Trylon Theater
98-81 Queens Boulevard,
Rego Park,
NY
11374
98-81 Queens Boulevard,
Rego Park,
NY
11374
15 people
favorited this theater
Showing 76 - 100 of 209 comments found
HEADS UP FANS OF THE TRYLON! Theatre Historical Society’s 3rd quarter issue of Marquee will feature a story and photos on the Trylon Theater written by Michael Perlman. This issue should be mailed to the members by the end of November, early December. Non members can reserve a copy now by contacting THS at www.historictheatres.org or better yet, JOIN! and get your own subscription to Marquee!
Thank you very much for your feedback & helpful advice above. I posted the following questions on the homepage, but received no replies. I am in the midst of writing a feature story that is due in the end of this month, & I would appreciate your assistance tremendously. Some questions are as follows. Please e-mail Michael, Comm. To Save The Trylon founder/chair at
Well, at least you guys aren’t giving up. I have to admit I never saw a film at the Trylon. I am just a theater major interested in restoration, and maybe even conversion into performance space. These old theaters are a nice space for that.
Thanks, Warren. As per that Saturday Night Fever ad, it was still with Interboro as late as ‘78. When did that company fold? I know they operated a number of small nabes – including my old childhood haunt the Laurelton Theater.
The Trylon was built and long operated by the Interboro Circuit, whose owners eventually retired and sold out to Loews/Sony, which ran the Trylon until its closure. The Elmwood in nearby Elmhurst was another of those Interboro theatres taken over by Loews/Sony, but Interboro had only operated the Elmwood since 1946. Prior to 1946, the Elmwood was known as the Queensboro, and had been a loser under numerous managements since opening in 1928.
I remember this under the Loew’s banner for along time and I know it was once part of the Interboro chain as well. Was this originally an independent? And if so, how long did it operate that way and what were some of the other chains that ran it?
Meanwhile… Native, here’s an assortment of clippings from my collection of old newspapers featuring ads for attractions at the Trylon:
Saturday Night Fever – Daily News 1/25/78
Ordinary People 12th Smash Week! – Daily News 12/12/80
Absence of Malice – Daily News 3/6/82
Compromising Positions – Daily News 9/12/85
Compromising Positions (still there) – Daily News 9/23/85
Compromising Positions (going strong) – Newsday 10/5/85
Out of Africa – NY Post 1/29/86
Children of a Lesser God – Daily News 10/16/86
Children of a Lesser God (still going)– NY Times 10/27/86
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – NY Post 7/4/86
A lot of the films advertised above appear to be late in their runs and possible moveovers – you can check release dates for each title on imdb.com to try and ascertain if any of these were initial release bookings.
I have a number of local papers (including the Long Island Press and Long Island Star Journal) from September and November of 1963 and May 1964 that include the old fashioned block ads for the big chains (Loew’s, RKO, Century’s, Skouras) as well as individual ads for many independent nabes like the Cinemart, Hobart, Earle, Fair, Polk, etc. Curiously, the Trylon is not listed in any of those, for some reason.
I have a few more papers from the ‘80’s and early '90’s to digitize… when I find more Trylon listings I’ll be sure to post them here.
In the 1950s, the Trylon entered an “art” phase, which I think lasted into the era of “Premiere Showcase,” when it went mainstream again and began competing for the latest Hollywood releases.
In the 1960s The Trylon did show some first run films. “Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte” openened there which I saw at the Trylon with a sneak preview of “Quick Before It Melts.” I do recall one Sunday seeing lines outside the Trylon waiting to get in the theater to see a double feature: THE MUSIC MAN and GYPSY.
In my opinion, at least in later years, the Trylon usually played “different”, or weird movies. Perhaps artsy?
Perhaps they were trying to form a niche.
During its first 20 years at least, the Trylon was a late-run “nabe” with double features, so it probably showed every Hollywood “A” movie produced, and many of the “B"s. If you just made a list of the "Best Picture” Oscar nominees of those years, I think it would be safe to say that they all played at the Trylon.
Thank you!
Well, I saw “A Stranger Among Us” there in the summer of 1992, so you can add that to the list….
The following is a list of films that were shown at the Trylon from 1989-1990, provided by RobertR.
I am doing research on the Trylon. I would appreciate it very much if someone can please post a list of as many films as possible that were featured at the Trylon between Dec 26, 1939 and late Dec 1999. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks! You can also e-mail
5/5/89 Scandal
6/9 Dead Poets Society
8/25 Uncle Buck (moveover)
9/15 Shirley Valentine
10/27 Sex Lies & Videotape (moveover)
11/3 Crimes & Misdeamenors
12/15 Blaze
1/5 My Left Foot
2/2 Stanley & Iris
2/23 Where the Heart Is
3/9 Madhouse
3/23 Pretty Woman
6/15 Dick Tracy
As a committee, we are not giving up!!! Councilwoman Katz is beyond hope, and is the most developer-friendly politician out there. She has refused countless times to meet with us, and her campaign contributions illustrate how she is heavily supported by the greedy “over-developers.” The Trylon-adorned ticket booth will be rebuilt even if it’s not at the site for the time being. It will be a symbol which says “We will not permit our history & culture to be torn apart by greed!!!”
It’s not that the theater was falling apart, it’s that the current owners ripped everythign apart. The Kings has been neglected, but it wasn’t ripped apart.
