Loew's Willard Theatre

The Loew's Willard Theatre was located at 9601 Jamaica Ave in Richmond Hill area.

The Willard Theatre first opened on November 26, 1924, and was the first theatre that the Loew's circuit actually built in Queens. Its only other theatre in Queens at that time was the Astoria, which Loew's purchased from its original owners, Ward & Glynne, in 1923. The Astoria first opened in 1920...The shell of the Willard still stands, but the interior was completely gutted in the 1950s for a catering hall that remains in business to this day.

The address for this theatre is incorrect, making the map also incorrect. The Willard (now a catering hall) is located at 96-01 Jamaica Avenue, Woodhaven, NY 11421. Woodhaven borders on Richmond Hill, but is a separate community. Both are in the borough of Queens, which is part of New York City.

I think the Willard Theater is now the Cordon Bleu Catering Hall in Woodhaven, Queens. If you go to www.nycsubway.org, BMT Lines, BMT Jamaica Line, Woodhaven Blvd. station images, you can catch a glimpse of the once Willard, now Cordon Bleu, in the images that face east, with the power towers of the abandoned LIRR Rockaway Line in the distance, just beyond the Willard.

Yes, Cordon Bleu is the ex-Willard. I took some digital photographs of the exterior last year, and will post them if that ever becomes possible. I wanted to go inside, but the manager wouldn't permit me. He did say, however, that the interior was totally gutted and that nothing remains from the Willard days. From what I could see, he was probably correct. The decor reminds of a 1960s motel. The Jamaica Avenue facade has been covered over with false windows and imitation tiles.

There are nine images of the Woodhaven Blvd. station of the BMT Jamaica line at : www.nycsubway.org All but the most recent of them, dated January 30, 1983, face east, show the tracks curving to the right, and show the Cordon Bleu, ex-Willard near the vanishing point. It appears as a pink brick building with dark grey sloped roof.

Here are links to the aforesaid eight images showing the former Willard Theater:
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?4593
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?4450
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?5631
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?2215
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?2121
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?2136
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?2168
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?2109

Repetitious, but ample.

How nice was this theatre? Did anyone ever see movies here? I remember someone telling me once they went 4 days in a row to the Willard to see "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers". A few months later she did the same when the Haven got it. The name is pretty rotten though.

The Willard was the very first theatre that Loew's built in Queens, so it was considered quite luxurious for the time. People flocked there from all over Queens to see the first-run movies and accompanying vaudeville. Along with Loew's Astoria, which the circuit acquired after it had been running for two years, the Willard was one of the top theatres in Queens until Loew's opened others in Queens, starting with the Hillside and Woodside in 1926. Eventually, the Willard and all other Loew's theatres in Queens were reduced to playing sub-run to the Valencia, which opened in January, 1929 and became an exclusive first-run for the borough. But Loew's always did a good job of maintenance on the Willard and it remained the pride of the Woodhaven-Richmond Hill area, rivaled only by the RKO Keith's Richmond Hill, which was built two years later. Loew's finally disposed of the Willard to comply with the federal anti-trust decree against the company. The theatre became an "indie" for a time before being converted to a catering hall.

The Queens Chronicle dated June 23, 2005 has an article and picture of the Garden Theater in Richmond Hill taken in 1937. They mention the Willard Theater in the article.

Thanks for mentioning that article Frank. I'm going to post a link to it in the Garden theater message area.

A 2003 photo of the Willard as catering hall:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/th_115-1587_IMG.jpg

The Loew's Willard Theatre, on Jamaica Avenue and 96th Street (formerly Willard Street) opened on November 24, 1924 as a vaudeville and motion picture house with a capacity of 2500. I got this info from a book called "The Story of Woodhaven and Ozone Park".

Thanks, Warren and klass, for your input. Yes, klass, those numbered streets used to be all named streets : 104th St. : Oxford Avenue, 111th Street : Greenwood Avenue, names preserved for awhile in the names of the Liberty Avenue (Lefferts A train) el stations.

Seeing this Willard page knocked my socks off! Because it closed about 1960 or so, very soon after I'd moved to the new neighborhood, I'd almost totally forgotten this B-I-G gem of a theater.

The guys and I would take the el to Woodhaven Blvd. station, and then it was only a few blocks' walk on Jamaica Ave. Had seen a couple cheezy Hammer films there, "The Giant Behemoth," with animation by Willis "King Kong" O'Brien, and one called "Horrors of the Black Museum." Every kid in the neighborhood came back trying to devise a pair of binoculars with needles or sharp nails that shot out directly into victims' eyeballs and blinded 'em. We were fun dudes.

I think there was a catering hall there that went belly-up prior to being taken over by Le Cordon Bleu. My kid sister had her "Sweet 16" party there in 1973.

One oddity: The next station on the el used to be 102nd St. Now I find that end closed and the station has been renamed 104th St. Did 104th St. have a stronger and more influential block association???

Either that, BklynJim, or it was to achieve consistency with the Liberty El (Lefferts A Train) 104th Street station, which, as you probably know, used to be the eastern end of the old BMT Fulton St. el.

It IS odd, because 102nd Street is a two-way street, and becomes Freedom Drive in Forest Park, and 104th Street (the former Oxford Avenue) does neither.

I leave it to el expert Bway to elaborate further.

I first saw "The Giant Behemoth" on TV WOR Channel 9 in fall 1961 at age six, then for the first time on a movie screen at Film Forum in summer 1987 or 1988. I now have it, and the other two Eugene Lourie-directed dinosaur movies, "Gorgo" and "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" on VHS, taped off AMC.

"Black Museum" : I remember those binoculars spring-loaded with six-inch prongs, so when the victim put them to her eyes and adjusted the focus ....

For a young guy, ya did a lot of catchin' up. I'm very impressed, Peter! "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" was one of my earliest faves. Bradbury! Harryhausen! (Check out their superb interviews on the WB DVD.) My mom wouldn't let me see it that summer, that it would give me nightmares, but when I explained my nightmares had been pretty tame, she relented and I got to see it on the next go-'round at the Peerless. But she totally freaked out the following year when her movie-addicted first-born kept clammoring madly for "THEM!" (To this day, I immediately check the horizon if I should hear a squeaky fan belt in the distance growing ever louder...)

Hey, if you check out today's comments on the Loew's Kameo page, do ya think it's possible to hold...

*pausing here to catch breath*

...a WHIT BISSELL FILM FESTIVAL in TriBeCa later this year? (Tor Johnson remains my alternate suggestion.)

[I still say 104th St. probably clobbered 102nd St. in softball.]

Thanks for the compliment, and for calling me young !

"THEM !", eh ? I know what you mean about that squeaky fan belt sound, growing ever louder.

"Enough formic acid pumped into him to kill an elephant !"

"Saturate the nest ? If I can still lift an arm when we get out of here, I'm gonna see how saturated I can get !"

Did you notice Leonard Nimoy's bit part ?

"The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms" :

"It's exactly as I pictured it, except that the dorsal fin is singular, not bilateral ! But he's enormous ! And the clavicular suspension is ... cantileveric ! But the most astonishing thing about it is that ..."

