To Bluesman: I know we shouldn’t be writing too much personal stuff here but I am so happy to hear about Tina and Lena. My wife Louise and I most certainly remember them. They were good customers and really nice girls. Please give them our best!
To PKoch: I will definitely be joining you on Bushwick Buddies first chance I get.
Warren, you’re probably right. I apologize for off-topic chat, it’s just that it’s so nice to hear about old friends and neighbors and the old neighborhood, etc that one kind of gets carried away. Being 3000 miles away from Brooklyn and Queens for over 30 years and most of the old friends and neighbors gone or moved away, it’s just kind of comforting to hear about them again. In the future, I’ll try to refrain from that kind of dialogue.
Mopella, I went to Blessed Sacrament grade school and then Delehanty High School in Jamaica. Sandy Masone lived directly across the street from us. Sandy and I were the same age, her younger brother Joey was good friends with my future brother-in-law John Picini who lived directly next door to me on Autumn Ave until the mid 60s when they moved to 153 Hemlock St. I married his sister Louise in 1973. Sandy and Joey’s older sister, Johanna was a real nice girl. I loved Dundee and Joe Masoni, the parents. Dundee used to have a beauty shop in her basement. My mom and grandmother went to her all the time to get their hair done. Dundee and Joe also, for a short time, owned the candy store on the corner of Ridgewood Ave and Autumn Ave. Although our paths may have crossed back in the day, I have to say I don’t remember your name, either. I knew Darleen Greenwood as a kid in school but once in high school we hardly ever saw each other again. I had become best friends with guys from Ridgewood (thru high school) so most of my teen years were spent in the Ridgewood/Glendale area. I must have ridden the B18 and 13 Crescent buses more times than the bus drivers!
I went to high school with Tommy Long of Long’s Ice Cream Parlor. I didn’t know him well but I do remember that he had some kind of an accident or was mugged or something that resulted in brain damage. I remember going to Long’s for a concoction called a “Frappe”. It was ice cream topped with chocolate syrup topped with whipped marshmellow! Long’s made the best! But I never really hung out there. We hung out on Madison Ave. in Ridgewood at an ice cream parlor called Koletty’s (not sure if correctly spelled). And almost every Friday night during my HS years was spent at the Hillside Roller Rink and then Jahn’s Ice Cream Parlor for the Kitchen Sink.
Yes, that’s right. Johnny Natoli lived right next door to us. He did become a teacher. His sisters were Grace and Patty. Johnny and I loved the sci-fi/horror movies of the 50s. We both were crazy about the giant ant movie THEM and the giant spider movie TARANTULA. Johnny was a really nice guy. Do you know how he is currently doing? Where he lives, teaches, etc?
Mopella mentions Darleen Greenwood whom I remember from the nabe. Darleen had a younger sister, Barbara and they lived on Ridgewood Ave. and later moved to Autumn Ave, I believe. I lived on Autumn Ave between Ridgewood and Fulton (closer to Ridgewood). I remember that Darleen’s parents bought a fire-engine red 1955 Chevy Bel-Air. It was a beauty! I loved that car…wish I could go back and see it again! Our neighbors were the Natoli’s, the Masoni’s and Puleo’s, among others. Great neighbors.
Michael P: I owned Jack’s Tops and Bottoms from 1971-1974. My store was on Fulton Street between Autumn and Lincoln. Across the street
from my store right on the corner of Fulton and Autumn was Joe’s Mens Shop. Joe’s was strictly menswear while my store was more “boutique” for both sexes.
Getting back to the Embassy Theatre: does anyone remember the “FRIGHT SHOWS” they had a few times around Halloween? I remember one where I went with my buddies Johnny and Jimmy Heslin and we saw the Frankenstein monster and the Mummy right there in the aisles. Very scary!!!! The movie, if I’m not mistaken, was “Abbott and Costello meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde”. I also remember my grandmother diligently attending every Tuesday night, I believe, no matter what the movie was because Tuesday was dish night. I think they stopped that in the late-50s. There was also a Bingo night! Imagine that! What nice memories!
Robbie Dupree, my brother in law John Picini was a friend of yours back in the day. He was/is a fantastic guitarist. Back then his band played Asbury Park quite a lot as well as places like the Peppermint Lounge in the city. John lived on Hemlock St off Ridgewood and I lived on Autumn Ave between Ridgewood and Fulton. I married John’s sister Louise. We have all since moved west: my wife and I to Las Vegas and John and his wife to San Diego. When I mentioned to John recently that I discovered this site and your name he was stoked. Unfortunately, John is computer phobic and can hardly turn the computer on so if you would like to get a message to John
I’d be happy to relay it.
By the way, your album was definitely one of the best of the 80s. I knew Pat Benetar from CATCH A RISING STAR back in the late 70s when we both sang there and some other showcase clubs. My brother in law and I formed a band out here back in 83 along with another Cypress Hills boy, Randy Provduiy.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Having attended Delehanty High School right off Jamaica Ave,I too remember the area very well: its good times and its not so good times. I graduated in 1964 so the area was in flux at that time but it was still a bustling, active shopping and business area. Going to either the Valencia or the Alden was a treat as was Teddy’s coffee shop. When my wife and I got married in 73 we bought most of our furniture at Ethan Allen Restful on Jamaica Ave. In high school, I bought all of my records at May’s Dept. Store in their record dept. on the first floor. Best prices around. One of my girlfriends in HS lived in Queens Village and I didn’t drive at the time, so I remember many cold, snowy nights waiting at the bus terminal by Macy’s for the bus to Queens Village. Living in Cypress Hills, it was quite a trip: the J train to 168th St. and then hike over to the bus terminal and then the bus out to Queens Village! Ah, youth!
