loews and someone else was already sitting in my ‘reserved,’ seat, so that system isn’t working for me.
Agree with Ken and others pointing out Lincoln Plaza Garage (as we call it at home) is dilapidated and dismal. Many nice art/indie houses have opened elsewhere in the city over the past couple of decades and the UWS deserves one. What are we trying to preserve, exactly? Bad sound, small screens and sticky floors? And how is Lincoln Plaza so great for the elderly? It offers a senior discount, so admission is $11 all day. AMC discounts its morning shows, so seniors pay $8 before noon and $13 after for a better theater experience.
The greatest thing about Lincoln Plaza is its programming. I don’t think that’ll be ditched. No theater operator is going to take on AMC just a few blocks away with the same commercial offerings. Maybe the Film Society of Lincoln Center can run the new space.
almost 1800 signatures as of 11AM. Keep it going.
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/save-lincoln-plaza-cinemas?source=s.em.mt&r_by=6533198
Get over it. Needs to be renovated.
What does that even mean to have a theater that “caters to hipsters?” Do “hipsters” have different tastes in art-house movies?
If catering to hipsters means sprucing up the place and adding amenities then that’s fine with me, someone who definitely is not a hipster.
Hipster is just a code word for the people that self appointed “Real New Yorker” Jeremiah Moss doesn’t like. He’s a reactionary bent on building a wall around a community so his terrified of change base can try return to a time that never really existed.
Correct. Moss isn’t from NYC. He’s a Massachusetts native who grew up watching the Red Sox, Bruins and candlepin bowling. His “big night out” as a kid involved going to 99 Restaurant for some fried clams. But he has an active imagination of what the UWS side was like in the 1970s, and a “brand” that requires 24/7 publicity. I wish he’d go away.
Jeremiah Moss is not a real “New Yorker” he came from elsewhere and appointed himself “I’m not not a hipster”.
Which he is!! Whatever the hell that means .
To all of us Upper West siders that are going to this movie house since it’s open, we know This place needs to be renovated !!
I doubt Jeremiah ever attended this theater with the uncomfortable seats, unheated in the winter and you can hear the movie playing next door.
It is generally an uncomfortable experience going to see a movie here.
Is “hipster” as pejorative as “geezer”? Or “luddite”? Asking for a friend.
What it means is ageism.
Absolutely. No 20 Year Olds wanted. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Did you just learn a new word?
Agree. Although I am older than dirt, I don’t equate art with suffering. I would love to watch indie and non-blockbuster films in a theater that doesn’t feel like the Descent Into the Chamber of Doom, and I don’t believe that things must remain as they are simply because they are. If that makes me a hipster, so be it.
On the other hand, I am suspicious of Milstein’s assertion that it intends to turn Lincoln Plaza into the art house of one’s dreams. It sounds to these old ears like a way to divert protest while they go ahead and do whatever it is that they are actually planning.
I have a great idea!
Maybe all these residents who are crying over the closure of LPC should chip in and buy the building from Milstein.
They can then continue to rent the space to LPC even thought there are other potential tenants willing to pay more in rent.
Sounds like a plan!
Money and greed rules as Sherman points out consistently.
The comment itself, “the idea” and “the advise” he has for people who like good cinema, is neither intelligent nor funny.
Thanks for stalking me!
You’re the last person on this site who should lecture anyone about “greed”.
Stalking? If somebody disagrees with you, you play victim?
And why should I be “the last person”…?
Sherman likes to provoke people with reactionary comments, and then when one argues, he accuses the person of “stalking.” He did it to me as well.
I’m not sure why he’s so pro-landlord… unless he is one himself, or maybe a real estate agent.
The Milstein are millionaires many times over ! They do not need to raise the rent , They own the building which houses Sesame Street, ASCAP, and 750 apartments plus Fiorellos, The Smith, Cafe Boulou, Boulou Sud, and other businesses. They also own the building that houses the Lincoln Plaza Cinema and several retail stores ! The idea that they need to raise rent is ludicrous !
So, you want one local small business to be subsidized by other local small businesses. How does that make sense?
A crappy movie theater is not a charity and if people want to support it they can buy more tickets.
