This Rugoff coffee house cinema always had creative double bills, insuring packed audiences. A memorable pair were “The Girl With the Green Eyes” & “Billy Liar”. Apart from the Hirschfield mural, a rather plain venue, but the features were truly memorable. Is Parsons still using the space as an auditorium?
Road to Hong Kong on Premiere Showcase was a symptom of the times. In NYC, Robert Moses was steadily at work towards the breaking-up of established neighborhoods with the building of the Cross Bronx Expressway and the failed Lower Manhattan Expwy. These traffic arteries were designed to bypass the city entirely, while traveling from one suburban center to another. Of course, this was the trend throughout the country. A major draw of the Times Square movie palaces were the live performances headlining star talent. The advent of TV and the elimination of live acts made the movie palaces less of a destination. Roadshow presentations did maintain a sense of exclusivity for a while. rlvjr’s idea might be interesting, but the economics of risking a major presentation to a limited number of venues may be more than a studio can handle, given their eye on the first weekend’s take..
Any idea when the Folly actually closed? This question has come up in regard to another site, the Aster. I recall in the mid 50’s there being a Friendly Frost appliance store on the corner of Graham Ave & Debevoise St., a fairly modern looking (stark/plain) structure that would not have gone back to the turn of the century.
Warren, any chance you could re-post the above picture, as the link has expired. Thanks!
Louieb – could the theater that you were referring to on Apr. 5th have been the Folly? There is a listing for it on CT with the address of 15 Debevoise St. This would have placed it within sight of the Broadway/Flushing Ave. intersection and the elevated station, one short block away.
The Graham was actually on Graham at the Grand St. intersection. The Graham Ave. street numbers begin at Broadway as do most streets in the area that radiate from that thoroughfare. As for the color of the neon marquee, the Alba’s lights were primarily red & black.
I passed by the theatre a few days ago and it looks fantastic. The marquee is intact and the edge-accents have been recently re-gilded. The facade remains as impressive as ever, sadly reminicent of the Loews Pitkin. If only the interior of the 175th St. should be in such grand shape.
Hope that you have contacted Flatbush Life, a division of the Courier News organization, for press coverage of this event. I cannot join you due to a pressing engagement, but wish you a successful meeting.
To Anniegirl & JoeB, I don’t recall the Charlotte Russes on Graham & Moore St., but they were definitely available at the location that I had mentioned further east, as Graham neared B'way. I do rememeber the entire strip of Manhattan Ave. from Cook St. to Montrose
Ave. as being Brides Row, with a successive number of bridal gown rental shops.
I’m familiar with the location, but by the time I went to PS 16. the Wilson had been long gone. For an inexpensive snack, we all went into Flaum’s pickle works on Lee Ave. After all these years the pickle works is still on the avenue, a neighborhood institution that has endured.
To Asbag, regarding the Levy’s hot dog empire, there was a small open-air sidewalk counter on Graham Ave, just before the B'way & Flushing Ave. intersection, that sold hot dogs, pizza and ice cream custard. Was this part of the family business?
Back in Jan.‘06 Asbag referred to the Levy’s Hot Dogs, as being right next to the theater. Was this related to the Levy’s Hot Dogs on the other side of the bridge at Essex & Delancey St? If so, it is now Roma’s Pizza, and appears identicial to the way it was 50 years ago.
Max Steiner’s overture for Helen of Troy may have been one of the best characteristics of a disappointing film. The early scenes in Sparta are defintiely a snore, until the start of the battle scenes in front of Troy.
Don’t know if there is a DVD version yet, but the VCR edition has a separate segment devoted exclusively to the remarkable overture.
Saw the Ten Commandments at the old Savoy in Brooklyn during one of its initial releases. Having seen it several times since, there is no comparison to having seen it on the big screen, probabably in Vistavision.
The former Gimbels site is now Manhattan Plaza, a vertical mall with a wide range of shops. The Sak’s site also has a number of tenants including a Daffy’s, and until recently a Toys ‘R Us.
There was a period in the 60’s when both Alexander’s and this theater fronted on Third Ave. The deparetment store had a small entrance on the avenue leading into the store. Originally the Alexanders’s lot was supposed to be a branch of Sak’s 34th St. department store, which was orginally at Herald’s Sq. between Macy’s and Gimbels. That Sak’s was the frumpy mid-price sibling of Sak’s Fifth Ave., and was soon closed in the face of stiff competition from other mid-range retailers.
Alexanders was a great place to stop if you were early for a movie. It had late hours and was a god-send when during a weather change you needed to run in for an umbrella or gloves.