The Gertz Dept. Store in Jamaica was, if I remember it correctly, sort of like a 2nd rate Macy’s yet still a very nice department store. I remember it well because my sister-in-law Regina Murphy worked there in the coffee shop in Gertz as a waitress in the late 60s/early 70s.
Does anyone remember the odd but very tasty chicken chow mein sandwiches on a hamburger bun you could get at the Woolworth’s counter in Jamaica?
I remember when I was a child, my grandmother taking me shopping with her and we would always eat lunch in a dept. store restaurant or coffee shop. It seemed so many stores had them back “in the day”. What a terrific convenience for shoppers!
I haven’t been checking in for awhile so it’s great to see some new posts.
Re: the Arlington Library: that was my first summer job as a teenager, probably around 63/64. Loved that library and the surrounding area. Haven’t been back there since the 70s but back in the 60s I thought it was a beautiful building and I loved working there.
Re: Dr. Catapano. He was my grandmother’s doctor. Our family doctor was Dr. Morris Zeichner (corner Ridgewood & Autumn). I went to Blessed Sacrament school with Joel Kanengeiser (I probably spelled
that wrong) whose dad was a doctor who had an office in their home
right next to the playground next to Blessed Sacrament Church. A few years later one of my best friends from Delehanty HS in Jamaica was Tom Sileo whose dad was a doctor on the corner of Norwood an Jamaica.
My wife Louise graduated from St. Michael’s HS in the mid 60s. Her best friends were Kathy Poisson and Florence Witkowski. Anybody know them? Louise’s last name at that time was Picini. Her brother, John, was friends with Robbie Dupree from Cypress Hills.
When I was telling my Dad who is 84 and now lives in Florida about this website and we started reminiscing about the old neighborhood, he reminded me that we saw a tear-jearker with Lana Turner called IMITATION OF LIFE and the ending was so sad he said he had to lift his feet off the floor so his shoelaces wouldn’t get wet because everyone in the theater were crying so much! I remember not especially wanting to see that movie but my grandmoter wanted to so we all went! Those were the days when the entire family could go to the movies together! However, I remember around 1960 or so, going to the Embassy with my mom and dad to see a film called A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE which was written by Arthur Miller and my mother was so shocked by the frankness (for those days!) of the movie, that she vowed never to go to the movies again (of course, she relented but it took a while!).
OK, Panzer65 – now you’re jarring the memory bank…I do remember the bowling alley and the German restaurant. Wasn’t there also a billiards parlor right near there as well? I can’t quite remember but I seem to recall that the streets sort of converged into a triangle at this juncture. Duh – hence the TRIANGLE Hofbrau!
Glad to hear that Salerno’s is still in operation. Coincidentally, my brother in law is visiting with us right now from Cal. so I’ll have to tell him that the restaurant where he had his wedding reception is still there.
I graduated from Delehanty High School in Jamaica back in 64. The school often sponsored special skating nights at the Hillside Roller Rink and we always went to Jahn’s Ice Cream parlor afterwards. A bunch of us would order THE KITCHEN SINK. It was a tremendous ice cream confection that about 10 teenagers could share. I remember Jahn’s as being very bright and cheerful and ALWAYS busy. It was quite a place. Whenever we saw a movie at the RKO Keith’s, we would always hit Jahn’s before home.
If I’m not mistaken there used to be a terrific Italian restaurant between the Keith’s and Jahn’s. It was called Salerno’s. Don’t know if it’s still there. My wife’s brother had his wedding reception there in 1972. What a great block: movie theatre, Italian restaurant and old-fashioned ice-cream parlor!
Oh boy, PKoch, there ya go reminding me of something else from back in the day…FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND! I was addicted to that magazine. Wasn’t Forrest J.Ackerman the editor? Loved that magazine…couldn’t wait to buy it the minute it appeared each month in the local candy store! It think it cost 35 cents?
Re: rock n roll show dangers: I think it was more of a parent’s concern of large groups of teenagers, no matter what their race, congregating in a large venue embracing rock and roll and letting off all that steam together.
Man, I’m jealous of you guys being able to revisit the old movie theatres even though they aren’t what they used to be. We moved out of NY back in 79 so we haven’t seen what’s become of them since then. Probably for the best. I remember my cousin’s graduation from high school took place at the RKO Madison in the 60s. I guess some schools that didn’t have the facilities rented or borrowed the Madison Theatre for their school graduations!
PKoch: Thanks for asking about the Rock n Roll shows at the old Bklyn Paramount. You asked why I said they were thought to be dangerous…well, I think primarily because it was a mix of ethnicities attending the shows. Also because there was occasionally the smell of pot in the air. I was only 11 thru 14 yrs old when I went to these shows with my older cousins so I really didn’t know what was going on. I just remember seeing some of my favorite record stars of the 50s and 60s performing. Alan Freed and Murray “the K” were usually the mc’s of these shows and some of the acts I remember seeing were The Shirrelles (a girl group famous prior to the
Supremes), Freddy Cannon (“Palisades Park”), the Angels (“My Boyfriend’s Back”) Johnny Tillotson (“Poetry in Motion), Gene Chandler ("The Duke of Earl”) among others. These shows were very cheap affairs with very little production values. Many of the acts actually lip-synched their records. But I recall them fondly as being very high-energy and exciting at the time. There was usually lots of dancing in the aisles and there was also visual police presence (which really added to the excitement of the show for a 13 year old kid!). I personally never encountered any trouble at these shows although my older cousin was involved in a skirmish at one of them later on.
