Palace Theatre

Film Daily has this theatre located at East New York Ave. & Straus Street, it seated 1594 people.

The Loew's Palace opened in 1918 and was on East New York Avenue and Strauss Street. Once the Loew's Pitkin opened it continued as a second run film house for Loew's until 1954. It was then operated by Island Theatres until 1969 or 1970 when it closed. I remember seeing "Planet Of The Apes" on the marquee at this time. The Pitkin Theatre went to the Island Circuit in 1964 when Loew's gave up on it. The Palace Theatre was demolished in the 1980's when the roof caved in and was in a derelict state (I have photos of interior and exterior). The theatre on Eastern Parkway is not the Palace Theatre but the Parkway Theatre also known as the Ronley and other names. This was a prime "Yiddish" vaudeville and playhouse and never showed movies (there is no projection booth). The Yiddish men's and ladies room signs are still in place, as is the theatre, mostly intact except for the pews that have replaced the orchestra seats only. To this day there is no air-conditioning as there never was any at any time of it's tenure as a "Yiddish" playhouse. It closed during the summer months in it's earlier days. The last "Yiddish" program was in the early 1950's. The Palace Theatre as of two years ago was an empty fenced in lot.

The Loew's Palace was located at East New York Ave. and Douglass Street (later changed to Strauss Street). It was sort of a step child to the "palace like" Loew's Pitkin across the street. The Loew's Pitkin was the only theater in the area to have air conditioning in the 1930's, and a lot of people went there to cool off.

The Palace Theatre can be seen in the backround of the 1973 television pilot-movie "The Marcus-Nelson Murders". This was the movie that introduced the world to Telly Savalas as Lt. Theo Kojak.
You can see the theatre prominently featured as the character Louis Humes is being falsely arrested and detained in connection with an attemped Rape.

Heres some trivia for you:
On the door of Kojaks office...his name was spelled "Kojack" as opposed to the commonly known and accepted derevation of "Kojak".

His brother George is also seen as a reporter named "Deems", I wouldn't of recognized him without his trademark curly-top, which must have been soaked into oblivion with Brillcreme..a little dab'll do ya!

As recently as 1998, the marble tile that read "Palace Threatre" located where the theatre entrance once stood was still there but in poor condition, of course. I wonder it it's stiil there?

Well the Palace dosen't stand accross the street from the Pitkin.
It is around the corner 0n East New York avenue. My mother was a
matron in the Palace in the mid 50s. My brother was an usher at
the Stadium on Chester street. My mothers best friend was a matron
at the Pitkin. I was lucky enough to get into these theaters for
free.

If anyone could remember I would like the name of the movie house
that was on Saratoga and I believe Dean street. In the early 50s
they showed silent films there.

My grandfather used to get free tickets to Loew's Palace in exchange for letting them post movie bills on his property on Ralph Avenue. So my father and my uncle and aunt used to go to the Palace all the time.

Does anybody have a photo of the Palace, by chance? I would love to see it as I know my father would.

I asked my father about a theatre on Saratoga and Dean, and he believed the theatre's name was simply "Saratoga".

jhb - was your mother named Sally? That was the name of the matron we kids were so scared of.

we lived on Herzl Street, a block away and the palace was a frequent stop when we didn't go to the Pitkin.

It showed movies a week later -- after the Pitkin. Didn't remember it having so many seats.


sylvia schildt

jhb - was your mother named Sally? That was the name of the matron we kids were so scared of.

we lived on Herzl Street, a block away and the palace was a frequent stop when we didn't go to the Pitkin.

It showed movies a week later -- after the Pitkin. Didn't remember it having so many seats.


sylvia schildt

The 1943 edition of Film Daily Yearbook lists the Palace Theatre, 1823 Douglas Street, Brooklyn, NY. The theatre is operated by Loew's and it has a seating capacity of 1,644.

As mentioned above, Douglas Strteet was later re-named Strauss Street and in the F.D.Y.;1950 edition the address is given as East New York Avenue & Strauss Street.

My mothers name was Evelyn. She worked at the Palace in the
mid 50s. It was great having freebees to the Palace, Stadium
and Pitkin just because my Mother worked at the Palace. My brother
worked at the Stadium and my mothers best friend named Eva
worked at the Pitkin. I also had a freebee to the Astor and
Victoria in the city. A good friend of my mother. I beleived his
name was Mr Perdy. Was the head doorman at those movie houses!


JHB

JHB
I LIVED DIAGNALLY ACROSS FROM THE PALACE THEATER OVER A CANDY STORE AND NEXT TO A POOL PARLOR. PREVIOUSLY I HAD LIVED ON BERGEN ST. AND SARATOGA AVE. ONE BLOCK FROM THE THEATER YOU WANTED THE NAME OF. IT WAS THE CAPITAL THEATER, I SPENT MANY HOURS THERE. WILL ELABORATE. DR.J

Thanks DR J I thought it might be called the Capital or Columbia.


JHB

Dr J you must have lived right next to the Palace bar.
My father would take me in there once and awhile. It was directly accross from the Palace movie house.

The 1967 FDY lists the Palace as part of the Island Theater Circuit, as Orlando pointed out back in 2004, along with the Majestic, Banco, Starr, Kent and Graham, all in Brooklyn. All these theaters are listed on CT with the exception of the Banco, which doesn't turn up as an aka either. Anyone heard of that theater?

Here's a 1950 view with "Temporarily Closed...Visit Loew's Pitkin" on the marquee:
http://www.brooklynpix.com/photoframex1.php?photo=/photo99/T/theater354.jpg&key=THEATERS 354

Speaking of the Banco Theater, here is a photo of the Banco. Anyone know where this theater was located?

Great picture Warren 1950 Loews..

Even in the early 1960s when Brownsville was still decent and my father would take me to the Pitkin, Premier and Stadium, he always told me that the Palace was a dump. I remember being fascinated that it used to show 3 pictures. Apparently it was or became a kind of grindhouse that was open 24 hours.
Several years later I met a guy in high school who went to the Palace once. He advised that the place was loaded with winos and described to me some of the things they were doing during the picture. I won't go into them here. Ugh.