Actually, it was his second, the Comedy Theatre was his first at 194 Grand Street. It was a former 1850’s “speakeasy” that had fallen into ruins by 1903. The Folly, his second undertaking, was leased to William Fox at first and then sold to him, I believe. The Comedy which became the Metro in 1937 lasted until 1953. The Comedy opened in 1918 or thereabouts, closed in 1929. It remained closed until 1937.
I believe the catering hall at this location was the Broadway Theatre and the Crescent (also on Broadway) became the Strand (which was only gutted two years ago.
The Will Pogany murals were either painted over during the Cineplex Odeon redo in between ‘89-'91 or after the RKO “quadding” in 1977. They were there in 1973. If they were attached to the walls (fabric-mural) then they were removed for their value again by either of the above. The balcony walls were painted in blue when I saw the theatre over ten years ago. Usually only the main floor of an unused theatre property is gutted for retail with the balcony unseen under false ceilings. This is not the case with the Kenmore. The restored lobby was’t even spared as I saw the area hollowed out last May 2003.
The last operating Flatbush Avenue movie palace is now gutted for retail, a Modell’s, how sad! I saw “Bullitt”, “Bonnie And Clyde”, “Take The Money And Run”, “Custer Of The West”, “Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?‘, "The Odd Couple”, Jerry Lewis in “Which Way To The Front?”. The last thing I saw there was a double feature of “Ben” and “Tales From The Crypt” in 1972/3. The trailer for “Lady Sings The Blues” the next attraction was shown. I took a tour of thr theatre after the Cineplex-Odeon redo in the late '80’s or early '90’s. C/O did a nine or ten month renovation with the theatre closed all the way through the nine months. They did a great job of the lobby. (I won’t talk about the auditorium). Backstage was a storage ares that consisted of old popcorn warmers, hot dog machines and other concession equipment from the RKO days. (They never threw anything out) I’ll bet all the relics backstage ended up in a dumpster once “Onex” sold the building for retail. They made sure it would be gutted and never used as a theatre. They should be boycotted. Big “theatre owner” companys don’t care about their history, they only know how to celebrate being 100 years old with no regard for their historical past.
The Taj Mahal Bingo is the former Somer’s Highway Theatre at the above address. Correct the spelling of “SOMER’S” one M not two. This owner also had the Sheldon Theatre built under his name. The “Somer’s Highway” is enraved in the facade above the re-faced marquee.
The Sutter was known as Tony’s Movie House in 1977/8 not the Terminal Theatre. Prior to being renamed the Sutter in the late 1920’s this building was known as the Stratford Theatre and was under the ownership of the Brandt’s.
The Regent Theatre (Brandt’s) should be the title/heading of this page. The Bedford Theatre was on Bedford Avenue not Fulton Street. The Regent became “Slave One” at 651 Fulton Street. There already is a listing for Loew’s Bedford on Cinema Treasures. The Bedford (Fox/Loew’s) is on Bedford Avenue midway between the Savoy and the now-demolished Loew’s Brevoort. The Bedford and Savoy Theatres are still churches the last time I checked.
L.I.P.A. has turned of the electricity to the Lindenhurst Theatre on Monday, April 19. The theatre group who witnessed the men entering the theatre were annoyed that they were being photographed as we keep a journal on all that goes on within the theatre property. As far as we know, no demolition permit has been issued and locals keep an eye on the building, which is being graffitied so that it becomes an eyesore. The owner has re-submitted his proposal for a drugstore which was turned down by the new village mayor and the village board once again two weeks before. No electrical power has been in use since the theatre closed so why the owner waited more than a year and a halh is beyond thought. The front marble facade has become loose and two 3'x 3'pieces have fallen and smashed to the ground. A roof vent has rusted at the base and was knocked down by a windstorm. The roof vent which is now open to the weather will probably allow water from rain to enter the building which will sooner or later expose the theatre ceiling to collapse. The owner has recieved to offers of up to $800,000 from a church organization in West Babylon for a public assembly building within the theatre and has turned both offers down. He only paid $550,000 for the theatre when U.A. sold it at a bargain price during their bankruptcy reorganization.