Oftentimes, you could also see a movie before or after one of these shows. I remember seeing the terrific CURSE OF THE DEMON with Dana Andrews (which has since become something of a cinema classic)at the Bklyn Fox in addition to the Rock and Roll show. I think I was about 11 or 12 at the time and still remember it as a great event! A scary movie and rock and roll all together!
As I think back about these rock n roll shows, I seem to remember that Loew’s Valencia might have hosted a few rock n roll shows back then. Does anyone out there remember this?
PKoch…oh man – you just brought back some great memories when you mentioned the A&S dept store in Bklyn. When I was a kid, my grandmother used to take me there all the time. She would go shopping and deposit me on the 8th floor of A&S which was the record, book and games dept. My favorite floor! They used to have a great selection of movie soundtracks. After shopping, my grandmother and I would go to one of the restaurants for a bite to eat. Very often we would then go to see a movie at one of the fantastic movie theatres in that area: Loew’s Metropolitan, RKO Albee, Bklyn Paramount, the Fox. We saw BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S at the Paramount (also as a teenager I saw a number of rock n roll shows there and at the Fox although I never told my parents cause it was thought to be dangerous to go to r n r shows at that time. Murray the K or Alan Freed hosted)and THE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS at the Albee and a double feature of THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED and I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE at the Met. I could go on and on but I won’t bore you. However if you remember A&S you must remember these incredible movie palaces downtown Brooklyn.
This is an open question for all the movie fans here: do you think that attending a movie in a theatre like the RKO Madison or any of the numerous movie palaces we discuss on these pages really makes a difference to the enjoyment of the movie? Or are we just looking back thru rose-colored glasses to a youth or a time that we perceive as better? Or are today’s generations enjoying their movies just as much in, as PKoch says, “concrete bunkers in a shopping mall”? Will they look back fondly on the multi-plexes of their youth and sweetly remember seeing THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN or THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY or SAW III with their girlfriends? I ponder this occasionally because I love movies so much that I think where you see them is almost as important as the movies themselves. Would LA BOHEME be the same if you saw it at the Met or a tent in a carnival? Are the Rockettes just as high-stepping outside of Radio City Music Hall or is the RCMH necessary for the complete experience? Seeing the Red Sea part on the VistaVision screen of the Paramount or Gene Kelly dancing with Mitzi Gaynor across the CinemaScope screen of Radio City seemed to be enveloping to me as child. Or is it simply a child’s eyes remembering these feelings? Just curious…what do you movie fans think?
Warren, thank you so much for your post…I have been racking my brains for years trying to think of the name of Teddy’s and not one person I mentioned it to could remember the place!!! What a relief to finally hear it! So often we would go there for a burger after a movie. And you are probably right about Junior’s. I remembered their great hot dogs and just assumed it was Nedick’s. Unfortunately,I don’t recall the Concord Cafeteria. Was it on the same side of Jamaica Avenue as the Alden?
Anyway, thanks so much for the Teddy’s reference.
Hi, this is my first RKO Madison post. My family and I attended the Madison from 1955 until early 70s. Beautiful theatre. We called it “high-class”. Remember seeing I WANT TO LIVE at the Madison with Susan Hayward as convicted murderess who gets death penalty. Guess what they had as a promotional feature? A life size replica of the electric chair displayed upstairs between the doors entering the balcony! I’ll never forget it. As a kid, it was pretty impressive. That was late 50s…in early 60s, I remember Bette Davis and Joan Crawford made special appearance at Madison for WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE. Can you imagine that? These two movie legends on Myrtle
Ave? My friends and I tried to go but couldn’t get in because of the crowds. Another memory: one of my first dates with my future wife was THE ILLUSTRATED MAN at the Madison. Afterwards, we walked across the street to the Madison Diner for burgers. What a big spender I was on a date. Also remember seeing at the Madison: THE PRINCE AND
THE SHOWGIRL (Marilyn Monroe),BONNIE & CLYDE, THE DETECTIVE (Frank Sinatra), ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE ODD COUPLE, ANNE OF A THOUSAND DAYS, CAMELOT, BECKET and of course, all the Hammer films from the 50s thru the 70s. Also remember shopping at Jack Zimmer’s Mens Store on Myrtle Ave and going to Coletti’s (Kolety’s??) Ice Cream Parlor often. Although I’m not one to moan about the past I have to admit that I think it’s a little unfortunate that today’s audiences don’t have the movie palace memories that those of us from the 50s/60s do. As I’ve mentioned on some other sites, seeing a movie back then was so much more of an experience because of the incredible theatres in which we viewed them. If you didn’t like the movie, you could always watch the theatre! And the RKO Madison was a wonderful theatre.
Does anyone recall a Nedick’s tucked into the corner of Jamaica Ave. directly next door to the Valencia? I remember my Dad stopping there with me for a hot dog and orange drink before or after we would see a movie at the Valencia. I’m talking late 50s/early 60s.
By the way, I remember Gertz clearly as my future sister-in-law used to work there as a waitress in their coffee shop. Does anyone remember when department stores used to have their own restaurants? Speaking of coffee shops, does anyone remember Louie’s Coffee Shop on, I believe 164th St off Jamaica Ave? I went to Delehanty High School in the 60s and our crowd always hung out at Louie’s before class, at lunchtime and after school every day. Paula was the waitress back then – red bee-hive hairdo and a great gal.