The scariest part for me was when the rhedosaurus ate the NYC policeman.

"Monster at Nassau and Pine !"

The scene of the monster coming ashore at the Fulton Fish Market was later copied in the 1998 film "Godzilla" with Matthew Broderick.

The original "Godzilla" was inspired by the success in Japan of "The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms".

Whit Bissell, Tor Johnson, Ned Glass, Stanley Adams, William Schallert, Robert Shayne, Richard Deacon, Raymond Bailey, John Hoyt, John Agar, Morris Ankrum ....

"Oh, no ! Not HIM again !"

You could be right about the softball !

Tech Sgt. Leonard Nimoy, as he walks to the teletype machine and sez to the cutie: "It's T.S. stuff - Top Secret."

"T.S." is "Top Secret?" Wasn't in my part of Brooklyn.

In "Beast," one of the scariest moments for me was fire destroying the roller coaster in Coney Island! "NOOOO!!!" The other was watching the soldiers drop to the ground from the wounded beast's infected blood. The funniest was his coming ashore in lower Manhattan's Fulton Fish Market. Loved those guys' expressions!

If you get a chance, rent "Half Human." It's a likeable, pleasant enough bomb, and like "Godzilla" (same Japanese director), the film also features the same three Japanese lead actors/actress from "Godzilla, King of the Monsters." They also add the likes of John Carradine, as they did with Raymond Burr, to woo U.S. audiences. (After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, why would they even bother? They'd get even in years to come by selling us their cars, tvs, stereos, etc.)

"Get the antennae! Get the OTHER antenna! He's helpless without it!" - Professor Edmund Gwenn to Nevada Trooper James Whitmore in the desert

Good, good ! Thanks for the tip on "Half Human". I remember a apanese sci fi flick in which a man told a woman to take off her clothes, and people turned into pools of green liquid. Was that it ?

Speaking of Japanese, ever see "The Manster" ?

I remember the antenna line from "Them !"

Nah, no green liquid, PK. And too cold for clothes removal. The one you're referencing may have been in the 1959 color import, "The Mysterians," something I'll be posting about very soon on the RKO Bushwick page. (Lookit! My own Coming Attractions! *Sheesh!*) Anyway, please remind me if it doesn't go up in a week or so.

"Half Human" had to do with the Abominable Snowman, or something like that. Avalanches. Cute Japanese wenches. Wooden acting. Loud snoring...

Never saw "The Manster" that I recall, but you've gotta see "MANT" within the John Goodman flick, "Matinee." I KNOW yer gonna luvit!!! Rent it this weekend and let them memories roll...

If I may join the fray for a sec... was "The Manster" the one where a monster is growing out of a guy's body - and it begins with an eye on his shoulder!?!? I think I recall that one from my Creature Features days with The Creep on WNEW channel 5. I don't remember that one being Japanese... but my memories of it are very faint.

Come on in, the water and the monsters are fine !

Yes, EdSolero, that's exactly it !!! I first saw it on "Supernatural Theater", Saturday 8:30-10 PM WOR Channel 9 in the spring of 1965. Yes, it WAS Japanese, but the guy who had "The Manster" growing out of him was white, and played by an actor with an uncanny resemblance to William H. Macy.

Tell me more about The Creep from Creature Features !

Bklyn Jim, EdSolero, anyone else that's interested, here is a link to the board I hang out on to discuss monster and other type movies.
It's troll and flame-free, and there's lots of great people there :

http://www.goliathboards.com/users5/angelique/index.cgi

The Creep was the host of WNEW's "Creature Features" program (portrayed by former two-bit actor, radio personality and voice over artist Lew Steele) on Saturday nights at 8:30. He was a fixture in the early 70's. Around 1980 or so, they brought him back for another couple of years. He was a slender middle aged man with silvering hair who wore a black turtleneck under a dark sports coat and a pair of sunglasses. He had a dry and subdued sense of humor and would often run word games where they'd flash certain words in caption format during the broadcast and towards the end if the Creep picked your name from all the entries and called you up, you would have to arrange the word into the name of a movie or what have you to win a prize. What an awful run-on sentence that was, but I have no time to fix it!

Anyway, Steele died in 2001 of a heart attack at age 72, survived by his wife - radio and TV psychic Laura Steele.

By the way... Steele was the guy who first intoned the words "It's 10 PM... do you know where your children are?" that precedes the Channel 5 broadcast of the 10 O'Clock News to this day!

Thanks, EdSolero !

The Manster is (was?) available from sinistercinema.com

Sad to see yet another listing being turned into a dumping ground for OT chitchat. I pity anyone who's seeking information about Loew's Willard and has to wade through all this bilge to get to it. Why isn't there a monitor to screen all comments before they get posted?

CRIPES, there's no avoiding the gripes from this crank case.

If members observed the rules and regulations, there would be no cause for "crankiness." Off-topic posters are like cockroaches, and will eventually contaminate the entire website if they're not exterminated ASAP.

Don't be sad. Here is something to brighten your day. Finally, an economical solution to the bilge problem. It is the new and improved "Thirsty-Mate Bilge Pump". Just 6 strokes can remove a full gallon of bilge comments. Order now for only $29.95. Hurry, supplies are limited. You can view and order the "Thirsty-Mate Bilge Pump" at this link.

Thanks, Lost Memory. I was thinking of something similar myself.

Maybe we can all chip in and buy the webmeister a "Thirsty-Mate Bilge Pump" for Christmas. We can have it gift wrapped!

Great idea, L M ? How about a "Roach Brothel" to go with it ?

You mean, the wannabe webmeister !

"Warren Samsa awoke from uneasy dreams one morning to find himself transformed into some monstrous great vermin ..."

- Franz Kafka, "The Metamorphosis"

Maybe Lord of Lowenbrau would be more appropriate. I think that we should share the "wealth". Lets send him over to Cinematour to annoy them for awhile. I doubt that he would last very long over there.

I don't pay the cranky fella no mind. Let him ramble. He is a spokesperson for Satan.

Is this the Battle Of The Bilge ?

"Maybe we can all chip in and buy the webmeister a 'Thirsty-Mate Bilge Pump' for Christmas."

It might be misused.

OTOH, that might be a GOOD thing! :)-

Sheesh! I come back from a week's vacation and find that Warren wants me exterminated! If I know what's good for me I better stick to statistical facts and historically significant data germane to this theater...

Well... here's a local.live view of the old Willard (which looks perfectly intact from the exterior despite the interior gut job we know took place in the '50's for conversion to catering space):

View to the East

Hopefully, this opens properly. You may have to open the window to full size and zoom in, but the structure should be easily identifiable as an old theater, sitting along side the elevated J train tracks on Jamaica Ave. You can use the directional palette to rotate the view in any direction.

Well... naturally it doesn't open precisely as it should have. When you open the link (it doesn't work on Macs, unfortunately) close out the Welcome window on the left and zoom in by clicking on the larger building icon on the tool palette. Then you'll have to use your mouse to click and drag the image to the right in order to bring the theater into view. Sigh. Local.live is a great little site, but it can be damn frustrating post as a link!

