The Last Remaining Seats: Movie Palaces in Tinseltown

Book Description

One hundred vivid color images by architectural photographers Robert Berger and Anne Conser record in lavish detail the spectacular, sumptuous, and often whimsical interiors of 16 of Los Angeles's most important movie palaces built during the '20s and '30s. This breathtaking book will thrill anyone interested in Hollywood's rich past and become a treasured cornerstone in the library of every movie buff.

Customer Reviews:

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THEATRE ARCHITECTURE BOOK EVER.......1999-10-22

The Last Remaining Seats is simply a feast for the eyes for anyone interested in movie palace architecture. The book includes color beautiful color photographs of the Million Dollar, Los Angeles,Palace, State, Tower and Orpheum Theatres on Broadway as well as the Mayan and Belasco on nearby Hill Street. The Wiltern on Wilshire Boulevard is also featured. The Hollywood theatres included are the Chinese, El Capitan, Egyptian and Hollywood Pacific. Three other theatres include the Rialto in South Pasadena, the Wrner Grand in San Pedro and the Avalon on Catalina Island. Unfortunately, the photographers could not obtain permission to photograph the United Artists, Pantages and Fox Wilshire Theatres. A history of Los Angeles theatres in included in the introductory chapter but the main focus of this book are the photographs which are wonderful. If you are a lover of old theatre architecture, this book is a must.

LOS ANGELES MOVIE PALACES IN GLORIOUS COLOR.......1999-04-16

This 9x11-inch opus is essentially a picture book, but oh, such pictures! The real authors are the photographers who overcame many obstacles to capture the fine color photos which reveal the remaining Los Angeles area movie palaces to a generation accustomed to video games. This is a fine way to open eyes limited to those tiny screens to these elegant examples of the giant screens. The eighty-nine color plates are of high quality -- but such canot be said for the eleven pages of text and the captions which are minimalist. For some reason, neither an architectural historian nor even a movie palace buff was chosen for the writing; instead, the photographers chose a man whose breezy style is more flippant than illuminating. His knowledge of local history constitutes the majority of the words, but one learns little about the buildings themselves (a book may have a local target audience, but it need not be oblivious to the larger scope of its subject especially with so many previous books known to the authors). One could dismiss his Introduction as merely perfunctory, but we cannot dismiss his treatment of the captions, for he could there have told us much more in his 'I-love-white-space' captions layouts. For example: Why does their State Theatre on pages 32 and 34 appear very differently? We are not told within the ample space. Page 48 shows the glorious Crystal Fountain the Los Angeles Th. but we are not told whether it is also a water fountain, as its base makes it appear (a good caption tells what the illustration cannot.) A final example is the photo of the El Capitan Th. on page 85 where an ugly giant beam or steel track is shown directly in front of the proscenium, but the caption makes no mention of it -- as though no one would notice it and so they didn't ask the operator about it. It doesn't take great scholarship, just research to properly cover a subject -- picture book or not. See VIEW CAMERA magazine of Jan/Feb. 1995 for the fascinating story behind this book, but do buy the book before too long for the sake of its color photos; such print runs are short and it is not likely to be available again. Incidentally, it is not mentioned in the book, but its title is a play on: THE BEST REMAINING SEATS: The Golden Age Of The Movie Palace (1961 and later printings available here at Amazon) by the late Ben M. Hall, the prime seminal work in the field, and not to be missed for there resides true writing and scholarship.

Love letter to LA's Movie Palaces.......1998-11-04

I really enjoyed the Last Remaining Seats, because it preserves (in photographs) my beloved Movie Palaces of the Mind. The text could be better; but when it comes to magic, pictures speak a thousand words. The memories I have of the Los Angeles Theater belong to my sister -- but this book makes those memories something I, too, can hold. This isn't history; this is pure joy. Buy Last Remaining Seats. Fall in love with movies the way GOD intended for them to be seen. :)

The Chicago Movie Palaces of Balaban and Katz (IL) (Images of America)

Average customer rating:

a good handbook-sized coffee table book
Balaban and Katz

The Chicago Movie Palaces of Balaban and Katz (IL) (Images of America)
David Balaban , and Foreword by Joseph R. DuciBella
Manufacturer: Arcadia Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

History & Criticism | Movies | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0738539864
Release Date: 2006-04-26

Book Description

The Balaban and Katz Theater Corporation perfected the

"movie palace” concept in Chicago, reating an extremely

popular pastime that contributed greatly to Chicago's

cultural identity. The Balabans started in the movie theater

business in 1908 by leasing the 100-seat Kedzie

Nickelodeon on Kedzie Avenue. Balaban brothers Barney

and A. J. dreamed of operating 5,000-seat movie palaces,

so in 1916, they joined family friends Sam and Morris

Katz to form the Balaban and Katz Theater Corporation.

