Parthenon Theatre

329 Wyckoff Avenue,
Ridgewood, NY 11385

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Showing 76 - 100 of 248 comments

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on November 17, 2008 at 7:24 am

Thanks again, mrbillyc and BrooklynJim. I know some of the work of Jean Shepherd.

“you can take the boy out of Ridgewood but you can’t take Ridgewood out of the boy…”

Amen to that !

BrooklynJim
BrooklynJim on November 15, 2008 at 7:46 am

Run, don’t walk, mrbillyc, to your local bookstore to find Jean Shepherd’s “In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash.” Among the many gems you’ll find between these covers is one classic short story: “Leopold Doppler and the Great Orpheum Gravy Boat Riot.” It relates directly to your post this morning. As Shep himself would say, “I laughed so hard that I coughed up a penny I swallowed when I was two…”

mrbillyc
mrbillyc on November 15, 2008 at 7:36 am

I am going to address a topic I have never seen mentioned on Cinema Treasures-dish night at the local theaters.I had a box of dishes in my attic that were in use in my grandmother’s home in Ridgewood into the 80’s.  She always referred to them as the ‘movie dishes’.  I kind of knew about the custom of giving out a dish a week at the movies in golden era.  This week we put some pieces out on display both as a family remembrance and because they kind of match the era of our home.  It got me curious and I did some research.  I learned the dishes are made by the Homer Laughlin company.  They are in existance about 120 years and still owned by decendants of the original founders.  They are the manufacturers of the very collectable Fiesta Ware since the 1930’s.  The company made its reputation in practical yet attractive everyday china that was sold in stores like Woolworth’s and other 5-10 cent stores.  Some of their items were also used as premiums in soap powder, given out at gas stations and movie theaters.  This link will show the pattern: View link(I am not sure how long this link will remain as it shows items for sale)The pattern is called Spring Wreath.  The actual shape of the dishes are in a line called Virgina Rose that was made in about different 150 patterns from about 1930 to 1970.  I asked my mom if she remembered any of this and here was her response:

  I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if those movie dishes were     accumulated by your father and me.  We always got them at the   Parthenon on Tuesday nights.  I think they gave the dishes out on   Tuesday to draw a crowd.  Most folks went to the Madison or   Ridgewood on weekends for the latest  movies.  A week later they   went to the Parthenon for those who  missed them.  I could never   understand why they gave out the dishes as you entered the theater   because all through the movie you’d hear a crash, then everyone   applauded.  Sad but funny.  I don’t think we ever dropped a dish.

My mom’s name was Rita Ott back then and she lived on Woodbine St, with a sightline to the Madison, and a few blocks from the Ridgewood and the Parthenon.  My dad (Willie Conte) grew up in 930 Seneca Ave, right off Myrtle.  He had a barber shop on Wierfield & Seneca for many years.  They dated from 1952 till marriage in 1956, so I venture at least some of these plates are from this era at the Parthenon  this time.  I posted this on the Parthenon page because my mom specifically mentioned that theater (& the Ridgewood Theater page is so long already!); however I am sure this was also done at many of the local theaters.
Can anyone add any interesting information about this custom, or have any personal stories to tell?And I want to add…you can take the boy out of Ridgewood but you can’t take Ridgewood out of the boy…Mr Billy C.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on August 14, 2008 at 12:59 pm

Thanks, once upon a time. I shall do so NOW. I think the Bushwick Buddies will enjoy your August 12th Parthenon article.

jackahearn
jackahearn on August 14, 2008 at 12:55 pm

Peter.K Thank your for your welcome thoughts and flattering request to reprint my August 12th Parthenon article. I’d be pleased to share any of my recollections of Ridgewood and Bushwickology in a media form which you condider appropriate.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on August 14, 2008 at 7:28 am

Thank you, once upon a time. I think your long post of Aug 12 2008 posted at 12:07 PM, about Myrtle-Wyckoff and the Parthenon should be printed in the Times Newsweekly Old Timer column. I know it would be most welcome and enjoyed at the Bushwick Buddies website. There are many images of the Parthenon Theatre there. May I please have your permission to copy your wonderful post and post it under an image of the Parthenon Theatre on Bushwick Buddies ?