Hi! Just discovered this website and love it. My family used to summer in Patchogue 50s-70s and it was one of the happiest times of my life. I’ve also posted a message on the Patchogue theatre web site. But I just wanted to share my recollections of the Plaza. I remember vividly when it opened. It was considered high-class at that time and would show “art” films. While that may have been the noble intent it eventually showed mainstream Hollywood films. I remember seeing Hitchcock’s MARNIE there as well as AIRPORT. I got married in 73 and moved to Las Vegas in 79, so I haven’t seen Patchogue since the mid 70s but I can tell you, that the Plaza was a lovely, modern movie theatre in its time and it was a pleasure to see movies there. I also remember Sweezy and Newins and wasn’t there a dept. store called the Bee Hive or something like that located close to the Plaza? My grandmother always shopped at this store and Sweezys. I made some wonderful friends in Patchogue in those years – was usher for Ronnie Bruce in his wedding, served in Basic Training with Tony Graviano in South Carolina, visited Sharon and Ray Terry’s
first apt when they got married (it was called a Garden Apt and it was one of the first in Patchogue!), tooled around town in Bob Capo’s red MG with the top down (Bob used to drive it right into our backyard!). I remember the Patchogue Community Pool and John’s Bargain Store and the Rialto Theatre and the great old Patchogue Theatre on Main Street. We used to attend Mass at every Sunday at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel… it used to be downtown on Main Street and then they build a newer, bigger church on (I think?) Medford Ave. I remember the 5 & 10 on Main Street (I believe it was across the street from the Patchogue Movie Theatre) – does anyone remember the 5&10 and its name? The Rialto was where we saw every Jerry Lewis movie and the scary movies of the period. Anyone out there who would like to share memories and/or updates of Patchogue, I’d love to hear from them here! Thanks!
Hi! I’m new to this website and am thrilled to have discovered it. My family had a summer house in Patchogue from the late 50s thru the early 70s. We spent all our summers there and it was one of the happiest times of my life. We lived in Brooklyn and it was so great to drive out on Sunrise Hgwy or Southern Ste Pkwy every Friday to “the Island”. Not only did my parents have a place there but so did my aunts, uncles, grandparents and even Bklyn neighbors! Back then, when I was a kid, it was such a treat to go to the Patchogue movie theatre to see movies. We saw everything that played there in the summer, believe me! From BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI to NORTH BY
NORTHWEST to A HOLE IN THE HEAD, etc. etc. I remember a coffee shop or ice cream parlor next to the theatre, if I’m not mistaken. If we didn’t go there after the movies, we went to the Bonanza Steak House for dinner. If we went to the drive-in (definitely one of my childhood highlights – esp. when we saw THE MYSTERIANS!!!!) which was one town away, I believe, we would stop at Ricky’s Hamburger Stand and bring burgers and shakes to the drive in. Saw every Jerry Lewis movie at the Rialto and we always sat in the balcony. Remember when the Plaza opened – it was high-class! – we saw Hitchcock’s MARNIE there and also AIRPORT. It is really amazing how you can remember the theater as well as the movie! I have extremely happy memories of the summers we spent in Patchogue and the friends I made there: Ronnie, Bob, Tony, Sharon & Ray, MaryAnn (my old girlfriend!), Joe, Eddie, Annlouise, Kathy, Billy, Patty, etc etc. And can anyone tell me if the Catholic Church is still there. I can’t remember the name of the church but I think it was Our Lady….something. We attended Mass there every Sunday. Originally it was downtown on Main St. and then they built a new, much bigger church on, I think, Medford Ave (?). If anyone has any info about this, I’d sure appreciate it. Thanks!
I think you might be referring to the Crescent Bakery. It was located next to the candy store on Fulton St. right off Crescent. As you came down the el stairs from the train it was on the right side -same side as Tilotta’s. All their pastries and cakes were put in pink boxes and tied with white string. My family’s favorite item from Crescent Bakery were their fantastic crumb buns. After Mass on Sunday morning everyone coming from Blessed Sacrament Church used to stop at this bakery and the line was literally out the door and sometimes almost to the corner! The best bakery ever. There was another very good bakery on Fulton between Autumn and Lincoln. It was Pabst’s Bakery. I went to Blessed Sacrament school with son Eric Pabst.
For MVitale: are you related to anyone who lived on Autumn Ave (50s/70s) by the name of Masoni?
Around 1969 or 70, we went to see NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD at the Earl. I have to agree with MVitale. I never knew of the Earl ever being called anything but the Earl. Seeing NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD at the Earl certainly added to the creepiness of the movie. It was a late show (maybe midnight?) and there were about 8 people in the theatre! The co-feature was (ready for this?)THE STEWARDESSES in 3D! What a double feature!
For Tim O.:
Thanks so much for the info. It was Lorenzo’s – I have been racking my brain over this for over a year. Thanks!
235-6586 – was that my store’s telephone number? I can’t believe you found that!
I remember Tilotta’s vividly but don’t ever remember them selling records outside or even inside. I was a huge record fan and would have definitely bought records there if they sold them. Until Matty the butcher opened his little record store 2 doors down from my store in the 70s the only record store in the neighborhood that I recall was on Fulton St. across from the A&P. I used to buy the latest 45s in there – they were 69 cents each.
And since this is primarily a movie related site, does anyone from my generation remember the barber shop on Fulton St. (I think it was between Autumn and Lincoln)…for years and years they had an Embassy Poster/Showcard in their window advertising THIS ISLAND EARTH coming to the Embassy. It must have remained in their window for 5 years!
To psindone:
I graduated from Delehanty HS in 1964 and my brother in law John Picini attended Lane 62-66. Do you know either one of us?