Their mission was to offer an unrivaled theater-going

experience with the finest live performances and service.

They built ornate theaters, such as the Chicago, the Uptown, and the Congress Theaters, filling them with fine

furnishings, antiques, and artwork. Balaban and Katz

produced live stage shows between the movies with

the likes of Bob Hope, Louis Armstrong, and Benny

Goodman. Sadly, only a few of these gorgeous theaters

still stand today.

Customer Reviews:

a good handbook-sized coffee table book.......2007-06-20

The vast library of historical works on Chicago has an unfortunate tendency to overlap coverage on the same events, at the expense of the countless neighborhoods, cultural movements, and social movements that shape the city. It's great that such a specialized book, focusing solely on Balaban and Katz's numerous Chicago movie palaces, even exists.

Inspired by David Balaban's personal research into his ancestry, the initial chapter on the sprawling Balaban family may feel tedious to the casual reader. But following is an eclectic collection of photography of (now mostly demolished) cinema palaces, as well as scrapbook movie flyers. Though the narrative skimps a bit on detail, there's still some interesting background information about movie theaters' role in introducing air conditioning into society, as well as the surprisingly intensive professional training once required of cinema staff- backed up by photos of posters promoting such initiatives.

Balaban and Katz .......2006-05-09

This book features beautiful photographs and unusual images from a near forgotten era of motion picture history. A must have!

The Polka Palace Party: An Adventure in Teamwork (Backyardigans (8x8))

Average customer rating:

One of the More Fun Backyardigans Books

The Polka Palace Party: An Adventure in Teamwork (Backyardigans (8x8))

Manufacturer: Simon Spotlight/Nickelodeon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1416917993

Customer Reviews:

One of the More Fun Backyardigans Books.......2006-12-07

"The Polka Palace Party" is a pretty fun Backyardigans book based on one of the television episodes. In this story, Tyrone is on his way to play polka music for a Worman birthday party. It's something of a journey, but on his way he finds helpful and musical friends.

This book nicely preserves some of the fun "cowboy" and "wild west" dialogue from the show. It's fully illustrated like the others and is generally a fun read for fans of the series.

Detroit's Downtown Movie Palaces (MI) (Images of America)

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Down Memory Lane
GLORY
A fascinating look at Detroit's theatres

Detroit's Downtown Movie Palaces (MI) (Images of America)
Michael Hauser , and Marianne Weldon
Manufacturer: Arcadia Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 0738541028
Release Date: 2006-10-30

Book Description

The spokelike grid of wide grand avenues radiating out from downtown Detroit allowed for a concentration of theaters initially along Monroe Street near Campus Martius and, after the second decade of the 20th century, clustered around Grand Circus Park, all easily accessible by a vast network of streetcars. In its heyday, Grand Circus Park boasted a dozen palatial movie palaces containing an astonishing total of 26,000 seats. Of these theaters, five remain today, fully restored and operational for live entertainment. Detroit, more so than any other North American city, illustrates how demographic and economic forces dramatically changed the landscape of film exhibition in an urban setting.

Customer Reviews:

Down Memory Lane.......2007-06-26

When I reflect back on my years as a child growing up in marvelous Detroit, some of the strongest images are of the movie houses I used to frequent downtowm. This book evokes many of those sweet memories as it is loeaded with pictures, and written histories of those fabulous palaces. When it came to grandiouse movie houses Detroit was second to none. This book helps you trace the history of each theater from its building to - in some cases - it deomltion. Some of these grandious auditoriums were actually built by motion picture companies such as the Fox (Twentieth Century Fox) and the Untied Artist (United Artists), Many were not merely theaters but also were part of large office building housing industry related businesses such as booking agents and the likes. Many were build as vaudeville houses and later converted to movie theaters. Some have survived and hosts different venues today. Few are still showing first run movies as the characterless multi screen matchboxes of suburbia have taken over that venue.

