Even though the Brook was a very nice Deco drsign theater, I remember it for a very bifferent reason. In the summer of 77. I had a few dates with a girl who lived in the area. I really did not like her very much, so I was looking to dump her.We wnnt to the Brook to see NEW YORK NEW YORK, a real stinkeroo of a movie with Di Niro and Liza Minelli.No sooner were in then came her mother! The mother was a typical old Italian woman from the other side with the black dress and the “horns”.She started to yell and scream at her daughter. Then she turned to me and said “ I dont wanna my daughter to go outa with a Jew” I told her take it easy, Im aot Jewish. I am Italian and Irish. Even if I were Jewish, what difference would that make I said. The mother than started to slap me and said “ you gotta no respect, ypu gotta no respect. I knowa some powerful peopla and Im a gonna tell them about you” in her broken English. She smacked her daughter and dragged her out of the theater. I was so humiliated and embarassed that I just wanted to crawl in some hole and die right there, Needless to say, I never dated this girl again..
Mike M…. You are right to a certain extent. Went to the Sheepshead multiplex recently, and the renovated plex did hace “stadium style"seating. This "feature” is kind of like a balcony with no orchestra level, and the seats were adjustable.But the theater was still very dirty and the stench from the popcorn and butter was so overwhelming, it seems to have been piped in through the air conditioning vents. Also, my idea of a good time is NOT seeing some overhyped movie based on a comic book or an old TV series.The kind of well made foreign films that Siskel and Roeper give “thumbs up” to just do not play at the plexes. Guess the owners feel they will not do good business, so films like “The Pacifier"are favored. In reality, they are not doing mature moviegoers a favor, so adult attendeace is dropping.It may be sad, but it is true.
Good for you Bruce I. Good for you! I once got out of jury duty, but for a different reason, but it was a “slip and fall” case. It did not happen in a theater, but that is another story.
Gustavelifting…What I am talking about is the Cineplex mentioned by Saps. I know it was not the Kings, but when I checked the website, that pretty much confirmed it. And R>H…Bo you remember the Century Brook that was on Flatlands and Flatbush?This beautiful art deco theater was half a block away from the Marine.
Remember going to an affair when it was a Legion hall about 20 years ago .There was a small stage and about 5 rows of seats center stage. The fire exits had some decorative moldings and there was a polished wooden floor and a bar. I asked some of the old timers if this was once a theater, and they said it closed before I was born. The theater shape of this building is undeniable(was near it recently) and it is for sale. It sort of resembled the outside of the Deluxe-qv.Probably a Nabe. There were so many of them one time.
The Trump Cinema…named after Donalds father who developed middle class housing was a tiny theater that stood in a strip mall on Neptune AV. in Coney Island. This theater was SMALL< and if it sat 250 people, it was a lot.The average theater on a cruise ship is at least two and a half times bigger!It opened in the spring of 1969. A hardware store once stood there. It was plain to the extreme, and snacks wetre dispensed by vending machine. Even though it resembled an “art house” from NYs Upper West Side, people called it a hole in the wall.Remember seing Bonnie and Clyde here long after it opened. I also saw The Longest Day for the Twenty fifth anniversary of D Day. The last film I saw here was THE Sorrow And The Pity with my friend Jerry D who lived in the housing development. This was in early 1975. They showed porn after that and eventually it closed.
OK K OK…I am just expressing my opinion on this film. I never said it was demeaning, it is just the way I see it. Maybe it is satire, but good satire does have some basis in fact. I also am NOT against it being shown. If something offends you, do not read it, see it listen to it, or buy it..
1./kind of find The Great Dictator to be demeaning to Italians, Germans and Jews as well, but I guess this was the political climate in 1940. You guys at the Jersey could have done better than this, but I guess Patton and The Great Escape kind of make up for it.