This theatre at 2819 Church Avenue was known as the Filmland when it opened in 1925 on the site of an airdome theatre. It became the Crescent in 1929 and Avoca Village very briefly. It became the Granada in 1929/30 and remained that way until 1983 when it closed. It was a C-Town supermarket for a while. Next was a Holbro’s Electronics Flea Market Store, and is now a Rite-Aid chain store. ALL the above were housed in the original 1925 building with the theatre design disappearing a little at a time including the marquee. Holbro completely covered the facade behind a false frontage that was removed by Rite Aid and the original facade is now painted grey and is partially visible today. Please remove the demolished, it still exists.
If this building was demolished, it must have been very recently since I saw it three years ago (2001). It closed in 1970, the same time as the same company’s Savoy on Bedford Avenue.
The Pequa opened in 1964 by Prudential Theatres and operated for about 24 years. The theatre building and entrance canopy dropoff area are still evident and the raised eastern portion backwall for the big screen. In 1977, the opening of the nearby Sunrise Mall hurt this and the Amityville Theatre.
On Wednesdays, in my high school days at Erasmus Hall, on lunch breaks of 40 minutes I would walk down Flatbush Ave. South and check out the openings at Brandt’s Astor, Fox-Eastern’s Albemarle, Loew’s Kings and Century' Rialto at Cortelyou Road. I’d crossed the street
and return checking all the fronts of the marquees ending up at the RKO Kenmore. All except the Kings and Rialto, still had 8"x10" stills and one sheet display cases. Lunches varied from Chock Full O'Nuts, Woolworth’s, the Jewish Deli accross the street from the Kings, and Jahn’s. (However, never at Garfield’s. The Granada where I worked from 1970-75 I saw on the way to school and home. I went to all the theatres from 1967-1975. I never thought they would all be gone. Loew’s Kings and Century’s Rialto in 1977, the Astor in 1978, the Granada in 1983, the Albemarle in 1986 and the Kenmore in 1999.
At least the Jehovah’s Witness' have taken very good care of the Albemarle. The Rialto must look the same way as far as the inside goes and the Kings just sits there. Three out of six is not bad. The Granada is a Rite-Aid, the Astor is a dollar store and the poor Kenmore was totally gutted including the restored lobby so that it can’t be used as a theatre, Onex (LoewsCineplex) saw to that.
The Capitol closed after the Roadshow engagement of 2001: A Space Odyssey in the fall/winter of 1968. “Planet Of The Apes” was the Easter attraction of 1968 on an exclusive run prior to its' first showcase run. It could have played an eastside house as well. The building didn’t close in 1967 as stated above.
The Roosevelt has been converted to a day care use and is owned by the ghurch which is around the corner. The exterior of the building doesn’t have a marquee, but looks like a theatre facade. This is not to be confused with the other Roosevelt Theatre in Queens which became the UA Quartet.
To all who would like to view the Bushwick Theatre photos, I don’t have the capabilities to scan and submit photos through the internet or to this site for viewing. From time to time I give slide lectures where I show the Bushwick interior demolition slides. There are more than a dozen photos of the interior. I am in the process of putting all my theatre photos on to a yearly disc at this time. As I become more familiar “procedures of scanning photos”, I will be happy to share my photos with all of you then.
The theatre has appeared in “Queer As Folk”, when Brian and Michael remenisce in the balcony of their younger movie theatre experinces as the local cinema is being closed on the series.
The Brentwood was not a D-150 theatre but I saw “Lady And The Tramp” in Cinemascope and the screen stretched the entire width of the auditorium which was hidden by a red satin curtain that worked and this would have been in 1985.
