34th Street East Theatre

The address used by Yeshiva University is 239 East 34th Street. It is on a real estate listing as "Geraldine Schottenstein Cultural Center; a former movie theater turned into an auditorium by Yeshiva University". The building is listed as being built in 1963. I don't know if that coincides with the opening year of this theater.

Decades ago I used to go to this theatre from time to time when in New York. My stronget memories go back to the summer of 1965 when AFFS (the American Federation of Film Societies) had a number of special morning 35mm screenings at this then-very-spiffy place for members during one week. Among the films I saw there in those screenings were Munk's "The Passenger," Bertolucci's "Before the Revolution," Buñuel's "Nazarin," and Rossif's "To Die in Madrid." They were all revelations. The AFFS also had 16mm screenings that year in a room at the U.N. building.

This was a Walter Reade theatre which shifted over to Cineplex Odeon during the 1986-7 buyout...It was a pretty safe bet in the 70s to day date with an 86th St and a Broadway Loews house for a first or showcase run...

I believe Walter Reade Organization headquarters were in offices above the theatre.

That could be so. Cineplex had their offices there when they ran it. This theater had most of the orignal equipment in operation when it closed.

This was always a class house.

There was a theatre on East 34th Street where part of the ceiling collapsed. I don't think anyone was seriously injured. It was during the 1980s. I think it was this theatre. Anyone remember this?

Hardbop, that was the Murray Hill Cinema. (q.v.)

Walter Reade had its offices here until the New Ziegfeld opened when they moved there. Cineplex Odeon eventually moved their offices back here in the seventies and shut down the West 56th Street offices as well as the Ziegfeld office.

When I worked for Cineplex the basement was full of Continental Releasing film prints, Sterling Film 16mm documentaries and other relics of the Walter Reade era.

Wouldn't Cineplex Odeon have moved its offices to the 34th Street East Theatre building in the '80s (or maybe early '90s)? They didn't enter the NYC marketplace - at least not formally - until 1987.

You are correct BR. It was early 1990. Cineplex was trying to save money after the Garth Drabinsky debacle and did not have to pay extra rent here.

Al Alvarez, I am looking for a title that would potentially have been in that basement full of Continental film prints from the Walter Reade era. Would you have any idea where they may have moved them or would you know who I could contact that may be able to help me? For more details, you can contact me barrygriffin@bellsouth.net

barrygriffin, I suspect they are probably still there as Cineplex Odeon was quite un-interested in the prints. The Toronto office was dismissive of Sterling which was still operating as a service to schools and universities. I don't know who owns these film rights today but there were some 35mm prints of high profile titles such as ROOM AT THE TOP and TEOREMA.

The theatre was built by Walter Reade-Sterling and first opened in July, 1963 with the American premiere engagement of "This Sporting Life." John J. McNamara was the architect. It was a conversion of a building that had once been an electrical power sub-station. The auditorium seated 410, including a loge section. Above the theatre were three floors of offices that became HQ for Walter Reade-Sterling.

the district office was in the 34th st east in the late 80s for cineplex odeon as was the Biograph booking dept.

I neglected to mention that the brand-new theatre shared the American premiere engagement of "This Sporting Life" with the Little Carnegie Theatre (on West 57th Street). However, the 34th Street East had a gala invitational opening the night before, with attendees including one of the film's stars, Rachel Roberts, and her then husband, Rex Harrison.

Does anyone have any information on a "34th Street Theatre" that appears in the NY Times 1948-1949? I am not sure where on 34th Street it was.

Al; The Film Daily Yearbook;1950 edition lists a 34th Street Theatre, 162 E. 34th Street, New York, NY with 720 seats.

I think that 34th Street Theatre was near Macys and I have some signs of it being opening 1949-1950. It tracks where Wendy's is now.

241 East 34th Street is the 1963 Walter Reade house which was Head Office when I worked for Cineplex Odeon.

Well the FDY; 1944 edition lists the 34th Street Theatre, 162 E. 34th Street with 600 seats.

Just looked up the 34th Street Theatre and found its listed in Film Daily Yearbook's from 1926, 1927, 1930, 1941 and 1943. Same address and seating capacity as posted above by William. Strange it is currently not listed on Cinema Treasures.

