UA Midway Stadium 9

The Midway celebrates its 60th birthday September 26, 2002. Opening Red Cross benefit featured Ed Wynn on stage and Errol Flynn in "Desperate Journey." Following day, it joined the RKO chain's double-feature presentation of "The Pied Piper" & "Just Off Broadway." Original theatre design by Thomas Lamb (his last), completed after his death by S. Charles Lee. Named after the Battle of Midway Island, the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Theatre a joint partnership of RKO & Skouras Theatres, which alternated management for the first 8 years. May have been the last theatre completed in US before war restrictions on building supplies.

This theater was divided into a quartet in the 1970's (by twinning both the orchestra and balcony areas) and remained as such until closed for renovations in the late 90's. While it is sad that the original architecture is lost, the Midway happens to be one of the cleanest and best run cinemas in Queens, featuring excellent site lines due to it's stadium-style seating plans, comfortable rocker-seats and high quality projection and sound systems.

When the Midway Theatre was a single screen theatre it seated 1931 people.

does anyone have an historic picture of this theater?
if so please contact me at jurayj@aol.com

Two pages of B&W photos of the Midway can be found in the Better Theatres section of the October 17,1942 issue of Motion Picture Herald Magazine. The side walls on the main floor of the auditorium originally were decorated with round illuminated portrait frames that displayed headshot photos of stars from current and forthcoming attractions. They were switched off during the feature movies because they were too distracting.

I worked at the Midway in 1977 and the "quadding" took place in the spring of that year to be completed in time to be open for "The Disney Festival" (Remember them?) which started the last week of June. The Midway was always a busy house no matter what played. That summer we also had the "A.I.P. Summer Festival". For one of those double bills, "Tentacles" and "Squirm", some teenagers changed the Balcony theatres entrance sign to rhyme with the a certain part of the male anatomy and what it produced. This went un-noticed for a while until a patron informed management as to when we started showing X-rated pictures. There are many more stories. When the blackout occured that summer, the theatre was sold out (all auditoriums). When it was found to be a city blackout and not just the theatre, patrons were told to keep their stubs for re-admission. This caused a furor amongst people who wanted their money refunded (even in the dark). Refunds weren't issued and the police were summoned to get the refund agitators removed so the building could be closed and secured. The Midway also had two part time matrons and children's sections in all auditoriums. The lobby was done with a red and black color scheme and the left staircase that led to the balcony had an area for game machines (almost 10) that were very busy on the weekends. Also at this time, we had a union electrician and he also changed the marquee. No one was allowed to change a light bulb except him. I was at the Midway for about six months until I was transferred to the Syosset Theatre on Long Island.
P.S. At the time managers got 2 1/2% commission on candy sales and 1% on the game machines (- shortages).

Does anyone know what year and for what reason the practice of matrons and children's sections was discontinued in the five boroughs of New York City? Today, can children attend unaccompanied, or must they be with an adult?

All I know about this is that the matrons were licensed by New York City and Children's sections had to be maintained. This was probably to protect children from child molesters. Adults were chased out childrens' sections as children were watched if they were sneaking into adult sections or the balcony. This regulation must have "gone with the wind" since multi-screen theatres were required one matron per auditorium, as was the fact at the Midway. Another regulation that "flew the coop" is that exits from a theatres were on ground level or from fire escapes leading to street level. In today's Manhattan, with their multi-level theatre buildings, the exits are into corridors and stairwells with audiences not aware of where the outside exit from a auditorium on the fifth floor really is. Can you imagine a fire at either AMC 25 or Loew's E-Walk with the escalators and elevators inoperative and people panicking in smoke filled stairways. This is just another disaster in the making and where are the fire laws to prevent this? As far as children in theatres, they can sit anywhere in any Long Island multiplex. Not only can they buy their tichet for a PG movie, they can see an R or NC-17 once they pass the ticket taker. 12 and 14 screen theatres don't have a ticket taker at every auditorium entrance. I would never let my child attend any movie theatre alone today.

The Midway was just a few months old when my parents took me there for the first time to see a double feature consisting of "George Washington Slept Here" and "Wings And The Woman." I was only six and a half, but had already been exposed to luxurious palaces like the Roxy, Loew's Triboro, Loew's Valencia, and Keith's Flushing, so I hated the Midway on sight. It was so plain and antiseptic. When the movies got boring, there was nothing to look at but plain walls and ceiling. Its only interesting feature was in the oval main lobby. Above the exit doors was a very large screen on which were projected slides of coming attractions or announcements like "The Midway Is Your Theatre...Your Pleasure Is Our Delight!" I wonder how long that lasted?

My father "Charlie" was an employee and a fixture at the Midway for almost thirty years. It truly was his home away from home. Sadly, due to health reasons he retired in 1989 and passed away in 1998. Today when I visit Sam the doorman, who my father hired so many years ago, we reminice and talk about how things have changed. He always reminds me that I'm welcomed to see a movie for free and I always remind him that the only reason I stop by is to see him and to remember a man I miss so very much..my father "Charlie"Manfre

The Midway was one of my neighborhood theaters when I was a teen in the mid-late 60's. It was still a large and well-equipped single-screen, although many of the special touches mentioned above, like the preview screen, were gone.
I recall that the window of the exterior box office bore a decal showing a map of Midway Island -- the first inkling I had, as a kid, that Midway was more than the name of a theater. See, movies CAN be educational.
I also recall that the screen was not only huge but also unusually curved for regular theater, giving s slight, and actually pleasing distortion to the picture.
I vividly recall seeing "The Sand Pebbles" there, several times, in Fall 1967. It was the first time I'd seen a picture with stereo sound. I wonder if this sound system had been slumbering unused, or whether it was installed specially for the engagement of this prestige feature?
Other Midway memories include "Dr. Zhivago" -- my first actual date -- "Planet of the Apes", "In Like Flint" (OK, a guilt pleasure, but as I kid I loved it!), and "Patton".