To the best of my knowledge, this was never a D-150, only in Woodbury, L.I. and Lefrak City, Queens. The first sound/talkie on Lond Island premiered here. At one time in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, Century Theatres leased the building. This was a money maker until the Sunrise Multiplex came along, but after awhile it regained its' lost audience when the crowds in Sunrise Multiplex in Valley Stream became unruly. Its' Roadshow status lasted from 1964 until 1968 (“Camelot” being the last one). “The Sound Of Music”’s Roadshow Engagement followed the Syosset’s Roadshow, it was a moveover. Once the theatre is rebuilt, it should become popular again since the Sunrise doesn’t offer stadium seating.
The problem with most Manhattan Theatres is that they charge the full admission prices right from the time they open their doors. In older days and up until the late 1970’s, There was a matinee price that changed at 5 P.M. to the evening price. Theatres that opened prior to 12 noon usually had an early bird special that changed to the matinee price at noon. This encouraged people to attend matinees since they could save a buck or so. Manhattan Theatres don’t offer the so-called bargain matinee where usually shows starting before 2 P.M. are at the children’s/senior price. It would make sense to do this since the theatres are empty anyway. This is why the corporate executives who run these chains have no idea of the art of running theatres and are not the showman and entrepeneurs of executives from past decades. After all, if there were a reduced admission for matinees, they would be able to sell more the over-priced concession items that they offer. How about it Clearview Cinemas in Manhattan, be the leader, not just a cable operator with theatres to sell home cable to customers.
I saw “How Thw West Was Won” in the Cinerama Dome. It was my first time seeing anything Cinerama. That week, I saw the movie twice and saw 6 3-D movies at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Even though American Cinemateque operates the venue, the 3-D Festival rented the space. The courtyard of the theatre is stunning but all the exterior shops that line it were closed (empty). The restoration of the interior is a disgrace and that is why American Cinematique is struggling with it. If they had remained faithful to the building, they might have had a chance. It is just a bland black box with some vestiges of the old theatre and of course the ceiling which is more visible to the balcony audience. It is simply not wonderful on the inside. I doubt American Cinemateque will have any interest in a Times Square venue since they can’t handle the west coast holding that they have.
Actually, it was his second, the Comedy Theatre was his first at 194 Grand Street. It was a former 1850’s “speakeasy” that had fallen into ruins by 1903. The Folly, his second undertaking, was leased to William Fox at first and then sold to him, I believe. The Comedy which became the Metro in 1937 lasted until 1953. The Comedy opened in 1918 or thereabouts, closed in 1929. It remained closed until 1937.
I believe the catering hall at this location was the Broadway Theatre and the Crescent (also on Broadway) became the Strand (which was only gutted two years ago.
The Will Pogany murals were either painted over during the Cineplex Odeon redo in between ‘89-'91 or after the RKO “quadding” in 1977. They were there in 1973. If they were attached to the walls (fabric-mural) then they were removed for their value again by either of the above. The balcony walls were painted in blue when I saw the theatre over ten years ago. Usually only the main floor of an unused theatre property is gutted for retail with the balcony unseen under false ceilings. This is not the case with the Kenmore. The restored lobby was’t even spared as I saw the area hollowed out last May 2003.
The last operating Flatbush Avenue movie palace is now gutted for retail, a Modell’s, how sad! I saw “Bullitt”, “Bonnie And Clyde”, “Take The Money And Run”, “Custer Of The West”, “Whatever Happened To Aunt Alice?‘, "The Odd Couple”, Jerry Lewis in “Which Way To The Front?”. The last thing I saw there was a double feature of “Ben” and “Tales From The Crypt” in 1972/3. The trailer for “Lady Sings The Blues” the next attraction was shown. I took a tour of thr theatre after the Cineplex-Odeon redo in the late '80’s or early '90’s. C/O did a nine or ten month renovation with the theatre closed all the way through the nine months. They did a great job of the lobby. (I won’t talk about the auditorium). Backstage was a storage ares that consisted of old popcorn warmers, hot dog machines and other concession equipment from the RKO days. (They never threw anything out) I’ll bet all the relics backstage ended up in a dumpster once “Onex” sold the building for retail. They made sure it would be gutted and never used as a theatre. They should be boycotted. Big “theatre owner” companys don’t care about their history, they only know how to celebrate being 100 years old with no regard for their historical past.
