RKO Alden Theatre

A quick ride around the block shows that the shell of the theater is still pretty much intact. It closed not too long after the nearby Valencia (just across Jamaica Ave and over a block or two) stopped showing movies in the late '70's.

The RKO Alden Theatre is located at 165th Street & Jamaica Ave..

The theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and first opened in December, 1928, as the Shubert Jamaica, presenting stage plays direct from Broadway or in trial productions. Barely a month later, the spectacular Loew's Valencia Theatre opened directly across the street. Attendance fell so drastically at the Shubert that its lease was sold to Mutual Burlesque, which was soon shut down by the police after complaints from Jamaica's many churches. With the onset of the Depression, the theatre went dark until October 17, 1930, when it re-opened under local ownership with movies and vaudeville. To expunge its slightly notorious past, it was re-named the Alden Theatre in honor of John Alden, one of the Puritan fathers. Several years later, RKO Theatres, which had no outlet in Jamaica, took over the Alden and also built a new entrance and marquee on Jamaica Avenue directly opposite the Valencia's. Previously, the Alden's entrance had been on 165th Street, though a marquee remained there in addition to the new but smaller one on Jamaica Avenue. Unfortunately, the RKO Alden had to contend not only with competition from Loew's Valencia but also from the nearby Century's Merrick, which had contracts with some of the studios that normally played the RKO circuit. A compromise was made whereby Skouras Theatres, which had ties to RKO, took over the Merrick's operation and the boxoffice takings of the Merrick and Alden were shared equally by RKO, Skouras, and Century. Thus, program changes at the Alden and Merrick tended to be every other week, rather than weekly as at the Valencia.

I remember the last year or so RKO-Century did not renew the lease on the Jamaica Avenue entrance and it was turned into a store. The 165st entrance was opened for the first time in decades. They half assed re-lit the 1930's marquee. After a shooting in which a security guard got killed the theatre closed. It seems like retail is in the lobbies only and the theatre may be intact inside.

You can still see portions of the Alden's interior in that store around the corner from Jamaica Avenue on 165th Street, especially on the upstairs level. But the store's management is not receptive to curious visitors and won't let you linger or take photographs. Most of what I saw seemed to be portions of the theatre's lobbies and mezzanine promenade. Nothing was visible of the auditorium itself. I pass the area often on the LIRR, and the upper exteriors of the building look in serious need of repair.

I think the whole theatre is still there behind all of the retail

The Alden is visible on the right side of the following images :

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?6367
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?6397
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?24041

Loew's Valencia (q.v. on this site) is also visible in image 24041. The pointed top of the baroque facade is visible in the upper left corner.

The portions of the RKO Alden that appear in these photos are of the "new" entrance that RKO built on Jamaica Avenue when it took over the theatre in the mid-1930s. Prior to that, the Alden's only entrance was around the corner on 165th Street, in the middle of the block. After RKO took over, that entrance was closed, but the large marquee remained and was kept active with the current attractions.

Thank you, Warren, for this information. I am pleased that the links to images I have posted are "provoking" the posting of this new information.

This is very interesting that the theater may still be sitting there behind all of the retail in the lobbies. What stores currently occupy the lobbies of the building?

The original side entrance on 165th Street is occupied by a "bargain store" that takes up two floors. On the second floor, you can see remains of what was once the theatre's mezzanine promenade. The back walls of this store seem to stop at the auditorium, which would be behind them. The short lobby on Jamaica Avenue was also turned into stores, but at last visit they were unrented, so I can't say how far they extend into the auditorium, if at all.

I've been in the Alden recently--the manager took me to their storage room which is the balcony and proscenium. There's a drop ceiling from the balcony front to the stage, and the seats have been removed. Other than that, it is very much intact!

Well, it's refreshing to find that there are people who remember and value this treasure. I grew up in Jamaica in the fifties and all of Jamaica Ave. was filled with gems of one kind or another. Anyone remember the Savoy theater? A slightly more run down sibling of the others, but they had contests with prizes in addition to triple features. The Valencia had live acts, including The Three Stooges in about 1961.

Alan M. Shore

The last time I attended the Alden was in 1968 to see Fred Astaire's last film "Finian's Rainbow". The years passed and the Alden demised. However I did hear a "rumor" about the still remaining auditorium behind the present retail spaces that a poor Pentecostal church was looking to rent the space for their services. Evidently the rumor has been proved false or the deal never went through.

Valencia-
I'm pretty sure Mr. Astaire made some other films after Francis Ford Coppolla's film version of FINIAN'S RAINBOW in 1968. Remember his romancing Miss Jennifer Jones while trying to fleece her out of her money in Irwin Allen's THE TOWERING INFERNO? I do. Saw it back when at the KINGSWAY.

