Further details on the Wurlitzer organ. It was shipped from the Wurlitzer factory on 28th August 1930 and the slave (second) console was shipped on 7th October 1930 which gives a more accurate date to the opening of the theatre (October 1930?). The instrument was Opus #2129 with two BAL 4 style consoles (a similar instrument was installed in 1931 in the Paramount Theatre, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, UK which was a 3Manual/19Rank instrument).
The Stapleton Paramount Wurlitzer was opened by Betty Gould and Priscilla Holbrook (who called herself ‘Jean’). They were billed on the marquee as Betty & Jean at the mighty Wurltizer. Betty remained at the Paramount until June 1931 when she left due to illness. Other organists to work on the twin consoles were John Winters and Leo Weber. Other resident organists at the theatre were Don Baker who spent two years here and Bill Floyd.
The organ was removed in 1953 (possibly when Cinemascope was installed in the theatre) and it went to a private residence in Jamaica, Queens, NY.
The Paramount Theatre was built by Paramount Publix Theatres and was operated in conjunction with the Moses bothers who built and operated several cinemas on the island.
It was a splendid Art Deco style theatre, designed late in the careers of noted theatre architects Rapp & Rapp with a seating capacity given as 2,300 in the Film Daily Yearbook;1930 edition. It had a twin console Wurlitzer theatre organ (one of only 10 theatres in the USA to be equipped with twin consoles) and it also presented live vaudeville shows with its movie programmes. Stars who appeared ‘live’ on stage here include;Gary Cooper, Mary Pickford, Richard Arlen, Miriam Hopkins and Mae West.
In 1961, while under the ownership of Fabian Theatres, the theatre underwent a $35,000 renovation and was closed for four weeks. It re-opened as the New Paramount with new wider seating and aisles, this reduded the seating capacity to 2,000.
Bt September 1980 it had closed as a movie theatre and was being advertised as the Paramount Nightclub, presenting disco and new wave entertainment on Friday & Saturday nights from 10:00pm. But this was a short lived venture and the building became a live rock venue from October 1980 when a new sound system was installed. This new use lasted only a few years, closing in the mid to late-1980’s. I believe this was the last use for the building and it has remained closed and shuttered since then.
Thanks for that great link Lost Memory: It sure has had a colourful history. So it all started here with Errol Flynn playing piano with his d**k! and so it continues…..
The roller shutter is down, because it is daytime and the cinema is closed. When the Bijou opens in the evenings, the roller shutter is rolled up to reveal a large black metal door.
In the 1926, 1927 and 1930 edition’s of Film Daily Yearbook, this is listed as the Parkway Theatre with a seating capacity given as 400 in the 1920’s and 701 seats in 1930. By 1941 it is listed as the 599 seat Metro Theatre and is still open in 1950. By 1957 it has gone from listings.
The Academy Theatre is listed in the American Motion Picture Directory 1914-1915. There is a large ‘full frontal’ photograph of the Academy Theatre in Vol 13 No. 1 (First Quarter 1981) edition of Marquee, published by the Theatre Historical Society of America. It seems like the photograph was taken at the same time as the ‘then’ picture posted by rollingrock on Oct 4 2005. The caption on the THS photo states that the Academy Theatre was an early Marcus Loew operation and the photo comes from THS Loew’s Collection.
EdSolero: The notice over the center entrance on the THS photo reads;For information regarding these 3 buildings 283-287-291 E. Houston Street- Inquire in Sweater Shop (next door). There are the remains of torn posters over the front doors advertising the Pelestine Theatre and the Avenue A Theatre.
On my recent June 2006 visit to New York I took a look at the current building located at 287 East Houston Street and can confirm it is the Academy Theatre (now with a modified facade) and is in use as tax offices. Yes there is now a rooftop garden on top of the old theatre auditorium!
Here are a couple of photographs I took: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188231745/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188232247/
Thanks Ed; Exhaustive, but not that exhausting LOL. I love wandering around cities seeking out cinema buildings. I took over 800 photos on this last visit and would love to have done a lot more but time was against me!
