When I was stationed in Fort Dix in the early 60’s a bunch of the guys would venture into Philly. Some went to the Troc. My only burleque show during this period was “This Was Burlesque” with Ann Corio that was playing in New York.
When I was in Brussels decades ago I wandered thru the shops at the Agora. Interesting to learn of it’s previous life so many years later. At the time I was surprised by this modern expanse in a city of antiquities. Now I know why.
Despite being a Long Islander I actually attended the Studio One Thanksgiving Day, probably late 40s, after the Macy Parade, with my parents, killing time to go to my aunts for Thanksgiving Dinner. The whole program was comedy. Didn’t get thru the whole program before we had to leave. The movie we left during was a Laurel and Hardy and I remember there being a goat on a boat, or raft, drifting out to sea. Wonder whatever happened to the goat? Anybody know the name of the movie? Never actually saw the auditorium since we entered and left in the dark. That was usually the case with continuous performance theatres.
To miss the point and others. I’d like to get the hard top on the site. Anymore information about the where? East or West of Broadway? North or South on 25A? Stores other than Carvel?
I did my summers in Rocky point in the 40’s and early 50’s. No drive in then. We had to go into Port Jeff. Laterly when I summered in Sound Beach the Brookhaven opened and we went there; still no Drive-In. Hey I remember when the Long Island Railroad still went as far as Wading River, although by that time there was only freight service.
As far as the beach is concerned my father, several uncles and friends built a path down the bluff to the beach at around Queen. It was wild to go thru the poinson ivy, etc.. Last year after I moved out here full time I went to the beach entrance at Broadway and was easily able to gain access by mentioning my history to the guard. However, I did not make the trek west to see if any remnants or the path are visible. There are none from the street at the top of the bluff.
I somehow stumbled onto a Drive-In site and was looking for LI theatres. It’s pathetic how poor the site is. But one thing sparked my curiosity. They mentioned a Drive-In in Centereach. There was none to my knowledge can anyone confirm?
Lost Memory. There is also a problem with the address itself, not only the road. I was in the Melville area tonight and the building next to what used to be the Drive In was 200. As one travels north the numbers get even smaller (along with my theory about the Northern State, or maybe even Old Country Road being the divider between the Broadhollow and Walt Whitman designation). The theatre should only be about 300 or so.
Also, in retrospect I seem to recall another theatre in Buxton. I may be wrong. If I have a chance I’ll look at old photos to see if another one appears.
Looking at local maps one sees that as you travel north on 110 it goes from being Broadhollow to Walt Whitman. Since the map was not conclusive in showing a line of demarcation I checked the phone book listing for the Dunkin Donuts which is located at Old Country Road about one third of a mile north of the theatre. Broadhollow. The address of Waldbaums about a half mile up is Walt Whitman. My guess is that the Northern State Parkway is the line of demarcation. All of which confirms the theatre address should be Broadhollow Road.
Yes it was. On the west side of the road just north of the LIE north service road. The capacity was 2,500 cars making it one of the largest, if not the largest on Long Island. It was Century’s only Drive In. The Sunrise in Valley Stream was Redstone all the rest were Prudential.
I also remember one time they were resurfacing the screen. It was a windy day and whatever they used for the job was blowing onto traffice, including my car, on 100, aka Broadhollow Road.
I don’t know why there is so much confusion about Copiague and Babylon. The 1957 photo accessed by the 3/14/08 posting newspaper article said the theatre was in Babylon. Wrong. Up until recently the posting for the RKO Babylon twin had it located in Copiague. Even more strange figuring that between these two villages is Lindenhurst. Oh, well.
During my summers in Rocky Point in the 1950’s one would go to Port Jeff for a movie. When the Brookhave opened you didn’t have to go as far. Always a packed house in the summer with the AC and vacationers. I remember one night seeing an Esther Williams movie. The next day at the beach people were trying to do an “adagio Lift”, an aquatic movement executed from a floating position with one leg elevated. Thru hand and arm motion you ‘gracefully’ submerge". Yeah, right!
Years later when I attended Queens College in Flushing, Miss William came to the new pool and did a special with the swim team. They, too, could not execute the “lift”.
Checked with my cousin re the Wellwood theatre fire pictures. They didn’t make the cut when she moved to California. Maybe I’ll try the Library or the Museum.
According to the current signboard affixed to the front of the theatre the name should be Bellmore Movies. On the destroyed marquee it read The Movies. However, the original, antique marquee read Bellmore. When the old marquee was in place the facade of the building was so rustic that I felt that they should have had a hitching post rather than parking spaces, seriously.