The Taj Mahal Bingo is the former Somer’s Highway Theatre at the above address. Correct the spelling of “SOMER’S” one M not two. This owner also had the Sheldon Theatre built under his name. The “Somer’s Highway” is enraved in the facade above the re-faced marquee.
The Sutter was known as Tony’s Movie House in 1977/8 not the Terminal Theatre. Prior to being renamed the Sutter in the late 1920’s this building was known as the Stratford Theatre and was under the ownership of the Brandt’s.
The Regent Theatre (Brandt’s) should be the title/heading of this page. The Bedford Theatre was on Bedford Avenue not Fulton Street. The Regent became “Slave One” at 651 Fulton Street. There already is a listing for Loew’s Bedford on Cinema Treasures. The Bedford (Fox/Loew’s) is on Bedford Avenue midway between the Savoy and the now-demolished Loew’s Brevoort. The Bedford and Savoy Theatres are still churches the last time I checked.
L.I.P.A. has turned of the electricity to the Lindenhurst Theatre on Monday, April 19. The theatre group who witnessed the men entering the theatre were annoyed that they were being photographed as we keep a journal on all that goes on within the theatre property. As far as we know, no demolition permit has been issued and locals keep an eye on the building, which is being graffitied so that it becomes an eyesore. The owner has re-submitted his proposal for a drugstore which was turned down by the new village mayor and the village board once again two weeks before. No electrical power has been in use since the theatre closed so why the owner waited more than a year and a halh is beyond thought. The front marble facade has become loose and two 3'x 3'pieces have fallen and smashed to the ground. A roof vent has rusted at the base and was knocked down by a windstorm. The roof vent which is now open to the weather will probably allow water from rain to enter the building which will sooner or later expose the theatre ceiling to collapse. The owner has recieved to offers of up to $800,000 from a church organization in West Babylon for a public assembly building within the theatre and has turned both offers down. He only paid $550,000 for the theatre when U.A. sold it at a bargain price during their bankruptcy reorganization.
You forgot the Oceana and Sheapshead Theatres.
It closed as a Loew’s single screen operation in 1971.
This theatre at 2819 Church Avenue was known as the Filmland when it opened in 1925 on the site of an airdome theatre. It became the Crescent in 1929 and Avoca Village very briefly. It became the Granada in 1929/30 and remained that way until 1983 when it closed. It was a C-Town supermarket for a while. Next was a Holbro’s Electronics Flea Market Store, and is now a Rite-Aid chain store. ALL the above were housed in the original 1925 building with the theatre design disappearing a little at a time including the marquee. Holbro completely covered the facade behind a false frontage that was removed by Rite Aid and the original facade is now painted grey and is partially visible today. Please remove the demolished, it still exists.
If this building was demolished, it must have been very recently since I saw it three years ago (2001). It closed in 1970, the same time as the same company’s Savoy on Bedford Avenue.
The Pequa opened in 1964 by Prudential Theatres and operated for about 24 years. The theatre building and entrance canopy dropoff area are still evident and the raised eastern portion backwall for the big screen. In 1977, the opening of the nearby Sunrise Mall hurt this and the Amityville Theatre.
On Wednesdays, in my high school days at Erasmus Hall, on lunch breaks of 40 minutes I would walk down Flatbush Ave. South and check out the openings at Brandt’s Astor, Fox-Eastern’s Albemarle, Loew’s Kings and Century' Rialto at Cortelyou Road. I’d crossed the street
and return checking all the fronts of the marquees ending up at the RKO Kenmore. All except the Kings and Rialto, still had 8"x10" stills and one sheet display cases. Lunches varied from Chock Full O'Nuts, Woolworth’s, the Jewish Deli accross the street from the Kings, and Jahn’s. (However, never at Garfield’s. The Granada where I worked from 1970-75 I saw on the way to school and home. I went to all the theatres from 1967-1975. I never thought they would all be gone. Loew’s Kings and Century’s Rialto in 1977, the Astor in 1978, the Granada in 1983, the Albemarle in 1986 and the Kenmore in 1999.
