Old Post Office Cinema

46 Newtown Lane,
East Hampton, NY 11937

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old post office building

Opened in the early-1960’s, and operated by Ritchie Wesley (who also ran Mattituck, Hampton Arts, and Suffolk Theater at the time) in former post office in the heart of East Hampton. It only lasted four or five years. Rear projection system on tiny screen. Fairly arty.

Contributed by chelydra

Recent comments (view all 11 comments)

JimMann9
JimMann9 on January 15, 2006 at 2:24 am

1980? Think that is wrong, saw movies here as a kid, even then it was weird, with columns down the center. Your stating of rear preojection explains how it was done there with the said columns. It became a Dean and DeLuca and then the Barefoot Contessa for many years since, now gone and now another trendy clothing store located there.
All I really remeber is sitting in folding directors chairs, uncomfortable and light leaking in from the side windows painted black

wombatzone
wombatzone on November 16, 2006 at 8:54 am

I saw a few movies there as early as the summer of 1972. I was 16, working and living at the Spring Close House restaurant at the time and a bunch of us would invade the place on our night off. The only movie I remember seeing there for sure was Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris. A few others come to mind but its more likely I saw them at the Orson Welles Cinema in Cambridge, in the mid-to-late 70’s.

jflundy
jflundy on November 16, 2006 at 9:05 am

I saw the “Laughing Policeman” there in the Winter of 1973. There were three other people in the house.

wombatzone
wombatzone on November 16, 2006 at 11:13 am

Yes, it was at 46 Newtown Lane. From 1981 to 1984 I drove a truck for Dean & Deluca — between their Prince St. (Manhattan) store and the Newtown Lane store. Ah, the stories I could tell…

jflundy
jflundy on May 24, 2007 at 2:06 pm

In 1972 I heard a rumor that an old theater had burned to the ground on the site of the then fairly new UA Easthampton Theater. This had been a Prudential house and was still single screen in ‘72. The local weekly newspaper which I think may be called the Easthampton Star probably has the details.

wombatzone
wombatzone on May 27, 2007 at 7:42 am

The Edwards Theatre burned down in 1964. I have some post-fire pictures if anyone’s interested. Don’t know the address and I can’t place it from the photos. My brother would know, he was EHHS Class of ‘67.

Hyford
Hyford on February 18, 2008 at 7:57 am

The Edwards Theatre location is exactly where the current theatre showing films in Easthampton is. Rumor has it that the Edwards was being forced out of business and arson was a very strong rumor but never proven. Independently owned. It was Spanish in style very much on the style of the Plaza Theatre on East 58th Street in new York City.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on February 9, 2010 at 4:13 pm

Interesting story had they named this theatre.Now thats truth in advertising.

robboehm
robboehm on April 7, 2016 at 2:11 pm

Trying to find a picture of same but, so far, only located an ad which I’ve uploaded.

robboehm
robboehm on April 7, 2016 at 5:55 pm

Uploaded an image of the old Post Office Building from the Harvey Ginsberg Postcard Collection at the East Hampton Public Library. Obviously the 70 seat theater only used a little of the space therein.

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