You make several important points in your post of Aug 13, 2008 at 2:54pm, one of which is that theatres do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of a community. Therefore, some discussion of the communities that these theatres exist, or existed in, including their restaurants and businesses, is inevitable, and should be welcomed here, because it underscores the importance of the theatre to the community it exists in.

Another thing to keep in mind is that people do not go to movie theatres to sit in plush velvet seats, eat popcorn and candy, drink soda, and stare at a blank screen. They go there to see MOVIES. Therefore, some discussion of movies on Cinema Treasures is inevitable, and should be welcome here, particularly when it relates to, and enhances, the history of the movie theater they were shown at.

As I type these words, yet another historic theatre, the RKO Keith’s in Richmond Hill (# 3972), is in danger of being obliterated and forgotten. That makes posts of irreplaceable theatre recollections, such as yours of Aug 12 2008 @ 12:07 PM, all the more invaluable.

jackahearn
jackahearn on August 13, 2008 at 3:58 pm

Note: In my above recognition of “the years of longevity” I refer only to their long years of membership and valued contributions to Cinema Treasure.

jackahearn
jackahearn on August 13, 2008 at 2:54 pm

As a recent and enthusiastic newcomer to Cinema Treasures, I’m a bit hesitant to offer a comment on Warren Harris’ observation regarding ‘off-topic’ chatter.

Firstly, a strict reading of C.T.’s stated policy on the matter is in agreement with Warren Harris’ remark. I think in an open forum as this, a voice, as his, is needed. There is no ‘Moderator’ on this site, and as adults we should write responsibly, within the given guidelines of the web page rules.

The following reflect conditions of the 1940s, ‘50s and ’60s. The times of which we write.

I believe that, aside from a Theater’s structural design and historical significance, we should also recognize the overall impact it had on the Community.

Theatres are not an oasis in a neighborhood. Indeed, they are an integral part of its societal and economic profile.

A group of several neighborhood theatres could attract several thousands of it residents in just one week end. Those dollars remained in the community. Theatre employees also lived in the area. I would often buy a new tie or shirt for a Saturday nite Movie Date. After the show, we would stop at a Pizzeria…. Also in the neighborhood.

I offer, as my point of view; that limited ‘off-topic’ comments of a theater, when such input accurately and concisely illustrates the fuller impact and significant contributions that Theatres presence had made to its neighborhood, as outlined above…are acceptable.

I also recognize the years of longevity to those I address and respect them and their points of view. I also thank Cinema Treasures for permitting my thoughts on this subject.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on August 13, 2008 at 7:03 am

Yes ! I’m beet-red-faced burning with shame !

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on August 12, 2008 at 2:26 pm

Thanks, Lost Memory. I just printed myself a copy. Somehow I missed this installment of “The Old Timer”. It’s quite a memory-jogger, all right.

Dr. Greenspoon was the other optometrist I remember from Ridgewood besides Bonafide Opticians. Dr. G’s office was on the south side of Myrtle Avenue, just west of Putnam Avenue, and, I think, next door to The Little Garden Restaurant. Dr. Greenspoon was still there as late as January or June 1975, I think.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on August 12, 2008 at 2:07 pm

Good one, once. I remember both Nedicks and Chock Full-O-Nuts very well !

jackahearn
jackahearn on August 12, 2008 at 2:02 pm

Peter..Perhaps the name was ‘The Rathsbrau’! No, I don’t recall a local E&B, but ate at several in the Wall St. area wherein I worked during my High School summers. Nedicks or Chock Full-O-Nuts, anyone?

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on August 12, 2008 at 1:53 pm

once upon a time, once again, you are most welcome to my response. My distinct pleasure.

My dad also remembers the Ridgewood Rathskeller as the Hofbrau, so you’re in good company.

The NYC subway is now $ 2 per fare, but it’s not that bad nowadays, and most of the cars are air conditioned. The only graffiti left is the “scratchiti” on the windows. Even that …. ugh !