GLORY.......2007-03-22

This book is a joy. Before the '67 riot Detroit was always a big movie town. In the 40s there were more than 50 theatres in the city. A few of the neighbourhood theatres were quite extrodinary such as the Rivera or the Algiers but the downtown theatres were wonderful places to be. Back in the 40s, 50s & 60s just to go downtown was exciting with Hudson's & all the wonderful stores & restaurants & to top off the trip with a movie in one of the downtown theatres was, indeed, a treat. If the movie didn't please the theatre always did. The Fox, State, Music Hall, United Artist & Opera House (formerly Broadway Capitol/Grand Circus among other names) still stand. Some just barely. So it's wonderful to see photos of those that are gone. Photos which show just how lovely & unique they were. Each theatre had it's own character & aptmosphere. Most of all it's wonderful to see the Michigan Theatre in all its glory. She was the undisputed queen of the downtown movie theatres. She was the only place in Detroit where you could sit & actually feel you were in a real palace. It's lovely to have this book.

A fascinating look at Detroit's theatres.......2007-01-18

This book reviews the history of the movie palaces that have graced downtown Detroit since the late nineteenth century. I found it hard to put this book down once I started to read it. The photographs are wonderful and are often one of a kind dating back over a century. The narration ties together the history of films, architecture and the story of formal entertainment in Detroit for over one hundred years. Although it is of particular interest to people interested in Detroit's past, it is equally significant for non-Detroiters who will find that Detroit's story parallels that of most other cities in North America. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and often find myself browsing through it.

Average customer rating:

Charlotte Saves Thanksgiving
Excitment and Fun
Un Libro Molto bello
Wonderful Read! You will love it.
fantastic romp

Battle at Ice Palace (Sonic X)
Charlotte Fullerton
Manufacturer: Grosset & Dunlap
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0448444097
Release Date: 2006-11-02

Book Description

Sonic and gang follow their Chaos Emerald radar to Planet Breezer—the planet of the constant blizzard. There, they are greeted by none other than Dr. Eggman and also the Metarex Crystal, an evil robot that sabotages their fighter equipment by freezing it over with cold air. Can Sonic and his friends undo the workings of the Metarex Crystal?

Customer Reviews:

Charlotte Saves Thanksgiving.......2006-12-02

Once again Charlotte saves my behind by keeping my kids busy through a chaotic weekend. With the latest book, we are actually stopping the kids from reading to go outside and play !

What's more is that Charlotte, the author actually emailed the kids !!!! Having been huge fans of Charlottes for years now, my kids went crazy when an email arrived from Sonic's Author. Charlotte thank you so much for paying attention to my kids -- The Best of Luck to You !!!!!

Excitment and Fun.......2006-11-16

Sonic and Chris and the gang are on a super snowy planet, searching for another Chaos Emerald. Standing inn their way are the hilariously evil Dr. Eggman and his inept robot henchmen, Rouge, and the usual cast of Metarexes. The puns are marvelously awful ("there's no business like snow business" and "ice to meet you"), and the author really captures the excitment and action of the Sonic Series.

Un Libro Molto bello .......2006-11-08

Veramente un bell libro. Lo consiglio a grandi e piccini , ben scritto . Non vedo l'ora che esca la versione Italiana.

Wonderful Read! You will love it........2006-11-03

I laughed. I cried. And then I laughed some more and peed a little. It was a movie that came to life right in front of me!

fantastic romp.......2006-11-03

much better than that ice-laden James Bond movie with the bad theme song...

The Best Remaining Seats: The Story of the Golden Age of the Movie Palace

Average customer rating:

The Best Remaining Seats: The Story of the Golden Age of the Movie Palace
Ben M. Hall
Manufacturer: Clarkson N. Potter
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KRWONO

Movie Palace Masterpiece: Saving Syracuse's Loew's State/Landmark Theater

Average customer rating:

A SMALL VIEW INTO A BIG THEATRE

Movie Palace Masterpiece: Saving Syracuse's Loew's State/Landmark Theater

Manufacturer: Syracuse University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

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Customer Reviews:

A SMALL VIEW INTO A BIG THEATRE.......2002-01-16

This work celebrates the exotically beautiful Loew's STATE theatre in Syracuse, NY, USA. The 78 pages of the ten inch high by seven inch wide publication constitute a booklet within hard covers which are entirely black with a gold stamped spine 3/8ths of an inch wide. It has a section of 16 color plates on glossy paper, but the remainder of the sewn-in pages is of standard matte book paper.

