Godzilla V. the MUSIC BOX (Chicago, June 7th-13th)

Jorge Galvan

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Join Date: Jun 8, 2015

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Godzilla V. the MUSIC BOX (Chicago, June 7th-13th)

May 12, '24, 10:49 PM

The MUSIC BOX is the premier (CHICAGO) VENUE FOR INDEPENDENT, FOREIGN, CULT AND CLASSIC FILMS!!! IT has been for Decades!!

Music Box Theatre History

https://musicboxtheatre.com/about/music-box-theatre-history

Opened 1929, the Music Box Theatre retains its original architecture and design. With a dark blue ceiling, “twinkling stars” and moving cloud formations suggesting a night sky, and walls and towers suggesting an Italian courtyard, patrons are made to feel as if they are watching a film in an open-air Tuscan palazzo. The Music Box Theatre opened on August 22, 1929, a time when the movie palaces in downtown Chicago each had seating capacities of around 3,000 people. The Music Box, which sat 700, was considered an elaborate little brother to those theatres. Theatre Architecture magazine noted in 1929 that the theatre “represents the smaller, though charming and well equipped, sound picture theatre which is rapidly taking the place of the ‘deluxe’ palace.” The Building The theatre was built for a cost of $110,000. The entire building, which also included nine storefronts and 32 apartments, cost $260,000. The building was designed by Louis I. Simon, a local architect who studied architecture at the Armor Institute in Chicago. The building was erected by The Southport Avenue Businessmen’s Association and operated by Lasker and Sons, who operated several smaller neighborhood houses in Chicago. A Period of Innovation The design of the Music Box was indicative of the growth of the motion picture. The grand movie palaces that preceded it were multiple-use facilities with stage and film presentation capabilities. The Music Box had no stage and, therefore, could only be a film presentation house. When the theatre was built, sound films were a new technology, and the plans included both an orchestra pit and organ chambers in case sound films failed and silent film accompaniment was needed. Architectural Style As Chicago Tribune architectural critic Paul Gapp wrote (Arts and Books, July 31, 1983), "The architectural style is an eclectic melange of Italian, Spanish and Pardon-My-Fantasy put together with passion." The actual style is called “atmospheric”. The dark blue, cove-lit ceiling with “twinkling stars” and moving cloud formations suggests a night sky. The plaster ornamentation of the side walls, round towers, faux-marble loggia and ogee-arched organ chambers are, by Hollywood standards, reminiscent of the walls surrounding an Italian courtyard. Overall the effect is to make the patron feel that they are watching a film in an open air palazzo. Restoration and Rebirth Between 1977 and 1983, the Music Box was used sporadically for Spanish language films, porno films and lastly, Arabic language films. In 1983, management reopened the theater with a format of double feature revival and repertory films. Eventually, foreign films were reinstated, and independent and cult films were added to the roster. The Music Box Theatre now presents a yearly average of 300 films. Part of the re-birth included adding a theatre organ, which is played for weekend intermissions, monthly silent films, holiday sing alongs and special presentations. A large custom electronic organ was installed with the speakers placed in the chambers originally designed for pipes. The irony is that the Music Box is the only theatre in the Chicago area presenting silent films with organ accompaniment on a regular basis, and it began in 1929 playing only sound films. In 1991, management decided to add a second screen. Rather than split the main theater in two, a small theater was built in an existing storefront adjacent to the lobby. The ambiance of the theatre was designed to echo the architecture of the main auditorium. The feeling is still atmospheric but because of the 13-foot ceiling, the feel is that of sitting under a garden trellis with stars in the night sky beyond. Current Operations For the last two decades, the Music Box Theatre has been the premiere venue in Chicago for independent and foreign films. It currently has the largest theater space operated full time in the city. The Music Box Theatre is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corporation. SMBC, through its Music Box Films division, also distributes foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD and television markets throughout the United States.

and starting on June 7th we will have...

Godzilla vs. Music Box

https://musicboxtheatre.com/series-and-festivals/godzilla-vs-music-box

The Music Box is partnering with the Japanese Arts Foundation to throw Godzilla a birthday party June 7 -13, and you're invited! Come celebrate 70 years of everyone's favorite kaiju with film screenings, special guests, unique preshows, a 24-hour Showa-era marathon, and more!

FIRST NIGHT!
Friday, 6/7 - Opening Night!

7:00pm - SHIN GODZILLA and GODZILLA MINUS ONE Double Feature with a panel discussion, Godzilla, the Atomic Age Anti-hero, led by Saira Chambers, Japanese Culture Center/Japanese Arts Foundation, Dr Yuki Miyamoto, DePaul Humanities Center, and more experts in the field TBA

Some more highlights or should I say LOW LIFES!!!

Monday, 6/10 - Kid's Day

4:30pm - GODZILLA VS. GIGAN

7:00pm - DESTROY ALL MONSTERS introduced by Svengoolie!

9:20pm - GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE

***Svengoolie in the Music Box Lounge 5:30pm-7:30pm signing autographs*** (UGH!!!)

Wednesday, 6/12 - Mothra Day

4:30pm - MOTHRA on 35mm

7:00pm - MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA introduced by Field Museum Insects Collections Assistant, Jim Louderman

9:20pm - GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK on 35mm

***Jim Louderman in the Music Box Lounge 6pm-9:45pm with live insects and more!***

The rest you all can check out on the above link. I am not sure what type of schedule to plan out. The Music box is a Jaunt for me as a southsider, that's an hour and a half drive and ten to FIND PARKING!! I might park downtown and then take the Brown line up to the Music box. But again not sure what days I will need to get off for work. It will be fun.

One year they had an ULTRAMAN film one of the NEWER ones (TYGA? DYNA??) on a Saturday Morning, like an old time MATINEE, if they had cartoons and a NEWSSERIAL, it would have been heaven!!! I got off HARD on it and I wished they had done something like that sooner.

Not sure if its gonna be Feasible for me to do the WHOLE 24 hour marathon, age, body, age...

But its the sense of community and it will be interesting to see who shows up for this

pretty sad that Chicago only has ONE theatre like this. (3 Million in the city, 5 million in the suburbs) The LYRIC theatre has been a fixture in Blue Island for eons and it was bought by the idiots that own Beggars pizza and they have turned it into a "CLUB" and they ripped out all the OLD Chairs and you would not even recognize it from the inside that it was a cinema, once. If I had the opportunity, I would have loved to have given thee "Southside" an option ala the Music box. Damn.

Pizza, Pasta, & Wings Delivery & Carryout | Beggars Pizza

https://www.beggarspizza.com/

Order pickup or delivery of Chicago pizza from Beggars Pizza. Since 1976, we've served up Chicagoland's favorite deep-dish pizza, thin-crust pizza, and more.

HOME | The Lyric Theater | Live Music | Blue Island

https://www.lyrictheater.com/

The Lyric Theater is an historic, restored theater in Blue Island's bustling downtown. It is your new home for movies, concert, and private events. Come and make memories.
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Godzilla V. the MUSIC BOX (Chicago, June 7th-13th)

Godzilla V. the MUSIC BOX (Chicago, June 7th-13th)