Conversely, perhaps Milstein may want to exercise some sensitivity to the management and residents that kept LPC an ongoing concern through three recessions, when it could have easily been a vacant, money losing shell.
But then again, it’s always easiest to forget who took care of you during the worst of times when you’re looking ahead to the best of times.
I don’t see people “crying” about it.
I see people expressing strong opinions.
We get it. If someone disagrees with you, they’re “crying”.
You sound like the classic FOX News viewer.
Why would anyone up here have a problem with Hipsters? They are artsy, have eclectic tastes in film and the arts, enjoy good coffee, and generally lean left. Kind of like, well, the average Upper West Sider, just less crankier – no?
From today’s New York Times article it appears that the theater was a partnership between the owner of the building and the couple that ran the theater, so not a strictly landlord/tenant relationship – most likely a preferential rent relationship for a formerly quality tenant that let the place get run down under their watch.
Owner of the building probably got tired of all the comments about how the theater is run down with no upgrades for years and wants to look for someone who can make the necessary investment to attract a bigger audience while showing similar quality films.
Great news from the Millstein organization. I’ll be glad to welcome a quality theater with quality films.
Jeremiah Moss is the ultimate hipster. Come on, the dude’s name is “Jeremiah”. That’s like being born with an ironic moustache.
Oh dear. Did there used to be a cinema down a steep hill, near 93rd x B’way ? ‘runaway Hollywood productions’ again ?
Enough with the movies already. You’ve all seen plenty of movies. Get over it.
Don’t people work anymore?? Everybody sooo concerned with going to the movies? Really?
Go out and do something positive with your lives and stop supporting all of the sociopathic egomaniacs, not to mention sex offenders, in Hollywood.
Re #1: “and stop supporting all of the sociopathic egomaniacs, not to mention sex offenders, in Hollywood.”
BLAT-T-TT-TTT, WRONG-G-GG-GGG !!
MOST films shown at Lincoln Plaza are foreign films, thus NOT Hollywood sex-offender creations;
Re#2: “You’ve all seen plenty of movies. Get over it.”
BLAT-T-TT-TTT, WRONG-G-GG-GGG, AGAIN!!
Oh, SO sorry! Did NOT know we were exceeding our movie-watching limit. Please forgive us.
We shall repent, and from now on, rather than lay-out $11 for a movie produced by sex-offenders we will instead spend $111 to see a Broadway play … many of which, like “Waitress” or “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, are rehashed movies-produced-by-Hollywood-ego-manical-sex-offenders.
See, this is why America has lost a step. Everyone is so busy at the movies…and don’t even get me started on the so-called “internet”.
Who are you? Siskel or Ebbert or something? Read a book and expand your horizons.:)
That would be amusing to watch all those people who love to tell other people how to spend their time and money suddenly morph into uber-capitalists overnight.
Notice that lots of commenters, esp. on the WS Rag site, have raised the smart question of whether the old METRO could be a sensible place for the Talbots (ex-NYer thr, no?) to re-locate?
As an old archt/planner-type, I urge people to follow thru on that idea.
And in BOTH of these nbrhds, can anyone try to canvass a fair number of the nearby businesses whose fortunes are linked strongly, though not necessarily w.Linc Ctr, with the Linc Plaza – the “ecology” of what ought to be a lively nbrhood independent.of LC proper. Eating-places, bars, etc.etc.
– Cindy
Surprised no mention of ALAMO DRAFTHOUSE yet.
It might happen people!!
Perhaps the Talbot’s don’t want to keep running the theater?
I think they might be elderly. My husband and I love going to the Lincoln Plaza Theater even though it is a bit run down. They always show the best films and the staff is great.
Leave this theatre as it is now.
If they want to appease people, all they have to say is that is will be the same sort of theater with the same type of movies, BUT with the theaters being renovated, cleaned up with new more comfortable seats & people who work that actually have a smile & personality instead of the current emotionless zombies they have there now.
I think we should keep the petition going, even if they say now that they will keep it as an art house. The more signatures he can see by the closing time the better. Could the petition be printed in the Rag?