Thanks, EdSolero !

The fly space seems pretty narrow from that view, doesn't it? It doesn't seem to be much wider than what the width of the proscenium would be. I was going to ask if that was common for a lesser vaudeville/movie house, but Warren commented early on this page that the Willard was considered a luxurious first-run house when it first opened.

Most people talk to themselves quite regularly, even when walking down the street; but, it is primarily done silently so it's not evident to onlookers. Whether or not we talk out loud, or silently, when we talk to ourselves, we are processing our thoughts. LOL

That's true, Lost Memory, but, with cell phones so common nowadays, like as not, when you see someone walking down the street, looking like they're talking to themself, it's probably someone talking on their cell phone, as lost in their own little world, and as oblivious to other people, as if they actually WERE talking to themself. It's like the 1965 Stones single, "Hey, you ! Get off my cloud !" or, more to the point, "Hurray for me, to hell with you !"

Peter....When Ed is in here typing these messages to himself, he is actually on his cell phone talking to someone else? Now I understand. LOL I'm just goofing with Ed. That is a great aerial photo. You probably thought that I couldn't spot the yellow van without the usual crayon mark circling it. Was there something else in the photo that I was supposed to see beside the van?

Only subliminal messages about the board game "Husker Du ?" and more trivia about Whit Bissell and Jay Overholts.

One should not judge the true size of anything from a view taken from thousands of feet away. Here is a ground view from 2003 showing part of the stage housing. It is commensurate with the overall dimensions of the auditorium, which ran parallel to Jamaica Avenue and had considerably more depth than width:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/willard903.jpg

Lost only toys with me because he loves me so much. And he knows I have a fondness for talking to myself (at great length I might add) on these theater pages. Go to the page for the Argo Theater in Elmont, NY to see a perfect example. That one spanned over several months! And no OT bilge on any of them!!! Actually, it is quite comical, isn't it?

Thanks for the ground level shot, Warren. The aerial view was a bit deceptive.

I'm reminded of my bus ride past Loew's Kings on Flatbush Avenue this past Thursday July 20, 2006. I knew roughly where it was, and had my eye out for it. Then (pleasant surprise !) I actually saw the name "Kings" in two places on the marquee.

Then I got an idea of the true size of the auditorium, when I looked above the marquee and saw its roofline looming several stories above adjacent lower buildings, like the profile of the back of a brontosaurus walking through low trees and brush, and protruding above it.

Whit Bissell was in The Manchurian Candidate. He is not in the credits. His character was a Medical Officer. I am at a loss as to Jay Overholts.

Absolutely Ed. Your one of the WMCA Good Guys! BTW...I'm still waiting for my free Good Guys T-shirt since 1967. How do you ship those T-shirts, by Turtle Express? LOL

Scott Muni took the mailing list with him, Lost... Sorry!

Jay Overholts was a bit part player on the original Twilight Zone TV series (1959-1964), along with, to a lesser extent, Merritt Bohn.

I grew up listening to the WMCA Good Guys. I first heard Scott Muni on WMCA late at night, 1960 or 1961, then in the late 1960's and early 1970's on WNEW 102.7 FM.

Scott Muni worked at WMCA and then went to WABC radio. Harry Harrison also worked at both stations.

Thanks, Lost Memory. But I definitely heard him on WNEW FM, when it was a first class FM rock station.

The WMCA Good Guys ... Joe O'Brien, Jack Spector (your main man Jake, booby !) Harry Harrison ? I need help naming the rest. There were at least half a dozen. Harry Harrison I remember being on WABC 770 AM, along with Frankie Crocker.

How about Murray The K and Cousin Brucie ?

I also remember Ron Lundy on WABC 770 AM.

Yes, Lost Memory, I just remembered, you and I dialogued about Murray The K privately, about two years ago. You sent me the link to that sound byte I should still have ....

MURRAY THE K'S SWINGIN' SOIREE IS NOW IN SESSION !
(loud snare drum fill)

More bilge for my people....

Scott Muni went to WNEW FM around 1967. The same year that my WMCA t-shirt should have been mailed. Coincidence? LOL

WMCA-various years

Joe O'Brien
Harry Harrison
Jack Spector
Dan Daniel
B. Mitchel Reed
Gary Stevens
Johnny Dark
Dean Anthony
Ed Baer
Herb Oscar Anderson
Frankie Crocker
Scott Muni


WABC-various years

Herb Oscar Anderson (another station jumper)
Harry Harrison (ditto)
Scott Muni (ditto again)
Dan Ingram
Ross and Wilson
Charlie Greer
Ron Lundy
Johnny Donovan
Chuck Leonard
George Michael
Bruce Morrow

I know that there are others that I am leaving out.

I still have the Murray The K sound file somewhere on this computer. My favorite jingle was the Cousin' Brucie jingle performed by the Four Seasons.

The Off-Topic Bilge Brigade seems to be out in full force today. And the Brigadier General's taste in music suggests that memory isn't the only faculty that he's lost.

Thanks, Lost Memory. There's been Doo Wop stuff on TV Channels 13 and 21 featuring, among others, Cousin Brucie, that you may have been enjoying.

BTW, have we posted any sick jokes about the films "Ben" and "Willard" on this page yet ?

It is said that music soothes the savage beast. Hopefully thats true. In honor of Warren, we will now play his theme song......


I could while away the hours
Conferrin' with the flowers
Consultin' with the rain
And my head, I'd be scratchin'
While my thoughts were busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain.

I'd unravel ev'ry riddle
For any individ'le
In trouble or in pain

With the thoughts you'd be thinkin'
You could be another Lincoln,
If you only had a brain.

Oh, I could tell you why
The ocean's near the shore,
I could think of things I never thunk before
And then I'd sit and think some more.

I would not be just a nuffin'
My head all full of stuffin'
My heart all full of pain.
I would dance and be merry
Life would be a ding-a-derry
If I only had a brain!

Who gets to confer the honorary degree of Th.D (Doctor Of Think-ology) ?

Big Dan Ingram, fat pontoons & all. WABC Radio 770 had a contest c. 1961: send them $10,000 and receive 25 words or less. (In French, no less!)

That is so funny Brigadier General. Has anyone entertained the notion that crankcase is enjoying the attention bestowed upon him? Perhaps we shouldn't feed the troll.

I have no doubt that he enjoys the attention. We might as well make him happy and continue to feed him. Remember, a well fed Troll is a happy Troll.

The following is a public service message from the Troll Institute:

"Trolls are vile, ugly and smelly little creatures. They are usually male, though female trolls do exist and can be quite vicious also. Due to a lack of social experience, trolls frequently go a week or more between showers or baths and can go for years between social outings. Trolls have no friends and will not accept friendship, therefore do not offer it. Trolls are especially dangerous when they miss an episode of Sesame Street or miss taking their daily nap.

