Ridgewood Theatre

The Ridgewood may well be the longest continuously operated movie theatre in the Greater New York area, if not the entire USA. Designed by Thomas Lamb, it first opened in 1913 as the Fox Ridgewood, with William Fox as owner-builder. For its first decades, it presented vaudeville as well as movies. After William Fox's bankruptcy in 1930, the Ridgewood landed in the Randforce Circuit. The theatre was always first-run for its neighborhood, though never for the borough of Brooklyn until the era of saturation release. In all of its 91 years, I don't think that the Ridgewood ever closed, even for multiplexing. I have never been inside the theatre, but judging by the current decrepit appearance of its entrance and exterior, I'm surprised that it's even standing, let alone operating...I hope that I'm correct in stating that the Ridgewood Theatre is in Brooklyn. It has always been advertised as such, though part of the area known as Ridgewood is actually in Queens.

The Ridgewood theatre is in the section of the neighborhhod that is Brooklyn. I grew up going to this theatre as my grandmother lived in Glendale. I remember the Sound of Music played forever and I saw alot of great films there. In the 60's they used to play childrens matinees on the weekend mornings and the theatre was well maintained even by United Artists the last operators. I think the last film to play there under the UA banner was the Peter Weiler film "The Last Wave". I was there for the previous engagement "The Wiz" which was double billed in its last week with "Seargent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club band". The current owners also opearate the Jackson and The Plaza in Corona and previously had The Colony in Jackson Heights, The Community and The Queens in Queens Village and The Deluxe in Woddside. The theatre was triplexed in the early eighties by clsoing off the balcony and making two theatres downstairs. You could not cross over to the other auditorium because it had a wall that divided the lobby and each side had its own bathrooms and candy stand. Around 1990 the balconies were divided into three bringing the amount of screens to five. There is so much wasted space where the huge stage was that could accomidate more cinemas. I last was in the theatre for the first time in many many years for the opening night of "Spider Man" because a friend knew someone there and we were able to get tickets. The theatre is clean but really needs an overhaul. It still has the seats and bathrooms from the UA days. There is a little bit of the old glamour in the first lobby where the original ceiling and showcases remain and in the downstairs theatres you can see the stained glass fixtures that are still intact.

The theatre is at 55-27 Myrtle Avenue, between Madison Street and Cypress Avenue. The hyphenated address and 11385 ZIP Code confirm the location is in Queens County.

The debate over whether the community known as Ridgewood is in Brooklyn or Queens has raged on for decades. Regardless of where the Ridgewood Theatre is located, it has ALWAYS been advertised as being in Brooklyn, right up to the present. Check today's newspapers if you don't believe me.

We do believe you, Warren. The Ridgewood neighborhood like Bellerose and Floral Park bordering Nassau stradles two counties, but neighborhoods don't have legal boundaries. That's what boroughs and counties are for. :)

My experiences with the Ridgewood theater has been anything BUT glamorous. The seats and theater was always filthy, feet sticking to the floor and yes mice. THe people in the theater never shut up, on EVERY occassion I've been there. The location is in a terrible neighborhood, maybe it was nice at one time but that is not the case anymore. Its too bad it couldnt be fixed up but that would require an entire neighborhood overhaul and a quite a fe Immigration officers.

Given that the Ridgewood has been in continuous operation for 91 years, it's a blooming miracle that it's still standing!

The newspapers listing the Ridgewood Theater as being in Brooklyn are just plain wrong. The theater is in the borough and county of Queens. The "Brooklyn" listing may be an uncorrected holdover from the days (pre-January 1980) when the 11227 postal zone, albeit mostly in Queens, was part of the Brooklyn post office. In January 1980, the 11227 postal zone, and the part the 11237 postal zone located in Queens, became postal zone 11385, part of the Flushing post office.

My first experience of the Ridgewood as two or more screens was on Tuesday June 17 1980 when I saw "Friday the 13th" there. The movie was shown on the upper screen, visible from what used to be the balcony, with its beautiful elliptical lobby, which I hadn't seen for at least ten years, prior to then. A boxing match on closed circuit TV was being shown on the lower screen.

Subsequently I remember it being two, three, then five screens. Seeing "Die Hard" there in September 1988 in one of the upper cinemas, made from the balcony, was an interesting experience. The balcony has such a slant that, sitting in one of the upper rows, my eyes were level with, or a bit above, the top of the screen, and looking at the screen was like looking diagonally down a long tunnel.

The last film I saw at the Ridgewood was "Hellraiser III : Hell On Earth" on Saturday Sept. 12th 1992, in one of the lower cinemas.

Weezah, wow, you weren't in too many neighborhoods in Brooklyn or Queens if you think the Ridgewood is in a "terrible" neighborhood. While the neighborhood certainly isn't "heaven" it's far from an "afraid to walk around" neighborhood.
Anyway, the Ridgewood is indeed in Queens, although Brooklyn is in fact on the other side of Myrtle Ave. The theater is literally across the street from Brooklyn, and even that side of Myrtle Ave becomes Brooklyn in about 2 or 3 blocks, so yes, it is close to Brooklyn on 2 sides, but is in Queens.
I remember the Ridgewood being on theater, and was a bit more run down than the other theaters in the area. Even after converting to 5 screens, it continued it's decline. I have not been in the theater in over 10 years, but do remember the thater being much like weezah described (aside from the neighborhood itself being "terrible". You did stick to the floor, filthy seats, and yes, mice. Looking up at the ceiling would show much of the old plaster work, even if "half circles" because they put up walls all over the original theater to cut it up. The exterior is also not all that inviting, and also a bit "seedy" looking. Hopefully, one day renovation will come. It is amazing that it is one of the oldest continuously operating theaters.

Hello, My name is Monica. I am 18 years old and have lived in Ridgewood, Brooklyn all my life, specifically a few blocks from this theatre . It has always been "my theatre". I decided to take some pictures today using my digicam and submitted them to the site, so hopefully they'll be up soon. I was really suprised about the history of this theater. I saw three movies there in the past week (Hellboy, The Punisher, and Kill Bill 2), so as you can tell I frequent it A LOT.
I'll be the first to admit it looks dilapidated on the inside,is rat and roach infested,there's bad food, very poor lighting, has old creaky seats, and not to mention its stinks there a bit, even though it is decently clean. Robert R(who posted the second message) perfectly describes the seats,bathrooms, and lobby. BUT I have and will continue to go there.
With all the bad stuff I just said you would wonder why I would. Well #1, it's dirt (no pun intended) cheap [$5 adults M-F, $3 kids, $8 adults/$6 kids after 6PM everyday, and Sat & Sun it's $3 adults, free for kids], #2- It's very private, unless its opening day (or night time) of a highly anticipated movie, there are usually no more than 20 people per theatre [yes there are still 5 screens]. #3- you dont have to worry about sneaking in your own food- eat takeout and no one cares, #4 you can play arcade games for $.50 there, #5- you can hang out there, and #6- if you grew up with it, you grew up being able to overcome its bad points, and are able to have a wonderful time there. I especially believe it's the company you're with that makes going there special. I have plenty of good memories there, but I strongly believe it needs to be renovated.
As far as my neighborhood, well, during the day it's not that bad, but at night, look over your shoulder a bit and be aware of your surroundings, just in case. If you are a pretty girl, you will get constantly harassed by so many guys (believe me I know this), even if you are with your friends or boyfriend, so be careful and just ignore them.
Other than that, it's not that bad as say my neighboring city of Bushwick, Brooklyn or Jamaica, Queens. If you are used to the environment, it doesn't bother you, otherwise it will. I guess Ridgewood won't be renovated any time soon (although it should) because people still go there a lot, (more than in the past few years)and they(the theater) would go into serious debt by doing so. Yes it is amazing that it is one of the oldest continuously operating theaters, and I hope it will continue to provide the people of Ridgewood -Queens and Brooklyn alike with entertainment for years to come.

Hello, Monica H, and thank you for your in-depth and detailed comments on not only the Ridgewood Theater itself, but the neighborhoods of Bushwick and Ridgewood as well. I am 48 years old, was born in Bushwick, lived in Ridgewood from 1955 to 1991, and only sold my parents' Ridgewood home on nearby Cornelia Street in 1999. I enjoyed reading your comment because it was from a young person who now lives in the Ridgewood of today, not far from where I lived in Ridgewood. I share your hopes for the Ridgewood Theater, and its renovation, especially because what used to be the RKO Madison Theater, not far away, is now a Liberty Dept. Store.

As to being a pretty girl constantly harassed by so many guys, I remember seeing the 1966 version of "One Million Years B.C." with Racquel Welch at the Ridgewood in February 1967, and hearing a girl in the audience cry out, "This boy's gettin' fresh with me !" Laughter from the audience, and an end to the trouble.

I hope to see your images of the Ridgewood on this site soon. I didn't know it was so inexpensive until I read your comment.

Regarding Ridgewood not being renovated any time soon : there is new construction on Cypress Avenue between Hancock and George Sts., offices and schools. Also, if Bushwick is now being gentrified, can Ridgewood be far behind ?

A minor detail, but a very strong memory : I remember what looked like Greek letters on the knob of the drinking fountain on the lower level near the restroom doors.

If the Ridgewood is indeed the longest continuously operated movie theatre in the Greater New York area, if not the entire USA, then renovation in support of continued operation seems all the more imperative !

Peter, I really appreciate your comment. That's a funny story, but it does happen quite often. Unfortunately there are no more drinking fountains, but I would've liked to see that and take pictures of it. As far as renovation, it's I.S. 77 that is being renovated on George Street, and there are a few places, but MAINLY street reconstruction, going on. It was also very interesting to find out that Liberty Dept. Store used to be the RKO Madison Theatre. I happen to live on Madison, so naturally The Ridgewood, and Myrtle Avenue itself is my little haven. Thank you for your comment, and if the pics won't be up any time soon, I'll simply put them on a webpage, and post the link on this site for you. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Hey Everyone I just made a site and put the pictures I took on it. Check it out: http://hometown.aol.com/mharb64560/THEATRE.html

Enjoy!

Thanks, Monica! Your photos confirm that the theatre's name is Ridgewood, not The Ridgewood, as incorrectly stated in the introduction.

Your Welcome Warren!

Thanks for creating your site, Monica, and for posting your pictures on it. I hope to see more pictures there. Sorry I have none of my own to contribute. I last walked by the Ridgewood Theater 22 days ago on Thursday March 25, after buying pants at Carl's next door. Enjoy your weekend too !

Monica, thanks for all your comments. I also enjoyed the Ridgewood as a child in the 70's and as a teenager in the 80's. Back in the 70's, I had seen many movies there. My mother's friend was the ticket checker, and would usually get us discount tickets. I can't even remember the countless movies I had seen there, but many were while it still was only one theater (or some when it had only two when the balcony was first partitioned out for the main auditorium). The last movie I saw there before the main level was cut up was E.T. I also saw "In Search or Historic Jesus" there when it was one theater (Ironically so, after seeing what's on the marquee in your photos!), and also some Disney movies with my mother as a child. The last movie I saw at the Ridgewood quite a few years ago was one of the Frideay the 13th movies, I think Part 6.
One of my funniest memories of the Ridgewood was going there to see "Beverley Hills Cop II" many years ago. I went there with a friend, and it was a very bright sunny day. It was playing in one of the balcony theaters. We bought popcorn and drinks, and then headed to the theater. The line was popcorn long, so the credits of the movie were already started when we got in. Our eyes weren't fully adjusted yet, so the theater appeared pitch black. We were literally crawling up the steps and incline in the aisle, and tripping on the steps as we went along. We couldn't see a thing! We even tried to sit on someone! We finally found empty seats, (which certainly wasn't easy). We started watching the movie. After about 15 minutes or so, we glanced down at the aisle that we had such a hard time getting up and to out horror, it really wasn't all that dark in the theater, we had really given the 3/4 full theater a show as we stumbled up those steps and then trying to sit on people in what we thought was "dark"....it was all in clear view of the people whose eyes were used to the dark watching the spectacle!
Thanks again Monica for the great memories you brought back for a theater in my old hometown neighborhood.
Thanks Peter for a reminder of another Ridgewood landmark...Carl's!

Does anyone remember the old marquee? It fell in the middle of the night during the blizzard of 1968. Nobody was hurt since it was like 3am.

It fell as a result of the blizzard of Beatle Day, Sunday, February 9, 1969. I remember it well. Perhaps you are remembering an earlier blizzard of December 15, 1968 ?

For objective proof of the date of the February 9, 1969 blizzard in Ridgewood, Queens, go to :

The Ridgewood section of : http://www.queenspix.com and look at the images of the snow-covered Myrtle Avenue el between Forest Avenue and Fresh Pond Road dated 2/9/69.

The Old Timer / Our Neighborhood at : http://timesnewsweekly.com

http://www.nycsubway.org BMT Myrtle, Fresh Pond Road station, image dated 2/9/1969.

The Fresh Pond Road el station image can be seen at :

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?26343

Hello Everyone, - I'm glad to see Monica(18yrs.) Actually interseted in history of the boro. Thanks for current photos. I'm 33 and I thought I was the last generation. Back when-(date not on hand) Ridgewood did fall into the border line of Brooklyn. They changed it in the earlier part of the 1900's. I've seen plenty of vintage maps with Ridgewood claimed by Brooklyn. Probably when the theatre was built it did fall into Brooklyn. Never went there myself but was a local here and there through Ridgewood. Went to Grover Cleveland. As stated by Monica Ridgewood is fine as long as you know where going and go about your business. If you hang out you will find whatever your looking for be it trouble, drugs, or just a good time in the neighborhood. Just like any other neighborhood. Don;t fool yourself. I remember Madison Ave. & Fresh Pond as a corner that you didn't look twice at as a kid unless you knew someone there. I really don;t know if things have changed. They probably have due to the huge Polish rush. I married one. Anyway happy to see people chatting about old New York. Thanks again Monica for keeping it another generation.
~jason/Queenspix.com~/Maspeth-Middle Village

Hopefully, this theatre will one day have a correct listing as Ridgewood Theatre. It is not and never has been The Ridgewood Theatre.

When I was a kid in the 70's in Ridgewood, it was always Queens, but we had a Brooklyn zip code (11227). At some point in the early 80's, Ridgewood did get a Queens zip code (11385). To this day, much of the "Queens" part of Ridgewood retains it's old named streets as opposed to the "Queens numbering system". It also retains it's "Brooklyn address numbering system" on the southwest side of Forest Ave, while skipping to the Queens numbering system on the other side of Forest Ave. Ironically, the Ridgewood Theater appears to have it's address in the "Queens" system, rightly so, as it is in Queens.
Really funny that you should mention "Fresh Pond Rd and Madison St". If anyone thinks of a "bad" part of Ridgewood, that certainly really isn't it nor had it ever been really. That never seemed like "the bad part of town". It's always been an Italian stronghold right there, and continues to be. You are right though, Ridgewood is becoming very Polish over the last few years.

WOW, you do not know how much I enjoyed this site! I lived at 1675 Madison Street from 1955-174 directly across from the back of the Ridgewood Theatre --- does anyone know of a picture of the back of the theatre, or of that part of Madison Street?

When I was a kid we would play "ace, king, queen" against the brick wall. I even played on the fire escape and brought blankets to make a tent!

All the time I lived in Ridgewood it was Ridgewood, Queens. I went to St. Brigid's school and heard people say both Queens and Brooklyn for the school.

Does anyone know of any other sites where people share memories about Ridgewood?

Thanks

--obviously my post was for living there 1955-1974.

Peter and Bway --- where did you go to school?

I remember the Madison Theatre, I saw the Dave Clark Five there in person with my mom!

The neighborhood of Ridgewood is sometimes discussed at Brooklynboard.com and Queensboard.com...To this very day, the Ridgewood Theatre has always been advertised and listed in the newspapers and magazines as being located in Brooklyn.

Wow I did not know that the Madison played rock and roll shows. My mom saw (I think) Connie Stevens and Troy Donahue make a promtional tour stop at the Ridgewood in the 60's.

OK, DABOC, the jig is up. I lived at 1668 Cornelia Street from 1955 to 1991 and finally sold it in 1999. I attended St. Brigid School from September 12 1960 (kindergarten) to graduation in June 1969. I don't know of a picture of the back of the Ridgewood Theater or of your block of Madison Street. Try the Ridgewood section of queenspix.com. Charles Labita was a St. Brigid classmate of mine, 3rd to 8th grade. He lived on the 1600 block of Madison Street between the Triangle Furniture Store on Myrtle Avenue and Cypress Avenue. I brought his books home for him from school because he was out sick, for the Christmas 1965 vacation. I rode the Myrtle Avenue bus home from school that last day before 1965 Christmas vacation, and it had been re-routed, because the Ridgewood Garden Chinese Restauarant just east of the RKO Madison Theater was on fire. The bus went northeast on my home block of Cornelia Street and let me off in front of the Ridgewood Times building at the south corner of Cypress Avenue and Cornelia Street.

It's interesting you mention playing "ace, king, queen" on the Madison Street wall of the Ridgewood, because spring 1965 I noticed an ace, king, queen, jack, 10, painted on the wall of Key Food on the east corner of St. Nicholas Avenue and Woodbine Street.

People also share memories of Ridgewood at :

http://timesnewsweekly.com

with the Old Timer in the "Our Neighborhood The Way It Was" column of the Times Newsweekly, formerly The Ridgewood Times.

I don't remember, and never saw, rock 'n roll shows at the Madison Theater. I remember Adam West and Burt Ward in costume as Batman and Robin pulling up to the Ridgewood Theater in the Batmobile summer 1966 to promote their Batman feature film. There was a big crowd. I think all I saw was leotard-clad legs flashing by me into the theater. I subsequently saw this Batman film at the Ridgewood with my dad. It was on a double bill with a WW II film titled "Flight Of The Phoenix" set in North Africa which starred I think Ernest Borgnine among others.

My son, age 9, now has, and watches, this 1966 Batman movie at home on DVD. What goes around, comes around.

I remember The Buckinghams stopping at Action Records on Myrtle Avenue just east of Cornelia Street summer 1967 to sign autographs and promote their first single "Hey Baby".

As noted by "Bway", there has been a fresh influx of Polish into Ridgewood in the last few years. There are new Polish stores on Forest Avenue between Myrtle Avenue and the el station at Putnam Avenue. There is a sign in Ridgewood Savings Bank lobby, "Mowimy po polsku" : Polish spoken here. In the late 1980's the beauty parlor on the south side of Fairview Avenue between Putnam and Forest Avenues had a sign : "We speak Polish. Ask for Miss Mary".

Peter

The "jig is up"? I'm not hiding anything! Hey, how did you know I was Irish??? LOL

OK, so obviously we went to school together all the same years at St. Brigid's. I lived exactly on the block your friend Charles lived on but I do not remember that name at all. I was only one of two girls on the whole block and the other girl was much older so we did not play. That is where I started my love of sports and a very early "equal" way of thinking.

Who were some of your pals from St. Brigid's, maybe I knew some of them? Do you keep in touch with anyone from school?

When I was growing up I remember Ridgewood being mostly German and Italian. I always remember the German women washing the brownstone steps with soap and water 2x a week!


I also have a 9 year old son! And I have a 15 year old son.

DABOC, I'll start with the girls : my cousin, Frances Spindler, Roseanne Butera, Barbara Schiavone, Dawn Nahoney (my graduation ceremony "partner"), Frances Capezi, April Weiss(good friend in 4th grade, she lived over or near Ridgewood Toyland)Patricia Benson, Ingrid Ostermann, Susan Podkrash (sp ?) Anita Koffler, Judy Viseca (Vye-seek-uh), Cathleen Walters.

The boys : Gasper Ilasi, Robert Lackner (of Lackner's Bar on the east corner of Wyckoff and Gates) Jeffrey Almodovar, Joseph Gasperetti, Thomas McNulty, Michael Russo, Russel DeVito, James Kennedy, Nicholas Ferri, Robert Webber, Leonard Emanuel, John McHugh, Thomas O'Malley, Charles Taffner (I think he lived in Glendale) Joseph Petardi, Sal Giannone (1492 Greene Avenue) Frank Burgio, Paul Capone, Sal Marcicca, Louis Luberto, my cousin Joseph Radomski, my cousin John Radomski, a year behind me, Stanley Piccirillo, Stephen Ferrugia, John Shaw, Dennis Shearer, Mike Scarangella (he lived on my block at 1676 Cornelia Street) Adam Fajek (he lived at 1678), James Gallo, William Schiller, Christopher Dyer, Victor Baresi. I was in the "1" classes : 1-1, 2-1, etc.

My teachers were, starting with first grade, Sister Mary Joyce, Sister Mary Robertine, Mrs. Wagner (bitch), Miss Campanella (saint), Sister Mary Helen. I remember James Bond / Bond Bread boys vs. Man From UNCLE fans in the fourth grade, and Sister Mary Helen comparing it to Vietnam and racial conflict in the USA.

Starting in fifth grade the girls and boys were separated. For fifth grade I had Mr. A.J. Tavoline (stout) and for math Brother Cassian, O.S.F. Sixth grade, Mr. William J. Ryan, Jr. (s.o.b.) Mr. Gainsa (history, nice guy, lived in downtown Bklyn, saw him come in on Myrtle Avenue el one morning, walked to school with him from where I got off the B-18 bus at Wyckoff and Gates) Br.Thomas O'Neill (math : "repetitio mater studiorum", that's Latin for "repetition is the mother of study"). Seventh grade : Br. Donatus (saint, homeroom) Mr. Ryan (English)Br. Jordan (math)Mr. Rooney (science, stout red-head). Eighth grade : Br. Eugene Thomas (homeroom, almost too nice) Br. Jordan (math) Mr. Rooney (science).

I'll try and remember more classmates' names, especially girls. I wish I remembered more girls' names, because I feel I'm not far in connecting with you. I can't remember the last name of the Deborah I had a crush on in second grade.

I don't keep directly in touch anymore with anyone from St. Brigid, only high school. I last saw Gasper Ilasi at his bachelor party April 1980. I have heard about him since then second hand through a mutual friend from high school.

I too remember the German landladies washing and sweeping the stoops in the morning. I remember St. Brigid's and the neighborhhod it was in, Wyckoff Heights, as heavily Italian, including near 412 Harman Street, where my mother and her family grew up. She and her brothers and sisters attended St. Brigid also, from 1927 to 1947. I remember Bello Pharmacy on Wyckoff Avenue near my mother's childhood home.

Peter,

How do you remember all that stuff??? I remember most of the names you wrote and I was very good friends with Roseanne Butera and I knew April Weiss well too! Do you know how they are doing?

I was close with Vicki Hobson, Paula Rappolo, Michelle Marx, Debbie Alzheimer (one grade older), Joanie Licarri I got to know better cause we both went to St. Nick's high school. Boys; Jimmy Mahoney, Hans Zimmer, Jack (I think started with M) my memory is not as good as yours, Micheal Lisa, Bruce something, ohh I am sure I am forgetting a bunch. Frank Burgio I think I knew in high school cause we cheered for St. Francis Prep and he went there ( if I remember correctly!)

Teachers wow how do you remember? I know I liked Miss Cerabisi in 3rd grade, a Miss L. I had two years, Sister Mary Helen, Sr. M. Mercy, but boy did Sister Mary Anna hate me - wow.

Are you pulling my leg with the "crush on a Deborah" I am a Debra. My father's and his family went to St. Brigid's also!

Debra, thanks for answering. I wasn't sure you would. I have always had a very accurate and detailed memory. I don't know how April Weiss and Roseanne Butera are doing now. I can tell you that Stanley Piccirillo, St. Brigid class of 1969, St. Francis Prep class of 1973, died of Hodgkin's Disease after a 10-year battle with it, in November 1981, near Rochester NY, which is where his funeral Mass of the Resurrection was held.

I discussed your e-mail with an aunt, and she remembers a Vikki Perrone who used to give my cousin Frances Spindler a hard time, kicking her from behind when she was in line with her. I remember Vicki Hobson now that you mention with her, also Paula Rappolo. Paula had an impressive exhibit at the 6th grade science fair in February or March 1967 that included a near full-size human skeleton.
I also remember a Linda Bianco. I remember Michael Lisa now that you mention him. Thin, dark straight hair, medium height, big reddish lips, but did not resemble John Kofski, whom I heard liked to impersonate Mick Jagger later when he was in high school. I also remember Peter Grum, Stephen Fabrizio, and Kevin Clarke, none of whom I was particularly friendly with. Debbie Alzheimer (ironic last name !)

A few more St. Brigid names : James Gallo (Negro looking) William Farley (my rival smarts and grades wise) Gerald Baracca Claudio Bioardi and Jane Marincic, who lived somewhere in Glendale in the '60's streets and places between Myrtle and Central Avenues. Jane was in my graduating class and actually wrote a play satirizing St. Brigid's when we were both in 8th grade. One of the songs in the stage directions was "It Was A Real Nice Clambake" and there was a repetition of "You get more for your money at our school" (tuition, albeit nominal, started being charged in fall 1967).

I had a classmate at St. Francis Prep, Andy Kobel, whom I believe dated Joan Licari their senior year. Andy was from St. Bart's parish in Elmhurst, Queens. I remember Joan from the yearbook as a cheerleader. Also Carol A. Seitz ("the body beautiful") who was Marty (Trix) O'Connor's girlfriend.

I attended St. Francis Prep 1969-1973 and graduated June 8 1973 third academically in a senior class of about 125. I had a full tuition scholarship all four years. That was a big reason I went there. Yes, Frank Burgio attended the Prep same years as me. He was a bully who thought he was funny, and a class clown, not the brightest academically. Perhaps he was a good athlete. Sal Marcicca broke his finger when they were both in 8th grade at St. Brigid. Oh, three more names, Class 8-3, boys : John Sordi, John Scalisi and Raymond Smeltzer. Ray was fond of my cousin Fran, but she thought he sent out "repulsive rays".

I remember Miss Cirabisi now that you mention her. In my work I have communicated with a Gasper Cirabisi of the NYC Dept. of Water Supply.

Also Sister Mary Coeli, whom my cousin John Radomski, a year behind me, had for first grade. Her name means "heavenly" in Latin, but she was more like the nun from hell. She wouldn't let John take his medicine in school, accused him of being a junkie, and made him crawl under his desk as a punishment. John's mom, my Aunt Catherine, had to get her straightened out. I remember Coeli was young, had buck teeth, and was not particularly attractive.

There was also a Miss Cadella, whom I believe had Class 4-2 or 4-3, 1964-65 academic year, and who briefly subbed for Sr. Mary Helen. She falsely accused me of cheating in giving an answer in class. She tried to stump me and I knew the answer, but wrongly remained silent, because at the time I thought there was no percentage in giving the correct answer.

I also remember a Mr. Chini who taught 6th grade boys and then came to my home block (1600) of Cornelia Street selling encyclopedias. Robert Bennet (Beanie) who was a year ahead of me at St. Brigid and who lived across the street from me at 1667 Cornelia (six family house) was especially surprised. My smart ass cousin Joseph had a song about Mr. Chini : "I dream of Mr. Chini in a cellophane bikini !"

No I am not pulling your leg with "a crush on Deborah". By the way, it was most intense at First Holy Communion in May 1963 because I could feel here eyes on me from the pew as I walked down the aisle and resumed my seat. I don't think you're the Deborah I had a crush on because I don't recall that girl being in the school the following year. John Byrnes of Middle Village was briefly in my 3rd grade class. We were together at the Prep, Sep 1969 to June 1973.

I also remember Father James Kelly who started at St. Brigid in 1961 and whom I read for in first grade. He did my mother's funeral on July 21 1997. I was friendly with Father Barrett in spring 1966. I was moved by how slowly and solemnly he said Mass, and was particularly taken with how he did the minor elevation of the Host :

"Through Him, in Him, with Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit" in Latin, which started off sounding "Per ipso ..." Father Barrett wore thick glasses and resembled both the comedian Arnold Stang, and the contemporary French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. I also remember a very tall Father McCabe, and Monsignor Bracken, who looked like the Pope, when he entered my second grade classroom in a red skullcap and a black cassock with red buttons and piping.

Last week's Times Newsweekly "Our Neighborhood" article had a picture of the St. Brigid pastor my mother's generation remembers : Monsignor York.

Brother Ralph Clifford was the principal of boys fall 1961 through spring 1967, replaced by Brother Dermott in fall 1967. Two years ago Brother Ralph died and was remembered in an article in SFP Alumni news. I still have it at home.

Do you remember John Conkin the forlorn old music teacher, always trying to get us to sing those Latin vowels in assembly in the auditorium ? Now boys and girls : Aaaaah ehhhhh eeeeeee aaaawwwww oooooooh ?

Debra, I could go on forever, but must stop here. Please tell me your maiden last name. My last name is Koch. If you wish to continue this dialogue privately please post your e-mail address in the next comment on the Ridgewood Theater. Thanks in advance.

Peter Koch, I was right. This is Vicki Hobson. I do remember you, though I am not getting a visual yet. I believe you signed my graduation book. I cannot believe all the names you are mentioning. I am sorry to hear about Stanley Piccarella. Our families used to be friends. We went to visit them when they moved up near Lake George. His mom used to work at the Italian restaurant on Gates Ave. and Seneca. I cannot remember the name. I heard that Father Kelly is still at St. Brigid's. I remember always trying to go to his mass, it was over in 20 minutes. What are you doing now?

Sorry to bother all of you involved with the Ridgewood Theatre chat. I do remember the Ridgewood Theatre from the 60's and 70's. It's main competitor was the Madison Theatre a few block away. The Ridgewood always seemed to be more run down. But it was architecturally superior. If it is indeed one of the oldest theatres in NY , someone should start hounding the NY Historical Society to declare it a landmark.They used to have movie premieres there as well.

Hello, Vicki. I remember you as a thin girl with long blond-brown hair, sort of hding behind a shy, demure smile, hands behind your back, turning from side to side. Thanks for jumping in. I too remember the Piccirillos at Lake George, NY. My parents and I met them there twice in late July 1974, en route to and returning from Montreal, Canada. My best friend from high school, Terence McHale, was one of Stanley's closest friends, and went to see him at Lake George regularly in the 1970's on weekends. I remember seeing Stan and sister and mom at the pizzeria at Seneca and Gates also, summer 1972. I don't remember the name, only that the Stones' "Brown Sugar" was still on the juke box then, even though either "Tumbling Dice" or "Happy" was their latest single.

I am now a hydrologic and hydraulic engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working on Federal flood control projects. What are you doing now ? Where do you live ?

I remember reading in the Times Newsweekly in October 1995 that Father Kelly's thing at the time was helping immigrants at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan. That's where I work. So I was surprised I never met him on the M train while travelling from my parents' home in Ridgewood to work back then.

I quite agree with you about the Ridgewood Theater.

Peter,

Your memory is amazing! So we both went to St. Brigid's and you went to St. Francis when St. Nick's was it's "Sister school". Joanie and I were friends and cheerleaders together for St. Francis but I do not remember her dating an Andy. In fact I remember she dated a John ? who died early. Did you know Richie Dandelion? He was a male cheerleader like John and turned out to be a friend of my husband's when they were at Touche Ross.

Carol dated Marty, Yes! and he always called me "Cuz" cause we had the same last name O'Connor. I was Captain of the cheerleaders and got along with Marty and Coach O'Connor. "Trix" --- that's right LOL!

Father McCabe was my favorite, he was more like a regular person and I knew him well from basketball. Speaking of music, what about the band leader from St. Francis? I marched in the St. Patrick's Day Parade with the band for all four years in high school and they always played the same songs!

THANKS everyone for all the memories and MONICA for the pictures. Peter leave your email address and I will email you.

*Bway - you never said where you went to school.

Hi Debra O'Connor,

My e-mail address is :

peter.m.koch@NAN02.usace.army.mil

Thanks for the compliment on my memory. May have been wrong about Joan and Andy. How did John ? die early ? How early ? Rich Danderline was a year ahead of me. I knew him, Rich Valovage, Gerard Boehme, Fernando Serna, Joseph Kriz, Roderick James and David Benjamin, all seniors when I was a junior. The evening of July 26 1972, Mick Jagger's 29th birthday, I saw the Rolling Stones at
MSG with Fred Serna, my cousin Fran, and her date, Tony, an NYU student who provided the wheels. Fred Serna continued to be a good friend to me when I was a senior at SFP and he was a freshman at NYU. We talked just about every Saturday night.

St. Nick's was indeed SFP's "sister school" but I never took Driver Ed there like some guys in my class did.

I have heard of the firm of Touche Ross in my work. Gerard Boehme attended Syracuse University on a Dun and Bradstreet scholarship. I think he's a big suit with them now.

Back to Trix O'Connor : in "Prep Profiles" in senior year he said his two favorite people were his girlfriend, and me, for getting him the interview. He signed my yearbook to the same effect.

I remember Mr. Thomas Foster and Br. Marcus Casari, OSF, as directors of music at the Prep. Leona May Smith, wife of George Sueffert, of the Sunday afternoon concerts of the same name in Forest Park, Queens, was an instrumental instructor. Andre and John Python were in the marching band. I remember the SFP marching band played a riff from Sly and The Family Stone's "Sing a simple song" :
Naaaaah nah nah nah nah ! Hey ! Hey ! Hey ! Hey ! Not to be confused with "Nah Nah Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" by Steam (fall 1969).

"Bway" attended Christ The King High School starting, I think, in fall 1983. Having said that I will close, and let him write for himself. He's a sharp young man with alot to say.

Good memories ! Lots more where these came from ! Please tell me more of yours !

Hi Peter and DABOC, close, I started Christ the King in Fall 1984. I attended Saint Matthias School before that from kindergarden to 8th. I remember Saint Bridget Quite well too, because I went to flea markets with them once a month in the auditorium there. To try to bring this back on topic too, speaking of flea markets, if any of you want to see a great old theater as a "diamond in the rough" check out the RKO Keith's (Richmond Hill) theater. You can attend the flea market on a Sunday and instead of looking at the merchandise, check out the theater. The lobby and the main auditorim has the tables set up. It's basically intact, and could be restored, as everything from the lobby mirrors (filthy) to the cobweb covered chandeliers throughout the theater are all still there.

Hi Chris, sorry about the lengthy "St. Brigid's and SFP at the Ridgewood" posts, but I think it's great how the Ridgewood Theater, even in its "electronic form" of a page on a theater fansite, has served as a gathering place for natives of Ridgewood to share their stories.

Hopefully, now that I've posted my "e-dress" (ever see this term before) Debra O'C and Vicki Hobson will be in direct contact with me, and our dialog will be off this site.

I would have attended St. Matthias myself had I not had to be six years of age before the start of first grade in September. Two of my next door neighbors on Cornelia Street attended St. Matthias.

How were the flea markets at St. Brigid ? I think my parents went to one, summer of 1977 or 1978.

Thanks for putting this all back on topic with your (hopefully) provocative post on the RKO Keith of Richmond Hill. Attending flea markets and churches are great ways of getting inside these wonderful old theaters, when all else fails !

The original style marquee and vertical were modified circa 1947 when all the trolleys were still running in the area. As I recall it was simplified and background color of attraction board went to white. Old style was definetly better suited to the theater.

In 40's and early 50's elaborate advertising displays for main feature in lobby and somtimes above marquee outside were used to attract patronage.

A year or two ago there was a murder that occurred here . a cleaner that cleaned this theatre overnight was found murdered. amazingly this didn't lead to it's demise. In fact it was closed for a day or a half day while police investigated. then reopened contining as one of the longest running moviehouses in New Yorks history. I mean murders in cinemas led to the shuttering of many moviehouses in Brooklyn such as the Rugby in the eary 80's, the Kameo in 1974,the Duffield in the early 90's and my favorite the Kenmore in 1999. I think at the Rugby a police officer was killled i think he was off duty at the time

Interesting. Thankfully, it didn't lead to the Ridgewood's demise, although it could used to be closed for a few months for some renovation work, the theater was terribly in need of it already many years ago.
It's not unique to just Brooklyn theaters though to have shootings. Out in Commack at National Amusement's "Multiplex Cinemas" there was a shootout some years ago in the lobby. It may have even been drive-by shootings.

Wow and that theatre didn't close down either. the was one recently in Manhattan but the patrons gun went off and he injured himself during a screening at the AMC EMPIRE MULTIPLEX on 42nd st. That didn't lead to a closing I guess because it was isolated and the patron injured himself.

Hi My name Is Jorge,
I was an Usher at the RidgeWood not to long ago. I still have acess to the place. So if there are any questions or Pictures you might want, please do not hesistat to ask. My E-mail address is JokersWorld5@aol.com

What movie theatre, if any, was situated at 55-05 Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood? The building now occupied by a V.G. Nichols Furniture Store is said to be a former theatre, but might not be. The address is quite close to that of the Ridgewood Theatre.

Not sure of it's address but Parthenon was located close to Ridgewood, close by the EL.

The Parthenon was located at 329 Wyckoff Avenue near Myrtle Avenue. Perhaps Warren is looking for a theater which may have been known as the Irving, Erwin (No, I wasn't named after a theater!) or Irwin Theater. My mother spoke about it on occasion as she and my father had attended German language films there in the late 1930's. Whether the theater lasted into the war years, when all of the German language prints were confiscated, or after I do not know. However, I do know that after the war and during the 1950's that the only German language theater in the Ridgewood area was the Wagner Theater on the corner of Wyckoff Ave and Stockholm Street.

Erwin, you could be right. The 1931 Film Daily Year Books lists a 595-seat Irving Theatre at 1525 Myrtle Avenue, BROOKLYN. The same volume lists the Madison Theatre at 1562 Myrtle Avenue, BROOKLYN, which means that the Irving must have been in Ridgewood and near the Madison. Unfortunately, the 1931 FDYB address for the Ridgewood Theatre is given only as Myrtle & Cypress Avenues, BROOKLYN.

Warren, since you have definitely identified the name as the Irving Theater, would it not be reasonable to figure that it was located on Myrtle Avenue near Irving Avenue, which is the next street past Wyckoff Avenue going towards Brooklyn? Is the address 55-05 Myrtle Avenue near Irving Avenue?

I believe Irving Ave runs parallel to Myrtle Ave, on the side that the "Madison" theater is on (even numbers). The odd numbers are on the Ridgewood Theater side, and that is the wrong side of Myrtle Ave to get close to Irving Ave. But who knows, the Madison Theater does not touch near to Madison Ave. Woodbine St is the cross street for the Madison, and then it's another whole block away till you get to Madison St, so who knows......