I wonder how many bitching about the closure of this dump have been there recently. I last went about 2 years ago and would NEVER return. As others have said, the place is disgusting, filthy, uncomfortable, smelly and more. If the Talbots ran the place so well, maybe they could have invested some of the money they took in to improving the place. Who wants to watch a movie in a dump like this? Or maybe people like me having been staying away because of the disgusting condition for years so there is no money. Too many other options today
Who wants to watch a movie in a dump like this? People who can read and not only on their smartphones.
The theater plays superior movies films that you can’t see anywhere including multiple streaming providers.
The environment becomes unimportant.
Before a new cinema opens the proprietors should visit the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, NY and the Huntington Arts Center on Long Island. Both are wonderful arthouse cinemas that are integral parts of the communities fhey serve, and offer educational programming in addition to the fine films, in comfortable surroundings.
And, enough with cheap jabs at hipsters. They’re not the demographic of the UWS, and certainly not responsible for the imminent demise of LPC. I would welcome anyone who would support an arthouse cinema in our neighborhood. Could LPC patrons benefit from a renovation? Absolutely. However, the comfort of the seats, lack on online ticketing, and poor ambiance have always been outweighed by the quality of the films shown.
Does the Lincoln Plaza need renovation? I get lost in its superior movies and don’t notice the environment. We see foreign films here that we don’t see ANYWHERE else in supposedly sophisticated New York. And I love spending the afternoon with TWO movies, having a reasonably-priced sandwich (and popcorn!) and excellent coffee between shows. I AM a senior citizen and will miss much of the delight of my “golden years” if the Lincoln Plaza goes. Please keep us well.
Sad sad happening. Ir can use renovation but should be kept as it is.
I fear that if LPC is renovated it will be closed for years and may never reopen. That happens all the time. So I’m more than happy to patronize it just as it is. They curate the films so well. Seems like lately everything I love about the UWS is disappearing due to the greed of landlords, most of whom are quite wealthy. It’s really a shame; this used to be such a great area with interesting local merchants, not just corporate big box stores.
If hipsters are folks who say ‘Woody who?’ and who would show new and classic films from South Korea, HK, Japan (including anime), and India, I say bring them on. I am 75.
If the landlord says he plans to house a similar type of cinema, why chase out the proven and loved one and hire another that none of us know. There is clearly a plan to bring in “hipster”, i.e. younger, audience. Maybe they could split the theaters into art — which includes young and old — and hip.
It’s very sad! Have been going thee for Years! Another part of the Eclectic, artsy Upper West Side gone! To be filled by homogenized suburbia bland crapola!
Need to find out how the thousands of our neighbors can join into the petition to save this wonderful local institution the LIncoln Plaza Cinemas.
Please save the theatre. It is our favorite spot when we are in NYC. I am all for renovation however.
Seems clear that Milsein wants LOTS more money coming in from that space. And who says the theatre needs renovations?
Baloney!
This movie house is a treasure! 🎥
I love this theatre and want it to survive! Of course, over the decades that I have come to see the wonderful movies here, I’ve noticed that things were getting a bit threadbare and worried for the theater’s future, but I’ve never experienced the seats as uncomfortable (boy, try the old Paris for that!) nor that customer service was poor. I’ve enjoyed the offerings in their refreshment stand which are far superior to those in the chain theaters. What I don’t understand is why they can’t renovate one half while keeping the other half open. Did the Angelica completely close when it was renovated? And speaking of the Angelica, I don’t want to have to travel 45+ minutes to see an independent film or have a choice of independent films. Please help us save this theatre!!
If hipsters started a petition saying they didn’t want a theatre catering to seniors, people would go nuts. This is ridiculous. The theatre is a dump. It needs renovation and while it would be nice if the landlords considered what the community wants they aren’t public servants. There’s so much available to do and see in so many venues all over the city. I think playing the senior card is misguided. And I am one, but this is one pity party I won’t attend.
I truly hope this theater is closing for renovation only. I have been attending for years and frequently. I’ve seen so many wonderful films there that can’t be found otherwise in that neighborhood. It would be a terrible loss.
I would pass by the theater and check out the posters and the fantastic programming they have but then would remember the uncomfortable theater experience, small screens and small seating so haven’t been there since Slingblade played. Would be good if whoever takes over employs the same people to do programming. Would be great if they make it into a much more comfortable theater and experience.