At times, a troll can mimic human behavior. Never be fooled and let your guard down. A troll will sense vulnerability and attack. Never show kindness towards a troll. It doesn't understand kindness and again, it will attack. Trolls do not have the mental capacity of your average dustbuster, so you might have to repeat your response to the troll a number of times to get its attention. The more repetition and small words you employ, the easier it will be for your troll to respond quickly and easily.

A multiple person attack in most instances will contain the troll. Its mind is weak and feeble and can't respond fast enough to the multiple barrage. Over feeding a troll can be hazardous to its health. Over fed trolls do explode. It is the only known way to totally destroy a troll. Saving a troll's life is extremely difficult for all but the most experienced of therapists to accomplish. It takes years of intense therapy to rescue someone from a life of being a hopelessly inconsequential troll. Don't waste your time trying to save it. The only good troll is a silenced troll".

More Whit Bissell trivia coming at ya PKoch. Whit Bissell played Tom the scientist in Target Earth.

Thanks, mikemovies, I'll look it up. I really should look up Whit Bissell's page on the Internet Movie Data base.

Re : trolls : will the owners of Cinema Treasures (Brian and Chris ?) have a Warren out for our arrest ?

When you look in IMDB site PKoch it gives many TV shows that Whit Bissell guest starred in. He seems to be a famous character actor. I read the message from the Troll Institute. A troll is smelly so we should smell the troll before he arrives. haha

I find some odd movie titles PKoch. Ever see any of these movies. I haven't. Plan 9 from outerspace. The Brain Eaters. Mesa of Lost Women. Funny line from Plan 9; “Now, don't you worry. The saucers are up there. The graveyard is out there. But I'll be locked up safely in there.”

"Plan 9 from Outer Space" is one of the all time great bad movies... So bad it's sublimely entertaining. A must-see. And once you've enjoyed it, take a look at Tim Burton's fanciful bio-pic of the film's director, "Ed Wood" which hilariously re-creates much of the making of "Plan 9".

mikemovies, I practically know "Plan 9" by heart. One of my favorite lines (among many) is when the airline pilot says to the stewardess :

"Say ! How about you and me balling it up when we get to Albuquerque ?"

I think I saw "Mesa Of Lost Women" on TV as a kid. An air force bomber crash lands on the mesa to Miklos Rozsa film music I'd heard earlier in the George Reeves "Superman" TV show, and the "lost women" make reference to "the hairy men" when they speak with the bomber crew.

"The Brain Eaters" I haven't seen. I seem to be in more danger from
"The Fan Site That Ate My Brain".

Plan 9 From Outer Space is the movie where Bela Lugosi died during the filming. The space ship is a hubcap hanging from a string or wire which is very visible. Wasn't Bela Lugosi replaced by a dentist who kept the cape covering part of his face so you couldn't tell that it wasn't Bela Lugosi? One of my favorite "B" horror movie actors is in this movie, Tor Johnson the Swedish wrestler.

Lost Memory, that's correct about Lugosi. He was replaced by Ed Wood's chiropractor, who was eight inches taller and did not resemble Lugosi in the slightest.

Tor Johnson also appeared with Lugosi in "Bride Of The Monster" and in "Night Of The Ghouls", which was a sequel to either "Bride" or "Plan 9". It stayed unreleased for many years because Wood was broke, and unable to pay the lab bill to process the film !

I have all three Ed Wood films on the same VHS at home.

I think "Bride Of The Monster" was the last film that Lugosi lived through the completion of.

Thanks Peter. I knew the replacement actor was from somewhere in the medical profession. Tor Johnson was Lobo in Bride of the Monster. His character was also named Lobo in The Unearthly. One of the "better?" movies that Tor Johnson was in was called The Black Sleep. That movie had a number of big name actors or former big name actors depending on how you look at it. Actors such as Lon Chaney Jr, Bela Lugosi, and John Carradine. I wonder if its available on dvd.

You're welcome, Lost Memory.

I only saw "The Black Sleep" once on TV when I was a kid, and a mention of it in "Monster World" also back then, spring 1965. John Carradine played a resurrected Crusader fanatic, shouting something about the Holy Land, and "Kill, kill, kill !" The still from it in
"Monster World" showed both Carradine and Johnson.

You can try shopping for it on the IMDb to see if it's on DVD.

I saw "Mesa Of Lost Women", but not as a kid, not the Miklos Rozsa "hairy men" film I mentioned above. I saw it at Film Forum in lower Manhattan the summer of 1988 on a double bill with "Plan 9" plus a Captain Marvel episode. It starred Jackie Coogan as a mad scientist, almost unrecognizable, because he wore heavy black-framed glasses, and had false hair.

Actually - and here comes the OT bilge (break out the pumps!) - the footage of Lugosi that appears in "Plan 9" was shot several years before the movie was completed. In fact, the footage was shot before there was ever a script for "Plan 9". Wood shopped around the footage to investors as the last ever shot of Lugosi with the promise he would build a movie around it that could use Lugosi's name as a selling point. The way that reel of film is edited into the final movie (particularly the scene where Bela walks out of frame and is hit by a screeching car) is unbelievably hilarious!

Yes, EdSolero, I had wondered myself about those out-of-context day-for-night shots of Lugosi walking around in a grassy field in his Count Dracula outfit.

Welcome back, EdSolero! (Hope you either drove or ditched your tube of toothpaste with TSA and all the other Bushketeers.)

LM, rumors abound that "Black Sleep" will be released on DVD later this month or next. Previously available only on a bootleg video from PA.

Peter ("Kill! Kill!! KILL!") Punster, yer killin' ME! AAARRRRGGGHHHH!

I'm pushing for a Tor Johnson Film Festival. 31 movies, I'm told. Care to do the research on this, mikemovies? :)-

The Lugosi clips were filmed when Ed Wood still had a few coins in his pocket back in '56 and later inserted into "Plan 9" with Wood's dentist. It's now available on DVD in a colorized version.

In 1957, with the advent of "Shock Theatre" on NY TV Channel 7 (ABC), we nutsy kids actually would use a pay phone booth at a dime a pop to call the station. We'd ask to speak to Karloff and/or Lugosi. We were told that Boris was filming something-or-other in England, and that Lugosi was also out of the country. You bet he was - with the undead. They were sharp receptionists who didn't want to shatter l'il kids' dreams: the dissipated Lugosi had finally crapped out a year earlier from the ravages of las drogas.

This is what I could find for Tor Johnson on IMDB BrooklynJim.

