RKO Alden Theatre
165-16 Jamaica Avenue,
Jamaica,
NY
11432
165-16 Jamaica Avenue,
Jamaica,
NY
11432
10 people
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Showing 26 - 50 of 166 comments found
I’ve seen the same RKO block ads from 1980 and 1982 and also found the Alden missing – but the Alden still shows up in movie clock listings in those same newspaper editions. It is entirely possible that the Alden was operated independently its last few years. The listing I referenced above did not cite “RKO Alden,” merely “Alden 1,” “Alden 2,” “Alden 3” and “Alden 4.”
I found a ad for RKO Century Warner which is laden with theatres from RKO, Mann, Prudential and whatever, circa 1981. RKO Keith’s in Flushing is on but not the Alden. Also, among the missing from earlier ads are the Merrick (Jamaica) and Queens & Community (Queens Village). The Lynbrook by that time had reverted back to Skouras/UA.
The Alden was definitely divided in four at some point and lasted several years beyond the Valencia. I have clippings from the Daily News in March of 1982 that show the Alden 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the movie clock listings. By October, 1985, the Alden has dropped off movie clock listings in both the News and Newsday.
I believe rafaelstorm may be right about the Alden remaining a single screen to the end. The Valencia, Merrick, Savoy, Hillside and all the others theatres along Jamaica Avenue in Queens and Jericho Turnpike in Nassau went out as single screen theatres.
The bus terminal behind Loew’s Valencia is still there and operating. That site is now directly opposite the chief branch of the Queens Public Library, whose Long Island Reserch Division is a great place for finding information about Queens and Long Island theatres.
I have to take exception to the profile that states that the Alden was turned into a quad. Not in my excellent memory bank, it wasn’t. It closed around the same time as the Valencia, across Jamaica Avenue, but while that theater was given a rebirth as a church, the Alden just remained a hulking derelict, without ever being divided. I used to catch the Q-5 bus at Hillside and 169th, and ride it all the way to the end of the line, in Rosedale, and the bus route passed right next to both theaters. As a matter of fact, there was a bus terminal behind the Valencia, and the Q-5 would sit there for about ten minutes, before moving on its route. Gone are the days!
I just came across this very interesting page. I especially liked the great photo posted last June 4th by J.F. Lundy. As one who frequently rides the Q-54, the current embodiment of the old trolley line depicted in this picture, I could just imagine traversing the long, Jamaica to Williamsburg Bridge Plaza route, in that ancient tram.
A question that came to mind while perusing this page is why more modest movie houses like the Alden survived longer than their more elaborate competitors, like the Valencia. The same point can also be made regarding the Astoria and the Ridgewood on the one hand and the Triboro and the Madison on the other.
My guess is that the more elaborate palaces were initially considered just “too beautiful to twin” – a paraphrase of “too big to fail” – at the same time that their more modest competitors bent to the economic realities and sub-divided themselves. This bought the latter some additional time, while the uneconomical single screen marvels just could not survive the modern era. This reminds me of something I learned years ago in my college geology class. In studying the old fossils, I noticed that the most elaborately developed species also proved to be the ones that were most vulnerable to extinction when climactic conditions changed. The less elaborately developed species, on the other hand, adapted to these changes far more successfully.
While exceptions to this “rule” certainly exist – I remember seeing a film at an already divided Bronx Paradise during the mid-1970’s – I thing it stands up pretty well – especially in Queens. Any ideas?
David, there were photos of the current interior posted in the past above, but I didn’t check to see if the links still work. In the meantime, here’s a link to one photo, the top photo is the Valencia as a church:
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The theater is completely intact, and well maintained. The colors they have chosen to paint the interior is a little garish, but it’s better than the alternative, which would be not maintained. It still looks good.
The Carlton was also originally a “legit” playhouse and known as the Cort Jamaica, but larger and more ornate than the Alden. But it was too many blocks from the heart of the shopping district to ever be succssful with plays, vaudeville, or movies.
