Classic movie site with rare images, original ads, and behind-the-scenes photos, with informative and insightful commentary. We like to have fun with movies!
Archive and Links
grbrpix@aol.com
Search Index Here




Monday, June 09, 2014

Have Yourself A Laffinest Laff Show


When Moviegoing Was One Big Joke

What a great idea was Laffmovie! A theatre, eventually four of them, operating on all-comedy basis in Boston, Baltimore, and flagship-base 42nd Street, where owner James Mage ground out yoks nineteen-hour-per-day. The NY house opened on 4 July 1942, Mage's guess (correct) that war-weary filmgoers could use more mirth. To that goal, he'd book a feature, short/cartoons in quantity support, with turnover every two hours. If you had a favorite comic, he/she was surefire to turn up, and often. Didn't matter how far back the stuff dated: a Chaplin Keystone from 1914 could accompany a latest Three Stooge, and the late 40's saw revival of the Ritz Brothers in The Gorilla, Laurel and Hardy as The Flying Deuces, Blockheads, or per ad above, The Marx Brothers in Duck Soup. Of course, kids came in abundance. Management hung fun house mirrors in the lobby, the kind you could look into and be distorted. Lots were already that way upon entering, particularly late at night, Laffmovie having to ditch initial round-clock policy because bums were using seats to flop till dawn.

The 12/26/42 Laffmovie Line-Ups
NY's 42nd Street, between Broadway and 8th Avenue, was called "The Biggest Movie Center In The World." Where else could boast ten theatres on a single block? All were grind-driven, "shooting galleries" as Rialto manager Arthur Mayer called them, and product was fought over like scraps by dogs. Most all was oldie stuff --- Variety estimated that, for instance, Scarface and German-made M had played thirty to forty times on 42nd Street during the 40's. It paid to specialize then, and Laffmovie made sure theirs was Laffin' Place to walk-ins off the Main Stem. Groups of people, even husband/wives, would start down sidewalks, splitting up as they passed marquees so that each could see fare preferred, then regroup upon respective exit. Mage guarded the Laffmovie brand against interlopers. He couldn't stop them from showing comedies, but he could sure prevent unauthorized use of the Laffmovie name, and did, in court, on several occasions.

Copycat Chicago Tries Its Own Laffin' Variant
Although it was designated a subsequent house, the Laffmovie did on at least one occasion host a World Premiere, most notably for Monogram's Bringing Up Father in November 1946, to which the film's cast and Mono brass attended. The Laffmovie's success in Gotham would see two locations there, plus expansion to Boston in 11/44 (and later Baltimore), opening with prices scaled to a quarter's high. That brought kids, and parents wanting to drop kids. Management actually checked youth in the lobby with tags so that Mom/Dad could claim them later like overcoats or hats. "A competent matron" would watch children even if they weren't going in for the show, Laffmovie's hope that good will would inspire grown-ups to return and attend shows as a family. Straight serve of comic menu at Laffmovie meant "no trailers, no distraction, from entertainment," said manager William Grew, who'd countenance no lull to laffs. In fact, the Laffmovie kept records of crowd reaction to each and every comedy they played. When New York's venue celebrated a Tenth Anniversary in 1952, staff reviewed the 10,000 shorts, cartoons, and features run over a past decade in order to select eleven judged funniest for the birthday fete. NY's Laffmovie would become the Empire Theatre in 1954.

3 Comments:

Blogger Jeff Hitz said...

Chicago's Rialto committed an unpardonable sin in their poster, advertising Shivering Sherlock (sic) as a Curly film. I wonder how many film goers wound up disappointed back then.

10:17 AM  
Blogger Scott MacGillivray said...

The Laffmovie was a big deal in downtown Boston. It was the former B. F. Keith vaudeville theater, and just before it went all-comedy, it was known as the Normandie. Two weeks out of each year, the management covered up the Laffmovie sign and put up a temporary Normandie sign for legal reasons: they had to do business as the Normandie two weeks annually in order to keep the rights to the Normandie name). Imagine the confusion when a patron expected to see Laurel & Hardy and Edgar Kennedy, and wound up seeing some British dramatic feature.

9:30 AM  
Blogger Jerry Kovar said...