I'm more confused than ever by this discussion, which I got into to answer a question raised at Queensboard.com about the current V.G. Nichols Furniture Store at 55-05 Myrtle Avenue. Someone wanted to know if it was once a theatre. Another person has since answered that the furniture store is the ex-Madison Theatre, which would mean that it's not the onetime Irving Theatre. I don't recall the Madison being a furniture store on my last visit to the area about two years ago, but perhaps it is now.

The Madison Theater is NOT V.G.Nichols Furiture store, although it is on the corner of Madison St and Myrtle (on the same side of Myrtle as the Ridgewood theater). I think the confusion is because the Madison Theater is not that near to Madison St. I don't believe the furniture store was ever a theater, and it certainly isn't in the Madison theater building, which is further down Myrtle near Wyckoff Ave, on the other side of Myrtle. The Madison Theater is and has been for quite a while the "Liberty Dept Store". There are not that many businesses that have occupied the Madison since it was a theater. After the Madison theater burned it became "Consumers". Then in the late mid 80's, it became "Odd Lot". Then the building was empty for a year or so, and it became the Liberty Dept Store in the early 90's, and remains that to this day.
VG Nicols Furniture is on the corner of Madison St and Myrtle, and has been there since the 70's. As far as I know, that building was never a theater (and it doens't look like a theater either). It looks like your typical older "apartment over stores" type of building.

Warren, I think I figured out the confusion. I read the thread at queensboard.com, and your post there actually clued me into the confusion of VG Nichols furniture. You mentioned that many old stores had fancy marquees, even though they had nothing to do with a theater. That got me to remember VG Nichols having a marquee back in the 70's. I think it has since been removed (can't remember), but it made me remember a photograph of the store on
http://www.queenspix.com
If you click that link, click Ridgewood, and then page 8, there will be a photo on top of the V.G. Nichols furniture store building when it was "Triangle Furniture in the 1940's, and low and behold....a fancy marquee. That's where the confusion comes in, and the fact that VG Nichols is on the corner of Madison St and Myrtle accidentally brought the Madison Theater into all this.
I don't have a password at queensboard, but if you want to solve the mystery there for Andy over there....

Wait a minute, I think I am still confused. I forgot about the "Irving Theater" in all this!!! If that was actually on the opposite side of the street from the Madison, where the heck was the Irving theater!?
If the Madison was 1562 Myrtle Ave, and the Irving was 1525 Myrtle Ave (both in the old Brooklyn numbering system, it appears that the Irving would be south of the Madison (because I think, but not sure, even in the Brooklyn numbering system, the numbers got higher as they went north). So that would mean that the irving was south of Wyckoff Ave, and along the el. it couldn't be too far though from the intersection of Wyckoff and Myrtle.
I would be interesed to know where the Irving theater was now that this was brought up.

Since, 1525 is a "Brooklyn" address, and it is on the Brooklyn side of Wyckoff Ave. The address still exists (unlike the Ridgewood and the Madison Theaters which were put into the Queens numbering system). 1525 Myrtle Ave, the site of the Irving theater, now has a listing of "Jasco Gas and Quickmart"....so I guess this answers our question as to what happened to the Irving theater...a gas station now sits on the site. It was at near where Irving, Linden, and Myrtle Ave's all meet, along the Myrtle Ave El.
Did the 595 seat "Irving Theater" ever play movies?....if it did, I guess we should add it to the site.

Bway (Chris), the Cinema Tour list of Brooklyn theaters that I printed on April 22, 2004, thanks to your help, does not list an "Irving Theater". As you have probably already realized, Irving Avenue is not "parallel" to Myrtle Avenue, but is at a near 45 degree angle to it, as are all the northwest-southeast avenues of Bushwick and Ridgewood, from Broadway to Onderdonk Avenue, as are the southwest to northeast named streets. Onderdonk is the "last" (the most northerly) to intersect Myrtle Avenue. Woodward's east end
is at Catalpa Avenue, and Fairview and Grandview Avenues' east ends are at Forest Avenue.

I am familiar with the triangle formed by Irving, Linden and Myrtle, and the gas station thereon. I think there's a live poultry market
nearby also.

The Irving Theatre disappears from Film Daily Year Books after the 1942 volume. If the Irving was showing German movies at that time, that probably was the reason for its closure. Later FDYBS list no theatre for that address, so I doubt that the Irving ever re-opened under a different name.

I should have added that it's Grove Street, one block northwest of Linden Street, that closely intersects Irving and Myrtle Avenues, leaving no room for a curbed sidewalk "triangle", only dust and debris around Myrtle Avenue el pillars. I remember from summer 1967 that the red traffic light there facing northwest on Irving Avenue was, or seemed, especially long.

Anyone remember Mary Vasko from St. Brigid's? Became a New York Telephone Operator at Fairview and Gates and later a Nurse at Wyckoff Heights Hospital.

The store on the corner of Madison Street and Myrtle Avenue was a furniture store called Triangle Furniture when I was growing up in the 60's so if someone knows it was a furniture store from the 70's I can tell you it was in the '60's also. I lived at 1675 Madison and would pass the store everyday.

There was once a 600-seat movie theatre called the Imperial at 157 Irving Avenue, which probably dated back to nickelodeon times. It may have been under the same ownership as the 438-seat Imperial at 869 Halsey Street.

Hey Peter K, Warren, Bway, JasonM and everyone else. I just wanted to let you know that I completely renovated my site about the Ridgewood. I have added new images and links on there, and I'll keep updating it. Let me know what you think.

http://hometown.aol.com/mharb64560/THEATRE.html

Enjoy!!

-- Monica H.

Oh By the way, if any of you guys have pics to share, you can send the to me at MHARB64560@aol.com, or LaReinaBoricua86@aol.com, and I'll post them up.

Thanks!

--Monica H.

Thank you, Monica ! I think you've got a good site, and I hope you keep adding to it, and improving it !

Warren, the Imperial Theater was at Irving and Dekalb Avenues in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. My Uncle John, who just turned 83 this past Tuesday, June 29th, saw the Lugosi "Dracula" there as a boy of eight when it first came out. He lived nearby at 412 Harman Street. About a dozen years later, returning home from WW II military service with the Signal Corps in North Africa, he found that the Imperial had become a Robert Hall clothing store, and went there for some needed new civilian clothing.

THANKS PETER!

YOU'RE MOST WELCOME, MONICA ! HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND !

P.S. I WAS IN RIDGEWOOD THIS MORNING, BUT AT RIDGEWOOD SAVINGS BANK, NOT THE RIDGEWOOD THEATER. I AM THERE ONCE A MONTH.

I thought of you on the way from Ridgewood, in to work in lower Manhattan today, because of all the pretty young women I saw on the M train.

Awww thanks Peter!

AGAIN,YOU'RE MOST WELCOME, MONICA ! HAVE A GOOD WEEKEND !

Hey now... This isn't a dating service ;-)

Mark W., I was paying Monica H a compliment, not asking her for a date.

Ah yes, the Ridgewood Savings Bank. A building almost pretty enough to be a theater....

Agreed, Bway. It was still going strong as a bank main office when I was last there last Friday July 2 2004.

Peter K & Monica -- I've enjoyed your comments on Ridgewood enormously!
I'd like to invite you to visit members3.boardhost.com/Cypwood, a spirited bulletin board
with many members from Queens and quite a few from Ridgewood.
Peter: I am also a graduate of St. Brigid's -- 1963-1971. Lived on Menahan Street/St. Nicholas Avenue.
I know some of the people you mentioned in your previous post.

Thank you, EllenA. I take it "Cypwood" comes from Cypress Hills and Ridgewood.

So you lived on Menahan near St. Nicholas, near my friend and classmate Stan Piccirillo. What was St. Brigid's like when you graduated in June 1971 ? Did you know or have Br. Gerald Patrick (Donatus, when I had him in 7th grade, 1967-68) or Br. Eugene Thomas Devine (he started at Saint Francis Prep in Fall 1971). I visited with Br. Gerald Patrick in April 1972 and he said discipline at St. Brigid's had utterly collapsed by then, though parents still clamored for it in parent-teacher meetings.

Hey, now, this is not a personal chat board. My wrists and fingers grew swollen from scrolling through the hundreds of pieces of OT chatter at the Astor Plaza listing, and now the Ridgewood seems to be disintegrating into same. Ouch!

Stan Piccirillo sounds vaguely familiar. However, I did know Victor Barresi and Joe Gasperetti. Joe's sister and I are to
this day very good friends. They lived two houses away from me.
I didn't know many of the brothers, remember the girls and boys were separated at 5th grade. I do remember the name Brother Eugene, though. I am still in touch with a few of my St. Brigid classmates (women) mostly because a lot of us went to the same high school, St. Angela Hall.
I should have mentioned, the bulletin board I told you about is mostly populated by folks who no longer live in NY -- I take it you still do? So, in 1971, when I graduated from SBS, Sr. Mary Irene was principal. I remember that the school still had a good rep in the '70s, high marks for reading, etc. and I know we were well though of by the nuns at our
high school as coming from a good school academically. I loved looking at Monica's pics of the Ridgewood theater today, however, I just remember the Madison being more of a "big deal" -- more ornate, etc. I was surprised to learn that the Ridgewood was so old. Maybe it had started its decline in the '70s?

The Ridgewood Theater wasn't "that" bad in the 70's, while it was still one screen. However, of the three theaters still operating in the immediate area; the Madison, the Oasis, and the Ridgewood, thet Ridgewood seemed to be in the "worst" shape, but still not terrible. Ironically, the Ridgewood is the only one still operating of those three.
The Madison was the was the first of those three to go (and was the most ornate). The Oasis was next to go around 1980. The Oasis seemed well-maintained right to the end. The Ridgewood started to get grungy in the early 80's around when it was split up into three theaters (and then later 5). I haven't been there in probably 15 years. I love the Ridgewood dearly, but the last time I was there (to see some John Ritter movie - I forgot the name but it's the one where he had a bratty son), the seats were ripped, you got stuck to the floor, it smelled, and I got sick on the popcorn.
I prefer to remember it like my early experience, which I already mentioned way up higher in this thead (when my friend and I couldn't get adjusted to the darkness, and were tripping over the stairs in the balcony theater and laughing hysterically trying to hind a seat).
I don't know if it had gotten better since my last visit inside, but hopefully it has.

Warren, sorry about your "carpal tunnel and wrist syndrome".

EllenA, please give me your e-mail address, so we can communicate about Ridgewood directly, and keep our private chat off this board.

I remember Victor Baresi and Joe Gasperetti very well. Ironically, Joe G seemed to have the most respect for me after we had both graduated the Prep, and we would meet by accident on the subway or in the Ridgewood library, although we started hitting it off better our senior year at the Prep, starting fall 1972.

Where was your high school, St. Angela Hall, located ? I vaguely remember it, along with St. Nick's.

I live in Dobbs Ferry, NY, a near lower Westchester suburb of NYC, and work in lower Manhattan, so I am in NYC every weekday. I am in Ridgewood every month to do my father's banking at Ridgewood Savings Bank.

I thought the "low point" of the Ridgewood was in late 1979, or early 1980, right before it began to be multiplexed. Bway, please comment on this.

Possibly, however it was very grungy the last time I was inside (again, that was around 1990 or so). If it was worse than that in 1979, it had to be REALLY bad then, because I couldn't picture it being worse than the last time I was there.
I saw quite a few movies in the theater when the downstairs was still one theater. The last movie I remember seeing there before they split the main floor up was E.T, and that must have been around 1982. I believe the balcony was already partitioned off then. I don't remember it being extremely dirty when I was there for E.T.

I can't remember the countless movies I had seen there since then. I had previously though the last movie I saw there was one of the Friday the 13th movies (part 5 or 6?). I just remembered that horrible experience with that John Ritter movie I mentioned above, and I think that was after the Friday the 13th movie.

Funny, I cannot remember the last movie I saw at the Ridgewood theater...
I know that as 'young adult' we'd often drive to other theaters rather than stay in Ridgewood -- Forest Hills (Cinemart, Continental), Flushing, Elmwood, etc.
Peter K. - reach me at publicist@cox.net

I just remembered the movie with John Ritter and the bratty son....Problem Child, which came out in 1990, so I was right about the date! The last time I was in the theater was in 1990 for that movie. Friday the 13th Part 6 was the movie I saw before that, and that came out in 1986. Between 1985 and 1990 was when I was old enough to ride the subway "without adults", and that's when my friends and I abandoned the Ridgewood Theater for the theaters in Forest Hills: The Midway, the Continental, The Trylon, and the Elmhust.
We usually would tell my mother that we were going to the movies to the "in walking distance" Ridgewood theater, but usually would head for the other theaters without telling her....
From the Midway section on this site, apparently that theater is unrecognizable now from around 1993, the last time I was at that theater.

I found the link Monica added to the link section of the site, and thought I should post a link to it here of the comment I made there:

http://cinematreasures.org/links/11824_0_5_0_C/

I really have to stop and see a movie in there again one day. I no longer live in Ridgewood, but do visit often.
By the way, I wish I had a photo to share with you from when I was a kid in the 70's.

Hi - I stumbled on this site quite accidentally and noticed my name being taken in vain :)

Hello to DABOC and Peter K!

Peter K - "John" referred to by DABOC is John Gryzanka (from Greenpoint), a classmate of mine at SFP and at St. Francis College - he died in a car accident in 1975 when we were in college.

As to the theatre - I remember seeing "The Longest Day" with my mom when I was about 10 years old and the original "Parent Trap" with Hayley Mills

The Madison Theatre was right across the street from the Ridgewood but I do not know of that exists anymore (I haven't been back in the 'hood in a while)

Anyway, this was a pleasant surprise - I'll check back from time to time and look forward to hearing back! (DABOC - give my regards to Phil)

Hello "rich d" : Are you my classmate, Rich Dittus, from Saint Francis Prep, 1969-73 ? I guess not, as he went to Fordham.

Are you Rich Danderline, SFP Class of 1972 ?

Peter K - Rich Danderline - SFP 72

St. Matthias graduate and Glendale resident (now living in Montclair, NJ)

Hello Rich ! Good to be back in touch with you. I work in lower Manhattan and live in Dobbs Ferry NY across the Hudson from you.

If I may quote Bob Dylan, "We have much to talk about, and much to reminisce !" even though we are a year apart.

I'm also a St Matthias graduate (a decade later though...)

Anyway, the Madison Theater closed in 1978 to movies. It then burned, but the building became Consumers, then Odd Lot, and now "Liberty Dept Store". When it was Odd Lot, they had a fake ceiling over auditorium area, and you could actually make out the former line of the balcony. I have never been in Liberty Dept store, so don't know what they have up there now (although I'm sure still a fake ceiling). I don't know what if anything remains of the glory of the Madison theater's plasterwork above the fake ceiling what with the fire, neglect, the ravages of time, etc.
See more about the Madison Theater by typing "Madison" in the theater search engine above.

Someone earlier mentioned having seen the Dave Clark 5 at the Madison - I lived on Cooper Ave (near 64th St)in Glendale and remember one evening playing outside the house when the Dave Clark Five tour bus drove by with the band on their way to the Madison - my sisters, who are a few years older and were teenagers at the time, went crazy at the "glimpse" they got right outside our door.

Peter K - I remember Action Records very well - on Myrtle across from Woolworth & Kresge 5&10 stores - there was a "John's Bargain Store" on that block for a while as well

My unlce worked for many years in the Home Federal Savings & Loan on Forest Ave, across from the Ridgewood Savings Bank, also a very nice bank building

Rich D :

I think we were last face to face right after the closing of the cursillo we both made at St. Paul's Center on Humboldt Street, Greenpoint, Bklyn, mid-January 1975. I remember Mike Daley being there also. "The eighth sacrament", as I think John Keily, the St. Francis College "folkmeister", put it.

Cooper Avenue near 64th St. would be in the area of Glendale known as "Liberty Park". Action Records ("Where the action is") was on the south side of Myrtle just east of Cornelia Street and Martin's Paint Store. I remember a John's Bargain Store on the northwest side of Catalpa Avenue between Myrtle and Seneca Avenues, where KB Toys is now.

My St. Brigid and SFP classmate of 12 years, James Kennedy, pointed out to me the great rock albums you could find in the "Rock and Roll" section of Action Records, like Zephyr : From A Mile High. Their vocalist sounded like Janis Joplin.

Kresge's and Woolworth's were on the north side of Myrtle, a block further east, between Seneca and Onderdonk Avenues.

Home Federal Savings and Loan is now a North Fork Bank. My father worked for Ridgewood Savings Bank, both at and out of the main office at Myrtle and Forest Avenues, for 42 years, 1945 to 1987, when he retired. I am in Ridgewood Savings Bank's main office at Myrtle and Forest every month both to visit Ridgewood and to do business for my father. The building still looks great, and there is a sign in the lobby, "Mowimy po polsku'(Polish spoken here).

Now that Creative Entertainment has switched the Jackson Triplex to showing all its movies with Spanish sub-titles, I wonder if the Ridgewood Theatre will be next? Doesn't Ridgewood have as large an Hispanic population now as Jackson Heights? I think that people would also flock to the Ridgewood from all over Brooklyn, which, as far as I know, has no movie theatres offering Spanish sub-titles on the latest Hollywood movies.

Good point, Warren. Does Creative Entertainment own and run the Corona Plaza at 103rd St. and Roosevelt Avenue in Corona ? I saw the Matthew Broderick "Godzilla" there Thursday May 28, 1998 and it was subtitled in Spanish. Yes, Ridgewood now has a large Hispanic population, probably comparable to Jackson Heights and Corona.

"Flock to the Ridgewood from all over Brooklyn" ? The Ridgewood Theater is in Queens, a block or so from the Brooklyn border. Due to the inadequacies (or adequacies, depending on one's point of view) of mass transit in Brooklyn, Ridgewood is very hard to get to from
some Brooklyn neighborhoods, like Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Sheepshead Bay, East Flatbush ...

Peter - funny you should mention John Kiely - Earlier today, when I stumbled across this site, I sent him the URL. He and I lived in the same house growing up(a two family)on Cooper Ave as noted in my earlier post. I was just at his 50th birthday party this past weekend (also attended by Bob Genalo, a classmate of mine at SFP and SFC)- John now lives in Allendale, NJ and his mom (who was at the party) splits her time between Florida and Glendale, where she continues to maintain a residence on 64th St., just off of Cooper Ave. Mike Daley now lives in Florida, having recently re-located there from upstate NY. John speaks to him regularly and I played golf with him last September in NJ. I played golf this past Sunday with another SFP alum who you may know, Walter Winkowski - I am the godfather to his son.

You are right in that Ridgewood, by mass transit standards, is on another planet if one is considering coming from Bay Ridge, Sheephead Bay, etc. ("You can't get there from here")

Ridgewood does have a high Hispanic population now, however, there is also a very large and noticable influx of Polish people also. That mixed with a high population of other Eastern Europeans too, especially Romania and the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
The theater would do almost as good with Polish subtitles at this point.

Rich D -

What a nice surprise to see your post!!! I'll never forget when I first knew Philip and he was showing me pics of him and his work pals bowling and telling me the names of the people, and when he got to one pic I said "That's Richie D" before he could tell me! He was so surprised. You made me smile by remembering Mike Daly in your post. If you want leave your email address.

I found this site by my on and off again searches of "Ridgewood". You would not believe the things they sell on Ebay for Ridgewood; post cards, brewing labels, used match books, I look for myself and for presents for my Dad who grew up in Ridgewood too.

I was the one who said I went to the Madison Theatre to see the Dave Clark Five, my mom took me and I remember standing on the arms of the chairs to see cause I was so small and everyone was standing and jumping up and not hearing much cause of all the screaming!

The Corona Plaza is currently closed. It was supposed to re-open as a multiplex with more than the former two screens, but a community dispute erupted over parking space in the area, and the project is now in limbo. I don't know whether Creative will still be involved, but it may. It's still connected with the recently re-opened Coliseum in Washington Heights, NYC. I've seen no advertising so far that Spanish sub-titles are being used at the New Coliseum.

Rich D - I remember Walter Winkowski very well. At the cursillo we were both on, Wally made the remark : "Lunch is ready - napkin sandwiches !" Rich Dittus was there also, and credits me with remembering the remark, although Wally made it.

I didn't know you were godfather to Wally's son. That's good.

Thanks for the info on John Kiely. I enjoyed his performances, and those of other Treaty Stone members, at the SFC folk concerts. Also Joe Kuceluk, who turned me on to Dylan in 1973, and with whom I still keep in touch.

I remember going to the Krazy Kountry Klub (Warm beer, lousy food)in Bay Ridge with some college friends from Staten Island in mid-November 1979. From Ridgewood, by subway, into Manhattan, then back into Brooklyn. Going home I remember a very crowded L or R train at Union Square, and a guy saying, "Looks like a full house but we're gonna make it home tonight" then to me "Step aboard, young stud, before the doors close on you too !" At least 1 1/2 hours each way.

Bway, good point about Polish subtitles at the Ridgewood Theater. In the '80's I worked with a Yugoslavian man who lived at Catalpa and Shaler in upper Ridgewood whose name was Anton Tomic, or Mr. "A.Tomic", as we called him. I was reminded of him this past Monday when I saw the current film, "The Terminal", with Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski from Krakozhia.

DABOC, thanks for the heads-up on all the Ridgewood stuff sold on e-bay. I suppose standing on the arms of one's chair and screaming is standard rock concert behavior, and has been for at least four decades now.

Warren, thanks for the info on the Corona Plaza, and Creative. Sorry to read the Plaza is now closed. When I saw "Godzilla" there in May 1998 it was like being a small kid again, and seeing "Reptilicus" at the RKO Madison, summer of 1961.

In "the old days," when Ridgewood had a large German population, none of the theatres showing Hollywood movies ran them with German sub-titles, did they? Why is it suddenly necessary to provide audiences with Spanish sub-titles? If they don't understand English, that's their problem. If they see enough movies in English, they will learn it. That's why English is so widely spoken and understood throughout the world. Many "foreigners" have learned it from exposure to movies, recordings, TV, etcetera.

Perhaps because the Wagner Theater at 110 Wyckoff Avenue between DeKalb Avenue and Stockholm Street used to show German films in the old days. No, it's not necessary to provide Spanish sub-titles, but it would be helpful, and may even help Hispanics learn English, by hearing English and seeing Spanish, simultaneously.

"If they don't understand English, that's their problem." Immigrants many years ago didn't get stuff in their own language, so why should they get it now ? Do two wrongs make a right ? I agree, immigrants should learn English, but in the meantime I think they should get whatever help in their native language.

Wow....somebody remembers my performances with Treaty Stone. I barely remember them!

Does anybody remember Byhoff Brothers record store (I think that's the name of the place) on Myrtle Ave near the A&P?? In the early and mid 60's I remember them having Nazi music albums in the window. One that I remember well is a little ditty entitled "Hitler's Inferno, Songs of the Third Reich". What a collectors item.

Rich Dittus....another blast from the past. I worked the weekend at St. Pauls Center when he met his wife, Kathy Kennedy. How are they doing??

Joe Kucelik...the Bob Dylan-ologist.."you go your way I go mieennnnn"

John Kiely

Hi John Kiely, and welcome !

I remember Byhoff's at Myrtle and Weirfield well, bought many records there, CD's as recently as March 1991. Hitler's Inferno ?
Sounds like "The Producers" !

That weekend you worked St. Paul's was the cursillo I was on.

Last spoke with Joe K this past January and he mentioned his wife Mona knew Kathy Kennedy from Yonkers. Joe's into Petula Clark now rather than Dylan.

Peter Koch

Peter K - another blast from the past - Joe Kuceluk! In my high school days, I spent most of my hanging out time in Greenpoint, since my main buds, Mike Daley, John Gryzanka and Wally Winkowski lived there (spent many late nights "dazed and confused" on the GG and LL going back and forth to Glendale). Joe K was also a Greenpoint guy, and was a grammar school mate of John & Wally's at St. Stan's. One thing I remember about him was that he had a crush on Mike Daley's younger sister Rita (and may have dated her) and always referred to her as "Rita - La Dolce Vita" I also remember him as a major Bob Dylan fan.

I could accept some theatres showing Hollywood movies with Spanish sub-titles, provided that they were not the only theatre serving their area. But in the case of the Jackson Triplex, there are no other movie theatres in Jackson Heights showing first-run Hollywood product, so they're forcing Spanish sub-titles on many people who don't need or want them. I doubt, Peter, that you would want to sit through "Lord of the Rings" or whatever with Spanish subtitles flashing across the bottom of the screen throughout. Perhaps instead they could provide headsets to the needy for a simultaneous translation into Spanish (or Polish or Russian or Chinese or Italian or Korean or German or whatever).

By the way...
I don't remember the Wagner Theatre as a German film theatre, but I remember it as a porno palace.

jk

Peter K...

You were on the weekend Rich Dittus was on???

Were you in my group??

jk

Warren, I actually enjoyed the Spanish subtitles of "Godzilla", especially when French was being spoken and there were three languages going on at the same time. I tend to be "Bored Of The Rings", to echo the Harvard Lampoon, so I would probably closely study the Spanish subtitles, so as to learn Spanish, when the film itself got boring. It was interesting watching "Godzilla", seeing how the English was translated into Spanish : "He's a scumbag !" became "! Es despicable !" (despicable).

I agree, though, that a language should not be forced on someone who does not want it. The headsets you mention are a good idea.

Rich D : I too remember when the G and the L were the GG and the LL ! Many times returning to Ridgewood from Greenpoint I would give up on the GG and walk to Bedford Avenue on the L, like in June 1975 when Joe K, Rich Dittus, Jack McCabe and I saw "Ladies and Gentlemen The Rolling Stones" at the Meserole Theater. So you were "dazed and confused" from being "trampled underfoot", so you needed a "whole lotta love" before "goin' to california", or maybe "kazhmir", for a "misty mountain hop" with "four sticks" and some "custard pie" for some "rock n roll" ? Whoo ooo yeah yeahuh I know my Led Zeppelin too !

After getting off the L at Myrtle Avenue, did you wait for the Myrtle Avenue B-55 bus or just walk to Cooper and 64th ?

Odd that I don't remember Joe K raving about "Lovely Rita - la Dolce Vita", because I remember almost everything, and Joe K was nothing if not vocal about any girl he had the hots for.

Yes, Joe was a major Dylan fan, and at times could cut Dylan with his own songs (perform them better) but now he's extremely soured on Dylan and other '60's music stars still functioning. He referred to Dylan, Keith Richards and Ron Wood playing together at the July 13 1985 "Live Aid" concert as "Three Stooges" and the "three ugliest m.f.'s on the face of the earth !"

Odd in retrospect that you weren't a regular at Joe K's 1973 Friday night Dobbin St. stoop parties + amateur nights ! I was, and remember your SFP classmate, Charlie Wassermanm being there a few times, once blowing us all away with how well he performed CSN's "Suite : Judy Blue Eyes" as some of us began to sing along. Charlie also contributed the following comment to the "ranks" part of one evening :

"Br. Fabian : A week before 'It's Academic', you asked me to get my hair cut for the show. I did, and we lost. F.U. !"

(guitar) Refrain : You gotta lotta nerve to say you are my friend !

John Kiley : I too remember the Wagner as pornographic in the late '60's. My cousin Fran and I would snicker over the titles there like "Devil's Bed" and "Let's Play Doctor".

Yes I was on the same weekend as Rich Dittus. I don't think you were at my table, but I remember you were there, and remember you subsequently performing The Eagles' "Best Of My Love" and Steeler's Wheels' "Stuck In The Middle" at an SFC folk concert, and saying that the latter song reminded you of times spent with some SFC buddies of yours.

Actually, I am also against having Spanish subtitles at the Ridgewood, but Warren, I think you brought it up in the first place! I brought up "Polish" and the other Eastern European residents of Ridgewood just because the non-Hispanics still make up the majority of Ridgewood, even if there is a high population of Hispanics too. The Ridgewood is the only theater in the area, so find it would do more harm than good if they did such a thing.
Anyway, personally, I would not go to a theater that had subtitles (any language). I find it very distracting.

Peter, you have some memory....
Stuck in the Middle With You kind of describes my whole fraternity experience, and much of my subsequent life..."clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right"

Did you know Joe Graif??

jk

John Kiely :

Thanks for the compliment on my memory ! I've been exercising it alot lately, on this and other message boards !

I thought "Stuck in the Middle With You" was about your fraternity experience. Interesting that you say it describes much of your subsequent life.

I only knew Joe Graif a bit, but I remember him well. My first experience of him was when I was a sophomore at SFP and he was a junior. I was at my locker, and he was bellowing in my ear, and at others, for some unknown reason. I remember Rich Danderline smiling in the background then. Next year I was a junior and he was a senior. I knew him from his talk in my classroom about the cursillo experience, and an April 1972 folk concert, in which he was part of the "14th Street Canarsie Line" group. They did "Let The Sun Shine In" from "Hair". I also spoke with him about his music appreciation mini course, and the Gyorgy Ligeti composition, "Atmospheres", used in "2001 : A Space Odyssey". Last thing I read about him in an SFP newsletter was that he was married to Vicki Craft, M.D. He was a Ridgewood boy (lived on Fairview Avenue near Madison Street) from Miraculous Medal parish in upper Ridgewood. Very smart and musically gifted. Hung out with Gerard Boehme, Fred Serna, Joe Kriz, Roderick James, of the SFP Class of 1972.

-Peter Koch

Peter - I rarely, if ever, walked from Myrtle/Wyckoff to Glendale so I did spend a lot of time on (and even more time waiting for) the B-55. Sometimes I would go upstairs and take the Metropolitan Ave "el" to Fresh Pond Road and walk from there or stay on the LL to Halsey St and walk from there. You do have a great memory for detail, with some misplaced punctuation! - Joe Graif married Vicki Craft who was from Maryland (MD) - she was not an M.D. :)

Joe and I first met when we were in the 8th grade and competed in a Catholic School spelling bee at the Knights of Columbus on Fresh Pond Road and Catalpa Ave. There was about 20 competitors and he and I wound up being the two finalists. He won - I went down on "fundamental" (I put an "e" where the first "a" should have been) which was a fundamental error, I guess. Anyway, when I reported to SFP on the first day of freshman year, there was Joe in the same class (like you, we were in that year's scholarship class) and in the locker next to mine (we had 3 guys to a locker, assigned alphabetically - so I shared with Mike Daley and Roberto Dominiani) with Joe, Bob Genalo and ? next to us.

Rich D :

What was the longest you remember waiting for the B-55 ? It runs every few minutes most of the day and night but, I think, once an hour in the small hours.

That must have been an interesting walk from Halsey and Wyckoff to Cooper and 64th late at night or in the small hours. I usually get off the L at Halsey when I go to Ridgewood Savings Bank.

Speaking of RSB, I kept meaning to visit your SFP 1972 clasmate, John Dafgard, there, but he left the main office at Myrtle and Forest before I "got a round tuit". I also recall John working at the Ridgewood library at 20-12 Madison, between Forest and Fairview Avenues, when we both attended SFP (1971-72).

Thanks for acknowledging my great memory for detail. Thanks for the correction on Vicki Craft.

I remember the K of C at the southwest corner of Catalpa and Fresh Pond. A newer building with a "Hamburg Savings Bank" ad painted on the side, as I recall. Yes, I was in Class 101, the scholarship class. Wow, three guys to a locker ! With my class, it was two - I shared a locker with Andy Kobel, whose older brother, Peter, was with you in the class of 1972.

Thanks for mentioning Bob Dominiani. I had been thinking about him. I remember chatting with another classmate of yours, Bill Joel (I wonder how many times he got asked / joked with re : music star Billy Joel from Plainview, L.I. ?) at the math fair at Pace College in March 1972 about Bob D, and how he was already reading Greek books. That impressed me.

My SFP Class of 1973 classmate, and best friend, Terence McHale, recalled that what Joe Graif said he got from his cursillo was that he didn't have to impress people anymore. I remember him coming into my Class 301 in spring 1972 and saying, "You might think you're a Christian, but how many times a week or month do you tell your mother that you love her ?" Made me think.

When I would visit Terry McHale in Chicago in the early 1980's, sometimes we'd be at the Loop late at night or the small hours, after a movie. The subway only ran once every 45 minutes then, so sometimes we'd walk back to Terry's place on the Near West Side (near Notre Dame and U of I Circle campus).

Once, Terry mentioned meeting Joe Kriz in Chicago, mentioning me, getting Joe's address on North Mozart for me to meet up with him, but I never did.

Peter -

John Dafgard was ALWAYS known to me as "Rocky", a name that apparently came with him from St. Brigid's to SFP - perhaps you can shed some light on the origins of the nickname

I don't think I ever met a more serious or intense student than Bob Dominiani - he was driven from the first day at SFP to become an MD and ultimately became one (a medical doctor, not a Maryland resident :)). I never thought he enjoyed school at all and missed out on a LOT of fun...and he was so uptight about academic success that he would literally make himself ill around tests and schoolwork - but a most brilliant guy with an incredible work ethic.

Any idea as to what became of Bill (not Billy) Joel? Wasn't he also a St. Brigid's guy?

Rich D :

I have NO idea why John Dafgard was nicknamed "Rocky". If I'd known he came to SFP from St. Brigid's, I'd forgotten.

Was Bob Dominiani the SFP Class of 1972 valedictorian ? I ask, partly because he reminds me of my Class of 1973 valedictorian, Frank Tellian, who also became an MD and a shrink. Yet, Frank had a sense of humor. Right before the graduation ceremony, we were all in the gym in our white tuxedo jackets, and Frank asked everyone to take out their handkerchiefs and drape them over our right wrist, and all walk out like the Waiter's Convention. I'm not sure if any of us did. Regarding being a psychiatrist, Frank told Joe Gasperetti at Columbia, (who then told me) "It takes one to know one !"

Then, after the ceremony, back in the gym, there was Danny Ahern impersonating Hitler on top of the bleachers, with just about all 125 of us giving him "Seig Heil !" at the top of our lungs.

I have no idea what happened to Bill Joel, nor am I sure why I did not know, or do not remember him, from St. Brigid's. The same goes for John Dafgard.

Your description of Bob Dominiani reminds me of the extremely driven law students pictured in the films, "The Paper Chase", and "Legally Blonde".

Wowww... Thanks to my brother Bob Dittus, I have learned about this website and the SFP / St. Paul's reunion. January 16th - 19th, 1975 was the St. Paul's weekend that many of us attended - including Joe Kuceluk (leader). John Kiely, Kathy Kennedy, and I were at the same discussion table. Peter Koch, weren't you at this weekend too? Wasn't there a moment when we sang "On for Old St. Francis?"

Mike Daley, where is he living in Florida? Kathy (Kennedy) and I are now married for 25 years and have 6 children ranging from 21 to 8 years old. I am the Director of Admissions at Ave Maria University. You can contact me at RichardDittus@avemaria.edu

Rich D, remember Brother Thomas, our tennis coach and matches where you would drive us in a station wagon to Highland Park? Whatever happened to John Nowak?

My sister, Susan, graduated St. Nicholas High School in 1975. As mentioned, many of us from SFP went there for driver's ed, dances, and participated in the school plays.

Pete Koch, whatever happened to the old gang on 37 1/2 Dobbin Street - including Tony Yanni, Joe Kuceluk, and Jack McCabe?

My brother tells me things are really changing back in Greenpoint / Williamsburg - not quite the same old neighborhood.

I lived in Glendale (68th Street) from 1982 to 1992 and walked home via Mrytle Avenue from the LL train station. I can't remember the old movie houses - except for the Rainbow on Graham Avenue in Williamsburg, the Grand, the Graham, the Arion in Middle Village where they had movies for $1.50 or $2 before it closed in the 1980s. Remember Eddie's Sweet Shop near a theatre in Forest Hills - went to see ET there on February 25, 1983.

Rich Dittus

Rich Dittus, I e-mailed you privately at your Ave Maria U. e-dress. Hope to get a reply from you soon.

To keep this on topic, there was also the Chopin Theater, at Manhattan and Greenpoint Avenues, where Joe Kuceluk and I saw "Cry Of The Wild" and "Bigfoot" in January 1974, and where our SFP classmate, Bob Dunas, saw "The Exorcist", later in 1974.

One of the last few times we met face to face, Labor Day 1985, was by the LIRR tracks at 68th Street and Otto Road. I was walking home from a cinema in Lefrak City, Queens, where I had just seen "Godzilla 1985" with Raymond Burr. That cinema is no longer there. You expressed mild amusement that "Godzilla" had been remade. As I recall, we met that way several times, while I was walking back to my Ridgewood home after having seen a film elsewhere in Queens, anywhere from 4 to 7 miles away, from Jackson Heights to Kew Gardens, mostly Forest Hills and Elmhurst, in between. Once, we sat on your front stoop and talked with Kathy and your kids. I remember Kathy mentioning one of your kids putting pennies on her pregnant belly. I also recall walking around your block with you a few times at night in summer 1987 after seeing "Robocop" at the Elmwood (also no longer there), talking about meeting at a Pat Costa concert at St. Adalbert's in Elmhurst, yet that fell through somehow.

Peter Koch

The Elmwood is still with us, but no longer used as a movie theatre. It's now affiliated with the Rock Community Church. Attempts are being made to restore some of the original interior. But the exterior is little changed from the way it looked in 1946, when the former Queensboro re-opened as the Elmwood. The neon roof sign is still in place, and so is the marquee, though the latter is apparently in the process of being removed.

Thanks for the update, Warren. Yet another old movie theater becomes a church ! Any news on a brand new multiplex cinema opening in Queens Center on the opposite side of Queens Blvd. ?

No news is good news, or so they say. But there's no indication of any multiplex opening in the Queens Center, which is being expanded to about twice its original size. Many of the new stores have already opened, and the Center now seems concentrated on re-building the portion on Queens Boulevard that was most recently occupied by J.C. Penney, which is now in much larger quarters in the new addition...When the Elmwood was on the verge of closing, there was community sentiment that it should be replaced by a new theatre, but the politicos involved were apparently not able to raise the necessary support. The nearest theatre now is probably the Jackson Triplex, which shows all Hollywood movies with Spanish subtitles. Curiously, one of its three current films, "Maria, Full of Grace," is being presented in Spanish with English subtitles!

Rumor has it that an 8-plex is going to be part of the Atlas Terminal development project in Glendale on Cooper Avenue between Woodhaven Boulevard and 80th Street and oposite the southern end of St. Johns Cemetery. At the moment, I do not know who the operator will be.

