The closest contemporary theatres seem to come to the type of bookings joints such as the Uniondale Mini Cinema used to offer on a consistent basis are the chances some of the better-known art houses scattered throughout the country – the Sunshine on Houston Street, the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Ma., and the Nuart in West L.A., to name just a few – take with their weekend midnight programming. The last attempt I know of in NYC to take a full-fledged run at the deliberately non-commercial programming which was the norm at the Uniondale Mini Cinema was a few years ago when a guy who operated an underground moviehouse in Seattle moved all his theatre’s property – seats, projectors, and all the films he owned – cross-country on a flatbed truck and rented what had been a beauty-supply warehouse on or near Rivington Street on the LES and converted it into a cinema. His operation lasted only about 6-8 months, and even though I’m not sure what it was that drove it out of business, I imagine it was one or both of two possibilities: the lack of an audience my age (i.e., the 25-to-34 bracket) far more willing to catch some buzz-worthy, ‘hip’ option at the Angelika or Film Forum (and I’m certainly culpable – I never made it to his theatre) than something a bit more quirky in a non-traditional atmosphere and property values that make maintaining such an operation as dicey a proposition as ever.
The Art operated as the Movieland 8th Street Triplex for about 10 years, from June of 1986 (‘Back to School’, with Rodney Dangerfield, and the Robert Redford flick ‘Legal Eagles’ were among its first offerings) through the spring of ‘96. After a lobby and exterior renovation, it reopened as the Cantor Film Center in 1998, which it operates as to this day.
Great set of photos, Bob. The shot of the Hollywood Galaxy brought to mind another former General Cinemas/AMC L.A. site, one which shut its doors just within the last 7-10 days – the six-screen Beverly Connection. Once one of the more popular places to catch a flick in L.A. proper – I remember seeing ‘Flirting With Disaster’ and ‘Girl 6’ there with packed, enthusiastic crowds in March of 1996 – the Beverly Connection began to suffer when the all-stadium seating Pacific Theatres at The Grove opened for business in 2002, much as did the multiplex at the Hollywood Galaxy (another theatre which used to do bang-up business) when the ArcLight Cinemas at the Cinerama Dome opened in March of 2002.
The Plaza shut its doors in January of 1996 with ‘Grumpier Old Men’. The last first-run, initial release film I recall being booked into it was ‘Blue Sky’, in October of 1994.
Shortly before the demolition of the Baronet/Coronet commenced in August of 2002, some Midtown East residents launched an effort to gain landmark status for the interior and exterior of the Cinema 1-2-3 property, but little came of it.
A minor correction is in order. The entire Empire structure – lock, stock, and barrel – was moved; its former auditorium now serves as the lobby for the AMC megaplex which surrounds it.
Thank you for that comprehensive posting, Damien. The Lincoln Square is, IMHO, the best multiplex within the five boroughs and, I’d have to think, perhaps in the country, as well. The one element I appreciate the most – and the one element that always brings me a bit of sorrow as well – are the nine auditoriums named after Loews movie palaces of the past. It’s a nice tribute, but one that tugs at my heartstrings as well when I think of what’s happened to or what’s become of some of the less fortunate grand film venues of yore (i.e., the old Loew’s State, the Capital, the glorious ruins of the Kings, etc.). Still, it’s a great way to harken back to a time when going to the movies was an experience to remember and that’s truly what an afternoon or evening spent at the Loews Lincoln Square is… an experience to remember and an absolute treat.
The Beacon Hill, before closing in November of 1992, essentially operated as a grindhouse for the last 10 years or so of its operation, showing mostly low-budget action and horror flicks, along with the occasional move-over from one of the other Sack/USA/Loews Theatres – the Charles, Cheri, Cinema 57, Pi Alley, Copley Place, and Nickelodeon, among others – operating in Boston at the time. (Of that lot, only the Copley Place currently remains open for business.)
They’ve got plenty of disposable income… and they’re apparently spending it somewhere else. Nautica announced last week that they bought out the remaining 12 years of their lease, pointing to the ever-so-fickle spending habits of teens as one of the main reasons behind their decision.
Answering my own question from earlier today – I spoke with my mum today (who was born and raised in Boston and went to several films at the old Cinerama) and found out that the theatre visible from the Essex Street side of the building IS part of what was once the Cinerama and that it closed, its final years as a venue for Chinese-language films, sometime around 1991.
