BY STEPHEN VRATTOS You could say Henry and Anne Stampfel have celluloid in their DNA. Both have been in the movie-house business their entire adult lives. In fact it was in a theater that the couple met each other. Long Island native Henry started his career as so many teens do: as an usher in a cinema, the Wantagh Theater to be exact. As if following the script from the 1990 Academy- Award–winning foreign film Cinema Paradiso—a scenario befitting one who subsequently built a life around art films—he befriended the projectionist who showed Henry the ropes of showing movies. This eventually led to his becoming a Union member of Local 640. As was customary for those union members on the bottom rung of the ladder, Henry served in a relief capacity, filling in at a moment’s notice wherever and whenever a projectionist was needed for regular guys on vacation or out due to sickness or emergency. Thus, he never knew where he was going to be on any given day and taking time off was not an option, as such action would result in a person dropping further down the vocational hierarchy. Henry’s dedication paid off and he finally attained a regular gig at a cinema in Oceanside. (l. to r.) Nancy Spielberg, Henry and Anne Stampfel 2015 Meanwhile, Anne, who was April working as an assistant to prominent movie booker, Morty Lightstone, n decided to make some extra money Courier working the concession stand at the same theater. Henry asked her out one day and the two have been together Towers ever since, marrying in the early 1980s. Soon after their marriage, Anne Shore for movies first and foremost. “I’m North not going to show junk,” Henry promises. “It will always be a quality film… and it will be shown even if 8 for only a single audience member!” was contacted by a friend to see if she’d be interested in managing the Malverne Cinema, a movie house the couple would eventually take over and still operate today. But it would not be the first for the cinephiles. That distinction would go to the old Lido Theater in Long Beach, which Henry and Anne renovated and reopened as the Park Avenue Theater. “We wanted to give it more cachet,” says Henry. “‘Lido’ sounded dated.” The moviehouse mavens turned the flagging business around and successfully ran the cinema until 2001. Despite the proliferation of multiplexes and the revenue losses the industry has been suffering of late, Henry and Anne seemed to have cut out a niche for themselves in the movie-house world, offering film oases for lovers of smaller quality films, unladen with special effects, explosions, vampires, zombies or superheroes. Besides overseeing the Towers Cinema, the couple successfully operate the Malverne and Bellmore Theaters, the latter of which is the last remaining singlescreen cinema in Nassau County. The only hiccup in Henry and Anne’s movie-house career was as operators of the Brobdingnagian Calderone Theater in Hempstead. Cinema entrepreneur Salvatore Calderone owned half a dozen Manhattan venues, when he decided to build a theater on Long Island big enough and lavish enough to rival Radio City. In doing so, the Italian immigrant hoped to lure business away from the venerable New York City landmark. Opened in 1920, the theater was the first in the world with an escalator. By the 1970s, the once sparkling cinematic gem had lost its shine, becoming a live concert venue. When Henry and Anne stepped in as operators in the 1990s, the Calderone had been converted to a seven-screen multiplex, its largest 660-seat theater dwarfing the entire Malverne Theater. “It was just too big,” explains Henry. “I couldn’t keep up with it.” It was at the urging of Towers residents who were also fans of The Malverne that led to Henry and Anne’s taking over. Henry still gets verklempt when he tries to describe how incredible the newly refurbished theater is. “The renovations were tremendous,” he says. “If you want to see a film right, this is one of the best.” Henry and Anne have no intention of presenting first-run movies, which would saddle the couple into showing a company’s film all day, every day of its run. By showcasing second-run fare, they can run two different movies at a time, staggering their schedules accordingly. The stage in the Towers Theater allows the celluloid heroes to add live discussions with filmmakers. In fact in March, Henry and Anne hosted Nancy Spielberg, sister of famed director Steven Spielberg. She introduced and spoke of her new documentary “Above and Beyond” after a showing of the World War II film, which tells the true story of a group of pilots who decide to join the Israeli Army in 1948 after the war. And on March 23rd, the Towers proudly featured the SFF@ NST (Short Film Festival at North Shore Towers) Audience Favorite Film Retrospective. With their rich ties in the industry weaned over more than three decades, Henry and Anne have quite a few connections. Every year at The Malverne, they simulcast the NY Film Critics Series, which showcases new movies and talks with filmmakers in Manhattan. “I think it would be great to simulcast it here at The Towers as well,” Henry says, “but the $18 ticket price may be too prohibitive.” The twosome are also deeply involved with the annual Long Island International Film Expo, which they help found 18 years ago. During the July event, venues cede their theaters, showing as many as 150 movies in a week. After film blocks, which also feature shorts, filmmakers come to the stage to discuss their creations. “I would love to bring the best of the fest here,” Henry says. But Henry and Anne’s dreams for the dream space extend beyond the cinematic. Henry is in talks with Gary Fuchs of LAR Enterprises about possibly bringing his “An Evening with Stars of Doo Wop” show to The Towers. He’s even speaking with Kevin Harrington of Plaza Theatrical Productions about staging some of his simpler shows in the space, despite the absence of a fly system. “His stage sets are just breathtaking…,” Henry says. But The Towers will be a place COMING ATTRACTIONS one “I will show for person...” Honoring movie schedules just one of the changes promised by new Towers Cinema proprietors
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