Wouldn't the 34th Street Theater have been located where the Murray Hill Cinema was located. Did one replace the other?

Found this ad from a 1980 copy of the Daily News... the film in question had played a sneak preview at both the 34th Street East and the Little Carnegie on 12/12/80 before day-and-dating at both theaters (plus the Baronet) beginning 12/19/80:

Inside Moves Daily News 12/14/80

In those days you got to see the sneak preview and stay for the regular feature ("Elephant Man" here at the 34th Street and "Stardust Memories" at the Little Carnegie).

The day-and-date policy between the 34th Street East and Little Carnegie was alive and well in March of 1982 when Burt Lancaster watched Susan Sarandon bathe her breasts with lemons in this melancholy Louis Malle film:

Daily News 3/6/82

The day-and-date policy between the 34th Street East and Little Carnegie was alive and well in March of 1982 when Burt Lancaster watched Susan Sarandon bathe her breasts with lemons in this melancholy Louis Malle film:

Daily News 3/6/82

All of the comments mention for the 34Street East are accurate. I was an Usher there from 1964 for about 18 months. Got to wear a Tux and got free passes to any Theatre in Manhattan. Most impressive to the girls.

The 34th St Theatre, mentioned above, was the previous name of the Murray Hill Theatre - Rugoff named it MH when he took over and renovated it. A photo of the old 34th St/MH can be seen here:
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b123/dave-bronx/New%20York%20Theatres/Murray%20Hill/?action=view¤t=murrayhilla.jpg

The 34th Street East was two blocks east of the Murray Hill Theater.

It was only 1 block; but I am responding to William's 5/2/06 entry above.

dave-bronx is correct. I began going to the Murray Hill in the early 50's. It was orgianlly a vaudville house and was there in total for over 100 years. This included at least one fire and one ceiling collapse.

I went to only one movie at this theater; David Lynch's LOST HIGHWAY.

Was this theater the building that was once the Third Avenue el substation mentioned in the the book about that line called "By the El"?

The Shop on Main Street (aka The Shop on High Street)had a long run at the 34th Street East.

Yes, the site was formerly used for a power sub-station. Please see my post above of February 23, 2006.

Thank you Warren. I thought that might be the building mentioned. I looked something like the other former power station that still survives on Third and 99th Street.

There is an excellent color photograph of the marquee of the 34th Street Theater which was located on E.34th close by Third Avenue. You can descend from the EL station and be a few feet from the marquee.
The photo is in the second edition of "By the El" by Lawrence Stelter, photos by Lothar Stelter, currently in print. An excellent book of color photos circa 1949-1953, taken along Third Avenue and adjacent streets.
The photo shows a marquee of 1930's vintage, outlined in yellow with incandescent bulbs of yellow, name in red neon, white glass attraction board with black letters proclaiming the main feature as "Kangaroo" with Peter Lawford, circa 1953.

The 34th St. East Theatre was/is located closer to 2nd Ave. on the north side of the street. The 34th St. Theatre you are referring to, near the 3rd Ave El, later became the Murray Hill Theatre, which was just off 3rd Ave. to the west on the south side of the street.

I grew up on 36th street so I saw many, many movies here. I'll always remember seeing Caberet there with my Mom. JAWS opened there and I must have seen that 10 times. War and Peace played there and if you bought a ticket you saw 1/2 one day and 1/2 the following day.

I wonder if there were any Night Of The Living Dead prints in the basement.

I can remember hanging out in the city for the day as a kid in the summer of 1985 and going to see Pee Wee's Big Adventure here Or it might have been Real Genius. What I do remember distinctly is falling in love with an extra large movie poster for Dance With a Stranger that was plastered up on a fence near the theater and peeling it off and running like mad because I was afraid a cop would catch me for stealing, then ducking into the 34th Street East to see one of those two movies.

The 34th St. East.

http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=new+york&catpageindex=31&catpagesize=25&ProductID=31200

Pictures.. from a transit site, in the background of the bus..

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?132

http://bus.nycsubway.org/perl/show?133

It is sad seeing these single screen theatres gone. They had so much more personality than the Monster-Plexes of today.