This was where i saw the first James Bond movie “DR NO” AND Believe it or not it was the second feature. This theater is about two blocks east of the Melba on Boston Post Road.
I attended this theater during the 1960s several times.It was a neighborhood movie house in the north east Bronx in the Hillside Homes area.It reminded me a lot of the Malboe Theater out in Jamaica.It had one less seat 594 to 595.
Fellows, very few working class neighborhoods in the 5 boroughs of New York City have remained the same.Forty years ago there was one large Oriental community now there are several. Also there was one African American community in each borough, now there are several.This society of ours is fluid and people move about all the time.So stating that an area has changed in NEW YORK IS LIKE SAYING THAT IN 2008 WE,LL HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT.
During the 1940s,most people that visited Jamaica thought Jamaica ended at Acher ave or maybe Liberty ave.But I’m here to tell you that it extended maybe five miles to the south of Archer ave.WE had the biggest department store on LOng Island (Gertz) we Had a boxing arena also a racetrack (Jamaica)and Montgomery Ward a national chain store. there were two bus terminals. one behind the Valencia and one behind the Merrick theater. There was two bus depots or yards one at New York Blvd. and Linden Blvd. the other one was below South Rd. on 166th rd. AS a matter of fact Jamaica was the largest community in Queens. The biggest attraction in Jamaica was not the movie houses,but the shopping and Jamaica Race Track.
In 1970 I worked at Mosholu Yard.In front of the maintance shop on the side of track 1 there was a fish pond full of large gold fish. I was told by the man that maintained the pond that they supplied the fish for the pond inthe Paradise Theater.
i attended this movie house a few times as a child. my sister and i use to spend our summer vacation in newark. i vaguely remember a movie with diana lynn and eddie bracken playing the part of a singer.
this is where i saw the best of the wyatt earp movies. my darling clementine with henry fonda victor mature linda darnell walter brennan tim holt and cathy downs as clementine.
the alden was my favorite theater because they had the best movies of the day all of the warner brothers movies with stars like cagney raft, davis, crawford, bogart,and bacall.
the savoy was on jamaica ave and adistance from my house. so i went to the plaza.on saturdays the the price was eleven cents .i usally had sixteen cents . eleven cents for the movie and five cents for a box of good and plenty
the last big band that played the paramount was count basie with nat cole , ella fitzgerald and joe williams.but the headliner was nat cole. this was maybe 1956 or 57
my first trip to the apollo was inthe early 1940s when my father took me there. in the 40s most of the big time black bands played a week or more there. billy eskstine’s band was there alot also louis jordan and count basie and duke ellington. in the mid 50s they featured a lot of jazz artist like sonny stitt sonny rollins,monk.miles davis jerry mulligan and maynard ferguson.
this was considered a art or foreign film house . i saw many fine films there such as “and god created women”,riffifi,no sun in venice with the music of the modern jazz quanartet.also the virgin spring.and such fine actors as fernandel jaque t'haiti,raf vallone'vitorrio gasman and the stunning maria felix also the equally stunning francois arnal and of course brigitte bardot and silvano mangano
the first movie isaw at the jamaica was this land is mine with charles laughton and maureen o'hara.they also had 8 vaudeville acts. if you missed a film at the merrick you could catch at the jamaica.
Plaza Boy was a term used derogatorily to describe the guys that frequented this cut rate movie house.
This was where i saw the first James Bond movie “DR NO” AND Believe it or not it was the second feature. This theater is about two blocks east of the Melba on Boston Post Road.
I attended this theater during the 1960s several times.It was a neighborhood movie house in the north east Bronx in the Hillside Homes area.It reminded me a lot of the Malboe Theater out in Jamaica.It had one less seat 594 to 595.
I also remember the cartoons. I think they were matinee cartoons meaning after one showing the regular program would follow.
Fellows, very few working class neighborhoods in the 5 boroughs of New York City have remained the same.Forty years ago there was one large Oriental community now there are several. Also there was one African American community in each borough, now there are several.This society of ours is fluid and people move about all the time.So stating that an area has changed in NEW YORK IS LIKE SAYING THAT IN 2008 WE,LL HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT.
PS The name of the arena was “Jamaica arena”
During the 1940s,most people that visited Jamaica thought Jamaica ended at Acher ave or maybe Liberty ave.But I’m here to tell you that it extended maybe five miles to the south of Archer ave.WE had the biggest department store on LOng Island (Gertz) we Had a boxing arena also a racetrack (Jamaica)and Montgomery Ward a national chain store. there were two bus terminals. one behind the Valencia and one behind the Merrick theater. There was two bus depots or yards one at New York Blvd. and Linden Blvd. the other one was below South Rd. on 166th rd. AS a matter of fact Jamaica was the largest community in Queens. The biggest attraction in Jamaica was not the movie houses,but the shopping and Jamaica Race Track.
Wow, not too munch said about movie houses on this page. Instead of praise for a new Multiplex Venue. Just a lot of rhetoric about nonsense.
In 1970 I worked at Mosholu Yard.In front of the maintance shop on the side of track 1 there was a fish pond full of large gold fish. I was told by the man that maintained the pond that they supplied the fish for the pond inthe Paradise Theater.
For awhile,maybe once or twice, they held boxing matches there. But now its a church
the laconia was converted into a church
i also attended this theater, in the 1940s it was considered a dump. but i enjoyed going there .
i attended this movie house a few times as a child. my sister and i use to spend our summer vacation in newark. i vaguely remember a movie with diana lynn and eddie bracken playing the part of a singer.
this is where i saw the best of the wyatt earp movies. my darling clementine with henry fonda victor mature linda darnell walter brennan tim holt and cathy downs as clementine.
the alden was my favorite theater because they had the best movies of the day all of the warner brothers movies with stars like cagney raft, davis, crawford, bogart,and bacall.
the savoy was on jamaica ave and adistance from my house. so i went to the plaza.on saturdays the the price was eleven cents .i usally had sixteen cents . eleven cents for the movie and five cents for a box of good and plenty
isaw at least 10 m0vies here. but the one that stands out is no way out with richard widmark and sidney poiter.
does anybody know if the roxy and radio city were onwned by the same company? maybe somebody can answer this question.
this theater was the best looking one in the city along with the capital and loews state
the last big band that played the paramount was count basie with nat cole , ella fitzgerald and joe williams.but the headliner was nat cole. this was maybe 1956 or 57
yes,through my pursuit of lauren bacall i attended this theater twice
my first trip to the apollo was inthe early 1940s when my father took me there. in the 40s most of the big time black bands played a week or more there. billy eskstine’s band was there alot also louis jordan and count basie and duke ellington. in the mid 50s they featured a lot of jazz artist like sonny stitt sonny rollins,monk.miles davis jerry mulligan and maynard ferguson.
this was considered a art or foreign film house . i saw many fine films there such as “and god created women”,riffifi,no sun in venice with the music of the modern jazz quanartet.also the virgin spring.and such fine actors as fernandel jaque t'haiti,raf vallone'vitorrio gasman and the stunning maria felix also the equally stunning francois arnal and of course brigitte bardot and silvano mangano
this is the theater i called the marlboro in a previous comment.
the first movie isaw at the jamaica was this land is mine with charles laughton and maureen o'hara.they also had 8 vaudeville acts. if you missed a film at the merrick you could catch at the jamaica.