Interesting comment by T'toes. Thanks. My recollection is that each theater had its own magnificant architectural feature. Sounds, however, like the Lowes Valencia was the architectural winner. Has anyone posted interior photos of any of the theaters?
There has been some mention on this site of the Carlton Theater, several blocks to the east on Jamaica Avenue. My family went there back in the ‘50s to see the Red Badge of Courage. The total admission cost for the four of us was less than a dollar. The cost for my sister and me was, I recall, 9 cents and probably 25 cents for my parents. Years later, my sister’s wedding reception was held in that recycled theater, which by then was a catering hall.
David, the Valencia was the one with the gold fish pond, as well as the magnificent ceiling with twinkling stars. The much smaller Alden was a rather plain theatre built originally for “legit” plays as the Shubert Jamaica.
I have no idea what remains of the Alden, but the Valencia is fully intact, and used as a church.
The two theaters (Lowes Valencia and RKO Alden) were directly across from each other on Jamaica Avenue. One had a magnificant ceiling with twinkling stars; the other had a beautiful goldfish pond in the lobby.
As a kid in the 1950s I would walk with my friends on Saturdays to partake in the current fare: cartoons, the news, coming attractions, and a double feature, usually westerns.
When technicolor films started to become more common it was always a treat to see a movie “in color”.
Since we never paid attention to scheduled starting times, we would arrive whenever and then leave when the picture re-played and remind each other that “this is where we came in”. It never bothered us that we did not have full continuity in seeing the day’s movies.
It would be wonderful, if there is anything left to preserve, if those magnificant old theathers could be restored to their former glory.
Great photo! That day was part of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Directly across the street, Loew’s Valencia had another return of “Gone With the Wind” in an exclusive Queens engagement.
November 28, 1947 photo by Ed Doyle with Metropolitan Avenue Car on Jamaica Avenue running to 168th Street.
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I think this became a DMV.
Jamaica Avenue entrance
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The side marquee after the closing
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Just re-registering for alerts with this link:
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Do any of the architectual features of the Alden remain in the store is being used as? What is it today?
Here’s a new link to an image of the auditorium in 1943. Very little had been changed in the fifteen years since the Alden first opened as a playhouse called the Shubert Jamaica:
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Try this, also see links in my post of May 12 2004 :
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?24041
I am in need of pictures of this theatre badly. Please respond if anyone has any original pictures of this theatre.
I would like to know if anyone has original pictures of the theatre and the building on 165th Street. The picture from WARREN which is a clipping of a newspaper article is great!
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/shujam28.jpg
The Alden started its RKO affiliation on October 5th, 1934, which coincided with the annual “Jamaica Day,” when all the stores offered huge bargain sales. The RKO Alden’s opening week attraction was the Ann Harding soaper, “The Fountain,” supported by four short subjects and an RKO Pathe newsreel. At the time, Loew’s Valencia presented a stage show as well as a feature movie, so the RKO Alden was forced to charge lower admission prices, which were from 10 to 20 cents less, depending on time and day of the week. The RKO Alden’s highest price was 35 cents on Saturday nights, when Loew’s Valencia charged 55 cents. On weekdays, the Alden opened at 10 in the morning, and charged 15 cents for all seats until 1 PM, while the Valencia opened at 11 AM and charged 25 cents until 1PM. While those prices seem ridiculous now, don’t forget that 1934 was one of the worst years of the Depression.
Here’s another photo that I took yesterday, this one showing the current status of the former entrance to the RKO Alden at 165-16 Jamaica Avenue, which is now occupied by a store called Expo 2000. If you compare this to a vintage Municipal Tax photo displayed above by “youngnyer1” on January 18, 2007, you will see that the decor across the top of the facade is still the same. When I took this photo, I was standing across the street, under the marquee of the former Loew’s Valencia and directly in front of its boxoffice:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/alden01.jpg