Walter Reade
Encyclopedia
Walter Reade Sr was the man behind a chain of theatres which grew from a single theatre in Asbury Park, New Jersey
to a chain of forty theatres and drive-ins in New Jersey, New York and neighboring states that lasted into the mid seventies. Known as the “Showman of The Shore,” his name was associated with big, beautifully kept single movie theatres of Hollywood’s golden age. He was born in 1884, lived in Deal, NJ, and considered Asbury Park the home base of his organization. He had six theatres there: The Mayfair, St. James, Lyric, Ocean, Paramount and Savoy. He soon became embroiled in fighting the corruption in Asbury Park from 1946 onward after he started a newspaper that had some unfavorable things to say about his adversaries.
Walter Reade Jr (1916–1973) was the President and Board Chairman of the Walter Reade Organization, which owned and operated theatres in Manhattan
, New Jersey
, Boston
and upstate New York
. As the son of the company founder, Walter Reade Jr. served as an executive in the company. When his father died in the early 1950s, he assumed control of the company, and continued in that position until his death.
The Walter Reade Organization also distributed and sometimes financed foreign films for showing in American theatres and sold packages of dubbed foreign films for American television. The company financed Ulysses. Reade was described by Joseph Strick
, the director of that film, as "a big, bluff man who wore a fresh carnation every day".
Reade started Continental Film Distributors in 1954 to distribute foreign films in the USA. In 1961 Walter Reade acquired Sterling Television renaming Reade-Sterling the Walter Reade Organisation in 1966. The company posted a major financial loss in 1964, due to the failure of "art house
" foreign films with the American public (the company was responsible for releasing most of the films of Jacques Tati
, and for also releasing the Canadian film The Luck of Ginger Coffey
). Reade declared "You can't take major awards to the bank" and began a program of more commercial releases such as a double feature
of the British Hot Enough for June
retitled Agent 8¾ to make it sound more like a James Bond
spoof and the Japanese Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
in 1965. Reade also presented Behind the Great Wall, in "AromaRama", at the DeMille Theater in New York. The theater's air conditioning system was used to circulate various scents to provide an olfactory experience in addition to the sights and sounds. By three weeks, AromaRama beat a competing system, Scent of Mystery
, in Smell-O-Vision
. Reade's biggest success was releasing and exploiting Night of the Living Dead
in 1968.
The firm also owned the Charles Cinema in Boston
, which opened on April, 1967, and closed in December 1976. Major engagements included Easy Rider in 1969 and Star Wars in 1977. (The space was later operated by other exhibitors, but finally closed for good in 1994).
Sheldon Gunsberg later took over the company from Reade when he was killed in a skiing accident in Switzerland. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1977, emerging four years later. Columbia Pictures
purchased 81% of the organization in 1981, buying the company completely in 1985, but later sold it to the Cineplex Odeon Corporation on June 26, 1987.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to a chain of forty theatres and drive-ins in New Jersey, New York and neighboring states that lasted into the mid seventies. Known as the “Showman of The Shore,” his name was associated with big, beautifully kept single movie theatres of Hollywood’s golden age. He was born in 1884, lived in Deal, NJ, and considered Asbury Park the home base of his organization. He had six theatres there: The Mayfair, St. James, Lyric, Ocean, Paramount and Savoy. He soon became embroiled in fighting the corruption in Asbury Park from 1946 onward after he started a newspaper that had some unfavorable things to say about his adversaries.
Walter Reade Jr (1916–1973) was the President and Board Chairman of the Walter Reade Organization, which owned and operated theatres in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. As the son of the company founder, Walter Reade Jr. served as an executive in the company. When his father died in the early 1950s, he assumed control of the company, and continued in that position until his death.
The Walter Reade Organization also distributed and sometimes financed foreign films for showing in American theatres and sold packages of dubbed foreign films for American television. The company financed Ulysses. Reade was described by Joseph Strick
Joseph Strick
Joseph Strick was an American director, producer and screenwriter.Born in Braddock, Pennsylvania, Strick briefly attended UCLA before enrolling in the Army during World War II. In the Army, he served as a cameraman in the Army Air Forces.In 1948, he and Irving Lerner produced Muscle Beach...
, the director of that film, as "a big, bluff man who wore a fresh carnation every day".
Reade started Continental Film Distributors in 1954 to distribute foreign films in the USA. In 1961 Walter Reade acquired Sterling Television renaming Reade-Sterling the Walter Reade Organisation in 1966. The company posted a major financial loss in 1964, due to the failure of "art house
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
" foreign films with the American public (the company was responsible for releasing most of the films of Jacques Tati
Jacques Tati
Jacques Tati was a French filmmaker, working as a comedic actor, writer and director. In a poll conducted by Entertainment Weekly of the Greatest Movie Directors Tati was voted the 46th greatest of all time...
, and for also releasing the Canadian film The Luck of Ginger Coffey
The Luck of Ginger Coffey
The Luck of Ginger Coffey is a 1964 film directed by Irvin Kershner. It was filmed in Montreal by Crawley Films. It is based on the Governor General's Award winning novel by Northern Irish-Canadian writer Brian Moore.- Plot :...
). Reade declared "You can't take major awards to the bank" and began a program of more commercial releases such as a double feature
Double feature
The double feature, also known as a double bill, was a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatre managers would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown.The double feature, also known as...
of the British Hot Enough for June
Hot Enough for June
Hot Enough for June is a 1964 British spy comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and featuring Dirk Bogarde, Sylva Koscina, Robert Morley, Leo McKern, John Le Mesurier and Roger Delgado. It was based on the 1960 novel "The Night of Wenceslas" by Lionel Davidson and directed by Ralph Thomas. It was...
retitled Agent 8¾ to make it sound more like a James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
spoof and the Japanese Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, released in Japan as and originally released in the US as Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, is a 1964 science fiction kaiju film, and is the 5th film in Toho's Godzilla series...
in 1965. Reade also presented Behind the Great Wall, in "AromaRama", at the DeMille Theater in New York. The theater's air conditioning system was used to circulate various scents to provide an olfactory experience in addition to the sights and sounds. By three weeks, AromaRama beat a competing system, Scent of Mystery
Scent of Mystery
Scent of Mystery is a 1960 mystery film that featured the one and only use of Smell-O-Vision, a system that timed odors to points in the film's plot. It was the first film in which aromas were integral to the story, providing important details to the audience...
, in Smell-O-Vision
Smell-o-vision
Smell-O-Vision was a system that released odor during the projection of a film so that the viewer could "smell" what was happening in the movie. The technique was created by Hans Laube and made its only appearance in the 1960 film Scent of Mystery, produced by Mike Todd, Jr., son of film producer...
. Reade's biggest success was releasing and exploiting Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead
Night of the Living Dead is a 1968 American independent black-and-white zombie film and cult film directed by George A. Romero, starring Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman. It premiered on October 1, 1968, and was completed on a USD$114,000 budget. After decades of cinematic re-releases, it...
in 1968.
The firm also owned the Charles Cinema in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, which opened on April, 1967, and closed in December 1976. Major engagements included Easy Rider in 1969 and Star Wars in 1977. (The space was later operated by other exhibitors, but finally closed for good in 1994).
Sheldon Gunsberg later took over the company from Reade when he was killed in a skiing accident in Switzerland. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1977, emerging four years later. Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
purchased 81% of the organization in 1981, buying the company completely in 1985, but later sold it to the Cineplex Odeon Corporation on June 26, 1987.