It’s interesting that this one stretch of road Horseblock/Portion housed this twin, the current multiplex, the Ronkonkoma and Lakeside Cinema (aka Jerry Lewis). You can’t say they didn’t keep trying. Gee Broadway I’m sorry I didn’t see your posting yesterday, I deliberately did the Horseblock/Portion expanse to get the addresses of the Ronkonkoma and Lakeside for the site.
In order to be consistent with logic used in other postings this should be changed to the Lakeside Cinema (aka JL)since that was the name it bore when it closed. The address of the theatre (now OTB per an earlier posting is) 136 Portion Road. Interestingly, since this is a racing theatre site the front portion of the theatre actually has a screen and seats.
I recently found the answer to my own question. There is a 1983 picture of the Lakeside Cinema on Americas Classic Images. It’s a little box, very Jerry Lewis. One day I’ll drive by the site and get the actual address. A posting on the Ronkonkoma Theatre site gives the approximate location and indicates it’s a bank. Should be easy to spot.
Robert’s posting clarifies the matter once and for all. The marquee reads BAY SHORE. When one sees the theatre for the first time you are struck by the lobby protruding a significant distance from the auditorium which runs parallel to the street. I know of some circumstances where this was done deliberately for monetary considerations. The street frontage cost more. There was certainly room for a large retail space between the lobby and the next intersecion. But Bay Shore built east of Fifth Avenue and this was never realized.
One good thing about the “Y” taking over – gone was the horrible pink color.
I think I may have answered my own question. While killing time I was looking through all the NY theatres on the American Classic Images site, I came upon a 1983 photo of the Lakeside Cinema. Classic Jerry Lewis box. Now the next thing for me to do is drive along Portion Road and find the building (location described by a previous posting) get the address and eventually get it set up on the site. I’ll also try and pin point the address of this theatre. That’s what happens when you have an obsessed person on the case.
Figuring the size of most early eastern Suffolk County theatres, 1,000 is large. Except for the original Southampton and the Suffolk you’re talking 200, 300, 400.
When I was stationed in Fort Dix in the early 60’s a bunch of the guys would venture into Philly. Some went to the Troc. My only burleque show during this period was “This Was Burlesque” with Ann Corio that was playing in New York.
When I was in Brussels decades ago I wandered thru the shops at the Agora. Interesting to learn of it’s previous life so many years later. At the time I was surprised by this modern expanse in a city of antiquities. Now I know why.
Despite being a Long Islander I actually attended the Studio One Thanksgiving Day, probably late 40s, after the Macy Parade, with my parents, killing time to go to my aunts for Thanksgiving Dinner. The whole program was comedy. Didn’t get thru the whole program before we had to leave. The movie we left during was a Laurel and Hardy and I remember there being a goat on a boat, or raft, drifting out to sea. Wonder whatever happened to the goat? Anybody know the name of the movie? Never actually saw the auditorium since we entered and left in the dark. That was usually the case with continuous performance theatres.
To miss the point and others. I’d like to get the hard top on the site. Anymore information about the where? East or West of Broadway? North or South on 25A? Stores other than Carvel?
I did my summers in Rocky point in the 40’s and early 50’s. No drive in then. We had to go into Port Jeff. Laterly when I summered in Sound Beach the Brookhaven opened and we went there; still no Drive-In. Hey I remember when the Long Island Railroad still went as far as Wading River, although by that time there was only freight service.
As far as the beach is concerned my father, several uncles and friends built a path down the bluff to the beach at around Queen. It was wild to go thru the poinson ivy, etc.. Last year after I moved out here full time I went to the beach entrance at Broadway and was easily able to gain access by mentioning my history to the guard. However, I did not make the trek west to see if any remnants or the path are visible. There are none from the street at the top of the bluff.
I somehow stumbled onto a Drive-In site and was looking for LI theatres. It’s pathetic how poor the site is. But one thing sparked my curiosity. They mentioned a Drive-In in Centereach. There was none to my knowledge can anyone confirm?
I’ll buy 288 but the number for the original Walt Whitman Road inaccuracy was in the thousands.
Lost Memory. There is also a problem with the address itself, not only the road. I was in the Melville area tonight and the building next to what used to be the Drive In was 200. As one travels north the numbers get even smaller (along with my theory about the Northern State, or maybe even Old Country Road being the divider between the Broadhollow and Walt Whitman designation). The theatre should only be about 300 or so.
Also, in retrospect I seem to recall another theatre in Buxton. I may be wrong. If I have a chance I’ll look at old photos to see if another one appears.
