Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Cine Prata in Vila Gustavo

This is where Cine Prata at Vila Gustavo used to be; Av. Julio Buono, often mispelt as Julio Bueno

I used to visit some second-degree once removed cousins who lived at Vila Gustavo circa 1962. We got on the bus at Vale do Anhangabaú near Avenida Tiradentes and it took a whole hour to get to Vila Gustavo. Those relatives lived in a house with no running water which struck me as 'unusual'. They had a well in their backyard. 

As we got off the bus on Avenida Julio Buono I asked my Mother to wait for me while I went up to Cine Prata's lobby to check up on the lobby cards and see what was on offer. What struck me as particularly attractive was the Republic Picture serials they still showed at those far-away places... 

Cine Prata was still exhibiting 1949 'Batman & Robin' in 1962


Sunday, December 18, 2016

VILA MARIANA cinemas

Even though I lived at Vila Madalena as of 16 December 1960, by 1966 I had made a friend who lived at Vila Clementino-Vila Mariana so I used to commute to the South Side of Sao Paulo every week-end and had the chance to get acquainted the movie-houses they had on that part of town. Here are some of them:
Cine Cruzeiro, Av. Domingos de Moraes, Largo Ana Rosa.
Cine Cruzeiro opening: 28 July 1943.
Rua Domingos de Moraes just in front of Cine Cruzeiro during tram-rail repairing time... 
Cine Estrela on Avenida Bosque da Saúde, 184 on its opening night in 1947, with 'Não me diga adeus' (No me digas adios), a 1947 Argentine-Brazilian romantic musical film directed by Luis Moglia Barth. The film was shot in Petrópolis-RJ. with Linda Baptista, Lourdinha Bittencosurt, Luiz Bonfá, Anselmo Duarte, Luz del Fuego etc.
Cine Estrêla during celebrations of Carnaval, some time back in the 1950s. The movie house turned into a Carnaval ball-room during 4 days: Saturday, Sunday, Monday & Fat Tuesday... See tram rails on the bed of cobbled Avenida Bosque da Saúde, where tram #30 ran in and out. 
Cine Estrela under construction in 1946-1947.
Cine Estrela's fairly advanced construction...

Cine Estrela turned into a parking lot...
Cine Estrela after being discontinued as a cinema...
Cine Nilo on Avenida Jabaquara, 123, inaugurated in 1955.

what remained of Cine Nilo in 2016... the homeless people on each side is a 'bonus'... 
Cine Jamour used to be here... rua Domingos de Morais, 2,833, Saúde.
Cine Sabará, Rua Domingos de Moraes, 1999 - a block apart from Santa Cruz Church.
Cine Sabará was refurbished into a Pastorinho Market, later demolished. 
Cine Maringá in Jabaquara, in March 1954. played 'O mundo em seus braços' (The world in his arms) with Gregory Peck & Ann Blyth, a 1952 Universal production. 
Rua Domingos de Moraes in the 1950s... see Lojas Assumpção van in the foreground. They used to sponsor 'Parada de Sucessos' with Helio Aguiar on Radio Nacional Paulista.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Japanese cinemas

original Cine Niteroi.
Cine Niteroi. 
Cine Niteroi on Rua Galvão Bueno.
new Cine Niteroi on Avenida da Liberdade, next to the Methodist Church - 1968
Cine Niteroi on the corner of Avenida Liberdade & Rua Barão de Iguape
Cine Nippon opened in 1959
Cine Nippon on rua Santa Luzia, 80.
Rua Barão de Iguape at Liberdade at night. 

http://www.portalnikkei.com.br/literatura-alexandre-kishimoto-faz-pre-lancamento-do-livro-cinema-japones-na-liberdade/

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Movie-theatres in S.P. in 20 April 1952 - Cine República

Cyll Farney, Anselmo Duarte, Vinícius de Morais & Pedro Verdi, owner of Condor Filmes at Cine República.

