Loew's Metropolitan Theatre

392 Fulton Street,
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Unfavorite 19 people favorited this theater

Showing 26 - 50 of 139 comments

MPol
MPol on May 25, 2009 at 10:56 am

I don’t reside in Brooklyn, or in the NY-NJ area generally, fairtail, nor am I religions in any way, but thanks for the suggestion.

fairytail
fairytail on May 24, 2009 at 10:46 pm

Oh my warren is starting trouble again. I will pray for you. This is a lovely church. You must pay it a visit one day.

MPol
MPol on May 23, 2009 at 12:37 am

My apologies to you too, saps.

MPol
MPol on May 23, 2009 at 12:36 am

Sorry about that, Lost Memory.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on May 22, 2009 at 5:29 pm

Can I get an amen, somebody?

MPol
MPol on May 22, 2009 at 5:17 pm

Didn’t you hear me? (lol)

MPol
MPol on May 22, 2009 at 10:25 am

Oh…my bad. It’s closed. Sorry to see such a gorgeous place close down. Wonder what they’re going to do with it.

MPol
MPol on May 22, 2009 at 10:11 am

What a fantastic-looking theatre! It’s perfect for showing great, golden-oldie-but-goody movie classics as well as lots of other stuff. Glad to hear that it’s still open, even though I don’t reside in the NY-NJ-CT area.

Bway
Bway on May 22, 2009 at 5:08 am

Wow, thanks! It is beautiful!
Another theater saved and restored by a church.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on May 21, 2009 at 4:51 pm

That is one gorgeous house.

Bway
Bway on May 21, 2009 at 1:50 pm

Anyone know what the interior of this theater looks like today? Any photos?
The place looked beautiful in the photo Warren posted above. I looked on google street view and the exterior seems to be very well kept. Here’s a link:

View link

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on May 14, 2009 at 11:01 am

Warren: That is a good picture. I like how they gave billing to Gypsy Rose Lee, even though she was only in the movie for one short scene.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on May 14, 2009 at 10:35 am

Lost, don’t say it…!

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on April 14, 2009 at 9:54 pm

I loved this theater, even though I only knew it as quad. There was still plenty of architectural detail to savor. It was my neighborhood house for over 10 years, until it closed. It had bargain prices at the end, but the management refused to advertise that fact on the marquee or anywhere else.

michelemarie
michelemarie on October 10, 2008 at 2:11 pm

thanks Warren for all of your tips and history about these movie houses.Anniegirl

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on July 29, 2008 at 11:37 am

Since “The People vs. Dr. Kildare” was advertised to follow and then delayed a week, I doubt that “A Woman’s Face” was held as only as filler.

Now to more recent history.

Loews sold the theatre under the provision that it would not remain a movie house. The buyer had arranged to flip it over to a third party who did not have a contract with Loews but had already agreed to lease it to Cineplex Odeon. Although Loews threatened to sue when the CO house was announced, nothing ever came of it.

When CO went in, the theatre still had the original wooden seats, a testament to how neglected some Loews houses were in the late eighties. These seats had mostly been destroyed to avoid any possibility of an immediate re-opening by anyone else. This actually expedited the remodel as CO had no intention of opening the place “as is”. Loews got the last laugh, though. Although the theatre was often busy, CO never made a profit due to high rent it had agreed to.

In October 1993 there was a gang shooting inside screen one which lead to several innocent bystanders getting hurt. The local media latched on to the story as another example of Hollywood product leading to teenage violence and blaming the film, (”Judgment Night”) for inciting the shooting. The following day picketers lined up in front of the theatre demanding it be closed.

In reality, the trailers were still running at the time of the shooting and the film had not yet started. I don’t think the Met ever really recovered from that incident and the politically motivated scandal it generated.

michelemarie
michelemarie on July 28, 2008 at 10:51 pm

Dear AlAlvarez,

Maybe the movies were held over because of the audiance volume for a particular movie that was appearing at the time. ie Gone with the Wind and others.anniegirl

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on July 28, 2008 at 8:36 pm

That must be why the ads read: “FIRST PICTURE IN YEARS TO HOLD A THIRD WEEK AT THE MET!”

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on July 28, 2008 at 3:25 pm

…at the theatre this page is about.

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on July 28, 2008 at 11:40 am

“They called her the scarfaced she-devil!”

“A Woman’s Face” was a first-run move-over from the Capitol and this was the first suburban run of the film, with “Washington Melodrama” as a co-feature. The run included the Loews Jersey City and Newark theatres but since it ran for record three weeks it overlapped with the circuit break.

michelemarie
michelemarie on July 28, 2008 at 11:23 am

Dear J.F.

When I was a kid of the 1950’s, there was a Bond Mens Clothing Store next to the Met and a Schraffts on the Left of the Met. That Crawford Stores was a Staple store back then and yes Nedick’s was the best.. On that same side of the street stood a Chock full of Nut’s Coffee Shop in the late 60’s. But the Met lived on in the 60’s. I always thought the Met was a exclusive Theater. I always as a kid went to local moviehouses such as the Commodore, Marcy, Republic, Meserole. RKO Greenpoint Theaters in my neighborhood of Williamsburgh and Greenpoint.. It was a treat to go to the Paramount and the Fox and of coarse the Met with my Parents.. Also a treat to go to the Automat on Fulton and Jay Streets. And a real treat to go to Juniors for special occasions..Always good memories revisiting the Brooklyn Memories of Fulton Street. Remember McCrory’s across from Mays Department Stores. I loved the Waffles and Ice Cream they served in front of the store facing Fulton Street.. It was the competition for Woolworths..next to A&S..Speaking of A&S do you remember the downstairs Childrens Department and the Horse ride for the kids while partents shopped for shoes for them? and of coarse the resturant in the basement and the frozen dessert near the back escalater in the luggage department…I spent most of my Saturday’s as a child in A&S with my Mother, sister, and Aunt’s in A&S and sometimes in the Met. Sorry to say the old Fulton Street is not the same anymore..Oh well thanks for the trip down memory lane. anniegirl

jflundy
jflundy on July 27, 2008 at 1:46 pm

Here is a photo showing the Loews Metropolitan taken on June 21, 1941 as they were tearing down the Fulton Street El, a year after service was ended on both the EL and Fulton Trolley Car line as NYC took over the BMT and eliminated major services.
View link

Note the Nedick’s and other long gone Brooklyn icons.

michelemarie
michelemarie on April 7, 2008 at 2:54 pm

Dear Lost Memory and Warren, you guys are sure up on your history of Movies and Stars..Thanks…Anniegirl

RobertR
RobertR on April 6, 2008 at 9:09 pm

The future Mr & Mrs Sinatra shared a bill in 1949.
View link

Al Alvarez
Al Alvarez on November 25, 2007 at 1:43 pm

Ed, the Cineplex Odeon lease included several unused office spaces floors upstairs and in surrounding buildings that dated back to the agents for the live shows.

There were also changing room upstairs accessed only by fire ladders and an elaborate octagonal waiting area for the downstairs rest rooms.

The basement alone was almost a city block and scary as hell with huge rats living there.