The actual auditorium is at the rear of the two shop units and I believe runs parallel to Broadway. It can’t be seen from the angle I took the photograph. It is about the same height as the entrance block which is currently the restaurant.
I believe the configuration of the theatre was…enter through the foyer and then turn left into the auditorium. The projection booth would be in a raised room at the end of the foyer.
It seems like Jackson’s other theatre the 500 seat capacity Jackson Theatre was closed for quite some time, as it is also listed as ‘Closed’ in Film Daily Yearbook’s;1941 and 1943 editions.
In the 1950 and 1952 editions of F.D.Y. only the 744 seat capacity Amador Theatre is listed.
Not looking much these days, due to a new cladding on the facade, the former Winthrop Theatre is in use as a MET Foods supermarket as seen in this June 2006 photograph I took: http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/186837658/
Further details on the Wurlitzer organ. It was shipped from the Wurlitzer factory on 28th August 1930 and the slave (second) console was shipped on 7th October 1930 which gives a more accurate date to the opening of the theatre (October 1930?). The instrument was Opus #2129 with two BAL 4 style consoles (a similar instrument was installed in 1931 in the Paramount Theatre, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, England, UK which was a 3Manual/19Rank instrument).
The Stapleton Paramount Wurlitzer was opened by Betty Gould and Priscilla Holbrook (who called herself ‘Jean’). They were billed on the marquee as Betty & Jean at the mighty Wurltizer. Betty remained at the Paramount until June 1931 when she left due to illness. Other organists to work on the twin consoles were John Winters and Leo Weber. Other resident organists at the theatre were Don Baker who spent two years here and Bill Floyd.
The organ was removed in 1953 (possibly when Cinemascope was installed in the theatre) and it went to a private residence in Jamaica, Queens, NY.
Recent(June 2006) photographs that I took of the Paramount Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188680137/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188680510/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188680869/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188681127/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188685211/
The Paramount Theatre was built by Paramount Publix Theatres and was operated in conjunction with the Moses bothers who built and operated several cinemas on the island.
It was a splendid Art Deco style theatre, designed late in the careers of noted theatre architects Rapp & Rapp with a seating capacity given as 2,300 in the Film Daily Yearbook;1930 edition. It had a twin console Wurlitzer theatre organ (one of only 10 theatres in the USA to be equipped with twin consoles) and it also presented live vaudeville shows with its movie programmes. Stars who appeared ‘live’ on stage here include;Gary Cooper, Mary Pickford, Richard Arlen, Miriam Hopkins and Mae West.
In 1961, while under the ownership of Fabian Theatres, the theatre underwent a $35,000 renovation and was closed for four weeks. It re-opened as the New Paramount with new wider seating and aisles, this reduded the seating capacity to 2,000.
Bt September 1980 it had closed as a movie theatre and was being advertised as the Paramount Nightclub, presenting disco and new wave entertainment on Friday & Saturday nights from 10:00pm. But this was a short lived venture and the building became a live rock venue from October 1980 when a new sound system was installed. This new use lasted only a few years, closing in the mid to late-1980’s. I believe this was the last use for the building and it has remained closed and shuttered since then.
Thanks for that great link Lost Memory: It sure has had a colourful history. So it all started here with Errol Flynn playing piano with his d**k! and so it continues…..
Here is a photograph I took in June 2006 of the entrance doorway to the Bijou Cinema.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188372803/
The roller shutter is down, because it is daytime and the cinema is closed. When the Bijou opens in the evenings, the roller shutter is rolled up to reveal a large black metal door.
In the 1926, 1927 and 1930 edition’s of Film Daily Yearbook, this is listed as the Parkway Theatre with a seating capacity given as 400 in the 1920’s and 701 seats in 1930. By 1941 it is listed as the 599 seat Metro Theatre and is still open in 1950. By 1957 it has gone from listings.