Looking at local maps one sees that as you travel north on 110 it goes from being Broadhollow to Walt Whitman. Since the map was not conclusive in showing a line of demarcation I checked the phone book listing for the Dunkin Donuts which is located at Old Country Road about one third of a mile north of the theatre. Broadhollow. The address of Waldbaums about a half mile up is Walt Whitman. My guess is that the Northern State Parkway is the line of demarcation. All of which confirms the theatre address should be Broadhollow Road.
Yes it was. On the west side of the road just north of the LIE north service road. The capacity was 2,500 cars making it one of the largest, if not the largest on Long Island. It was Century’s only Drive In. The Sunrise in Valley Stream was Redstone all the rest were Prudential.
I also remember one time they were resurfacing the screen. It was a windy day and whatever they used for the job was blowing onto traffice, including my car, on 100, aka Broadhollow Road.
I don’t know why there is so much confusion about Copiague and Babylon. The 1957 photo accessed by the 3/14/08 posting newspaper article said the theatre was in Babylon. Wrong. Up until recently the posting for the RKO Babylon twin had it located in Copiague. Even more strange figuring that between these two villages is Lindenhurst. Oh, well.
I thought it rather odd quite a few years ago when I was in Buxton that the Opera House was playing Orca the Killer Whale. Quite a come down.
During my summers in Rocky Point in the 1950’s one would go to Port Jeff for a movie. When the Brookhave opened you didn’t have to go as far. Always a packed house in the summer with the AC and vacationers. I remember one night seeing an Esther Williams movie. The next day at the beach people were trying to do an “adagio Lift”, an aquatic movement executed from a floating position with one leg elevated. Thru hand and arm motion you ‘gracefully’ submerge". Yeah, right!
Years later when I attended Queens College in Flushing, Miss William came to the new pool and did a special with the swim team. They, too, could not execute the “lift”.
Checked with my cousin re the Wellwood theatre fire pictures. They didn’t make the cut when she moved to California. Maybe I’ll try the Library or the Museum.
According to the current signboard affixed to the front of the theatre the name should be Bellmore Movies. On the destroyed marquee it read The Movies. However, the original, antique marquee read Bellmore. When the old marquee was in place the facade of the building was so rustic that I felt that they should have had a hitching post rather than parking spaces, seriously.
It’s my understanding that the owners got seats from the Park East when it closed. That was some time ago.
It’s interesting that this one stretch of road Horseblock/Portion housed this twin, the current multiplex, the Ronkonkoma and Lakeside Cinema (aka Jerry Lewis). You can’t say they didn’t keep trying. Gee Broadway I’m sorry I didn’t see your posting yesterday, I deliberately did the Horseblock/Portion expanse to get the addresses of the Ronkonkoma and Lakeside for the site.
The entrance to the OTB has been moved to the east side of the building but from Portion Road it is readily seen to have been a theatre.
In order to be consistent with logic used in other postings this should be changed to the Lakeside Cinema (aka JL)since that was the name it bore when it closed. The address of the theatre (now OTB per an earlier posting is) 136 Portion Road. Interestingly, since this is a racing theatre site the front portion of the theatre actually has a screen and seats.
Turn key is also used in standard real estate terminology.
I recently found the answer to my own question. There is a 1983 picture of the Lakeside Cinema on Americas Classic Images. It’s a little box, very Jerry Lewis. One day I’ll drive by the site and get the actual address. A posting on the Ronkonkoma Theatre site gives the approximate location and indicates it’s a bank. Should be easy to spot.
Robert’s posting clarifies the matter once and for all. The marquee reads BAY SHORE. When one sees the theatre for the first time you are struck by the lobby protruding a significant distance from the auditorium which runs parallel to the street. I know of some circumstances where this was done deliberately for monetary considerations. The street frontage cost more. There was certainly room for a large retail space between the lobby and the next intersecion. But Bay Shore built east of Fifth Avenue and this was never realized.
One good thing about the “Y” taking over – gone was the horrible pink color.
I think I may have answered my own question. While killing time I was looking through all the NY theatres on the American Classic Images site, I came upon a 1983 photo of the Lakeside Cinema. Classic Jerry Lewis box. Now the next thing for me to do is drive along Portion Road and find the building (location described by a previous posting) get the address and eventually get it set up on the site. I’ll also try and pin point the address of this theatre. That’s what happens when you have an obsessed person on the case.
Figuring the size of most early eastern Suffolk County theatres, 1,000 is large. Except for the original Southampton and the Suffolk you’re talking 200, 300, 400.