Today I had a chance to see the main level of the Ridgewood theater for the first time in 20 years!! (The last few movies I had seem there, also over 15 years ago, always seemed to be in one of the balcony theaters).
Anyway, I didn't see a movie there, but got a great peak inside. I was in Ridgewood today, and had some time to kill, so decided to take a walk over to the Madison Theater to check out what can still be seen now that it's the Liberty Dept store (see the Madison's section for those comments). On my way back, I decided to take Madison Street around the back of the Ridgewood theater. Workers were repairing one of the emergency exit doors, and the doors were wide open to the left (if facing front) orchestra theaters.
I peaked in, and so many memories came rushing back. I immediately envisioned in my head sitting in the theater when it was still one theater, and looking at that exact same exit door from the indside.
A column still stands adjacent to the door (one of two columns that were on either side of the original large theater's stage when it was one theater).
The theater looked to be in pretty decent shape inside. It appeared clean, and well cared for. Of course it was pretty dark inside, and I couldn't stay too long as the workers were on their way back to finish repairing the doors. But it was sure nice to see the inside again.

If that Atlas Terminal multiplex is built, I suspect that it will bring the closing of the Ridgewood Theatre, which is now 91 years old and has only survived due to lack of nearby competition.

The Atlas terminal is quite a way away from the Ridgewood though. It's possible that it would be damaged by it, but then again, The Ridgewood is the only theater for the Brooklyn area around there too. The Ridgewood's location could save it further.

Oh, and to add, I was thinking about it some more, The Ridgewood Theater used to be surrounded by other theaters, I can't think of one nearby right now, and that is going into Queens or Brooklyn around it!

The Ridgewood Theatre is still open and showing movies after 91 years, you just don't see that much anymore. That is why I love NEW YORK, however NYC "areas" have lost some classic theatres of late one is the NOVA CINEMAS, which I loved when I visited NYC. There is just something magical about these old theatres with the big sidewalk marquees and it is just a feel they give. The big multiplex cinema just doesn’t have that. The “Multiplex Cinemas” chain around the NYC area are owned by National Amusements which owns the "Showcase
Cinemas"
chain
they
all
look just same the ones in OH, PA, MA and elsewhere they have no identity and that is what lacks in today’s Cineplex world.

To return to the grim present for a moment, off topic, Monsignor James Kelly was mugged in his St. Brigid's rectory bedroom earlier today for $ 60 cash. The rectory is on Linden Street between Wyckoff and Cypress Avenues. 1010 WINS and CBS and ABC TV news are calling it "Bushwick", but it is really lower Ridgewood or Wyckoff Heights. Channel 7 Eyewitness News is describing the mugging as "brutal". Father Kelly fought back, forcing his attackers to flee through the same window that they entered through. He says he forgives his attackers. He may have facial fractures and has reported difficulty seeing with his right eye. Possibly more on TV news today and tonight at 6, 10 and 11 p.m. This happened three blocks from the former RKo Madison Theater and five blocks from the Ridgewood Theater.

For those present and former Ridgewood residents who wish to express their condolences and get-well wishes to Father Kelly, the address is :

St. Brigid Rectory
409 Linden Street
Brooklyn, New York 11237

"On for Old St. Francis" ......on red and blue oh my gosh how we can remember things from a song!

Was Jack McCabe a basketball player? I think I remember him from my cheering days.

For the first time since mid to late 70's I probably will be going back to Ridgewood this Saturday!

I have to go to Woodhaven so I thought I'd drive through Ridgewood first and see my old house on Madison Street around the corner from the Ridgewood Theatre.
Now after hearing about Father Kelly, maybe I will skip seeing St. Brigid's again.

DABOC :

Jack McCabe, SFP Class of 1974 (the last class to graduate from the old building on 186 North 6th Street in Williamsburg) was and is a (Grateful) Dead Head and amateur musician, not an athlete, except maybe in intramurals. He and some other members of his class agreed among themselves what parts of the old building each would take as a souvenir upon graduation. I'm not sure who got the sign over the front door.

"For the first time since mid to late 70's I probably will be going back to Ridgewood this Saturday!"

Here's hoping the 25 year absence doesn't cause you moderate to severe culture shock !

"Now after hearing about Father Kelly, maybe I will skip seeing St. Brigid's again."

On the contrary, if you're going to visit your old block, why not stop by St. Brigid Rectory and offer your condolences and get-well wishes for Father Kelly ?

Just registered because I read Peter K.'s comments. My parents bought a house in 1970 on Cornelia St. between Cypress Avenue and Wyckoff Avenue, a couple of doors down from the house in the middle that used to have this big, floral tree (what was it, cherry blossoms or something? Fragrant, pretty tiny pink petals). Did you know the Greek hot dog guy in front of the bank on Myrtle Avenue, off Cornelia St.? We used to get hot dogs from him for $0.35 each in the 1970s. He now has a spot further Myrtle Avenue and Seneca Avenue. We went to P.S. 81Q, on 559 Cypress Avenue and Menahan St. We didn't go to parochial school.

Ridgewood theatre: I remember dropping my ice cream from my cone walking by it one afternoon in the 1970s; I almost cried. Remembered watching a Bruce Lee double matinee there. It was $3.50 then, I think? Haven't been to the theatre in about 15 years because of the hygiene and rowdiness, as well as the selection of the movies (action and related; not into that stuff anymore).

Madison St. & Myrtle Ave. furniture store: Has been a VG Nichols for a long time, but from roughly the 1970s until the late 1980s, it was a "Selingers" furniture store. The Selingers lived in Huntington, LI; I remember vaguely their son, Ross, who went to Pratt Institute. I think he's a real estate broker, or something now. On the other corner on the same intersection, there used to be this little newspaper stand there, an older, slightly built fellow was there all the time. Royal Pizza across the street: I remember their pizza, have only had two slices there in the last 25+ years, mostly within the last two years. I don't go by there, anymore. I remember the skinny, spindly son (I think he's my age, maybe slightly younger?). He grew up, looks much taller and more muscular, but still a lean build.

I'm just amazed at the number of people from Ridgewood and the memories; I guess my age was as a kid there in the 1970s to early 1980s.

O.K., Mock, we lived on the same block (Cornelia between Cypress and Wyckoff) between 1970 and 1991. You wrote your house was "a couple of doors down" from the house in the middle with the big floral tree.
Was your house closer to Wyckoff Avenue than that "house in the middle" ? I always liked those two-family gray brick houses between that more modern house in the middle, and the synagogue at 1616 Cornelia, near Wyckoff Avenue, because of the wide sidewalk and old large trees in front of them. They still seems luxurious to me.

I knew the Greek hot dog guy. He kept his wagon in a garage on Cornelia between the synagogue and Wyckoff Avenue. He's the brother of Teddy, the Greek guy who owned the Bank Restaurant, now managed by his sons, on Seneca between Catalpa and Myrtle next door to Rudy's Konditorei (bake shop). I've seen the Greek hot dog guy at Myrtle and Seneca.

The Ridgewood Theater had a Bruce Lee double bill in early November 1980 : "Fists of Fury" with "Chinese Connection". I saw part of it the night of Saturday November 8, 1980.

Mock, you can see the bright yellow sign for Selinger's Furniture in the distance, in this image of the Wyckoff Avenue el station, between the right (near) end of the train, and the green control tower :

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?6398

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I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!
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Man all these great memories being told on this website is great man, the neighbors, the sense of pride man it’s magical.
Monica H man even made a website for
everyone to enjoy to show her love not just for Ridgewood Theatre and all of us on this web page not even for New York man but the world, she is just like all of you are taking this global for the world to see and that is the most far out thing you can do man.
The things people say about New Yorkers and you see on T.V. like NYPD 24/7 is not the real New York this little website page about an old 1913 theatre has proven that man, there is so much more to New York than Broadway, hookers, and just the crime man. New York has real people like all of you who post your memories; you guys are the real New York that shows like NYPD/27 don’t show us. The only time they show New York is when a crime is going on, which happens everyday in almost every city with more than 2,000 people living there. And this is something I don’t like to talk about but 9/11, see the “the media” only wants to show New York crimes or in pain because that New York’s stigma, but you guys on this page you are the real New York and is what New York is all about and we love you guys, because no matter what anyone say or shows us about New York is won’t matter because….“New York is the Best Place in the WORLD”!!
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Monica H
http://hometown.aol.com/mharb64560/THEATRE.html

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Ridgewood Theatre SHOWTIMES

http://www.fandango.com/theater.asp?distance=15&chain_id=Q&theater_id=AAEFB&refreshdate=7/23/2004&from=


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GOD BLESS NEW YORK &
Father Kelly
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My email Address
nysrulez@yahoo.com

Monica Ridgewood Theatre has Catwoman,
are you gonna see it?
Today's times 1:30 | 3:40 | 6:00 | 8:20 | 10:50

I love you too, mike hoyts ! Keep the faith, and keep telling it like it is ! There is indeed almost infinitely more to NYC than crime, no matter how much the media may misrepresent it.

This web page is proof positive that Ridgewood, Queens, NYC, NY, is and was, and (hopefully) shall always be, a community !

Peter.K thank you,
you rock man!
-------------------------

I know this is about Ridgewood and I am going off the subject but anyone visiting NYC or lives in the NYC area please see a movie at the Ridgewood Theatre but also check out New Coliseum Theatre in NYC my good friend owns the cineplex which he closed in 2002(also had and since closed the NOVA) has now reopened the New Coliseum number is 212-740-1545 and to be fare since this is Ridgewood Theatres page so the
Ridgewood’s number is 718-821-5993.
Much like the Ridgewood's owner who also own Jackson Triplex and recently the closed Plaza 1 & 2 Corona it is so hard for these independent operators the keep a theatre going with so many big chains and newer multiplex to go up against, I love New York City but it is truly the worst market for a theater operator with the Loews and UATC/REGAL CINEMAS/Clearview Cinemas etc. around.
All I am saying is please remember the little guys.
Thanks,
Love to All ;-) NYC

Where is the New Coliseum Theatre, mike hoyts ?

So I'm a "rock man", am I ? "Peter" means "rock"; the New Testament says so.

The New Coliseum is listed here as the Coliseum and situated in Washington Heights in uptown New York City.

Peter .K "rock" of the New Testament ....um ok
New Coliseum /Coliseum ;-)
is at 4260-4261 Broadway, New York, NY
click here for more info!
---> http://cinematreasures.org/theater/526/

"Peter" means rock, or stone, I think? I've heard also "Pedro" or "Pietro/Piedro"? or similar; nice. I always loved that name!

Great shot of the Selinger's sign on that link, thanks! Nice view of the "M" train. I've forgotten how those older trains were like; I remember they were hot in summer and sometimes broken doors that were precariously never closed.

My parents' house is closer to Wyckoff Ave. I don't want to say exactly who my parents are (heck, I think we used to be nutty, heh), but I think I can mention it's one of the houses from say 1640-1646? On the same side as the tree, when it was still there. The Greek guy: You're right, I forgot I used to see him coming down the block with his cart. His brother owned the Bank Restaurant? ... do you mean the new "Red Bank" Restaurant or something? I've met two of the different managers (I think they are managers?) named Sammy and George? I thought they are Egyptian, though?

A Bruce Lee double billing on Nov. 8 1980? Yowza! Your memory is impressive! But, btw, I think whatever I saw, I could *almost* be sure it was between 1974-1978, I think. I remember being younger, it was during the afternoon (I remember daylight coming out), and probably during warm weather (I don't remember wearing a coat or anything). My family almost *NEVER* went to the movies (cheap) and, I think, that was maybe only one of two times we went to the Ridgewood.

Also, I wonder how old are you? I'm almost 39 (will be later this year). Do you want to email? If so, I'm at avery509@hotmail.com ; I try to check my email regularly, but sometimes only once every couple of days. Hotmail is kind of sucky, though, and I've been having problems lately. If I don't respond within a couple of days, try and write me again? I've lost email unfortunately.

Mock :

Glad you liked that el image through that link I provided. By the way, nycsubway.org is a great site, if you like subways and el trains. In the page for the RKO Madison Theater, I have posted links to other images on nycsubway.org, that show its western wall, visible from the Wyckoff Avenue el station. As the years have gone by, the original name "RKO MADISON THEATER" painted on that wall in block letters has gotten fainter, while the graffiti has gotten bolder.

Wherever possible, on Cinema Treasures, I have posted links to images from nycsubway.org that show the theater on that page.

I lived at 1668 Cornelia Street from 1955 to 1991. I meant the Bank Restaurant that I think is still on Seneca between Catalpa and Myrtle. I was last in there the week after 9/11/01, and it had been newly renovated.

Thanks for the compliment on my memory. Others have said the same.

I am 48 years old, and will turn 49 in mid-November this year. Thanks for your private e-mail address. I may use it.

Yes, I am happy and a little concerned seeing Ridgewood tomorrow for the FIRST TIME since the mid 70's ---- my Mom, now in New Jersey said "Oh don't go, it will have changed too much" but I want to see and take pictures of the apartment buildings I used to live at on Madison Street and Norman Street.

As far as skiping St. Brigid's it was only because I did not want my last memory of it being that Father Kelly was just attacked days earlier. I would rather remember getting married there, I came back to Ridgewood from Maspeth to get married --- Rich D. and Wally did the video of the wedding!

I do hope people will support and help Father Kelly and that they catch who did this soon. This is the 3rd time I know of that he has been attached!!


I remembered now, I think it was Jack McCue that was a basketball player for St. Francis.....does that sound familiar?



Well good nite to all and tomorrow........ "HELLO RIDGEWOOD, MY OLD HOME TOWN"

I just caught the end of “Arthur” and heard “between the moon and New York City” and thought I should stop by cinema treasures and drop a line to the “Ridgewood Peeps”.
I am not sure what my obsession is with New York, but I bought a pet rat a few months a go at a Pet Store here in Ohio and named it “Madison” my one cat is named “Brooklyn” and the other cat is “Hudson” and my little dog is named “Queen” but also responds to “Queens”, my neighbors dog that he found running the streets let me name the dog, so I named him “Bronx” . Anyway love to all and to New York! ;-)

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P.S.
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Hello Peter.K gave a great weekend!!!!!
:-()-----And take care, I'll be back on Monday!
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HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Hello, mike hoyts, I'm back. I had a great weekend, and hope you did too. DABOC, how was your visit to Ridgewood last weekend ? Sorry, I don't remember a Jack McCue who played basketball at either SFP or SFC.

It's been suggested elsewhere by "Bway" that the V G Nichols Furniture Store on the northwest corner of Myrtle Avenue and Madison Street, formerly Selinger's, and, before that, Triangle, was once a movie theater. I don't think so, because I recall reading in the "Our Neighborhood" column of the "Times Newsweekly" that it was a furniture store back in the 1920's, when the RKO Madison opened, and a decade after the Ridgewood opened in 1913.

Actually, I don't really think it was either, but Warren had mentioned a thread on some Queens history board, and someone there had mentioned the idea.
Actually, originally i had completely discounted the idea, but when I went by the store the other day, I was a bit taken back by the fact that the back of the store had a really high ceiling (at least it looked that way through the windows). It seemed like a bit more than your average "apartments over stores" that I had originally described the building as.
The truth is, it probably just has a fancy marquee from when it was Triangle Furniture, although who knows, maybe it was some really small theater before it became Triangle Furniture, so many years ago.

To DABOC and Peter:

Jack McCue was, indeed, a varsity hoops stand out at SFP - I believe he graduated in 1971.

I am anxious to know how DABOC's "return to Ridgewood" trip turned out - did you get back to Norman Street? What's it like over there these days? I was last in the 'hood about 6 years ago and went past my childhood home and other places important to me like PS 68 playground (home of countless stickball games for me), Corrato Pizza (the one on Myrtle near Fresh Pond - there is also one on Fresh Pond and the original on Myrtle close to the Ridgewood Theatre) Things seemed pretty good back then

Rich D :

I know the P.S.68 playground at St. Felix and Seneca Avenues, with exit onto Forest Avenue just east of the LIRR overpass, very well. Corato's Pizza on Woodbine between St. Nicholas and Myrtle, right near the RKO Madison Theater, was my family's favorite pizzeria when we lived in Ridgewood. Next door, Bonafide Opticians was our optician of choice. I got Italian heroes to go from Corato's as recently as fall 1983.

I'll be back in Ridgewood this Friday.

Peter K.

Peter

In my opinion, they always had the best Sicilian pizza around (consistent at all 3 locations) - and when I was last there it had not changed (must be an old family recipe still in use) Do you know if all 3 locations are still open?

Rich D :

I think Woodbine Street is closed, but the other 2 locations are still open.

I guess I could go off topic for a post here too, since I LOVE Corato Pizza too.

The Myrle Ave near Fresh Pond Rd Corato's is stil there.
The Corato's on Fresh Pond Road near the M line el has moved across the street into the old Masbach's Restaurant building.
As far as I know, the one near the Madison Theater is also still there, I thought I saw it the other day when I was there, but the other two for sure are still open.

Thanks, Bway. This site seems much more "off topic" friendly than nycsubway.org. I wonder how long and off-topic this page has to get
(it's become a miniature "Da Brooklyn-Queens Stoop") before the management takes action !

Too bad Maasbach's is gone. I went by there many times, but never ate there. What a shame, considering how rare German restuarants are in Queens now. Zum Stammtisch and Von Westernhagen are still there at
Myrtle and Cooper, ditto Niederstein's at Metro and 69th, but the Triangle Hofbrau of Richmond Hill, Sammett's at Onderdonk and Linden in Ridgewood, and Westphal's at Atlantic and 111th in Richmond Hill are all gone now. Luchow's is gone from East 14th Street in Manhattan many years now. What's left in Yorkville (East 86th Street) ?

Peter K....Strange that you should bring up Yorkville as I was there on 86th Street just a few weeks back. Sad to say that I could not find the Kleine Konditorie, Cafe Geiger, the Ideal or the Mozart Hall. The only German restaurant that I could see was the Old (Alt) Heidelberg on 3rd Avenue between 85th and 86th. The only other German establishment was a Shaller and Weber butcher shop on 86th Street.

ErwinM, I remember Schaller and Weber very well. There used to be one in my home neighborhood of Ridgewood, Queens. I remember the German-speaking housewives asking repeatedly for "ein schtick" (one piece) of this and that. My parents shopped there frequently.

I'm sad to read that those four German places are now gone from Yorkville.

Hello Peter .K Iam in NYC THIS WEEK:-) for the closing of
Astor Plaza owned by Loews. I hope some of you out in webland say your goodbye. The Astor Plaza is going and it is a true sad day.
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SEE YOU TONIGHT ABOUT 8:30PM NYC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The Village (PG-13) will show at
Fri - Sat
11:45am | 2:30 | 5:45 | 9:15 | 12:30am
Sun -Wed
12:45 | 4:00 | 7:15 | 10:15
Aug 4 is Astor Plaza last day;-(

Ooops Tues the 3rd is the last day Wed 4 it will be closed
---Sorry--- :-)

Mike Hoyts :

Why is Loews Astor Plaza going bye bye ? The first film I saw there was "All The President's Men" in April 1976, then "2010 : Odyssey Two" in December 1984 (my best experience : I felt like I was on the spaceship !)then it had gone way downhill by the time I saw Francis Ford Coppola's "Dracula" there in December 1992. I haven't seen a film there since !

Peter K. You really have an impressive memory. I remember the theather clearly from the 60's & 70's It was beautiful. I don't think I would recognized it now. I am you graduation partner Dawn Nahoney.

Dawn N.(ahoney) :

Thank you for posting here, and for complimenting my memory. It's good to be in contact again after a 35-year silence. I'm not sure we even spoke to one another in eighth grade graduation practice, other than to make sure we were marching properly.

I passed by the Ridgewood Theater earlier today. It's now a five-plex, and is showing the new "Manchurian Candidate" and "The Village" and three other current films. There is another page on this site all about the Ridgewood Theater as it is now. I think "Monica" created it.

Please take the time to read this entire page, however long it may be. I and other Ridgewood natives have posted many comments on it, with much detailed information and recollections that I think you will find interesting. It is like a "wailing wall" of Ridgewood natives, and a mini-reunion of St. Brigid, St. Matthias, and Saint Francis Prep graduates.

You may have read or heard what happened to Father Kelly, the current pastor of St. Brigid, eight days ago on Thursday July 22nd. I stopped by St. Brigid today around noon and spoke with him for about ten minutes, and conveyed my and my family's best wishes for his recovery, continued safety, and condolences for his mugging.

Please post here again and tell me what and how you are doing now.

Peter Koch

Peter K finally got most of this site read, some of those names bring back some memories. Michael Liza was the co captain of the basket ball team and I was a cheer leader. I believe Bruce Cox was the captain. Is there a site for St. Brigids I can't seem to find one? Dawn N.

Hey Guys, You CAN Go Home Again!!!

My visit back to Ridgewood two Saturdays ago was my first since the mid 70's and I was very pleasantly surprised : )

First of all it was much cleaner than I expected and the graffiti was at a minimum. The biggest shock was TREES, there are trees on my old block! (Madison Street right behind the Ridgewood Theatre)

My old block is treed lined ---- there were no trees when I was growing up there till I left 1969 to go to Norman Street. When were the trees put in? It especially looks nice on Madison Street above Cypress Ave. cause they have trees on both sides. It makes a big difference.

My old house did not look too much the same at first glance which was a little sad. The front doors are gone which were beautiful in fact only one house on Mad. still had the doors with the glass in it. The old fashioned "S" shaped iron fence was replaced with much too high straight iron fence it makes everything look too small. The fire hydrant looks exactly the same - still leaking too!

Here's the best while I was there people were coming in and out and I spoke with one tenant who lived in the top apartment where we first lived, then moved to the bottom! He seemed Polish and was only there since Feb. and invited me and my husband to see the apartment. I declined but asked if I could see the back yard, I was real interested in that. He brought us to the landlord and she took us out the back and it was wonderful it looked 10x better than when I was growing up!

The Ridgewood Theatre from the back looked pretty much the same except for the bottom being painted black, I guess cause of graffiti and the pillars that were on either side of each emergency exit door were gone. The fire escape looked the same too, which could be very scary!!

We also went to Palmetto Street to see my friend Vicki's old house which the front is now painted purple -yechh! We drove by St. Brigid's church and my husband did not remember how much detail is on the front.

The school's top 2 floors had curtains in them like someone's home??? The boys school was not a school anymore, when did they close that down? The front of the school was open and I went in to the auditorium and did not remember the detail of the wood. Also the entrance was still grand with the green granite/marble. The doors to the upstairs and down were replaced with fire doors and key locks and a sign that said "St. Brigid's ed classes second floor" how much of the school is left? Is it only religious ed??

Another nice thing was the worker at the school, I asked if I could take a picture of the stage and he said "why"? I told him I went there and it was for memories and he replied "oh, ok, I thought you were from the Media". He was protecting Father Kelly --- I thought that was so nice : )

For Rich D, yes we did go to Norman Street and Cypress Ave.and also to my old house in Maspeth on 58th Road too. Norman street was still pretty much the same -- an old hodge podge of different homes but directly across from my old apartment they tore down the building and put up really nice apartments/condos? two or three floors and nicely landscaped.

Unfortunately my old building now has a very tacky neon pink awning on the store below complete with graffiti -- it makes it look bad : (

Wycoff Avenue looked bad and still does; too crowded and not taken care of enough.
Myrtle Avenue was ok but sadly too many nice store fronts were changed and not for the better --- what is with the fat awnings that just block out each other and make the street look way too crowded??? Bad decision.

My parents used to own a card and gift shop called Friendship Gifts right off of Myrtle Ave. on I think Catalpa? Diagonally across from the old bank that is now a drug store. They got rid of the nice old fashioned glass front with the door recessed and it is now just a glass and metal nothing front, lost it's charm.

Dawn, I remember your name but not the face. I was the co-captain on the cheerleaders with you. You mentioned Bruce Cox, do you remember Anna Filosa? I heard she married Joey Marx - Michele's brother and Michele married Dennis Hearns.

I am still very good friends with Vicki Hobson. Did you ever hear anything about Jimmy Mahoney? Who do you keep in touch with?

Where is everyone now?
I grew up in Ridgewood; Madison St. (Ridgewood Theatre's back) and Norman St. Moved to Maspeth, got married moved to Floral Park and now in CT. Let me know where you all are now. And once again thank you to Monica for helping with my Ridgewood Theatre's memories.

Very proud former "Ridgewoodite"
(?) is that right Peter?

Debra : )

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20928&item=5510821272&rd=1

>>OUR COMMUNITY, It's History and People: Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village, Liberty Park, Glendale.

291 pages in this hardcover. Published by Greater Ridgewood Historical Society, Inc., 1976<<

hey guys just saw this today on Ebay

Debra

Debra, that is a good book, I own a copy of that.
As for the trees on Madison Street behind the Ridgewood Theater, they were planted about 20-25 years ago, around 1981. All of Ridgewood seemed to get trees over night that year.

I think the trees were planted on residential streets in Ridgewood in spring 1983 as part of the Myrtle Avenue rehab and revitalization and sidewalk rebuilding.

I was in Ridgewood from about 11 a.m. to about 12:15 p.m. this past Friday, July 30th. I stopped by St. Brigid's rectory around noon and greeted Father Kelly, and conveyed my and my family's condolences for his mugging on Thursday July 22, along with our wishes for his complete recovery and continued safety. He had no specific memory of me personally, but he thanked me for stopping by.

DABOC, "Ridgewoodite" is OK, but may lend itself to jokes like this :

If someone from Brooklyn is a Brooklynite, does that mean some from Paris is a Parisite ?

Thanks for the posting on the book. Bway, thanks for endorsing it here.

Bway, I got a look at the rebuilding and renovation of Myrtle-Wyckoff-Gates (L and M lines). It was odd walking past what used to be the public toilets on the mezzanine of the Myrtle Avenue station on the L line, and seeing bright daylight shining in through the holes that were part of the excavation.

I grew up in Ridgewood in the 60's. If I remember correctly, Father Kelly came to St Brigids in the early sixties. Another priest named Terence McCabe arrived around the same time. Father McCabe was a basketball player in college and played basketball with alot of the neighborhood kids.
I went to both the Madison theatre and the Ridgewood theatre in the 60's. In the 60's, there was a poolroom above the Ridgewood theatre. The entrance to the poolroom was a door on the right hand side of the main entrance. The poolroom was called Hanks Billiards.
Speaking of theatres, in the 50's there was a theatre called the Parthenon located on Wyckoff ave near Palmetto. It closed and became a bowling alley.

Hey, lostmemory -- where did you live in Ridgewood? Did you attend SBS? WHat year did you graduate?
High School?

Hi Ellen......I didn't go to SBS. I went to PS81 and I graduated from there in '61 and high school in '65. I lived by Seneca ave and Greene ave. I hung out with my friends on St Nick ave. You would find us anywhere from Linden st and St Nick, where the church is to Menahan st and St Nick.
What years did you graduate?

You are a little bit older than I am --
I graduated SBS in l971, -- I lived down the street from PS 81, on Menahan between St. Nick and Cypress.
it was such a great neighborhood!

Ellen.....Thanks for making me feel like a dinosaur. (just kidding) Geez, I got married when you were graduating from SBS, I do feel kinda old now. One of the guys I grew up with lived on the same block as you. His name was Pete. Anyway, Ridgewood was a great place to grow up in.

Lostmemory -- don't feel so bad -- only as old as you feel (as they say) -- and, I feel about 90 anyway!
Don't know a Pete -- but I did know people on Greene between Seneca and Onderdonk
but they would have been in a younger crowd than you -- names were Sheridan and Seitz?

Ellen.....Those names don't sound familiar, although there was a bar on Greene and Onderdonk that I went to a few times back then. What a difference a decade makes huh. Sometimes I feel like I'm 90 also, but I still get days where I feel like 15 again. BTW....that guy Pete, his name was Campos.

St.Brigid's Class of 1966 (talk about dinosaurs). I was trying to find a website for St. Brigid to send a note to Fr. Kelly and came across this great site. I can't wait to read through it in its entirety. I also went to Christ the King H.S., class of 1970.
I lived on Stanhope St. across the Street from what was then called Wyckoff Heights Hospital (Later worked there) I do remember waiting outside the Madison Theater to see the Dave Clark 5. I remember seeing "A Hard Day's Night" with the Beatles at the Ridgewood theater many times - but with all us young girls screaming throughout the movie, we had to wait until the last show to actually hear the movie (in those days you could watch the movie over and over and over again - noone used movie time schedules) Anyone remember the matrons? I used to go to the Corato's Pizza off of Myrtle Avenue near the old Madison Diner - is it still there? Anyone remember the Villa Maria Restaurant off of Myrtle? I remerber when Frs. Kelly and McCabe came to St. Brigid's school. Sadly, Fr. McCabe, who left the priesthood to get married and raise a family, died a number of years ago - I think he was hit by a car - not definite about that.

I was from the "Brooklyn side" of Ridgewood (now called Bushwick) so I remember also shopping on Knickerbocker Avenue. I also belonged to an American Legion marching band on Hart Street and Wilson Ave.
Anybody remember Hart Lanes Bowling Alley (About a block away from the old Wagner Theater that used to show German films)? Looking foward to reading some more neighborhood memories.
KathyO

So, your the one that was making all the noise at the Dave Clark 5 movie. I think they were at the Madison theater in the summer of '65. I knew that Fr. McCabe left the church, but I didn't know that he passed away. I liked him alot, I'm sorry to hear that he's gone.
I remember the Hart bowling alley. I also remember a post office being near the bowling alley. There was also a luncheonette on the corner of Dekalb and Wyckoff that made decent hamburgers in the 60's. I didn't shop much on Knickerbocker ave because Myrtle ave was closer and had more stores. I do remember a store that I went to on Knickerbocker ave that was called King Soloman or something like that. Do you remember that one?

I believe King Solomon was a small supermarket on Knickerbocker - if that was the one, my friend's husband used to work there part-time.
Up to a few years ago, that diner was still open on DeKalb and Wyckoff - I remember a lot of Sanitation men went there and I think there was a bar called the "White Shutter Inn" across the street.
I'll bet the "girls" growing up back in the day remember a children's clothing store called "Betesh" run by a man called Irving - they had beautiful dresses and it was a place to buy Communion and Confirmation dresses.
It's out of the neighborhood, but did anyone take the bus down Myrtle Ave. to go the Jahn's - the ice cream Parlor and get a free sundae on their birthday or try to eat a "kitchen sink"? It was near Salerno's Italian Restaurant and not far from the Triangle Hofbrau - a German Restaurant.

Speaking of clothes, do you remember Robert Hall on Dekalb ave? I used to go to Jahn's also. Wasn't that on Hillside ave? I think it was the last stop or the first stop (depending on the direction you were going) on the Myrtle ave bus. I got on that bus at Palmetto st and Wyckoff ave (underneath the el train) and that was the first or last stop also.

Folks, this is not a forum for non-theatrical "chat" about Ridgewood. Have you tried Queensboard.com or Brooklynboard.com? I'm sure there must be other such groups as well.

Warren's right

I tried to keep my posts both about the theatre and my memories of Ridgewood. For me it was both since I grew up around the corner from the Ridgewood Theatre.

As I am not that computer advanced does anyone know how to make a site where we could reminisce and keep in touch??? I have many more ?s for all of you but did not post for trying to keep it as much about the Ridgewood Theatre. So I would love it if anyone knew where we could go to share our memories.

Thanks,
Debra
ps sorry Warren

Go to http://members3.boardhost.com/Cypwood/
everyone is always welcome, comments about Queens, Ridgewood, etc. always welcome, including anything else you want to talk about among very friendly folks!
Run by a former Ridgewoodite!

Sorry for posting non-theatrical messages. I don't know of any message board that deals with just Ridgewood, but if anyone has some experience at these things, I found a place where you can start your own message board for FREE. Go here for more info......http://www.voy.com/

Once again, I'm sorry for breaking this boards rules.

I have to agree with Warren enough about the nieghborhood I mean it's intresting and all but let's hear more info on the theatre or photos please. This is a theatre post site.

Eddie, I would advise you to leave fast, because your reasoning is absurd!

Eddie, this forum currently lists over 6,000 cinemas. Can you imagine the chaos if people started going off topic and writing about other things? Be reasonable...And I've never been inside the Ridgewood Theatre, let alone worked there.

"Fast Eddie", while I don't seem to mind the talk about Ridgewood to an extent, I was under the impression that this site was not a "message board", it's comments about theaters under each theater, not a "chat" message board, so yes, technically people are supposed to be talking about the "architecture, etc" the particular theaters as you mentioned would be "boring".
Boring, maybe - how much can you talk about it's features, etc - I don't know, but if it gets "boring", you shouldn't post a comment. Message boards are meant for chat - but I don't really think this is a "message board".

I know I love hearing about the movies, especially the double bills that played these great old houses.

Robert, of course that would be "on topic" for a theater! I also love that.

lostmemory, when I spoke to Father Kelly on July 30, 2004, he said he came to St. Brigid in 1960. I read aloud for him in first grade in 1961 or 1962. I remember Father McCabe was very tall, and remember remarking to my father that he just seeemed to barely fit through the doorways of the St. Brigid auditorium. I remember the doorway that said "Billiards" to the right of the Ridgewood Theater. Peter P. Rich's music store, where I took drum lessons in fall 1967, was just to the left of the Ridgewood, one flight up. I was last there in March or April 1972.

My parents, aunts and uncles remember the Parthenon Theater at 329 Wyckoff Avenue, corner of Palmetto St. when it showed films. It was a bowling alley when I started first grade in Sept. 1961.

I recall a BonTon Diner on the southwest corner of Wyckoff and DeKalb, and the Wyckoff Heights 11237 zip code post office nearby at 86 Wyckoff Avenue. The Wagner Theater, at 110 Wyckoff Avenue, was one block southeast, between DeKalb Avenue and Stockholm Street.

S & N Radio and TV Repair, owned and run by Edward Lange, was on the opposite, northeast side of Wyckoff Avenue. I last saw and spoke with Eddie Lange in mid-September 1997. He was my family's TV, radio and phonograph repairman.

Knickerbocker Boy's and Men's shop was the place to buy St. Brigid's school uniforms. Knickerbocker Avenue was, and still is, a busy shopping street northwest of Myrtle Avenue.

Robert Hall's at Irving and DeKalb used to be the Imperial Theater. My Uncle John, now age 83, remembers seeing the Lugosi "Dracula" there as a kid, and later going there to buy some civilian clothes after he'd gotten out of the Signal Corps at the end of WW II, after it had become a Robert Hall's.

KathyO, Jahn's is at 117-03 Hillside Avenue in Richmond Hill, at the east end of the Q-55 bus line from Ridgewood. Next door is RKO Keith's of Richmond Hill, now a bingo hall and flea market, and, north of that, Salerno's Italian Restaurant. The Triangle Hofbrau German Restaurant used to be diagonally across the intersection of Myrtle and Hillside Avenues from Jahn's, occupying the triangle formed by Myrtle and Jamaica Avenues and 117th Street, which crosses Myrtle to become Hillside Avenue. I last ate in the Hofbrau November 11th, 1994. When I returned in May 1995 it had become the Cafe Europa, featuring French and Russian cuisine. Now, sadly, it is medical offices.

I was last in Jahn's April 3, 2004. I was sad to see how dark and empty it was. I've been in brighter and livelier funeral parlors. I never had a kitchen sink there, but I've seen it on their menu.

KathyO : my family and I have been patients at both Wyckoff Heights and the former Bethany Deaconess Hospitals several times. Corato's is still there on Woodbine between St. Nicholas and Myrtle Avenues. The Villa Maria Restaurant is no longer on Cypress Avenue between Myrtle and Putnam Avenues. I last ate there August 1990. It was a favorite place of my family to eat out and also get orders to go, to eat at home, especially a huge breaded veal cutlet with lots of spaghetti and tomato sauce.

KathyO and lostmemory : do you remember Ciro's Italian Restaurant on the north corner of St. Nicholas and Woodbine ?

EllenA, I knew a Michael Sheridan, from my h.s., whom I think lived at 58-30 Catalpa Avenue (at Woodward) in Ridgewood, near St. Matthias, where Drs. Bass and Sheflin still have their offices.

KathyO, I don't remember Hart Lanes Bowling Alley, but when my parents were dating, 1940 to 1945, they went to dances at the Knights Of Columbus at Bushwick Avenue and Hart St.

Hope these are enough neighborhood memories for you.

Peter.....I remember Ciro's restaurant very well. One block west of there was my favorite hangout, the Ridgewood Grove Poolroom. Also in the middle of that block was a barbershop that I went to for haircuts. I'm not sure of the barbers name. It could have been Tony. Before I get into more trouble for posting non-theater related messages, I don't think I ever saw the Imperial theater on Dekalb ave. Is that theater listed on this site? I'll have to check it out.

lostmemory :

I'm glad you remember Ciro's Restaurant. Didn't it have a white stucco exterior, and dark windows with neon beer signs in them ?

I went to Sal's Barber Shop on the western corner of St. Nicholas and Woodbine for haircuts, 1964 ? through 1970. I remember sayings in round circles on the big glass windows : "Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Cry, and you cry alone !"

I never hung out in the Ridgewood Grove Poolroom, but my high school class of 1973 had a rowdy, brawling, drunken "reunion" eight days after graduation, in mid-June 1973, in Capone's Bar, on the first floor of the Ridgewood Grove building, right at the eastern corner of St. Nicholas and Palmetto.

I don't think the Imperial Theater at Irving and DeKalb Avenues has a page on this site. I think there's a page here, though, for the Rivoli, which stood at 1374 Myrtle Avenue, on the south side, between Knickerbocker and Wilson Avenues, Harman and Himrod Sts. It's adjacent to the Metropolitan Avenue-bound platform of the Knickerbocker Avenue station of the Myrtle Avenue el (M train).

Peter K: -- yes, I believe the Michael Sheridan you mention is the cousin of my friend (who lived on Greene and Seneca) Michael
would be the right age (a little older than I am) .
Capone's I believe owned the Ridgewood Grove at the time you are talking about -- '70s

Ellen.....What was the name of your friend that lived on Greene and Seneca? Would you or your friend remember a movie theater on that corner called the Majestic theater?

THE RIDGEWOOD THEATRE was not the best theatre in town in the 70s the MADISON was like TRUMP TOWER and RIDGEWOOD THEATRE like a homeless shelter.

Well, in that we agree. While the Ridgewood maybe not have been as extreme as a homeless shelter, the Madison wins hands down for ornateness, and size, and just about everything elseyou want to compare the two with.
However, it didn't get it much. Look at the fate of the Madison compared to the Ridgewood, it became a burnt out hulk before being gutted to it's bricks and now is a junk store while the Ridgewood still putters on as one of oldest continually operating theaters in the New York area.

