Wagner Theater
110 Wyckoff Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11237
110 Wyckoff Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11237
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 77 comments found
This was still known as the Reo on 2/25/32, when Box Magazine listed it as one of 32 Brooklyn theatres currently closed. So the re-naming to Wagner almost certainly came later than that date.
Yes, this was a real dump. I only remember the Wagner as a porn place, though I guess it may have converted to a Spanish language theater before its final demise. Its replacement by the Wyckoff Heights Hospital clinic can only be seen as a plus. The same cannot be said for the hospital’s huge extension across the street, which replaced a blockfront of solid housing.
My one memory of the Wagner occurred one evening, at about midnight, when I was having a political discussion with a friend – who is now an elected official – in a parked car down the block from the Wagner. Suddenly the threter’s doors opened and about a dozen men furtively exited the premises. Boy did they get out of there in a hurry!
George S, the Elco was a bar, not a person. Are you referring to one of the owners, Herman Walther or Freddy Zaigar ?
Hello to all especially to PKoch who I just met on the Ridgewood Theater site. My parents took me to the Wagner often while growing up. Maybe they had to drag me sometimes, but once there is was OK.
I remember best the ‘Bavarian’ comedies.
As to the PKoch posting of August 17, 2006, I just saw Elco a few months ago at a family christening. Elco was a very close friend of my brother-in-law.
Thanks, Lost Memory.
A Bund rally. I could not think of the word “Bund” when I wrote the other comment. In my previous comment, I wrote that NYC shows that the Wagner Theater building was a “Club Room” in 1938 and a movie theater in 1940. I don’t want anyone getting the impression that it didn’t become a movie theater until 1940. It was a movie theater prior to 1938 as most of you already know.
Everyone follow the bouncing swastika ! Can you say “Leni Riefenstahl ?” I KNEW you could !
Segue to Mel Brooks' “The Producers” ….
Here’s the link to the latest Times Newsweekly “Our Neighborhood” article about Nazi sympathizers in Ridgewood in the past :
View link
It mentions arrests at a Bund rally at Ridgewood Grove Arena in the 1930’s.
Lost Memory, that’s a great description of the German movies that once played at the Wagner Theater. Before reading this, I had known of Hans Albers only as a bandleader, with a hit single, “La Paloma”, on the jukebox at the Elco Bar at Seneca and Weirfield in summer 1969.
That Elco jukebox also had recordings by Whoopi Wuhlfahrt and the Six Fat Dutchmen !
I think there have been jokes here about the [Richard] Wagner Theater, and the Arion Theater really being the Aryan Theater.
Postfreiht macht frei !
In a comment above posted by RobertR on Jul 13, 2005 at 7:26pm, he linked to an ad dated 11/14/69 which shows I am Curious playing at the Wagner theater. Obviously it was still open at that time.
In March of 1938, NYC shows a “Club Room” located at this address and not a movie theater. In February of 1940, this building is shown as a 510 seat motion picture theater. Wasn’t this the building where people were accused of having pro nazi meetings?
This is from the Times Newsweekly aka Ridgewood Times.
““We also frequented a German movie theater, the Wagner Theater, which I think was located somewhere on Wyckoff Avenue. Here we looked at German newsreels, and the many varieties of Heimatsfilmeâ€"Romeo and Juliet in a Bavarian village, or rescue in the Alps, or Hans Albers films about life on the Reeperbahn or Waaterkant. I particularly loved the tear-jerkers featuring Zarah Leander, and can still sing parts of songs she delivered in smoky baritone chest tones with great rolling Rs. I believe the owners of the Wagner Theater were interned during WWII on suspicion of being Nazi sympathizers”.
I personally can verify it operating as a porn cinema in 1968, showing titles like “The Devil’s Bed” and “Let’s Play Doctor”. I lived with my mother’s family, four blocks northeast of the Wagner Theater at that time.
Listed in the 1926 and 1927 editions of Film Daily Yearbook as the Reo Theatre with a seating capacity of 600. In the 1930 edition of F.D.Y. it is listed as the 600 seat Reo and is (Closed).
