I believe the Island stayed open into the early ‘60s. My friends and I would go there after our truly local theater the Bellaire closed in 1959. Seem to recall catching Gorgo, The Amazing Transparent Man, Caltiki the Immortal Monster and possibly Platinum High School, among others, at the Island. It did depart not too long after. If memory serves, it was a fairly bare-bones nabe, not as large or grandiose as the Bellaire even; not sure if it had a true concession stand or just vending machines (ice cream, candy, soda). Still, a fun, funky, budget-friendly place to catch a genre double feature.
AlAlvarez, thanks for the verification; didn’t realize it was that early. Wonder who programmed it. It was great fun seeing those ‘50s & '60s films on the big screen in a festival-like environment, even if the turnout was pretty weak. I believe the Museum of Modern Art had an AIP tribute a little later in the 70s, with Panic in Year Zero! & X—The Man With the X-Ray Eyes among the attractions.
I think it was the Kips Bay that hosted a Roger Corman festival around the mid-70s. A great lineup (Day the World Ended, Atlas, et al) but a bit ahead of its time, I think (before Roger was widely recognized as a moving force in the film world), since I recall attendance being pretty sparse at most shows. If it wasn’t the Kipps Bay, it was another theater nearby (East 30s) but I’m pretty sure it was this one.
I met Angelo only once when I was covering the B-movie and bijou beat for the Daily News and Fox TV did a segment on me on my rounds. Part of it was taped at the Commodore, where Angelo was interviewed as well; I remember he said he was an Audie Murphy western fan. Another theater I covered, that I can’t find on CT, was the Hoboken Cinema, a twin at 5 Marine Plaza that probably began as a single screen.
Found an article I did for the New York Daily News in 1986 that included an item on The Commodore and how it was being reinvigorated by general manager Angelo Delgado, as a twin with a double-feature policy. Anyone recall how long that lasted? I remember that incredible ceiling the theater had.
Stopped by the Paramount Theater today, where “Bullit” was being screened. The theater has some very cool films lined up through the rest of the year, including a Halloween double bill of Return of Dracula and I Was a Teenage Werewolf, a John Waters weekend (including a live show with John) and more. While part of the orchestra was temporarily curtained off to accommodate the modest (for a theater that vast) but not sparse crowd, the huge balcony was open. Admission for Bullit was $5. Movie (and theater) lovers in the area should support and enjoy this excellent experience. For the upcoming schedule, go to: www.asburyparkconventionhall.com
or google: paramount theatre asbury park
Just returned from a screening of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. The Baronet looks terrific, excellent atmosphere. Just needs to lose more of the leftover must and mold scent. And to get the word out—only a few people were in attendance. I’m sure more patrons would come if they knew about it. Look forward to catching more shows there, especially some of the Halloween lineup.
JKane
I remember catching that double bill with my friends at age 12 at, I think, the Queens or Community in Queens. Quite a double shocker—Carry On for the bawdy humor and Black Sunday for that opening sequence. Very educational day!
Before its renovation and reincarnation, the Byron-Carlyle had a $2 admission policy for a couple of years (around 1999-2000)screening recent second-run films on all 6 or 7 screens (I remember seeing The Bone Collector, Blue Streak, Meet the Parents and many others), bringing a brief bit of grindhouse nostalgia to the contemporary moviegoing experience, especially as the theater began to deteriorate a bit. Too beautiful to last, though, like NYC’s bargain-priced Worldwide Cinemas.
JKane
The Elgin was a lot of fun in the late 60s/early 70s. Caught many great Janus double bills, along with midnight screenings of “The Harder They Come” and “El Topo” (which played for a long time). Seem to recall the theater going a bit downhill later in the 70s. Last film I caught there was a dreary Canadian movies called “Eliza’s Horoscope” in the dead of winter with an almost empty house and no heat! However, that doesn’t erase the much fonder memories of previous years and shows. The theater promoted a sense of intimacy and even strangers would engage in post-film discussions.
JKane
Quite a coincidence—we went on virtually the same theater “photo safari” in May 2006, shooting the Roosevelt, Cameo, Paris, former Surf and Normandy & other MB theaters! Fascinating info on the Roosevelt—pretty steep rent, though. Never heard of the Tropics theater—where is that located?