The interior (and, if memory serves, the exterior, as well) of the Tower Theatre can be seen in the 1997 Sean Penn/John Travolta/Robin Wright Penn film, ‘She’s So Lovely’.
The Janus, which was located within the basement of the Galeria Mall, closed in the fall of 1998; ironically enough, the final film to screen there was ‘Without Limits’. A Staples store replaced the Janus, as well as the remainder of the floor it occupied and a portion of the street level.
According to the Washington Heights/Inwood Online web site, the Lane Theatre was located at 550 W. 181st Street and closed its doors in 1959 with ‘The Ten Commandments’. Prior to the Lane’s opening, the building in which it was located was home to an indoor ice skating rink that extended into what is now the Washington Bridge Post Office on 180th Street. The theatre site is now occupied by Glauber’s Gift Shop.
Considering the strong support ‘Maria Full of Grace’ has received from Latino audiences across the country, it’s not impossible to imagine this venture succeeding.
I don’t recall the URL under which I found the photos (which were taken this past spring), but the entire former UA Astoria Sixplex site has been gutted and renovated for retail/office use; the marquee, however, had yet to be removed.
The Embassy 2,3,4 was rechristened as the Embassy 1,2,3 after the original Embassy 1 closed it doors in 1997, in anticipation of its renovation and reopening as the permanent home of the Times Square Visitors Center. (For the record, the TSVC was previously housed in the lobbies of the Rialto/Warner, Harris, and Selwyn theatres.)
The Baronet/Coronet closed with a series of free-admission classic films on one of two screens with, I believe, ‘O’ and ‘Rat Race’, the theatre’s final first-run offerings, alternating in the other auditorium.
The closest contemporary theatres seem to come to the type of bookings joints such as the Uniondale Mini Cinema used to offer on a consistent basis are the chances some of the better-known art houses scattered throughout the country – the Sunshine on Houston Street, the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, Ma., and the Nuart in West L.A., to name just a few – take with their weekend midnight programming. The last attempt I know of in NYC to take a full-fledged run at the deliberately non-commercial programming which was the norm at the Uniondale Mini Cinema was a few years ago when a guy who operated an underground moviehouse in Seattle moved all his theatre’s property – seats, projectors, and all the films he owned – cross-country on a flatbed truck and rented what had been a beauty-supply warehouse on or near Rivington Street on the LES and converted it into a cinema. His operation lasted only about 6-8 months, and even though I’m not sure what it was that drove it out of business, I imagine it was one or both of two possibilities: the lack of an audience my age (i.e., the 25-to-34 bracket) far more willing to catch some buzz-worthy, ‘hip’ option at the Angelika or Film Forum (and I’m certainly culpable – I never made it to his theatre) than something a bit more quirky in a non-traditional atmosphere and property values that make maintaining such an operation as dicey a proposition as ever.
The owner of the Cinema Village also owns the Cinemart Cinemas in Forest Hills.
The Art operated as the Movieland 8th Street Triplex for about 10 years, from June of 1986 (‘Back to School’, with Rodney Dangerfield, and the Robert Redford flick ‘Legal Eagles’ were among its first offerings) through the spring of ‘96. After a lobby and exterior renovation, it reopened as the Cantor Film Center in 1998, which it operates as to this day.
Great set of photos, Bob. The shot of the Hollywood Galaxy brought to mind another former General Cinemas/AMC L.A. site, one which shut its doors just within the last 7-10 days – the six-screen Beverly Connection. Once one of the more popular places to catch a flick in L.A. proper – I remember seeing ‘Flirting With Disaster’ and ‘Girl 6’ there with packed, enthusiastic crowds in March of 1996 – the Beverly Connection began to suffer when the all-stadium seating Pacific Theatres at The Grove opened for business in 2002, much as did the multiplex at the Hollywood Galaxy (another theatre which used to do bang-up business) when the ArcLight Cinemas at the Cinerama Dome opened in March of 2002.
Sad, but ultimately not surprising. What newspaper did you see the above posted article in, Mark?
The Plaza shut its doors in January of 1996 with ‘Grumpier Old Men’. The last first-run, initial release film I recall being booked into it was ‘Blue Sky’, in October of 1994.