The building is currently owned by a company called Street Retail Forest and has a market value of $19.39 million, according to NYC property records.

This is my neighborhood thatre and although it has been "plexed" it is well maintained. This is because the theatre is owned by the Heskel Group and operated by UA Regal. Elijah Heskel comes in often and I'm sure that's the only reason they don't destroy this like all their other houses.

I used to come here a lot with my aunt and grandfather when I was little (my aunt took my to see "The Muppet Movie" and "Superman" while my grandfather brought me to "Airplane!" without telling me parents--heh!). Years later, when my wife and I moved to Kew Gardens, we were here just about every weekend. Although it's been 'plexed, I do agree that it is in immaculate condition and is well-run and well-maintained. The facade of the theater is still quite a sight to behold, especially with the glowing "MIDWAY" sign on the side (you really don't see that often anymore). Hope to get back here eventually.

I went to the Midway in the fall of 1974, because that was the closest theatre to me that was showing the "Universal Fun Festival", an umbrella title for the revivals of their comedy library, in this case W.C. Fields in "Never Give A Sucker An Even Break". And as I entered the great portals, I was impressed by the beautiful lobby and stairway leading to the balcony. I tried to settle back to enjoy the picture, but unfourtunately, the print had cuts and splices every fifth frame. But I did enjoy the magnificent theatre, and vowed I would return there again! The years went by, and one day I was leafing through the paper, and found a listing for the Midway 4...I never went back.

An unfortunate incident outside the UA Midway 9 the other night: http://nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/v-echo/story/265214p-227147c.html

My family moved to Forest Hills in 1956. The movie theaters back then were The Forest Hills on Austin Street, The Midway on Queens Boulevard and a bit later, The Cinemart on Metropolitan Avenue. The Continental opened in the early sixties on Continental Avenue and eventually had a second screen across the street from itself.

The Midway was my favorite theater and was the one at which I fell in love with the movies. I well remember the theater in its single screen glory. The pseudo-deco, black, red and gold lobby, the graceful staircases, the wide auditorium with its sweeping, curved screen. The way the curtains parted as the film began...I also recall the coming attractions screen above the main exit door in the lobby. And popcorn. Hot, fresh popcorn with real butter. And lots of it. Snocaps. Goobers, Raisinettes. And you got change back.

I also recall the box office which was outside, under the front of the marquee in it's own little enclosure. I remember the elderly woman who worked the box office and the friendly, talkitive doorman who treated kids as real people.

Among Midway movies, I recall West Side Story (1961), The Music Man (1962) and many assorted Disney features.

We remained in Forest Hills unti, the late eighties. I sometimes went to The Midway but it was a bit dispiriting to see the once splendid theater divided in quarters and less than well maintained.

I'm glad to read that The Midway, even as a nine-plex, is alive and well.

Jp

I worked as an usher in the Midway from 1971-1973. It was a special time in my life. Spent New Year's Eve 1972 with my boss and friend Charlie Manfre. At midnight he walked into the theater and yelled out to the few patrons, "Happy New Year." He was a special and wonderful man, and I miss him very much. The excitement of the large crowds on Friday and Saturday, were truly amazing. Met my wife to be there in 1972, as she worked behind the refreshment stand at the young age of 16. We are still marrried and often think back of those special times. The 26 weeks of the French Connection were a highlight, as were the rare Fight Nights on the large screen. The 1900 seat theater had a personality all of its own, and walking in there now, one can not even imagine the beauty that lived inside those walls.

I have fond memories of Charlie Manfre, he hired me and my first job was with the Midway theater from 1970-1974. Charlie was the "Chief of Staff" and an icon in the theater. He was a wonderful man who truly loved his family and I am very sorry to learn of his passing. Every Christmas season I would go with Charlie to help him pick out a Christmas gift for his wife. I remember his son Joey worked at the theater for a while as well. Dave Ginsburg was the manager at the time and he was a wonderful gentleman. I went to high school with Rob Berkowitz and I believe I introduced him to Charlie Manfre. I remember when Rob and his wife got engaged. We had some great times with some very wonderful people at the Midway and it was quite an enriching experience.

Just a note about the Preview screen in the lobby. It was still there in the late 1960's. I remember it very well

Here are two images taken from microfilm of the RKO Midway when it first opened in 1942:
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In the shot of the Grand Foyer, please note the screen above the exit doors which was used for the projection of slides. The one in use at the time had a floral background and the message:

The Midway is Your Theatre

Your
Pleasure

Your
Delight

The large windows at the top of the grand staircase were made of fluted glass. The drapes were a wartime requirement and used only at times of black-outs.

Thanks, Warren, for the photos. From my first visit to the Midway in its first year ("Arabian Nights" with Maria Montez, Jon Hall, Sabu) to my last, reopening night as 9-plex (Woody Allen's "Celebrity"), it was a pleasure to visit. Today, it's an example of preservation and renewal in the best sense. How many 60+ year-old theaters are fortunate enough to have owners and managers willing to invest in and maintain such important community resources and keep them functioning beautifully despite all the changes in technology, demographics, shifting values, and bottom-line mentality?