The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961) .... Joseph Javorsky/The Beast
... aka Girl Madness (USA: reissue title)
... aka The Atomic Monster: The Beast of Yucca Flats
"Bonanza"
... aka Ponderosa (USA: rerun title)
- San Francisco Holiday (1960) TV Episode .... Busthead Brannigan
"Peter Gunn"
- See No Evil (1960) TV Episode .... Bruno


"Adventures in Paradise"
- The Lady from South Chicago (1959) TV Episode
Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) .... Insp. Dan Clay
Night of the Ghouls (1959) .... Lobo
... aka Revenge of the Dead
The Unearthly (1957) .... Lobo
Journey to Freedom (1957)
"The Adventures of Hiram Holliday"
... aka Hiram Holliday
- Dancing Mouse (1956) TV Episode (as Thor Johnson) .... Strongman
The Black Sleep (1956) .... Mr. Curry
... aka Dr. Cadman's Secret (USA: reissue title)
Carousel (1956) (uncredited) .... Strong Man
... aka Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel (USA: complete title)
The Magnetic Moon (1956) (TV) .... Naboro
You're Never Too Young (1955) (unconfirmed)
Bride of the Monster (1955) .... Lobo
... aka Bride of the Atom
"Rocky Jones, Space Ranger"
... aka Silver Needle in the Sky (USA: reissue title)
- Inferno from Space (1954) TV Episode .... Naboro
"General Electric Theater"
... aka G.E. Theater (USA: informal short title)
- To Lift a Feather (1954) TV Episode .... Bald-headed Man
Houdini (1953) (uncredited) .... Strong man
Lady in the Iron Mask (1952)
The San Francisco Story (1952) .... Buck
Angels in the Outfield (1951) (uncredited) .... Wrestler on TV
... aka Angels and the Pirates (UK)
Dear Brat (1951) (uncredited)
The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) .... Super Swedish Angel (wrestler)
The Reformer and the Redhead (1950) (uncredited) .... Guest at Finnish-American Rally
Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) .... Abou Ben
... aka Foreign Legion (USA: short title)


Alias the Champ (1949) (as Super Swedish Angel) .... Super Swedish Angel
Behind Locked Doors (1948) (uncredited) .... 'The Champ', a patient
... aka Hinter verschlossenen Türen
... aka The Human Gorilla (USA: reissue title)
State of the Union (1948) (uncredited) .... Wrestler
... aka The World and His Wife (UK)
Road to Rio (1947) (uncredited) .... Samson
Sudan (1945) (uncredited) .... Slaver
Lost in a Harem (1944) (uncredited) .... Majordomo
The Canterville Ghost (1944) (uncredited) .... Bold Sir Guy
Ghost Catchers (1944) (uncredited) .... Mug
Swing Out the Blues (1943) .... Weightlifter
The Meanest Man in the World (1943) .... Vladimir Pulasky
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) (uncredited) .... Jack the Ripper


Under Two Flags (1936) (uncredited) .... Bidou
Man on the Flying Trapeze (1935) (uncredited) .... Tosoff (the wrestler)
... aka The Memory Expert (UK)
Kid Millions (1934) (uncredited) .... Torturer
Registered Nurse (1934) (uncredited) .... Sonnevich

It looks kind of messy but I don't know why.

It's a shame to see yet another listing infested by members of the Off Topic Bilge Brigade, which is destroying the credibility of Cinema Treasures and driving away people dedicated to theatre history and research. Apparently, the managers of Cinema Treasures don't give a damn, or they would have stopped it by now.

Another non-theater related Troll comment. Your getting very good at making those types of comments. The exact thing that you whine about, you do yourself. Cinema Treasures has excellent credibility. Your the one that lacks credibility. If you told me that it was raining outside I would still look out the window just to be sure. As for driving away people, you are the single most cause of people leaving this site with your constant moaning and groaning. Stop scaring away the customers.

Why does the cranky fella keep following us around? We are just conversing about old movies. I don't understand why there is such a commotion made over it.

"Lost Memory," anyone who conceals their identity behind a pseudonym has zero credibility with me, so the feelings are mutual.

"Warren"...In the world that we live in today, you have to conceal your identity on a website such as this one because of trolls like you. Your address and phone number can be found very easily. Would you like proof? You seem to be obsessed with my screen name. Is it my aftershave that attracts you, or are you just lonely?

BTW....Always look on the "Sunnyside" of the street! LOL

I almost forgot, our surveillance cameras captured a photo of "Warren" leaving his home. It can be seen at this link. Thats a nice look but may I suggest less eyeliner next time. Don't be offended, but you should do something with your hair. The Michael Jackson look is out this year.

"Lost Memory," you're not telling me anything that I don't know already. I have never had any problems with listing my name, address, and phone number in directories. If problems should start now, I'll know the source and will take appropriate action...It seems that you are the one "obsessed." Why else would you go to the trouble of seeking out those details? I've never made a secret here of my identity, which appears in full on entry postings and with just my first name on follow-ups. Why would you need more than that for purposes of Cinema Treasures? Do you intend to visit or send a bomb in the mail? Thankfully, you goofed by admitting that you looked for my phone number and address, which is now on public record here and can't be removed no matter how hard you might try.

Would you care to speak to a law enforcement agent? I can arrange that very easily. Did you or did you not post the second comment that I am going to paste here? You have threatened another member with bodily harm. That violates the rules of this website and is ILLEGAL. I'm waiting for your explanation.

"Warren, how come your shit don't stink ? I have noticed you snide tone all over this site, and the smell of it doesn't add cachet to your knowledge.
posted by frankie on Apr 21, 2006 at 12:02pm

Frankie, how would you know? Have we ever shared a bathroom? If you ever again connect my name with the "s word," I will hunt you down and beat the "s" out of you!
posted by Warren on Apr 25, 2006 at 12:43pm"

You seem to enjoy threatening people, particularly gay people. I have other comments which are similar to that one that you have posted. I am giving you an opportunity to explain to the other members here what your motive was when you made that comment.

"Lost Memory," another member posted me privately that you and "frankie" are the same person. Until either or both of you reveal your true identities, I shall refrain from commenting on your posts. Those who hide behind pseudonyms surrender their rights to be treated like real people. I'm sure that anyone who read my "threat" against "frankie" for attacking me with the "S-word" knew it was intended figuratively and not literally. How would I track down a phantom? By hiring a private detective at $500 per hour?

Frankie and I are the same person? Thats funny "Warren". Why would I use a "real" name of Frankie and then use this pseudonym for a name? Did the other member tell you privately that I am also Bela Lugosi, Jeffrey Dahmer and possibly Jay Leno? You make some of the most idiotic statements that I have ever read on a website. I'm sure that "another member posted me privately". Well, I'm aware of who the cockroaches are on this site. Cockroaches usually travel in a group. Not a problem. "How would I track down a phantom? By hiring a private detective at $500 per hour?". By the same token, how could I track you down? I guess that it isn't possible then and you have nothing to worry about. And your threat against Frankie was "intended figuratively and not literally"? I doubt that very much. You might want to hire someone else to help write your comments since the one helping you now isn't very good at it. Just a helpful tip. You do have the right to remain silent. It might be a smart move on your part to exercise that right.

*whew!*

An admirable job, mikemovies, on that Tor Johnson list. I sincerely thank you for your efforts (which, BTW, did not look sloppy at all). We can always refer folks over here if they need any TJ info.

"A sure sign of insanity is to do the same thing twice and expect different results." - Anon./Unk.

Sorry to interrupt your message Jim, but I found another "Gem" posted by Warren and I would like to keep them all in one place for now. There are so many of them, I feel like I struck gold. He wants people to believe that these messages were written as a joke. Since he has demonstrated to us that he has no sense of humor, how could these messages be written in a joking way? Talk about an open and shut case!