Shortly before the demolition of the Baronet/Coronet commenced in August of 2002, some Midtown East residents launched an effort to gain landmark status for the interior and exterior of the Cinema 1-2-3 property, but little came of it.
A minor correction is in order. The entire Empire structure – lock, stock, and barrel – was moved; its former auditorium now serves as the lobby for the AMC megaplex which surrounds it.
Thank you for that comprehensive posting, Damien. The Lincoln Square is, IMHO, the best multiplex within the five boroughs and, I’d have to think, perhaps in the country, as well. The one element I appreciate the most – and the one element that always brings me a bit of sorrow as well – are the nine auditoriums named after Loews movie palaces of the past. It’s a nice tribute, but one that tugs at my heartstrings as well when I think of what’s happened to or what’s become of some of the less fortunate grand film venues of yore (i.e., the old Loew’s State, the Capital, the glorious ruins of the Kings, etc.). Still, it’s a great way to harken back to a time when going to the movies was an experience to remember and that’s truly what an afternoon or evening spent at the Loews Lincoln Square is… an experience to remember and an absolute treat.
You’re right, YankeeMike; I remember as well the Dale being twinned, not tripled.
I may be wrong about this, but wasn’t the Dale twinned or triplexed at some point?
The seating capacity of the 62nd & Broadway/Cinema Latino has long been 300.
The Beacon Hill, before closing in November of 1992, essentially operated as a grindhouse for the last 10 years or so of its operation, showing mostly low-budget action and horror flicks, along with the occasional move-over from one of the other Sack/USA/Loews Theatres – the Charles, Cheri, Cinema 57, Pi Alley, Copley Place, and Nickelodeon, among others – operating in Boston at the time. (Of that lot, only the Copley Place currently remains open for business.)
They’ve got plenty of disposable income… and they’re apparently spending it somewhere else. Nautica announced last week that they bought out the remaining 12 years of their lease, pointing to the ever-so-fickle spending habits of teens as one of the main reasons behind their decision.
The Valentine was a Loews house at the end and closed in 1987.
The then-shuttered Essex is visible in a handful of scenes from the 1997 indie film ‘Kicked in the Head’.
Answering my own question from earlier today – I spoke with my mum today (who was born and raised in Boston and went to several films at the old Cinerama) and found out that the theatre visible from the Essex Street side of the building IS part of what was once the Cinerama and that it closed, its final years as a venue for Chinese-language films, sometime around 1991.
The interior (and, if memory serves, the exterior, as well) of the Tower Theatre can be seen in the 1997 Sean Penn/John Travolta/Robin Wright Penn film, ‘She’s So Lovely’.
There’s a small, mostly inconspicuous theatre on the Essex Street side of the building; is this part of the old RKO Boston?
The Janus, which was located within the basement of the Galeria Mall, closed in the fall of 1998; ironically enough, the final film to screen there was ‘Without Limits’. A Staples store replaced the Janus, as well as the remainder of the floor it occupied and a portion of the street level.
According to the Washington Heights/Inwood Online web site, the Lane Theatre was located at 550 W. 181st Street and closed its doors in 1959 with ‘The Ten Commandments’. Prior to the Lane’s opening, the building in which it was located was home to an indoor ice skating rink that extended into what is now the Washington Bridge Post Office on 180th Street. The theatre site is now occupied by Glauber’s Gift Shop.
Considering the strong support ‘Maria Full of Grace’ has received from Latino audiences across the country, it’s not impossible to imagine this venture succeeding.
I don’t recall the URL under which I found the photos (which were taken this past spring), but the entire former UA Astoria Sixplex site has been gutted and renovated for retail/office use; the marquee, however, had yet to be removed.
The Embassy 2,3,4 was rechristened as the Embassy 1,2,3 after the original Embassy 1 closed it doors in 1997, in anticipation of its renovation and reopening as the permanent home of the Times Square Visitors Center. (For the record, the TSVC was previously housed in the lobbies of the Rialto/Warner, Harris, and Selwyn theatres.)
The Baronet/Coronet closed with a series of free-admission classic films on one of two screens with, I believe, ‘O’ and ‘Rat Race’, the theatre’s final first-run offerings, alternating in the other auditorium.