Is it me, or is the quality of movies in general just getting worse?Not too long ago there were movies that were worth seeing. Up to about six years ago I would go quite frequently, but in the last 3 years I have only gon a grand total of 6 times…not including classic screenings at revival houses. As long as Hollywood keeps giving us fare such as Miss Congeniality II, The Pacifier, The Ring I and II,Son of the Mask,The Boogeyman,not to mention endless sequels to movies that were bad and unnecessary remakes like Flight of the Phoenix, Amityville Horror, and The Night of the Living Dead ,they lost me as a moviegoer. I would rather rent a classic movie on DVD or video and enjoy it at home rather than go to some faceless multiplex. Prehaps I am living in the past, but I liked that better.
The former Loews Valencia theater in Queens has landmark status even though it is a church. If you have the time you can try the New York Landmarks and Preservation Society at NYC Landmarks and Preservation Society. org. Be prepared to do a LOT of Link Surfing!
Bruce, Gustave, Saps….Does anybody know if the Kings has Landmark status? This may not re open the Kings( at the moment) but at least it will save it from any “renovations” in the future.The Landmark and Preservation Society is an elite group that uses the rather demeaning term “outerboros” to describe neighborhoods out of Manhattan, but it is worth a try.
Bruce 1 and Gustavelifting….Lets see what the reply from the Jersey theater is. If we can get enough people interested in this( this sight is a great place to start)Probably we can all meet locally in Brooklyn on the chosen day and kick some ideas around. It may lead to something or it may not. Anyway, we can say we tried.I guess there is always hope. I am somewhat busy with scheduling events and family matters for the next few weeks, but I do intend to look into this matter further.
Bruce 1. I currently wrote to the Loews Jersey asking the process that they used to bring their theater back to life. I also plan to speak to a local community leader in Bay Ridge for some advice. By what I see on this entry alone, there seems to be much interest on this grand old theater that has stood like a sleeping giant for more than 25 years. I am sure that something is going on. To let it be destroyed will be tantamount to the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn!A jpurney of a thousand miles starts with a single step.Hopefully that single step will start soon.
The Great Escape AND Patton the same day! Wow! Too bad I have to attend a ship modelers show in Connecticut that day( my club is sponsoring it) If not for that, I would be the first one on line along with many members from my other club. I will miss it. I guess I can watch them on DVD, but it just will not compare to the Big Screen
Mike M ..I am about 3 years older than you. My neighborhood was Dyker Park section on Shore Parkway. As I said in my first entry cincerning the 46th. st. is that I became fascinated by theaters when I was 13. We lived not too far from the Oriental, Benson and Deluxe(qv).My mother would drive me and whomever I went to the movies with back and forth with the familys 1959 Chevy. We were good kids who loved to go to the movies, and the theaters were just as important to us as the movies.I would rather see a movie like the 10 commandments at a beautiful theater rather than a dump.Bet you went to the 46th.st and the Boro Park all the time. You were lucky to live so close!
Geat Escape….definately, Where Eagles Dare….maybe. Von Ryans Express…not. How about The Longest Day or The Dirty Dozen? What makes Patton an excellent movie is George C Scotts performance. He is arrogant,defiant, strong willed, and generally relishes his role playing soldier. We will follow this guy anywhere. When he says he lived in previous lifetimes, we believe him. He is what Americans like about their commanders sort of the anti Mac Arthur. Above all, he is likeable in the role. Truly one of the greats. A friend of mine says the tanks are innacurate for their time …they actually appeared after WW II, but who cares?