"Frankie, you're back! And right where you belong. Sniffing at colons!
posted by Warren on May 31, 2006 at 9:57am"

I found a website for Tor Johnson BrooklynJim. Try the trivia test. Very easy. Perhaps PKoch would like to try also. See who gets the best score.
http://www.lethargiclad.com/tor/

Here is a simple question for the peanut gallery. What is the difference between posting a link to a movie ad for a theater and a few people posting comments about a movie that played at a theater? Why is the theater ad okay but the conversation about the movie is "bilge"? Maybe someone can enlighten me.

Don't ask me, I'm guilty of both offenses!

I got 4 out of 5 correct on the Tor trivia test. Better than I thought I would do. Thanks, mikemovies.

Lost Memory, rather than guess, I will let Warren speak for himself.

Guys....There is no difference. Usually after a movie ad is posted, people start a conversation about that movie. In our case, we have a conversation about a movie without the ad. So what. That doesn't make our comments "bilge". "Warren" has already expressed what he wants this website to become. We had this discussion in another listing and no one agreed with him. He is determined to get his way no matter what. He is turning this website into Cinematour 2. And the sad thing is, people are allowing him to do it. People are leaving here because of his constant "barking". No one will post any interesting theater stories because they are afraid that he will "bark" at them. Maybe its time to muzzle him. I might not succeed in stopping him, but I will put up one hell of a fight!

Lost Memory, for what it's worth, I will continue to post whatever I want to.

Thanks Peter. Its worth alot!

Got 100%, mikemovies, but with a brief explanation: 2 I had known; 2 I knew because of discussions on CT; and 1 lucky guess (#3). Have already shared your URL with some Tor aficianados. Good catch! THX!

Speaking of sites and percentages, I'll just throw this out as a math problem in perspective. The CT website boasts the listing of over 14,300 theaters. 6 are railed at for being having members considered to be OT: movie or actor discussions, and to a lesser extent, neighorhood friends and memories. Dividing the number of listings into the "bilge group" yields 0.0004195%, hardly worth getting anyone's BVDs - or panties - into a knot.

It's my hope that we can all try to understand that most members bring a little different expertise, knowledge, personality and even humorous and human viewpoints onto a pretty unique site, itself a treasure.

You're welcome, Lost Memory. And thank YOU !

BklynJim, 6 / 14,300 = 0.0004196 = 0.04196 %, which is 4.2 percent of a percent. I agree, hardly worth getting anyone's BVD's, panties, thong or otherwise, into a knot.

Just for chuckles, what six theaters are those ?

"It's my hope ..." Yes, mine, too, and I couldn't agree with you more !

Ridgewood, RKO Madison, Willard and any 3 of your choice where roaches breed and bilge gets sumped 'n' pumped. LOL!

Ha. I got 4 of 5 on the Tor Trivia. A very humorous - and obviously loving - tribute site.

I really wish I had a virtual bucket of cold water to splash on the heated battle currently raging in CT land. I don't plan on engaging in any sparring here. However, I have no intentions of curbing myself from making contributions to this site in any manner I see fit - whether it be posting a movie ad, sharing a photo, recalling a fond memory pertaining to a particular theater or - yes - making a jovial comment in the course of a friendly and casual off topic thread.

"Don't mind Lobo, he's as harmless as a kitten."
"Pull the string! Pull the string!"

Count me in fellas. I am fed up with crank case myself. I will help to take the fight to crank case. BrooklynJim your mathematical skills astound me. I agree that it is hardly worth getting anyone's BVD's, panties, thong or perhaps pamper's into a knot. Power to the people. Let's talk movies. I hope that no one cheated on the Tor Johnson test. 'fess up. haha

I don't even know what "Cinematour 2" is, so why would I want to turn this website into its equivalent? "Lost Memory"'s preposterous claims need to be rebutted immediately, before everybody starts accepting them as truth.

Cinematour 2 is a farce, it doesn't really exist, yet. Its alot like you, a farce. "preposterous claims need to be rebutted immediately". Does that include your preposterous claim that I am Frankie? I am still waiting for you to prove that preposterous claim, Mr. Credibility! How about "anyone who conceals their identity behind a pseudonym has zero credibility with me". Have you seen the list of people using a pseudonym as a screen name? Your making friends fast on here. Keep up the good work. People on this site are now learning that you live for these Troll messages. Troll messages are all you have left to contribute to this website. Got your camera handy? I feel a Kodak moment coming. LMAO


BTW....Say Hi to your email "advisor" Deep Throat who is also online right now. Deep Throat lives for these soap operas!

Point of View- I know little or nothing about the history or technical information about movie theatres. I come to this wonderful site to learn, and more importantly, to share memories. The movie theatres of my youth are all gone. Also gone are buildings like The Polo Grounds, Ebbets Field , old Madison Square Garden and countless other treasures . No matter how grand they were, they were only buildings, and buildings get torn down. What keeps them alive is the dialogue that takes place between us. We are the ones who bring them back to life. We are the ones who lived it. This site may have begun with the goal of collecting technical data on theatres, but it has evolved into much more than it's creators could have imagined. True, sometimes we ramble on- but I have seen how this connection has brought great joy to many, who without Cinema Treasures, would have lost touch with the wonder of their youth- much of which was spent at the movies.There is room here for it all .
Robbie

Well said Robbie... I've been saying the same thing for a while now. There's room for it all... until and unless the site's creators address the membership directly and let us know that voluminous tangential threads are crashing the server and threatening the future of CT. I think we'd have heard long ago if that were the case.

Well-said, robbie dupree and EdSolero. I couldn't have said it better myself.

Voluminous tangential threads don't belong on this site because it clutters the users' mail box with dozens of unwanted posts in a day. The feature where users are advised when a post has been received in a theater of interest is great for its intended use but is meaningless in the presence of off-topic replies. This happens too frequently in the Ridgewood section.

CSI: NY, get a life. You appear to be a real movie and theater afficiondo, but your inflammatory posts, constant bitching, and dissertations on Plaster are a nuisance to most users.

'Tonino... I definitely see your point. But it's an impossible thing to contain. I try to exercise a modicum of self control, but you can't always rely on that. And I'm the first to admit that I am guilty of getting caught up in OT discussions from time to time. Unless CT management is going to administer some sort of editorial control - and I perceive that as being unlikely - I think we're all going to have to accept OT threads as inevitability. The thing is, I think we may have now taken up just as much bandwidth arguing about OT ramblings as the OT threads have themselves!

I've turned off my notification on the Ridgewood page, opting to check in from time to time and see what's going on 0- particularly since the theater's CT number (4021) is now permanently imbedded in my memory.