Excellent neighborhood movie theater – can’t beat being able to get to the theater in ten minutes, not having to deal with crowds, and getting excellent stadium seats, on the first day of a mvoie opening. Grabbing something at Panera’s next door is also a perk. Staff have always been courteous and overall, teen groups seem well behaved, and the theater appears clean and well run.
Would prefer a mix of indie product along with Hollywood fare, but they do score points for hosting the West Orange Classics festival. Infinitely better movie going experience over the Clifton Commons. Hope that any AMC /Loews restructuring will not ruin a good thing!
Thanks for the update, Jay58. I did not live in the neighborhood but I remember the Cinema V offices in the Fuller building after visiting art gallery exhibitions there.
As for the Lopert name, it often appeared as the distribution arm for many UA arthouse releases in the 60’s & 70’s, as well as being connected to the Plaza.
Try to convince Markowitz that he can become the showbix impressario that he aspires to be and use a renovated Loews Kings as his venue for staging his concert series. Convince him to get Keyspan, Bear Stearns, or Pfizer, blue chip corporations with a major Brooklyn presence to cough-up the renovation dollars, and rename the auditorium after Marty.
Thanks to jay58 for his description of movie-going in a very different time and place, where the theatre owner, in this case Don Rugoff could give you permission to park your bike in the theatre alley. Showmen, owners, exhibitors or whatever you want to call them, played a vital role in making a trip to the movies a personal experience. Sadly there are no Marcus Loews, Walter Reades or Don Rugoffs still on the scene. Dan Talbot stands alone. Any idea what became of Don Rugoff after Cinema 5 was taken over?
Accessing this theatre from Route 10 is challenge unl;ess it’s daylight and you’ve tried it before. Signage is terrible, and you can easily wind up on the jug-handle turning lane. The parking lot is a huge mess, with a sudden dead-end on the first level. I too was there on a rainy day, and the potholed parking lot was flooded. Exiting the lot was also a nightmare.
As for the theatre itself, it was rather nondescript, adding nothing to the movie.
This Rugoff coffee house cinema always had creative double bills, insuring packed audiences. A memorable pair were “The Girl With the Green Eyes” & “Billy Liar”. Apart from the Hirschfield mural, a rather plain venue, but the features were truly memorable. Is Parsons still using the space as an auditorium?
Road to Hong Kong on Premiere Showcase was a symptom of the times. In NYC, Robert Moses was steadily at work towards the breaking-up of established neighborhoods with the building of the Cross Bronx Expressway and the failed Lower Manhattan Expwy. These traffic arteries were designed to bypass the city entirely, while traveling from one suburban center to another. Of course, this was the trend throughout the country. A major draw of the Times Square movie palaces were the live performances headlining star talent. The advent of TV and the elimination of live acts made the movie palaces less of a destination. Roadshow presentations did maintain a sense of exclusivity for a while. rlvjr’s idea might be interesting, but the economics of risking a major presentation to a limited number of venues may be more than a studio can handle, given their eye on the first weekend’s take..
Does anyone remember Dean Cronos, manager of the Coronet/Baronet back in the mid 60’s?
Any idea when the Folly actually closed? This question has come up in regard to another site, the Aster. I recall in the mid 50’s there being a Friendly Frost appliance store on the corner of Graham Ave & Debevoise St., a fairly modern looking (stark/plain) structure that would not have gone back to the turn of the century.
Warren, any chance you could re-post the above picture, as the link has expired. Thanks!
Louieb – could the theater that you were referring to on Apr. 5th have been the Folly? There is a listing for it on CT with the address of 15 Debevoise St. This would have placed it within sight of the Broadway/Flushing Ave. intersection and the elevated station, one short block away.
The Graham was actually on Graham at the Grand St. intersection. The Graham Ave. street numbers begin at Broadway as do most streets in the area that radiate from that thoroughfare. As for the color of the neon marquee, the Alba’s lights were primarily red & black.
In keeping with “Yellow”, the Evergreen also showcased Godard’s Weekend. The theater was almost too intimate for that film.
God bless Rev. Ike!
I passed by the theatre a few days ago and it looks fantastic. The marquee is intact and the edge-accents have been recently re-gilded. The facade remains as impressive as ever, sadly reminicent of the Loews Pitkin. If only the interior of the 175th St. should be in such grand shape.
Hope that you have contacted Flatbush Life, a division of the Courier News organization, for press coverage of this event. I cannot join you due to a pressing engagement, but wish you a successful meeting.