And Hipsters are much better than Yuppies from the past.
One of the great things about New York was the fact that one could see all kinds of great films not available to most of the rest of the country. Dan Talbot was the force behind the emergence of world cinema and his theater was the go to place for all of us west siders who couldn’t make the trip downtown to the other “art” houses. The idea that Milstein in pursuit of more millions can destroy this theater is absolutely appalling. Yes it was small, but it was quiet and civilized unlike the behemoths filled with crowds and noise and with deafening soundtracks .
We must stop the destruction of the city which is being turned over to banks, drugstores, chains and incivility.
Lincoln Plaza Cinema is a one-of-a-kind theater. Terrific movies (not readily available elsewhere), no commercials blasting in your face while waiting for the movie to start, and (least important) snacks that aren’t mass produced. It would be an indecent act, if not a crime, to bring down the curtain on this cultural/entertainment treasure.
LPC may attract many elderly folk, but it doesn’t matter what age you are if you just want to see movies made for grown-ups. I may be elderly now, but my wife and I have been going to LPC since we were in our late twenties. Long may it live.
I hope that this theater can remain open. It is a beloved asset to our community, and it enables us to be exposed to films that we would not ordinarily see in the local multiplex.
Leave some soul in New York , please
We’re new to the neighborhood and love the Lincoln Center Cinema. It’s a friendly place that always has a great selection of films we wish to see.
Have tremendously enjoyed this theatre over many years. Seriously hope that it will not close
I’m a long time and frequent attender of Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and was extremely upset hearing about the closing of the theater. It’s one thing to renovate, which I would agree it needs a face lift, but to close it permanently would be a great loss to the city and to that neighborhood.
I agree that closing the theatre is a sad commentary. Having a theatre that shows indie and foreign films and films with a small distribution is a jewel. I live near the old Metro Theatre on Bdwy between 98 and 99th street that has landmark preservation and has been empty for over 10 years. Its a big renovation but that would be a great solution. Maybe???
I hope that this theater reopens as a quality cinema. There is a good market for such films, not only among elders. Dichotemizing between hipsters and elders is a false distinction. Having tickets purchasable in advance would be a plus since new and good films sell out.
The only art movie theater on the Upper West Side! Who ever thought it could close? My husband, my friends, and I are all bereft.
Please do not close this theater or change its art house focus. Thank you.
The Milstein reply sounds like a standard everyday attempt at evasion… diversion …. preceding a massive increase in the rent”post “renovations”.
BTW: Does anyone actually KNOW IF the Talbots want to continue running an art house movie theater in this space?
Lincoln Plaza My go to cultural film resource as a 78 year old east sider
Say it isn’t so
We need this theater in this cultured neighborhood. Why can’t they just keep cozy for us residents in this area?
Please keep this theater open!
It would be a terrible loss for the community who depend on Lincoln Plaza Cinemas for wonderful foreign and independent films.
The seats don’t bother me as cited in other comments.
What a relief not having advertisements and other
loud coming=attractions blasting out at you.
I LOVE THIS THEATER!! Have seen many wonderful movies over the years here, esp. foreign films that are NOT shown in any other movie theater. This is one of the MOST Populated movie theaters in Manhattan. Please SAVE IT!!!!
Is this a modern retelling of The Christmas Carol?
Love the theater and the Talbots— she was my Spanish teacher at Columbia in the 60’s— but the managing staff on site are not good… rude and take no responsibility for their actions…
We used to go weekly but stopped…
It is also the case that Netflix, etc. have many of the movies we want to see now…
I support the Talbots, period… the rest we shall see.
Thank you, Neal H. Hurwitz, NY NY (Neal Hugh Hurwitz on Facebook)
Former Editor, WISDOMS CHILD 1972-75
Apropos the larger theme of alternatives to contemporary commercial films, I would like to present some suggestions and info. There are some real treasures that can be found online if you know where to look.
The incredibly vast Archive.org web site has many old movies, available both to stream as well to download.
