From the opera house and movie palace to the modern multiplex, the big screen in Delaware is more than a century old. Hollywood legend Cary Grant visited the Playhouse Theater in 1955, fondly recalling his days on its stage as a child actor. Clint Eastwood came to Wilmington for a secret test screening of his film The Gauntlet at the Branmar Cinema. The groundbreaking history of Star Wars includes a Delaware theater that was one of only forty-five in the country to open the film. Author Michael J. Nazarewycz recounts the cinematic history of Delaware's movie theaters.
Former Delaware journalists Rachel Kipp and Dan Shortridge document the past, present, and sometimes the future of Delaware's landmarks and legends. Originally part of Pennsylvania and called "the three lower counties on the Delaware," the First State's present has been shaped by both colonial culture and modern industry. Many landmarks of its past, including the Greenbaum Cannery, the Rosedale Beach Hotel, the Nanticoke Queen restaurant, the Ross Point School and the Kahunaville nightclub now live solely in memory. The tales of airplanes and auto plants, breweries and bridges, cows and churches provide insight into the state's many communities, including its Black heritage. Read about fallen hospitals, long-ago lighthouses, crumbling mansions, demolished prisons and theaters that no longer hold shows.
From the beginning of World War II, Delaware's movie theaters played a starring role in the state's war effort. Delaware and every town in it - from Claymont to Delmar - did its part to support the war. From base theaters to opera houses to movie palaces, Delaware's theaters sold hundreds of millions of dollars in war bonds. They served as WAAC recruiting stations. They were collection points for resource drives. They screened countless newsreels and documentaries about every aspect of the war. And they hosted the likes of Fay Wray, Gene Lockhart, Gail Patrick, Paulette Goddard, and other Hollywood stars who came to the state to keep morale high, support strong, and dollars flowing. Author Michael J. Nazarewycz recounts how the First State, the Greatest Generation, and the Dream Factory joined forces when America's forces needed them most.
Experience the architecture and colorful history of the Historic Theaters of New York's Capital District as author John A. Miller charts the entertaining history. For generations, residents of New York's Capital District have flocked to the region's numerous theaters. The history behind the venues is often more compelling than the shows presented in them. John Wilkes Booth brushed with death on stage while he and Abraham Lincoln were visiting Albany. The first exhibition of broadcast television was shown at Proctor's Theater in Schenectady, although the invention ironically contributed to the downfall of theaters across the nation. A fired manager of the Green Street Theatre seized control of the theater with a group of armed men, but Albany police stormed the building and the former manager regained control.
Following on the heels of their incredibly successful The Ruins of Detroit, this major new project by the prolific French photographer duo Marchand/Meffre, poignantly eulogizes and celebrates the tattered remains of hundreds of movie theaters across America. They are in every American city and town—grandiose movie palaces, constructed during the heyday of the entertainment industry, that now stand abandoned, empty, decaying, or repurposed. Since 2005, the acclaimed photographic duo Marchand/Meffre have been traveling across the US to visit these early 20th-century relics. In hundreds of lushly colored images, they have captured the rich architectural diversity of the theaters’ exteriors, from neo renaissance to neo-Gothic, art nouveau to Bauhaus, and neo-Byzantine to Jugendstill. They have also stepped inside to capture the commonalities of a dying culture— crumbling plaster, rows of broken crushed-velvet seats, peeling paint, defunct equipment, and abandoned concession stands—as well as their transformation into bingo halls, warehouses, fitness centers, flea markets, parking lots, and grocery stores. Using a large format camera, the photographers’ carefully composed images range from landscape exteriors to starkly beautiful closeups. Presented here in a gorgeous oversized format, exquisitely printed with superior inks and spot varnish, this illustrated eulogy for the American movie palace is certain to become a modern-day classic.
Most of the time, there is nothing remarkable about a movie theater today; but that wasn't always the case. When the great American movie palaces began opening in the early 20th century, they were some of the most lavish, stunning buildings ever seen. However, they wouldn't last -- with the advent of in-home television, theater companies found it harder and harder to keep them open. Some were demolished, some were converted, and some remain empty to this day. After the Final Curtain: The Fall of the American Movie Theatre will take you through 24 of these magnificent buildings, revealing the beauty that remains years after the last ticket was sold.
Alphabetically-arranged entries from O to T that explores significant events, major persons, organizations, and political and social movements in African-American history from 1896 to the twenty-first-century.
“Good details on weekend trips in the manner of the old-time guides.”—The New York Times Author, editor, and TV host Joanne Michaels, a longtime resident of the Hudson Valley, brings families with young kids a wealth of opportunities to have fun and explore this playground so near to New York City as well as dozens of attractions upstate and in the Berkshires. From picnic spots to cruises, Joanne finds activities that kids love and parents can enjoy. • Educational sites, including parks, kid-friendly museums, historic sites, and nature centers • Wintertime fun • Many seasonal opportunities, like pick-your-own fruits and veggies • Hiking, biking, zoos, and much, much more • Family resorts So the next time your brood screams “We’re bored!” grab Let’s Take the Kids! and find something to do that will delight, educate, fascinate, and entertain them.
You'll never fall into the tourist traps when you travel with Frommer's. It's like having a friend show you around, taking you to the places locals like best. Our expert authors have already gone everywhere you might go--they've done the legwork for you, and they're not afraid to tell it like it is, saving you time and money. No other series offers candid reviews of so many hotels and restaurants in all price ranges. Every Frommer's Travel Guide is up-to-date, with exact prices for everything, dozens of color maps, and exciting coverage of sports, shopping, and nightlife. You'd be lost without us! From Civil War battlefields to Baltimore's National Aquarium, these two states offer a wealth of sightseeing and activities. Frommer's is on top of it all, with complete coverage of the best beaches, Camden Yards, world-renowned Longwood Gardens, the Winterthur Museum, scenic Chesapeake Bay, the best crab houses and brewpubs, thrilling outdoor adventures, antiquing, and much more. It's all at your fingertips, in true Frommer's style, with dozens of accurate maps, the best hotels and restaurants in all price ranges, detailed practical tips, and more. We offer a wealth of sightseeing, sports, strolls, and special moments--from highlights for the first-time visitor to off-the-beaten-track discoveries that will impress even the most seasoned traveler.