Wow, Warren, those are great and surprising shots. I went to the Midway frequently as a kid and for my early dating years, 1964-73, and I don't recall ever seeing natural light in the lobby (or seeing the message screen). I only recall a big dark space with an impression of a high ceiling. I wonder whether the drapes were always closed by then, or whether the second photo is of a part of the theater I didn't ordinarily see. Ar the doors under the message screen the same as the ones you used to enter from the under the marquee? Where would the auditorium be with respect to that photo?

You enter the inner lobby through the doors under the attraction screen and walk straight ahead into the auditorium (to the right in the photo)

I recall the drapes on the lobby windows opened only during the Skouras days, and I always believed it was a way to save on electric bills in the grand foyer! Also, was that big window part of the orignal design, or were bricks hard-to-come by in the summer of 1942 during construction?

Thanks so much for posting these photos of the Midway Warren. I always enjoyed that theater as a teenager, unfortunately, it was already cut up by then. I have seen movies in all of the 4 theaters it was cut up into, and can actually visualize them from your old photos in their respective spots.
In the 80's, I always found the Midway very well kept, and always enjoyed going there. I remember the lobby like it was yesterday.

I have not been back to the Midway since they redid it into the stadium theater it is now.
I also can't believe that out of all the time I was on this site, I never visted the Midway's section until today!

Here are two more 1942 images of the RKO Midway. The program for the first week was "The Pied Piper" & "Just Off Broadway," which was followed by "The Gay Sisters" & "Spy Ship." In those days, the Midway was first-run for Queens, but not exclusive. The same bookings could also be found at the RKO Keith's in Flushing and Richmond Hill, either the RKO Alden or Skouras Merrick in Jamaica, the Skouras Astoria, and the RKO Strand (or sometimes Columbia) in Far Rockaway. Also, the RKO Madison in Ridgewood, even though the theatre was advertised as being in Brooklyn:
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When in Forest Hills, Queens, this is where we watch a movie. In its day, it must have been awesome.

By the way folks, throughout this website you will read posts where people mention that a particular theater had or was having the "Midway Treatment." The phrase comes from this theater. This is the theater that gave reference to completely gutting and rebuilding without leaving anything that resembles the original decor.

It should be pointed out that the quadding of the Midway in the 70's destroyed most of the Midway's original look. That transformation was sinful. When the theater was changed into a nine-plex, it had to be considerably enlarged in width and height to accommodate stadium seating auditoriums and give necessary attention to accessibility. Also, engineers discovered quite quickly that the original building needed considerable strengthening, because it was constructed during wartime steel shortages. What exists now from the past is the 1942 building facade and vertical sign, the curved staircase, the oval lobby, excellent maintenance and the same graciousness that has always been a trademark of this venue.

I remember the Midway in the 80's. It was always beautifully maintained. However, I agree, during the process of quading it, because it is so "well" maintained, much of the original features were lost to "modernization". Other theaters, like the Ridgewood were minimally maintained, but since it was also sort of hap-hazardly cut up, much of the original interior was still there to be seen.
A lot was covered at the Midway, because it was so nicely maintained.

1971 the Midway was playing "Tora Tora Tora" and was billed as the exclusive Queens flagship theatre. At the bottom of the block ad they are also selling tickets for the up-coming Ali VS Frazier fight
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A 1942 view of the Midway's auditorium, and another from 1954 showing the new widescreen and stage drapery changes:
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I saw many, many movies at the Midway in the 80's. I remember liking the upstairs theaters best because the slope of the balcony gave the audience "stadium style" seating some 15 years before the phrase entered into common usage! Also, the balcony railing was still in place in front of the 1st row of seats and the screens were set back from the railing about 20-25 feet or so making for some very comfortable 1st row viewing.

In the early 80's, the Midway would often play double-bill horror films much like those that played on The Duece in Times Sqaure, making it a pleasant alternative to the often menacing grind houses in Manhattan. Not to mention that the Midway always listed its attractions in the newspaper movie timetables (unlike the theaters on 42nd Street, where one had to just show up hoping to find something that suited one's mood). Some of these titles I recall from the Midway include Black Magic, Friday the 13th:The Orphan (not to be confused with the neverending saga of Jason Voorhees), Beyond the Door 2, The Brood, The Dark, Without Warning and Humanoids from the Deep (which recently played on IFC to my great amusement).

This was also a fairly easy quartet to sneak in from one auditorium to the next (particularly if you used the back staircase that was located on the right side of the lobby). Hey... I was 15 or 16 years old. I had to get the biggest bang out of my $3.50 admission that I could. Of course, perish the thought today...

Cleopatra opened here after the Rivoli engagement (sorry that the scan is not too good)
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This Universal feature "The Killers" was originally filmed for television and then deemed too violent. It lists Angie Dickinson and Lee Marvin as it's stars, however it's most famous as being the last movie of Ronald Reagan right before he became Governor of California. It's also one of the few times Reagan played a bad guy. Check out the great co-feature Mamie Van Doren and Mickey Rooney in "The Private Lives of Adam & Eve".

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I would be more apt to say that it was one of the rare few times that Reagan MERELY played a bad guy. And when I saw the film, which was after he had been president, I remember thinking as I watched him that he must have been thinking to himself while he was making this movie, "I wonder what luck I'd have if I tried becoming this character for real?" Alas, he should've stuck to "Bedtime for Bonzo"...!

This is really not a bad neighborhood theatre. In fact, both projection and sound can be excellent if someone puts their mind to it. It's clean and pretty well kept. The screens aren't even that small.
Minor complaints: sometimes they need a volume boost (a common complaint), the masking in theatre 2 hasn't been working lately and the masking in theatre 4 has been out of order going on 2 years now - but even when the masking did work, the screen in #4 isn't proportioned properly for scope - quite a bit of the picture ends up on the wall.
## 1-4 seat about 180 each
5 and 9 about 225
6, 7 and 8 average about 90 (but the screens are not as small as you'd expect!)

