A REAL OLD TIME MOVIE THEATER

In Jersey City, there is a movie theatre that is the ultimate throwback to a time when going to a movie theater was an experience - before inconsiderate cell phone man, scores of pre-film commercials and ten-dollar buckets of popcorn. What makes this theater special is the look of the building and catalog of films and productions that the landmark displays. Designed to cater to fans of the films of yesteryear, the catalog manages to feature events that can easily be enjoyed by fans of contemporary entertainment. Opened September 28, 1929, the Loews Jersey boasts an impressive look. The designers of the theater based their ideas for the movie palace off of European castles and homes of American royalty, prompting theatergoers to forget about the bustle of Jersey City's Journal Square once stepping through the Loews gleaming doors. Highlights of the building's structure include a gigantic clock at the top of the palace, embellished with a duel between St. George and the dragon topping the timepiece. Right before the door sits a large bronze ticket booth and a grand chandelier hangs from the lobby's ceiling. With the floor and orchestral seats, several balconies, and private boxes, the theater holds 3,000. While most American movie theatres lack private boxes in fear of a clash of classes in the audience, they are found in most European theatres - and are placed in the Loews to add to its elegance. Besides the classic films showcased at the Loews, it also boasts jazz, swing, R&B and rock performances, as well as touring musicals and dramatic plays. With Halloween approaching, the Loews demonstrates its love of classic films with its Dracula showcase of bloodsucking flicks playing this weekend. This includes a double feature of Dracula (1931) and Dracula's Daughter (1936) this Friday night. Saturday features a tripleheader of varying Dracula films: comedic with Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (with Bela Lugosi as Dracula, 1948), archetypal with Nosferatu (1922), and more recent with Shadow Of The Vampire (2000). Silent film-classic Nosferatu will be accompanied by a live performance on the pump organ. The theater also caters to today's audience who may not be as enthused about older movies as film buffs. Just last week, rock star/Scientologist Beck took the stage at the Jersey City Loews to perform for a full house. Beck is awesome. Scientology is not. "Loews must strive to present a broad spectrum of quality programming that breaks down preconceived divisions between different performance disciplines - artificial divisions that prevent many people, especially young people, from thoroughly exploring and enjoying the rich diversity of performance art," claims 'Friends of Loews', a group that works to keep up management on the landmark institution. "This programming must highlight the best accomplishments of American popular stage and motion picture arts." The Friends of Loews work to continue the ideals of Loew's founder Marcus Loew. He famously said, "I don't sell tickets to movies, I sell tickets to theaters."

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