A few examples:
– Tom Sawyer: The Immortal Story of a Boy (1930) and Huckleberry Finn (1931). These are both Paramount productions that star child actors Jackie Coogan, Mitzi Green and Junior Durkin.
– Boys of The City (1940). To escape the heat, boredom and opportunities for mischief of summer in the City, a group of juvenile delinquents (not, by any means, without their own charming and redeeming qualities) are taken to a remote country mansion. There, apparent ghosts and a murder ensure much adventure and mystery, mixed throughout with comedy.
Archive.org also has obscure offerings not found elsewhere, such as this middle school theatrical performance of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer that I discovered there. A musical, this wonderfully creative work makes a number of considerable changes from Twain’s celebrated classic, yet manages to remain true to it to a remarkable degree.
YouTube, in addition to having a wealth of vintage films, as well as television and even radio shows (to say nothing of treasured musical performances), also has any number of independent, little-known and decidedly non-commercial offerings. It was there that I discovered The Kiddush Man, an 11 minute film produced in 2008. Although set in a synagogue in Jerusalem and although exhibiting a clearly Zionistic perspective and frame-of-reference, these are all entirely incidental. A moving coming-of-story, I found this film universal in its appeal and message. (The film’s reference to the Six-Day War could have been to any war, anywhere.)
The Librivox Project, in collaboration with Archive.org, makes thousands of public domain audio books read by volunteers available completely free-of-charge. I have enjoyed immensely listening to Charles Dickens novels read by Mil Nicholson, Tadhg Hynes, Mark Smith and Paul Adams, as well as a number of Mark Twain’s works read by John Greenman. I found all of these volunteer readers to be eminently talented. If I had to nominate just two Librivox readers to recommend above all others, I would probably have to go with Mil Nicholson and John Greenman.
A wealth of old-time and other vintage radio programs are available at both Archive.org and YouTube as well as any number of other online sites. I discovered the great art form of old time radio (and Jean Shepherd) thanks to Max Schmid‘s weekly Golden Age of Radio program, broadcast live on Sundays from 7-9 PM on local Pacifica station WBAI.
(Archived GAoR broadcasts are available here. Note that the December 17th GAoR broadcast, which featured some wonderful vintage Christmas shows including one starring the great Orson Welles, was, due to the WBAI fund-raising drive in progress, heard from 8-11 PM. Thus,
– said three-hour December 17th broadcast begins one-hour into the GAoR mp3 recording for that date at the afore-linked URL
and,
– the final two hours of the special broadcast are contained on the corresponding file for the program normally heard in the Sun. 9-11 PM slot, Everything Old is New Again. The latter file can be found here.)
Archive.org also has many old-time television programs, including a number of Honeymooners sketches that were performed on the Jackie Gleason show.
Finally, even in winter, the opportunities afforded by our proximity to great parks for enjoying the great outdoors should not be overlooked. This includes both being a participant in as well as a mere spectator of any number of sports (organized games Spring through Fall, candid pick-up games even in dead of winter). With the proper clothing, few, if any people need be kept away from the park in all but perhaps the most severe weather.
I may be considered “elderly” but I prefer to be considered “enlightened”. That’s why I patronize LPC regularly. I have discriminating taste in movies that can not be viewed online or via netflix, etc. YES, the theatre needs updating, but the quaintness is appropriate for the movies shown. YES, I’d like bigger screens, but there is a true community of followers at LPC. So why not resurrect “METRO THEATRE” on B’way and 99th now a shell of a place?
I just wished I lived closer. Loved the place and saw quite a number of movies when I lived closer and younger. Does could use a complete refurb.
Maybe the Talbots are ready to retire. They have run fantastic theaters and a film distribution that introduced many great filmmakers to America. But t may be time for someone to put much needed money into an upgrade of the place. It seems that Charles Cohen who reopened the Quad would be a perfect candidate. He has the money and a passion for cinema. Lincoln Center Film Society is another good idea but we read about budgetary concerns at Lincoln Center. My hunch is the future of LPC could be very good for everyone.
I heard today from reliable sources that there will be no more theater under the Apartment building. It will be gone for good. The building people do not wNt it. They are leading us along
The new apartment house does not want a movie house. That’s that.
What kind of movies do hipsters watch?