Fast Eddie.......Are you sure that you were in the Ridgewood theater? With all that "making out" that you claim to have been doing, maybe you were in another theater and didn't realize it.

I'll agree that the RKO Madison was the nicest of the theater's in Ridgewood. But the Ridgewood theater wasn't such a bad theater either. I don't know what years you went there but I certainly wouldn't compare it to a homeless shelter.

In one of the early messages here, someone asked about another theater on Myrtle ave. I don't know if this is the one that you were thinking of, but I came across an article that mentioned an Evergreen theater located on Myrtle ave near the corner of Seneca ave. Other than the name and location, all it told you was, this theater was already in operation in 1914.

I have never heard of this theater. Maybe someone else has some info on it.

Lostmemory! Peter and I were trying to figure this one out (I don't know if it was here in the Ridgewood section or not, and I don't feel like reading all the responses here to find out). Somewhere I had mentioned that I remember reading that there was a theater at the corner of Seneca and Myrtle Aves, where the C-Town and Banco Popular (former Chase Manhattan bank) are now.
For some reason I thought I remember reading that theater was an "open air" theater, but don't know for sure. If you find anything else out about the "Evergreen" please let us know, or start a new page for it when you have a little more info. Now that I know the name, I will try to research it some more too.

Bway....I saved the text from the article about the Evergreen theater. I'm going to paste it into this message.


In 1921, Joseph Hartman and his son-in-law, Phoebus Kaplan, built a row of brick store fronts with a dwelling on the upper level, on Myrtle Avenue and Anthon Avenue (60th Street). In 1911, they had built and operated an open air movie theatre at what is now Seneca Avenue near Myrtle Avenue, called the Evergreen Airdrome and also at the same time, the Van Cortlandt Airdrome on the northeast corner of Myrtle Avenue and Van Cortlandt Avenue (71st Avenue). In 1913, they built the Evergreen Theatre adjacent to the Evergreen Airdrome. In 1915, they expanded the Evergreen Theatre by 1,500 seats. By 1920, the Van Cortlandt Airdrome was closed. In 1921, possibly to take advantage of the tax exempt legislation and to fund their building the row of store fronts as noted above, they sold the Evergreen Theatre and Evergreen Airdrome.

There was a theatre called the Whitney, at 829 Fresh Pond Road. Early Film Daily Year Books claim 1,000 seats. A 1912 photo showing part of the exterior can be found on page 115 of "Old Queens, N.Y." The Whitney was right next to the Fresh Pond Rd. station of the Myrtle Avenue subway line, and apparently fell victim to its enlargement. The Whitney did not survive the coming of "talkies." The stage housing was twice as high as the auditorium, which probably had only a ground floor.

I cant believe all the theatres in Glendale-Ridgewood. This site is a true history lesson.

Neither can I. I think I will try to get a bit more information about the Evergreen Theater, and then add it to the site.
Amazingly, the Ridgewood Theater page has become the gathering point to try to put together all the pieces for all the other theaters in the Ridgewood-Glendale area. This is among one of the largest theater pages on this site. I have been trying to find out for quite some time about the theater at Seneca and Myrtle, and finally I have a name to go by now.
Thanks Warren too for the "Whitney" information; I will check my "Old Queens" book when I get home.

The Evergreen must have been a good sized theater considering they expanded the theater in 1915 by 1,500 seats. I wonder how many seats it originally had. I'm just as surprised as everyone else about the number of theaters in the area.

Maybe there should be a place on here where you could post about new theaters that you find. After you have enough info, then you could start a new section for it. Something like a research section. Its just an idea.

I always thought there should be a place on the site where you can ask general questions about theaters that you don't have enough information about, like: "I know there was a theater at the corner of Myrtle and Seneca, but am trying to find more information about it", or "What's the theater next to the el tracks in this photo?". It would sort of help prevent what has happened to the Ridgewood Theater page (not that it's a bad thing, because I have found this theater page very interesting, not only because I have fond memories of the the Ridgewood Theater, but also because I was a resident of Ridgewood for over 20 years), and it seems to cover the theater and every other theater around Ridgewood too.

I think most people post other Ridgewood theaters here because they see the name Ridgewood and assume it covers everything about Ridgewood.

I don't want to overload you with too much innfo at once Bway, but I have another theater for you. It was called the Ridgewood Folly. It showed silent movies. I don't know where it was located but I have a link to a Times Weekly article that I will post here. There is a photo of the theater from 1910. The photo is near the bottom of the article. I hope that you enjoy it.

http://www.timesnewsweekly.com/OldSite/030101/NewFiles/OURNEIGH.html

(If you can't click on the link, just copy and paste it in your browser)

I came across an article that said there was a theater called the Grove theater located on Myrtle ave near Knickerbocker ave. Has anyone heard of this theater?

Instead of being called the Grove theater, could it have been called the Knickerbocker theater? I read something about a Knickerbocker theater being located at Knickerbocker and Myrtle. Maybe the first article calling it the Grove theater was incorrect.

Maybe it was the "Rivoli" Theater under a different name?
The Rivoli is at the Knickerbocker Ave station of the M line (on the Queensbound platform side). It is curently a church (like so many other theaters).
Here's a link: http://cinematreasures.org/theater/7087/

I don't know if the Rivoli was called the "Grove" at some time, or if this is the theater you read about, but many theaters went through numerous name changes.

Wasn't there a sports arena called the Ridgewood Grove? Perhaps you've confused the theatre with that.

Yes, there was a "Ridgewood Grove" building, that at first glance does sort of look like it may have been a theater. I is just north of the Myrtle-Wyckoff El station, on the right hand side of the el if going north. It is currently a huge Chineese Buffet, and Hispanic Restaurant-Nightclub, and also a Billard Hall.
It may or may not be what lostmemory remembers. There is a "Grove Street" that does interstect Knickerbocker Ave about a block or two from Knickerbocker-Myrtle, and many theaters are named for the Street they ajoin. The Ridgewood Grove is fairly far from the Knickerbocker-Myrtle intersection. I'm still thinking it may be a former name for the Rivoli, but really have no idea. Maybe there was yet another theater right near there.

As I have posted elsewhere, Cinema Tour lists a Grove Theater, closed, at 474 Wilson Avenue in Bushwick. The nearest cross street, according to Map Quest, is not Grove Street, but Jefferson Avenue.

The 1931 Film Daily Year Book lists a 600-seat theatre named the Rige at 474 Wilson Avenue. In the 1926 volume, it was listed as the Wilson Theatre, so it apparently had some name changes over the years. In 1926, there was also a 600-seat Tip Top Theatre at 357 Wilson Avenue.

The sports arena called the Ridgewood Grove was located on St. Nicholas ave and Palmetto st. It was a poolroom in the 60's. Before that it was a bowling alley. Before that it was famous for boxing matches. Thats before my time.

In the articles that I read, one refers to a theater on Myrtle near Knickerbocker as the Grove theater. That was in the 20's. The other article from the 30's called it the Knickerbocker theater. There is no address given. I don't know what "near Knickerbocker" means. Is it on the corner of Knickerbocker or 2 blocks away from there or what? I gon't have a map handy, but I believe the intersection of Myrtle and Knickerbocker aves is near either Greene ave or Bleecker st.

Myrtle and Knickerbocker Avenues intersect between Bleecker Street and Greene Avenue. The Knickerbocker-Myrtle-Greene triangle thus formed is about a third of the linear dimensions, and hence about a ninth of the area, of the larger Knickerbocker-Myrtle-Bleecker triangle. Triangles are formed, because Myrtle Avenue is at about a 45 degree angle to both the streets and avenues of the Bushwick-Ridgewood rectangular street grid.

Thanks Peter. I think that I'll give up on Map Quest and just ask you from now on. (just kidding)

Thanks for the compliment ! I have a Hagstrom NYC 5 boro pocket atlas, and Brooklyn and Jamaica USGS quad sheets handy. They help alot. I still go to MapQuest for building numbers, though.

The Rige Theatre changed its name to Grove somewhere between the 1935 and 1936 Film Daily Year Books. Apparently, Grove was the theatre's final name. Nothing was listed for that address by the time of the 1954 FDYB. The theatre was probably one of the many victims of home TV.

I read this on another message board. "The Grove theater was located on Wilson Avenue. The Grove had an outdoor theater, and in the summer that’s where the movies were shown (pre-air conditioning)".

Now I'm more confused then I was before. Is the Grove near Knickerbocker or is it by Wilson ave?

Just to make sure that you all stay as confused about this Grove theater as I am, someone told me that they remember a theater on Myrtle near Knickerbocker and it was called the Mozart theater. Is that possible?

It seems that the Grove theater formely the Rige theater was located at 474 Wilson ave just like Warren had already stated.

Now, could this Knickerbocker theater on Myrtle near Knickerbocker be the Mozart theater?

The Mozart has been discussed here before, but no one seemed to know its exact location. Perhaps it was the same theatre as the Grove, which had at least two other names, as the Wilson and as the Rige.

Okay, I'll see what else I can find on the Mozart theater.

While I was looking up info for the Mozart-Grove-Rige-Knickerbocker theaters, I came across a Kreuschers Arcade. I know that it says "Arcade" but it is listed under cinemas on the web. The location given for it is Cypress ave and Myrtle ave. Has anyone heard of this one?

I just came upon this website today and found all these comments fascinating. I attended P.S. 88 Queens from 1950-1958 (which includes one year in kindergarten). During my elementary school years, we went to the Ridgewood, Madison, Knickerbocker, Glendale and Oasis movie theaters. There sometimes were "rough" kids in the neighborhood but mostly I felt safe and walked all over to those theaters. I understood the Ridgewood to be in Queens but very close to Brooklyn. Without any real evidence, I always thought Wycoff Ave. began the border into Brooklyn on the old elevated train. I thought Myrtle Ave. on both sides was in both Queens and Brooklyn, depending where on the avenue you were. Anyway, the Ridgewood theater was large, dark and I guess I took it for granted. Looking back, I guess it was pretty glamorous. The only film I remember seeing there was a black and white "Riot in Cell Block 11." I know I saw more after that but don't recall them. I went more often to the Madison, Glendale and Oasis theaters. How great it was to have so many movies theaters in walking distance! Even today I'm a movie buff, probably thanks to those experiences.

Alan D....Would you happen to remember where the Kickerbocker theater that you went to was located?

I finally found an address for the Mozart Theatre in the 1949 Film Daily Year Book. The Mozart was situated at 1525 Myrtle Avenue, had 589 seats, and was listed as closed. So it definitely wasn't the Wilson/Rige/Grove, but it is probably listed here under another name that it had before or after Mozart.

1525 Myrtle ave would be near Irving ave which is close to Knickerbocker ave. It is possible that the Knickerbocker and the Mozart theater are one in the same.

In the 1934 Film Daily Year Book, the theatre at 1525 Myrtle Avenue was known as the Irving.

So, in the 30's it was the Irving theater and in the 40's it was the Mozart theater are the same. Now if Alan D remembers the location of the Knickerbocker theater we would have a better idea if the Irving/Mozart was also the Knickerbocker theater.

There was a 572-seat theatre called the Willoughby at 260 Knickerbocker Avenue. Perhaps the name was later changed to Knickerbocker?

Well, 260 Knickerbocker Avenue would be near Willoughby ave and Starr st. Wasn't the Starr theater in the same area?

BTW Warren.....Nice detective work on the Irving/Mozart theater.

I can answer my own question. The Starr theater was located at 233 Knickerbocker Ave. That puts it within one block of the Willoughby theater. Oh well, I'm going back to my research of the Kreuschers Arcade.

The Kreuscher’s Arcade was part of Kreuscher’s Hotel. It was located on the southeast corner of Myrtle ave and Cypress ave. It claims to be the first "theater" to show "Motion Pictures" in Ridgewood. At the same time that Kreuscher’s was showing "Motion Pictures", there was another theater in Ridgewood called the Ridgewood Folly. I cannot find the location for the Ridgewood Folly but I have seen a photo of it so it did exist. I don't know when either one opened, but both were showing "Motion Pictures" in 1910. And both charged 5 cents admission. To further date the Ridgewood Folly, a movie that played there in 1910 was called "The Woman From Mellons" directed by D.W. Griffith who was also the screenwriter. I have already confirmed that this movie was released in 1910.


I can't prove or disprove that Kreuscher’s showed the first "Motion Picture" in Ridgewood. Even if they were the first to show "Motion Pictures", your opinion might be different, but I don't consider Kreuscher’s to be a true movie theater. Kreuscher’s Arcade and "Movie Theater" did not last long. It was sold in 1913. By 1914
the Hotel became a restaurant called the Queens Labor Lyceum Hofbrau Haus.


Even if the Ridgewood Folly was not the first to show "Motion Pictures", it is very possible that it was the first real movie theater in Ridgewood. The small amount of information that I found on these two "theaters" was very difficult to get, so please feel free to add anything that you know about either or both of them. If the Ridgewood Folly was the first movie theater in Ridgewood, it deserves a place on this website.

Lostmemory... I'm sorry but I'm a little fuzzy after I pass the Madison theater on my left when walking along Myrtle Ave. towards Wycoff Ave. I'll be 60 this year, so I guess I have a pretty good memory excuse. I definitely remember the Parthenon theater that Erwin M identified by address and maybe I got it mixed up with the Knickerbocker theater, but I don't think so. There's a difference between a Kickerbocker theater and a theater on Knickerbocker Ave.

I'm always amazed at how many theaters operated at the same time in the 1950s within walking distance in Ridgewood/Glendale. I also used to take the old el train to the last stop to see movies at the Brooklyn Paramount and Brooklyn Fox. I also saw the Alan Freed Rock and Roll shows there. The 1950s rocked!

Alan D.

Alan.....I know how it is when the old memory starts heading south. Some of the info I'm looking for on certain theater's should already be in my head somewhere. The problem is, it won't come out so I have to spend all this time looking for things that I should already know. If the location to the Knickerbocker theater comes back to you, just post it here.



The Ridgewood Folly and Kreuscher’s Arcade are listed on Cinematour but there is no info given for either one. I also came across the Ridgewood Folly on a silent theater website. That website also listed the Majestic theater as the Majestic Seneca. I would like to find an address for the Ridgewood Folly or at least the street where it was located.


Ridgewood Folly: http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=24654

Kreuschers Arcade: http://www.cinematour.com/tour.php?db=us&id=24655

I found another one of those Times Weekly articles that mentioned the Ridgewood Folly theater. This one said that it had a piano and the name of the woman that played the piano was Dorathy Franz. Not much info there. At least I know that it did have a piano. I don't believe that I'm going to find much more on this one. I'm dealing with a small neighborhood theater that is almost 100 years old. How many people that are still around today would remember it? I doubt that there would be very many of them. Should anyone find where it was located, post it and I'll enter the Ridgewood Folly on this website.



I also came across this. The Amphion Theater in Bushwick. No location given. It had 2000 seats and it claims to be the first theater with electric lights. Has anyone heard of this theater?

Don't know about the Amphion Theater in Bushwick. How about the Luxor Theater, in either Bushwick or Ridgewood ?

I believe the Amphion Theater was a playhouse, not a movie theater (so it wouldn't be on this site, as that is one of the criteria, that it showed movies at some point, hense many of the legit theaters here - listed if they had a cinema history).
Anyway, I don't know where it was, but there was a "Amphion Hotel" and club listed at 125 Division Ave. Many clubs may have had a theater attached. I don't know if this is the same one, or even where Division Ave is in Brooklyn. I believe that Broadway was actually called "Division Ave" originally, because it was the division between Bushwick and Bed-Stuy.

As for the Luxor, I have no idea, but I saw it in a Ridgewood Times Our Neighborhood section as a "popular" theater. It seems endless the amounts of theaters that were in the area.

In the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper, I've seen ads for the Amphion going back as far as 1898, but unfortunately, no address or even neighborhood was ever mentioned. The 1922 Film Daily Year Book, the first to carry theatre addresses and seating capacities, has no listing for the Amphion, but by that time it may have either closed, been re-named, or never been a movie house. But in its heyday, the Amphion seemed to be one of the major Brooklyn theatres, competing against Hyde & Behman's, the Academy of Music, Montauk, and Gayety, among others.

Well, the article didn't state if the Amphion was a movie theater or not. Maybe we'll just pass on that one.

The only Luxor theater that I have found so far is one that was on Bleecker st in Manhattan which is listed as closed. I found another one on a German website but I couldn't read the article because it was in German.

There is a Luxor theater that was in the Bronx that is already listed on this website.

During one search for the Luxor, I found a French theater listed for Brooklyn in 1910. I think that I need a new search engine!

Bway and lostmemory, thanks for looking for the Luxor in Brooklyn !

The 1931 Film Daily Year Book lists a 550-seat Luxor Theatre at 431 Central Avenue, which I believe would be in Bushwick.

No problem Peter. I'll look again later for the Luxor.

Somewhere in these messages, I mentioned the Starr theater located at 233 Knickerbocker Ave. I can't find it on this website. Does anyone have any other info on it such as seating capacity, when it opened, closed, etc. If we can get more info, it could be entered on this website.

Warren.....Your getting to be like Kojak! Nice job. 431 Central ave should be near Madison st. Now I have more info to work with.

Thank you, Warren. According to MapQuest, 431 Central Avenue is indeed in the heart of Bushwick, about 5/8 of the way southeast from Woodbine Street to Madison Street, completely within the context, lostmemory, of the April 2001 "Our Neighborhood" article you gave me the link to last week. Warren is like Kojak ? Who loves ya baby ! OK lostmemory, please keep working !

Why not start pages for the Luxor and Starr Theaters on this site, and let the information be filled in later, if possible ?

For a theatre that has so many postings, I'm surprised that the seating capacity of the Ridgewood is listed as "unknown." The 1926 Film Daily Year Book reports it as 2,150, while the 1957 volume says 1,956...Although I've never been inside the Ridgewood's auditorium, I suspect that it was very similar to the Fox Jamaica, which opened the same year (1913) and also had Thomas Lamb as architect. The Jamaica was slightly smaller, with 1,812 seats in 1926. By 1957, it had closed and was no longer listed in the FDYB.

Peter......Give Warren a Lollipop as a reward. I'd rather have the info for the Starr theater first because I can't figure out how to edit the info once you enter it. I tried it with the Majestic and I couldn't do it.

We should start entering these theaters just in case something happens to the messages in this section. All our "research" will be lost.

Warren, I've been inside the Ridgewood many times, but not the Fox Jamaica. I've never tried to estimate the Ridgewood's seating capacity. Based on my experience of the RKO Madison and Ridgewood, 2000 seems about right for the Ridgewood.

How about finding out the seating capacity of each of the Ridgewood's current five cinemas, and adding them, to approximate the original seating capacity ?

Warren, thanks so much as usual for finding out about the Luxor!
Yes, it is starnge that a theater with the responses such as the ridgewood would be missing "any" information at this point, especially something as basic as the seating capacity. I, like Peter, have been in the Ridgewood countless times, both before and after the chopping it up into a 3plex, and then a 5plex, but have never been in the Jamaica Fox to be able to compare.
I guess the 5 theaters in the Ridgewood could be added up to get how many seats the building has now, but also remember that with the chopping up, seats probably were lost, unless they build the new walls right down existing aisles without ripping out seating in the process. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be any more accurate than choosing either the 1957 or 1926 entrees from the Film Daly.
Lost Memory, yeah, it would be good to put the information on "new" found theaters as theaters on the site, people can add information to the appropriate section as time goes on A name and address for the "new" theaters is enough to add a theater, although the more information the better of course. I have seen many theaters added with minimal information, and either the webmasters catch the changes in the comments for the theater, or you can click somewhere on this site a link that tells you where to send changes. Even if the Ridgewood theater's section doesn't gets lost somehow, the information on other theaters may get lost in the shuffle of this huge section.

The Starr Theatre on Knickerbocker Avenue had 988 seats, according to the 1931 Film Daily Year Book.

Warren....Thanks for posting the seating capacity of the Starr theater.

Bway......I added the Starr to this website. I'll leave the Luxor theater for Peter to enter. I agree with you that all we really need is a name and address to enter a theater.

I'll hold off on the Ridgewood Folly until I can find a location or address for it. Another theater that we talked about was the Evergreen on Seneca and Myrtle. Did anyone find anymore info on that one? Then there is still the mystery of the Knickerbocker/Grove theater to solve.

I also entered the Willoughby theater on this website.

The Evergreen was situated at 926 Seneca Avenue, and had 1,200 seats, according to the 1926 Film Daily Year Book. By the 1931 volume, it was no longer listed, suggesting that it had either closed or undergone a name change. When I get time, I will look through subsequent volumes to see if there are any other theatres listed for that address.

Warren.....That is great info that you found. I had posted about the Evergreen somewhere else on this site. I will copy and paste it here to refresh everyone's memory:

In 1921, Joseph Hartman and his son-in-law, Phoebus Kaplan, built a row of brick store fronts with a dwelling on the upper level, on Myrtle Avenue and Anthon Avenue (60th Street). In 1911, they had built and operated an open air movie theatre at what is now Seneca Avenue near Myrtle Avenue, called the Evergreen Airdrome and also at the same time, the Van Cortlandt Airdrome on the northeast corner of Myrtle Avenue and Van Cortlandt Avenue (71st Avenue). In 1913, they built the Evergreen Theatre adjacent to the Evergreen Airdrome. In 1915, they expanded the Evergreen Theatre by 1,500 seats. By 1920, the Van Cortlandt Airdrome was closed. In 1921, possibly to take advantage of the tax exempt legislation and to fund their building the row of store fronts as noted above, they sold the Evergreen Theatre and Evergreen Airdrome.

Maybe we can find more out about the Van Cortlandt Airdrome also.

Warren, The Chase Manhattan Bank building (now Banco Popular) was built in the late 20's and that is partly on the site of the old Evergreen. A Bohack supermarket (then Associated, Trunz, and now C Town is on the remainder of the property, but that building is not as old as the Chase Bank building.
I have been trying to find out about that theater for uite some time. I will add it to the site.

I'm trying to "picture" where the Evergreen was located. Since it has an even address (926) it would be on the same side of Seneca ave as the Majestic was. If you were heading towards Myrtle ave from the site of the old Majestic theater, the Evergreen should be on the other side of Myrtle. That would place it somewhere between Hancock st and Weirfield st. Peter or Bway could be more accurate on this than me.
I think there was a Chase bank on the corner of Hancock, Myrtle and Seneca and next to the bank was a supermarket. Before the supermart was there, it was a toy store or juvenile store called Pachmans or something like that. That should be where the Evergreen was located.


The Van Cortlandt Airdrome should have been located at 71st and Myrtle which is close to Forrest ave.

It was right at the intersection of Myrtle, Seneca, and Hancock...right where you are thinking.
Where do you think the Van Cortland Airdrome was, where the Flowerama building is now? Or on the other side of 60th, where the Carpet store is now? I believe it is on the Flowerama side of Myrtle.

lostmemory, on the southwest side of Seneca Avenue, between Hancock and Weirfield Streets, going from Hancock to Weirfield, was the Chase Manhattan Bank (now Banco Popular), Pachtmann's Toy Store, Bohack Supermarket (these two are now a C-Town supermarket) a few
three-family houses, and the Elco Bar and Grill, on the western corner of Seneca and Weirfield.

Actually, I'm thinking that the homes to the right of "C-Town" are Standard Matthews Flat 6 Family homes. Most of the Matthew flats were built in Ridgewood in 1910-1918. I'm thinking those tenaments were probably built when the Evergreen building was still standing, as I don't believe the Evergreen was torn down before 1925, although the property was sold some time in late 1921.
Those Matthew Flat houses were converted into stores on the ground level (at least some of them), but many still retain their original stoops and original railings with posts at the end!
The Bank Building is listed as 918 Seneca, the C-Town is listed as 928 Seneca, and the first Matthews building is listed as 930 Seneca. 926 is now a dead address, but falls on the supermarket property - obviously the theater took up a few address numbers.

Bway.....Sorry, I didn't hit the refresh button on my browser so I didn't see your post ahead of mine. I agree with you that Van Cortland Airdrome is where the Flowerama is. We need an address on that.

Peter....Thanks for reminding me what was located on that block. Is it possible that the two Evergreen theater's occupied the entire block at one time? After they were sold, maybe the other buildings were put up. I'm only asking this because I'm trying to get an idea of how large these two theater's were. According to the article, the Airdrome was already there and the Evergreen theater was added later.

I found this for the Flowerama:

Flowerama, 59-35 Myrtle Avenue, Ridgewood, NY

I am now positive that the VanCortlandt Airdrome was at the Flowerama site. 59-35 Myrtle is accurate, however remember that the area was still in the Brooklyn numbering System when the theater operated. (after all, even 71st Ave hadn't entered the Queens named system yet, as it was still Van Cortlandt Ave at the time).
The two story stores built adjacent to the Van Cortlandt Airdrome by the same owners are the two story group of stores to the east of Flowerama (the corner of which is the carpet store).
BTW, I added the Evergreen. Hopefully all the great information provided by you, Peter, and Warren will make it to the Evergreen's section once it is added by the webmasters.

If the Evergreen Airdrome was built in 1911, it should have been listed as Covert ave since the name wasn't changed to Seneca ave until 1912. The Evergreen theater was built after the name change but that should not affect its address. That article say's that in 1915 they expanded the theater by 1,500 seats. I wonder how many seats it had to begin with. Let's say that it had 500, add in 1,500 seats and you have a good size theater. That's why I was curious if both theater's occupied the whole block.


I know what you mean about the old numbering system for the Van Cortlandt Airdrome. The address would probably have been somewhere in the 1600 number range. I have no idea if there is a way to "convert" the address from new to old, but I will check into it. Thanks for adding the Evergreen.

It doesn't make sense to me that they "expanded the Evergreen by 1,500 seats." IMHO, they must have demolished the original Evergreen and built a larger one in its place. You could add maybe a hundred seats to an existing theatre, but not 1,500.

That is very bizarre. Another conflict is that the Daly you mentioned had it at 1200 seats in 1926 (after when the property was sold in 1921!). The bank was built on the property I believe between 1927 and 1929. Something still doesn't add up here. I think the Ridgewood Times article this came from may have something confused. Could it be that when they say it was expanded by 1500 seats, that's when they ADDED the Evergreen theatre next to the Evergreen Airdrome? It makes more sense - you had the Airdrome, the indoor theater expanded that by 1500, the Airdrome was closed, (thus decreasing it), and by 1926 maybe more seats were taken out leaving to 1200.

Some of this is kind of strange to me also. I would have thought that after the theater was built, the Airdrome would have been closed. Yet the article claims that in 1921 both the Evergreen Theater and Evergreen Airdrome were sold implying that the Airdrome was still there.

Adding 1,500 seats to that theater has been the main reason that I am so curious about how much property these two buildings occupied.

There will always be some things that we will never know the full answer to when it comes to theater's like these. At least we know that the theater did exist and were it was located. Maybe we should accept the 1200 seating capacity and let it go at that.

I agree with you, lostmemory. Have you, Bway, Warren or anyone else started pages on this site yet for the Evergreen and Van Cortlandt Airdromes ?

I think that Bway entered the Evergreen theater. The Van Cortlandt Airdrome could be entered as an open air theater and use the address of the Flowerama. So far I haven't found a way to convert the address. It could be added later though.

I came across this when I was searching for a way to convert the address:

"Queens 1911 — Borough topographical engineers devised comprehensive street-naming and house-numbering plan for entire borough, using the "Philadelphia system" of numbered streets. Public resistance slowed implementation. System first applied to Richmond Hill in 1915. Ninety percent borough compliance by 1932".

It's the 10 percent non-compliance I find interesting.

The last time I was in the Triangle Hofbrau of Richmond Hill, Friday November 11, 1994, I saw a beautiful aerial perspective map of Richmond Hill which showed all the original named streets. 102nd St. was Freedom Avenue, 104th St. was Oxford, 111th was Greenwood. The last two names survived awhile as station names on the A train (Liberty Avenue elevated line). The S-shaped drive through Forest Park, from Myrtle Avenue, just east of the Forest Park Drive bridge, to Park Lane South and 102nd Street, is still known as Freedom Drive. It's a Q-55 bus stop on Myrtle Avenue.

The Flushing # 7 elevated line also "remembered" named streets :

33rd : Rawson, 40th : Lowery, 46th : Bliss, 52nd : Lincoln, 69th : Bliss

And at Queens Blvd. in Forest Hills, 71st Avenue is Continental, 75th Avenue used to be Puritan Avenue.

Correction : 69th St. : Fisk Avenue

It is interesting isn't it. Besides Covert being changed to Seneca, I read that Cypress ave was called Cypress Hills st. at the turn of the century. I know that there is still a Cypress Hills st, but ALL of Cypress ave was called Cypress ave at one time. All of those "main roads" like Cypress were supposed to be called Avenues such as Seneca, Cypress, St. Nicholas, Wyckoff, Irving, Knickerbocker, Wilson etc. The intersecting streets were supposed to be streets or road or anything but avenues. It didn't work because you still have Dekalb ave, Greene ave, Gates ave, etc. They were all supposed to be called streets.

The Evergreen section is up and running, so let's finish the Evergreen discussion there: http://cinematreasures.org/theater/8026/

Another typo..."ALL of Cypress ave was called Cypress Hills st at one time".

I love this site. as I grew up on palmetto st in late 50s early 60s
Bob

I'm moving over to the RKO Madison section for research, there are too many messages in here.

http://www.cinematreasures.org/theater/4621/

Eddie.....Where did everybody "went"? They all went to another website. Click on the link, everybody is waiting for you there.

http://www.sesameworkshop.org/

Ah, the Ridgewood Theatre! This was a very pleasant theatre to attend. Not on a par with the RKO Madison Theatre but still a wonderful theatre in its own right.

I have read many messages here. I noticed a mentioning of the Ridgewood Folly theatre. Indeed it was located on Myrtle avenue not far from Onderdonck avenue. Rumor has it as the first establishment for showing movies.

RidgewoodBill.....Are you sure that the Ridgewood Folly theater was located on Myrtle near Onderdonk? Do you have an address or can you be more specific with it's location? Was it located on a corner or in the middle of the block?

Did the Ridgewood close??? In the paper today in the movie listings The Ridgewood had "Call theatre for schedule".

The Flatbush Pavilion, Kingsway, Marboro, etc. all had that listed when they closed. Hope this is not the case.

Ah yes I do have an address my good man. I have taken it one step further and submitted the Folly theatre to this fine cinema site. No need to thank me as it was my pleasure. It might have taken you chaps much investigating before finding this theatre. I have saved you much work.

I dont believe the Ridgewood theater is closing. It sure could use some fixing up though!!!

RidgewoodBill.......Did it ever dawn on you that since us "chaps" did most of the work finding some of these theater's that maybe the right thing to do would let one of us "chaps" enter the theater on this site that we worked so hard to find?

How about you do some of the research and I'll sit back and take the credit for your work?

Tsk,Tsk, are we having a 'hissy-fit' here! I find that your research team is lacking in many ways. Perhaps you should find more informed members for your team. Ah yes, there was a Lyric theatre in Ridgewood. Would you and your researchers like a hint??? Think of a block such as Woodward Avenue. Maybe more hints will follow, maybe not!

The "research team" was doing just fine before you arrived on the scene. They found many theater's that were not entered on this website.
No, I don't want a hint where the so-called Lyric theater was located. If you have the info then post it. This isn't the home version of Jeopardy.
Keep one thing in mind Ridgewood Bill, the theater's that you enter here must be Real theater's with Real addresses. Since you find the "research team" here lacking, let's see what you can do.
If you need any help, I'll be sitting in the corner having a "hissy fit". Have fun.

Well my friend I do not see a wealth of replies from your acclaimed research team. That would lead me to one conclusion only, you have been replaced by yours truly. Take your place with the other commoners as I lead the team forward. Another clue for your Lyric Theatre would be Menehan street.

The acclaimed research team is out doing research my "friend". Things like gathering "facts" about a theater before posting it. Okay master, I'll go and take my place with the other commoner's now. Enjoy your new job as leader.

Well, another member of the "research team" is back from vacation. I must do much "catch-up" before I can continue the research.... I see a lot has been done since I have last viewed the site. I have to look in the "new theaters" section when I get some more time!

Ah, another inept member of the infamous research team has returned. You shall fare much better under my leadership.

I would like to point out that there is a great article in the current issue of BLOCK Magazine (a Williamsburg based giveaway) on "The Tragic Tale of Brooklyn Theaters". There is some interesting info on theaters in Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Ridgewood. The Ridgewood is mentioned as "the longest continuously running cinema in New York and a contender for the second longest in the hemisphere." There is a photo captioned as "Unknown Theater on Havemeyer" that looks like it sais "Aster" on the markee.

Bob D., it's good to have you back. Thanks for mentioning the article about theaters in the current issue of BLOCK Magazine. Is there a way to get to it on-line (perhaps you can post a link ?)or will you be scanning it, and posting some of it, or a link to it, here ? Yet more thanks, if you plan to.

So the Ridgewood is "a contender for the second longest running cinema in the hemisphere" ? What is the longest-running cinema in the [Western] hemisphere ?

Another research question. Was the Mayfair theater in Brooklyn, ever known as the Horneck theater? Or were they two different theater's?

The reason the Ridgewood many times has no listings in the paper is they double book movies that should not be paired up. Many times you will call the tape for these theatres and they give out full schedules as if they have more screens then they do. In actuality they are doubling up films and reporting the split grosses to the respective film companies. Nothing will top the time the Commodore paired up one of the Batman movies then in its opening week with a Legal Weapon flick in like its third week. They normally played double features so they got away with it by leaving it out of the time schedules and having no tape. An in the know person called Warner Brothers who thought they had one movie on each screen and ratted them out. The other screen also had 2 blockbusters playing.

I also heard thru the grapevine that the Ridgewood Theater was about to close due to slow business and money problems.

This theatre could survive another hundred years. It needs a facelift, but is in a free booking zone and can book anything it wants.

It would be a travesty if it closed. Come on people, this has got to be one of the most patronized threads on this site, the least some of us can do is take in a movie there to help support it. I am embarrassed to say I haven't been in the theater in over 15 years. I was still a teenager or very early 20's the last time I was in therethere!
I agree with Robert though, the theater does need some cleaning up, but it's the "only theater" for miles around, so shouldn't have too much trouble attracting people. Obviously, it's biggest base must be the "young crowd" - teenagers and kids. If it still holds true, I know that even though I could walk to the Ridgewood when I lived there, as soon as I was old enough to ride the subway "without adults", I abandoned the RIdgewood for other theaters, with just an occasional visit, before totally not going to it anymore....and then of course I moved, and a movie seen at the Ridgewood was just not to happen again....

Our dedicated young fan, Monica, may be of some help, as she still lives in Ridgewood, still attends the Ridgewood Theater, and has created a separate page for the Ridgewood on this very site !

The Ridgewood Theater, still there in a hundred years ? Certainly !
To borrow a joke from "Back To The Future III" :

It's the year 2104, and the Ridgewood is showing "Jaws 43" in 5-D, but the shark STILL seems fake !

Hahahaha! Peter, that is so funny! Yes, Let's picture the "Back to the Future"-like fake looking Jaws in 3-D attacking pedestrians on the sidewalk in front of the theater in 2104.
Of course, if the theater is still "multiplexed" in 2104, let's picture "Friday the 13th-Part 217-Jason Revenges Again" playing in one of the balcony theaters alongside "Jaws 43".

Glad you liked my joke, Bway ! Maybe the holographic shark will draw customers in, like a sidewalk hawker !

Perhaps in 2104, if the "Friday the 13th" movies have kept up, more kids will know who Jason is, than know who was U.S. President on Friday, June 13, 1980, when the first "Friday the 13th" movie was released. (Hint : it was Jimmy Carter !)

I liked the MAD TV routine of "Apollo the 13th : Jason takes NASA " :

"Houston, we have a problem !" as the hockey mask looms and the machete comes down, yet again.

Also, how much more "multiplexed" will the Ridgewood be then ? Will it be showing as many features as it has seats (about 2000) each seat having its own audio-visual headset, like the private-viewing cubicles in the Museum Of Television and Radio ?

Actually there is so much wasted space in the Ridgewood, where the stage and backstage was. It was plexed cheaply, but this did keep all of the original side walls intact. If they plexed it like the Meadows adding an actual second floor they could add many screens. They could also put theatres in the basement like The Center did.

Does anyone know what year this theater became a multiplex theater?

Perhaps you should send your ideas to the owners of the Ridgewood Theater. They would probably want to know how to make more money.

The Ridgewood has always had an "actual second floor", as it has always had a balcony. I know. I've been there. I was last up there late September 1988 for the atrocious film "Nightfall" (based in name only on the Isaac Asimov sci fi story of that name).

The Ridgewood's original balcony used to have a beautiful elliptical lobby, with an ornate raised molding plaster ceiling, with central medallion and light fixture, with entrances to seating aisles in front, refreshment counter in back, stairs to the outer and inner lobbies to the sides. I was last there Tuesday June 17 1980.

When I was at the Ridgewood on Tuesday June 17, 1980 it was already a duplex. A boxing match was being shown on closed circuit TV on the lower, orchestra level, and "Friday the 13th" was playing on the balcony level. Bway has posted some recollections about the multiplexing of the Ridgewood above and earlier on this page.

I was just curious as to when it made the switchover to multiplex. I would like to see this theater go on for at least another 100 years. Its not just a theater, its part of the history of Ridgewood. Maybe one day it will become a landmark.

You and me both. Perhaps now is the time to begin making our case to, and filing the paperwork with, the National Registry of Historic Places, on behalf of the Ridgewood Theater, to make it an official landmark. I think it has been an unofficial landmark for many years now.

The Ridgewood may have still been a single theater when I saw "Love At First Bite" there in May 1980. I know it still was when I saw the Langella "Dracula" there in September 1979, and the re-release of "Jaws" in July 1979.

I had seen many movies in the 70's in the Ridgewood when it was still one theater, with a balcony. I don't remember exactly when they fist duplexed it (partitioning off the balcony), but I did see ET there in 1982, and the orchestra level was still one theater (although don't know if the balcony was already another theater or two yet. The Ridgewood still had curtains yet, and they would open and close a few times before and after the previews, and before the main attraction.
I also saw a few movies years later in some of the balcony theaters, remember looking up at the ceiling, and seeing the part circle of the plasterwork ceiling. The added walls dividing the balcony and of course cutting the ceiling dome in pieces up above. The fancy balcony banister was still there right to the last time I was in the theater to see Friday the 13th Part 5 or 6. That was in the right balcony theater if you are facing front.
I can't remember how the Ridgewood is divided up, is it two theaters downstairs, and three in the balcony? Since the Ridgewood was originally a legit theatre, the stage should be huge, and they could probably get at least another theater in there, and maybe two. Of course that would mean further cutting up of the orchestra level to allow for hallways to the "stage theater". It's interior is so cut up already, but much of the old features still are there, even if "cut up" a little.