The old days :)
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I believe a current view of The Midway was seened in this week's episode of "King of Queens."

I personally love this theatre, its great and I like the layout, but ofcourse there is a lot of people but then again thats a good thing to keep a theater alive.

It's in a good location, so the Midway should survive pretty well. It was always busy when I used to go there, but that's a while ago. But it only had to get better since they redid the place. It was always a clean and well kept theater back in the 80's and early 90's when I used to go there.

Always thought it was ironic that I saw "Midway" at the Midway.

Also, with lines around the block, it was where my future wife and I saw "Jaws" in '75. Kept a lot of us outta the water that summer...

Another good film I was pleased to view at the Midway in 1970 was the Jack Nicholson-Karen Black vehicle, "Five Easy Pieces." Debbie and I watched it from the Midway's comfy balcony one very chilly May evening. It was quite intense, viewing-wise, and I later discovered that many people who'd seen it had hated it. I thought, who could ever hate tortured musical rebel Bobby DuPuis and his thoroughly dysfunctional family? The plot was considerably offbeat, and I thought the acting was pretty darn good overall.

Most people seem to remember the one classic scene in the diner. Yep, the chicken salad sandwich order, Bobby with an attitude, the snotty waitress and the two rough-talking but amusing hitchhiking lesbians were certainly the stuff of Hollywood legends. But equally memorable is the scene in which he wheels his mute and Alzheimer's-afflicted dad onto an open area overlooking a cliff one frigid morning in the Pacific northwest and tries to communicate with him. Touching and brilliant. So was the closing scene at the gas station just before the credits began to roll.

For years. to no avail, I tried to obtain the soundtrack (which played extremely well over the Midway's sound system) in LP, cassette or CD format. Fruitless. Epic Records really did one crappy job marketing and distributing one, if it even existed. I wanted it as much for the classical pieces as well as for the Tammy Wynette "D-I-V-O-R-C-E"-type material. Well, it did acctually exist and I managed to snag a mint LP copy for two bucks last year at Ray & Sharon Courts' Hollywood Collectors Show at the Beverly Garland Hotel in North Hollywood. (It had been held there four times a year for ages, but has since switched over to a hotel at LAX. Ray claimed that Garland adamantly refused to upgrade her hotel's decrepit air-conditioning system True! www.hollywoodcollectorsshow.com for anyone who may wish to attend. The shows are held in LA, Chicago and NY, and perhaps in even more cities now. Seeing and meeting many older actors such as John Agar, Larry Storch, Linda Blair, etc. is a total hoot!)

The opening paragraph for the Midway is incorrect, and should be changed. "After decades as a single screen movie palace" is not completely accurate. I attended movies at the Midway from the early 80's until the early 90's, and it was already cut up into four theaters by that point. Of course however, it was the original palace cut up (not as it is now). The balcony was cut in two, and the main floor was cut in two.

The following seat counts are given by NYC for the different number of screens that this theater had over the years. If this theater had any other configurations, they aren't given.

Single
1933 seats

Twin
Theater#1-525
Theater#2-537

Quad
Theater#1-525
Theater#2-537
Theater#3-290
Theater#4-290

Nine-Screen
Theater#1-168
Theater#2-164
Theater#3-182
Theater#4-183
Theater#5-225
Theater#6-110
Theater#7-104
Theater#8=93
Theater#9=215

That is odd. When it became a twin, did they just close the balcony completely? I say this because when it was a twin, it had the same amount of seats in theater 1 and 2 as it did when it was a quad. It sounds like they just cut the downstairs in half, and closed the balcony. Then cut the balcony in half later, and made 3 and 4 out of that? How long did it operate as a twin?

Its possible that they just closed the balcony off when it was twinned Bway. It would be less expensive to divide the first floor in half with a wall than to install a ceiling/floor to isolate the balcony.

I enjoyed the balcony theaters when the Midway was a quad. I guess it was the experience of enjoying "stadium style" seating years before the concept became a popular design feature in newer multiplexes. Also, the screens were set back a nice distance and made viewing from the first row (with the old balcony railing a nice footrest) a very comfortable experience. Not sure how sturdy that new ceiling/floor was meant to be, but I remember during a couple of midnight showings of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" one or two guys venturing out there so that they could reach out and toucha-toucha-toucha-touch Susan Sarandon's breasts, as was customary during a particular musical number in the film!

Between the period of the quad and the present 9-screener, the theatre was closed for about two years due to unexpected problems with the original structure, which proved too weak to support a large multiplex. Much of the current Midway is a new building attached to the original entrance and lobby areas.

Ed, I agree, I also liked the former Midway's balcony theaters. It could be because it was a novelty, statdium seating as a common feature was still years away. Not to mention that it was perhaps one of the cleanest, well kept theaters I had been to at the time. The place was maintained beautifully in the 80's, and into the early 90's when I stopped going there.

When the Midway was turned into a quad, for several weeks, the balcony was the only open screen. A large screen was suspended in front of the balcony during those weeks when the orchestra level was divided into two chambers. (I recall seeing "The Late Show" with Art Carney & Lily Tomlin there during this period; the workmen downstairs were heard and seen during the matinees.) The two downstairs cinemas opened simultaneously, and then the balcony was divided into two.

Mystery solved. Thanks Paul.

Correction to the URL I posted 6-17 for Ray and Sharon Courts:

http://www.hollywoodcollectorshow.com

Sorry for any inconvenience.

Does anyone know about Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train playing on 9/21 at this theatre?

I saw that on the marquee.

