I just watched Oh God Book 2 and they go to this theater, but only the outside. No interior shots, but there is an exterior shot of “ABC Entertainment Center.”
Roger Ebert’s website has a lengthy article entitled The Dying of the Light Ebert article about 2D and 3D lenses and why not changing the 3D lens for 2D presentation really messes up the image and the moviegoing experience.
Just saw the documentary Out in the Silence on PBS — a very good, enlightening show — and was pleased to see so much footage about the re-opening of this theater and the girls who bought it and worked hard to bring it back to life. So of course I came here straight-away to find out more.
What’s the present status? It seems the website is down but I hope the theater is still in some kind of performance use.
Here’s the beginning of something I came across written on a website about this theater:
“I wasn’t married yet in the very early 60’s when I first discovered the
famous Fox Theater on N. Illinois Street in Indianapolis…..but later,
when I was married, I still went there! I was actually still in high
school, but they let me in anyway……and I had lots of experiences there
that will be worth repeating. At that time it was a (very famous, locally)
burlesque theater, and just as exciting (for some) when it became a porno
movie palace in later years. Real on-stage performances by such ‘names’ at
the time as "Evelyn West and her $50,000 Treasure Chest.”
But I soon
learned that the REAL excitement was down in the basement — a cavernous,
giant restroom area that required a very squeaky door and a long stairway
to enter. And I soon found out that no one paid much attention (maybe a
raised eyebrow or two?) when they heard that door squeak at the top of the
stairway. The place was wide open, and many a straight guy, there only to
get off by watching the bosom of the latest burlesque queen flopping around
upstairs, would barely glance to the bathroom stalls to the left as he made
his way to the urinal to take a leak. He knew what was going on over
there — no one tried too hard to hide the action, and sometimes the
activity spilled out to the large floor space in front of the stalls…
The building profile posted by Ed Solero on Sept. 5, 2007 should be the image used on this page, since it accurately reflects the actual entrance of the theater.
How do you “activate” a hyperlink? I think in the old format it just did it automatically but I’m not so sure now. And how do you condense a long link into a short phrase like “hitchcockpapers”?
This website link should bring up the Psycho marquee and other shots of the Demille but not the Psycho signage. (Nice website, btw.)
http://thehitchcockpapers.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/psycho-at-the-demille-theater/
Although I know it would mean reconfiguring the proscenium and curtains, I think that this movie sheet could stand a replacement expansion — there is so much room on either side of the present screen, a larger screen would really be eye-popping. Right now it looks a little old-fashioned and not quite state-of-the-art.
The beach town’s four-screen cinema is reopening after mysteriously closing in late April.
Its owner, PL Long Beach LLC, announced today that the theater would reopen June 10 after undergoing renovations that include a new 3-D screen.
When the theater closed, residents were left to wonder what had happened. Signs were simply taken down and the glass covered up with paper. Town officials were even were unaware about what had happened.
The theater’s owner said today that it planned to lease the space out for retail stores but changed direction after the community made it clear it wanted a place to see movies. Long Beach Cinema is the only theater in the town.
This theater has caught on, because there always seems to be a nice crowd — not over-packed, but just enough to have a good movie-going experience. I especially like the bargain matinees, and its proximity to Penn Station.
Justin, like most (all?) AMC theaters coast-to-coast, all shows here starting before noon are only $6.00. And the regular admission price of $13. is not much higher than the usual suburban price (your beloved AMC Rockaway is $11., for example.)
And I’ve never waited on line, especially with about 20 ticket kiosks in the lobby.
So, please…stop in next time you’re in the neighborhood. And once you’re in the door you can wander around nearly at will, checking out the different levels and cinemas. You’ll be glad you did.
On April 1, Long Beach resident George Ennis, who hosts the annual George Ennis Film Festival, said he had booked the theater at Long Beach Cinemas at 179 E. Park Ave., where he planned to hold a pre-screening of the festival’s short films on May 25.
Ennis said that the pre-screening event â€" a lead-in to the film festival on June 5 at the Cabana, that also raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation â€" was expected to attract about 150 people to view the roughly 10 to 12 short films that would be presented at the festival and showcase the work of amateur and professional filmmakers.
“A lot of people were looking forward to it,†Ennis said. “Having [the pre-screening] at the theater put a little bit more legitimacy to the film festival.â€
So Ennis said it came as a shock when the movie theater manager told him that the event would have to be canceled. The manager, Ennis said, informed him that theater’s owners had abruptly closed the business the night before. On Thursday, the theater’s coming attraction posters and movie listings were removed, and the lights inside the building were off.