Personally, I'd love to see a forum page here on CT where folks can take those threads that veer completely off course (i.e. the deep discussions of sci-fi flicks and movie quizzes and stuff like that), but some of the waxing nostalgic about movies seen at a particular theater or related neighborhood memories SHOULD be a part of the theater page. Such recollection can often provide social context and give folks from other parts of the country or world something human and emotional to which they may be able to relate on a personal level. That's the stuff you miss when all you concern yourself with are dates and statistical figures. But I do agree, when it comes to "Hey, did you know so-and-so from Jr. High", perhaps its time to take the conversation to email. Unfortunately, to have one, you have to have a tolerance for the other. If not, this becomes a dry scholarly site for research only and would read like a text book. And who the hell wants to read a text book? I think that was the whole point of Lost Memory's tongue-in-cheek dissertation on plaster. Am I the only one who "got" that joke?

Signing off on the topic now... Your resident moderate.

I always knew that you were smarter than the average bear Ed. :) The plaster lesson was boring as hell. Would people enjoy thread after thread of messages like that? I believe that the majority of members here would not. On the other hand, we can't be overwhelmed with messages about sitting in the balcony with Peggy Sue on saturday night either. There has to be a balance that will interest ALL members of this website and not cater to just a few from either side. Most of the off topic comments are being posted to "send a message" that this website is not for scholarly type people only. Learn tolerance and we will all get along much better and in turn this will be a better website for everyone.

BTW..."Your resident moderate" gave me an idea. Maybe there should be a moderator to monitor these listings. Someone that is open minded and impartial. When that person said enough, that would mean ENOUGH! You have my vote Ed!

"Lost Memory" seems to change his user name even more frequently than Jackie Kennedy Onassis did her underpants!

You are a kinky little devil "Warren". I didn't know that you were into dead women. Are you the official panty sniffer here? How are you and Mae West doing in the balcony?

One other thing Ed. As his above comment shows once again, there will never be peace with him. Do not label me as the bad guy because I exercise my right to defend myself as I see fit.

EdSolero: I enjoyed your comment. I too am apt to go off-topic, but it's mostly nostalgic recollections of my theaters in the hope of finding kindred spirits if not long lost friends. I have differnt recollections of my "favorites" list which I have described in their sections. I believe I saw most of the movies ever made from the '40s through the early '60s. As well as many made in the '30s which I saw in "re-runs" at the Acme or Belvedere, where I spent a few summers. I don't consider myself a movie or theater expert to the extent some on this list are.

You made a good suggestion regarding deselecting the notification button on the Ridgewood page.

LM's tongue in cheek remark about 'Plaster' was lost on me. It did however remind me of something my Industrial Design instructor at Brooklyn Tech had us memorize: "Portland cement is the product obtained by calcining to incipient fusion intimate and properly proportioned mixtures of argillaceous and calcareous materials without the subsequent addition of anything except water and calcined or uncalcined gypsum." And that is from memory.!!! Not a copy and paste job.

And I won't engage in flame wars.


Shalom, ciao, and excelsior.

I'm impressed 'Tonino! And I have no intention of engaging in any flame wars either. Every once in a while, I try to referee a point of consideration for both sides, but I think I might hang that up as well for now.

where did everybody go ? robbie

All Queens movie theaters' "Star Wars" victims, robbie. :(

Things have certainly gotten a might less interesting around here... and I don't just mean the fact that the flame wars have been doused.

The Willard's first engagement of "Gone With The Wind," which was two weeks after the film ended its run with the same policy at Loew's Valencia (1940):
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/will40.jpg

Thanks, Warren. What newspaper was that from ?

EdSolero, I've grown tired of flame wars.

Peter, I found that "GWTW" ad in a weekly newspaper from either Richamond Hill or Kew Gardens, but I don't remember which. The Willard used to advertise in both.

Thanks, Warren. Interesting, in that the Willard was neither in Richmond Hill nor Kew Gardens, but in Woodhaven.

PKoch & EdSolero: MyrtleAvEl@yahoo.com

Thanks, BklynJim, is that your private e-mail address you've supplied us with ? I clicked on it, and it automatically generated a blank e-mail addressed to it.

Peter, combat boots & camos are packed and ready to drop into a hot LZ before year's end, perhaps sooner. You can contact me using your IP. Ed's already been in touch. Thx.

Thank YOU. BklynJim !

I'm wondering if the Willard might have been built on the ground site of an earlier cinema called the Manor? I found an ad for the Manor from 1916 giving a Woodhaven address of Jamaica Avenue opposite Vanderveer Place and near Willard Avenue. It seems that Vanderveer Place and Willard Avenue are both now known as 96th Street, which is in the vicinity of the Willard (now a catering hall).

I found yet another early Woodhaven cinema called the Parkway Motion Picture Theatre, which in 1916 was advertised as being at 1163 Jamaica Avenue, near Yarmouth Street. The building number is extinct, but Yarmouth is now called 85th Street. I wonder if the Parkway might be listed here under a later name and a "modern" number for 1163?

To answer my own question of 12/6/06, the Manor was still operating on the day that Loew's Willard first opened in 1924, so one theatre did not replace the other. But the debut of the Willard did hasten the demise of the Manor, which closed well before the arrival of talkies.

Thanks, Warren.

The Willard was in the Adam style and had R. Thomas Short as architect, according to a pre-opening article in The Richmond Hill Record of November 21st, 1924. Here are excerpts from a long description of the theatre: "Loew's Willard is 125 feet in depth and has a frontage of 147 feet on Jamaica Avenue. The exterior is of light colored face brick with limestone ornamental trimming with strong granite base, of modern design and provided with flashing attractive electric light signs and marqueises. The theatre is entered through a wide lobby with colored terazzo floor, polish marble wainscoting and ornamental plaster upper walls and ceiling, attractively decorated. The auditorium has a seating capacity of 2,168, 1,436 being on the ground floor and 732 in balcony and loges...The stage is 30 feet deep by 100 feet wide and over 80 feet high, and modernly equipped for vaudeville. The orchestra pit is of ample size, and is to accommodate a large orchestra and includes organ lofts. The overhanging balcony is ingeniously constructed without any supporting columns except at the rear of the seats. An open well is provided under the balcony from the orchestra floor up to the mezzanine, which contains promenade, lounge rooms for men, a hat and coat checking room, ushers' room, and manager's office. The interior throughout is finished with well proportioned ornamental plastering handsomely decorated, one of the attractive features being a large dome over the auditorium with hidden border lights...The building is entirely fireproof and arranged with numerous exits. Modern heating and ventilation systems are installed. The lighting effects are by hidden lights, handsome lighting fixtures, dimmers and colored lighting effects. This is without doubt the finest theatre in this section of the country. As viewed by the public after the opening, it will bring to the very doorstep of Queens the best that money could produce."

Loew's Willard didn't remain "The Newest Link in the Chain" for very long. The very next day (November 27th, 1924), Loew's took over the management of the Kameo Theatre on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/willardlink.jpg

Thanks, Warren. Hopefully, competition, in line with the American Way, made both theaters better.

The introduction needs to be updated so that it will be reflected in the listings for the work of architect R. Thomas Short. This will give him 16 credits so far. I suspect there are more. I think that I've found a 17th, but will refrain from posting it until I have documented evidence.

