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The Hawaii Theater in Honolulu was renovated with new equipment for reel-to-reel, but someone forgot to leave enough space for 6000' reels, so it can only run 2000'. "Fortunately" it runs live shows 95% of the time. Another auditorium here (Honolulu Academy of Arts) can run 6000' but again is not a dedicated cinema.

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This goes *way* back, but didn't the Hawaii somehow reconstruct the booth to make it 2-story? Something like projection equipment on the bottom & follow spots on the 2nd floor (or vice versa?)

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I remembered that the mention that the booth was two-story, & wondered how it had been done, what it was like, & how it worked.

It's disappointing that both the film & spots seem to have suffered. I don't understand why these architects (some are called "theater architects", but have done many theaters & not done ONE well) don't notice that a projection both usually has only 2-4 holes in an otherwise solid wall. the thing to do would be hang a spot booth in front of the projection booth wall, leaving the ports clear. Might need a spiral staircase to get the operator in position, but it would be a useful, comfortable booth & not a vertical ladder & line, or a limited-use half-ass booth.

And you wouldn't lose a nitrate-safe booth. I honestly think that half the wild major work done in these old theaters is just for the governing bodies & architects to point at & say "look at the major thing I have done here, & marvel at me!", while omitting to say "although it doesn't work well & has screwed up 14 other important things including the acoustics & losing a revenue-producing stream!"

Uck.

I've been there twice when the screen flickered and died at the R2 > R3 change. The first time it was in Tough Guys (blaxploitation flick with Isaac Hayes). The second time it was for the 1998 re-release of Mean Streets. Both times it was in the same auditorium (#3). Could the lamp have blown when it was lit?

Footnote: I've been a Film Forum member since '92 but am letting it lapse in July.

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