“I went by [Thursday] and wanted to ask [the manager] a question,†Ennis said. “When I saw there was no coming attraction signs, I knew something was fishy.â€
Ennis said the manager later contacted him to apologize and explained what had happened.
“Evidently the owners came in the middle of the night and said ‘we’re wrapping it up,’†Ennis said. “Who knew that two days ago, driving by the theater, that they were going to pull the rug out.â€
The abrupt closure came as a shock to many residents, Ennis said, adding that even the manager seemed a bit unsure as to why the owners closed the business without any notice. Neither the manager nor the building’s owner, Philip Pilevsky of Philips International, returned calls for comment on Friday. City Manager Charles Theofan could not be reached for comment on Friday. Another city official with the building department said on Friday that he was not sure why the theater had closedOn April 1, Long Beach resident George Ennis, who hosts the annual George Ennis Film Festival, said he had booked the theater at Long Beach Cinemas at 179 E. Park Ave., where he planned to hold a pre-screening of the festival’s short films on May 25.
Ennis said that the pre-screening event â€" a lead-in to the film festival on June 5 at the Cabana, that also raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation â€" was expected to attract about 150 people to view the roughly 10 to 12 short films that would be presented at the festival and showcase the work of amateur and professional filmmakers.
“A lot of people were looking forward to it,†Ennis said. “Having [the pre-screening] at the theater put a little bit more legitimacy to the film festival.â€
So Ennis said it came as a shock when the movie theater manager told him that the event would have to be canceled. The manager, Ennis said, informed him that theater’s owners had abruptly closed the business the night before. On Thursday, the theater’s coming attraction posters and movie listings were removed, and the lights inside the building were off.
“I went by [Thursday] and wanted to ask [the manager] a question,†Ennis said. “When I saw there was no coming attraction signs, I knew something was fishy.â€
Ennis said the manager later contacted him to apologize and explained what had happened.
“Evidently the owners came in the middle of the night and said ‘we’re wrapping it up,’†Ennis said. “Who knew that two days ago, driving by the theater, that they were going to pull the rug out.â€
The abrupt closure came as a shock to many residents, Ennis said, adding that even the manager seemed a bit unsure as to why the owners closed the business without any notice. Neither the manager nor the building’s owner, Philip Pilevsky of Philips International, returned calls for comment on Friday. City Manager Charles Theofan could not be reached for comment on Friday. Another city official with the building department said on Friday that he was not sure why the theater had closed. Ennis said that he was given no indication that the theater was in danger of shutting its doors.
Ennis said that he was given no indication that the theater was in danger of shutting its doors.
“I’ve been talking to the manager on a weekly basis â€" there was no indication that it would close,†Ennis said. “The manager didn’t really get into why it closed that much, but I can only guess that it was for financial reasons.â€
For many years, Long Beach Cinema, the only movie theater in Long Beach, was located at the corner of Long Beach Road and Park Avenue. The theater boasts four movie screens and is located on the former site of the Lido Theater, said Carole Shahda Geraci, of the Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society.
Ennis acknowledged that, as of Friday, it was still unclear if the theater was shutting its doors permanently. “The manager said that he couldn’t tell me for sure that it was going to reopen in a few weeks, but he said that it didn’t look that way,†Ennis said.
Now, Ennis said that his pre-screening benefit may be relocated to the Cabana, and said that the theater’s closure is a bit of a letdown.
“It’s a little difficult â€" this would have put [the event] in a much more conducive atmosphere to concentrate on the films,†Ennis said. “And it’s going to hurt a little from a contribution standpoint.â€
Check out next week’s issue of the Herald for expanded coverage.
The mezzazine lounge didn’t look like that when I frequented the theater, from 1983 to closing. The opening had been covered over by a floor, making a very large lounge space with very little decor.
I always wanted to go here before it closed — they had some dynamite exploitation double features.
And that shot posted on August 17, 2010 must be the balcony after the theater was divided.
I just watched Oh God Book 2 and they go to this theater, but only the outside. No interior shots, but there is an exterior shot of “ABC Entertainment Center.”
Didn’t anyone like my poem about the search for a photo of the Mark?
Joe, since asking for the photos in a haiku or free-form peom didn’t work, how about using a limerick?
There once was a theater called Mark
Played movies until it went dark
So where are the pics
To prove that this flicks
Existed, and not just a lark?
George Burns mentioned on his TV show (in 1954) that he played this theater.