Posted for PhilPhil by Theaterat. The Metro was a nondescript Nabe that probably seated less than 500 people. There were 3 blocks of seats divided by 2 aisles. The left and right seating ares ended on the walls, while the center block stood alone. There was no balcony, and the inside was painted in a dark red color. There was no seperate entrance from the lobby to the orchestra section. This was a strictly end of the line house that got last run -and older films. They generally got a good audience on the weekends. The neighboor residents used to call this theater( along with the Colony on 65th.st and 18 th. av0 the Dump.I think admission was a quarter. It was history by 1955. PhilPhil posted by Theaterat
Poster By Theaterat for PhilPhil 4 6 05.The Endicott was a plain but well kept and pleasant neighborhood theater. The inside was painted in light blue and gray. There were 3 blocks of seats. There was a stairway in the lobby, bur rtere was no balcony. It probably led to the projection room. When I was 10, I remember seeing Captain Horatio Hornblower there with my parents. Excellent movie, but Gregory Peck did not seem British enough!I also saw From Here To Eternity there with my mother. The Endicott had an excellent air conditioning system and it was a good place to kill a hot afternoon in the summer. There was a woman usher who would call the manager to eject unruly kids. Every Saturday the theater would have a kids matinee.There were always 2 movies and abour 5 cartoons. I would meet my friends at the candy store accross the street, and we would go to the show We got to know the usher, and she would hold our favorite seats for us until we arrived. Soon, we started to call ourselves the Endicott Theater Boys.Those old Saturday matinees were marvelous!THere would be 2 Westerns, 2 horror movies 2 comedies 2 adventure or war movies, or 2 Si Fis. My favorites were the Si Fis, movies like RocketshipXM, The War OF The Worlds,When Worlds Collide< Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,This Island Earth, etc. The fun ended in 1957. I believe the last movie they showed was The Man Who Knew Too Much with Jimmy Stewart. Shortly after that, the Endicott Theater Boys had to find a new theater to go to.Theaterat tells me the building still stands, and it is for rent.
Did the Jersey last night( april 2) After only 2 visits – The first for Ben Hur, this has become my favorite theater. Really liked Jailhouse Rock in the widescreen format. Stayed for the Haunting too. Excellent, intelligent film- the kind of shocker where your immagination is able to scare you more than FX can. The theater is a little rough around the edges, but the volunteers and others who are running the show deserve a standing ovation! This is moviegoing the way it used to be…and should be. With such winners like Miss Congeniality 2 and the Pacifier( to only name two) this was the best show in town!
Even though the Brook was a very nice Deco drsign theater, I remember it for a very bifferent reason. In the summer of 77. I had a few dates with a girl who lived in the area. I really did not like her very much, so I was looking to dump her.We wnnt to the Brook to see NEW YORK NEW YORK, a real stinkeroo of a movie with Di Niro and Liza Minelli.No sooner were in then came her mother! The mother was a typical old Italian woman from the other side with the black dress and the “horns”.She started to yell and scream at her daughter. Then she turned to me and said “ I dont wanna my daughter to go outa with a Jew” I told her take it easy, Im aot Jewish. I am Italian and Irish. Even if I were Jewish, what difference would that make I said. The mother than started to slap me and said “ you gotta no respect, ypu gotta no respect. I knowa some powerful peopla and Im a gonna tell them about you” in her broken English. She smacked her daughter and dragged her out of the theater. I was so humiliated and embarassed that I just wanted to crawl in some hole and die right there, Needless to say, I never dated this girl again..
Mike M…. You are right to a certain extent. Went to the Sheepshead multiplex recently, and the renovated plex did hace “stadium style"seating. This "feature” is kind of like a balcony with no orchestra level, and the seats were adjustable.But the theater was still very dirty and the stench from the popcorn and butter was so overwhelming, it seems to have been piped in through the air conditioning vents. Also, my idea of a good time is NOT seeing some overhyped movie based on a comic book or an old TV series.The kind of well made foreign films that Siskel and Roeper give “thumbs up” to just do not play at the plexes. Guess the owners feel they will not do good business, so films like “The Pacifier"are favored. In reality, they are not doing mature moviegoers a favor, so adult attendeace is dropping.It may be sad, but it is true.
Good for you Bruce I. Good for you! I once got out of jury duty, but for a different reason, but it was a “slip and fall” case. It did not happen in a theater, but that is another story.
Gustavelifting…What I am talking about is the Cineplex mentioned by Saps. I know it was not the Kings, but when I checked the website, that pretty much confirmed it. And R>H…Bo you remember the Century Brook that was on Flatlands and Flatbush?This beautiful art deco theater was half a block away from the Marine.
I was shocked when I saw this! After a little detective work, the theater in question IS the Loews at Kings Plaza.
