I posted a long while back on this great movie and I check in every now and again to see if there's any new posts or postees.
I was wondering if there were any updates on the release of the DVD?
I also have a question that I've been pondering for many years...
The Saturn Theater represents the Filmore East. The Filmore East was in NY, and so is the Apollo Theater. It always struck me as a play-off of the Apollo Theater. Saturn/Apollo?
Just wondering if there was any connection.
They've been showing the movie on cable this past week in a widescreen clear print, hopefully that means MGM is going to release it on dvd soon.
As for the theater, it gives the crew of the Fillmore (who were extras) a thanks for their participation. I think the film was based primarily on Bill Graham's Fillmore and not the Apollo.
The film is specifically based on the Fillmore East, where Alan Arkush was an usher (he can be seen in a Fillmore usher's t-shirt during the "Auld Lang Syne" sequence); the shout-out is to the people he worked with in NY. (He can also be seen wearing it in "Cannonball".)
It wouldn't have been possible for the crew of the Fillmore to be extras, since the Fillmore wasn't open in '83.
Concert scenes, as well as exterior shots of the marquee, were filmed at the historic Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. The theatre had been poorly maintained for years prior to filming, and was about to undergo a major restoration to return it to its former glory. According to Malcolm McDowell, "We trashed it just before they restored it. They knew we were going to do it, so they didn't mind."