JKane
Thanks all for clearing up the mystery of the Fair’s VV ads. For years I’d been tempted to check out a “2 action hits” show there but suspected they were actually videos and used as a “beard” to mask a porn venue. I also remember when at least one Times Square porn emporium advertised genre film showings, which I did check out—the audience consisted of one dude dozing to a Jackie Chan flick video-projected in a small screening room. Extremely depressing tease for one who’d spent decades catching all manner of real movies on the Duece and in Times Square. When I collected obscure VHS a while back, I remember sighting some genre and horror rarities in an adult video store window in Florida and must have been the first putz to actually inquire about them; turned out they were empty boxes, there
for the same non-porn “quota” reason.
JKane
JKane
commented about
Cine 42on
Jul 4, 2006 at 9:04 pm
I recall the Cine 42 being the scariest of the Deuce theaters by the ‘80s, as well as the most claustrophobic and uncomfortable, without any of the decayed charm of his grander brethren. I’d only go if I couldn’t find a particular film anywhere else. Remember catching “Bloodeaters” (aka “Toxic Zombies”) there, along with a few others.
JKane
Curious—did you find that 1958 listing in the Long Island Press? Saw scores of movies at the Savoy in the 60s but don’t remember too many of the exact double bills. One choice one I do recall was
-Sam Fuller’s HOUSE OF BAMBOO
-THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE
-THE SAVAGE LAND (western with, I believe, Jody McCrea)
That would have been around ‘63.
Another, odder one:
-1931’s PUBLIC ENEMY
-Same year’s LITTLE CAESAR
-THE BRAIN EATERS (1958 B sci-fi)
That was in 1960
Excellent—seem to remember that piano store. Any idea when the Savoy closed for good?
The Valencia did become a church for sure, don’t know if it’s still there.
JKane
The Bellaire is fondly remembered by yours truly—I lived around the corner from it, went all the time with my buds and remember the sad day it closed, when I was 11, in 1959. The last picture show was The Horse Soldiers, I believe, and a second feature I don’t recall.
Very interesting to hear comments and info about the Savoy, where I received the bulk of my early film education as a teen starting in 1960 and continuing through that decade. I did a memoir/short story centering on the Savoy in my book The Phantom of the Movies' VideoScope (Three Rivers Press/Random House, videoscopemag.com). I once ran into the indie distributor Joseph Brenner, who told me he used to supply the Savoy with films booked by the theater’s very creative movie-buff manager (whose name, unfortunately, I didn’t get). The Savoy also used to have elaborate coming attractions pamphlets in the lobby—extremely cool!
I believe the Island stayed open into the early ‘60s. My friends and I would go there after our truly local theater the Bellaire closed in 1959. Seem to recall catching Gorgo, The Amazing Transparent Man, Caltiki the Immortal Monster and possibly Platinum High School, among others, at the Island. It did depart not too long after. If memory serves, it was a fairly bare-bones nabe, not as large or grandiose as the Bellaire even; not sure if it had a true concession stand or just vending machines (ice cream, candy, soda). Still, a fun, funky, budget-friendly place to catch a genre double feature.
AlAlvarez, thanks for the verification; didn’t realize it was that early. Wonder who programmed it. It was great fun seeing those ‘50s & '60s films on the big screen in a festival-like environment, even if the turnout was pretty weak. I believe the Museum of Modern Art had an AIP tribute a little later in the 70s, with Panic in Year Zero! & X—The Man With the X-Ray Eyes among the attractions.
I think it was the Kips Bay that hosted a Roger Corman festival around the mid-70s. A great lineup (Day the World Ended, Atlas, et al) but a bit ahead of its time, I think (before Roger was widely recognized as a moving force in the film world), since I recall attendance being pretty sparse at most shows. If it wasn’t the Kipps Bay, it was another theater nearby (East 30s) but I’m pretty sure it was this one.
I met Angelo only once when I was covering the B-movie and bijou beat for the Daily News and Fox TV did a segment on me on my rounds. Part of it was taped at the Commodore, where Angelo was interviewed as well; I remember he said he was an Audie Murphy western fan. Another theater I covered, that I can’t find on CT, was the Hoboken Cinema, a twin at 5 Marine Plaza that probably began as a single screen.
Found an article I did for the New York Daily News in 1986 that included an item on The Commodore and how it was being reinvigorated by general manager Angelo Delgado, as a twin with a double-feature policy. Anyone recall how long that lasted? I remember that incredible ceiling the theater had.
Stopped by the Paramount Theater today, where “Bullit” was being screened. The theater has some very cool films lined up through the rest of the year, including a Halloween double bill of Return of Dracula and I Was a Teenage Werewolf, a John Waters weekend (including a live show with John) and more. While part of the orchestra was temporarily curtained off to accommodate the modest (for a theater that vast) but not sparse crowd, the huge balcony was open. Admission for Bullit was $5. Movie (and theater) lovers in the area should support and enjoy this excellent experience. For the upcoming schedule, go to:
www.asburyparkconventionhall.com
or google: paramount theatre asbury park
Just returned from a screening of AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. The Baronet looks terrific, excellent atmosphere. Just needs to lose more of the leftover must and mold scent. And to get the word out—only a few people were in attendance. I’m sure more patrons would come if they knew about it. Look forward to catching more shows there, especially some of the Halloween lineup.