There is no theatre listed as operating at this address in the 1941 F.D.Y. (I don’t have edition between 1931-1940 to verify if it was open during those years). However in the 1943 edition of F.D.Y. it is listed as the Wagner Theatre with a seating capacity of 510. Still listed as operating as the wagner Theatre in 1950 with 550 seats. By 1957 it has gone from listings in Film Daily Yearbook, but must have re-opened as a porn cinema which went into the late 1960’s.
That’s spelled “diagonally”, Chris. Thanks for posting the image link.
The Wagner Theater was diagnolly across from Wyckoff Hospital. Here’s an aerial view. The brand new building diagnally across from the hospital was the site of the Wagner:
View link
I lived on Wyckoff Avenue from the 50’s to late 60’s where the hospital is now. I remember the Wagner theater showing the German films and then switching to porn. I remember a movie they were showing once called “Boxed Lunch.” I don’t believe I was ever inside the theater…
in 1945 i saw destination tokyo with cary grant at the wagner …. it was a look alike to the wyckoff as far as inside appearances go as well as a look alike to the willougby and empire …all about 450 seats and smelling of pine disinfectant….admission then about 15 cents…..
I don’t actually know if it was demolished or not. I took a photo o the location last year, and it appears to be a new building. However, there is a chance they just put a new brick venier on the old theater. My gut is that it’s demolished and replaced, however, I really can’t say either way:
Click here for photo I took last year
The Wagner Theater located at 110-112 Wyckoff Ave was last owned by the Reo Movie Corp. In June of 1979, NYC seized this property because of a tax lien against it. The current owner is listed as Wyckoff Heights Medical Center. Was this building actually demolished or just converted? There is no new build date listed for the Medical Center.
Ugh. Erwin, you are absolutely correct. I posted this in the wrong section! This was in fact meant for the Irving Mozart. I will copy and post my post and post it in the Irving Theater section. I have no idea how i wound up posting this here.
In fact, you are correct, what was once the Wagner theater has been demolished, and is in fact the Woman’s Health Center.
Bway….Are you sure you were going past the Wagner on July 13th?
As far as I know, the Wagner is not a 99 cent store, but the Women’s Health Center. Perhaps, you went by the former Irving/Mozart, which is now a 99 cent store.
The two porno films I remember playing at the Wagner in summer 1968 were “Devil’s Bed” and “Let’s Play Doctor”. Film critic Neil Gabler and I are among the few people who actually know about another film advertised on the page with “I Am Curious” : “Futz”.
I saw “Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun” at the American Musuem Of Natural History in spring 1993 and got to meet its star, Roy Thinnes, there.
I past by the Wagner this evening, and peaked in the 99 cents store as I drove by (I was stuck at the light at the corner anyway). It has glass doors now, and inside it has a drop ceiling. A quick glance doesn’t reveal any original interior, and there is a fake drop ceiling in the store.
As for the Brooklyn thing, this theater is the one in the immediate area out of all the ones that they adevertised in Brooklyn, but are really in Queens (Parthenon, Madison, Ridgewood, Oasis (how dumb), etc, and then the one that is CLEARLY in Brooklyn, the Wagner, they say is in Queens!
Heh, I like lostmemory’s comment….put porn in the theater, and then, and only then say it’s in Queens…..
It played there in 1969? So my memory was only off by one year. My marbles aren’t as loose as I thought they were. :) Put the Wagner in Queens when the porn ficks are playing and put it back in Brooklyn ads when cartoons run there. That is funny.
It’s funny in 1969 when the Wagner played “I am Curious Yellow” they listed it as Queens. Meanwhile this theatre is right on the border of Brooklyn and the Oasis which was nowhere near Brooklyn was listed as Brooklyn.
View link
In the late forties the Wagner theater showed rerun Hollywod flicks.
I remember seeing Captain’s Courageous there.They also ran cartoons
such as Mighty Mouse and Popeye.
The interior was non descript.
While it is correct in the address section, the opening comment in this theater section should be altered because there is no such street as “Wagner St”. It should say “Wyckoff Ave”.