Remember going to an affair when it was a Legion hall about 20 years ago .There was a small stage and about 5 rows of seats center stage. The fire exits had some decorative moldings and there was a polished wooden floor and a bar. I asked some of the old timers if this was once a theater, and they said it closed before I was born. The theater shape of this building is undeniable(was near it recently) and it is for sale. It sort of resembled the outside of the Deluxe-qv.Probably a Nabe. There were so many of them one time.
The Trump Cinema…named after Donalds father who developed middle class housing was a tiny theater that stood in a strip mall on Neptune AV. in Coney Island. This theater was SMALL< and if it sat 250 people, it was a lot.The average theater on a cruise ship is at least two and a half times bigger!It opened in the spring of 1969. A hardware store once stood there. It was plain to the extreme, and snacks wetre dispensed by vending machine. Even though it resembled an “art house” from NYs Upper West Side, people called it a hole in the wall.Remember seing Bonnie and Clyde here long after it opened. I also saw The Longest Day for the Twenty fifth anniversary of D Day. The last film I saw here was THE Sorrow And The Pity with my friend Jerry D who lived in the housing development. This was in early 1975. They showed porn after that and eventually it closed.
OK K OK…I am just expressing my opinion on this film. I never said it was demeaning, it is just the way I see it. Maybe it is satire, but good satire does have some basis in fact. I also am NOT against it being shown. If something offends you, do not read it, see it listen to it, or buy it..
1./kind of find The Great Dictator to be demeaning to Italians, Germans and Jews as well, but I guess this was the political climate in 1940. You guys at the Jersey could have done better than this, but I guess Patton and The Great Escape kind of make up for it.
Sam e…. Could it be US.. harbworking tax payers?
Is it me, or is the quality of movies in general just getting worse?Not too long ago there were movies that were worth seeing. Up to about six years ago I would go quite frequently, but in the last 3 years I have only gon a grand total of 6 times…not including classic screenings at revival houses. As long as Hollywood keeps giving us fare such as Miss Congeniality II, The Pacifier, The Ring I and II,Son of the Mask,The Boogeyman,not to mention endless sequels to movies that were bad and unnecessary remakes like Flight of the Phoenix, Amityville Horror, and The Night of the Living Dead ,they lost me as a moviegoer. I would rather rent a classic movie on DVD or video and enjoy it at home rather than go to some faceless multiplex. Prehaps I am living in the past, but I liked that better.
The former Loews Valencia theater in Queens has landmark status even though it is a church. If you have the time you can try the New York Landmarks and Preservation Society at NYC Landmarks and Preservation Society. org. Be prepared to do a LOT of Link Surfing!
Bruce, Gustave, Saps….Does anybody know if the Kings has Landmark status? This may not re open the Kings( at the moment) but at least it will save it from any “renovations” in the future.The Landmark and Preservation Society is an elite group that uses the rather demeaning term “outerboros” to describe neighborhoods out of Manhattan, but it is worth a try.
Bruce 1 and Gustavelifting….Lets see what the reply from the Jersey theater is. If we can get enough people interested in this( this sight is a great place to start)Probably we can all meet locally in Brooklyn on the chosen day and kick some ideas around. It may lead to something or it may not. Anyway, we can say we tried.I guess there is always hope. I am somewhat busy with scheduling events and family matters for the next few weeks, but I do intend to look into this matter further.
Bruce 1. I currently wrote to the Loews Jersey asking the process that they used to bring their theater back to life. I also plan to speak to a local community leader in Bay Ridge for some advice. By what I see on this entry alone, there seems to be much interest on this grand old theater that has stood like a sleeping giant for more than 25 years. I am sure that something is going on. To let it be destroyed will be tantamount to the Dodgers leaving Brooklyn!A jpurney of a thousand miles starts with a single step.Hopefully that single step will start soon.