I believe you that those pretzels were sold for a nickel. BTW, I’m finishing my $ 1.50 pretzel, purchased at a stand at Worth and Centre Sts. a few minutes ago, as I type this.

Yes, I must confess to having bought suburban multiplex movie tickets with a credit card.

Do you remember an Exchange Buffet eatery near Myrtle and Wyckoff ?

jackahearn
jackahearn on August 12, 2008 at 1:23 pm

Peter…Once again, I thank you for your response. And an insightful one it is…You are correct, the Rathskeller was the name of the subterranean eatery. Odd, that they would go to all that trouble to change the name to ‘Hofbrau’ just for those few brief moments when I looked at it in my decades old ‘mental mirror’!

Yes, one could go anywhere on, what we didn’t yet know as…‘Mass Transit’. Today’s term is so uncalled for when all you have to do is get triple karatied into a subway car with an over flowing crunch of passengers, turn blue from being ribbed, kicked, stepped and beaten on with a folded newspaper to conclude; “Ah, This must be what they call ’Mass Transit”! Oh, and when I first rode them …It too was a nickel!

Peter, those pretzels were sold for a nickel. I know, because on several Saturdays, my friends and I would go to a ‘now forgotten’ dirty cellar (basement) ‘bakery’ near Halsey St. and buy One hundred (100) for fifty-cents (.50). Yep, bought them for two cents and sold them for a three cent profit…unless some one bought three…which we sacrificed for five cents! Yes, I’ve also seen those latter day ‘Mall’ rip-off’s. I cringe at them, just as I do when I see a Credit Card machine at a theater box office!

Enough ‘off topic’ comments for this entry. Thanks, Peter, for your aid to my memory.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on August 12, 2008 at 12:38 pm

Nathan’s just a car fare away from Myrtle and Wyckoff ?

Coney Island, as you know, was on the opposite side of Brooklyn, but, the BMT Brooklyn els being what they were in their heyday, it seems to me, if you could get to downtown Bklyn Sands Street terminal, (and you certainly could, on the Myrtle Avenue el, from Myrtle and Wyckoff) you could get to almost anywhere in Brooklyn on a BMT el, and that, of course, included Stillwell Avenue terminal in Coney Island, where the West End, Sea Beach, Culver and Brighton Lines all terminated.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on August 12, 2008 at 12:35 pm

I also remember Bickford’s, on Myrtle, near its southeast corner with Wyckoff, in the 1960’s, where McDonald’s is now (Lost Memory and I have joked about “St. Bickford” and Father McCabe of St. Brigid’s, though Fr. McC. never consecrated muffins there !).

My dad remembers an earlier fast food eatery near there called “The Exchange Buffet”, whose slogan was “Eat'em and beat ‘em !” Supposedly the staff could tell what you’d had, and how much to charge you for it, just by looking at the empty bowls, cups and plates on the table in front of you.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on August 12, 2008 at 12:30 pm

Thanks for posting these precious Parthenon movie memories of yours, once upon a time. I take it that, by the Hofbrau, rather than the Triangle Hofbrau of Richmond Hill, you mean the Rathskeller in the basement on Palmetto, just north of Myrtle, and next door to Koletty’s Ice Cream Parlor, at the northest corner of Myrtle and Palmetto, where once, the 52 trolley, and, later, its successor, the B-52 Gates Avenue to Civic Center bus, pulled in, at the end of its route.

I grew up knowing the hub of Myrtle, Wyckoff and Palmetto as “the depot”, because of all the bus lines that ended / began there : the B-26, 52, 54, 55 and 58. They all still do.

The news stand where I got my DC comics and “Famous Monsters Of Filmland” magazines was on the north corner of Palmetto and Wyckoff, next door to the Parthenon, between two Canarsie Line subway entrances.

I’ve seen “State Fair” on TV. It’s more my wife’s taste in movies than it is mine.

I first knew the Parthenon as a bowling alley, Parthenon Lanes, in Fall 1961 when I started first grade at St. Brigid. My mom and I would go in there sometimes once we’d finished lunch at Koletty’s, before returning to school for the 12:45 bell.