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Cine Paisandú opens on 20 December 1957

20 December 1957 - after only 11 days after Cine Boulevard was inaugurated and exactly one week after Cine Olido opened its doors for the 1st time - luxurious and huge Cine Paisandu is inaugurated with Paramount's 'War and peace' (Guerra e paz). 
Yvonne De Carlo & Clark Gable in 'Band of angels' (Meu pecado foi nascer) released on the 3rd August 1957, in the U.S.A.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

CINE BOULEVARD opens on 11 December 1957

In the space of one single week the city of Sao Paulo saw 3 major movie houses inaugurated. Cine Boulevard that was a totally refurbished Cine Paratodos that had its entrance on Rua Santa Efigenia now had its box-office on Rua Antonio de Godoy opened on Wednesday, 11 December 1957. Three days later - on Friday, 13 December 1957, brand-new Cine Olido opened its luxurious facilities to the public... and finally on the next Friday, 20 December 1957, it was Cine Paisandu that opened its doors to the public. Mind you that all 3 cinemas were all around Largo do Paisandu. 
1st December 1957 - daily 'O Estado de S.Paulo' announces the opening of Cine Boulevard, a brand new cinema house in downtown São Paulo on Wednesday, 11 December 1957.

11 December 1957 - Wednesday - Cine Boulevard is inaugurated on Rua Antonio de Godoy, 83. Actually Cine Boulevard was the result of totally refurbishing Cine Paratodos that closed at the end of 1956. 
16 December 1956 - by December 1956 Cine Paratodos, on Rua Santa Efigênia shut its doors to be completely refurbished. After one year it opened its doors again as Cine Boulevard having its entrance on Rua Antonio de Godoy.
Cine-Theatro Paratodos in the 1940s, at the corner of Rua Antonio de Godoy and Rua Sancta Efigênia.
Cine-Theatro Paratodos blueprint: Entrance at the corner of Largo Sancta Ephigenia and Rua Antonio de Godoy. There was a long hall (sala-de-espera) that led to the main hall (sala-de-espetáculos); one entered it by the side of the main stage or screen (palco or tela). The main exit was at the back of the theatre and it led to Rua Antonio de Godoy. 
Cine-Theatro Paratodos main projecting room
Paratodos stage and screen.
Paratodos waiting hall (sala de espera).
Cine-Theatro Paratodos box-offices on its opening day with RKO's 'No, no, Nanette', directed by Herbert Wilcox opened in New York on 13 December 1940
Cine-Theatro stairs leading to the balcony. 

According to 'Revista de Engenharia Mackenzie' nº 54 pages 184 /191, Cine Theatro Paratodos opened on 12 September 1930; then it says Paratodos was re-opened after being re-furbished on 4 May 1947. In the early days there were concerts before film sessions with pianist Antonieta Rudge and singer Anita Gonçalves. Cine-Theatro Paratodos was demolished sometime in 1950. A partir de 11 December 1957 no lugar dos balcões (plateia superior) funcionou o Cine Boulevard. 
Rua Antonio de Godoy is a one-block street between Avenida Rio Branco & Rua Santa Efigenia. 
Cine Boulevard near the end of its life in 1968. 'O filho de Godzila' opened in Tokyo on 16 December 1967. 
17 May 1958 - Cine Boulevard dubbed 'Cinema de Elite' showed only choice European productions like 'Sinfonia de amor' (Symphonie inachevée), a French-Italian co-production shot in 1954, released in 1956 with Claude Laydu and Lucia Bosé. It is a biopic portraying the life of composer Franz Schubert.
14 November 1960 (Monday) - After 37 weeks at Cine Ipiranga, Cecil B. De Mille's 'The 10 Commandments' (Os 10 Mandamentos) starts showing 3 times a day at Cine Boulevard. My uncle Claudio took me to see it at Cine Boulevard sometime in January or February 1961. I was so impressed by such a spectacle I've never forgotten the experience. I'm really grateful to my uncle for having taken the time (almost 4 hours) and trouble. I have seen 'The 10 Commandments' many a time since then... but that first time is priceless. I remember when I lived in the USA in 1971-1973, I went to see it again at a cinema near the Journal Square train station in Jersey City, NJ. Half way through the 4 hour projection someone shouted Fire!... they stopped the session, opened all the doors and out we the crowd went into the street. Luckily no one was hurt but one could smell the smoke but didn't see the actual fire... 
1st December 1957 - on the same day, OESP announces the inauguration of  Cine Olido yet another brand new movie-house in downtown Sao Paulo... 
13 December 1957 - inauguration of Cine Olido on Avenida São João with 'An affair to remember' (Tarde demais para esquecer) with Cary Grant & Deborah Kerr. 
20 December 1957 - inauguration of Cine Paisandú with 'War and peace'.