Yeah, I saw that too. It's one of my favorite movies, and the date's also my birthday so...here's hoping, I guess.

There are scenes from "Strangers On A Train" shot in Forest Hills.

And let us not forget that some of the film is actually set (and was filmed on location) at the West Side Tennis Club's historic Stadium on Burns Street, just a short walk from the Midway. I wonder what is behind this booking? A one-off revival? An ongoing Thursday classics series?

Wow, I had no idea about that location. You know, an ongoing Thursday classics series would almost be too good to be true!

The screening of "Strangers on a Train" on September 21st is being sponsored by the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce in celebration of the neighborhood's 100th anniversary. More details can be found in a short article by Nicholas Hirshon in today's Queens section of the NY Daily News, page XQ4.

I wish our chamber of commerce would do something to help save the stadium, its sitting empty decaying.

It will be interesting to see if the Chamber of Commerce can secure a better print of a classic film than the bookers at the Zeigfeld Theater are typically able to obtain for their Classics series.

The September 21 festivities will include a brief talk about the Midway Theatre's history by Jeff Gottlieb, president of the Central Queens Historical Society. The theatre first opened in 1942 under RKO management, and was named for WWII's "Battle of Midway" in the North Pacific.

NY Times Mar 20, 1941

"BUYS THEATRE SITE AT FOREST HILLS; RKO Obtains Plot on Queens Boulevard for 2,000-Seat Motion Picture House:

The RKO amusement organization has acquired a vacant plot of land on Queens Boulevard, Forest Hills, Queens, and will build there a motion-picture theatre, the firm announced yesterday".

By the end of 1945, management of the Midway had shifted to its co-owner, Skouras Theatres, which often didn't identify itself in advertsing. The recently renovated Skouras Jamaica was making another attempt at reviving vaudeville. Due to the product split in Jamaica, the Skouras Merrick was denied "The Spanish Main" & "Sing Your Way Home," which played instead at the RKO Alden. The Merrick had to settle for a hold-over of "The Dolly Sisters" & "Caribbean Mystery."
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Management shifted to Skouras two years after the Midway opened (late September 1944), to RKO two years later (September 1946), and back to Skouras again on September 1948, the final transfer. I saw "The Dolly Sisters" at noon at the Midway on Christmas Day, but walked out on "The Caribbean Mystery" so I wouldn't miss the start of an early holiday dinner.

Happy Thanksiving to all!: www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/thanks43.jpg

haha What a turkey.

"mikemovies," I hope that you choke on yours. Why don't you crawl back into the hole that you've dug for yourself at the Ridgewood Theatre listing and stay there? You've ruined it for many of us with your off-topic bilge and stupid cackling. Must you pollute the rest of the website as well?

Here are an opening day ad and news article from a 1942 issue of the weekly Forest Hills-Kew Gardens Post. Curiously, neither mentions RKO or Skouras Theatres, which were partnered in the Midway's ownership:
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I liked working at this theater back in the mid '90's. I did contract work, and found out the hard way that parking is closely monitored in Forest Hills (NYC parking tickets are outrageous, but I guess they need (or really want) the money!). It really is a great location; and no, I didn't know it was named after the Battle of Midway. I wrongly assumed it was located between 2 other UA theaters, at one time!

The best thing about my visits to this theater was speaking with the daytime doorman, Jack W. I know some of you are familiar with him: he was quite a gentleman, a real character and an excellent, if not legendary, UA district manager in his day (in the 70's and 80's). I guess he got sick (cancer, I believe), and had to retire from the very stressful DM position. But he loved theaters so much that he wanted to work the door at the Midway, to stay in the theater business (certainly not for the pay!). The stories he would tell, being around the theater business so long, were excellent. Speaking with him was always a pleasure. I was bothered to hear that Jack passed on some years back. You don't find many "real" movie theater people like him around the business today. RIP Jack-

Since last April, the Midway's Theater 6 has been used for Sunday morning services by the Forest Hills Community Church, according to an article in yesterday's NY Daily News. The church's spiritual leader is the Rev. Jeremy Sweeten, an ordained minister with the Protestant Assemblies of God. More details can be found at www.foresthillscommunitychurch.com

Among the double features that I saw at the Midway, my favorite was this one of 20th Century-Fox releases in March, 1945, by which time the theatre had switched from RKO to Skouras management. The main feature was a tender comedy about a poor family that does its patriotic duty by inviting a soldier from a nearby military base for Sunday dinner. Covering 14 months in the life of a Navy aircraft carrier, the second was a thrilling hour-long documentary in a gritty 35mm Technicolor print enlarged from footage shot in 16mm Kodachrome: www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/midway45.jpg
The booking was first-run for Queens, but shared with the Skouras Astoria, Skouras Merrick in Jamaica, RKO Keith's Flushing, RKO Keith's Richmond Hill, and RKO Madison in Ridgewood (classified as a Brooklyn theatre in those days). "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier" had played its NYC premiere engagement at the Roxy Theatre in January, with support from "Cafe Zanzibar Revue," an all-black stage show toplined by Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, the Delta Rhythm Boys, and the Peters Sisters.

The seat counts need changing...1387 seats at the Midway

That's an average of about 154 seats per screen, though I'm sure that some are larger than that, and others smaller. What's the Midway's largest screen?

The biggest theatre is 219 and sells out at 199(aud #5), aud #9 is 209 seats and sells out at 190. Those are my biggest.

We are holding the screening of North by Northwest this week. Its for the FH Chamber of Commerce and Ronald McDonald house. A $5 donation to RmDH will get you in...630 pm festivities start and 7pm the movie starts...

iRoN... What do you mean by "sells out at 199?" Are there 219 seats or only 199? Is the larger number a fire code max capacity?