Wait, are you guys giving up? I haven’t seen any of the photos, but this could still be a diamond in the rough. There are people, myself included, not willing to give up on the Kings in Brooklyn, which is a few years older and hasn’t been used since the 1970s. Maybe you should just keep pressing. Any theater, like most historical buildings, is worth keeping. Furthermore, the politicians may be crooked, but sometimes they straighten out with the right coaxing.
“You can say that again!”
Nothing will happen with the crooked politicians we still have in power in Queens, very sad indeed.
It is a shame that we have to fight this hard to try to preserve it. It wouldn’t have been difficult for a “reputable” owner to keep the exterior intact, and preserve defining features of the interior. What were they thinking?!? Shame on them! With the presently intact Queens Museum of Art facing a risk of being altered & expanded, we will have no traces of the 1939 World’s Fair left! :(
The interior is in an even worse state than the exterior, and the interior photos that were Aug 2005 posted on this site. It seems as if they are working inside on a daily basis, but not too much progress has been made over the course of the last year. In Aug 2005, the hand-painted cloth murals were on both sides of the theater stage. No one at the site or any affiliate has responded to their whereabouts, causing the committee and other preservationists to believe they have been completely destroyed. The auditorium, which the owner promised would be left mostly intact, seems gutted. There are numerous violations at the site/Stop Work Orders. When CM Katz was informed, she turned her back on her constituents. It’s very sad! We’ll keep fighting for preservation of the streamlined facade, glass block tower, and restoration of the marquee. The entrance pavilion’s mosaic/terrazzo floor which bears the Trylon logo & features Art Deco chevrons, is still present, but the Education Center for Russian Jewry & the councilwoman, change the subject. They promised to rescue facade features, but without landmarking and the lies accumulating, there is no confirmation. I suggest that any enthusiasts who are interested in volunteering for the Committee To Save The Trylon or lending their support by contacting key officials, to e-mail us at Thanks!
Any word on the current state of the interior?
I saw it at the 34th Street East in January 1978.
Forever ?
Tony Manuro will burn forever in a “Disco Inferno” !
For wearing a “condominium” !
This played forever here
View link
Thought you might like to read the following letter to the editor of the Queens Chronicle, entitled “Trylon For All” & published May 11th:
Dear Editor:
In response to the April 27 letter to the editor by Dave Shlakman of Howard Beach, titled “Trylon Case,†numerous preservationists and residents who are advocating for landmark status for the Trylon Theater have attended movies there. Besides nostalgia, the dominant reason for our initiative is the rare and distinctive art deco/art moderne architectural features the Trylon Theater exhibits. It is an anchor of Queens Boulevard and Forest Hills and a great representation of 1939 World’s Fair history.
While it is true that owners have the authority to make alterations to a structure that is not landmarked, the Landmarks law grants us every right to continue encouraging the Landmarks Preservation Commission to designate worthwhile buildings like the Trylon, and others that merit preservation throughout the five boroughs. That is the beauty of it.
Occupancy by the Education Center for Russian Jewry is commendable, but we are baffled as to why the center didn’t find it viable to preserve some of the most significant elements (present in the entrance pavilion), which included the Trylon adorned mosaic ticket booth, and the terrazzo/mosaic inlaid floor that also depicted a 3D mirror image of the Trylon Monument, accompanied by chevrons.
The floor is present, but in jeopardy of being masked by generic tile or cement. It has been proven in many scenarios that older buildings can be “adaptively reused†with a preservation minded strategy. Although the ticket booth is gone, it still is “economically viable†to preserve what remains.
The Trylon will be a center that offers social programs, so the whole community should work cohesively. The 1939 World’s Fair fostered social and cultural change that led to the arrival of immigrants in America. Do we “educate†attendees of the Education Center by erasing a part of their heritage? If this neighborhood trend continues, what values do we hope to instill in our children?
We are grateful for the 1,600 people who signed our petition and those who care about our community. There are some aspects of every community that should be here to stay, and the Trylon Theater is one of many in Forest Hills and Rego Park, while accommodating it to a newer use.
Committee To Save The Trylon Theater,
Forest Hills
Thank you for sharing the above photo, Robert!
The Trylon entrance pavilion’s ticket booth might be gone & the mosaic floor is in the process of being covered over, but the remainder of the exterior is not gone.
CM Katz’s flip-flop of decisions is particularly disturbing in the Trylon case, since she opposed landmarking, then publicly stated her support, and then said she never felt it was suitable. She made no effort to encourage the LPC to calendar it. LPC won’t act without strong political support.She has the power, since she’s the Chair of Land Use. How can an elected official choose to suit her own interests, and mislead her constituents rather than serve them?
The Committee To Save The Trylon Theater & the community communicated. It was Melinda Katz who failed (to meet after promising, respond to letters, etc)! The effort isn’t over. Will her lack of intervention in this scenario be an obstacle in other neighborhood preservation efforts? Let’s continue to bond together for the benefit of the community, and not let this happen. “Power to the people!!!!!”
Please voice your frustrations to CM Katz: .ny.us
Send carbon copies to James McClelland (her comm. affairs rep): .ny.us
Carbon copy Committee To Save The Trylon:
Please tell Robert Tierney of the Landmarks Commission to reconsider his decision, and at least grant the Trylon a hearing to determine its status: .gov, .gov, .gov, and copy on all correspondences.
Cumulatively, we’re up to 1600 signers. Please sign our ongoing online petition, if you haven’t already done so: www.petitiononline.com/Trylon/petition.html