Jack
To Bluesman: I know we shouldn’t be writing too much personal stuff here but I am so happy to hear about Tina and Lena. My wife Louise and I most certainly remember them. They were good customers and really nice girls. Please give them our best!
To PKoch: I will definitely be joining you on Bushwick Buddies first chance I get.
Warren, you’re probably right. I apologize for off-topic chat, it’s just that it’s so nice to hear about old friends and neighbors and the old neighborhood, etc that one kind of gets carried away. Being 3000 miles away from Brooklyn and Queens for over 30 years and most of the old friends and neighbors gone or moved away, it’s just kind of comforting to hear about them again. In the future, I’ll try to refrain from that kind of dialogue.
Mopella, I went to Blessed Sacrament grade school and then Delehanty High School in Jamaica. Sandy Masone lived directly across the street from us. Sandy and I were the same age, her younger brother Joey was good friends with my future brother-in-law John Picini who lived directly next door to me on Autumn Ave until the mid 60s when they moved to 153 Hemlock St. I married his sister Louise in 1973. Sandy and Joey’s older sister, Johanna was a real nice girl. I loved Dundee and Joe Masoni, the parents. Dundee used to have a beauty shop in her basement. My mom and grandmother went to her all the time to get their hair done. Dundee and Joe also, for a short time, owned the candy store on the corner of Ridgewood Ave and Autumn Ave. Although our paths may have crossed back in the day, I have to say I don’t remember your name, either. I knew Darleen Greenwood as a kid in school but once in high school we hardly ever saw each other again. I had become best friends with guys from Ridgewood (thru high school) so most of my teen years were spent in the Ridgewood/Glendale area. I must have ridden the B18 and 13 Crescent buses more times than the bus drivers!
I went to high school with Tommy Long of Long’s Ice Cream Parlor. I didn’t know him well but I do remember that he had some kind of an accident or was mugged or something that resulted in brain damage. I remember going to Long’s for a concoction called a “Frappe”. It was ice cream topped with chocolate syrup topped with whipped marshmellow! Long’s made the best! But I never really hung out there. We hung out on Madison Ave. in Ridgewood at an ice cream parlor called Koletty’s (not sure if correctly spelled). And almost every Friday night during my HS years was spent at the Hillside Roller Rink and then Jahn’s Ice Cream Parlor for the Kitchen Sink.
Yes, that’s right. Johnny Natoli lived right next door to us. He did become a teacher. His sisters were Grace and Patty. Johnny and I loved the sci-fi/horror movies of the 50s. We both were crazy about the giant ant movie THEM and the giant spider movie TARANTULA. Johnny was a really nice guy. Do you know how he is currently doing? Where he lives, teaches, etc?
Mopella mentions Darleen Greenwood whom I remember from the nabe. Darleen had a younger sister, Barbara and they lived on Ridgewood Ave. and later moved to Autumn Ave, I believe. I lived on Autumn Ave between Ridgewood and Fulton (closer to Ridgewood). I remember that Darleen’s parents bought a fire-engine red 1955 Chevy Bel-Air. It was a beauty! I loved that car…wish I could go back and see it again! Our neighbors were the Natoli’s, the Masoni’s and Puleo’s, among others. Great neighbors.
Michael P: I owned Jack’s Tops and Bottoms from 1971-1974. My store was on Fulton Street between Autumn and Lincoln. Across the street
from my store right on the corner of Fulton and Autumn was Joe’s Mens Shop. Joe’s was strictly menswear while my store was more “boutique” for both sexes.
Getting back to the Embassy Theatre: does anyone remember the “FRIGHT SHOWS” they had a few times around Halloween? I remember one where I went with my buddies Johnny and Jimmy Heslin and we saw the Frankenstein monster and the Mummy right there in the aisles. Very scary!!!! The movie, if I’m not mistaken, was “Abbott and Costello meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde”. I also remember my grandmother diligently attending every Tuesday night, I believe, no matter what the movie was because Tuesday was dish night. I think they stopped that in the late-50s. There was also a Bingo night! Imagine that! What nice memories!
Robbie Dupree, my brother in law John Picini was a friend of yours back in the day. He was/is a fantastic guitarist. Back then his band played Asbury Park quite a lot as well as places like the Peppermint Lounge in the city. John lived on Hemlock St off Ridgewood and I lived on Autumn Ave between Ridgewood and Fulton. I married John’s sister Louise. We have all since moved west: my wife and I to Las Vegas and John and his wife to San Diego. When I mentioned to John recently that I discovered this site and your name he was stoked. Unfortunately, John is computer phobic and can hardly turn the computer on so if you would like to get a message to John
I’d be happy to relay it.
By the way, your album was definitely one of the best of the 80s. I knew Pat Benetar from CATCH A RISING STAR back in the late 70s when we both sang there and some other showcase clubs. My brother in law and I formed a band out here back in 83 along with another Cypress Hills boy, Randy Provduiy.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Having attended Delehanty High School right off Jamaica Ave,I too remember the area very well: its good times and its not so good times. I graduated in 1964 so the area was in flux at that time but it was still a bustling, active shopping and business area. Going to either the Valencia or the Alden was a treat as was Teddy’s coffee shop. When my wife and I got married in 73 we bought most of our furniture at Ethan Allen Restful on Jamaica Ave. In high school, I bought all of my records at May’s Dept. Store in their record dept. on the first floor. Best prices around. One of my girlfriends in HS lived in Queens Village and I didn’t drive at the time, so I remember many cold, snowy nights waiting at the bus terminal by Macy’s for the bus to Queens Village. Living in Cypress Hills, it was quite a trip: the J train to 168th St. and then hike over to the bus terminal and then the bus out to Queens Village! Ah, youth!
