Westbury Theater
250 Post Avenue,
Westbury,
NY
11590
250 Post Avenue,
Westbury,
NY
11590
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 149 comments found
“King of Hearts”?
Hey
I was just thinking what was that famous French comedy where the inmates were running the asylum? My story about the Westbury could be a remake.
Well, the one side of Westbury(actually Old Westbury) has the million and multi-million dollar homes BUT it’s quite a stretch from where the Westbury Theater is located. 10-15 years ago, the main street in Westbury was very nice. But I was back there about a year ago and was kind of shocked about how it’s sunk. Westbury is a strange town the way it’s split. One area (near where the movie theater is) is rather run down and low on the economic scale. The area across Jericho Turnpike is beautiful. But I’d be willing to bet that the residents of Old Westbury don’t go near the old “downtown” area.
When they were one of the only full time art houses in Nassau County they did decent grosses (and that’s just what they reported). Without the screaming and badgering they could have survived. Who did they think was going to come there for all the Paramount movies they played with Spanish subtitles? One side of Westbury has million dollar homes and could have supported an art house indefinitely.
An odd spectacle. I hate to say this but the theater was doomed in more ways than just the owners. Then neighborhood itself is in decline and it’s got stiff competition just around the corner with the Raceway Theaters off of Hempstead Turnpike.
Odder even then leaving an open hole in the roof that left rain pouring in and destroying the place while it was still open. Then there was collecting money to quad the theatre that they just seemed to put in their pockets. There was a whole program to get your name on the marquee if you donated $100. What a sham.
RobertR: it would be a comedy, drama and tragedy. What’s sad is that these people must’ve loved the idea of owning and running their own movie theater. But they were so odd and genuinely mean spirited that one had to wonder why they were doing it. Was it just for the novelty? Did they treat the theater itself like some kind of big toy and couldn’t be bothered with the details like being nice to your patrons? It was and is a very strange story…
I feel like writing a screen play about this once great theatre and the insane couple who ran it into the ground, but who would believe it.
Here’s one more annoying memory about the owners who were kooks. This happened after the infamous cough-drop incident.
My and a few friends were there to see an “art” film (maybe “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” or something like that. While waiting on line, this guy had one of those car radios that you used to remove from the dashboard (don’t know if they still make them). Anyway…the woman owner was working the counter and noticed this. She sent her husband over to the guy to tell him he couldn’t take it into the theater. The husband told the guy this and a pretty nifty little fight ensued. Of course the guy with the radio argued that it was a car radio but the owners would have none of it. Long story short, the guy was ejected from the theater (with his friends). We all had a big laugh. The owners, honest to God, were very strange people. Seemed like nerdy control freaks.
And yes, for awhile, it was one of the few places to see independent/art films on Long Island. The only other place was the New Community Cinema out in Huntington.
Why anyone put up with this lunacy is beyond me, these two should have been put in an asylum and the key thrown away.
Not only did the theatre owners forbid “outside food,” one time, they practically followed my friend’s mother back to her car to make sure she didn’t surreptitiously return with the contraband can of diet soda.
I only saw two movies there: Raiders of the Lost Ark when it was re-released in 1982, and The Trip to Bountiful. At the second one, I was sucking on a lifesaver, and an usher told me to spit it out and I refused, and he said he’d get the manager and I said, “Go ahead,” but nothing happened. Then, they shut off the projector during the end credits. That completely set me OFF and I yelled at the usher, “I paid $6.50 to see this movie and I want to see ALL the goddamned credits!” He was mystified and I stormed off.
Any action taking place here yet?
Sorry, dumb mistake on my part. I saw the web address had UK in it, but with those 2 you never knew what was going to happen.
Sadly, the last link is for a “Campaign for a Theatre in Westbury” refers to Westbury, Wiltshire, in ENGLAND (in the southern region, west of London). It would have been nice if the people of Westbury, New York were as enthused about their theatre as the people of Westbury, England are.
View link
View link
http://www.incweb.fsnet.co.uk/wtp/
If only she spent $200 to fix the hole in the roof.
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Here is a story from the Westbury Times regarding the theatre last year. Seems it was about to be auctioned off before.