I’ve been watching The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show currently running on Antenna TV, and he mentions this theater many times.
Let me try again Ebert Article
Roger Ebert’s website has a lengthy article entitled The Dying of the Light Ebert article about 2D and 3D lenses and why not changing the 3D lens for 2D presentation really messes up the image and the moviegoing experience.
Just saw the documentary Out in the Silence on PBS — a very good, enlightening show — and was pleased to see so much footage about the re-opening of this theater and the girls who bought it and worked hard to bring it back to life. So of course I came here straight-away to find out more.
What’s the present status? It seems the website is down but I hope the theater is still in some kind of performance use.
Here’s the beginning of something I came across written on a website about this theater:
“I wasn’t married yet in the very early 60’s when I first discovered the famous Fox Theater on N. Illinois Street in Indianapolis…..but later, when I was married, I still went there! I was actually still in high school, but they let me in anyway……and I had lots of experiences there that will be worth repeating. At that time it was a (very famous, locally) burlesque theater, and just as exciting (for some) when it became a porno movie palace in later years. Real on-stage performances by such ‘names’ at the time as "Evelyn West and her $50,000 Treasure Chest.”
But I soon learned that the REAL excitement was down in the basement — a cavernous, giant restroom area that required a very squeaky door and a long stairway to enter. And I soon found out that no one paid much attention (maybe a raised eyebrow or two?) when they heard that door squeak at the top of the stairway. The place was wide open, and many a straight guy, there only to get off by watching the bosom of the latest burlesque queen flopping around upstairs, would barely glance to the bathroom stalls to the left as he made his way to the urinal to take a leak. He knew what was going on over there — no one tried too hard to hide the action, and sometimes the activity spilled out to the large floor space in front of the stalls…
The building profile posted by Ed Solero on Sept. 5, 2007 should be the image used on this page, since it accurately reflects the actual entrance of the theater.
That image is off by couple of miles — how to fix it?
I think there is a “remove” icon available as soon as the post is published, but I don’t know how long it stays there.
How do you “activate” a hyperlink? I think in the old format it just did it automatically but I’m not so sure now. And how do you condense a long link into a short phrase like “hitchcockpapers”?
This website link should bring up the Psycho marquee and other shots of the Demille but not the Psycho signage. (Nice website, btw.) http://thehitchcockpapers.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/psycho-at-the-demille-theater/
Isn’t there a nice shot of the Psycho wrap-around signage out there somewhere? A re-post of it would be nice.
Let’s get some photos of this house posted, quick. That office building now showing is dreadful.
Although I know it would mean reconfiguring the proscenium and curtains, I think that this movie sheet could stand a replacement expansion — there is so much room on either side of the present screen, a larger screen would really be eye-popping. Right now it looks a little old-fashioned and not quite state-of-the-art.
Test of NY Post article dated 6/3/11:
ong Beach, LI, is getting its movie theater back.
The beach town’s four-screen cinema is reopening after mysteriously closing in late April.
Its owner, PL Long Beach LLC, announced today that the theater would reopen June 10 after undergoing renovations that include a new 3-D screen.
When the theater closed, residents were left to wonder what had happened. Signs were simply taken down and the glass covered up with paper. Town officials were even were unaware about what had happened.
The theater’s owner said today that it planned to lease the space out for retail stores but changed direction after the community made it clear it wanted a place to see movies. Long Beach Cinema is the only theater in the town.
.
This theater has caught on, because there always seems to be a nice crowd — not over-packed, but just enough to have a good movie-going experience. I especially like the bargain matinees, and its proximity to Penn Station.
Justin, like most (all?) AMC theaters coast-to-coast, all shows here starting before noon are only $6.00. And the regular admission price of $13. is not much higher than the usual suburban price (your beloved AMC Rockaway is $11., for example.)
And I’ve never waited on line, especially with about 20 ticket kiosks in the lobby.
So, please…stop in next time you’re in the neighborhood. And once you’re in the door you can wander around nearly at will, checking out the different levels and cinemas. You’ll be glad you did.
From Long Beach Herald:
On April 1, Long Beach resident George Ennis, who hosts the annual George Ennis Film Festival, said he had booked the theater at Long Beach Cinemas at 179 E. Park Ave., where he planned to hold a pre-screening of the festival’s short films on May 25.
Ennis said that the pre-screening event â€" a lead-in to the film festival on June 5 at the Cabana, that also raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation â€" was expected to attract about 150 people to view the roughly 10 to 12 short films that would be presented at the festival and showcase the work of amateur and professional filmmakers.