JKane
I remember catching that double bill with my friends at age 12 at, I think, the Queens or Community in Queens. Quite a double shocker—Carry On for the bawdy humor and Black Sunday for that opening sequence. Very educational day!
Before its renovation and reincarnation, the Byron-Carlyle had a $2 admission policy for a couple of years (around 1999-2000)screening recent second-run films on all 6 or 7 screens (I remember seeing The Bone Collector, Blue Streak, Meet the Parents and many others), bringing a brief bit of grindhouse nostalgia to the contemporary moviegoing experience, especially as the theater began to deteriorate a bit. Too beautiful to last, though, like NYC’s bargain-priced Worldwide Cinemas.
JKane
The Elgin was a lot of fun in the late 60s/early 70s. Caught many great Janus double bills, along with midnight screenings of “The Harder They Come” and “El Topo” (which played for a long time). Seem to recall the theater going a bit downhill later in the 70s. Last film I caught there was a dreary Canadian movies called “Eliza’s Horoscope” in the dead of winter with an almost empty house and no heat! However, that doesn’t erase the much fonder memories of previous years and shows. The theater promoted a sense of intimacy and even strangers would engage in post-film discussions.
JKane
Quite a coincidence—we went on virtually the same theater “photo safari” in May 2006, shooting the Roosevelt, Cameo, Paris, former Surf and Normandy & other MB theaters! Fascinating info on the Roosevelt—pretty steep rent, though. Never heard of the Tropics theater—where is that located?
JKane
Thanks all for clearing up the mystery of the Fair’s VV ads. For years I’d been tempted to check out a “2 action hits” show there but suspected they were actually videos and used as a “beard” to mask a porn venue. I also remember when at least one Times Square porn emporium advertised genre film showings, which I did check out—the audience consisted of one dude dozing to a Jackie Chan flick video-projected in a small screening room. Extremely depressing tease for one who’d spent decades catching all manner of real movies on the Duece and in Times Square. When I collected obscure VHS a while back, I remember sighting some genre and horror rarities in an adult video store window in Florida and must have been the first putz to actually inquire about them; turned out they were empty boxes, there
for the same non-porn “quota” reason.
JKane
I recall the Cine 42 being the scariest of the Deuce theaters by the ‘80s, as well as the most claustrophobic and uncomfortable, without any of the decayed charm of his grander brethren. I’d only go if I couldn’t find a particular film anywhere else. Remember catching “Bloodeaters” (aka “Toxic Zombies”) there, along with a few others.
JKane
One correction on the triple bill—the Jody McCrea western was THE BROKEN LAND, with a young Jack Nicholson.
Curious—did you find that 1958 listing in the Long Island Press? Saw scores of movies at the Savoy in the 60s but don’t remember too many of the exact double bills. One choice one I do recall was
-Sam Fuller’s HOUSE OF BAMBOO
-THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN’T DIE
-THE SAVAGE LAND (western with, I believe, Jody McCrea)
That would have been around ‘63.
Another, odder one:
-1931’s PUBLIC ENEMY
-Same year’s LITTLE CAESAR
-THE BRAIN EATERS (1958 B sci-fi)
That was in 1960
The Savoy was fun indeed!
Was the corner bar called Taps?
jkane
Excellent—seem to remember that piano store. Any idea when the Savoy closed for good?
The Valencia did become a church for sure, don’t know if it’s still there.
JKane
The Bellaire is fondly remembered by yours truly—I lived around the corner from it, went all the time with my buds and remember the sad day it closed, when I was 11, in 1959. The last picture show was The Horse Soldiers, I believe, and a second feature I don’t recall.
Very interesting to hear comments and info about the Savoy, where I received the bulk of my early film education as a teen starting in 1960 and continuing through that decade. I did a memoir/short story centering on the Savoy in my book The Phantom of the Movies' VideoScope (Three Rivers Press/Random House, videoscopemag.com). I once ran into the indie distributor Joseph Brenner, who told me he used to supply the Savoy with films booked by the theater’s very creative movie-buff manager (whose name, unfortunately, I didn’t get). The Savoy also used to have elaborate coming attractions pamphlets in the lobby—extremely cool!