The Great Escape AND Patton the same day! Wow! Too bad I have to attend a ship modelers show in Connecticut that day( my club is sponsoring it) If not for that, I would be the first one on line along with many members from my other club. I will miss it. I guess I can watch them on DVD, but it just will not compare to the Big Screen
Mike M ..I am about 3 years older than you. My neighborhood was Dyker Park section on Shore Parkway. As I said in my first entry cincerning the 46th. st. is that I became fascinated by theaters when I was 13. We lived not too far from the Oriental, Benson and Deluxe(qv).My mother would drive me and whomever I went to the movies with back and forth with the familys 1959 Chevy. We were good kids who loved to go to the movies, and the theaters were just as important to us as the movies.I would rather see a movie like the 10 commandments at a beautiful theater rather than a dump.Bet you went to the 46th.st and the Boro Park all the time. You were lucky to live so close!
Jim Rankin, Bruce 1, et all, when do we start? I am ready, are you?
The aptly named Loews Kings was the LOEWS of LOEWS. Period.
Geat Escape….definately, Where Eagles Dare….maybe. Von Ryans Express…not. How about The Longest Day or The Dirty Dozen? What makes Patton an excellent movie is George C Scotts performance. He is arrogant,defiant, strong willed, and generally relishes his role playing soldier. We will follow this guy anywhere. When he says he lived in previous lifetimes, we believe him. He is what Americans like about their commanders sort of the anti Mac Arthur. Above all, he is likeable in the role. Truly one of the greats. A friend of mine says the tanks are innacurate for their time …they actually appeared after WW II, but who cares?
Posted for PhilPhil by Theaterat. The Metro was a nondescript Nabe that probably seated less than 500 people. There were 3 blocks of seats divided by 2 aisles. The left and right seating ares ended on the walls, while the center block stood alone. There was no balcony, and the inside was painted in a dark red color. There was no seperate entrance from the lobby to the orchestra section. This was a strictly end of the line house that got last run -and older films. They generally got a good audience on the weekends. The neighboor residents used to call this theater( along with the Colony on 65th.st and 18 th. av0 the Dump.I think admission was a quarter. It was history by 1955. PhilPhil posted by Theaterat
Poster By Theaterat for PhilPhil 4 6 05.The Endicott was a plain but well kept and pleasant neighborhood theater. The inside was painted in light blue and gray. There were 3 blocks of seats. There was a stairway in the lobby, bur rtere was no balcony. It probably led to the projection room. When I was 10, I remember seeing Captain Horatio Hornblower there with my parents. Excellent movie, but Gregory Peck did not seem British enough!I also saw From Here To Eternity there with my mother. The Endicott had an excellent air conditioning system and it was a good place to kill a hot afternoon in the summer. There was a woman usher who would call the manager to eject unruly kids. Every Saturday the theater would have a kids matinee.There were always 2 movies and abour 5 cartoons. I would meet my friends at the candy store accross the street, and we would go to the show We got to know the usher, and she would hold our favorite seats for us until we arrived. Soon, we started to call ourselves the Endicott Theater Boys.Those old Saturday matinees were marvelous!THere would be 2 Westerns, 2 horror movies 2 comedies 2 adventure or war movies, or 2 Si Fis. My favorites were the Si Fis, movies like RocketshipXM, The War OF The Worlds,When Worlds Collide< Beast From 20,000 Fathoms,This Island Earth, etc. The fun ended in 1957. I believe the last movie they showed was The Man Who Knew Too Much with Jimmy Stewart. Shortly after that, the Endicott Theater Boys had to find a new theater to go to.Theaterat tells me the building still stands, and it is for rent.
Did the Jersey last night( april 2) After only 2 visits – The first for Ben Hur, this has become my favorite theater. Really liked Jailhouse Rock in the widescreen format. Stayed for the Haunting too. Excellent, intelligent film- the kind of shocker where your immagination is able to scare you more than FX can. The theater is a little rough around the edges, but the volunteers and others who are running the show deserve a standing ovation! This is moviegoing the way it used to be…and should be. With such winners like Miss Congeniality 2 and the Pacifier( to only name two) this was the best show in town!
Wonder what was so objectionable about The Greatest Show on Earth and Singin In The Rain?
Tommy X … LA Confidential, Gladiator. A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander. Hey, he is Russell Crowe and he can do whatever he wants!