The Gertz Dept. Store in Jamaica was, if I remember it correctly, sort of like a 2nd rate Macy’s yet still a very nice department store. I remember it well because my sister-in-law Regina Murphy worked there in the coffee shop in Gertz as a waitress in the late 60s/early 70s.
Does anyone remember the odd but very tasty chicken chow mein sandwiches on a hamburger bun you could get at the Woolworth’s counter in Jamaica?
I remember when I was a child, my grandmother taking me shopping with her and we would always eat lunch in a dept. store restaurant or coffee shop. It seemed so many stores had them back “in the day”. What a terrific convenience for shoppers!
I haven’t been checking in for awhile so it’s great to see some new posts.
Re: the Arlington Library: that was my first summer job as a teenager, probably around 63/64. Loved that library and the surrounding area. Haven’t been back there since the 70s but back in the 60s I thought it was a beautiful building and I loved working there.
Re: Dr. Catapano. He was my grandmother’s doctor. Our family doctor was Dr. Morris Zeichner (corner Ridgewood & Autumn). I went to Blessed Sacrament school with Joel Kanengeiser (I probably spelled
that wrong) whose dad was a doctor who had an office in their home
right next to the playground next to Blessed Sacrament Church. A few years later one of my best friends from Delehanty HS in Jamaica was Tom Sileo whose dad was a doctor on the corner of Norwood an Jamaica.
My wife Louise graduated from St. Michael’s HS in the mid 60s. Her best friends were Kathy Poisson and Florence Witkowski. Anybody know them? Louise’s last name at that time was Picini. Her brother, John, was friends with Robbie Dupree from Cypress Hills.
When I was telling my Dad who is 84 and now lives in Florida about this website and we started reminiscing about the old neighborhood, he reminded me that we saw a tear-jearker with Lana Turner called IMITATION OF LIFE and the ending was so sad he said he had to lift his feet off the floor so his shoelaces wouldn’t get wet because everyone in the theater were crying so much! I remember not especially wanting to see that movie but my grandmoter wanted to so we all went! Those were the days when the entire family could go to the movies together! However, I remember around 1960 or so, going to the Embassy with my mom and dad to see a film called A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE which was written by Arthur Miller and my mother was so shocked by the frankness (for those days!) of the movie, that she vowed never to go to the movies again (of course, she relented but it took a while!).
OK, Panzer65 – now you’re jarring the memory bank…I do remember the bowling alley and the German restaurant. Wasn’t there also a billiards parlor right near there as well? I can’t quite remember but I seem to recall that the streets sort of converged into a triangle at this juncture. Duh – hence the TRIANGLE Hofbrau!
Glad to hear that Salerno’s is still in operation. Coincidentally, my brother in law is visiting with us right now from Cal. so I’ll have to tell him that the restaurant where he had his wedding reception is still there.
I graduated from Delehanty High School in Jamaica back in 64. The school often sponsored special skating nights at the Hillside Roller Rink and we always went to Jahn’s Ice Cream parlor afterwards. A bunch of us would order THE KITCHEN SINK. It was a tremendous ice cream confection that about 10 teenagers could share. I remember Jahn’s as being very bright and cheerful and ALWAYS busy. It was quite a place. Whenever we saw a movie at the RKO Keith’s, we would always hit Jahn’s before home.
If I’m not mistaken there used to be a terrific Italian restaurant between the Keith’s and Jahn’s. It was called Salerno’s. Don’t know if it’s still there. My wife’s brother had his wedding reception there in 1972. What a great block: movie theatre, Italian restaurant and old-fashioned ice-cream parlor!
Oh boy, PKoch, there ya go reminding me of something else from back in the day…FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND! I was addicted to that magazine. Wasn’t Forrest J.Ackerman the editor? Loved that magazine…couldn’t wait to buy it the minute it appeared each month in the local candy store! It think it cost 35 cents?
Re: rock n roll show dangers: I think it was more of a parent’s concern of large groups of teenagers, no matter what their race, congregating in a large venue embracing rock and roll and letting off all that steam together.
Man, I’m jealous of you guys being able to revisit the old movie theatres even though they aren’t what they used to be. We moved out of NY back in 79 so we haven’t seen what’s become of them since then. Probably for the best. I remember my cousin’s graduation from high school took place at the RKO Madison in the 60s. I guess some schools that didn’t have the facilities rented or borrowed the Madison Theatre for their school graduations!
PKoch: Thanks for asking about the Rock n Roll shows at the old Bklyn Paramount. You asked why I said they were thought to be dangerous…well, I think primarily because it was a mix of ethnicities attending the shows. Also because there was occasionally the smell of pot in the air. I was only 11 thru 14 yrs old when I went to these shows with my older cousins so I really didn’t know what was going on. I just remember seeing some of my favorite record stars of the 50s and 60s performing. Alan Freed and Murray “the K” were usually the mc’s of these shows and some of the acts I remember seeing were The Shirrelles (a girl group famous prior to the
Supremes), Freddy Cannon (“Palisades Park”), the Angels (“My Boyfriend’s Back”) Johnny Tillotson (“Poetry in Motion), Gene Chandler ("The Duke of Earl”) among others. These shows were very cheap affairs with very little production values. Many of the acts actually lip-synched their records. But I recall them fondly as being very high-energy and exciting at the time. There was usually lots of dancing in the aisles and there was also visual police presence (which really added to the excitement of the show for a 13 year old kid!). I personally never encountered any trouble at these shows although my older cousin was involved in a skirmish at one of them later on.