When in most theatre computer ticketing systems you can set a cut-off point for the seats. Those odd seats account for being to close, at an angle or some other reason. Thats the way we use to sell.

I had a Cineplex in LA that had 4 seats that you could not see the screen and a Pacific house that 2 could only see 1/2 the screen and the other 2 none of the screen. Planning at it's best.

Interesting. Meanwhile, at the Midway in auditorium 5 we're talking about 20 odd seats! Could there be that many seats that don't have clean sightlines in a modern stadium-style room? Or is there some other reason at the Midway?

Look at some of the auditoriums at AMC Empire 25 and many other around the country. That front row is not a great seat or from the sides. And those are modern stadium-style rooms.

Yeah, I guess you're right. The first row at National Amusements is pretty darn close also, although some people still like to sit up there even when the showing isn't sold out. Now that I think of it, I can recall theatre managers (or assistant managers) on a very busy night addressing the ticket purchaser's line to inform everyone that only the first four rows were available for a certain showing. You don't hear that much these days since "sell outs" often occur well before the auditorium is opened for seating - I guess due to most rooms being so much smaller than they were even 20 yrs ago when triplexes, quartets and even 6-screen plexes were more the norm.

Sorry I was on vacation...Yes that constitutes roughly the first row...the larger number is our Fire code max...I hope people came out for North by Northwest although I am sorry I wasn't around to see how things ran...

did anyone happen to work at the midway from '68 - 74 and knew David Caruso? He was an usher in his younger days.

When the Midway first opened in 1942, patrons received a free pocket-sized souvenir booklet, "Intimate Facts About Myself," which told all about the theatre in the Midway's own voice. Here's a sample from the first page: "I am what you would call modernistic-- with all the latest wrinkles and latest gadgets. Here and now I want to give thanks to the late Thomas Lamb, one of the greatest of theatrical architects. In me, his last theatre, you will find the best example of his genius." A copy of the booklet, still in mint condition, can be found in the Billy Rose Theatre Collection at the Library of the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, NYC.

Warren, can you please send me scans of the booklet in your spare time? It would be very useful for a good cause. Please e-mail me at unlockthevault@hotmail.com

Sorry, but I don't have a scan of the Midway booklet, and I don't think that it can be copied. It's in a collection of papers donated to the Lincoln Center Library by the family of the late RKO Theatres executive, Harry Mandel. I suggest that you contact curator Bob Taylor for more information.

Thanks Warren! Do you have a direct way of reaching Curator Bob Taylor (preferrably via e-mail)?

The Midway vertical sign is visible in the background of This January, 2008 photo

Two interior images posted above on 7/12/05 have new direct links:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/124-2498_IMG.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/124-2500_IMG.jpg

Hi Warren, I visited the Performing Arts Library, and found what I was looking for on the Midway Theatre. Thanks for your tips on that!

Please let me ask you for another favor. What publication are the 2 links you posted above from? A full-image with a decent resolution would be extremely useful for my research. Post or e-mail unlockthevault@hotmail.com Thank you!

And an additional favor, Warren: I came across quite a few great links throughout this thread. However, they were inaccessible. Can you please resend valid links, or send the documents to my e-mail? I would be happy to give you credit as part of my research.
Thanks!

I don't have any room in my scrapbook at the moment to re-link some of the Midway images. If you contact me privately with image numbers, I'll be happy to send them: Warrengwhiz@nyc.rr.com

Thank you very much! Will do either tonight or tomorrow.

Been a while since I have been around. I dont know if anyone has noticed but the beacon has been re-lit. I know our sign had been an issue for a while but it has been fixed up. We are working on the front facing but the blade and side facings are all clean and working. The leak has been rememdied. The landlord finally came to his senses and fixed his share. Regal has done the rest of the work and we are finally restoring the front to its former glory.

To Ironmonkey: My name is Michael Perlman, and I Chair a group called Rego-Forest Preservation Council, promoting the preservation, restoration, & adaptive reuse of historic sites throughout Rego Park and Forest Hills. Thank you for your report! It is very commendable that the landlord & Regal are restoring the Art Moderne facade. I have passed the theater on several instances over the course of the last 2 months, and have admired the progress.

Do you realize that this Art Moderne gem was the last theater ever designed by America's foremost Thomas W. Lamb? It was unfortunate he passed away before seeing the Midway completely built & in operation. I began conducting preliminary research on the Midway Theatre, and I am now seeking historic photos. I would be happy to share material on the theater with you or a colleague at the Midway, as well as any advice which may assist in the facade restoration, or any future aspects. I can be reached at unlockthevault@hotmail.com I look forward to hearing from you, and thank you for keeping theater enthusiasts informed!

Crazy business at the moment. Lots of product and not enough seats at the Midway. Michael, I will contact you through my work email. Work on the sign slowed to a crawl as the existing front panel is dented (by I don't know what) and needs full replacement.
On a side note, there will be no Free Family Film Festivel this year as we just didnt get enough people last year to make it cost effective. I think a lot of families have been wooed by the newness of Atlas Park. Thank you to all those that continue to frequent this treasure even though it isn't as grand as it once was.

Thank you for your posting! I look forward to hearing from you through your work e-mail, and hopefully we can devise a solution. - Michael

In this ad from June, 1949, the Midway is one of four Skouras theatres boasting of new air-conditioning systems. Since the Midway was barely seven years old by that time, one might wonder if it had a/c when it first opened? The Midway was being built just as WWII rationing of essential materials began, so perhaps no equipment was available:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/skouras49.jpg

The Midway was air-conditioned from the start. I recall the "air-conditioned by Carrier" banners were hung from the marquee all summer during the war years.

