Comments from geoj99

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geoj99
geoj99 commented about Halsey Theatre on Jul 18, 2008 at 8:02 am

Peter, Kevin,

I am currently going through old family photos of the Halsey theater area..I have plenty so far of Sarotoga park and one of Jim Proces bar where Jackie Gleason hung out……..hopefully I will be able to find one of the Halsey theater marquee
..I am also reviewing photos of the Ridgewood hangout around the theater…if I come up with any of the marquee i’ll let you guys know…another bit of movie/tv trivia….I think I remember my mom mentioning that Jack Lord (Hawaii 5-0 ) growing up around Sarotoga and Halsey street also….Kevin????

Kevin….my uncle was Charlie Eckhardt…..sadly he passed away in Florida 1992….I believe he did indeed know your family..

Zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Ridgewood Theatre on Jul 17, 2008 at 9:08 am

Mr billy c,

thanks for the info on Rosies.Brauhaus…used to go in there early to late 70’s before and after softball up at the Oval……

Heard they changed the name of the Oval???? and that it has been fixed UP????

Zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Ridgewood Theatre on Jul 17, 2008 at 8:59 am

Peter,

Remember the French connection well …although most of the chase scenes were filmed in Bensonhurst…..probably the most memorable chase scene for me a least was filmed in Ridgewood ….ie the lady with the baby carriage….not a planned take …it just happened….
I believe Sal and Angie’s was used in the movie also. …so you are right again…….Got the streets mixed up…all the more reason to go back and walk the streets!!!!

Thanks again for the memory jog…..

Zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Ridgewood Theatre on Jul 16, 2008 at 3:52 pm

Peter,

spoke with my cousin……..told me McZaks closed a few years back but reopened under a different name …but that too failed…..

He said the only theater close to Ridgewood now that is still open is the Cinemart on Metropolitan out near “Eddie’s”……

The pool hall on St Nicholas between Palmetto and Woodbine was called the Grove…It was right across from the S and W dodge dealer?????

Zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Ridgewood Theatre on Jul 16, 2008 at 2:22 pm

Peter,

Some other names form the Woodbine st crew that went to Grover Cleveland hs were Bob Melville and Reggie Maas….last i heard Reg still lives up in Glendale….

we used to play handball up at the old dekalb ave park …before it was a park i believe it was a trolley barn….then it was converted to a track and field park with handball courts…in the late 60’s and 70’s at night it was junkie heaven….

there was another bar that had great burgers in that neighborhood right across from the lutheran cemetary…
…….
……..it was called the eagles nest…and an old crusty bald dude served up the cheeseburgers with fried onions…..just down dekalb from grover cleveland hs…..i doubt if that is still around…..good food and warm beer…..

Zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Halsey Theatre on Jul 16, 2008 at 12:56 pm

Kevin,

do you remember who the statue was dedicated too in Saratoga park…….????

Zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Ridgewood Theatre on Jul 15, 2008 at 8:54 pm

Peter,

Been on the Bushwick buddies website…some pictures of 14 Holy Martyrs school….but way before my time….another site to check out is Forgotten New York and Brooklynpix.com……

You must get back there quite frequently or you have a better memory than mine…I guess it comes down to what you where exposed to and who you ran with…

Another high school buddy from Trinity owned a bar on Fresh Pond road across or within blocks of the Oasis called TJ’s…..another buddy MIke G was the bartender there …he was also a NYC fireman….MIke ….like me is probably retired….Is that bar still there????

Hate to harp on the local watering holes but they were the social starting and ending point for whatever the crowd was doing….we all played football and softball for them….like the old movie theaters the bars had style and age like the wood’s tavern up in glendale…The bar was an ornate carving from germany ….Is that still there???? it was right by the Glendale LIRR stop…..

Trinity was located on Montrose ave in Brooklyn…….used to take the BMT from the neighborhood to get there….used to have train passes?????

There was another movie theater in Richmond Hill I used to go to…was it the Keith???? It was around were Jahn’s ice cream parlor was…located….

Sad to see that the old Yankee stadium is closing..I used to go prior to the 1977 reopening. …when the posts were still supporting the upper decks….and continued to go there until about 1979 then it was “wheels up” out of the neighborhood…. ..many memories for me there…..never was a Mets fan……..

Zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Ridgewood Theatre on Jul 15, 2008 at 1:25 pm

Peter,

I did not graduate from St. Brigid’s. I graduated from 14 Holy Martyrs in 1966. I used to hang out on woodbine street and cypress with steven graf, joe ganci, joe gangi, frank maranno, maureen stanson,debbie knorr, janet monteleone, dennis and donald katz…..i met steve in high school at Most Holy Trinity and he introduced me to the woodbine st crew…..it was either one of the katz brothers or steve who introduced me to linda bauer, deb o'connor and vicki hobson.. if I remember correctly vicki and linda and deb lived on palmetto st and really did not hang with the woodbine folks…. the woodbine crew used to hang out at the seneca inn on woodbine and onderdonk, cobbler inn during college on myrtle and 75th st approximate and other local taverns……until we opened our own social club on woodbine and cypress…..I too played stickball( ace ,king , queen,jack.. as well) in the Key food lot with steve, joe and joe….

I remember corato’s pizza, the pool hall on st nicholas and the rko theater….there was the madison diner across the street……we would get together on sunday morning there after playing touch football at juniper valley park. It been a long time since i walked the streets in the old neighborhood….like eddie money says “ i wanna go back”……

Zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Halsey Theatre on Jul 14, 2008 at 9:10 pm

Kevin,

i believe my grandparents lived there from 1953 till 1966 approximately….they moved to himrod street and knickerbocker ave….i remember playing in saratoga park….when you could not go on the grass and they had a park attendant……there was another movie theater in the neighborhood aside from the halsey that i used to go to….for a quarter you got 2 feature films….b- movies…cartoons during intermission and popcorn. i can’t rember the name…i think it was off bway
…i also remember one of the neighbors on the first floor left….her name was mrs halsey ( no joke) and she was african american i believe…..

zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Halsey Theatre on Jul 14, 2008 at 9:31 am

peter,

i believe the first name of the owner of proces bar was Jim??? there was an old trolley barn up the street on halsey going towards the el that was used for storage and car parking ……i remember my uncles talking about jackie g keeping his car there…it was diagonally right across from the theater……we used to sneak in there as kids and sit in an old convertable from ( guessing here) the 30’s that someone had stored there….i believe it was possible a packard…..would love to have that car today to restore….
is the park across the street from the halsey theater still there??? used to play there all the time while visiting my grandparents….

zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Halsey Theatre on Jul 13, 2008 at 9:57 pm

irish dj,

my mom used to go to the halsey theater back when jackie gleason got his start there…..my mom and uncles charles and john eckhardt grew up at 859 halsey street.
grandma and grandpa had the 1st floor right apartment……i remember as a child going by that theater and i believe it still had a gray marquee hung by two steel guy wires…..never got to go inside by my mom would remember that if folks would not like an act they would throw tomatoes at the vaudville folks!!! it was already converted to a factory by the time i was born…..my uncles hung out at Proces bar and grill…

small world….

zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Ridgewood Theatre on Jul 12, 2008 at 7:16 am

panzer,

thanks for the update……it is a shame however regarding the ridgewood theather….like most old ny theaters it had ambiance and character not like the hospital effect of todays modern establishments…..by the way there used to be an ice cream shop out on metropolitan ave called “eddies”???? heading towards forest hills ….remember that place well…is it still in business???

zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Ridgewood Theatre on Jul 11, 2008 at 10:36 pm

we used to have a social club on st nicholas and woodbine st…another couple of friends henry scanzano and charlie bayer use to hang out with steve graf ,myself and joe ganci…..rickie and maureen stanson also hung out with us.unfortunately rick died of cancer at 19 years old ….before i left the area…………….is the seneca inn still around….??? after football and softball up in metro oval we would stop in….another place we hung out was the cobbler inn…..aside from that there was another theater on fresh pond road near metroploitan….is that still there….??? was that called the oasis???
zitch

geoj99
geoj99 commented about Ridgewood Theatre on Jul 11, 2008 at 8:28 pm

I grew up in ridgewood but left in the late 70’s…..used to hang out on the corner of st nicolas and palmetto street and used to frequent the old ridgewood theater and the diner across the street on myrtle. Sorry to hear that the theater closed. Have not been back to the old neighborhood in years….
I’m sure its changed a lot….i’m looking to find some old friends by the names of stephen graff, joe ganci, joe gangi ,rose cacavelli, janet bauer, vicktoria hobson ,bob melville, frank and victor maranno, janet monteleone , debbie o'connor , anthony intaglia, and debbie knorr……..they all lived around palmetto and st nicholas….and went to st brigids elementary school….some went to grover cleveland , most holy trinity or christ the king…..
I' ve spent most of my life overseas and out in the western part of the U.S. so I have lost touch with the old neighborhood….i went by the nickname of zitch….first name george ….