Oftentimes, you could also see a movie before or after one of these shows. I remember seeing the terrific CURSE OF THE DEMON with Dana Andrews (which has since become something of a cinema classic)at the Bklyn Fox in addition to the Rock and Roll show. I think I was about 11 or 12 at the time and still remember it as a great event! A scary movie and rock and roll all together!
As I think back about these rock n roll shows, I seem to remember that Loew’s Valencia might have hosted a few rock n roll shows back then. Does anyone out there remember this?
PKoch…oh man – you just brought back some great memories when you mentioned the A&S dept store in Bklyn. When I was a kid, my grandmother used to take me there all the time. She would go shopping and deposit me on the 8th floor of A&S which was the record, book and games dept. My favorite floor! They used to have a great selection of movie soundtracks. After shopping, my grandmother and I would go to one of the restaurants for a bite to eat. Very often we would then go to see a movie at one of the fantastic movie theatres in that area: Loew’s Metropolitan, RKO Albee, Bklyn Paramount, the Fox. We saw BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S at the Paramount (also as a teenager I saw a number of rock n roll shows there and at the Fox although I never told my parents cause it was thought to be dangerous to go to r n r shows at that time. Murray the K or Alan Freed hosted)and THE SEVEN LITTLE FOYS at the Albee and a double feature of THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED and I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE at the Met. I could go on and on but I won’t bore you. However if you remember A&S you must remember these incredible movie palaces downtown Brooklyn.
This is an open question for all the movie fans here: do you think that attending a movie in a theatre like the RKO Madison or any of the numerous movie palaces we discuss on these pages really makes a difference to the enjoyment of the movie? Or are we just looking back thru rose-colored glasses to a youth or a time that we perceive as better? Or are today’s generations enjoying their movies just as much in, as PKoch says, “concrete bunkers in a shopping mall”? Will they look back fondly on the multi-plexes of their youth and sweetly remember seeing THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN or THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY or SAW III with their girlfriends? I ponder this occasionally because I love movies so much that I think where you see them is almost as important as the movies themselves. Would LA BOHEME be the same if you saw it at the Met or a tent in a carnival? Are the Rockettes just as high-stepping outside of Radio City Music Hall or is the RCMH necessary for the complete experience? Seeing the Red Sea part on the VistaVision screen of the Paramount or Gene Kelly dancing with Mitzi Gaynor across the CinemaScope screen of Radio City seemed to be enveloping to me as child. Or is it simply a child’s eyes remembering these feelings? Just curious…what do you movie fans think?
Warren, thank you so much for your post…I have been racking my brains for years trying to think of the name of Teddy’s and not one person I mentioned it to could remember the place!!! What a relief to finally hear it! So often we would go there for a burger after a movie. And you are probably right about Junior’s. I remembered their great hot dogs and just assumed it was Nedick’s. Unfortunately,I don’t recall the Concord Cafeteria. Was it on the same side of Jamaica Avenue as the Alden?
Anyway, thanks so much for the Teddy’s reference.
Hi, this is my first RKO Madison post. My family and I attended the Madison from 1955 until early 70s. Beautiful theatre. We called it “high-class”. Remember seeing I WANT TO LIVE at the Madison with Susan Hayward as convicted murderess who gets death penalty. Guess what they had as a promotional feature? A life size replica of the electric chair displayed upstairs between the doors entering the balcony! I’ll never forget it. As a kid, it was pretty impressive. That was late 50s…in early 60s, I remember Bette Davis and Joan Crawford made special appearance at Madison for WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE. Can you imagine that? These two movie legends on Myrtle
Ave? My friends and I tried to go but couldn’t get in because of the crowds. Another memory: one of my first dates with my future wife was THE ILLUSTRATED MAN at the Madison. Afterwards, we walked across the street to the Madison Diner for burgers. What a big spender I was on a date. Also remember seeing at the Madison: THE PRINCE AND
THE SHOWGIRL (Marilyn Monroe),BONNIE & CLYDE, THE DETECTIVE (Frank Sinatra), ROSEMARY’S BABY, THE ODD COUPLE, ANNE OF A THOUSAND DAYS, CAMELOT, BECKET and of course, all the Hammer films from the 50s thru the 70s. Also remember shopping at Jack Zimmer’s Mens Store on Myrtle Ave and going to Coletti’s (Kolety’s??) Ice Cream Parlor often. Although I’m not one to moan about the past I have to admit that I think it’s a little unfortunate that today’s audiences don’t have the movie palace memories that those of us from the 50s/60s do. As I’ve mentioned on some other sites, seeing a movie back then was so much more of an experience because of the incredible theatres in which we viewed them. If you didn’t like the movie, you could always watch the theatre! And the RKO Madison was a wonderful theatre.
Does anyone recall a Nedick’s tucked into the corner of Jamaica Ave. directly next door to the Valencia? I remember my Dad stopping there with me for a hot dog and orange drink before or after we would see a movie at the Valencia. I’m talking late 50s/early 60s.
By the way, I remember Gertz clearly as my future sister-in-law used to work there as a waitress in their coffee shop. Does anyone remember when department stores used to have their own restaurants? Speaking of coffee shops, does anyone remember Louie’s Coffee Shop on, I believe 164th St off Jamaica Ave? I went to Delehanty High School in the 60s and our crowd always hung out at Louie’s before class, at lunchtime and after school every day. Paula was the waitress back then – red bee-hive hairdo and a great gal.
