Loew's Triboro Theatre

2804 Steinway Street,
Astoria, NY 11103

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Showing 1 - 25 of 90 comments

robboehm
robboehm on May 15, 2020 at 8:05 am

Everybody’s getting into the act. Town of North Hempstead announced a drive in night and there is one scheduled at a local country club on Long Island.

Comfortably Cool
Comfortably Cool on May 13, 2020 at 6:05 am

The drive-in theatre project at the Bel Aire Diner resumes tonight (5/13) with two screenings of “Dirty Dancing.” A news report and link to a new video can be found here

robboehm
robboehm on May 12, 2020 at 7:18 am

Cool idea. The virus may bring back the Drive-Ins. Unfortunately on Long Island all but one or two of the former footprints have now been developed.

Comfortably Cool
Comfortably Cool on May 12, 2020 at 6:41 am

Astoria’s Bel Aire Diner recently made news by erecting a temporary drive-in theatre in its parking area, starting with a screening of “Grease.” Video coverage can be viewed here

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on July 28, 2019 at 4:33 pm

1939 photo added via Theo Tersteeg.

vindanpar
vindanpar on April 9, 2018 at 3:46 pm

As a neighborhood house it was magnificent and as large as some of the wonder theaters so it might as well have been one even if it wasn’t official. When you think about it all the ‘wonder’ theaters were neighborhood theaters.

Can’t believe it made it to ‘74 and was still torn down. If I had known it existed I would have made the daunting trip to Queens.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on March 14, 2018 at 5:06 pm

What a cool looking Theatre.

WilliamMcQuade
WilliamMcQuade on March 24, 2017 at 10:06 am

The Triboro was never a wonder theater just a large neighborhood house.Hard to believe but the 5 wonder theaters are still standing

michaelkaplan
michaelkaplan on December 31, 2016 at 1:02 pm

The Aaronson article (see Photos) mentions that the Triboro had 3800 seats, making it one of the largest of the “Wonder” theaters. I recall it being very wide, confirmed by the photo showing five sections in the orchestra (six aisles). And it was, indeed, an “atmospheric” theater, with a blue sky and twinkling stars. For a young kid, it was a memorable experience seeing a movie there.

aesop53
aesop53 on January 2, 2016 at 11:18 am

Although I lived in Brooklyn, on Saturday nights my parents would take us to the Triboro. My mother had a cousin who was a manager for Loews. He lived in Coney Island and did not drive. What ever Loews theater he worked at. 86th St(Manhattan),Alpine(Bay Ridge), Kings(Brooklyn), Pitkin(Brooklyn), my parents would go to the last show, see the movie for free, and give him a ride home.

I remember the ceiling of the Triboro had clouds that seemed to move. I could never figure out how they did that

robboehm
robboehm on April 8, 2015 at 6:22 pm

Upload street view looking up. Dramatic.

SirFrancis
SirFrancis on March 3, 2015 at 11:55 am

I saw “The Lords of Flatbush” there in 1974 — always figured it was one of the last movies to play there.

BobFurmanek
BobFurmanek on January 16, 2015 at 8:06 pm

Here’s a three page article with photos from 1931: http://archive.org/stream/motionpictureher103unse#page/n220/mode/1up

jmh12858
jmh12858 on November 5, 2014 at 8:04 pm

I remember seeing 2001 there in 1968. The screen was as big as a football field! They demoed it with a wrecking
ball. It should’ve been land marked. A real loss.

Orlando
Orlando on May 13, 2014 at 8:36 am

The Last Picture Show at the Loew’s Triboro was “The Lords Of Flatbush” which opened on June 6, 1974 and played two weeks. I don’t have the Post listings for June 20, but by June 27 the Triboro was not listed in the Post Neighborhood Guide. It could have closed on the Sunday of the 3rd weekend (June 24th). They probably had some graduations there in late June. I might be off by 2 days depending if the movie opened on Wed. or Fri. The two features prior to “Lords” were “The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad” followed by “The Last Detail”. The theatre was on the Columbia track at this time.

tonypapas
tonypapas on March 23, 2013 at 5:52 am

1935 pic

http://astoriahistory.smugmug.com/keyword/steinway/431342741_vTTmkQ7#!i=431342741&k=vTTmkQ7&lb=1&s=A

michaelkaplan
michaelkaplan on October 13, 2012 at 8:15 pm

I was trying to recall what movies I saw at the Triboro, and could remember Dangerous When Wet (Esther Williams), The Caddy (Martin and Lewis), War of the Worlds (with great surround stereo sound), Fort Ti (in 3D) and, perhaps, Becket. I know I saw at least one vaudeville show when Loew’s tried to revive live entertainment in the late 50s. The theater was fantastic, always a treat to visit, even though it was a bus ride from my neighborhood in Jackson Heights.

robboehm
robboehm on April 15, 2012 at 3:43 am

Holten’s had great shakes. They were so full of ice cream that the machine had to strain to liquify the mass. Sitting on a stool here I watched them take down the original vertical that said Loews Triboro to ones which just proclaimed Loews.

KennethK
KennethK on April 15, 2012 at 2:38 am

This theater was like a palace inside….velvet drapes, statues, lighting effects…it was like a magical place at the end of a busy shopping street. Went there in the 50’s and 60’s when I was a child. How was this ever torn down!!! Holten’s was the luncheonette up the block.

Brad Smith
Brad Smith on February 13, 2011 at 1:50 pm

> There are likely thousands of photo links on this site that no longer work. Has anyone found a solution?

I too have found the broken links on Cinema Treasures frustrating, michael22b. Clicking here will take you to the Wayback Machine, an internet archive. Almost magically, it brings back to life most dead links. Given current events, it’s interesting to note that the Internet archive at the New Library of Alexandria, Egypt mirrors the Wayback Machine.

Brad Smith
Brad Smith on February 12, 2011 at 4:30 pm

This photograph of the Loew’s Triboro Theatre was taken in 1931 by George Mann of the comedy dance team, Barto and Mann.

michaelkaplan
michaelkaplan on December 18, 2010 at 9:30 pm

There are likely thousands of photo links on this site that no longer work. Has anyone found a solution? Can’t photos be uploaded to this site and stored here?

William
William on October 12, 2010 at 5:13 pm

Many or 99% of Warren’s photo links no longer work. They stopped working over a year ago.

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on October 12, 2010 at 4:58 pm

“THE GREEN SLIME” played there.You Can’t make it up.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on November 4, 2009 at 3:29 pm

Loved those old pictures wish I could have been there.