Here are new links to images of the original entrance and first lobby. The lobby view looks towards Queens Boulevard. Exiting patrons would have seen overhead posters for the next program:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/125-2530_IMG.jpg
http://18.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/125-2528_IMG.jpg

To iRoNmonkey: You last posted on May 28th & said you would write me from your work e-mail. If you had written, I haven't received it. If you are busy right now, that's okay as well. Please let me know. My e-mail is unlockthevault@hotmail.com

Thank you!

- Michael Perlman, Rego-Forest Preservation Council, Chair

Here is a 2008 night view of the Midway.

The original flourescent colors of the Midway lettering, for the record, were pink and baby blue.

I was the Midway Theater on opening day in 1942. My family lived on Austin Street and 75th Avenue, so it was a short walk to the movies. Those who lived in Forest Hills Gardens, a community patterned after a British model, called the area around Queens Boulevard and Continental Avenue, "The Village." The movie on opening day was 20th Century Fox's "The Pied Piper" with Monty Woolley, Roddy McDonald, Peggy Anne Garner, Anne Baxter and Otto Preminger. It's the story of an Englishman who while vacationing in France in 1940 finds himself leading a group of children out of the Nazi occupied country.

Caught an establishing shot of the Midway's vertical sign and marquee in a 2006 rerun of the CBS show "The King Of Queens" last night. The theatre as well as the United Artists marquee played pivotal roles in the show. As the characters bounced from theatre to theatre. Interior shots of theatre seating were likely done within a studio though.

To all of those who worked at the UA Midway during the 1970's, who could forget the great movies, i.e. Poseidon Adventure, Towering Inferno, The Sting, just to name a few, but also the great fights on closed circuit television, i.e. the Thrilla in Manilla! But no one who worked with him or knew of him could ever forget the man, none other than Salvatore "Charlie" Manfre'. An icon at this enormous hot spot of entertainment, Charlie put all he had, and then some, into what he did, and many a person loved him for it. Besides being the unofficial manager of the theatre, he was the unofficial mayor of Forest Hills, admired by everyone, and every vendor within 3-5 blocks of the place went out of their way for him! Charlie was like family!For those who have wrote some nice things about him in the comments, i.e. Rob B and Nick P, thank you and god bless. He was all you said and implied! And for the current owners, who knew him very well, a place in the Lobby of the current theatre should be dedicated to Charlie because of all he did and meant to that place for 30+ years. There will never again be a person like him to grace that facility. A treasure worth the dedication! Alas, we lost Charlie back in 1998, but I'm sure he's running God's movie theatre on 1 Heavenly Drive! Here's to you, Pop, and give a big kiss to Mom.

Your son,

Joey

I used to love this theater when I was a teenager, and it was always well kept back then, even after it was sliced up into 4 theaters.

I first attended the Midway in the late 1980s, and I hated going to the long tunnel-like main floor theatres that ended in little tiny screens with sometimes tinny sound. The balcony theatres were nicer as others have pointed out above because of the stadium-type raking and the larger screens. But as in so many of the conversions of this type, the geography of balcony seats facing toward the wall in the middle of the theater while the projection booth threw an image out from the center toward a screen curved toward the middle required a head tilt during the entire movie. I don't get out there all that often now since the part of Queens I'm in now is more convenient to Manhattan than to Forest Hills, but every time I do (and I saw two films there yesterday) I am reminded of how good a job they did when they rebuilt the theatre in the late 1997. The auditoriums aren't particularly big, but they're more pleasant than 11 of the screens at the Kips Bay or any of the screens at the Kaufman Astoria and many other newer theatres. Comfy seats, nice sound, decent size screens even in the small auditoriums. And still with a grand staircase in the lobby and the nice people watching from the balcony level.

If I remember correctly, you could also see down in the lobby from the balcony level even before the rebuild, but my memory on the Midway is a little fuzzy, as I haven't been in it since about 1993 or so.

In the rebuild, what was done? Was it gutted to the walls? Where did they get the space for the extra auditoriums they have now (for example, before the rebuild I think it was two balcony theaters and two orchestra level theaters)? Is anything of the original theater intact inside?

My wife and I just saw a performance of District 9 in one of the Midway's small second floor theaters earlier today. We recommend both the movie as well as the theater.

It is interesting how Lamb creatively adapted his designs to conform to different tastes. While far less opulent than many of his other creations, the Midway lobby, which is mostly intact, makes a wonderful impression by saying more with less.

I haven't been in the midway since the early 90's, before the renovation, it was still a 4-plex last I was in it. It was always clean and well kept. I do vaguely remember the lobby, and it had a nice ornate railing going up to the second floor. That's about all I remember though...

This is a Midway Theatre photoset courtesy of Rego-Forest Preservation Council. The photos can be viewed in various resolutions and downloaded for future reference: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/sets/72157605752594074/
I will update it with interior views shortly.

- Michael Perlman, Chairman

This is an updated photoset courtesy of Michael Perlman, Chair of Rego-Forest Preservation Council. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge each photo, and choose the resolution/size you prefer to view them in. It consists of facade photos in day & night, detailed theater lobby/foyer images, vintage images, and vintage ads. It will be updated on a gradual basis. If you have any other vintage photos or blueprints, or ads that we may not already have, please e-mail unlockthevault@hotmail.com

Enjoy the photoset: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/sets/72157605752594074/

Thanks! It looks great....I haven't been in the Midway since it was still a 4/plex cut up from the original. I haven't been in there since the rebuild.
The lobby, looks somewhat similar to what I remember, although much more modern now of course, but I remember the two levels like that.
What are the theaters carved out of? Was the whold theater gutted to a shell, or are there some semblance of where the old balcony was, and the cut up orchestra level? It was easy to tell where they got the "4 theaters" from in the original cutting up, but where did they get the extra 5 from?