To Anniegirl & JoeB, I don’t recall the Charlotte Russes on Graham & Moore St., but they were definitely available at the location that I had mentioned further east, as Graham neared B'way. I do rememeber the entire strip of Manhattan Ave. from Cook St. to Montrose
Ave. as being Brides Row, with a successive number of bridal gown rental shops.
I’m familiar with the location, but by the time I went to PS 16. the Wilson had been long gone. For an inexpensive snack, we all went into Flaum’s pickle works on Lee Ave. After all these years the pickle works is still on the avenue, a neighborhood institution that has endured.
To Asbag, regarding the Levy’s hot dog empire, there was a small open-air sidewalk counter on Graham Ave, just before the B'way & Flushing Ave. intersection, that sold hot dogs, pizza and ice cream custard. Was this part of the family business?
Back in Jan.‘06 Asbag referred to the Levy’s Hot Dogs, as being right next to the theater. Was this related to the Levy’s Hot Dogs on the other side of the bridge at Essex & Delancey St? If so, it is now Roma’s Pizza, and appears identicial to the way it was 50 years ago.
Max Steiner’s overture for Helen of Troy may have been one of the best characteristics of a disappointing film. The early scenes in Sparta are defintiely a snore, until the start of the battle scenes in front of Troy.
Don’t know if there is a DVD version yet, but the VCR edition has a separate segment devoted exclusively to the remarkable overture.
Saw the Ten Commandments at the old Savoy in Brooklyn during one of its initial releases. Having seen it several times since, there is no comparison to having seen it on the big screen, probabably in Vistavision.
The former Gimbels site is now Manhattan Plaza, a vertical mall with a wide range of shops. The Sak’s site also has a number of tenants including a Daffy’s, and until recently a Toys ‘R Us.
There was a period in the 60’s when both Alexander’s and this theater fronted on Third Ave. The deparetment store had a small entrance on the avenue leading into the store. Originally the Alexanders’s lot was supposed to be a branch of Sak’s 34th St. department store, which was orginally at Herald’s Sq. between Macy’s and Gimbels. That Sak’s was the frumpy mid-price sibling of Sak’s Fifth Ave., and was soon closed in the face of stiff competition from other mid-range retailers.
Alexanders was a great place to stop if you were early for a movie. It had late hours and was a god-send when during a weather change you needed to run in for an umbrella or gloves.
The W Hotel is between 6th & 7th Avenues, while the Forum 47th St. fronted on the west side of Broadway.
Any idea when it stopped showing movies?
Excellent neighborhood movie theater – can’t beat being able to get to the theater in ten minutes, not having to deal with crowds, and getting excellent stadium seats, on the first day of a mvoie opening. Grabbing something at Panera’s next door is also a perk. Staff have always been courteous and overall, teen groups seem well behaved, and the theater appears clean and well run.
Would prefer a mix of indie product along with Hollywood fare, but they do score points for hosting the West Orange Classics festival. Infinitely better movie going experience over the Clifton Commons. Hope that any AMC /Loews restructuring will not ruin a good thing!
I like the sound of KCCPA!
Thanks for the update, Jay58. I did not live in the neighborhood but I remember the Cinema V offices in the Fuller building after visiting art gallery exhibitions there.
As for the Lopert name, it often appeared as the distribution arm for many UA arthouse releases in the 60’s & 70’s, as well as being connected to the Plaza.
Try to convince Markowitz that he can become the showbix impressario that he aspires to be and use a renovated Loews Kings as his venue for staging his concert series. Convince him to get Keyspan, Bear Stearns, or Pfizer, blue chip corporations with a major Brooklyn presence to cough-up the renovation dollars, and rename the auditorium after Marty.
Thanks to jay58 for his description of movie-going in a very different time and place, where the theatre owner, in this case Don Rugoff could give you permission to park your bike in the theatre alley. Showmen, owners, exhibitors or whatever you want to call them, played a vital role in making a trip to the movies a personal experience. Sadly there are no Marcus Loews, Walter Reades or Don Rugoffs still on the scene. Dan Talbot stands alone. Any idea what became of Don Rugoff after Cinema 5 was taken over?
Accessing this theatre from Route 10 is challenge unl;ess it’s daylight and you’ve tried it before. Signage is terrible, and you can easily wind up on the jug-handle turning lane. The parking lot is a huge mess, with a sudden dead-end on the first level. I too was there on a rainy day, and the potholed parking lot was flooded. Exiting the lot was also a nightmare.
As for the theatre itself, it was rather nondescript, adding nothing to the movie.