Majestic Theater
293 Main Street,
Paterson,
NJ
07505
293 Main Street,
Paterson,
NJ
07505
No one has favorited this theater yet
Showing 14 comments
Grand opening ad posted.
Announcement:
Majestic theatre announcement Thu, Jan 6, 1910 – 1 · The News (Paterson, New Jersey, United States of America) · Newspapers.com
Andrew Craig Morrison’s Theatres says that the Majestic was built in 1910, and designed by Paterson architect Charles E. Sleight. Sleight designed at least one other theater in Paterson. His son, Alfred E. Sleight, designed the Plaza Theatre, built in 1921.
What beautiful memories this Theater holds dear to me. As a young girl of maybe 11 or 12 in the late 40’s I danced for an Accordion Band called Tom Brino’s band and we would perform at the theater during intermission time. My girlfriend also danced for him and she also sang. We also performed on East Side High School stage too. Man, that was a long time ago. A lot of the theaters back then had shows like the vaudeville days.
Lou Martin was my grandfather. He changed his last name from Ginsberg back in the early 1940s, and he died in 1963. As a child I used to sit on the ticketseller’s lap and push the buttons to make the tickets come out. The Majestic Theatre was showing horror films all the time then (late 50s), and I was afraid to watch them. That’s why I would spend my time with the ticketseller, or else wandering backstage behind the screen or downstairs in the office.
Does anyone remember the State Theater in Paterson?
My Dad worked at the Majestic Theatre in Paterson NJ as an usher from 1944 to 46 before joining the army. I still have his usher uniform. I also have some old pictures of him in his uniform. Fancy blue jacket with big brass Warner Brothers buttons on it. He had some good stories about that theatre. He used to talk about Lou Martin too. Said he changed his name from Guinsberg. If anyone is interested in it I have it listed on eBay. I would love to have a collector own it. It is a real peice of history. Click on address and check it out. View link
Built by Max Gold in 1910. From 1910 to 1926 vaudeville only. In 1926 the primary focus switched to movies but live vaudeville continued until 1952. A photo can be found on page 62 of Images of America: Downtown Paterson.
Listed as part of Independent Theater Service, Inc. in the 1956 Film Daily Yearbook.
Listed as open in the 1944 FDY. Listed in the 1961 FDY as part of Triangle-Liggett Theatre Service.
Yes, the Majestic Theater. Of all of the old houses, the Majestic holds special memories for me. My father was the manager of the U.S.Theater, directly across the street from the Majestic. Should I watch the upscale Paramount or Columbia features or should I watch the ole' westerns? Easy for me as a kid, the westerns caught my eye, each time. And of course, with a stage show thrown in at every performance. Be it Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton or the big performing dog review. Even Elsie, the Borden cow made an appearance for one week. Problem was, that she lived backstage and for years after Elsie went home, the entire house still smelled from Elsie. The nice thing about my dad being in the business, we never had to pay an admission. Just cross the street and walk in. Lou Martin was the owner manager and, by the way, he was my godfather. He’s also gone now, as is his theater. I believe another Paterson parking lot.
A Kilgen organ, opus 4005, was installed in this theater in 1928.
Charles:
When were the theaters you listed in existence?
do not recall any of the theaters you mentioned. I remember the Rivoli was was just south of Broadway I believe the only theater on Main Street was the U.S. I am going back to the early 40’s. When were the other theaters there? Also remember the Garden (Market) the Regent, State (down the side street from Quakenbush) the Fabian, and the Plaza.
Please let me know where the theaters you mentioned were, and when.