Those who would review a book on a theatre are those who love theatres and look forward to each new effort, and the former STATE (now the LANDMARK theatre) is certainly one of architect Thomas Lamb's most wonderful works and deserving of praise, but, unfortunately, this "booklet" is not. While not every book on an individual theatre could be the Magnum Opus that is, for example, "FOX-The Last Word" about the fabulous San Francisco FOX, such books can be more than this amateurish paste-up. The author, Alfred Balk, lists himself as "Editor" because there really is no text, as one would expect of an authored work. He is a former magazine editor and a professor of journalism, yet we find no evidence of the scholarship that such credentials might suggest. Instead, the Editor, in conjunction with a Production Editor apparently from the Syracuse University Press, has assembled a small collection of photos and news clippings together with some captions to tell the theatre's story. Had each of these been exhaustive, they might possibly have delivered all the information a $25 hardbound might be expected to. Sadly, that is not the case. Mr. Balk as a member of their Board of Directors and Archivist has merely pasted up dozens of newspaper clippings interspersed with photos, the black and white ones being of poor quality on the matte book paper. Often the layout is a montage with one clipping photographed atop another! Not only is the reproduction quality poor making for difficult reading, but often the clipping is cut off wherever the editor wanted to conserve page space and the reader looks in vain for the rest of the item.

Is this book about the notable architecture and decor of this famous movie palace? Not really. The 16 pages of color photos do help one gauge the exotic ambience of what remains after much restoration, and there are three full pages of black and white photos which suffer from the book paper. These together with five b/w photos and captions lifted from "Marquee" magazine of the Theatre Historical Society in Elmhurst, Ill. as well as two theatres books, are augmented only by four reproductions of the giant blueprints in much reduced size. Even at reduced size the blueprints are seen to be works of art in themselves but cry out to have been made as foldouts in larger size so that they could be fully appreciated. It is rather like trying to look at the "Mona Lisa" through a peephole. Since it is difficult to economically reproduce 3 by 4-foot blueprints in a book, then there should have been drawings in simplified form made from these to delineate all major facets of the theatre. This is commonplace for floor plans, but not one such is in the book - including no floor plan, which is vital to understanding a structure. This work does, however, make good use of its dust jacket where the front panel is a glossy, varnished color photo of the lobby and the back panel gives us the only view of the organ console in 1950, apparently in situ, but there is no caption about it. So, this is not an architectural work about this 2,900-seat performance hall.

Is it a commercial history? Only in the most limited sense in that clippings are again intended to be the bulk of the text about the history of this house.

What is the book about? Mostly the "Save-the-State" campaign and subsequent restoration efforts. Sixty-one of the 86 clippings and over half the pages reflect the names involved in these efforts and comments on their progress, the hard work of which volunteers is to be applauded! But the last paragraph of the Introduction gives its real raison d'etre when it states that they hope the book will stimulate support from many sources. Is your purchase price going to help the LANDMARK with financial support? They don't say.

It might be mentioned that the full page photo of the stage switchboard by Westinghouse is a welcome exposition revealing the nine light groups for the auditorium, and 15 such for the stage, all in three colors and ten presets. It is a pity that they didn't key the house controls to numbers on a photo of the auditorium. Such illuminating detail is often overlooked in other books (pun intended).

Customer Reviews:

Reprint of THE original PRIME work in the field........1998-11-12

This printing of the classic BEST REMAINING SEATS: THE STORY OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE MOVIE PALACE (the review for which please see under that title) features updated captions for the b&w photos in this non-glossy paperback edition. Since some theatres have vanished since the first edition of 1961, the captions reflect the changes from that time through 1987 and better help the reader appreciate the rapidity of change. The new Preface for this reprint of the 1975 edition by the co-founder of the THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA, B. Andrew Corsini Fowler, places the book in an appreciative context and highlights the fact that the book is more than "an appropriate epitaph" of the movie palace, as forseen by the 1st edition's Foreward writer, since it helped focus the nation's attention on its fast-vanishing movie palace heritage. While this edition does not contain the color plates of the original, it does make available the fabulous prose of a truly gifted writer whose contagious enthusiasm will warm you heart to him and his beloved theatres as well as the many wonderful, eccentric people who dance through its pages. If theatres (and Movie Palaces in particular) could talk, they would shout the praises of the late Ben M. Hall whose unique style helped bring our theatres back to us. If you've ever wondered about the origins and the faded glamour of an old theatre, this book belongs on your book shelf, for you will return to it again whenever you pine for a sweeter time in gilded halls filled with the sounds of the unique Theatre Pipe Organ.