Hi Bway! Happy holidays!!! Do you have any photos from the time you patronized the Midway? It would be helpful, since I'd like to add as many noteworthy semi-vintage and vintage photos as possible, and give you and other parties credit on my Midway Theatre flickr photoset. I look forward to hearing from many other Cinema Treasures members on this thread. E-mail unlockthevault@hotmail.com

I remember it being a quad theater as well, when I was younger. I am not sure if the screens were gutted completely in the late 90s. I assume that they took each of the 4 screens and divided them in half to bring us to 8 screens, and then was able to provide an additional screen by using a storage space, or carving one space of the quad into 3 rather. Thoughts, anyone?

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the Midway from before the rebuild. I do remember the two story lobby, and it was sort of an ornate iron railing that went up to the second floor on the stairway. Upstairs, they had an area with video games.
I remember the Midway being "old", but very well kept when I used to go in the 80's and early 90's. it was always clean.

Earlier today, my wife and I saw "Up in the Air" at the Midway. I strongly recommend it.

During the visit, I took a little time to investigate the lay-out of the place. Specifically, there are now four theaters on the ground floor and five at the balcony level. They basically divided the ground floor space into four quadrants, with the entrance to all situated about midway down the original center aisle. (We saw the movie in the far-east quadrant, which bordered the original movie screen.) All four theaters have been radically altered and possess little, if anything, of the original theater. The two theaters situated nearer to the lobby, in fact, reversed the original slant to accommodate the new sight lines. The seating, however, was very comfortable and well laid out.

I was also able to take a very quick peek into the upstairs theaters, all of which were carved out of the heavily renovated and extended old balcony. These are all very modern theaters with not a hint of Lamb. Even the ceilings have been dropped.

The one interior area of the Midway that remains relatively untouched is the central lobby, which was probably one of the old Midway's most impressive features. Even here, however, the management has insisted upon placing large and very obstructive advertisements of future showings along Lamb's beautiful second floor railing. But I guess they need to promote their product in these difficult times.

One final note. In its commendable efforts to aggressively promote this theater, the management has been urging local businesses to advertise their products between showings of the feature film. One of the businesses that took them up on this was a Japanese restaurant situated - at the Atlas Mall. I guess the mall's local multi-plex is not drawing sufficient business to help this restaurant survive on its own. (And we all thought the mall would be the Cinemart's death knell!)

Hope you find this interesting - and have a Happy New Year!

Perhaps the Atlas Mall restaurant ad is part of a generic video produced for both Regal/UA theaters. Kudos to Michael Perlman for a very effective link of comprehensive materials.

Thanks John! I was wondering how they did it. How did they break up the balcony? is it 5 theaters next to eachother in the old balcony? The downstairs theaters...it's sounds like some are looking totally backwards from the original screen?
The railing you mentioned...is that original? I remember a fairly ornate railing upstairs in the balcony level of the lobby. I was wondering if that was still there. It doesn't appear to be on the stairway anymore like it used to be.

Bway, I think the elegant railing is original. Its Art Moderne design preferred neat lines over ornate flourishes. As a great popular architect, Lamb was able to provide designs that reflected the differing tastes of the times - and he really excelled in designing this lobby.

While I could only take a peek at the balcony theaters, it seemed clear to me that they were carved out of the old balcony - which was extended to the old stage - and not adapted from other space. But I can be mistaken and further research is necessary.

The entire building was enlarged. The sloping roof was removed and extended to the end of the structure. The original balcony provided the stadium seating for the two largest theaters. The expansion of the theater in front of the original balcony allows three smaller theaters on the balcony level.

So I guess what you are saying is that the balcony, which apparently was itself quite large, was only extended beyond its original dimensions to the screen ares during the most recent renovation. That makes a lot of sense. Thanks Paul.

One question, however. What exactly did you mean when you said that the "sloping roof" was removed? Did they literally "eaise the roof? If yes, what exactly did the original look like?

Yes. The roof was entirely removed, open to the air for a few weeks in the spring. The entire roof is now horizontal, rather than the original stepped shape of the 1942 construction. Perhaps Michael Perlman's entry (flickr fotoset of Dec 25) can display both. I'll take a look. The interior shots from the rear of the balcony displayed on previous entries in this blog can give you an idea of the stepped shape.

I wish we had an older image to compare, but here's a view of the roof today:

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=qsm3rx8vcr0p&scene=1824582&lvl=2&sty=b&where1=108-22%20Queens%20Blvd%2C%20Forest%20Hills%2C%20NY%2011375-4752

Actually, I found a 1980 view, which shows the original roofline. This image however has north on the top, while the Bing one I posted earlier has north on the bottom, so just remember you are looking at it upside down from the bing.com map. Also, notice the old Forest Hill Theater's roof is also still intact in the 1980's image.

<img src=\"http://www.historicaerials.com/featuredPOIImage.aspx?poi=9346\" />

Thank you for posting these unique aerial views, Bway!

Getting back to my December 24, 2009 posting, if anyone has any other vintage photos or blueprints, or ads that I have not posted, please e-mail me at unlockthevault@hotmail.com This will be part of a preservation campaign. Let's all be part of this theater's future. Another theater from one of my favorite and most highly regarded architects, Thomas W. Lamb.

Once again, this is the photoset: http://www.flickr.com/photos/8095451@N08/sets/72157605752594074/