Astor Theatre

I believe the correct name of this theatre was the "ASTOR". It stood next to Erasmus Hall High School.

The Ascot Theatre is located at 2313 Grand Concourse in the Bronx. The above description should be for the Astor Theatre that was located at 927 Flatbush Ave.. The Astor Theatre seated 584 people.

Equipped with a rear projection system, this was originally a Trans-Lux newsreel theatre and first opened in the mid-1930s, with Thomas Lamb's company credited as architect. By the end of the decade, it had been re-named the Astor and switched to late-run double features and revivals. After the end of WWII, it was one of the first theatres in Brooklyn to showcase "foreign" films, playing them as soon as they finished their premiere engagements in Manhattan.

My father was a projectionist there in the mid to late 60's. I used to visit him and try to watch the movies backwards, It was difficult, especially wiyh sub-titles!

Astor was Astor running double bills of current release before becoming Trans Lux Newsreel house during WW2, later in post war era reverting to Astor and showing British and other imports.

See photo of pre war Astor:

Brooklyn Public Library link

I saw a lot of foreign and "art" films there in the early sixties that were thought of as very "adult". Saw Tom Jones there, phaedra with Mercouri, Sundays And Cybelle, The Sporting Life, and a few others. Really can't recall anything about the theatre itself. Guess it was rather ordinary.

Headers for the Astor Theatre need changing;
aka: Trans-Lux Theatre
Screens: 1
Architect: Thomas W. Lamb

The Trans-Lux opened in 1933 and it closed as the Astor in 1977.

In this 1943 photo you can see the Astor Theater on the left hand side of the photo. I can't read much of the marquee but I think on the lower right of the marquee it reads Betty Grable.

I often used to go with my Dad when I was very young to the Astor. I remember seeing a British film about a boy piano prodogy who is kidnapped. I am not positive of the title

I adored this place. Saw some of the best American and foreign films there as a child. Remember it well. We used to take two buses from Crown Heights to get there, the only place in the area where films like "La Strada" and "Member of the Wedding" were shown.

As a teenager in the 1970s, I can tell you that Astor was "the place" to see Kung Fu movies along Flatbush Avenue. It also had a few foreign films. If I remember right, the Kenmore and the Lowes Kings got all the big budget, first run movies and the others on Flatbush had to differentiate themselves. The Albemarle was the place to go to see sci-fi, horror and thrillers (it had "Star Wars" all to itself the summer of '77). The Rialto focused on comedies, especially teen movies like "Kentucky Fried Movie."

The Astor's marquee and a portion of the vertical sign can be seen in the background of this 1969 view of Norman Mailer campaigning on Flatbush Avenue for a nomination in the next Mayoral election. The Astor was showing Paramount's "If," described on the marquee as "An Exciting Miracle." A message at the bottom says "Save Free TV." At the time, exhibitors were fighting the arrival of cable reception, which would put the equivalent of a pay box in every home: www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/flatastor69.jpg

Wonderful photo. Thanks!

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