Hi! Just discovered this website and love it. My family used to summer in Patchogue 50s-70s and it was one of the happiest times of my life. I’ve also posted a message on the Patchogue theatre web site. But I just wanted to share my recollections of the Plaza. I remember vividly when it opened. It was considered high-class at that time and would show “art” films. While that may have been the noble intent it eventually showed mainstream Hollywood films. I remember seeing Hitchcock’s MARNIE there as well as AIRPORT. I got married in 73 and moved to Las Vegas in 79, so I haven’t seen Patchogue since the mid 70s but I can tell you, that the Plaza was a lovely, modern movie theatre in its time and it was a pleasure to see movies there. I also remember Sweezy and Newins and wasn’t there a dept. store called the Bee Hive or something like that located close to the Plaza? My grandmother always shopped at this store and Sweezys. I made some wonderful friends in Patchogue in those years – was usher for Ronnie Bruce in his wedding, served in Basic Training with Tony Graviano in South Carolina, visited Sharon and Ray Terry’s
first apt when they got married (it was called a Garden Apt and it was one of the first in Patchogue!), tooled around town in Bob Capo’s red MG with the top down (Bob used to drive it right into our backyard!). I remember the Patchogue Community Pool and John’s Bargain Store and the Rialto Theatre and the great old Patchogue Theatre on Main Street. We used to attend Mass at every Sunday at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel… it used to be downtown on Main Street and then they build a newer, bigger church on (I think?) Medford Ave. I remember the 5 & 10 on Main Street (I believe it was across the street from the Patchogue Movie Theatre) – does anyone remember the 5&10 and its name? The Rialto was where we saw every Jerry Lewis movie and the scary movies of the period. Anyone out there who would like to share memories and/or updates of Patchogue, I’d love to hear from them here! Thanks!
Hi! I’m new to this website and am thrilled to have discovered it. My family had a summer house in Patchogue from the late 50s thru the early 70s. We spent all our summers there and it was one of the happiest times of my life. We lived in Brooklyn and it was so great to drive out on Sunrise Hgwy or Southern Ste Pkwy every Friday to “the Island”. Not only did my parents have a place there but so did my aunts, uncles, grandparents and even Bklyn neighbors! Back then, when I was a kid, it was such a treat to go to the Patchogue movie theatre to see movies. We saw everything that played there in the summer, believe me! From BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI to NORTH BY
NORTHWEST to A HOLE IN THE HEAD, etc. etc. I remember a coffee shop or ice cream parlor next to the theatre, if I’m not mistaken. If we didn’t go there after the movies, we went to the Bonanza Steak House for dinner. If we went to the drive-in (definitely one of my childhood highlights – esp. when we saw THE MYSTERIANS!!!!) which was one town away, I believe, we would stop at Ricky’s Hamburger Stand and bring burgers and shakes to the drive in. Saw every Jerry Lewis movie at the Rialto and we always sat in the balcony. Remember when the Plaza opened – it was high-class! – we saw Hitchcock’s MARNIE there and also AIRPORT. It is really amazing how you can remember the theater as well as the movie! I have extremely happy memories of the summers we spent in Patchogue and the friends I made there: Ronnie, Bob, Tony, Sharon & Ray, MaryAnn (my old girlfriend!), Joe, Eddie, Annlouise, Kathy, Billy, Patty, etc etc. And can anyone tell me if the Catholic Church is still there. I can’t remember the name of the church but I think it was Our Lady….something. We attended Mass there every Sunday. Originally it was downtown on Main St. and then they built a new, much bigger church on, I think, Medford Ave (?). If anyone has any info about this, I’d sure appreciate it. Thanks!
I think you might be referring to the Crescent Bakery. It was located next to the candy store on Fulton St. right off Crescent. As you came down the el stairs from the train it was on the right side -same side as Tilotta’s. All their pastries and cakes were put in pink boxes and tied with white string. My family’s favorite item from Crescent Bakery were their fantastic crumb buns. After Mass on Sunday morning everyone coming from Blessed Sacrament Church used to stop at this bakery and the line was literally out the door and sometimes almost to the corner! The best bakery ever. There was another very good bakery on Fulton between Autumn and Lincoln. It was Pabst’s Bakery. I went to Blessed Sacrament school with son Eric Pabst.
For MVitale: are you related to anyone who lived on Autumn Ave (50s/70s) by the name of Masoni?
Around 1969 or 70, we went to see NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD at the Earl. I have to agree with MVitale. I never knew of the Earl ever being called anything but the Earl. Seeing NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD at the Earl certainly added to the creepiness of the movie. It was a late show (maybe midnight?) and there were about 8 people in the theatre! The co-feature was (ready for this?)THE STEWARDESSES in 3D! What a double feature!
For Tim O.:
Thanks so much for the info. It was Lorenzo’s – I have been racking my brain over this for over a year. Thanks!
235-6586 – was that my store’s telephone number? I can’t believe you found that!
I remember Tilotta’s vividly but don’t ever remember them selling records outside or even inside. I was a huge record fan and would have definitely bought records there if they sold them. Until Matty the butcher opened his little record store 2 doors down from my store in the 70s the only record store in the neighborhood that I recall was on Fulton St. across from the A&P. I used to buy the latest 45s in there – they were 69 cents each.
And since this is primarily a movie related site, does anyone from my generation remember the barber shop on Fulton St. (I think it was between Autumn and Lincoln)…for years and years they had an Embassy Poster/Showcard in their window advertising THIS ISLAND EARTH coming to the Embassy. It must have remained in their window for 5 years!