Just discovered today that the catering hall has closed and will be totally gutted for transformation into stores and offices. The exterior will also be renovated, including removal of all traces of the tacky catering decor.

R. Thomas Short, was he a local guy from Long Island, where all the 'classic' theaters he designed are located?

Shalom, ciao, and excelsior

Therefore, what was once the Willard will be even less like a theater after this current transformation into stores and offices is completed.

The drawing at the top of this sign shows what the building will look like after renovations are completed. The second photo was taken yesterday from the Woodhaven Boulevard "el" station:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/willard07a.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/willard07b.jpg

I don't know if R.T. Short was a "local guy." It just happened that he did many projects for Century Theatres, which operated only in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. Before designing theatres, Short was partner in a firm that did Manhattan apartment buildings.

Warren, do you agree with CT's designation that short designed 'classic' theatres?
How many of the 15 listed are you responsible for documenting?
I wasn't able to get any bio info on him, albeit very limited effort

Shalom, ciao, and excelsior

He was "local" by way of Canada. Richard Thomas Short was born about 1870. Census records indicate that Short - who as an adult went by the name R. Thomas Short - was born in Canada and came to the United States around 1885, living in Brooklyn. Short's earliest activities are unknown.

You can read more here. If the link doesn't work, I'll copy and paste the text.

Thanks LostMemory.I'd call him a 'local guy' for all intents and purposes. No reference to his theater designs.

Sounds like the NYT didn't hold his talents in too high regard:[[Short continued in architecture after leaving Harde, but his subsequent buildings - many in Brooklyn, where he continued to live - were unexceptional. The date of his death is not known.

No contemporary critic bothered to give Harde & Short more than a passing reference - more often than not just a swipe - and so it is likely that all we will know of them is their buildings. ]]

Christopher Gray fails to mention Short's prolific career as a theatre architect. Perhaps he wasn't aware of it, or at least not at the time that he wrote the article. I do know that Gray reads some of the postings at Cinema Treasures.

Neither does an earlier NYT article

<<Except for their three bigger, and better known, apartment houses of 1906-1909, Harde & Short otherwise made little impact on apartment-house architecture in New York -- except perhaps to convince developers to stick with tried-and-true formulas. Of the architects' other buildings, only Short's castle-like police station at 134 West 30th Street (1906-1908) goes well beyond the typical.>>

It is not clear to me what was unique about their design or what a 'pyrotechnic facade' referred to in your reference means.

Shalom, ciao, and excelsior

The NYT of 2/8/1900 announced he won first prize for the design of model tenement houses. Harde and a colleague came in 2nd and 3rd.

Check the Ridgewood page for a few things I've uncovered.

Shalom, ciao, and excelsior

'Tonino....The links aren't working. I'm being asked for an Account Name and password. The R. Thomas Short discussion is also taking place on the Suffolk Theater page.

Soryy, Lostmemory. You have to be a subscriber to Proquest. That's why I've included a description of the articles I've posted here and on the Ridgewood and Madison pages.

I included the the link to the url as a reference and for any others on the list who may be subscribers.

Thanks for the lead to the Suffolk page.

Shalom, ciao, and excelsior

You could copy and paste the more important information from the article into a comment. Don't copy and paste the entire article here or you will be scolded for violating copyright laws. I speak from experience. :)

That's exactly what I've done LostMemory; ie- I have copied and pasted most of the information relevant to RT Short. It is included between "xx", [[xx]], or <<xx>>, here or on the orher pages.

If you find any ads or photos such as the one you tried linking to on the Ridgewood Theater page, you could get a free Photobucket account, store the photo/ad there and link to it from the Photobucket.

The info I've found is in bitmap format, and I can't copy it or save it. Unless you have any ideas? I have to print it and then scan it. But my scanner is down.

Correction. the display ads and photos are bitmaps. I am able to copy and paste news articles, as stated three messages above.

If you right click your mouse on the bitmap, do you have an option to save to disk? Even if you can save them, the bitmap format might also pose a problem. Bitmap files are usually much larger than Jpeg (jpg) files and would take longer to upload to Photobucket unless you can convert them first.

I seem to recall BrooklynJim posting somewhere about having seen the 1957 Eugene Lourie-directed thriller "The Giant Behemoth" at the Willard when it had first come out. That must have been awesome ! I first saw this film in fall 1961 on "Million Dollar Movie" on TV Channel 9, but did not see it on a movie screen until I saw it at Film Forum in lower Manhattan, late summer 1987.

LostMemory, I've uploaded 2 Fox display ads as jpgs to Photobucket. Check the Ridgewood page.

Shalom, ciao, and excelsior

Anyone who wants to find old friends,meet new friends or just remember what it was like growing up in Woodhaven we started a family friendly web site.You must join to get in however you can choose to have the messages sent to you or just access them from the site when you want.Simply go to the Yahoo home page and click on groups. Then type in "woodhaven-nyc" and you will access our group.If there isn't anyone you know chances are someone will know where your friends are today.Check us out and Enjoy !!!

Thank you, BabyBoomer !

Funny Robert R. mentioned that someone he knew saw Seven Brides for Seven Brothers at the Willard because that is one of the movies that stick in my mind.I remember that I didn't go to see that movie but it was the second feature and the dance number at the barn raising stayed with me.About 35 years later it was playing at one of those revival movie theatres in Manhattan and I talked my wife into seeing it (for her first time)and she was knocked over by it.
The only other movie I remember seeing there is a movie where Spencer Tracy was a priest and he was trying to get off an island a volcano was erupting on with the help of a convict played by Frank Sinatra.(The Left Hand of the Devil?)

"Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" was the "main" feature at the Willard. Perhaps when you attended, you arrived when the supporting feature, "Go, Man, Go," a "B" melodrama with the Harlem Globetrotters, was starting. So "Seven Brides" would have been the second feature that you saw that day, but it was the main attraction. The musical was making its neighborhood circuit after a highly successful engagement at Radio City Music Hall.

My big brother took me to the Willard to see Village of the Damned, when I was about 9 years old. It scared the @#% out of me, but I still remember it.

The introduction needs to be updated. The catering hall closed. The building is being renovated and turned into stores and offices. Please see my posts above dated October 1, 2007 for details and photographs.

And the Willard was in the Adam style, with R. Thomas Short as architect. Please see my comments above of June 13th, 2007. Since posting them, I've also discovered that the Willard was actually built and owned by A.H. Schwartz (head of the future Century circuit), who sold the operating lease to Loew's prior to opening.

How long does it take to update vital information in the introductions of listings? Last June 3rd at 8:30 AM, I reported R. Thomas Short as architect and "Adam" as style, but those spaces are still marked "unknown" in the introduction. I also have reported that the building is no longer used as a catering hall and is being converted into retail and office space, but that, too, has been ignored.

Here's a new direct link to an opening ad for Loew's Willard:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/willardlink.jpg

A 2004 view of the Willard as catering hall can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/01/02/nyregion/010409-maker_5.html

Thanks, Warren. It's good to see the el in the picture, too.