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They may have loved the business but even putting aside their abuse of customers, they knew nothing about booking. To play Paramount movies just because they shipped free was sheer lunacy. They could have picked up the prints themselves if they did not want to pay Long Island Film Shipping to do it. Many of the art distributors would not service them anymore, for reasons I wont go into on here. They never would offer a bargain matinee and acted like it was a privilege to be allowed to see a movie there. It worked for awhile when they were about the only place in Nassau County to see an art film. The minute the Malverne and Manhasset and later Kew Gardens went art nobody in their right mind went there anymore. That theatre could have even went $3 and played second run moveovers and would have done alot more then it took in. One last thing, I wish I could remember the double feature that one of the film companies released in the early 90’s (so rare even then)but they actually put one film in each screen and charged a seperate admission for each. Every place else it was a double feature. I can guarantee they reported the grosses from just one side and not the total, if anyone was crazy enough to see them there.
I have known the owners for many, many years—over 30! Although some say they mismanaged the property, they loved the business and did their best to keep it going with little money.
Actually, in response to Robert’s comment, the Salisbury Theatre is now a CVS Drug Store. National Wholesale Liquidators occupies the building formerly owned by Pergament Hardware.
More memories! I remember waiting for some popcorn with some other family (I think “Fairy Tale” was showing that week—er I mean season). The little girls' eyes lit up in amazement as the old fashioned metal corn popper spilled out its lushious white kernals. “Oh my God!” one of them exclaimed. Another time, a family was gathering to see “Snow Day” (that too ran forever) when I walked out of the auditorium to ask Mrs. S a question. The dad’s face turned ashen white, and then he said cautiously, “guys, why don’t we it playing at Roosevelt Field instead?”, and they all left. Geez Pops, was it something I said? A lot of people thought I worked
there, and when the film would jump or break, and someone would ask
me “go tell them to fix it”, I’d angrily reply “YOU tell them!” As
to the above poster, yes I do remember when the Westbury showed “La
Traviata” (I once thought the Westbury had originally opened as an
opera house, because of the [fake] boxes on either side, I felt I
was returning to their roots). I also saw “Mr. Smith…”, and I
heard two old ladies exclaim to Mrs. S. as I walked out, “Oh Uncle
Billy was fabulous!”, “Casablanca” too, as part of their Bogart
festival (which I tried to get them to extend another week with my
copy of “Call It Murder”. They didn’t have 16mm equipment) I think
the other films in the series was that war movie and noir movie he made for Columbia (the names escape me for now), “Sabrina”, and “The Caine Mutiny”. But the one movie that lasted forever there was “Tender Mercies”. I remember Mrs. S. saying that she would show the movie until Robert DuVal made a personal appearance. She gave up after three or four years of showing it. As I said before, I have broken my back in lottery tickets over the past few weeks, hoping to win big to bid on the theatre. I didn’t attend the auction, not only because of a lack of funds, but I was also rehearsing a show I’m doing in December at Symphony Space (plug, plug). The Westbury Theatre has given me alot of terrific memories. From the Saturday matinees in the 60’s with a cold, stern, matronly woman keeping order with a scowl and a snear; the midnight shows of the 70’s, where I saw “Reefer Madness”, Beatle films, Betty Boop cartoons, and the like; from the couple taking over in the 80’s, and watching the staff dwindle to just those two. Up to my almost weekly pilgrimage in the 90’s, when I thought every week would be my last one there. They may take away the Westbury Theatre, but no one can ever take away the memories of that theatre. Memories of which I’ll cherish forever.
Hey Orlando, please do post the interior photos of the Westbury and any pending news on the new owner’s intented use. Sounds like an attempt to save this theater is too late. What a shame for such a unique structure. From my last visit there a few months back, I’d estimate that the cost to save the place would have easily exceed the $5 – $7 million dollar range. My hunch is that the new owner will try to demolish the theatre and put some type of senior housing/assisted living units and/or an office building. Here’s to hoping I’m wrong…
Another Westbury memory – anyone recall the annual recurrance of the following titles – Casablanca, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, La Traviata, Streetwise, Raiders of the Lost Ark? I’m assuming Corrine and Rod owned or conveniently held onto prints of these movies. Aside from Raiders, I could not picture them actually booking and paying for these same rep house titles over and over again. It seemed anytime Paramount was totally out of product, they’d play one of those films for as many weeks as necessary to fill the gaps. Who the world at Paramount was willing to even continue booking them all those years anyway?
I hate to sound cold, but Corrine and her fellow owner(s) have few other people to blame but themselves for the current state of the Westbury, both the structure itself and the fact that the property ever had to be auctioned off.
The owner, Corrine Staehle was present, sitting in the first row against the wall with her attorney. She was asking at the end of the bidding who the high bidder was. She looked like she was calm and sat quietly during the proceedings. Maybe l’ll see you Saturday at the Loew’s Jersey and give you the details.
Were the two owners present?