A big salty pretzel for five cents ! That was before my time : the price, not the pretzels. In your honor, for $ 1.50, I’ll get one on the way back from lunch this afternoon in lower Manhattan (Worth Street) !

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on July 28, 2008 at 7:19 am

Welcome, WalterH, to both Cinema Treasures AND Bushwick Buddies ! I hope you continue to enjoy them both. Bway and I are on both of them.

What did you read here about the IMDb, that you said you have to agree with ?

WalterH
WalterH on July 27, 2008 at 10:11 am

I have to agree with what I have read here about imdb.com

As for the Parthenon, I remmeber this theater well. It wasn’t as ornate as the Madison, but it was decent. I haven’t been by that area in many years, I am sure it has changed a lot.
I found a great site called Bushwick Buddies that has some wonderful nostalgic photos of Bushwick. I was lucky to find it, because on that site, I read about Cinema Treasures, so here I am. I think I will have many hours of enjoyment reading about all these old theaters here. I am very nostalgic when it comes to old movies. I am now 82, and haven’t lived in the area since I had to move when my parents moved out of Bushwick a year before I was able to finish FKL.
If anyone has any memories to share, my email is

Bway
Bway on April 20, 2008 at 9:15 am

The exterior might still be intact, although you are probably correct about the interior. I think that under that awful 1960’s or 1970’s aluminum siding covering, would still be the original brickwork.

johndereszewski
johndereszewski on April 18, 2008 at 2:36 am

Wonderful pictures, Warren. Thanks a lot.

By the way, has anyone ever visited the Bingo Hall that currently occupies the old movie site? Is anything vaguely cinematic left? The place still seems to be functioning, although it was closed on a recent Saturday when it was scheduled to be opened.

johndereszewski
johndereszewski on March 22, 2008 at 6:57 am

I just came across this tread and, in reviewing the earlier comments, read the discussion of the shifting Brooklyn-Queens border. I think I can add something to this mix.

The boundary separating the two boroughs was formed in the wake of bitter border disputes between the towns of Bushwick in Brooklyn and Newtown in Queens. When an accord was reached in the mid 1700’s, the irregular border spanned open farmland. (Incidently, Newtown was the big winner here, which is why most of Ridgewood is in Queens.)

Until the late 1800’s, when the area began to be developed along the lines that we now know it, the old boundary posed few problems. But when the streets were laid out and opened, it became clear that they played havoc with the boundaries, which literally went through the middle of blocks and houses. This created such problems as: in what borough do I live?; for whom can I vote?; will my property taxes be assessed accordingly to the formulas governing Brooklyn or Queens?, etc. By the 1920’s this situation had become so intolerable that the boundaries had to be redrawn to conform to the nearest existing street. Hence the Cypress, Menahan, St. Nick, Gates, Wyckoff, Eldert (which ironically now runs through a building)and Irving boundary became a reality. (Contrary to a previous comment, the 1898 unification of NYC had nothing to do with the border change.)

With regard to the Parthenon, the fact that it was listed as being in two boroughs over the years is, for these reasons, hardly surprising and probably totally accurate.

While the Parthenon was history by the time I became familiar with the neighborhood, I clearly remember two of its neighbors – two large Irish bars. One was situated right next to the theater and the other at the corner of Gates. (These were only the largest of many bars that once dotted Wyckoff Ave.) During the 1970’s, these were VERY busy places. So the fact that both had closed by the early 1900’s really underlines how the neighborhood has changed.

PKoch
PKoch on October 5, 2007 at 8:43 am

Yes, I know : ET phone home !

“We gotta get him back to his ship !”

“Can’t he just beam up ?”

“Come on, this is reality !”

sasheegm
sasheegm on October 5, 2007 at 8:42 am

Thanks for the compliment Tonino; but no———It’s strictly a hobby with me——Joe From Florida

AntonyRoma
AntonyRoma on October 5, 2007 at 8:32 am

That’s “ET” the Extra Terrestrial, not the T&A rag.