Average customer rating:

If you liked the movie, don't bother with the book
Anxiously awaiting Savan's next novel
Beautiful!
Fabulous !
My personal bible

WHITE PALACE (Bantam New Fiction)
Glenn Savan
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Movie Tie-Ins | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 055327659X
Release Date: 1988-09-01

Customer Reviews:

If you liked the movie, don't bother with the book.......2005-04-14

I fell in love with the movie White Palace and its characters and I had to believe that any movie that moved me as much as it did was surely born of a great book. I couldn't have been more wrong. About the only things the book and the movie have in common are most of the character names (except that Nora is named Cromwell in the book instead of Baker as in the movie...and considering her affinity for Marilyn Monroe, the Baker is a more logical improvement). Beyond that, don't go looking for any similiarities. The quality of writing is fair at best. I'm not really sure what everyone was so blown away by. I have a heart and soul and live and die by a well-written and engaging love story...this ain't it. I hated every single character in this book and was only too happy to finish it. The movie did a much better job of focusing on the actual love story between Max and Nora. Did the book really need to explore the subplot of the marketing rep with body odor? Who cares?! Maybe the author could have worked in a few more St. Louis street names just to remind us that's where th story is set. Because yeah...that's helping me care about these people, hearing that they're driving down Clayton vs. Gravois. Whatever. Again, insipid details that do nothing to enhance the story. I look forward to the next night I curl up before the fire with my own true love...this will make a lovely addition to the embers.

Anxiously awaiting Savan's next novel.......2003-03-09

I loved and cared about the characters in White Palace. (The movie was wonderful and sexy too, but not always in the same way as the book.) I read Goldman's Anatomy as soon as it was published, but that was nearly ten years ago. I hope there is more to come from Savan...

Beautiful!.......2002-01-13

and insighful and hilarious, and touching, and totally believable and complex and fluid, and yes, BEAUTIFUL...

Anyone with a beaitng heart will appreciate these characters!

Fabulous !.......2000-08-31

I was actually sad when I finished the book and had to leave Nora and Maxes world.

My personal bible.......2000-06-13

I loved this book. I read it three times in three days. The author manages to make even minor characters completely believable. The characters are sympathetic even when they are acting in mean spirited ways. They are decent but imperfect human beings .Also great sex scenes This book is a fun ride. The author's second book Goldman's Anatomy is also good .

Average customer rating:

Palace Pix Clicks
A FULL COLOR BOOK OF THEATRE PHOTOGRAPHS

Movie Palaces
Rh Value Publishing
Manufacturer: Random House Value Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0517538571
Release Date: 1988-12-12

Book Description

A glorious compilation of brilliant color photographs from the golden age of the great American movie theaters. Pildas captures the spectacle and the glamour of these cinema temples, concentrating on specific design motifs such as marquees, box offices, lobbies, even the razzle-dazzle terrazzo floors. MOVIE PALACES is a vivid and detailed examination of some of America's vanishing architectural treasures.

Customer Reviews:

Palace Pix Clicks.......2000-11-18

This book is a fabulous collection of color photos of movie theatre exteriors, interiors, and box offices all around the country. It includes a striking two page spread of Graumann's Chinese (now Mann's Chinese) in Hollywood, probably the most famous of them all. Shot in the 70's and 80's, these photos depict many structures that have since disappeared. Elegant, ornate, and colorful, they speak of the day when seeing a movie was the premiere modern entertainment experience. What a striking contrast to the "multiplexes", the tiny characterless cubes, in which we view movies today!

This book is beautifully designed, and bears a fascinating introductory text and forward.

A FULL COLOR BOOK OF THEATRE PHOTOGRAPHS.......2000-02-17

Photographer Ave Pildas gives movie palace buffs a book filled with photographs of many theatre buildings throughout the United States. About half of the photos are of theatres in the Los Angeles area while the other half are of theatres in other states. There is some information on the general history of movie palaces, but the main purpose of this book are the color photos of the exterior and interior of these fantastic buildings. The book has been out-of-print for years(It was published in 1980) but if you are interested in movie theatres, you will not go wrong if you can track down a copy of this book. Highly recommended.

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