Great piece, John. I "grew up" on 42nd Street in the 50s-60s and I believe I saw my first Chaplin at LaffMovie. Is there any way for me to save the article in my electronic scrapbook. "Save as...." doesn't seem to work. Thanks. Jerry

10:58 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home

grbrpix@aol.com
  • December 2005
  • January 2006
  • February 2006
  • March 2006
  • April 2006
  • May 2006
  • June 2006
  • July 2006
  • August 2006
  • September 2006
  • October 2006
  • November 2006
  • December 2006
  • January 2007
  • February 2007
  • March 2007
  • April 2007
  • May 2007
  • June 2007
  • July 2007
  • August 2007
  • September 2007
  • October 2007
  • November 2007
  • December 2007
  • January 2008
  • February 2008
  • March 2008
  • April 2008
  • May 2008
  • June 2008
  • July 2008
  • August 2008
  • September 2008
  • October 2008
  • November 2008
  • December 2008
  • January 2009
  • February 2009
  • March 2009
  • April 2009
  • May 2009
  • June 2009
  • July 2009
  • August 2009
  • September 2009
  • October 2009
  • November 2009
  • December 2009
  • January 2010
  • February 2010
  • March 2010
  • April 2010
  • May 2010
  • June 2010
  • July 2010
  • August 2010
  • September 2010
  • October 2010
  • November 2010
  • December 2010
  • January 2011
  • February 2011
  • March 2011
  • April 2011
  • May 2011
  • June 2011
  • July 2011
  • August 2011
  • September 2011
  • October 2011
  • November 2011
  • December 2011
  • January 2012
  • February 2012
  • March 2012
  • April 2012
  • May 2012
  • June 2012
  • July 2012
  • August 2012
  • September 2012
  • October 2012
  • November 2012
  • December 2012
  • January 2013
  • February 2013
  • March 2013
  • April 2013
  • May 2013
  • June 2013
  • July 2013
  • August 2013
  • September 2013
  • October 2013
  • November 2013
  • December 2013
  • January 2014
  • February 2014
  • March 2014
  • April 2014
  • May 2014
  • June 2014
  • July 2014
  • August 2014
  • September 2014
  • October 2014
  • November 2014
  • December 2014
  • January 2015
  • February 2015
  • March 2015
  • April 2015
  • May 2015
  • June 2015
  • July 2015
  • August 2015
  • September 2015
  • October 2015
  • November 2015
  • December 2015
  • January 2016
  • February 2016
  • March 2016
  • April 2016
  • May 2016
  • June 2016
  • July 2016
  • August 2016
  • September 2016
  • October 2016
  • November 2016
  • December 2016
  • January 2017
  • February 2017
  • March 2017
  • April 2017
  • May 2017
  • June 2017
  • July 2017
  • August 2017
  • September 2017
  • October 2017
  • November 2017
  • December 2017
  • January 2018
  • February 2018
  • March 2018
  • April 2018
  • May 2018
  • June 2018
  • July 2018
  • August 2018
  • September 2018
  • October 2018
  • November 2018
  • December 2018
  • January 2019
  • February 2019
  • March 2019
  • April 2019
  • May 2019
  • June 2019
  • July 2019
  • August 2019
  • September 2019
  • October 2019
  • November 2019
  • December 2019
  • January 2020
  • February 2020
  • March 2020
  • April 2020
  • May 2020
  • June 2020
  • July 2020
  • August 2020
  • September 2020
  • October 2020
  • November 2020
  • December 2020
  • January 2021
  • February 2021
  • March 2021
  • April 2021
  • May 2021
  • June 2021
  • July 2021
  • August 2021
  • September 2021
  • October 2021
  • November 2021
  • December 2021
  • January 2022
  • February 2022
  • March 2022
  • April 2022
  • May 2022
  • June 2022
  • July 2022
  • August 2022
  • September 2022
  • October 2022
  • November 2022
  • December 2022
  • January 2023
  • February 2023
  • March 2023
  • April 2023
  • May 2023
  • June 2023
  • July 2023
  • August 2023
  • September 2023
  • October 2023
  • November 2023
  • December 2023
  • January 2024
  • February 2024
  • March 2024