There are two cinemas on the ground floor and three upstairs.

Thanks. I thought that was the configuration.
All the cutting up happened in the early to mid 80's. By the late 80's, it was a 5-plex.
Some time in 1981 or so, was when the first cutting up happened.
I believe that the Ridgewood was first duplexed. (partitioning out the balcony).
A year or two later it was triplexed. (cutting the orchestra level in two.
Finally, a few years later, it was 5-plexed. (partioning the balcony into three theaters. Come to think of it, I was never in the "left" balcony theater (if facing front). Most of the movies I had seen since the 5-plexing were in the right balcony theater.

If I'm not mistaken it went from single to triplex. The donstairs was 2 and the upstairs was one big theatre. I remember the huge floating screen up there for "Blowout".

Possible, I was still a just a kid when they started dividing it. I could swear however that it was still one theater (or at least the orchestra level was still intact) when I saw ET there, and that was in 1982. So either the balcony was partioned off at that point making it a duplex, or the "cutting-up" didn't start until after 1982.

The funny thing is the theatre never closed during plexing. I know as a recently renovated place I saw Mommy Dearest and Blowout there and those flicks were released in 1981. Another weird this is that during this period all the movies I went to see there always played in the downstairs left theatre.

Okay, Maybe ET was when the downstairs was cut in half. I know for fact that I was sitting on the left edge of the theater downstairs, because I remember the exit door signs on the left while watching the movie. I could swear it was still one theater downstairs but it was a long time ago, and I was still a kid, so can't be 100% sure. As for the multiplexing, yes it was very quick that they did it. I remember when it was made into 3 theaters, and I couldn't understand how they did it (remember, I was just a kid). It became a 5Plex very soon after that though, within a year or two, and I was even more astonished at that point as to how they did it.

To once again add my own voice to this ever-growing and increasingly layered confusion, RobertR, I too saw "Blowout" (the 1981 Brian DePalma film with John Travolta and Nancy Allen) at the Ridgewood in late July 1981, but remember it being at one (and perhaps this is the key) of the downstairs cinemas. If it's any help, "Wolfen" was also playing there then.

I think the orchestra was still one cinema when I saw "The Howling" at the Ridgewood on Friday, March 13, 1981, 7:30 PM screening. I think the moon was full that night also. Seriously.

I really thought the downstairs was still one theater in 1982 for ET. Could it be possible that the first multiplexing just cut the balcony off from the main theater? I would cetainly not remember if the balcony was or wasn't attached when I saw ET downstairs.

Bway, you could be mistaken, or, at age 13, one of the two lower cinemas may have seemed as large as the original full orchestra, when you saw E.T. there in 1982.

The first multiplexing MUST have been the separation of orchestra and balcony, because that's what I saw on Tuesday, June 17 1980. I also think that, prior to that, the balcony may have been closed for awhile. On June 17, 1980, the original elliptical balcony lobby was still intact.

Perhaps this question should be directed to "The Old Timer" of the Times Newsweekly, perhaps the closest we have to a "Ridgewood Answer Man".

You are probably right Peter, it may have been cut in half at that point, and just don't remember it (at 12 actually).
as for the balcony being closed pretty early on, even though still "part" of the main theater, that is probably true. I remember going as a young child to see Disney movies there, and wanting to go up to the balcony, but there was always a chain across the stairway. I was never in the balcony until I was up there for the balcony theaters.

Same here. There were two staircases up to the balcony, one in the outer lobby, outside the original ticket takers, one in the inner lobby. I remember the chain across the outer lobby staircase. Like yourself, I only returned to the balcony after it had been made into separate cinemas.

Same here. There were two staircases up to the balcony, one in the outer lobby, outside the original ticket takers, one in the inner lobby. I remember the chain across the outer lobby staircase. Like yourself, I only returned to the balcony after it had been made into separate cinemas.

I remember seeing Airport at the Ridgewood in a sold out house, balcony and orchestra. I dont recall the second feature.

RobertR, there may not have been a second feature with "Airport". I recall seeing "Airport" at the RKO Madison, in the spring or summer of 1970. I also saw "Topaz" at the RKO Madison in March 1970, and saw "They Shoot Horses, Don't They ?" there in April 1970.

Wow maybe my memory is playing tricks. Could the huge Madsion have sold out for Airport? I remember getting up to get popcorn right before the feature started and staring in amazement at the huge amount of people sitting in the balcony.

It is possible. The Madison was huge, but not infinite ?

The ridgewood theatre has always been located in queens.

I always liked this place more then the RKO Madison it was smaller but more homey had decent flicks and was cheaper

Thank you, Don Novack, for posting on all these theaters in Ridgewood, and for filling in some blank spaces. To you may go the title of "The Ridgewood Phantom Of The Movies" !

If the Ridgewood Theatre "has always been located in Queens," why has it also ALWAYS (and right up to this very moment) been advertised and classified as being in Brooklyn? The same applied to the Madison for its entire lifetime. This presents a major problem for theatre historians, since, among other things, it affects the count of how many theatres existed in Brooklyn, as opposed to Queens and the other boroughs.

Probably because until January 1980 the Madison and Ridgewood were in a postal zone (27, 11227) served by the Brooklyn post office. Also because they are near the Bklyn-Queens border, which some do not know, or care to know, the exact location of.

I can address the Ridgewood theater because I have seen the deed to that property and the property was registered with the Queens County clerk in 1893. The postal service created the confusion that remains to this day. I found one website that listed the Ridgewood as 55-27 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11237. Since it was serviced by a Brooklyn post office most books, websites, etc list this theater as being in Brooklyn and that is incorrect.

Here's two current views of the Ridgewood Theatre taken today.

Click Here for Link

Click Here for Link 2

Nice pix, Chris. Thanks. I'll be there next week !

Looking at the pictures of the Rigdgewood theater (Thanks Monica) I can't imagine the inside being a multiplex - I remember I saw the James Bond movie "Goldfinger" at the Rigdgewood and every seat was filled and it just seemed so small - particularly when compared to the Madison - damn - I have to come and see the old neighborhood!!
Thanks to everyone from putting me in a time capsule and sending me back to the 50's and 60's!

I just noticed this on Cinema Tours, they list a Ridgewood 3 Theatre
located at 5527 Myrtle Ave which is the address of this Ridgewood theater and it is listed as "closed".

http://www.cinematour.com/theatres.php?db=us&province=NY&page=11

Wow, that is really outdated! It's never been closed, and it hasn't been only 3 theaters for about 20 years when it became a 5plex....!
Someone should really email them.

The Ridgewood NEVER closed, not even during the conversions. When it went from a single to a tripex they were open nights only. They had one theatre in the balcony then and two in the orchestra. They built a booth downstairs for one of the new theatres and used it to play on the original screen while they closed off the balcony. Then when the balcony was completed the downstairs remained closed for awhile while those theatres were built. I was going to check out the Ridgewood again this past weekend to see the new Juliane Moore flick but would up at the Kew Gardens instead.

I had a feeling that it was wrong. When I find an "unknown" theater I usually go to that website to see if they have an address for it. As I was going down the list I saw the Ridgewood listed as closed. I wonder where they get their info from. Maybe Eddie and Bill are hanging out on that website now.

I am so glad that the Ridgewood Theater is still far from "forgotten" ! Thanks, RobertR, for the info on its multiplexing, true to the show business axiom, "the show MUST go on" !

I would love to see the Ridgewood overhauled and continue for another 100 years.

You and me both !

Actually I would love to see me overhauled and continue for another 100 years! But seriously folks, now you have an idea of how this misinformation and rumors start. I have learned the hard way not to believe everything I read on the web.

Hi, I wrote the Block article. The Ridgewood is awesome. The cinematour site sucks. It helped with the addresses of a few theaters that aren't on this site, but it is useless by itself.

Zak.....You wrote the BLOCK article "The Tragic Tale of Brooklyn Theaters". Is there anyway that you can put a link here to the article or paste the article itself in a message if it isn't too large.

I don't remember which message section this question was asked, but someone asked about a theater on Freshpond road near the train station. I found a theater called the Whitney theater that was located on Freshpond road and Hughes street. Hughes street is now known as 68th avenue. I hope that this helps you.

I forgot this part, the theater was operating in 1912.

I went to the Ridgewood many times before moving to Staten-Island. I miss this theater and Ridgewood.

the ridgewood is a nice theatre I think it will stay open for along time

I, too, hope it stays open indefinitely into the future. Bway and lostmemory and I, among hopefully many others, are only all too aware of how many movie theaters there used to be in the neighborhoods of Bushwick, Ridgewood, Glendale, Maspeth, and Middle Village, all within walking distance (4 miles or less) of the Ridgewood Theater, THAT ARE NO LONGER THERE !!!! How many miles is it from the Ridgewood to the nearest still-functioning movie theater in either Brooklyn or Queens ???

You would think that the Ridgewood theater would be doing great business since its the only game in town. Good trivia question, what is the name of the nearest "open" theater to the Ridgewood?

Glendale is getting it's first new movie theatre since the Oasis closed in 1977. It's going to be located in the Atlas Terminal on Cooper Ave off Woodhaven Blvd. They are advising it will be a 6-plex and lean toward art films. I think thats just a way to get the theatre built, since Glendale is not a real art house type area. Forest Hills and Kew Gardens already have art houses. This does not have to be a death kneel for the Ridgewood because the way bookings go nowadays I'm sure they can play day and date. The Ridgewood leans toward more action and horror films, but they would both draw with something like Spiderman or a Disney film. In regards to the above question, the nearest Queens theatre to the Ridgewood would be the Sunnyside Center. Prior to the Commodore closing that was the closest Brooklyn house, but now I would guess Linden Blvd Cinemas.

I think it's more than trivial, to us movie buffs who hail from Ridgewood. Time to get out the map, dividers, and a current newspaper listing of active theaters. I estimate the current functioning Brooklyn or Queens cinema closest to the Ridgewood is either in downtown Brooklyn or Forest Hills, Queens, now that the Elmwood is gone.

I used to always go to the Forest Hills theaters when I was a teenager, as soon as I was old enough to "leave the neighborhood". I "abandoned" the Ridgewood for the most part when I was about 16, and was only back once or twice in my early 20's. It was more fun to take the subway to the theater than to simply walk to it, it sort of made a whole day out of it. And once in my early 20's, I abandoned the FOrest Hills theaters for the Manhattan ones like the Zeigfeld and the others. And now I'm down to the multiplexes, as that's all what's basically around where I am now....(although do vistit some of the Manhattan ones occasionally.

BTW, I believe the Oasis was Ridgewood, not Glendale, but that's just a minor nitpick, I know what you mean.

RobertR, thanks for the news about the new "Atlas Terminals" cinema on Cooper Avenue in Glendale.

What about the plans for a multiplex at the southeast corner of Metropolitan Avenue and Woodhaven Blvd., at the southeast corner of Forest Hills ?

I'm not sure of this myself. Robert's answer sounds good. I think that the Polish theater in Brooklyn is also open. Was that the Warsaw Theater? I didn't say that it had to show ENGLISH movies!

The Metropolitan Cinemas was shelved because the neighborhood fought tooth and nail about traffic issues. It was to be located where the Home Depot Mall is now. I think Sunnyside is closer then Forest Hills to the Ridgewood Theatre, but it could be close. I am in Forest Hills but my grandparents lived in Glendale, so I was always at The Oasis, Madison and Ridgewood.

If I was going by car from the Ridgewood theater, I guess the easiest theater's to get to would be the United Artists Brandon on Austin st. or the UA Crossbay II if its still open.

Both Crossbays are still open although the #2 one looks like one of the 42 St houses right before they tore them down. That theatre is maybe 10 years old and there is water damage, collapsed ceilings, ripped rugs and bathrooms that can only be described as a nightmare.

How sad. How did it happen ? I would expect that of the Cross Bay 1 (the older theater) but the Crossbay 2 was in mint condition when I was last there in early May 1995.

UA only did maintenance on this house the first few years after they opened it. Since then bare minimum has been done to upkeep it, and nothing to improve it. On the outside of the building the UA logo is not even lit anymore. Is Regal in the same financial ruin UA was in?

HELLO NEW YORK & PETER K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello mike hoyts ! Who are you ? Where do you know me from ?

Yumpin' Yiminy, Yohnny Yohnson, schtep on in, und ve vill show you how we hov cholly good fun in Ritch Woot ! Ja wohl !

Robert, are you talking about UA owning the Ridgewood or the Crossbay, I wasn't clear from your comment. If UA owns the Ridgewood, it is doomed, because while their theaters were great in the 80's and 90's, recently they all seem to being going to hell.

No I was talking about Crossbay 2. This place is like 10 years old and looks like its 50. Even on the outside all the lights are burned out.

Oh, thanks. Yeah, most of UA's newer theaters (and older ones for that matter) look like crap, and years older than they are.

wassup dudes ware mae west at hahahahhaha

EdWood, do you like to dress in women's clothing ?

It was kind of you to pay Bela Lugosi's final hospital and funeral bills.

It looks like Fast Eddie, Ridgewood Bill, Sally, etc, etc, etc, etc is still with us.

Ride, Sally, Ride ! Fast Eddie's posts are INSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE !!!

According to real estate records, 55-27 Myrtle avenue is listed as follows: A 3 story building containing a theatre (art type more than 400 seats), lot size 40ft x 100ft. The build date is listed as 1915.
The deed for this property shows that it was surveyed by a Walter I. Brown (City Surveyor) and the property was registered with the county of Queens in 1915. If these documents are accurate, the Ridgewood theater could not have opened in 1913. Sometimes real estate records are inaccurate but I have not seen an incorrect deed as of yet. This should also end the Brooklyn-Queens debate since the property has always been registered in Queens County.

Interesting. Obviously, the front lot that is on Myrtle Ave (the 40X100 lot) is just the lobby area, that fronts on Myrtle Ave.
I don't know how many lots the Ridgewood is on, but most of them front on Madison St, and also on Cypress Ave. Of course obviously the lobby was built at the same time as the theater auditorium itself.

Bway.....The exact size of this property is not easy to understand. The real estate records list the lot as 40x100. The deed is alot more complicated to understand what size this property actually is. I'm going to email you a copy of the deed and let you see for yourself.

Thanks. It has to be just the lobby though as a 40X100 lot. There is no way the approximately 2000 seat Ridgewood theater is a 40 foot lot. The lobby alone is 100 feet long (why I think it's the lobby that's 40X100). It's not a regular square lot. From the front, the Ridgewood looks as wide as any other store on the block, but remember that the theater actually takes over all the space behind the stores to the left of it, and then extends all the way to madison St, which is quite a ways down Myrtle Ave, because the Ridgewood is in the middle of the block. It also extends all the way to Cypress Ave.

Exactly. Those bounderies on the deed are confusing. Anyway, the important item on those documents are the dates and the County that the land is registered with.

This may explain why the Ridgewood Theatre is not listed in the 1914-15 "American Motion Picture Directory." It might not have been built yet! What is the basis for claims that it was built or opened in 1913? This could be an error that has been repeated so many times that it has become accepted as "fact."

Warren...The first message under this Ridgewood theater section says the following "Designed by Thomas Lamb, it first opened in 1913 as the Fox Ridgewood, with William Fox as owner-builder". I'm starting to believe that these books are inaccurate when it comes to dates.

The first comment was posted by yours truly, based on information that he found in publications of Theatre Historical Society of America. So, if the 1913 date is incorrect, I am as guilty as anyone for perpetuating it. I am deeply ashamed, and will bury my head in sand for the balance of the evening.

Its not your fault Warren so take your head out of the sand. Whoever did the research on that publication should bury their head in the sand for a day. I do believe that the 1914-15 "American Motion Picture Directory is correct for not listing the Ridgewood since it wasn't open yet.

Amazingly, and I can't really believe it, what with all the interest in this theater and the 100's of responses, we actually don't have the seat count for this theater, the style, or the chain if it has one!
Is it even run by a chain?
I had been in the theater countless times, but I was only a kid when I was in it when it was "one" theater. I don't really remember the "style", and I haven't been in it for over 15 years to even remember the style from the remnants you can see in the now smaller theaters. As for the number of seats that should be pretty straight forward "somewhere" to get that on the top of the page.

The lot size of 40x100 given in the real estate records for 55-27 Myrtle ave seemed kind of small so I went back and checked again. This property actually occupies three addresses on Myrtle ave. 55-27 to 55-31. The two adjacent buildings on Myrtle ave are 55-25 and 55-33. Those two buildings are listed as 55ft deep on a 100ft deep lot. The other 45ft behind these two stores is used by the Ridgewood theater. They are called "party" walls in real estate terms. This theater also occupies lots on Madison st and approx. half the block on Cypress ave. It doesn't appear to be this large from the front entrance, but it is.

Is it even run by a chain?


No the Ridgewood is run as an independant by the Diaz brothers who also own the Jackson & Plaza.

Man theaters appear uch smaller than they really are from the street. I guess that was to mazimize the profits of the "main drag", in this case Myrtle Ave, and have most of the building itself located on the side streets (in this case Madison St and Cypres Ave). The theater itself occupies almost the entire block fronting on Madison St and as you said, half of Cypress Ave.

Other theaters that did this were the Loew's Gates on Broadway, which also only occupies a small little piece of Broadway (keeping most of the block open for profitable stores on the "main drag"), and it's building is mostly on the side street, but alowing it to have Broadway Address. The former Meserole Theater in Greenpoint also occupies a very small part of Manhattan Ave, while the theater expands behind the stores adjoining it on Manhattan Ave. The Madison Theater also did this. While it has (had) a pretty impressive and large facade facing Myrtle Ave, again, the theater itself is located behind the stores built on Myrtle Ave. This is a small sample, but there are many theaters that were built in the same way, sort of "hidden" behind the streets their front entrances were on.

Man theaters appear uch smaller than they really are from the street. I guess that was to mazimize the profits of the "main drag", in this case Myrtle Ave, and have most of the building itself located on the side streets (in this case Madison St and Cypres Ave). The theater itself occupies almost the entire block fronting on Madison St and as you said, half of Cypress Ave.

Other theaters that did this were the Loew's Gates on Broadway, which also only occupies a small little piece of Broadway (keeping most of the block open for profitable stores on the "main drag"), and it's building is mostly on the side street, but allowing it to have Broadway Address. The former Meserole Theater in Greenpoint also occupies a very small part of Manhattan Ave, while the theater expands behind the stores adjoining it on Manhattan Ave. The Madison Theater also did this. While it has (had) a pretty impressive and large facade facing Myrtle Ave, again, the theater itself is located behind the stores built on Myrtle Ave. This is a small sample, but there are many theaters that were built in the same way, sort of "hidden" behind the streets their front entrances were on.

The RKO Alden did not even have a Jamaica Avenue entrance when first built, it was open on the 164th Street side. When Loews opened the Valenica RKO took a lease on a store and put up a marquee, and made a new front entrance. The Utopia theatre also had a thin tiny front that went to the rear where most of the theatre was built.

The idea that this theater sits on a triangle shaped block is where some of the confusion comes into play. If you remove the entrance on Myrtle, the building itself is rectangular in shape just like any other building. The entrance actually is attached to the side of the building. The stores on Myrtle ave fill in the triangle. Each store has a different depth. The stores located near Cypress ave are deeper than the stores near Madison st. There was a Times Weekly article about a poultry store on the corner of Madison and Myrtle that sold live chickens. That store is the only real triangle shaped building on the block. As for the three addresses, the other two belong to the stores on the second and third floors which had their own entrance. In the 60's there was a poolroom on the second floor called Hanks Billiards. Before that there was another poolroom called Cappy's. At one point the third floor was occupied by the Silver Dollar Club. I have no idea what kind of club that was.

In "the old days," most theatres were built on main streets where sites are expensive. It was more economical to buy space just wide enough for the entrance, and then build the auditorium behind that on less expensive land. Many theatres were also built with adjoining stores so that the owner could collect rent to supplement his earnings from the theatre...There has been much discussion here of the Ridgewood's ownership. It was originally Fox, then Randforce until that name was phased out in favor of United Artists Theatre Circuit. Eventually, some of the decaying older theatres were sold by UATC to various real estate holding companies. I believe that the current owner of the Ridgewood is a company called Queen City, which also owns the Jackson Triplex and possibly other theatres. Queen City in turn uses Creative Entertainment to book the theatres.

In the 1915 documents I read, the Ridgewood Theatre Corp is listed as owning all the property on that block. I'm curious about something, is there any mention of a Ridgewood 3 Theatre in any book for the same address as the Ridgewood theater?

Ridgewood 3 may be a reference to the Ridgewood when it was a triplex as opposed to a five-plex, as in summer 1981.

On Cinematour they list a Ridgewood 3 theater as being closed and it has the same address as this Ridgewood theater. I thought that was just a coincidence or an error on there part until I reasearched the Ridgewood and found a document that said,"Premises to be known as the Ridgewood Three Theatre". I'm wondering if this was the original or intended name for the Ridgewood and thats why Cinematour lists it as closed.

Ridgewood 3 was the way the theatre was billed in the years it operated as a triplex.

It probably doesn't mean anything but I thought that I would mention what I found.

What is the date of the document that says "Ridgewood Three Theatre?" In the old days, multiplex theatres were FAR in the future. It might mean that this was the third of three theatres being built or planned for the Ridgewood area at the time. Or a theatre building three stories in height.

The document is dated 1915. Maybe it was considered three stories because of the two floors above the entrance.

Yes. A three-story building includes the ground floor, which is considered the "first story."...So, in other words, the theatre on this site had not yet been built as of the 1915 date on the document?
That would mean that it might not have opened until 1916 or even later, depending on when construction actually started. Since the Ridgewood is believed to be the work of Thomas Lamb, details of its construction can probably be found in his archives at the Columbia University Architectural Library in uptown Manhattan, which is open to the public if you obtain a pass through the New York Public Library.

The property was surveyed in 1915 and the real estate document lists 1915 as the build date. The build date on those real estate documents are often wrong. If they could put the Ridgewood theater up in one year then it is possible that it was built in 1915. There is a theater organ list that has the Ridgewood theater on it. A Moller organ was installed in 1917 at a cost of $5250.00 so maybe it did open later than 1915.

If a Moller organ was installed in 1917, it seems likely that the theatre opened in 1917. But then again, it could have been a replacement for another organ that proved unsatisfactory.

ridgewood theatre opened in 1917 as a vaudeville house

The Ridgewood theatre is a difficult theatre to establish an opening date for. It opened as a vaudeville house and remained so for many years. The official listing as a full time movie theatre is given as 1925. The reference to a Ridgewood 3 theatre being listed as closed may be answered this way, it refers to a 3 screen theatre as being closed just as the original one screen Ridgewood theatre is listed by some as closed. I have seen current listings for this theatre as the Ridgewood 5 theatre in reference to its current five screens. I do not agree with this sort of listing but that is the way many refer to it. The Ridgewood theatre and the Rko Madison theatre are also listed as Myrtle theatres using an old address system. No mention of Brooklyn is made only the term old address is used.

So thats why Cinematour lists the Ridgewood 3 theater as closed. Your saying that the Ridgewood theater is listed as being three seperate theater's? That is kind of strange. If you take the date of 1925 that you posted as the first listing of the Ridgewood as a full time movie theater and read the first post in this section about the Ridgewood being a combination of vaudeville and movies for the first decade that it was open, you could estimate that it opened around 1915.

The catalog for the Michael Miller Slide Collection of Theatre Historical Society of America lists the following images for sale of the Ridgewood Theatre:
Original exterior (B&W)
1930's exterior-street scene (B&W)
1970's exterior (color, as well as following)
stage view from center balcony
stage view from front center balcony
stage & organ screen from left balcony
main floor crossview to left organ screen
main floor crossview to right organ screen
balcony & sidewall from right main floor

Wow Warren, I would love to see photos of the interior of the Ridgewood. I wish they showed samples in whatever catalog you saw this in.

Unfortunately, they don't provide "free samples!"

I figured as much. I only vaguely remember the Ridgewood theater as a "chopped up" theater from all the times I went to it in the 80's (last time about 15 years ago), and remember it even less as "one" theater from the 70's!

If you buy these as 35mm slides, I don't think they're THAT expensive. It's only when you order prints and enlargements that the costs mount.

Actually, it's not all THAT bad. I googled the information you gave, and found the site where they sell them. Apparently they are $4.00 a piece for slides, which is not outrageous, but then they stick you with a $6.00 handling fee for all orders. I guess I'll have to wait to see the interior of the Ridgewood in it's prime a little while longer....

I just visited Monica's website tribute to the Ridgewood Theatre,
Its a very site which details her love and honor for this theatre.
The last time I visited this theatre was in the late 80's and even
in that time, I felt the conditions were deplorable and rancid.
But it still did business, even with its cramped, partitioned,
five closets.
I remember going to the Ridgewood in the 70's to see action flicks
when it was just one screen.
Its still here and God bless its longevity, I wish I can say the same for the Loews Gates and RKO Madison.
I forsee its future when Ridgewood gets gentrified after Bushwick,
It will be a moviehouse ala Angelika.

I agree with all your observations about the Ridgewood theater, although, you last sentence is a bit perplexing. Ridgewood has always been a viable, and decent working class neighborhood. it never fell like Bushwick did, so really doesn't "need" gentrification. While Myrtle Ave between where the Ridgewood theater is to where the Madison is did get a bit "seedy", and still is, the rest of Ridgewood is a good neighborhood. And it's even better than it was 10 years ago.

But anyway, I also agree, it's an absolute shame that the Madison Theater was lost. The Loew's Gates however, although not a movie theater anymore, does exist as a church. It's interior is intact, and the church maintains the building beautifully. Who knows, at least unlike it's neighbor the RKO Bushwick and it's further cousin the Madison are both standing, but completely gutted of it's interior. The RKO Bushwick has been beautifully restored on the exterior, and is now a school, although it's glorious interior is lost.

I meant to say above, "Who Knows, it may be possible to show movies in the Loews gates, unlike it's gutted relatives, the RKO Bushwick and the Madison.

Thanks Bway for your response,
You are correct about the perplexed part of Ridgewood needing
gentrification, I should have been more clearer.
Here's what I meant.
There are actually two Ridgewoods, the former are the neighborhoods
beginning after Irving or Wyckoff that stretches to Seneca or
Forest Avenue. these neighborhoods are more hispanic, bargain 99ct
stores and bodegas. This is where the Ridgewood and the now defunct
Madison are located.
After Forest Ave, up to Fresh Pond rd, Metropolitan Ave and where
Glendale begins is called Upper Ridgewood, code name for legacy
residents,quiet and safer. This is the part of Ridgewood I lived
in, in the early 90's.
Which by the way is also changing, the Italians and Germans are
moving out and the Romanians and Eastern Europeans are moving in.
I guess everything runs in cycles.

Ridgewood was built mostly with the labor of Eastern Europeans. It seems that it has come full circle. Perhaps it is a good sign of things to come. Maybe even the return of lost movie theatres in Ridgewood.

Ah yes, Lou, with that you are correct. Yes, the area directly around the Ridgewood, and especially around the Madison is sort of Seedy, and gets better as you cross Cypress Ave. But even there it never got as bad as Bushwick. The "nicer part" of Ridgewood is now mostly Polish, Puerto Rican, Romainian, and "former-countries-of-the-former Yogoslavia". It's actually nicer than about 10 years ago where it could have gone either way (the buildings were starting to show a lot of wear and tear - they never had abandoned buildings there, but they looked "worn".). Over the last 10 years the new wave of inhabitants has really been fixing up a lot of the homes.

Tom, I would love to see the Ridgewood renovated, as everyone seems to agree here is that we all have an affection to the Ridgewood theater, but we all agree it is in terrible need of a rehab. It's quite unfortunate that the madison was not converted to a church like the Loews Gates was. At least the Gates is intact, and could potentially become a theater again, unlike the Madison that became a gutted burnt-out hulk by the 80's.

Did anyone know that there was a movie studio located in Flatbush Brooklyn many, many years ago? It was called Vitagraph Studios. I found two websites that have stories and pictures of it. Can you add a movie studio to Cinema Treasures? Anyway, here are the links:
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/ADS/Vitagraph/vitagraph.html

http://www.urbanography.com/urban/0006/index.htm

lostmemory, I think there was, and I think it was adjacent to a mass transit line. I seem to recall it being mentioned in the excellent PBS documentary, "A Walk Through Brooklyn Part I" with Dick Hartman and Barry Lewis.

Check this link for the Vitagraph Studios. They have some then and now photos of Brooklyn where the movies were made.

http://www.subway.com.ru/vitagraph/

Nice pictures Lostmemory, the Vitagraph smokestack picture brought
back some memories, isn't that the NBC Brooklyn studios where
the Cosby show was filmed during the 80's ?.
From 84 -90 I lived on Ocean Ave off Ave. M, where I enjoyed
watching movies at the Kingsway.
It was and still a great neighborhood to live in.

Gentlemen, PeterK, Bway, lostmemory
May I pick your brains.
There is a former theatre in Glendale across the street
from StopnShop on Myrtle Ave, it now houses the church
Christ Tabernacle.
From the facade on the top, I think it read "Miller Theatre".
It looks like it was from the 20's.
Any history on it ?

Hi Lou...Maybe your thinking of the Belvedere theater which was located at 64-28 Myrtle ave. There was a Miller theater in Brooklyn on Sutter ave but I don't recall one in Glendale.

Lou, actually, the studios where "The Cosby Show" was filmed was the Kaufmann-Astoria Studios in Queens.
As for the Belvedere, as Lost Memory stated, is the one across from the supermarket. In that section on this site, i have posted some recent photos of the theater, complete with the sign you remembered.

Thanks Bway and Lostmemeory for the Belvedere, when I mentioned
the Miller theatre, I remember an abandoned building on Saratoga
Ave along the B7 busline.
I may have been mistaken with the Cosby title, the one you mentioned
Bway is the show CBS televised in the 90's.
The along Ave. M is the NBC show that garnered strong ratings in
the 80's. I remember seeing Cosby signing autographs on M and 14st.
By the way the church did a superb job on the renovations of the
former Belvedere.

In 1939-1941 the City of New York photographed every building in the five Boroughs for tax purposes. Those photo's are now being sold to the public. If your favorite theater was around during that period, you might be able to get a picture of it. IMHO the prices are a little steep, but that choice is up to you. The City charges $30 for an 8"x10" print or $45 for an 11"x14" print. You can go to the Municipal Archives or you can order online. This is the website for more info:
http://nyc.gov/html/records/html/taxphotos/home.shtml

I've purchased several of these, but it's not as easy as it might seem. You need to know the official block and lot number of the property, which requires research if you don't have them. Also, you really need to view the microfilm before ordering a print because some of the pictures don't really do justice to the theatres and are taken from angles that don't reveal too much.

The City charges five dollars extra for the block and lot number if you don't know it. You can find that info yourself for free. Go to this website and enter the Borough, building number and street. You will get a Parcel (BBL) block and lot number. Disregard the first digit. The next four digits are the block number and the digits after that are the lot number(s). Using the Ridgewood theater as an example, the parcel number is 4-3451-7. Disregard the 4 and the block number is 3451 and the lot number is 7.
http://webapps.nyc.gov:8084/CICS/fin1/find001I

Thanks gentlemen, I knew I find a windfall of
knowledge among you.

The theatre is currently owned by Myrtle Avenue Realty and has a market value of $1.276 million, according to NYC records.

Does anyone want to chip in and buy it?

As soon as I make my first two million in the stock market, by "pyramding" investments.

And as soon as I win Lotto, we can buy the Ridgewood theater and clean it up. Two years ago this property was worth $1.130 million so we better not wait too long.

LOVED Monica's report. One of the best submissions I've seen here on CinemaTreasures.

Has anyone heard of a theater called "News Reel Theater" that was located in Manhattan. I found a website with a small picture of the marquee from 1928. What kind of a theater was this?
Its the fifth photo from the top:
http://www.thefilmvault.com/movie_theaters/sound_era-3.html

There were a number of small theatres showing newsreels exclusively (along with assorted short subjects)in Manhattan. The photo is too small for me to identify. It might be the Guild, on the east side of Broadway in the same block as the Palace. I don't remember any that was specifically named "Newsreel Theatre." They all had the word "Newsreel" included in their marquees.

Thanks Warren! The second line on the marquee appears to read "Hearst Metrotone" something. I can't read the third word. I think that I'll pass on this one.

The "Hearst Metrotone" newsreel was produced by the Hearst newspaper chain and distributed by MGM, and later known as "News of the Day."
I suspect now that the theatre shown is the Embassy, which was operated by MGM in those days, but separately from the Loew's circuit.

Well the Embassy is already listed on Cinema Treasures so that solves that problem. Thanks again.

Anyone from Greene avenue between Cypress and St Nicholas avenues?

Does the Ridgewood Theater still have some of it's original walls showing? What I mean is, for example, the orchestra level is cut in half - does the outside wall still have the original ornamentation, and the new wall just plain painted sheetrock?
What about the ceiling in the balcony theaters? Are any of the old railings on the stairways still there?

Astyanaax.....Are you an arsonist looking for work? Maybe the Ridgewood theater isn't the best run theater in NY, but at least it is still open. As long as it is open, there is always hope that things will improve there. If it closes down or you "torch it", the people that live in the area will have no movie theater at all.

Does the Ridgewood Theater still have some of it's original walls showing? What I mean is, for example, the orchestra level is cut in half - does the outside wall still have the original ornamentation, and the new wall just plain painted sheetrock?
What about the ceiling in the balcony theaters? Are any of the old railings on the stairways still there?
posted by Bklyn Cinemas on Nov 15, 2004 at 1:43pm


The two outer walls of the orchestra have the original walls showing. The wall that divides the house is blue sheetrock with white soundboard (remember how popular that look was in the plexes of the 70's and 80's). The underside of the balcony shows the original fixtures. Upstairs all of the old ceiling still shows.

Thank you Robert. That's just how I remember it the last time I was in it so long ago. I was wondering if they changed it at all.

I'm sure that your not an arsonist. Even a job like that requires some sort of intelligence, which you seem to lack. Before you post in here again, make sure that you take your medication so you won't be so cranky with people. Either that, or ask your parents to add this website to the list of blocked sites in your Net Nanny program.

Obviously, this person is only posting here to try and get a rise out of people. This is consistent with the messages he has posted in other theaters too.
Hey Ast, maybe they can burn the Ridgewood down and put Sears in there in it's place. I figured I'd post it before you do.

Thank you very much Robert for answering my question.

As for B'way, I agree, Astyanaax is posting just to stir the pot. Obviously you saw the ridiculous post he made about Sears and Radio City Music Hall in the Loews Kings section: http://cinematreasures.org/theater/1360/
It's quite obvious that was just to try and get people to respond.

Astyanaax is a kid who somehow happened across the site and is posting comments purely to get kicks out of baiting real theater fans with his inflamatory remarks. Obviously he couldn't care less for theaters by his various posts on the site. He's posted here before, I belive, under various other names. Eventually he'll do something that violates the terms for using the comments field and be banned. It's best to totally ignore his comments at this point.

Please don't feed the troll !

Has anyone ever discovered the seating capacity for the Ridgewood Theatre? I cannot find any seat count in any publications for this theatre. Perhaps someone in Ridgewood could ask the management the next time they attend this theatre.

Approximately 1,900 seats prior to sub-divisions.

I also show a 1930 listing of 1,950 seats which more or less agrees with your post. Either number should be shown on the seating above.

Do not get Astyanaax confused with Astyanax. They are two different people and this imposter wants us to think that he is the original ASTYANAX (spelled with 3 a's, not 4).

Why are you behaving that way child?

If you left more pleasant postings, people might even begin to like you!

Lordy child do not behave this way or you may pay
Divinity

According to an article in the April 11, 1931 issue of Motion Picture Herald, the Ridgewood had just been "considerably modernized" by the construction department of Fox Theatres Corporation. A major structural change consisted in the filling in of the "well" between the auditorium and the mezzanine floor, making the mezzainine promenade a spacious corridor. The projection booth was greatly enlarged to provide more room for new projectors, spots and effects machines (for house and stage lighting). Boxes that adjoined both sides of the stage were removed and replaced by decorative arches. Other changes included new stage curtains, redecoration of the lobby, new seats for all auditorium chairs, new carpeting, draperies and lighting fixtures, and the theatre's first air-conditioning system. A similar renovation was done at the same time to the Fox Audubon on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

I guess that must have been when it was determined that the Ridgewood would become strictly a cinema house, as opposed to a legit theatre.

"Other changes included new stage curtains, redecoration of the lobby, new seats for all auditorium chairs, new carpeting, draperies and lighting fixtures..."

And the Ridgewood hasn't seen a renovation since, and is still operating with these same improvements and renovations from 1931 to this day.....

Hehe, just kidding, although, when I was last in the theater in the early 90's it sure appeared nothing was done (aside from multiplexing it) to the theater since the 1930's!! It's all good, the Ridgewood will always be a special place to me, even if a diamond in the rough....
Thanks Warren for the information.

Thats an interesting article. I wonder why Fox would spend so much money on the Ridgewood when he had financial problems of his own around the same time as the renovation took place. Was the Ridgewood in such bad shape that Fox had no choice but to improve it? Thanks for posting that article Warren, I hope you find more like that.

I think that the changes were mainly due to the arrival of "talkies." The Ridgewood may have fallen behind the rest of the area due to Fox's financial problems. The removal of the box seats probably helped to improve the acoustics...The article in Motion Picture Herald includes a large B&W photo of the renovated stage and surrounding area, but unfortunately, the microfilm was so dark that I couldn't see much detail or make a legible copy.

Suprisingly the Ridgewood was still in top notch condition when UA sold it to the Diaz brothers around 1978. The curtains still worked and were used before and after each film.

Who in Yosemite Sam are the Diaz Brothers ??, I am surprised by
now it hasn't been renamed " TEATRO RIDGEWOOD", showcasing
shlock Spanish films or Ricky Martin.
Magic Johnson !! where are you when we need you.

Ridgewood may have a lot of Hispanics, but it also has a lot of Polish people, and other Eastern Europeans (such as the former Yugoslavia and Romania).