At least the Jehovah’s Witness' have taken very good care of the Albemarle. The Rialto must look the same way as far as the inside goes and the Kings just sits there. Three out of six is not bad. The Granada is a Rite-Aid, the Astor is a dollar store and the poor Kenmore was totally gutted including the restored lobby so that it can’t be used as a theatre, Onex (LoewsCineplex) saw to that.
The Capitol closed after the Roadshow engagement of 2001: A Space Odyssey in the fall/winter of 1968. “Planet Of The Apes” was the Easter attraction of 1968 on an exclusive run prior to its' first showcase run. It could have played an eastside house as well. The building didn’t close in 1967 as stated above.
The Roosevelt has been converted to a day care use and is owned by the ghurch which is around the corner. The exterior of the building doesn’t have a marquee, but looks like a theatre facade. This is not to be confused with the other Roosevelt Theatre in Queens which became the UA Quartet.
The spelling is Electra, no k.
The Graham Theatre is not a church.
To all who would like to view the Bushwick Theatre photos, I don’t have the capabilities to scan and submit photos through the internet or to this site for viewing. From time to time I give slide lectures where I show the Bushwick interior demolition slides. There are more than a dozen photos of the interior. I am in the process of putting all my theatre photos on to a yearly disc at this time. As I become more familiar “procedures of scanning photos”, I will be happy to share my photos with all of you then.
It sounds to me that the owner is either selfish or doesn’t sell it for fear of what it may become.
The theatre has appeared in “Queer As Folk”, when Brian and Michael remenisce in the balcony of their younger movie theatre experinces as the local cinema is being closed on the series.
The Brentwood was not a D-150 theatre but I saw “Lady And The Tramp” in Cinemascope and the screen stretched the entire width of the auditorium which was hidden by a red satin curtain that worked and this would have been in 1985.
To the best of my knowledge, this was never a D-150, only in Woodbury, L.I. and Lefrak City, Queens. The first sound/talkie on Lond Island premiered here. At one time in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, Century Theatres leased the building. This was a money maker until the Sunrise Multiplex came along, but after awhile it regained its' lost audience when the crowds in Sunrise Multiplex in Valley Stream became unruly. Its' Roadshow status lasted from 1964 until 1968 (“Camelot” being the last one). “The Sound Of Music”’s Roadshow Engagement followed the Syosset’s Roadshow, it was a moveover. Once the theatre is rebuilt, it should become popular again since the Sunrise doesn’t offer stadium seating.
The problem with most Manhattan Theatres is that they charge the full admission prices right from the time they open their doors. In older days and up until the late 1970’s, There was a matinee price that changed at 5 P.M. to the evening price. Theatres that opened prior to 12 noon usually had an early bird special that changed to the matinee price at noon. This encouraged people to attend matinees since they could save a buck or so. Manhattan Theatres don’t offer the so-called bargain matinee where usually shows starting before 2 P.M. are at the children’s/senior price. It would make sense to do this since the theatres are empty anyway. This is why the corporate executives who run these chains have no idea of the art of running theatres and are not the showman and entrepeneurs of executives from past decades. After all, if there were a reduced admission for matinees, they would be able to sell more the over-priced concession items that they offer. How about it Clearview Cinemas in Manhattan, be the leader, not just a cable operator with theatres to sell home cable to customers.
I saw “How Thw West Was Won” in the Cinerama Dome. It was my first time seeing anything Cinerama. That week, I saw the movie twice and saw 6 3-D movies at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Even though American Cinemateque operates the venue, the 3-D Festival rented the space. The courtyard of the theatre is stunning but all the exterior shops that line it were closed (empty). The restoration of the interior is a disgrace and that is why American Cinematique is struggling with it. If they had remained faithful to the building, they might have had a chance. It is just a bland black box with some vestiges of the old theatre and of course the ceiling which is more visible to the balcony audience. It is simply not wonderful on the inside. I doubt American Cinemateque will have any interest in a Times Square venue since they can’t handle the west coast holding that they have.