Ken Layton: We are talking North West of England, UK here! No wonder you have never heard of any of these names LOL
The Academy Theatre is listed in the American Motion Picture Directory 1914-1915. There is a large ‘full frontal’ photograph of the Academy Theatre in Vol 13 No. 1 (First Quarter 1981) edition of Marquee, published by the Theatre Historical Society of America. It seems like the photograph was taken at the same time as the ‘then’ picture posted by rollingrock on Oct 4 2005. The caption on the THS photo states that the Academy Theatre was an early Marcus Loew operation and the photo comes from THS Loew’s Collection.
EdSolero: The notice over the center entrance on the THS photo reads;For information regarding these 3 buildings 283-287-291 E. Houston Street- Inquire in Sweater Shop (next door). There are the remains of torn posters over the front doors advertising the Pelestine Theatre and the Avenue A Theatre.
On my recent June 2006 visit to New York I took a look at the current building located at 287 East Houston Street and can confirm it is the Academy Theatre (now with a modified facade) and is in use as tax offices. Yes there is now a rooftop garden on top of the old theatre auditorium!
Here are a couple of photographs I took:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188231745/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188232247/
Three recent(June 2006) photographs I took of the Liberty Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188064824/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188065295/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188065772/
Note:The red and blue painted wooden awning as seen in the main photograph above has now been removed.
Four recent(June 2006) photographs I took of the Lane Theater:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188047075/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188047319/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188047628/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188047907/
Here are four views of the Stadium Theatre that I took in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188014603/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188014845/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188015051/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/188015311/
Note:The building is currently ‘For Sale’ or “To Lease'.
Thanks Ed; Exhaustive, but not that exhausting LOL. I love wandering around cities seeking out cinema buildings. I took over 800 photos on this last visit and would love to have done a lot more but time was against me!
Glad to hear you are enjoying my input.
A June 2006 view of the re-faced and altered Staten Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187989504/
The actual auditorium is at the rear of the two shop units and I believe runs parallel to Broadway. It can’t be seen from the angle I took the photograph. It is about the same height as the entrance block which is currently the restaurant.
I believe the configuration of the theatre was…enter through the foyer and then turn left into the auditorium. The projection booth would be in a raised room at the end of the foyer.
Here is a recent(June 2006) photograph I took of the Plaza/New Broadway/Square/Aster Theater:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187630477/
A recent(June 2006) photograph I took of the Lee/Model Theater:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187616709/
Here are a couple of recent(June 2006) photographs I took of the Roebling/Wilson Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187603199/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187603689/
Two views of the Williamsburg Theatre, taken in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187589492/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187590369/
Here are three views of the Marcy Theatre as seen in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187509449/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187510065/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187510735/
This is always a difficult theatre to photograph from the Broadway side due to the El railway and its entrance stairway.
Three views of the Commodore as seen in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187493920/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187494282/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/187494560/
I now notice that the name ‘Commodore’ has been removed from the marquee since I last saw the building in the summer of 2005.
I omitted to mention that the Amador Theatre is listed as open in 1941 & 1943.
It seems like Jackson’s other theatre the 500 seat capacity Jackson Theatre was closed for quite some time, as it is also listed as ‘Closed’ in Film Daily Yearbook’s;1941 and 1943 editions.
In the 1950 and 1952 editions of F.D.Y. only the 744 seat capacity Amador Theatre is listed.
A June 2006 photograph I took of the recently re-clad facade of the Variety/Progress/Lindy Theatre:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/186884475/
Two views of the Rainbow Theatre, that I photographed in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/186859614/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/186860208/
Notice there is a small ‘For Sale’ on the front entrance to the building.
A recent(June 2006) photograph I took of the Reel/Graham/Capri Theater, now in use as a health centre;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/186847539/
Not looking much these days, due to a new cladding on the facade, the former Winthrop Theatre is in use as a MET Foods supermarket as seen in this June 2006 photograph I took:
http://flickr.com/photos/kencta/186837658/