Robert, I remember the Ridgewood from when I was a kid, and the curtains were drawn. Someone else mentioned this in some thread, but I also remember a "thin" set of curtains and a thick set of curtains. The thin set would open and close before and after the previews too.
While I hate the fact that the Ridgewood was multiplexed, just as much as anyone, the fact that it was multiplexed starting around 1980 actually saved the theater. If they didn't do that, no matter how "top notch" condition it was in before it was cut up, the Ridgewood would have become another Madison Theater, being a store instead of a theater. The Madison was still in "top notch" condition im 1978 also.....and look what happened to that one.

there is a ghost in this thetare from the time a cleaning lady was murdered in the ridgewood theatre and the story is that this theatre could never close until they catch the murderer

Ridgewood es un lugar agradable a crecer para arriba y a vivir. Esto está para todos mis amigos del latino no arruina la vecindad o usted no tiene una vecindad a vivir en no más.

I'm sure that the opening of the Madison theater played a major role in the upgrading of the Ridgewood theater. Had the Ridgewood theater not been "modernized", it might be closed today and the Madison would be the last open theater in Ridgewood. I had good times at both theaters but if only one theater could survive I would have preferred it to be the Madison theater.

The Madison opened in 1927, so I don't think that had much influence on the Ridgewood's modernization in 1931 except that the latter had to keep up with its competition. In those days, the Ridgewood probably didn't do as well as the Madison, which was first-run for the area. The programs at the Ridgewood had previously played at Loew's Gates, which many people from Ridgewood attended because it was a larger and "classier" theatre.

IMHO the RKO Madison must have taken many customers away from the Ridgewood Theatre which in turn would force the Ridgewood Theatre to 'upgrade' just to compete. The RKO Madison was as close to a 'Movie Palace' as the people of Ridgewood would ever see. Sometimes the 'better' theatre loses.

Do anyone remember the Ridgewood having a theatre organ? I dont seem to remember hearing it play. The Madison did have a theatre organ which was used during the 1950s during intermission. I enjoyed it very much.

I think I already posted this somewhere, the Ridgewood theater had a Moller organ installed in 1917 at a cost of $5,250. Now that you mention it, I don't remember an organ being played at the Ridgewood in the 50's or 60's.

It might have been removed during the 1931 modernization, along with the box seats, which may have been adjacent to the organ grills. But I'm only guessing.

The theatre organ being removed in 1931 is very plausible since many theatres removed them after 'talkies' came out.

I found a listing for another Ridgewood theater. It was called the Ritz theater and it was located on Myrtle ave. The problem I have with this theater is, it is listed with the old address. The address given is 2085 Myrtle Avenue. This theater was in operation in 1925. I don't know when it opened or when it closed.
Using the old addresses for the Madison (1562 Myrtle Avenue) and the Belverdere (2576 Myrtle Avenue) theaters as a guide, the Ritz would have been located about two blocks from the Glenwood theater near Norman st.
In one of these message areas someone mentioned that they thought the Blockbuster video store on Myrtle ave might have been an old movie theater. The Blockbuster video is located at 60-15 Myrtle ave which is near Norman st.
Could someone with a FDYB look up the Ritz theater and see if there is any info on it. A modern address would be a big help along with any other info listed for it.

There has been a discussion of this here at the listing for the Ritz Theatre on Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn.

I believe we touched on this theater once before. I don't know if it was in the Ridgewood's, the Ridgewood Folly section, or the Madison section or wherever, but someone here mentioned that they remembered a theater-like building on Myrtle Ave near Norman Street. I also remember this building. The building was a furniture store, and had a huge marquee on the front. It was across from the A&P (now Food Dynasty). In the early 1980's, "Roman Furniture" redid the entire fascade of the building, and removed the marquee (I remember them doing this). Eventually, they went out of business, and Blockbuster Video moved in.
Lostmemory and I did some emailing about this, and he said the address given is the old type address of 2085 Myrtle Avenue. Of course, that's in the old system, not the new Queens system. We determined that the Madison was 1562 Myrtle Avenue and the old address for the Belvedere was 2576 Myrtle Avenue. That would put this Ritz theater about half way between the Madison and Belvedere theaters. Being an odd number it would be on the same side of Myrtle as the Ridgewood theater.
This would lead us right to about the site of the Blockbuster Video building. Unfortunately, I don't remember what the building looked like before the early 1980's fascade resurfacing. I believe this is the location of the Ritz Theater. The Blockbuster Video's current address is 60-15 Myrtle Avenue.

I always thought that was a theatre at one time.

After doing some research on the Blockbuster video building and the surrounding buildings, I believe that at one time a movie theater was located at 60-15 Myrtle ave. I need to know if the Ritz theater was still open in the 1930's and did the Ritz change names at any point in time.

I"m still researching the Blockbuster building, but I did solve the mystery of the Ritz theater on Fulton St. There was a Ritz theater located there. It was not 2085 Fulton which I already said was a "dead" address. The Ritz was located at 2083 Fulton St and is already listed on this website as the Paragon theater which is here:
http://www.cinematreasures.org/theater/9310/

The blockbuster building most definately looked like a theatre building. I asked my mother who grew up in the neighborhood. She never remembers a theatre there but she is 68. She has a friend in her early 80's who still lives in the area I will ask her. That means this theatre and the Glenwood were very close to each other almost right across the street diagonally.

I also show a Ritz Theatre located at 2085 Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood. Perhaps there was a Ritz Theatre located in this Block Buster building and one located on Fulton Street. Ritz was a very common name. You may also want to investigate a Washington Theatre which was located on Myrtle Avenue. The Washington Theatre closed around 1935 or 36. Sorry but I don't have the address handy.

There was a 500-seat Washington Theatre at 474 Myrtle Avenue, and a 484-seat Washington Theatre at 344 5th Avenue, both in Brooklyn, according to the 1931 Film Daily Year Book. By that time, the Myrtle Avenue Washington had not yet been equipped for sound, suggesting that it was due for closure unless the Depression lifted.

I don't believe that either of those Washington theaters are on this website. Maybe you should add them Warren.

Three people have now found a listing for a Ritz theater at 2085 Myrtle ave. Can we all be wrong? Anyway, the street that Blockbuster is located on is very similar to the street that the Ridgewood theater is located on. The Blockbuster building runs parallel to Myrtle ave and is the only large building located there. The other stores fill in the space between that building and Myrtle ave. The other buildings vary from 40 to 55 feet deep. Just like the Ridgewood theater except the Blockbuster building is smaller. That is typical of movie theater construction in that area.
This theater would have been located about two blocks from the Glenwood theater.

The Ritz Theatre on Fulton Street shows seating of 594 while the Ritz Theatre on Myrtle Avenue shows seating of 600. These are not the same theatres.

Great memories.I went to St.Martin of Tous grammar school.We went to shows on saturday afternoons.Beautiful theatre.Saw the scariest moviie of my life Circus of horrors.Wow!ConnieStevens showed up once too!This was 1960 circa.I thought it became a bingo hall or church?

Hi Everyone, my name is Katherine Angwin and I grew up on Woodbine St between Cypress and St Nicholas Ave. I went to St Brigid's also and Grover Cleveland. I used to hang out on Madison St behind the Ridgewood theatre on the fire escape steps. I also used to hang out behind the Madison movie theatre. I worked at Madison Drugs for many years and it is a few doors down from where Joe's Army Navy store was and next door to where Pernice Cleaners and Myrtle Card shop was. April I remember lived upstairs and she was a friend of my childhood neighbor Betty Jo Kender. Lydia and Lenny Dullinger lived upstairs from the drug store and Robin Hoffman used to live upstairs from the women clothing store that was next to Pernice cleaners and Royal Pizzeria...I think it was called Cinderella and it sold womens undergarment and house dresses. I remember the blizzard that caused the marquis to fall down...we just don't get blizzards like we used to. When someone questioned about the Madison being a furniture store they may be thinking about Selingers furniture store that was next to the theatre but burnt down from a fire in the chinese restaurant that was above it...I am not sure if it was Lee Fong's who relocated a few doors down from the madison theatre towards wyckoff ave....selingers moved to madison st and myrtle ave then. When I was in high school I worked at the McDonalds when it firt opened up on Myrtle near Wyckoff and then at Key Foods on Woodbine and St Nicholas. It was great reading all of these stories...brought back lots of memories.

Thanks
Kathy

5527 Myrtle Avenue, Ridgewood, New York 11385
OVERVIEW
Block & Lot #: 03451 - 0007
Building Class: Multiplex Picture Theatre (J8)
School District: 24 map/schools
City Council District: 30
Police Precinct: 104 (Crime Statistics)
Political Contributions: search
BUILDING CHARACTERISTICS
Zoning C4-3A
Building Size (F x D): 40.00ft x 65.00ft
Lot Size (F x D): 40.00ft x 100.00ft
Building Height:
Total Gross Area of Building:
Year Built: 1915
Historic District?: No
Corner Lot?: No
Has Garage?: No
Number of Floors: 3
# Units: 0
FAR as built: 1.16
Allowable FAR: 3.00

TAX INFORMATION
Estimate 2005/2006 Taxes (est.): $70,890
Tax Billing Address:
55-27 Myrtle Ave Rlty
Queens Circuit Mgmt. Cor
8211 37th Ave Ste 605
Jackson Hts Ny 11372

Tax Class: 4
Tax Rate: 11.58%
Total Assessed Value: x $612,180

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual Property Tax (est.): = $70,890
Quarterly Property Tax (est.): = $17,722
Monthly Property Tax (est.): = $5,908


MARKET VALUE1 HISTORY
Jun 01, 2005 $1,990,000
May 01, 2004 $1,276,000
Apr 01, 2003 $1,276,000
Mar 01, 2002 $1,130,000
Feb 01, 2001 $1,130,000
Jan 01, 2000 $1,130,000
1 Market value obtain from the NYC Department of Finance

Building Size (F x D): 40.00ft x 65.00ft

Those measurements are the width of the entrance on Myrtle ave x the depth from Myrtle ave to the actual theater building which is located 65 ft in from Myrtle ave.

Wow, we should have bought the place in 2000, before it almost doubled in value by just under a million!
As for the 40 by 65 feet, lost memory is correct, the actally theater building is 65 feet back. The lobby is the 40 X 65 dimentions given.

The rather steep increase in the value of the Ridgewood theatre should be good news to people in Ridgewood itself. The area appears to be recovering. Higher values should stimulate the economy in the area.

Does anyone know the address of the website for finding current market value of properties in New York City? I seem to have lost or misplaced it.

The link that we were using to find property values was:
http://nycserv.nyc.gov/nycproperty/nynav/jsp/selectbbl.jsp

I just tried the link and it appears that there is a problem with the website.

When you click the above link, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the GO button that reads "Return to Your Property Information Service".

Thanks! There currently seems to be a problem if you don't know the lot number. The system for conversion into address may be under maintenance.

This link with take you directly to the "Property Address Search" page. It seems to be working now.
http://webapps.nyc.gov:8084/CICS/fin1/find001I

On Monday morning, it seems to be working again. Yesterday, I happened on a notice that the site is usually closed on Sunday mornings for maintenance, so that might have been the problem. The maintenance may have extended beyond the morning hours.

Hello Everyone:

I am a former Ridgewoodite who attended movies during the Sixties and early Seventies at just about every theater in Queens and Brooklyn named above. I too am a graduate of St. Brigid's, class of '66, and I'm just tickled to read all of the posts regarding these wonderful times spent around the neighborhood and, in particular, the movie theaters.
While I grew up in the Brooklyn side of Ridgewood on Hart Street below Cypress Avenue, (which I believe, at the time, was the boarderline between Brooklyn and Queens), I would have to wait for the bus on the corner of DeKalb and Wyckoff, by the Bon Ton Diner and the entrance to the LL Canarsie Line, to get to St. Brigid's. If I was early enough to walk to school, I'd have to walk beneath the marquee of the Wagner Theater. That theater was the very last theater in the old neighborhood that I ever got to see the inside of when sometime in 1970-71 they ran I AM CURIOUS (YELLOW) with my buddies from Hart Street. It was like a shoe-box, very different than the Madison, Ridgewood or even the Parthenon and more like the Starr on Knickerbocker Avenue in that it didn't have a balcony.
I was a movie-geek even in my St. Brigid days. While very active in the Boy Scouts, when we weren't going on a trip to Alpine park, I'd get up early in the morning and walk up Starr Street to the pretzel factory where I'd exchange my .50 cents allowance for a basket of fresh, hot pretzels and then, sitting on a box in front of my friend Jimmy's father's vegetable store on Knickerbocker Avenue, sell them all in a matter of hours, transforming the original .50 cents into five dollars, enough money in those days to go to the movies in the afternoon, go home and eat dinner with the family, rush off to St. Brigid's for Confession, and then go bowling at, well if you're from the area then you'll guess it, Hart Lanes.
Someone above mentioned a Paula Rapollo and I knew her when she was a little kid, having lived right next door to her on Hart Street. I was friends with her older brother Robbie, who was a year behind me at St. Brigids. They had a little sister too, by the name of Linda.

While I really loved the RKO MADISON, they used to show 15 COLOR CARTOONS early on Saturday mornings, The RIDGEWOOD theater seemed to be the bigger theater and the atmosphere was way more relaxed. While you had to sit on the left side at the Ridgewood, it was always easier to sneak off to the center seating section and watch the movie head-on, and if you crouched real low in your seat, you could probably get away with it for the whole afternoon. At the Parthenon, I remember, you could get a bag of popcorn for .15 cents, .10 cents cheaper than either the Madison or the Ridgewood.

Hope to share more memories with all my neighbors soon.
Eugene.

It may have appeared that the Ridgewood Theatre was the larger theatre, in reality the RKO Madison Theatre had apprximately 800 more seats than the Ridgewood. Both theatres served the area well. It is a shame that the RKO Madison was lost.

I remember the white marble staircase at the far end of the lobby that led to the mezzanine and balcony and how high the ceiling was at the RKO, which is what we called it, or else, the Madison. I can't get over how they cut the RIDGEWOOD up into six theaters. Maybe that's why today I think of the Ridgewood as having been bigger. When I last visited the MADISON around 1972-73, I hadn't been inside for a very long time and it did indeed seem smaller than I had remembered it from when I was a mere lad.

Hello Eugene Iemola :

Peter Koch, St. Brigid School, Class of 1969 back again. I think I was the first to mention Paula Rapollo (my classmate) on this Ridgewood Theater page.

As you were Class of 1966, perhaps you remember the Scarangella girls, Nancy and Jeannie, who were a few years older than me, and lived on my block, Cornelia Street between Cypress and Wyckoff Avenues.

Regarding your Madison Theater visit, 1972-73, I too have noticed how places seem much smaller to one as an adult than one remembers them being as a child. Two examples of this for me would be the column at the entrance to the restaurant on the main floor of the NYC's Metropolitan Museum Of Art, and the Pteranodon mural in NYC's American Museum Of Natural History, which is no longer there.

The ceiling of the main lobby of that museum still seems immensely high to me, especially with that towering barasaurus skeleton there to help emphasize it.

The Ridgewood is now, to my knowledge, a five-plex. My last visit there was Saturday, Sept. 12 1992 to see "Hellraiser 3 : Hell On Earth" while visiting my parents in Ridgewood.

The last film I saw at the RKO Madison was the trashy "Lipstick" in June 1976. The last films I noticed playing there were "The Exorcist" and "The Yakuza" in August 1976.

One of the first films I saw at the Ridgewood was "Morgan The Pirate" in summer 1961. I remember the black pirate flag and plastic pieces of eight I got in the lobby. One of the first films I saw at the RKO Madison was "Reptilicus" in spring 1961, followed by "Premature Burial" and "Journey To The Seventh Planet" in summer 1962. I remember what beautiful theaters both the Ridgewood and the Madison were.

The RKO Madison Theater is now a Liberty Dept. Store.

Peter Koch

Thanks Peter, as usual for you memories.

Just to add...
Yes, the Ridgewood is definitely a 5-plex, not a 6-plex.
As for the grand marble staircase in the Madison Theater's lobby, it is completely unrecognizable today, although it does exist in it's exact location, within the now Liberty Dept Store (which is now basically one big room. There is not one artifact existing within the old Madison Theatre to even say that it was a theater at one time, except for the curvature of the huge balcony right through the middle of the store, which divides the store to two ceiling heights a lower one for the area that was once under the balcony, and part of the lobby area, and then the ceiling past the balcony curvature in the main auditorium, that has a false drop ceiling installed, which is about two feet higher than the level of the ceiling under the balcony area.
The only other visable artifact remaining is the grand marble staircase. The catch is though that the staircase looks nothing like it did in it's Madison days. It has been completely stripped of it's white marble and it's ornate railing. It now has black rubber linoleum on it, and a modern horizontal bar railing. There is a chain across it. I often wonderd what lies behind the chain and the curve of the stairway, and up in the old balkcony area. I wonder if anything is visible up there yet. Could the original walls remain? Could the Madison's balcony area also over look the area above the false ceiling of the auditorium area, and actually have the ceiling of the Madison Theater visable yet (what's left of it anyway, what with decades of neglect and fire)?

You're welcome, Bway. Thanks for the additional details of the inside of what was once the RKO Madison Theater. It would be interesting to ascend the remains of the grand marble staircase past the chain, the curve of the stairway, and up into the old balcony area to see what remains. I suppose one would need special permission from the owners of the store, probably not easily obtained.

Meanwhile, on the west-facing wall, outside, the old block letters "RKO Madison Theater" grow ever fainter, while the new graffiti grows ever bolder and more garish.

My most recent souvenir of what was once the RKO Madison Theater is four plain white t-shirts I bought in the Liberty Dept. Store there on Wednesday, July 24, 2002.

I visited the Liberty Dept Store back in July (I think) of last year. I couldn't even tell you what merchandise they had in the store, because I spent the 20 minutes I was in there just looking up at the walls and ceiling, trying to find (unsucessfully) anything that remained. There were two open doors, one in the area to the left of what was the stage (which is not recognizable as such, I just assumed that's where the stage was) that looked into an office area, that had plain sheetrock walls. The other area was to the right of the stage into what appears to be a long narrow storage area, and that too had sheetrock walls, and drop ceiling, although it also had doors to what appeared to be the former theater emergency exits (probably out to Wyckoff Ave).
I left the store without buying anything, and a bit sad.

Understandably so. I would have been too. While you were in there, did anyone give you odd looks, or ask you what you were looking for, or what you were doing in there ? Are you known there from business you've done on your building-related job ?

Nah. They don't know me, I don't think they noticed I was not looking at their merchandise. I sort of walked around pretending like I was a shopper, as opposed to a curiosity seeker.

I have been trying to remember which theatre showed James Bond movies. Was it the Ridgewood or was it the RKO Madison theatre. I thought it was the Ridgewood but I am not sure can anyone remember for me.

OttoBurger, it could have been both. I remember seeing "You Only Live Twice" at the Ridgewood in September 1967, and "A View To A Kill" at the Ridgewood Multiplex in May 1985. The only way to be sure is to check movie listings in newspaper archives. The New York Times might be the easiest to check.

Peter, I also saw "A View to a Kill" in the Ridgewood! In 1985, I still used the Ridgewood regularly, shortly after though, I abandoned it for the Forest Hills theaters, only to return once for one of the Friday the 13th Movies (Whatever one was the one where he is at the bottom of Crystal Lake, and revives at the beginning of the movie, I think Part 6), and the last movie I saw there being "Problem Child" whenever that was out in the early 90's.

I think most of the Bond movies were at the Ridgewood. Since we are on this topic, where did the other "spy" movies like Our Man Flint and the Matt Helm movies play?

Bway, the last film I saw at the Ridgewood was "Hellraiser 3 : Hell On Earth", a matinee on Saturday, September 12, 1992. I wanted to see "Godzilla" there in May 1998 but the schedule wasn't right, so I saw it at the Plaza in Corona instead.

I've lost track of how many Friday the 13th movies there have been. I remember seeing the first at the Ridgewood on Tuesday June 17, 1980 in the balcony, with the main attraction the boxing match on closed circuit TV on the orchestra level. Seeing that beautiful, ornate elliptical balcony lobby brought back many memories.

The movie itself : when the girl cuts off Jason's mom's head, someone threw a half-empty bucket of popcorn up in the air as a joke, as if it were the head !

Seeing "The Howling" at the Ridgewood on the orchestra level on Friday March 13th 1981 with a full moon outside was scary.

I started switching from the Ridgewood to Forest Hills for movies in 1984, but would still go to the Ridgewood if time was tight, or if I didn't feel like walking to Forest Hills.

It will be interesting if and when we meet face to face, perhaps to tour and photograph Bushwick, and perhaps remember having passed and seen each other in Ridgewood !

I checked IMDb and the Friday the 13th I saw at the Ridgewood was "Jason Lives Part IV". That was the last regular movie I saw at the Ridgewood, and that is listed as coming out in 1986. That was the last time I used the Ridgewood as my "regular" theater. As a teenager, it was more fun to go on the subway, and take that to Forest Hills. That was part of the fun of going to the movie (even though my mother thought we were safely walking to the Ridgewood Theater the first times we did that as teenagers.
After that, a few years later I returned for "Problem Child" with John Ritter, and that was in 1990, so that's the last time I set foot in the Ridgewood.
Friday the 13th was in the balcony theater on the right, and we sat all the way on the right in that theater. I remember clearly where we sat. We sat in the first row in back of the stairway that you enter that theater in. I remember very clearly the fancy ballastraudes of the original railing right in front of us. (That we actually used as a footrest). The whole theater was painted a dark brown (as well as the ballastraudes). The ceiling, walls, floor, everything. You could still see the right hand curve of the ornamental plaster in the ceiling that abrubtly ended where the wall dividing the center theater from the right theater was.
Problem Child, I saw in the center balcony theater. I remember looking up and seeing the center of that plaster circle, with it's left and right sides abrubtly cut off with the walls on either side.
I believe I saw Beverly Hills Cop in the left had balcony theater. That is where I had one of my fondest memories in the Ridgewood, where it was bright outside, and the person I was with and I tripped up the aisle "steps" in what we though was a dark theater, and trying to find seats and "sitting on people", and to our horror a about 15 minutes later looking in what seemed to be a "well lit" aisle, and the fools we must have looked like to the people that witnessed our spectacle.
I seemed to always get one of the balcony theaters when I went. I only remember being in the orchestra level theater once since it was cut up, and that was for a double feature the Ridgewood offered with "The Fly" and "Aliens". That was in the left orchestra theater. I remember sitting right next to the wall dividing the orchestra level in two.
I don't think I ever sat in the right orchestra side of the Ridgewood since it was one theater.

And yes, who knows, we may have passed each other many times and may not even know it.

Our Man Flint was shown at the Ridgewood in 1966 followed by In Like Flint in 1967. The Matt Helm movie called the Silencers was also shown at the Ridgewood in 1966. These movies were spoofs of the James Bond series of movies.

To answer a much earlier question the Ridgewood was always located in Queens. In a recent movie listing the Ridgewood appears as the Queen City Ridgewood theater. Advertisements often list theatres incorrectly. Although the Rko Madison was more lavish I truly enjoyed my movie experiences at the Ridgewood.

Thanks for the info on those movies Lenny. I assume that most of those spy movies played at the Ridgewood then. I wonder what the Madison was showing while these movies were at the Ridgewood.

My name is Dan. I grew up on 61st St. man, do I remember those Theatres. I went to St. Matthias, but moved to the island before High School. I live in San Diego and frequently travel. Every time I go to the East coast I try and stroll Myrtle Ave from Cooper to Wyckoff sampling food all along the way. I then get on the M to metropolitan and back to fresh Pond where my car is parked.
I don't know anyone left there but my aunt on 79th. Of course I see her as well. (When I tell her I'm in town)
The main thing I remember was sneaking in before the security guy got to us. We would open the E doors and a burp of kids would rush in and scatter. He didn't stand a chance of catching but maybe one or two of us and then spend the rest of the movie asking kids for their tickets.
My favorite restaurants are Joes on Forest. I bring my Airline Suppliers and customers there for some great NY hole in the wall Italian food. They love it!!
Thanks for the memories,
best regards,
Dan

I wonder if the Ridgewood lost patronage over the years because of being advertised and publicized as being in Brooklyn? Some people living in Queens might have gone there if they'd known it was in the same borough...The NY Post "Movie Clock" for 5/15/86 lists it in Brooklyn, with a double-feature in one of its five screens: "Cut and Run" plus "Getting Even." The other four screens had single features: "Short Circuit," "Dangerously Close," "Jo Jo Dancer," and "In The Shadow of Kilimanjaro."

I think what hurt the Ridgewood most, was Danny G and his friends sneaking in the Ridgewood without paying. (just kidding)
I noticed that some website movie listings are now showing the Ridgewood as being in Queens or Flushing. Here is an example:
http://www.digitalcity.com/newyork/movies/venue.adp?sbid=107235893

Hehe. To confuse things further, the Queens postal zones are divided up into large districts, so Ridgewood, Queen's 11385 zip code is served out of the Flushing District (as are all the zips beginning with "113"). Jamaica is another large district, and there are others. It's just the way mail is broken up in Queens, by the larger districts rather than by individual zip codes. This is done throughout Queens, noo matter where......although it's just a little more to add confusion into the whole thing.
The one thing that is absolutely, undoubtedly accurate is that the Ridgewood Theater sits physically in Queens, and always did. The "Flushing" postal zip code thing is just an added confusion to make the confusion even more confusing!

How does one contact the "digital city" website to make a correction? Among other errors, they list a Loews theatre at 57-02 Hoffman Drive in Queens. This is the ex-Loews Elmwood, which closed several years ago and is now converted into The Rock Church...

Warren.....Try this link to leave feedback for digital city:
http://www.digitalcity.com/newyork/aboutus/feedback.adp

Thanks! I sent them a correction. They also have the Commodore in Brooklyn listed, but with instructions to phone the theatre for the current attractions. Has the Commodore re-opened, or is this just another error?

Last I heard, they were pulling seats out of the Commodore (so that doesn't sound good), but who knows, there may be the highly unlikely event that they were renovating and "replacing" those seats....doubtful, but miracles do happen.

Hello to all -
To quote "Newmen" the postman on the old Seinfeld program....
"Zip codes are meaningless

Here is a movie listing that shows the Ridgewood as "Queen City Ridgewood Theatre". Where is Queen City, in England?
http://us.imdb.com/showtimes/location/11385/cinema/3538

Yahoo showtimes list the Ridgewood theater as being in Ridgewood. No Brooklyn or Queens mentioned. I guess that their playing it safe.
http://movies.yahoo.com/showtimes/theater?id=3126&date=20050307

"Queen City" is the name of the company that owns and/or operates the Ridgewood Theatre. I believe that Queen City is also involved with the Jackson Triplex in Jackson Heights. Both of these theatres were for many years part of the Skouras-Randforce-UA group.

Grew up thru the 50's in Glendale (St. Felix at Cooper and 61st St.). How many hours we spent at the Ridgewood and Madison (Myrtle Ave.), the Glenwood (Myrtle w. of Fresh Pond Rd.) and the Oasis (Fresh Pond Rd.)!!!! Every Sat. a.m. the Ridgewood and Madison would compete for double feature sci-fi or monster flicks with promotionals and extras. 1962 - my first 'date' at the Ridgewood ended in disaster trying to 'cop' my first 'feel'. Devastating then, a hoot now! How many times we got thrown out of the Madison (parents didn't like us going to the Madison....always 'trouble' there) by the lady usher in white dress/shoes with the heavy flashlight. Glad you guys are there.....lots of memories and thanks, Monica, for keeping the spirit of 'neighborhood' alive even in this year 2005!

Billster

With Regal building the 15 screen Atlas in Glendale, what does this mean for the future of the Ridgewood?

As I said in another post under a different theater, the new Altlas Multiplex may spell the end of the Ridgewood Theatre. It's long continuous run may finally come to an end. The Ridgewood is the sole surving theatre in that area of Queens and Brooklyn, there isn't another theater for miles. (I believe the Forest Hills theaters are the closest), and those are certainly not "around the corner". However, with a modern multiplex "almost" in walking distance from Ridgewood, the Ridgewood Theatre will fel the pull. The mangagement may be forced to either renovate the theater or "turn off the lights" without beginning a reel of film. Either way the status quo won't do it. The Ridgewood Theatre has come upon a critical fork in the road that will decide it's future, or non-future, and this fork will probably be as important as it's life-saving decision to be cut up into a multiplex was in the early 1980's.

The only other option that may also work if they don't decide to renovate the theater to compete, may be to do as the Jackson Heights Triplex did, and cater to the either the growing Polish or Hispanic population in Ridgewood. Again, the status quo won't work once the Atlas Multiplex opens in nearby Glendale. It's either renovate and keep the nearby residents of Ridgewood, Maspeth, Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Greenpoint, East New York, Glendale, etc residents from going a littler further to Glendale and the brand new Altlas multiplex, keep going with the semi-rundown and definitely dated auditoriums they have now, but cater to some ethnic population and find a niche, or turn off the lights and the projection rooms forever.

The niche marketing concept is certainly intriguing. Driving through Greenpoint on a Sunday afternoon, you see some of the Polish residents lined-up in front of a storefront showing films from their homeland. Whether this is enought to regularly fill a theatre is the question. The Ridgewood definitely fills a neighborhood need. With some renovation and innovative programming it can still survive.

I went to librery today read some theatre books. I have a nice time there I go back there soon. A lady helped me find some Brooklyn theatres I add some here. First I need help because in book I read about a Select theatre was on Pitkin avenue but no more detail. Maybe some one could know this theatre maybe help me.

I wonder if Mae West ever performed there.

Bway.....We both know that this is either Eddie or Tom having some fun, but guess what, on that 1925 silent theater list there are two Select Theaters listed. And one is listed as being on Pitkin Ave. If you misplaced that list, I'll email it to you.

Actually yes, please email it to me. I know I saved it somewhere on my computer, but forgot what I filed it under, so can't find it.
I haven't checked if it is on this site yet, if not, and if anyone knows anything about it, maybe it should be added.

Its in the mail. The other Select Theater listed was on Williamsbridge Road in the Bronx. We need someone with a FDYB to check these two out. Maybe the exact addresses would be listed.

With a seating capacity of 600, The Select Theatre was at 1671 Pitkin. It opened as the Chester circa 1913/1914. It became the Select about 10 years later. It appears under that name in the 1926 Film Daily Yearbook. The theatre seems to have closed a few years after that (not listed in the 1929 Film Daily Yearbook).
With 300 seats, the other Select was at 1425 Williamsbridge Road. At least it is listed at that address in the 1926 FDYB. Not listed in 27.

CJDV....Thanks for your help. I appreciate it very much. I will add the Select theater on Pitkin ave now and I will try to add the one in the Bronx tomorrow.

There is a Westchester Hippodrome listed at 1423 Williamsbridge Road in "The American Motion Picture Directory : a Cyclopedic Directory of the Motion Picture Industry 1914-15"

Okay, I added the Brooklyn Select theater. The address checks out fine. The Bronx address might be a problem. Either that is an old address or that building doesn't exist anymore. This is a current list of addresses in that range.

Address Neighborhood
1140 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1400 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1416 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1418 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1420 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1422 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1424 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1438 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1440 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1442 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1444 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1446 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1453 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1466 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1468 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1470 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1475 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1476 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1479 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1480 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1484 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1490 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)
1500 Williamsbridge Road Parkchester (10461)

Its possible that the Select theater replaced the Hippodrome. I have to look into this address problem. I don't know if the Bronx went through a new numbering system like Queens did. If not, the building that the Select theater was in has been demolished along with alot of other buldings in the area. The first odd numbered building is 1453 Williamsbridge Road.

I just added the other Select Theater. I also found two other theaters for Brooklyn. A Montauk theater and a Montauk Arcade. I don't know if they are the same theater or two different theaters.

Lostmemory;
There were five theatres in Brooklyn--at various times--operating under the name Montauk (one was legit). In addition to these, there was the Montauk Arcade at 2540 Pitkin. A theatre belonging to William Fulmer is listed at this address in 1912-1913. The name of the theatre is not given. By 1914, it is finally listed as the Montauk Arcade (sc. 500). It is listed in the 1926-29 FDYBs (don't have 1930), sometimes just as the Montauk. Closed shortly after that.

CJDV....Thanks! So, the Montauk and the Montauk Arcade are the same theater. I'll get to work on this one. While I was searching for the Montauk Arcade, I came across another Montauk theater in Brooklyn located at 2001 Bath Avenue.

Forget the Montauk Theater on Bath Ave. I just found it listed on here as the Deluxe Theater.

I dont know Mae West Mr Bway why you ask. I know more theatres for everyone. Etude theatre an Progress theatre in Brooklyn. You welcome help you self.

Well I only ask "Mr Burger" because you always mention her when talking about the RKO Madison's balcony.

I think that Otto is having fun by throwing us some "crumbs". There were two Progress theaters. One was in Manhattan at 1892 Third Ave and the other was on Graham Ave in Brooklyn. I don't know if these two theaters changed names at some point.

Perhaps Mr. Burger could provide us with the elusive opening date of the Ridgewood Theatre, which would be a genuine contribution to this site.

Mr. Burger aka Tom enjoys teasing us and I doubt that he will provide any info that is worth while. Although, the theater names that he gives are real. He just wants us to do the detective work and see if we can locate these theaters.

No problem locating these theatres. However these is a problem with the exact address of the Progress on Graham. The original listing is under the owner's name (an all too common practice of the period): Samuel Goodman 1912-1914. It becomes the Variey Theatre in 1914 and at the end of the decade the Progress. In the early 1930s it is renamed the Lindy and closed circa 1954. Now the problem with the exact address. The address for this theatre is usually given as 118 Graham. However Samual Goodman is sometimes given as 116 Graham. While in the early FDYBs, the address is given variously as 110 Graham or 118 Graham. Finally after 1931 (don't have FDYB for 30) the address remains 118 Graham. Did Goodman or the Variety move next door from 116 to 118? Somehow I doubt that.The seating capacity is a consistent 600.
The Etude is a bit easier. With a seating capacity of 453 the theatre was at 54-06 3rd Avenue. Listed in Trows (1912) once again under owner's name-- Elias Bernstein at 54-08. Finally listes as the Etude circa 1915 and in the mid-30s becomes the Alben. Closing around 1962. I think Bernstein's is the Etude.

The Lindy theater is already listed on here:
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/7883/

You should just copy your message and paste it in there. I'll check out the property at 54-06 3rd ave and see what I can find. Is that in Brooklyn?

Sorry about that, the Etude, 5406 3rd Avenue is in Brooklyn.

No problem, I had a feeling that it was in Brooklyn. This address might take extra time to check. There is no build date given. In fact, there is very little info on the real estate record. There is a warehouse located at this address that measures 35.00ft x 108.00ft. I'll have to check further to try and locate the deed to this property and find out if the theater was demolished or not.

No need to search any further. The Alben theater is also listed on here:
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/8202/

Thats the game that Tom plays. He gives the older theater names so me or someone else will add them. Then he logs on here under another name and attacks the person that added the theater. This time, no was harm done.

I looked up the address given for Elias Bernstein at 54-08 3rd Avenue. That is now a "dead" address. The warehouse occupies 54-06 and 54-08 using 54-06 as its postal address. Maybe Elias Bernstein had a house at 54-08 and lived next to his theater. Whatever was located there is gone. The next address of 54-10 is another Warehouse.

1-Sooner or later YOU will give up and leave, Tom.
2-Chuck is not hiding.
3-Bway isn't going anywhere.
4-Peter only feeds one troll on here and thats you.
5-Robert can spell just fine.
6-Get a life.

Back to business. CJDV....How about the Progress Theater in Manhattan and the Tuxedo Theater in the Bronx. I don't believe that either is listed on here.

On Cinematour the Tuxedo theater in the Bronx is also listed as the David Marcus theater.

And the Glenwood theater at 1520 Flatbush Avenue is now listed as the Tuxedo theater here:
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/10983/

Tom (or whatever your name is), your aliases have been known for months already, all 50 of them. Do I really have to post the whole list? I knew you were "Otto" long before this incident. You have been everything from FastEddie to Sally G (all versions of her) to SG Coglin to MagicLantern to Don Novak to SG Cogan to EdWood to SI Carmine to Edwin Yost to MovieCritic to KodakDude to Astanayx to Krull to RidgewoodBill to John Franz to SG Cogan to S-G Cogan to Sally. And the list goes on and on, and I have my suspiscions about some other names too, some of which may be “regulars” here, but I will not mention names.
And that’s fine, I don’t care, as long as you are productive on the site. But don’t think you are fooling anyone. We may not always respond, but ever since the “Sally” incident I have been on to all the aliases. I admit you got me then, but that was the only time since.

Thank you webmasters for the house cleaning and removed messages. It is much appreciated, even if mine make no sense now with the missing ones.
Maybe now we can back to what we all enjoy here, talkinf about theaters.

Yes, maybe so.

I'm trying to find which Brooklyn theaters are missing from this site. Does anyone know if these two theaters are listed on here under other names? One is the Luna Theater on Columbia St. in Brooklyn and the other is the Gold Theater on Sand St. also in Brooklyn.

Lostmemory, there was a brief reference to the Gold Theater in the CT listing for the High Theater, also on Sands St.

Astyanax.....Thanks. I found an address for the Gold Theater. It was 176 Sands St. If that address is correct, then this theater is gone. That address does not show up on a property search so I would assume the building is demolished. So far I haven't found anything else on this theater. I'm still working on the Luna Theater.

I found a photo of a Comet Theater in the NY Times archives. It looks like a nickelodeon. Does anyone know if this is the Comet theater that was located on Third Ave in Manhattan (which I don't see listed on here) or is it another Comet theater? After you get to the NY Times link, click on "view larger image".
http://www.nytimes.com/nytstore/photos/newyork/amusements/NSAPMI2.html

A posting by cjdv on April 17, 2005 at the listing for the Boro Park Theatre raises doubts over the history of the Ridgewood Theatre. A news item from the Brooklyn Eagle of 1923 suggests (to me, at least) that the Ridgewood may have been an already exisiting and operating theatre when William Fox took it over.

Warren;
There may be another possibility. The Levy Brothers were builders involved in real estate not theatre operators as such. In the Eagle, on the opening of the Fifth Avenue Theatre, (Mach 26th, 1911) no mention is made of the brothers. However it is clear from later articles that the Levys not only built the theatre but owned it until selling the space in 1923 (no matter who actually ran the theatre during that time period).
Upon completing the Boro Park, they immediately leased it to B.F. Keith's. I know the article says "sold" but this seems doubtful since two years later the Levys are selling the building to Marcus Loew Theatrical Enterprises, Inc.
The Levy Brothers apparently were investors in various neighborhoods. According to the 1923 article they entered the "Boro Park field about ten years ago, and built many small homes and apartments in the section."
The Levys also seem to build at some point upscale (better quality) theatres where these places were lacking (this was true of Park Slope in 1911 and also Boro Park in 1923). We need to hear from the Ridgewood people about that neighborhood.
So did the Levy Brothers build the Ridgewood in 1915, kept the ownership and leased the theatre to William Fox?

