Apollo Theatre

Nice view of the corner turret:

http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/maxwell/M04/M0484-72dpi.jpeg

This theatre is on Gene Chesley's "National List of Historic Theatre Buildings" which includes the names and locations of theatres for which information had been gathered as of 1979, with some additions made through 1989. One can assume then that the building was still standing as of 1979.

Interesting list of theatres:
http://www.lib.umd.edu/NTL/theaterlist.html#New%20Jersey

The theater was part of the Apollo circut chain and was sold to the miserable Frank family in the late 60's. They ran it until 1973 when they closed it in Aug when the leaser ran out. They were right in the middle of the roadshow engagement of Last Tango In Paris which they than moved to the Margate Twin. In 1974, Chalie Tannembaum took it over and reopend it as the Apollo Burlesque theater. He closed it in 1977 when the thetaer part of the building was condemed. The front became a artist gallery for charectures. It burned and the following year was replaced with a clothing store. As far as I know an Embvasy Suites now sits there on tyhe corner of New York and the boardwalk.
The Apollo had some great movies in it's day they had The Dirty Dozen all summer of 67, Memorial day weekend they had Guess WHo's Coming To Dinner and in June they opened with Neil Simons The Odd Couple which ran all summer. They also replaced the screen in 68.

I saw the Dirty Dozen, The Odd Couple, Operation Grandslam, and Shaft, among others that I've forgotten when I was a kid growing up in AC. 2001 also played there, but I don't recall if it was in 70mm (don't recall if the theatre had 70mm capacity). It was a beautiful theatre with images of the Roman gods on the walls of the auditorium. I remember seeing Shaft there after the fire (the Franks
operated the Apollo by then) and part of the screen was burned and nothing had been done to repair or conceal it. Fortunately Shaft was 1.85 to 1 and basically what was left of the screen fit that ratio.
It was very bizarre to say the least(the first flame masked screen!!).

Howard
Do you remember seeing The Dirty Dozen? I remember it being in 1.85 ratio, but the dvd and other information shows it being in scope.

I am almost positive The Dirty Dozen was 1.85
There may have been some 70mm blow-ups in big markets like NYC and LA
The Dirty Dozen was directed by Robert Aldrich and I recall reading somewhere that he preferred 1.85 and never shot in scope. Flight of the Phoenix (the original), Longest Yard (the original)and Baby Jane were all 1.85 to 1 . Vera Cruz was 2.0 to 1, but was in the short lived "Superscope" format which was a process done in post production to films shot Academy Flat (1.33 to 1) as a cheap alternative to Cinemascope.

From The Encyclopedia of New Jersey p 802:

"The Apollo Theatre on New York Avenue became the top legitimate theater in the city. Originally the Academy of Music, it was erected to house an equestrian show but remodeled into a theater in 1892. After two major fires, it was rebuilt of brick in 1908 as a pre-Broadway house, but in 1924 it was converted into a movie theater."

I remember when the Apollo was a burlesque house in the mid 1970s. For some reason, burlesque was still popular years after its heyday. I recall another burlesque house on Virginia Avenue between Pacific Avenue and the Boardwalk. There was a city bus station just before you reached the boardwalk, and a novelty store as well, along with a few bars on the south side of the street. All of that was obliterated to make way for the Taj Mahal.

Closed. Please patronize the Embassy:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/apolloac.jpg

Old photos & drawings :
http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/image_gallery.cfm/14282?ShowAll=9999

There is a hotel currently on the site of the former Apollo theater.

1971 postcard:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6d809b3127cce8a867acc24d600000016108IZsW7Zwzc-

If you look at the far end of the postacrd you can see the Roxy theater that was on Kentucky and the boardwalk.

We ventured into the Apollo around 1975.....like going into 1920...this old vaudeville like stage that curved out in the middle with bulbs along the edge...also old nouveau like candelabra on the walls...or at least I think it was the Apollo....that and the Strand I believe were the only theatres running. A great many theatres were still open in the late 60's, we would catch 2 or 3 films a day if the weather was bad, being from a small town when we came to A.C. there was much to choose from. So I think by 1975 A.C. was in rough shape already before the casinos opened and had lost most of its movie palaces.....the casinos just finished off the old sites for development along with other old A.C. memories.
I believe sometime in the late 90's I heard a news blurb from A.C. that a portion of an old building had collapsed (no injuries) and they said it was part of the old Apollo auditorium....could this be
correct?