“A lot of people were looking forward to it,†Ennis said. “Having [the pre-screening] at the theater put a little bit more legitimacy to the film festival.â€
So Ennis said it came as a shock when the movie theater manager told him that the event would have to be canceled. The manager, Ennis said, informed him that theater’s owners had abruptly closed the business the night before. On Thursday, the theater’s coming attraction posters and movie listings were removed, and the lights inside the building were off.
“I went by [Thursday] and wanted to ask [the manager] a question,†Ennis said. “When I saw there was no coming attraction signs, I knew something was fishy.â€
Ennis said the manager later contacted him to apologize and explained what had happened.
“Evidently the owners came in the middle of the night and said ‘we’re wrapping it up,’†Ennis said. “Who knew that two days ago, driving by the theater, that they were going to pull the rug out.â€
The abrupt closure came as a shock to many residents, Ennis said, adding that even the manager seemed a bit unsure as to why the owners closed the business without any notice. Neither the manager nor the building’s owner, Philip Pilevsky of Philips International, returned calls for comment on Friday. City Manager Charles Theofan could not be reached for comment on Friday. Another city official with the building department said on Friday that he was not sure why the theater had closedOn April 1, Long Beach resident George Ennis, who hosts the annual George Ennis Film Festival, said he had booked the theater at Long Beach Cinemas at 179 E. Park Ave., where he planned to hold a pre-screening of the festival’s short films on May 25.
Ennis said that the pre-screening event â€" a lead-in to the film festival on June 5 at the Cabana, that also raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation â€" was expected to attract about 150 people to view the roughly 10 to 12 short films that would be presented at the festival and showcase the work of amateur and professional filmmakers.
“A lot of people were looking forward to it,†Ennis said. “Having [the pre-screening] at the theater put a little bit more legitimacy to the film festival.â€
So Ennis said it came as a shock when the movie theater manager told him that the event would have to be canceled. The manager, Ennis said, informed him that theater’s owners had abruptly closed the business the night before. On Thursday, the theater’s coming attraction posters and movie listings were removed, and the lights inside the building were off.
“I went by [Thursday] and wanted to ask [the manager] a question,†Ennis said. “When I saw there was no coming attraction signs, I knew something was fishy.â€
Ennis said the manager later contacted him to apologize and explained what had happened.
“Evidently the owners came in the middle of the night and said ‘we’re wrapping it up,’†Ennis said. “Who knew that two days ago, driving by the theater, that they were going to pull the rug out.â€
The abrupt closure came as a shock to many residents, Ennis said, adding that even the manager seemed a bit unsure as to why the owners closed the business without any notice. Neither the manager nor the building’s owner, Philip Pilevsky of Philips International, returned calls for comment on Friday. City Manager Charles Theofan could not be reached for comment on Friday. Another city official with the building department said on Friday that he was not sure why the theater had closed. Ennis said that he was given no indication that the theater was in danger of shutting its doors.
Ennis said that he was given no indication that the theater was in danger of shutting its doors.
“I’ve been talking to the manager on a weekly basis â€" there was no indication that it would close,†Ennis said. “The manager didn’t really get into why it closed that much, but I can only guess that it was for financial reasons.â€
For many years, Long Beach Cinema, the only movie theater in Long Beach, was located at the corner of Long Beach Road and Park Avenue. The theater boasts four movie screens and is located on the former site of the Lido Theater, said Carole Shahda Geraci, of the Long Beach Historical and Preservation Society.
Ennis acknowledged that, as of Friday, it was still unclear if the theater was shutting its doors permanently. “The manager said that he couldn’t tell me for sure that it was going to reopen in a few weeks, but he said that it didn’t look that way,†Ennis said.
Now, Ennis said that his pre-screening benefit may be relocated to the Cabana, and said that the theater’s closure is a bit of a letdown.
“It’s a little difficult â€" this would have put [the event] in a much more conducive atmosphere to concentrate on the films,†Ennis said. “And it’s going to hurt a little from a contribution standpoint.â€
Check out next week’s issue of the Herald for expanded coverage.
Link includes a photo.
View link
Theater looks closed. Nothing on the marquee, no one sheets, nothing in the box office.
Well, they did tear down Penn Station, Madison Square Garden, The Metropolitan Opera House and the Roxy.
Thank goodness they missed Grand Central, Radio City Music Hall and
the High Line.
The mezzazine lounge didn’t look like that when I frequented the theater, from 1983 to closing. The opening had been covered over by a floor, making a very large lounge space with very little decor.