Where was the Oasis theater? I rememebr the name, but can't place it.
Thanks for the help.
Dan G

William Fox took over the Bedford Theatre from whomever owned it at the time, so I suspect that he did the same thing with the Ridgewoood Theatre. Fox did not operate the Bedford for long. He sold it to Loew's when he built the nearby Savoy Theatre.

The following is an excerpt from an article (actually a press release) in the Weekly Chat for January 19th, 1918. As it turns out, the Ridgewood wasn't always advertised as being in Brooklyn:

"William Fox has just completed the installing of his new $25,000 M. P. Moller organ and it will be in operation at the Ridgewood Theatre commencing Monday, January 21st. This organ will be a treat to all patrons of Queens handsomest playhouse."

The program for the week:

Monday through Wednesday: Mary Garden in "Thais" and the 10th episode of "Who is Number One?"
"Big Novelty for Monday night, January 21st a war song contest between writers of war songs during the days of 1776, the Civil War, the Spanish-American War and the World Conflict."

Thursday-Sunday it is Geraldine Farrar in "The Devil Stone". Also Fatty Arbuckle "in two reels entitled Out West" and the Hearst Pathe News "with the latest news from the front".
On Friday night, "big novelty dance contest"

Danny....Click this link for the Oasis theater:
http://www.cinematreasures.org/theater/4624/

In the section of Ridgewood where the Ridgewood theater is located, the only alternatives in 1915 would have been the Evergreen theater on Seneca Ave or the newly opened (also in 1915) Wyckoff theater. The Whitney theater near Freshpond Rd would have been a trolley or train ride away for most people in lower Ridgewood so the location chosen for the Ridgewood theater was a good one.

I started doing some research on this theater months ago. Most of the documents that I found are written so only lawyers can understand them. Some are vague and some are missing. Even the deed that I found is more complicated than any other deed that I have read so far. The following is from two documents that I translated into "English" that the average person can understand.

"In August of 1964 the Ridgewood theater was leased to the Avon Amusement Co. The lease was renewed in Feb of 1968. This lease is known as an "underlying lease". The legal owner at that time was the Natley Operating Corp. What is an "underlying lease"? Its another term for a sub lease. Natley Operating Corp owned the Ridgewood theater. They leased it to Metropolitan Playhouses Inc who in turn, leased it to the Avon Amusement Co who acyually operated the theater. Natley Operating Corp had an office at 1440 Broadway in Manhattan and Metropolitan Playhouses had an office at 233 W 49th St in Manhattan. Avon Amusement lists their address as the same address as the Ridgewood theater".

Thats only for the 60's. There are new owners in the 70's and 80's. One of the owners includes the "Saint German of Alaska Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church". Someone left it to the Church in their Will. This theater has an odd history and one day I'll research it further. If anyone is good at reading deeds, I'll email you a copy so you can explain it to me and everyone else. The deed is in a jpeg format. If it was in text format I would just paste it here.

I'm not sure how they are related but Metropolitan Playhouses Inc is somehow connected to Fox theaters. Both names appear on one of the documents that I read. As for the size of the Ridgewood theater building, it runs 100 feet along Cypress Ave and about 108 feet along Madison St. Thats oversimplified but it will give you a general idea of its size.

Metropolitan Playhouses was a holding company formed to run all of the Fox theatres in the Greater New York-New Jersey area after William Fox's bankruptcy. It was first called Fox Metropolitan Playhouses, but the "Fox" was dropped when it was decided to discontinue that as a circuit name in the NY-NJ area. The Fox Theatre in downtown Brooklyn was not part of Metropolitan Playhouses, and fell into the hands of banks that held mortgages on the Fox and leased it to the WB-owned Fabian circuit. Metropolitan Playhouses was largely owned by United Artists Theatre Circuit and Joseph Schenck as an individual. RKO Theatres bought 15% of it, which is why the circuit was always allied with the Skouras and Randforce circuits, the two main components of Metropolitan Playhouses.

That makes sense to me. Now, who was the Natley Operating Corp that was listed as the owner and leased the Ridgewood theater to Metropolitan Playhouses Inc? Was Natley really United Artists using another name or was it a company that was unrelated to United Artists? If Natley and UA are the same company, they leased the theater to themselves. I can't find any info on the Avon Amusement Co. Large corporations have ways of "hiding" things. I'm sure that they have reasons for doing it but it makes it very difficult to trace this theaters history.

The Natley Operating Corp had no association with United Artists. I found the following: "Julia Levy, listed as owner of the Natley Operating Corp died in 1971. In August of that year the Natley Operating Corp was dissolved. Bertram Leslie and Harold Weinberg were executors of Ms Levys estate. In 1972, Bertram Leslie acquired ownership of the Ridgewood theater. In March of 1979 Bertram Leslie gave this theater to the Saint German of Alaska Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church which is not located in Alaska. The Church was located at 140 E Main St in Setauket LI, NY".
To be continued.......

Metropolitan Playhouses was a very secretive company, which is not surprising since one of its owners, Joseph Schenck, once served time in prison for some of his shady dealings and even had his US citizenship revoked (later restored by President Truman). But companies that owned numerous theatres usually set each theatre up as a separate company and then sometimes, to raise capital, would sell it to an outsider but continue to operate it for them. So something like that probably happened with the Ridgewood. Over the decades, it has probably been sold and re-sold several times at least.

This theater had more owners than Liz Taylor had husbands. There are movie theaters that have become Churches and Churches that became movie theaters. Here we have a Church that owned a movie theater. Not for long though. In May of 1979 the Pastor and treasurer Paul W.V. Ischi of the Saint German of Alaska Eastern Orthodox Catholic Church sold the property to the 55-27 Myrtle Avenue Realty Corp. that has an office address shown as 369 E 149th St Bronx, NY. I'm ending this history tour here because I found something else that is more interesting.

On most of the property deeds for old buildings like this one there is usually the survey date and surveyors name or that info is attached to the deed. The deed for this property doesn't have that info. I did find a paper from the surveyor hidden among the other documents. Its difficult to read but I believe his name was Walter Brown, City surveyor. The survey is dated December of 1916. So, when did this theater really open?

In The Weekly Chat for Saturday, December 23rd, 1916 there is an ad for the Ridgewood Theatre: "Opens Saturday Night, Dec. 23rd", "6 Big Acts Vaudeville And Superior Photo Plays", "Complete Change of Progam Every Monday and Thursday", "Continous Performances, 1 to 11pm.", "Afternoons: 3,000 Seats 10c Evenings 10c, 15c, and 25c" (a small "c" actually used).

Fortunately, since this is the Chat, there is an accompanying article.

Excerpts:
"Ridgewood, which was a farming section but a few years ago, has rapidly grown to a city in itself is evidenced from the fact that today it will see opened a theatre as large as any Brooklyn playhouse and far more beautiful."
The theatre "has a seating capacity of 3,000 and involves an expenditure of $350,000".
It was bult by "the well known Levy Brothers, who also constructed the Bedford and Fifth Avenue theatres."
"The front is made up of glazed terra cotta and a spacious lobby is provided."
"The interior is decorated in marble and red silk moire tapestry."
"On the entrance to the mezzanine arcade there is a large promenade and on both the orchestra and mezzanine floors are to be found lounging rooms for both ladies and men."
"...so designed so that is it clear of all poles and the elevation of the seats is such that it permits a full view of the stage even to the last row. There are roomy lodges on the balcony and two tiers of boxes."
"The new theatre is readily accessible to all trolley lines."

No William Fox. This will be explained in part two.

What a cliff-hanger! I can't wait for chapter two! It may even turn out that the architect WASN'T Thomas Lamb.

This is fascinating! Opening in December of 1916 means that the 1915 build date listed by the City is pretty accurate. Now I have to figure out why Walter Brown was doing a survey the same month that the Ridgewood opened. Today I found the original address for the Ridgewood theater. It had an address range from 1671-1675 Myrtle Ave.
I'm going to get some popcorn and wait for the second feature to begin. :)

Very interesting! The survey work being done could have been to build the surrounding stores that may have been built after the Ridgewood. Can't wait for the rest of the "double-feature".
Lost, I also will grab the popcorn - although hopefully not from the Ridgewood! The last time I had the Ridgewood's popcorn I got sick from it - although granted that was 14 or 15 years ago, so hopefully it's better by now agian.....

Bway....Thats a very good possibility. Those stores have build dates ranging from 1917 to 1920. Their history is just as strange as this theaters history. The City continues to list this theater as lot #7 and gives the dimensions for the entrance only. The main theater building actually sits acrossed every lot on that block. Maybe the surveyor came to try and straighten out the records for those lots. Its not that important so I'm not going to get too involved with it.

CJDV....In the Trows business book or whatever its called, is there a theater or any other business listed for this block around 1913-14? The documents that I have read, indicate that there were other building(s) on this block prior to the theater and stores being built. They aren't specific about what these building(s) were. These lots were registered with the County of Queens in the 1880's and I doubt that the land sat empty until 1915-16. Before the RKO Madison was built about a block away from the Ridgewood theater, a brewery was located there. The brewery was demolished and the Madison and small stores were built. I'm just curious as to what type of buildings could have been located here.

Most theatres that advertised in the Chat usually did so on a regular basis with a display ad and/or pressed release. The Ridgewood was an exception, at least initially. After the opening announcement of December 23, 1916, the theatre does not advertise again until April 28th, 1917. A release states that "Wm. Fox's thrilling photoplay at the Ridgewood". It is the film "The Honor System"--"that wonderful master Metro drama of a thousand thrills, the greatest story of human interest ever told." For some reason the vaudeville acts from the previous week are also listed: James Thornton (monologue & songs), Hazel Haslew (sketch), Arthur Georg (piano & vocals), Bell & Fredo (character singing, talking and musical number), Gehan & Spencer (dancers) and Commodore Tom (no specialty listed but "a great favorite with the women and children).
Finally on May 5th, 1917, there is an ad for William Fox's Ridgewood Theatre" showing May 7th-9th Valeska Surratt "in a picturization of Rider Haggard's She". There are also "6 Big Vaudeville Acts." "Afternoons, 3000 seat, 10c". Evenings: 10c, 15c and 25c.
After this, ads and releases appear weekly in the Chat. It was not unusual for a theatre not to advertise in the local paper (relaying on other means)but so many of the theatres (large and small) did so on regular basis in the Chat.
Anyway there is a change on June 9th with a joint ad for William Fox's Bedford & Ridgewood Theatres. Both showing the exact same films. June 11th-13th it is Mary Pickford in "A Romance of the Redwoods". There is also "Superior Vaudeville." Admission "Aft'ns 10-15c" "Evenings: 10c, 15c, 25c" "Continuous 1 to 11pm" (this changes to a two-a-day format during the summer.
As stated previously, the Bedford and the Ridgewood were built by the Levy Brothers. They are listed as the owners in 1919 and again in 1923. However in April 1924, the Bedford is purchased from the Levy Brothers by Frank A. Keeney. The theatre opening as Keeney's Bedford in May of 24. Two years later he would sell to Loew's. What was the Levy Brothers involvement with William Fox? On April 20th, Lostmemory mentioned a Julia Levy (any relation?)

My father, who grew up in Bushwick, adjacent to Ridgewood, and who was born in 1919, remembers a "Daily Chat" newspaper. It was delivered by truck from Weirfield St. and Broadway in Bushwick. His mom liked to read it because of the ads. It was a local Pennysaver or Buy-Lines of its day.

I am sure the excerpt quoted above from the Weekly Chat will interest him. His mom, born in 1901, remembers farms in Brooklyn and Queens while she was growing up in Brooklyn.

Hello everyone,

The house where I lived from 1955 to 1975 was at 55-14 Myrtle Avenue, diagonally across the street from the Ridgewood Theater. We didn't own the house growing up, but my grandfather bought the house sometime around 1975 and my mother continued to live there until it was finally sold in 1995.

Reading this discussion has been a pleasure for me. Peter, as you already know, I am your friend from 4th grade, April. As has been stated again and again, your memory is remarkable. Yes, you were right, I lived over the Ridgewood Toyland, the store with the mechanical pony outside.

I have so many happy memories of both the Ridgewood and the Madison Theaters. The RKO Madison was a splendid theater, grand and spacious. As has been mentioned, it was cleaner than the Ridgewood Theater. No doubt that was in some part due to the mean, humorless matrons who didn't allow you to move or talk when you came without your parents. Does anyone remember the nasty matron with the red hair?

Admission was 50 cents when I first started going on my own to the movies. I remember the Ridgewood Theater just as you've all described it. Yes, it had a very steep balcony, which was disorienting in the dark. Invariably, someone would sneak into the theater by the side door and suddenly the darkened theater would be lit on the left by a doorway of blinding sun -- and so you could never see exactly who was sneaking in.

When you lived on Myrtle Avenue you had to develop an ability to sleep with noise. My room was right on the Avenue. There were all kinds of noises. There was the screech of the EL train as it rounded the turn at Wyckoff through open windows on a cool summer night. There were the endless fire engines racing past the house in the early night hours, mostly towards what was then called "Lower Ridgewood." There was also a bus stop right outside our house where people waited a long time for the bus, talking and making noise. People walked on the Avenue all night long to and from the train station.

"Strange" noises, however, woke me right up. Things like the breaking of glass (before roll-down gates), fire, yelling -- anything that wasn't "normal."

One night I awoke to a "strange" sound. It was late at night, but unusually quiet. It sounded like the limbs of a big tree rubbing together in a strong wind. I went to the window and looked out. It was snowing. The street was quiet, no cars, no people, and of course, no trees. The creaking went from little creaks to heavy, heaving-type creaking. It seemed to be coming from the Theater.

After a few minutes, the noise got worse. There was a prolonged sound now, the groaning of metal, and straining sounds as the marquis slowly pulled away from the theater. In a moment it fell to the snow-covered ground in an almost quiet THUD.

I stood stunned for a few minutes before I woke my mother. I was filled with emotion. I saw that the huge chains that had apparently once held the marguis were lying limply against the building. I couldn't believe what happened. It surely was exciting.

I've always wondered if there are any other eye witnesses. Anyone?


Hello to all of you from St. Brigid's days. What a pleasure it has been to find you here. I remember you all --Peter, DABOC, Vicki,Dawn N.and Cathy A. I hope you are all well. You other guys who I don't know have done some amazing research on these local theaters. Thank you for such interesting information. Monica, I have enjoyed reading what you have written about the Ridgewood Theater and about Ridgewood, in general. I would love to hear more about the place Ridgewood is today.

A quote from the above message posted by AprilW, "Invariably, someone would sneak into the theater by the side door and suddenly the darkened theater would be lit on the left by a doorway of blinding sun -- and so you could never see exactly who was sneaking in". That side door was/is the fire exit on Madison St. and could only be opened from the inside. In the 60's, sneaking in that door worked like this. Lets say the ticket was 50 cents, five guys would chip in 10 cents each and purchase one ticket. That person entered the Ridgewood theater while the other four went around to the door on Madison St. Once inside the theater, the fire exit door was opened and the other four entered. You had to move fast and crouch down because an usher would run to the door to close it. Thats my understanding of how people would sneak into the Ridgewood theater. This is not a confession. :)

Hello, April W. ! This is your friend, Peter Koch, from St. Brigid's, 4th grade. Thanks for the compliment on my memory !

It reads like what you remembered, and what you asked for eyewitnesses of, was the Ridgewood Theater marquee collapsing under the blizzard of Sunday, February 9th, 1969. We were halfway through 8th grade at St. Brigid's, then. I didn't see it happen. I first heard about it from my dad, who was the first in our family to venture outside that day, probably to get take-out Chinese food for supper.

As for me, I stayed inside all day, listening to the continuous Beatles on WNEW 102.7 FM in observance of Beatles Day (the five year anniversary of the historic Feb 8 or 9 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show) then watching the film "Fail Safe" on ABC that night, with the Beatles' "Eight Days A Week" still on in the background.

Hello Peter!

I really enjoyed reading your memories of people from St. Brigid's days. You never mentioned your kindergarten teacher's name. Were we in the same class? I had Miss Vitolo, who had red hair and who was very nice. Our class was in the basement of the "annex" building on the Grove Street side. In first grade, I had Sr. Mary Davidica who was also very nice. In second grage I had Sr, Mary Sylvia, who was an older nun, but a warm and wonderful person. It was, therefore, a huge shock to meet up with Mrs. Wagner in the 3rd grade.

Oh how she hated me. She picked on everything I did. I was always in trouble in her class...for talking, for asking questions, for almost anything. She enjoyed humiliating me (and others, it wasn't just me). Once --and you may remember this, Peter-- she had a boy give her his belt and she TIED me to my seat because she said I was fidgeting too much!

I was religious in those days, and after that incident, I prayed and prayed every night that God would make Mrs. Wagner stop picking on me. Sure enough, my prayers were answered. He sent her a baby, and she couldn't finish out the school year. He sent me Miss Campanella, who was kind and sweet and good. An "angel," just as you said.

Fourth grade was Sr. Mary Helen. Yes, she was a character. I remember she enjoyed Greek and Roman mythology and had us doing book reports on myths. She apparently thought this was an excellent way to interest the kids (which it did, I loved reading the stories) with short stories and to get us writing mini book reports (on index cards, if you remember). She had to abandon it, though, when word got out that she was teaching us about "false gods."

We were friends then, Peter. I remember your house on Cornelia Street. You lived on the Synagogue side of the street, but up toward Cypress. Did you know an older boy named Billy Varade from the other side of the Street? You had a big stoop outside and I remember going into your house through a door under the stoop(?) Oh Peter, I sometimes have an excellent memory for detail, but I am not doing so well here. I have a vague memory of a large sunlit room with a long wall on the left, light-colored or yellow linoleum, windows facing the yard. I remember the stairway in your house was on the left, like mine was.

I remember your mom and dad. You've mentioned your cousin, Fran, several times (how is she?). Were your mom and her mom twin sisters? They looked a lot alike. I remember your dad was very kind, and very nice to me. I remember going to your house often and playing in your front gate, though you will have to refresh my not so amazing memory as to what kinds of stuff we did. I do remember having fun with you.

So Peter, what are you doing now? I think I read you are an engineer for the Army. Good for you! You seem to be a Movie Theater buff. You know, reading what people have had to say on this site, I'm surprised there's no one starting up a group to talk to the Ridgewood Theater's owners about their plans for the Theater's future, or for ways to help get it Restored.

Dear lostmemory

Thank you for explaining how the sneaking in thing worked. It happened almost every time I went to the theater. It sure was a different world then. Did you really NEVER sneak in? My brother, Harold, did it all the time.

Heh lostmemory, you seem to know the sneak in tactics a bit too well. It's okay, you can plea the 5th.
Seriously though, I remember watching movies when the Ridgewood was still one theater and the doors would open. They would almost blind you because you were used to the darkness. I don't remember it after the theater was multiplexed, but that's probably because I usually wound up in one of the balcony theaters.
Just last year, I had a chance to peak into the downstairs theater on the Madison St side. Workers were fixing the doors one morning, and had them open, there was no one there, so I steped in a few feet to take a look around. After all, it had been more than a decade since I had been in the theater. It brought back a lot of memories.

Hello again April !

Did my recollection of the collapse of the Ridgewood Theater marquee under the blizzard of February 9, 1969 make sense to you ?

I'm glad you enjoyed reading my recollections. Yes, I had Miss Vitolo for kindergarten, but only went two days out of the whole school year, so, little wonder we don't remember much of each other from then. I think there were two kindergarten classes at St. Brigid in the 1960-61 academic year.

I have much more to write, but think it best to do it in private. So please e-mail me at :

peter.m.koch@NAN02.usace.army.mil

and I will continue. Thanks, and my warmest regards to you.

Peter Koch

I don't remember Sr. Davidica at all. I had Sister Mary Joyce for first grade. I was in Class 1-1. For second grade I had Sr. Mary Robertine (Class 2-1). She reminded me of the principal then, Sr. Mary Irene. I remember Sr. Mary Sylvia, though, as a warm and funny person. I also remember a Sr. Mary William dying and being buried at the start of second grade, and praying at the start of class about the Cuban missile crisis.

Then we found ourselves together in Class 3-6 with Mrs. Wagner. I vaguely remember her tying you up with a boy's belt. She seemed to enjoy humiliating me as well. I remember an incident about not excusing myself to go get my bus pass. Having the baby did nothing to change her personality. I remember her visiting our class with him, and her saying, "Look at him ! He's going to yawn his fool head off !"

I don't remember Sister Mary Helen teaching Greek and Roman mythology. I DO remember her emphasizing the importance of the Baltic Sea, assigning "The meaning of Theos" as a paragraph topic (the Greek word for "God", beginning with capital theta) and my getting an "A" for it, and for the paragraph I wrote about my summer vacation. I also remember her mentioning that, unlike English, Greek sentences did not start with a capital letter, only paragraphs.

I also remember her emphaszing after the geography midterm that Mexico was not UNDER the United States, and that the only thing under the United States was the earth's crust !

My most unpleasant memory of her was being made to stay at school without going home for lunch for failing to submit a geometry homework assignment. My mother talked her out of it. Turned out it was her mistake. Not sure if she apologized for misplacing it.

I also remember "Man From U.N.C.L.E." vs. "Bond Bread" fans, and Sr. Mary Helen likening it to Vietnam. I remember "Bond's Bread Is Bursting With Taste" in code, and that "ZOBZI" was code for "TASTE".

I don't remember the book reports on index cards, only the report cards on paper that we had to keep returning to her.

I also remember Kevin Clarke saying something nasty to you, and you telling him, "Yeah, and you're the Great Stinx !" (as opposed to Sphinx).

What are the statue of limitations on sneaking into the Ridgewood theater? I was the smart one in the group. I was the one that collected the 40 cents from the others, bought the ticket and opened the door from inside. If anyone asked for a ticket stub, I had one. Back then we didn't see it as a crime, it was more a matter of economics. :)

I have 8mm footage of the old marquee laying in front of the theatre that my dad took during the blizzard.

Thanks for mentioning that, RobertR. I wonder if it could be made into a clickable video byte on this page.

You had me worried for a second Robert. I thought that you had 8mm footage of me opening the side door. I wonder what type of equipment you would need to turn it into an mpeg format or even to make two still pictures of it, before and after. I forgot what the old marquee looked like.

Hello again, April W. This is Peter K. with the rest of my answer to your last post to me here.

Yes, I lived on the same (southeast) side of Cornelia street as the synagogue, but closer to Cypress Avenue. Yes, Billy Varade lived across the street from me, at about mid-block. I got some hand-me-down "Cat In The Hat" books from him, I think. His mom's name was Virginia. He ended up attending medical school in Abruzzi, Italy. I remember him mentioning the Twilight Zone episode "Long Live Walter Jameson" one evening as we played in the front gate of my house in fall 1966.

The door under my front stoop led to the cellar. My kitchen and living room windows faced the back yard. The kitchen walls were light yellow, the living room walls a light green. The living room linoleum was alternating one foot squares of off-white and light brown. The kitchen linoleum was a darker gray, with black and colored speckles, sort of a tweed, and rather worn. Facing my house
from the street, the stoop and stairs were to the right.

My cousin Fran is now almost totally disabled by multiple sclerosis. At best, she can barely speak only at certain times. It is heartbreaking for her mother, my aunt. My aunt and my mother were not twins, but born 22 months apart, my aunt in May 1923 and my mother in March 1925. I know they resembled each other.

Thank you for mentioning my father as very kind. I will ask if he remembers you when next I see him.

I remember playing astronauts and space aliens with you in my front gate. I remember you making this crook-fingered hand gesture at me and saying, "This ray really kills you !" I think I complied by pretending to die.

I remember your very sharp and accurate perception that I really liked the Child Guidance plastic railroad set (tracks and cars) that I had then. I think what I enjoyed most about it was how easily I could build so many different layouts with it. My dad and I ordered another piece for it (crossover, maybe) which never came in the mail. I can still see and hear you say, in your serious way, "You really like that toy, don't you ?"

I am now a hydrologic engineer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, doing mostly flood control projects in NY and NJ. Yes, I am quite a movie theater buff. Click on my user name on this board and see how many theaters I have commented on !

Peter, when you asked the question, "Did my recollection of the collapse of the Ridgewood Theater marquee under the blizzard of Febrauary 9, 1969 make sense to you?" were you referring to your recollection of the date as 2-9-69?

I remember in a previous post there seemed to be a discrepancy over whether the snowstorm that brought down the marquee occurred in 1968 or 1969.

I can not verify the date by memory. Though I do seem to remember the (then) Ridgewood Times reporting on the incident (I vaguely recall a picture with a caption). If this is true, it would have appeared in the edition following the incident (Thursday, February 13, 1969).

I don't remember if there were any major snowstorms in 1968 but there was one in 1969. Many people refer to it as the The Lindsey Snowstorm named after Mayor John Lindsey.

AprilW., yes, I was referring to your recollection of the date as 2/9/69. The February 13, 1969 edition of the Ridgewood Times is not that easily accessed. A trip to the central library in Jamaica may be necessary.

Please e-mail me at :

peter.m.koch@NAN02.usace.army.mil

I accidentally logged myself out of this site, and am now back as "PKoch" rather than "Peter.K".

lostmemory, I think the "Mayor Lindsay Snowstorm" was right before Christmas 1969, because it was the second big snowstorm that year, Feb. 9, 1969 being the first, for which Lindsay was criticized for not getting the snow off the streets fast enough.

Hi Peter....The Lindsey snowstorm was in Feb of 1969. I wasn't sure which month it was so I did a search and found a Newsday article that gives the month as Feb. Its named after Mayor Lindsey because of the length of time it took the City to plow the outer boroughs, especially Queens. Here is the link to the article:
http://www.newsday.com/other/special/ny-ihny0216story.htmlstory

Thanks, lostmemory. So I was correct about the date of Feb 9 1969. But I also remember reading something about Lindsay and a Christmas 1969 snowstorm in NYC as well.

What happened to the promised Part Two of the early history of the Ridgewood?

Peter....I think there was another snowstorm in Dec of 1969 but it wasn't as large as the Feb storm. I'm sure that the Mayor learned a lesson from the Feb storm and had the streets plowed much more quickly in Dec.

Warren....I believe that the second feature already played. Were you at the concession stand while it was playing? :) Check the message dated Apr 24, 2005 at 11:51am for part 2.

The April 24 posting does not explain how William Fox became involved with the theatre, which I thought would be in Part Two. I suspect that Fox either bought or leased it from the original owner and took over the management/booking.

Thank you, lostmemory. I think you are right about the Dec 1969 snowstorm. I'm not sure on what date it occurred. I have a vague recollection of snow on the ground on Christmas Day 1969, but not to the extent that my parents and I could not drive from Cornelia St. to my grandmother's house on Harman St. to spend Christmas there. I was probably preoccupied with my Christmas gift, the Stones album "Let It Bleed", and how great it would sound on my cousin's stereo.

Peter....I wasn't in NY for the Dec 1969 storm so I really don't know how bad it was. I was in the Army stationed at Ft Lewis in Washington State with less than a month to go before being discharged so I didn't come home for Christmas that year. It must have snowed in Jan of 1970 because there was alot of snow on the ground when I came home to Ridgewood that month.

I have no idea if Fox bought the Ridgewood theater or leased it from the Levy Brothers. I tried to research the Levy Brothers and didn't find very much. Maybe if their name had been Schwarzenegger, it would be a little easier. In NYC, the name Levy is almost as common as Smith or Jones.

I found two people named Levy that were listed as "Builders". One was an Edgar A. Levy of Brooklyn that was mentioned in a 1910 story about builders and real estate in NYC. The other Levy was Jack Levy. I found him in a 1926 society column. "Jack Levy, a building contractor of 2166 76th St Brooklyn, is sporting a new high-powered motor car". Another society column mentions him and his family, "Mr & Mrs. Jack Levy and children of 2166 76th St Brooklyn, have returned after spending a delightful vacation at Fallsburg,NY".

There is also a Julia Levy mentioned in one society column dated August 1928. "Miss Julia Levy and Miss Amy Levy were among the Brooklyn residents sailing on the steamship Mongolia yesterday for San Francisco via Havana and the Panama Canal".

Were Edgar and Jack the Levy Brothers? Or were one of them part of the Levy Brothers? Is this Julia Levy the same Julia Levy that owned the Ridgewood theater? As of now, I can't find anything that links these people together other than the fact that they were all named Levy and they resided in Brooklyn.

There were 5 movie theaters in the Ridgewood/Glendale neighborhoods when I was growing up in the 1950's. They were the Acme where the Vitorian House was built in Glendale, the Glendale or Glenridge near Fresh Pond Road, the Bellvedere, the Ridgewood and the Madison. The Acme use to give all the kids in the audience a gift when leaving the Saturday afternoon show. There were many Rock N Roll shows at the Madison Theater. I saw a young blind teenager brought out on the stage and introduced as no other than Little Stevie Wonder, along with other groups such as the Duvals, Chubby Checker, Joey Dee & the Starliters, Brenda Lee, Chuck Berry, the Ronettes and many others all brought there by Murray the K. They use to have 2 shows per day and we would get there early and stand in line so we could get a good front row seat and then when the show was over we would hide in the bathroom and wait for the next one so we could be the first ones in and get a seat in the 1st row. I remember as we got older we allowed to sit in the balcony of the theaters. And those matrons walking around with the flash lights and getting thrown out because we were too loud. I grew up on 69th Street and Myrtle Avenue in the big apartment house that was named Fosdick Court. Kids from our area attended PS 91 from K-8 and then on to Richmond Hill High School. There was a drug store across Myrtle Avenue from the Apartment house that was Fosdick Pharmacy and the Glendale Pizza was on Myrtle next to the Shannon Bar and a lawyer on the corner named Romano, and the corner store under the apartment house was a deli, called Cohens. Across Myrtle there was Kay's and P & M Department Stores and a florist on the corner. Alot of it is hazy now and while I'm typing I'm trying to remember. Across from the Madison Theater there was a restaurant, I can't remember the name of it, it was quite large. They had terrific pastrami sandwiches. Does anyone remember Martha's Chocolate Shop on Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood? We use to walk the Avenue every Saturday. All those shoe stores, Miles, National, Tom McAnn, Simco and then there was the houseware stores, I think Peck's was one and the women's hat store on a corner. Can't remember where on Myrtle but it was in Ridgewood.

Audrey....The theater that your thinking of on Myrtle ave near Freshpond road was the Glenwood theater which later became a bowling alley. How about the Parthenon theater on Wyckoff ave near Myrtle, do you remember that theater? There was a restaurant near the Madison theater called Gotliebs (spelling might be wrong) that always had something cooking under those red heat lamps that you could see if you looked in the window.

That's it - Gotliebs. Couldn't remember that name at all. I remember the Parthenon and yes the one on Fresh Pond was the Glenwood. There was an Italian restuarant on the same block, I think it was on the corner before the Glenwood. Do you remember the restaurant called Gebhardt's. Can't remember if it was in Glendale or Ridgewood but it was on Myrtle Avenue. Do you remember the Chinese restaurant near the Madison. It was up one long flight of stairs, was quite large and they had female impersonators on the weekends? Haven't been to the area since about 1990. My family lived in Glendale since 1945 and growing up there left me with many happy memories. It was a great neighborhood.

I sincerely apologize for this intrusion since I have little of value to offer regarding "theaters" except that I was from Roscoe, NY where we had one theater (recently destroyed) and, when I came to Elmhurst (in 1964) and met the guy I was to marry (in 1966), we attended many movies at the Elmwood Theater. (I hope that qualifies me to post this note.)

The guy I married was Raymond C. Eckert who attended St. Bart's from 1952-1960 and St. Francis Prep from 1960-1964 on a scholarship. Ray was a swimmer. Very handsome, medium blonde hair and blue eyes. does anyone remember him?

Ray passed away from a brain tumor in 1998 and now that we have two beautiful grandsons whom he will never know, I am asking for some help (from those of you who might have known him before I did) to share any stories he might have related to them himself (or might not have)!

Again, I apologize for interrupting, however, I did notice that, early on, many of you folks were delighted to renew old friendships and to review old memories regarding the old neighborhood. That
said, please remember that Ray was a part of your neighborhood as well. He was there every day for 4 years and would indeed have remembered many of the places you will have mentioned in your postings--in fact, some are familiar to me--just from his descriptions.

Won't you help me create those images for our grandsons who are growing up in CA and OR? Thank you in advance for your patience with this posting and for any help you can offer.

Hi everyone,

I just found this site and want to thank you all for the wonderful trip down memory lane! I worked at Ridgewood Theatre as a ticket seller when I was 16 years old, during the spring/summer of 1975. I remember them showing the x-rated animated film, Fritz the Cat, followed by a summer Disney series!

I lived on Irving Ave between Harmon & Himrod, and attended Grover Cleveland H.S. I also attended St. Brigid's from 1971-73. I have not had any contact with any of my classmates or neighborhood friends in decades, but would love to. If any of you remember any Gibsons, O'Neills or Colorundos from Brooklyn, please say hi!

~Donna

I just spent the past hour+ enjoying these great postings about the Ridgewood. I lived at 1830 Madison Street from 1960 through 1974 and we used to go to the Ridgewood all the time. My Aunt Josie was a manager at the theatre for many years, and when I was little my grandma or mom would take my brother and me there and we would all get in for free (through the front door not the fire door!).

My earliest memory of being at the theater involves not a particular movie but instead my mom buying me little scottie dog magnets (a black one and a white one, plastic dogs on little rocker-shaped magnet bases ) from a vending machine near the ladies room. Other random recollections: seeing Herbie the love bug movie with my friend Joey and his dad one Saturday afternoon and also the time that Batman made a live appearance after the Batman movie (but he was very late and we almost left without seeing him). The last time I can remember going there was with my mom, dad and brother, for a Planet of the Apes marathon (go ape for a day), we sat up in the balcony, and we left after a few hours because our behinds hurt from sitting so long!

All this talk about St. Brigid... hardly any about St. Matthias! Where are the SMS "kids" hiding! I remember the various lay teachers and Sisters (Ms. Pryor and Greeme in Kindergarden, Miss. Cotelessa in 1st, Miss. Roberta Willard in 8th, Sr. Alacine in 7th, Mrs. O'Reilly in 5th, Ms. Brown? in 4th, Sr. Mercia (who had to leave because of grave illness) replaced by Mrs. McNally (who's daughter Debra was in our class), well I could probably remember all of them if I try hard, but maybe I should just dig out the old class pictures from the basement!

We moved to PA the summer of 1974 after I graduated, I was only back once, around 1989 with my brother. The trees on Madison St. were a shock to see! Everything looked so vivid as we looked around matching our memories with the view before us. We parked the car and walked to Saint Matthias... such a short walk and it seemed much longer in my memory. And the church looked so ornate and brilliant but also so much smaller than it was in my memories of my first communion, confirmation, and all those Sunday masses year after year.

If anyone wants to see some old pix or to say hi (to Tom and Paul), especially Dennis (Bubby), Bobby, Andy (Panda), Joey, Gregory, Donna, Terry, John, [these are mostly kids from our block], we would be happy to hear from you. Thirty years wow! Cheers ridgewood at tomvon dot com

Here's a rare image of the marquee, excerpted from a 1934 tradepaper montage of NYC area theatres that were proving successful with the then controversial policy of double features. The front of the marquee reads:
PICTURE POLICY POPULAR PRICES
COMPLETE CHANGE PROGRAM SAT & WED
FINEST SCREEN PRODUCTIONS
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/124-2446_IMG.jpg

Great photo Warren, thanks for posting it. That must be the marquee that fell down during the snowstorm in the late 60's. The old marquee appears to be huge compared to the one that is on the Ridgewood theater today. Compare the old marquee with the newer one pictured on Monica's website:
http://hometown.aol.com/mharb64560/THEATRE.html

Hi All: Reading your messages has brought back so many memories! Here's a few of mine along with thoughts: re: the theater and Ridgewood in general:
- my brother PJ and I grew up on Stockholm St., in the same "railroad" apartment as our mom (my mom moved there with her mom & sisters @1948-we moved in 1978) 30 years in one apartment - wow!
- We went to St. Aloysius - don't see any posts from anyone from St. A's but there were many kids that went to the Ridgewood that attended St. A's. How about Miraculous Medal ("Mirac") alumni? Or is that school too far? (can't remember)
- Ridgewood Movie Theater memory - MY 1ST DATE! With Pauline Gambino (I was 11, she was 10) we saw a Saturday matinee of AIRPORT 1975 (1974)with Charleton Heston - I don't remember much about the movie because I was with 2 of the prettiest girls in our neighborhood, Pauline and her sister Patricia (I was dating Pauline but I had a secret crush on Patricia!). I remember my Dad gave me the most money I ever was given, to that time - $5, which I was supposed to use for busfare to and from the movie(the "38" to Myrtle Ave. - ran down Seneca Ave.), 2 movie tickets (sorry Patricia - you're on your own), snacks, then pizza afterwards (pizzeria on Seneca). Needless to say, I came up short on the denaro (good thing Mr. Gambino gave his daughters plenty of $$).
- My brother, his friend Bernard and I were mugged right in front of the Ridgewood - they stole our snacks that we were sneaking into the theater, but we drew the line when they wanted our movie ticket money - lol - too funny!
- Anyone remember the Ridgewood gang names in the 70's - like - The Bleeker Boys from of course Bleeker St. or the Kirshbaums, the Latin Tops, The Italian Sons, The Rebels, etc. I remember seeing the movie "The Warriors" (remember "Warriorsssss, Warriorssssssssss) and thinking to myself "what in the world" - those gangs looked like they belonged on a movie set in Hollywood - definitely not NY gangs! Saw that movie at the Elmwood and the police made us all get off the bus home (the Triboro 38 - ran down Woodhaven to Metropolitan ("Metro") because we were wearing bomber jackets (don't ask me)
- Gottlieb's - ya baby! Remember the man that worked there with the funny ear?? "I'm not looking at that really weird ear!" j/k. Tuna fish sandwiches, chocolate milk and open-faced turkey!
- Anyone remember, Linderman's pharmacy on Seneca, Murkens? Ice Cream on Myrtle, Woolworth's on Myrtle ("the 5 and dime"), the bakery on Seneca (we used to call it "Moenies"), I think it was supposed to be Mommy's or something like that near Lindermanns drug store?
- We used to go to the Madison (always seemed a bit cleaner), the Ridgewood, and does anyone remember the Oasis theater? They used to have Rocky Horror there every weekend at midnight? That theater was rundown but had cheap movie tickets. The only problem was unglueing your sneakers from the floor after the movie!
-Saw a post with "Ace/King/Queen/(Jack/10)" - how about Skelzie or Skully (according to what neighborhood you were from - Stockholm St. was "Skelzie"), Ringalario or Ringaleevio - (same thing - we were Ringalario), Hide the Belt, Johnny on the Pony, Tag, Off the Wall, Stoop Ball, Street Tops, Box Ball, pitching pennies, flipping baseball cards, and some of the best "double-dutchers" for the girls
- My brother and I went to St. Francis Prep Class of '77 (freshman year was at the old Prep and '81 for me. Seems like a few other Prep alumni here!
- I read in one of the messages that someone had Hodgkins Disease from Ridgewood, so did I. It seems like alot of people have had cancer from Ridgewood-maybe too many (I could name a dozen from my block alone). Maybe the textile mills had something to do with it (I lived next to one).
- My brother and I sold pretzels from the Starr St. pretzel factory -me in front of Wycoff Heights Hospital and my brother walked a 6-mile route and ended up in front of McCrorys on Myrtle Ave. (I was 9 and my brother was 13). Bought 100 pretzels for 3cents and sold them for 10cents (2 for a quarter) - made @$7.00 per day minus the 5-6 I ate! Ridgewood had the BEST pretzels!! Anyone remember the "Pretzel Man" - an old Italian man who stood on the corner of Stockholm St. across from St. A's - with his white cart.