The main projectionist was Otto Bertoldi. One Summer day in 1971, I spent a few hours with him while he was running the MGM hit "Shaft" continuiosly. The projectors were Simplex E-7's & the carbon arc lamps were Strong Mighty 90's or Excelite's. Otto told me that he had been working there since 1926, and showed a newsreel about Lindberg crossing the Atlantic Ocean on his first day. He said that the booth was once part of the original balacony know as "N-word Haven". He showed me the ornate ceiling above the booth, and the large concrete steps that went down to a once, separate box office and entrance on NY. Ave.

This should probably be closed/demolished. I doubt if the building is still standing as there isn't much left on the Boardwalk other than casinos.

Here are two more photos from 1925:
http://tinyurl.com/ykyuwg
http://tinyurl.com/yhddbd

Here is another vintage photo of the Apollo Theater.

The postcard that TC posted on June 28, 2006 @ 2:14pm. is a 1963 view of the theatre. If you look at the marquee reads.
Frank Sinatra
Come Blow Your Horn
Lee J. Cobb Molly Picon Barbara Rush

I remember the cheesy burlesque posters in the display cases in the early to mid 70s. The dancers all had exotic names like "Lotta Love" and so on. By that time the city was extremely poor shape.

According to the LHAT's Frick/Ward 1987 "Directory of Historic American Theatres", the Apollo "was erected by Joseph Fralinger to replace the Academy of Music which had burned in 1902". It was a celebrated pre-Bway tryout house and roadshow house for many years, and went over completely to movies in 1934. The predecessor theatre, the Academy of Music, is listed under Atlantic City in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide. The seating was 1,600; the house had electric illumination, was located on the ground floor and had 3 to 10 members of the house orchestra. The proscenium opening was 50 feet wide X 22 feet high, and the stage was 48 feet deep. Even way back in 1897 there were over 300 hotels there. The population was 22,000.

Frick and Ward also state that the Apollo opened in April 1907. It was supposedly still standing when their directory was published in 1987. Joseph Fralinger who built it had also been the manager of the earlier Academy of Music.

From what I know, an Embass Suites now sits on the site of the former Apollo theater. It closed as a burlesque house arounf 1977 because the auditorium was condemed. I knew Charlie Tannenbaum who owned the theatre from my banking days, After they closed the theatre, the lobby was used for charectures. That burned and some friends of mine opened a clothing store there.

With Ron's 1934 date for movies, then I will speculate that's when architect William H. Lee worked on this theater.

1966 postcard:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b8df01b3127cceb49390f4209000000026108IZsW7Zwzc-

Note that in TC's 1966 postcard there is a billboard advertising "Fralinger's Salt Water Taffy". Seems likely that this was the same Fralinger who was involved in the construction of the Apollo Theatre.

I believe that it was the same person Ron. Here is an article that makes the connection between Joseph F. Fralinger the saltwater taffy king and his involvement with the Apollo Theater.

Was W.H. Lee the original architect of the Apollo, or just the architect in charge of the extensive interior "modernization" that took place in 1934? If there's sufficient interest, I'll post "before" and "after" photos that were published at the time.

Among the movies that played the Apollo was "The Five Pennies" in the summer of 1959. - Ed Blank

Saw "The Five Pennies" there in the summer of 1959. I remember thinking the Apollo was less distinctive than most of the other Atlantic City moviehouses of that era. - Ed Blank

The theatre on Virginia between Pacific & the BW, may have been the Quarterdeck? I went there in 1970 & it was a teenage (hippie) dance club called "Phaze II". In 1971 I remember some kind of a stage show on the marquee: "What Is Life?". I can still see the nearby Morton Hotel.

I don't remember the hippie place. The burlesque place that I referred to on 9/3/05 was actually on the ground floor of the Morton.

This is a 1977 photo of an Apollo Theater in Atlantic City. Is it a photo of this theater?

That's the place. Boy does that bring back memories. Thanks for the photo.

No problem. Did you catch any flicks there?

No. I went to the Beach Theater once on Atlantic Avenue when I was a teenager, to see an adult film, but I never had the nerve to try this place.

Renewing link.

This is from Boxoffice magazine in June 1958:

ATLANTIC CITY-"High School Confidential", first Albert Zugsmith film for MGM release, opened here May 29 to considerable fanfare. Zugsmith is a native son of Atlantic City and he and Jan Sterling, Charles Chaplin Jr., Jackie Coogan and DIane Jergens, stars of the film, received a rousing welcome.

The opening at the Apollo Theatre was for the benefit of the United Cerebral Palsy Fund. There was a motorcade parade, testimonial lunches and dinners and an address by Zugsmith at Atlantic City High School.

An ad with no graphics.