We live in sunny Las Vegas now - but will never forget Ridgewood!

Cheers!

Thanks to Monica for the picture of the Ridgewood and to Warren for updating us on the history of the size of the marquee.

Does anyone remember Cappy's pool hall on the 2nd or 3rd floor next door?

I am glad to see there is a rebirth in interest of this site. I've looked forward to seeing the multipl comments made daily for the last week or so.

The Glendale kid who worked at Ripleys Men's Clothing store, down the street from the Madison through HS and college. They subsequently brought out Howard's mens store which was down the block from the Ridgwewood.

The Bickford's automat a few doors down and the original Greek 'chee burger-cheeburger' guys in the opposite direction.

I've got to re-read the posts on on all my faves. There's a whole lot of history there.

Ciao and excelsior,
'Tonino

Regarding the above posts. The pic Warren posted of that marquee is not the one that fell during the snowstorm, although it could have been refaced. It was more boxy then that one. Usually when they did marquees over they just refaced them so that might be what was underneath. Also somebody else mentioned about the Oasis running Rocky Horror and being rundown. I think you may be confusing it with the Arion. I don't think the Oasis played that at midnight and suprisingly the Oasis was very well maintained right until the end. I don't think UA must have thought they would be getting rid of it because they had done some renovations including a new curtain a few years before they closed it.

In 1974 the Ridgewood had the Disney summer film festival instead of the Oasis.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/ThatsEntertainment.jpg

That's interesting, they usually did this at the Oasis.
I remember like it was yesterday seeing Alice in Wonderland in the Ridgewood as a kid. I believe I also saw Pinnochio and 101 Dalmations there in the 70's.
I saw Snow White, Bambi, and I think Peter Pan at the Oasis. I can't remember if I saw Lady and the Tramp at the Ridgewood or at the Oasis.
I also saw Dumbo at either the Oasis or the Ridgewood. It also could be either.

Thanks Robert R! You are right of course, it was the Arion. One memory I have of the Oasis though is - my parents went out to see a movie and left my older brother in charge of watching me (I was 6, he was 10). We were only supposed to be watching TV then sleeping, but of course we played and I fell and cut my chin open. I needed stitches, so my older cousin called the Oasis and had them page my parents (I guess you could do that in those days - 1969). I never forget that my Dad was wearing a suit when he got to the hospital and my mom was dressed up. Another thing I guess they did in those days, at least my parents did (imagine putting on a suit and dress nowadays to go see a movie!) 9-)

Thanks for the correction! It did become a skating rink though, didn't it??

Yes it was the Oasis Roller Rink for a few years.

Hi all
How this website brings back memories. I grew up in Ridgewood during the 1950's and 1960's and remember the old Ridgewood, Parthernon and Madison Theaters. I remember the really BIG candy bars you could get at the Parthernon. Does anyone remember an old dance hall on the corner of Wykoff and Menahan? It was right around the corner from my grandparents apartment and my parents and aunts and uncles (with me in tow) would go there practically every Friday night.
Remember the old knitting mills on almost every corner? Or the old candy stores?
How I miss Ridgewood! I last lived there in the 1980's. I live now in N.O. but really,really miss New York. I'm hoping to move back next year and right now I'm checking out neighborhoods, including Ridgewood. I'm sure it's changed a lot and is no longer the way I remember it, but reading the posts on this board brings back a lot of fond memories.
Anyone here an alumni of Grover Cleveland H.S. Does anyone remember the old kids' wading pool in Grover Cleveland Park?
Carol
Cgreen2495@aol.com

Hi Carol...

Other than myself, you are one of the few people that has mentioned actually being inside of the Parthenon Theater. I'm curious what street you lived on when you were growing up in Ridgewood.

Hi lostmemory
Where didn't I live in Ridgewood. My parents moved around a lot! When I was small I remember we lived on Harman Street and Woodward. I remember playing in that big empty lot across the street from Grover Cleveland. They used to have carnivals there every so often with lots of rides and candies. Later on we lived at 555 Onderdonk Avenue, and then later still at Fairview and Grove.
I recently asked my mother if she remembered the exact addresses of where we used to live, but unfortunately she didn't. I just know that Ridgewood, growing up, seemed like a perfect little community. Everyone knew everyone else and we kids felt safe going out and playing stoop ball or hopscotch, or riding our bikes in the streets (something you don't see any more these days).
Carol

Hi lostmemory
Where didn't I live in Ridgewood. My parents moved around a lot! When I was small I remember we lived on Harman Street and Woodward. I remember playing in that big empty lot across the street from Grover Cleveland. They used to have carnivals there every so often with lots of rides and candies. Later on we lived at 555 Onderdonk Avenue, and then later still at Fairview and Grove.
I recently asked my mother if she remembered the exact addresses of where we used to live, but unfortunately she didn't. I just know that Ridgewood, growing up, seemed like a perfect little community. Everyone knew everyone else and we kids felt safe going out and playing stoop ball or hopscotch, or riding our bikes in the streets (something you don't see any more these days).
Carol

A few messages above, Robert mentioned that the marquee in the 1934 photo is not the marquee that fell in the 1960's snow storm. I believe that he is right about that. I have a 1940's photo of the Ridgewood theater and the marquee is different. Its more "modern" looking than the 1934 marquee. Also, in the 1940's photo, there is a vertical sign that says "Ridgewood". That is missing in the 1934 photo and it is missing in the modern photo on Monica's website. I'm not sure but I might have received this picture from Bway. If so, maybe he can link to it. Otherwise, I can email it if anyone is interested.

Lost, the original marquee is definitely different looking than the way it looked when it fell down. If the photo I am thinking of is the one I think you mean (it has a trolley in it), the Ridgewood name looked much different in the old photo linked above. It was much less ornate in the 40's, and the two o's in Ridgewood were I believe linked together. Although I think it is also seen in a photo from the 60's I have (which also may be the one you are talking about).
Perhaps it's the same marquee structure in both photos, but in the latter, it may have been stripped and redone.

Bway.....The photo with the trolley is the one that I'm talking about. Did you notice that the 1934 photo has no vertical "RIDGEWOOD" sign and today their is no vertical sign either. The 1940's photo has it. The Ridgewood theater that I remember from the 50's and early 60's had that vertical sign. I remember the vertical sign being there because, when I looked out the poolroom window on the second floor, I could see the bottom of the sign. It must have been removed when the marquee was replaced after the snowstorm. Unless the vertical sign fell down too.

Unfortunately, I don't know when they took the vertical sign down. Perhaps it did fall down when the marquee caved in.

...now, a quick question. Since those no place on the site to talk about "random" things, not under a specific theater, I figured I'd ask here because the Ridgewood theater section has become sort of the "research area" for all the surrounding theaters.
Anyway, I had a business meeting in Ridgewood this morning, and to beat traffic, I drove in early, so to kill a little time I drove a little around Bushwick a bit. At Evergreen and Grove, I found this theater building. It definitely has all the lines of an old theater. I don't know if this theater is listed on the site, or what the name of it is, but would love to find out....so if anyone has any information about this theater, pleas post the information, so we can add it to the site if it hasn't been added already.
Here's two angles of the building:

It is on the southeast corner of Grove and Evergreen, facing Evergreen.

Click here for photo 1

Click here for photo 2

I'm not sure where to post this message so I'll put it here. If your using the Photobucket website to store photos and posting the link to those photos here, make sure that those photos belong to you. If your copying them from other websites, they should either be public domain or get permission to use them. If you don't, your asking for trouble. By posting links to those photos in your photobucket, your implying that they are your property. I just read a story about a website considering a lawsuit against a person for "stealing" their photos and linking to them from a Photobucket. I know that its easier to gather all the photos together in your photobucket instead of individual links, but the price you might pay isn't worth it. Just link to the site that you got the photo from in the first place.

The message that I posted above is not intended for Bway. The photos that he links to are photos that he has taken himself and are his property. I didn't want anyone to get the wrong impression because my post followed his message which contains photobucket links.

The Brooklyn/Queens dispute is revived in a new article here:
www.forgotten-ny.com/NEIGHBORHOODS/ridgewood/ridgewood.html

This photo is Cypress Ave looking towards Madison St. The building with the water tower is the Ridgewood Theater. I assume that is the stage end of the building since that end is the tallest part of the theater. The caption under the photo reads "I think this was a theater too-At Madison St and Cypress Ave". There are lots of other photos of Ridgewood, Queens on that site.

Correct. The stage end of the building is on Cypress Avenue, as shown in the photo, with one end on the south corner of Cypress Avenue and Madison Street. The Madison Street side has the fire escape and exits.

There may also be exits to the alley between the southeast wall of the Ridgewood Theater building and the adjoining building, in mid-block between Madison St. and Putnam Avenue, on the southwest side of Cypress Avenue.

There might be an emergency exit in that alley for the theater. The stores might also have a rear exit leading to that alley. I was trying to find a photo that looked down Madison St. That would show the length of the building and also the fire escape that you mentioned. I had to settle for this photo instead. One day I will have to take a trip back to the "homeland" and take some photos. We need some sideviews of these theater buildings to show that they are not just a rectangular building as some people may think. There are two other photos on that website of the Ridgewood Theater.
This is a front view.
This is a view of the front near the roof where it reads "Ridgewood Theatre".

Hi everyone! I read all these pages in three installments-what interesting information about the theater and the block it sits on, and all that St. Brigid's stuff (I graduated from SBS in 1971). Here are a few items I jotted down as I went along.

To weezah who posted on 4/5/04 that the Ridgewood was in a terrible neighborhood: If you think this is a bad area you should have walked the streets of Bushwick or Bed Sty in the late 70's and 80's. I assure you that as recently as 40 years ago Ridgewood was a solid working class area that was unusually clean for New York City. As the years have gone by I admit there has been quite a decline but this area has never hit rock bottom. Happily it seems like it is on the upswing again and may see better days.

to lostmemory...that was a fascinating story about the early days of the Ridgewood, the holding company and the Fox affiliation. Now, I recall either the marquee that fell down or the vertical sign included the name of the "Loew's" chain. Does anyone else recall that (April-you lived across the street)? If so, when did the Loew's affiliation start and end? Wasn't Loew's the chain that owned MGM and distributed their movies?

Sadly, no matter how hard I try I can not remember much about the inside of the theater. I was there many, many times in childhood and all I can really recall is the staircase to the balcony that was near the lobby entrance. I think there was also a clock on the left side of the stage that was lit up with cobalt blue neon lights-that is about all I can remember about the interior of this theater.

I grew up less than two blocks from here and I remember there was a series of fire escapes on Madison St-I will have to look next time I am there to see if they still exist in their original form. I did not witness the marquee falling like April, but I remember that snowstorm (we were janitors for our 6 family house and there was a lot of shoveling involved). I was sent to the fruit store across from the theater (Putnam & Myrtle) the Saturday after it happened and recall that incident was all the workers in the store could talk about.

One personal story about the Ridgewood. My parents divorced in the early 60's. My dad worked near the SS Kresges on Myrtle Avenue and used to have coffee or lunch at the counter there. He got friendly with Ann, the waitress behind the counter. One day in the fall of 1965 I am with my dad at Kresge's and she asks him what he is doing this coming weekend. He said I am taking my kids to the Ridgewood on Sunday to see (Disney's) Cinderella. Okay. Come Sunday we are in the (smoking section) balcony waiting for the movie to come on and along comes Ann with her 5 year old daughter in tow (she was also divorced). We all met up, not quite by chance. This was their first date, with 3 kids along! We went out after the show for something to eat. Let's just say they will be married 40 years next April!!

Peter K & the St. Brigid's crowd...Peter, your memory is just amazing-how do you remember all those dates? I remember many of the teachers mentioned like Miss Vitollo, Sr. Mary Sylvia and Sr. Mary Helen. My mom considers Sister Mary Irene a near saint for a kind gesture she once made to our family.
Cathy Anguin, I remember you and you were in my sister's (Patricia Conte) class I believe. We lived on the next block up from you (1713 Woodbine) and I remember the North's were a large family on your block, and I went to school with your neighbor Kevin Kingsley. Does anyone remember "Mizz Stuart's" candy store on Wyckoff between Grove & Linden?
Also-I well remember saving up to buy a single at Action Records which was right near the "Times Triangle" that is now called something else. Early in this post the Kreuscher's Hotel & Arcade was mentioned-Action records was on the site of this hotel's building that burned in the mid 60's. It is now a GNC store. I also remember Byhoff Brothers Records further up the Avenue.
Someone mentioned John Dafgard who worked at the Ridgewood Savings Bank. I bet he is the same guy he lived on my block at 1705 Woodbine. He had a really nice family and I was friendlier with his brother Tommy (who once had a teen romance with my sister). You may know his nickname as Rocky, but I think his family called him 'Jack'.
Thanks for all the research and information on the theater's history from the very beginning. Maybe it will eventually thrive again. Regards from Bill Conte

Hey Bill, the name Patti Conte sounds very familiar to me and since I graduated SBS in 1972, I'm thinking your sister may have been a classmate of mine. Would you mind asking her if she remembers Donna Gibson? I hung out with Joanne Gallo, Theresa Feil and Julie Endrizzi, among others, if that might help refresh her memory. Maybe she could drop me a line at ohdonna_ny @ yahoo . com. (I apologize for using this board for this purpose. It won't happen again!)

Donna Gibson

Hey Bill, the name Patti Conte sounds very familiar to me and since I graduated SBS in 1972, I'm thinking your sister may have been a classmate of mine. Would you mind asking her if she remembers Donna Gibson? I hung out with Joanne Gallo, Theresa Feil and Julie Endrizzi, among others, if that might help refresh her memory. Maybe she could drop me a line at ohdonna_ny @ yahoo . com. (I apologize for using this board for this purpose. It won't happen again!)

Donna Gibson

Back in December, one of the "Wacky" people posted about a murder at the Ridgewood Theater. This is the article about it. Notice that it says "Queens".

Thank you, lostmemory. Yet another reminder that Ridgewood now, in so many unpleasant ways, is nothing like the Ridgewood you and I and so many others on this board grew up in.

Here's a gruesome irony : someone had to be found murdered in the Ridgewood Theater for it to be correctly identified as being in Queens, although the newspapers still list it as being in Brooklyn.

It also reminds me of the Clive Barker short story, "Son Of Celluloid", in a volume of his "Books Of Blood", which takes place in an old movie theater in which someone has died.

Excuse me if this question has already been answered, but did the discovery of this murder lead to improvements inside the Ridgewood Theater ?

BTW, Donna Gibson : I graduated St. Brigid in June 1969

Peter Koch

Can you tell me where the Ridgewood Theater is located? Sure, its in Brooklyn. Thanks. Did you know that someone was murdered there? Oh, THAT Ridgewood Theater. That theater is in Queens.

Peter....Nothing even close to that ever happened at any of the movie theaters in Ridgewood when I was growing up. I don't know if any changes were made at the Ridgewood after that incident. I hope that there were, but I kind of doubt it.

That's a good original thought : people thinking there are TWO Ridgewood Theaters because of someone found murdered there !

For some reason, I believe this was an "inside job", someone that knew her. That's usually what murders like this turn out to be. Murders like that, althought of course a very unpleasant occurance, doesn't make the place any less safe for other people.

Did they ever solve this murder? I remember seeing the original story on the news but never saw a follow up done.

richd, peterk and all - Wow! I stumbled across this site while doing a search for St. Fran's old N. 6th St. address and it blew me away. What a time trip!

This Bill Joel, and I am alive and well, and teaching Computer Science in CT, living in NY. I got my PhD in '95, but have been teaching since '83.

Welcome, Bill Joel, SFP Class of 1972 ! This is Peter Koch, SFP Class of 1973. This Ridgewood Theater page was quite a "wailing wall"
of SFP, St. Brigid and St. Matthias graduates for awhile !

Last Friday I attended the wake of John J. Pinzel, SFP Class of 1973.
John died August 29 2005 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Thanks to this site, I have re-established personal contact with your fellow former glee club member, Gasper Ilasi, SFP Class of 1973.
I expect to have lunch with him tomorrow.

Bill, have you been teased alot re : singer, songwriter, pianist Billy Joel ?

Thanks, Peter, it really did seem like a Wailing Wall. I was surprised at how many names I remembered. It's been almost 30 years since I've lived in NYC, let alone Ridgewood. However, it was truly a thrill to go down "memory lane"; I actually pulled at my copy of the '72 San Fran and started looking at the photos. I also tried to see if I could find phoyos online for anyone in my class. I found one for Joseph Kriz; he looks the same but, like all of us, older.

I'll pop onto this list from time to time to see what the discussion is like. And say hello to Gasper for me!

(And yes, I've been teased about "Billy Joel" though thankfully not as much lately <grin>)

I've gone back and read more of the *vast* quantity of postings, and memories have flooded my grain of Ridgewood. I remember walking over to Myrtle Avenue, and walking up and down, checking out the shops, such as Woolworths. I remember shoveling snow for shops during the Winter, and burying myself in the kid's section of the Queens Library (on what street I can't remember) in a big old building.

BTW, I lived on Seneca next to the "el" and later on Menahan just of of Seneca.

You're welcome, Bill, and thanks for answering me. Where did you find an on-line photo of Joe Kriz ? I almost re-connected with him in Chicago in the 1980's, courtesy of my friend and classmate Terry McHale. Joe's address was listed as "North Mozart", appropriately enough.

I will say hello to Gasper for you when I see him at lunch today.

Woolworth's on Myrtle Avenue has become a Foot Locker and several other stores. S.H. Kresge's became a Robbins, then something else.
I think H.L. Green, "the third five and ten", as my parents and I called it, on the north side of Myrtle between Onderdonk and Forest Avenues, is still H.L. Green.

The closest Queens library to where you lived on Seneca and Menahan would have been the Ridgewood Branch at 20-12 Madison Street between Fairview and Forest Avenues. I started going there early 1969 after the Irving Branch started seeming "unsafe".

I remember an intense discussion with you about computers and music in the Pace College cafeteria in lower Manhattan near where I work now, the first Sunday in March 1972. We were there for the Math Fair, to present our papers, along with Robert Dominijani (sp ?) and Richard Dittus (I remember his paper was titled "History Of Zero").

You seemed very interested when I mentioned something Br. A. Edward Wesley had said in my class a a year before about composer Iannis Xenakis feeding Beethoven into a computer to produce his "composition", "Occident / Orient". Perhaps you had Br. A. Edward for humanities in your senior year at the Prep (1971-72).

The third 5 and 10 between Forest and Onderdonk was McCrory's in the 70's and 80's. I don't know if that's the one you mean. I don't remember a HL Green. Anyway, in the late 90's, McCrory's closed and it became a "junk store" for about a year or two. In the mid 90's, it was combined with the store to it's left, and "The Fair" left it's famous corner at Onderdonk and Myrtle, and moved into the old McCrory's space.

Thanks for the correction, Bway, and for the reminder about "The Fair". I bought some shirts there in spring 1995. ABC = Always Bring Cash or : Aloha Bill Clinton ! Yes, that's the one I mean. The name "H L Green" was probably before your time.

Peter, I remember the Math Fair quite well, and feeling like I was an outsider at the event. I was,and still am, a bit of a rennaisence person, dabling in lots of related areas. I don't remember the conversation regarding Xenakis, but I'm not surprised; I'm still composing music, but now with the aid of software. But Br. A. Edward doesn't ring a bell; sorry.

Does anyone remember PS81 having a summer program for kids? I seem to remember playing all kinds of ball games in the fenced in playground area, and board games or ping pong (?) on rainy days.

Bill, I wish you well with the software-aided music you are now composing. Perhaps you didn't have Br. A. Edward for humanities that year.

I said hello to Gasper Ilasi for you at lunch today, but he unfortunately did not remember you from the Prep, glee club or otherwise, although I tried to jog his memory.

Ooops, typo alert above, I meant the late 80's, McCrory's closed, not the late 90's.....

The summer program at PS81 dates back to at least the late 1950's. You could play softball or basketball outside in the school yard. Inside in the basement they had ping pong tables and hockey tables which I think we used to call knock hockey. They even opened up the woodshop for the boys so you could make something. I think I made bookends shaped like a horses head. You could also sit at the tables inside and play regular board games like checkers or whatever else was popular at the time. It was free, it was fun, and for the most part it kept us out of trouble.

Hi all,

I have not been on for awhile but checked it out and saw again so many nice memories. First off, April HI! I always remember you living above a toy store I thought that was so great as a kid and if I remember right there was a machine pony you could ride for a coin outside the store. How are you and where are you? I am living in CT now and have been for sometime.

As far as the fire escape goes on the back side of the Ridgewood theatre it was still there when I went back to Ridgewood for a visit after 30 years last summer and I took a picture of it because I used to play on it as a child!!!!!!! With all the names put here online I have to ask if anyone knows about Jimmy Mahoney from St. Brigid's?

DABOC24

MONICA--i read your web site and for a young lady you certainly have a love for ridgewood keep up the good work ..i am an old timer age 77 now living in ocala florida email is metz1928@wmconnect.com I AM GOING TO ASK YOU A special FAVOR....i remeber ridgewood in the 1930s and would love to have aphotograph of Dorest Avenue near the train station and an OLD butcher shop about half a block away on the corner near putnam av ...it was called i think WILLIAM HARMS MEATS ..if you could take a snapshot i would greatly appreciate it...i do not have your email address yyou could post it on this site or maybe email me as an enclosure many many thanks and bless you william metzelaar another email address is wmetzelaar@aol.com i hope to hear from you on cinema treasures or via email gracias

TO MONICA that was FOREST AVNUE EL STATION not dorest(mispell

I remember well this 1971 re-release of "The House of Wax". My father took me and 3 of my friends to see it Christmas Week when we were off from school. It seems like an odd holiday release but the Ridgewood was packed. We sat in the blacony because my father wanted to smoke.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/TheBoyFriend.jpg

In 1968 the Ridgewood was part of this Universal Premiere Presentation for "Countess From Hong Kong"
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/CountessFromHongKong.jpg

All I have to say is "OMG". I stumbled upon this site while searching for some information for my daughter about Ridgewood. I couldn't stop reading and especially flawed when I read DABOC's posting because I grew up at 1681 Madison St and remember her and April growing up. I have so many fond memories of the Ridgewood because as a kid our life revolved around it. We played on that side of Madison because nobody lived there. I played Ace, King Queen with Daboc. We played stickball with spauldings purchased from Joe's Army and Navy store for 11 cents and tried to throw them over the Ridgewood Movie Theater's roof when they died. Every Wednesday they would push the ladder cart out of the stage entrance and roll it down Madison St to Myrtle and change the marquee. We would try to figure out what the jumbled letters were going to say so we could get in first to see the movie from the children's sections with the overseeing matron that made sure you stayed in that section. In the summer when I was off from PS 81, they would open the doors to air the theatre. We would sit in the theatre as Smitty and Frank cleaned just to get some relief from the hot summer days. Once in a while the guys would lock us in. And yes when I grew older we figured out a way to sneak in by leaving a door open saving that 50 cent admission. I remember the first movie I saw at night with my Dad and the first time I sat in the balcony was 1963 "How the West was Won". I also remember the new technology of closed circuit broadcast of the Sonny Liston/ Cassius Clay boxing match and my Dad standing in line to get in. This was a great trip down memory lane.
DABOC- do you remember 5 cent candy at Mike's deli? Playing Blindman buff inside the gate with those beautiful picket fences? and I do remember the Dave Clark 5 making a personal appearance at the
Ridgewood. And James Brown at the Madison. The Madison is another story. Thanks all for the memories.

Hi, DABOC24. I don't remember a Jimmy Mahoney from St. Brigid's, unfortunately.

Hi, April W. Sorry for having been out of touch so long. I know I owe you an e-mail, and I will send you one, soon, I hope.

I just noticed that my comment count has dropped by at least 30 comments. Is there a new policy where you reach a certain level and then you go into reverse mode? Also, I added a theater about 2-3 days ago and it still isn't listed on here. The name of the theater is the San Carlos Theater. If there is a problem with the website, it would be nice if we were informed of the problem.

Since my comment count seems to be in reverse mode now, there is no incentive for me to post messages. And why add theaters if they aren't going to show up on the list. Let me know when things are working normal again. Until then, I'm taking a vacation from this site.

BTW....As far as I can tell, the only two people that had their comments reduced are me and Chuck. In a strange sort of way, I find that funny!

My 30 comments and the San Carlos Theater are still missing. Okay, I'll check again tomorrow.

Lost, why don't you try emailing one of the webmasters or Bryan? They may not see your message here, as they probably don't read every post posted under every theater.

Bway....I don't believe that Bryan has anything to do with this problem. I think the system "ate" the theater I added and the missing comments. I don't use the comment list to see who is ahead in comments. I do use it for another purpose which I can't post here. I can tell you via email if your interested. I posted the message in this theater because this is where it all began for me and the way things are going there is a very good chance that this is where it will all end.

Nothing yet? See you tomorrow.

I thought for sure that you would have found something by now. I'll be back.

How do you track the # of comments you have on this website? I don't see where in my profile or anywhere else it shows how many comments I've posted overall. Only a list of theaters in which I've ever made comments. Lost... you really ought to try contacting the site to see what happened. Maybe they can fix it?

Hi Ed....I look at it this way, I spend alot of time finding theaters to add and interesting links/messages to post so the people running this site could take the time to find these messages. Its not really the 30 missing comments, its the principal of it. I could make those 30 comments up in one day if I wanted to, but why should I when they were mine to begin with. Anyway, to check the number of comments that people have, click here. That page goes from highest to lowest. If you don't see your name, click "next" at the bottom of the page.

Lost Memory, you're welcome to make as many comment as you like!

If you have any missing comments, it's most likely a technical error of some sort. We certainly have no reason to prevent you from making comments on Cinema Treasures.

Congrats, btw, for being our number one poster!

Patrick....Can you restore those 30 comments? While your at it, you can add a few extra if you like. (just kidding) Something strange is going on with that counter. It seems to go up and down depending on how many comments that I post. If I continue to post, I might be the first person to reach zero. Is it technical or does the site need an exorcism? :)

Damn, Lost Memory! You're #1 by a mile! I somehow figured Warren might be runner up. I didn't even crack the first page (top 35)... but I am at least in the top 50 (#46 as of today), so I've something to strive towards.

Seriously, now that I've seen the list, I have to give many thanks to all the people who've made contributions to this site with their various listings, posts and comments. Kudos in particular to all the regulars (or should I say "the usual suspects") and NYC experts who have given me such a wonderful education in all matters historical, architectural, technical and ephemeral on a topic that is so very near and dear to my heart. All the detective work to find interesting photos and historical data as well as the anecdotal information and personal recollections have brought so many of these great theaters so vividly to life - reviving memories of my own in some instances and painting beautiful evocations of places I never had a chance to experience first hand in others. This is a fantastic little cyber-community we've got going on and I am very thankful to be a part of it. We should all treasure it.

Thanks again.

By the way, there definitely seems to be a problem with disappearing posts and it isn't just Lost Memory having issues. I created a listing for the Victory Theater in Bayside, NY and a post from Warren (in fact the only post on that page) has gone missing from the site: http://cinematreasures.org/theater/13793/

Ed....Your missing message is probably "somewhere" on this website. I had that happen to me also. I posted a message in one of the theaters and it turned up in one of the news files. If you ever find the message, just copy and paste it back where it belongs.

As far as the comment counter goes, I posted a message before and it increased by one. I posted a second message and the count didn't change. A third message increased it by one. I guess that its a two for one sale. You need to post two messages to increase the count by one. :)

Update on the comment count. Today I posted three comments and received credit for one. It is now a three for one sale. I'm starting to believe that an exorcism may be necessary and I have Father Guido standing by. :)

This is a test.

Ok, that last message counted. It appears that the first message doesn't change the counter but the second or sometimes it takes three messages to advance the counter.

Is there still a need for Father Guido ? How about those prominent screen priests, Fathers Merrin amd Karras ? Father Flanagan ? How about the priests from "Going My Way" and "Bells Of St. Mary's" ?

Yeah, yeah, I know, stop with the Pat O'Brien bits ....

Bing Crosby and Pat O'Brian are no match for this demon. It's time to bring in the ultimate weapon. I'm going to call Sister Mary Immaculate of Brooklyn and ask her to bring her large wooden ruler. That should remove the curse from this website once and for all. :)

Something tells me that those 30+ missing comments are going to remain missing. But, the comment counter seems to be working okay now. Win some, lose some.

Peter....Check out this link that I found.

Thanks, Lost Memory ! How did you know that tomorrow is my 50th birthday ?

It was a lucky guess. Actually, I believe that you mentioned it somewhere on this site. I would have gotten you a cake but I can't figure how to get it into the message. :) You only lived half your life. I hope the next 50 are even better than the first. Happy Birthday Peter!

I get into Ridgewood 3-4 times per month. This past Monday as I approached the Ridgewood Theater I noticed a new cafe style restaurant that has recently opened about two doors west of the theater entrance on Myrtle Avenue. It is atypical of what you find in the neighborhood-it appears to be an upscale, smartly decorated and well lit cafe. I was on the bus and could not catch the name of the place. I have been noticing many small signs of improvement in the past few years and I take this as a good omen for the area. This could only help insure the future of the last remaining theater from Ridgewood's heyday.
I am also happy to report the renovation of the Myrtle/Wyckoff subway station is moving along and the new tile frieze is an exact reproduction of the original one. I look forward to the final results. Regards to all who grew up in this great neighborhood.

Thats good news mrbillyc. I want to make a trip back to the homeland (Ridgewood). I wasn't sure if I should take a camera or an automatic weapon. It sounds like the old neighborhood is improving and I can take the camera. Although I might wear a flak jacket just to be on the safe side. :)

Thank you, Lost Memory ! Having survived the fires of my youth, I now look forward to my approaching maturity.

You have implicitly wished me the Polish "sto lat !", which means, may you live to be a hundred ! Thanks !

Yes, take a camera to Ridgewood, but wear a flak jacket to be on the safe side, if you wish. You might wish to question Bway and mrbillyc about their recent experience.

Thanks for the news and the current details of Ridgewood, mrbillyc. I will be back there some time this week. Regards to you, too.

Bushwick has been making a comeback, so how can Ridgewood be far behind ?

Unfortunately, Ridgewoood's adjoining neighborhood of Bushwick was in the news in a bad way a week ago : the woman who was pushed into her home near Irving, Myrtle and Grove and allegedly raped by two 83rd Precinct police officers.

There was also that news of that man stabbed while coming home to 67-68 Booth Street in Forest Hills.

I spoke Polish? I didn't know that I could speak Polish. Years ago I did date a Polish girl but I'm not sure if that counts. I should be going to Ridgewood sometime in December. If I survive the trip, I'll post my observations here. :)

See, Lost Memory ? You learn something new every day !

I rather think you will survive your December Ridgewood trip, and I look forward to reading the observations that you will be posting here.

It would be ironic if, after surviving Vietnam, you did not survive your December Ridgewood trip !

Like Randle P. McMurphy of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" leading an escape from a Red Chinese prison camp in North Korea, yet falling prey to Big Nurse in the U.S.A.

I did another test. I just posted eight comments and the counter increased by five. I don't like those odds. Right now I'm cleaning house. I have alot of photo links bookmarked that I want to post before I say Sayonara. Stay tuned.

Again, the comments counter is only there as a courtesy. We don't guarantee its accuracy.

I understand that the counter is not 100% accurate, Patrick. It reminds me of the gas pump in the gas station. You never know how accurate that thing is either. Don't worry about it, one day you will get it working right.

Peter....I never answered your military questions before because I dislike talking about "THAT" war. I lost too many friends there and I hope that you understand. As they say in the Army, I'm a "Short Timer". One day and a wake-up call. ;)

Yes, Lost Memory, I understand. Thanks for the explanation. Does your handle have anything to do with your war experience, as in memories you wish you COULD lose, but haven't, yet ?

Sort of. I can phrase it this way: There are things that I remember and wish that I didn't and then there are things that I wish I could remember but can't. Confusing?

No, it's crystal clear. I know exactly what you mean. My mother said almost exactly the same thing after her electric schock treatments 40 1/2 years ago.

Why am I leaving? I have no idea. :) Seriously, I won't get into it in this message area. Let's just say that it's time for me to move on. I have other interests and I have found sites where I can pursue those interests. Those interests are not theater related. I would not leave here for another theater website. That would be a foolish thing to do since this site is the top of the line and it doesn't get any better than this.

I would like to put a rumor to rest. Some people believe that there was a contest going on and that was the reason for monitoring the comment count. Well, that is not true. The comment list can be viewed here. Go ahead and take a look, I'll wait. Now, who was I having a contest with? Myself? No one is even close to me. If I remained here, that gap would grow even wider since I have no problem finding things to post. And more people monitor that comment list than you can imagine. Also, I am not obsessed with the comment count and I don't have O.C.D. but thanks for your concern.

Patrick, Ross and Bryan do an incredible job of keeping this site running. I want to thank them for allowing me to be a part of this great website. The site itself is a "Treasure" and I hope that it continues to operate for many, many years. The number of theaters listed here have more than doubled since I've been a member and I hope that trend continues. Keep adding those theaters and posting comments. And remember, "Don't Demolish Them---Re-Open Them"! Take care and I hope that everyone has a great holiday.

Elvis has left the building.........long live the King!

Perusing LM's list of top commenters above was informative.Wonder how he found it.

.... Did this site have its IPO on October 6, 2003 ?

Ciao Elvis and LM.

Some pix that I snapped around 2PM on 12/27/05. Note the stars over the entrance doors. Are they permanent or just for the holidays?
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/ridge1.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/ridge3.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/ridge5.jpg

Thanks for the recent pix, Warren. I think the stars are just for the holidays.

They never take any care in the way they display their one sheets in those frames.

I would guess that the Ridgewood's future is extremely limited, especially in view of the upcoming debut of the new and certainly more luxurious multiplex in the Atlas Park development. The entrance to the Ridgewood is so shoddy and unwelcoming that I can't imagine anyone wanting to buy a ticket unless they were absolutely desperate and had nowhere else to go. Also, though it was early afternoon and a school holiday, I saw no one buying tickets. The shopping district of Ridgewood was also nearly deserted, and must be even worse at night.

The Ridgewood draws heavily from Brooklyn so I guess it could survive, but they don't seem to be doing anything to keep it up since they were the only game in town for so long.

So many people in Ridgewood are within walking distance of the Ridgewood Theater, I can't see many of them taking a bus and then walking to the Atlas Park development at Cooper and 80th in Glendale instead.

I think Myrtle Avenue is still very busy at night.

Myrtle Ave is busy at night. The part of Myrtle Ave is a bit seedy from about where the Ridgewood Theater is towards the Madison Theater location, It's been like that since the 70's. However, going in the opposite direction from the Ridgewood Theater, it's gets better and better block by block. Myrtle AVe is still a thriving biusiness district, and starting from about the Ridgewood Theater's block and onwards towards Glendale.
As for the condition of the Ridgewood, it hasn't changed at all since the 1980's. It's been sort of "seedy" looking when it was still one theater even! I used to go there all the time as a kid, and into my teens. Throughout the late 80's and into the 90's it was always a sort of "stick to the floor" theater. Once I was old enough to take the subway "alone" (without adults), my friends and I "abandoned" the Ridgewood for the Forest Hills theaters, like the Continental and the Midway.
The last time I was in the Ridgewood Theater was in 1991 to see "Problem Child" with John Ritter. The outside looked just like it does now, it really hasn't gotten worse, it "always" looked like that, at least since the 70's. Like I said, it was "seedy" looking when I was a kid in the 70's already, and when it was only one theater (those multicolored mosaics were there then already near the ticket booth). The Madison was always the "fancy" theater back then, and if you wanted "clean" you went to the Oasis on Fresh Pond Rd (where my mother always took me as a kid). The Ridgewood may be an old workhorse, but I always remember it as the dirtiest of all the theaters that were in the area, both inside and out, and again, that goes all the way back to the 70's.
Ironic, that the "seediest" theater was the one that survived out of all the others. They were always able to keep the "Status Quo" in maintenance, but I do believe the Ridgewood may get a real run for it's money once the Glendale Atlas Terminal opens. They may have to begin thinking about upgrades, I'm sure nothing was done on the inside since I was last there in 1991 either, as the outside looks just like it always did...

'Tonino....Paisan, to answer your question I was here about 9 or 10 months when someone showed me the link to the comment count. At that time I was already number three on the list. I didn't try to become number one, it just happened. Eventually another person will become number one. Records are made to be broken. I just posted three comments and the counter reduced my comments by twelve. It appears that the comment counter is still messed up so it might take someone a little longer to pass me. :)

Anyway, I just stopped by to turn off the email notification. I didn't realize that I had it enabled for so many theaters. I think it would be easier to just change my email address.

It would be interesting to get a map of NYC and plot on it the Ridgewood Theater, and all the theaters adjacent to it in every direction, including the proposed Glendale Atlas Terminal multip