According to property records, the RKO Alden was built in 1927 and occupies the address of 9211 to 9225 165th St. The original deed lists 165th St as "Puntine Street". There is no Jamaica Ave address given. On Sept. 16, 1986 ownership was transferred from RKO Century Warner Theatres (formerly known as Century Theatres) to Cineplex Odeon Corp. of Delaware. The address used for real estate purposes is:
9211 165th St
Jamaica, NY 11433

The theatre may have started construction in 1927, but it didn't open until December, 1928. It was built by an investment group that had no intentions of operating it and first leased it as a playhouse to the Shubert Organization, which is why it was originally known as the Shubert Jamaica. The one and only entrance was on what's now known as 165th Street. All of the frontage on Jamaica Avenue had already been developed into stores. When RKO took over the theatre, by which time it had been re-named the Alden, the circuit purchased a store on Jamaica Avenue and converted it into a new entrance, with a new and much smaller marquee. The original marquee and entrance on 165th Street remained for many years, but were used only for display purposes and a side exit.

The build date doesn't give a specific month, only a year. At some point in 1927, a C.O. was issued (certificate of occupancy). The building could have been used when the C.O. was issued in 1927 but for whatever reason, it wasn't. I believe that this theater did open in 1928. As long as the build date given is prior to the opening date there is no conflict. Since the entrance was on 165th street, the address of 9211 165th St should be used for this theaters address.

Since the entrance was on 165th street, the address of 9211 165th St should be used for this theaters address

Yes, that would be better than "Jamaica and 165th" as it says now. However, the Jamaica Ave address could also be used (the new entrance through what was once a store on Jamaica Ave which became the permanent and only entrance once RKO took over). So this theater really has two addresses (even though the building never moved). Hmmm, I wonder what happens when you have two addresess for the same theater, if they use the last address the theater used or the original.

I would use the Jamaica Avenue address, but the one posted in the intro as "165th Street & Jamaica Avenue" is certainly accurate enough. The original entrance was used only for a few years and then permanently closed when the new one on Jamaica Avenue was built. Although I can't find a specific address in Film Daily Year Books, it might appear in Queens telephone directories for the years of its operation.

The 1945 NY Film Board of Trade Directory gives an address of 92-23 165th Street for the RKO Alden (that was the original side entrance). An NYC Property Seach shows the current owner as Alden Realty Enterprises. The site has a probable worth of $3.41 million.

In a message above dated Mar 19, 2005 I posted that this building "occupies the address of 9211 to 9225 165th St". So, 9223 165th St falls within that range and would be fine. Any of those numbers would be better than the address given above. That address looks more like a drive-in theater address.

It's possible that 92-23 165th Street was the Alden's only "official" address. The small and narrow entrance on Jamaica Avenue was converted from retail space and not actually part of the theatre building itself. They broke through a store's back wall and connected it to the rear of the auditorium. The Alden's management may have only rented the space on a long-term lease. The owners might have refused to sell it.

The Valencia, which was directly opposite the Alden, has an address of 165-11 Jamaica Avenue. The nearest match I can find to that at NYC Property Search is 165-06 Jamaica Avenue, which seems to be a catch-all address for the current properties across the street from the Valencia.

165-11 Jamaica Avenue is the current address for a Church. It won't show up on a tax record search because they are tax exempt. I will post the property report for that address under the Valencia theater section.

The next address below that number is 165-09 and should appear on a tax search since it is listed as a store. These are all the valid addresses listed for that area:

16501 Jamaica Avenue Store Building, Two-Story Or Store/Office (K2) 20.00ft x 100.00ft
16503 Jamaica Avenue Store Building, One Story (K1) 11.00ft x 100.00ft
16506 Jamaica Avenue Store Building, Two-Story Or Store/Office (K2) 75.00ft x 80.00ft
16509 Jamaica Avenue Store Building, Two-Story Or Store/Office (K2) 49.00ft x 75.00ft
16511 Jamaica Avenue Church, Synagogue, Chapel (M1) 139.00ft x 195.00ft
16516 Jamaica Avenue Miscellaneous Store Building (K9) 18.00ft x 60.00ft
16517 Jamaica Avenue Office Building, Fireproof Up To 9 Stories (O1) 100.00ft x 110.00ft
16518 Jamaica Avenue Miscellaneous Store Building (K9) 18.00ft x 60.00ft
16519 Jamaica Avenue Store Building, One Story (K1) 37.00ft x 75.00ft
16520 Jamaica Avenue Miscellaneous Store Building (K9) 19.00ft x 60.00ft
16522 Jamaica Avenue Miscellaneous Store Building (K9) 19.00ft x 60.00ft
16524 Jamaica Avenue Store Building, Two-Story Or Store/Office (K2) 32.00ft x 98.00ft
16601 Jamaica Avenue Miscellaneous Store Building (K9) 48.00ft x 100.00ft

You cant go wrong with a fun double bill like this!! The main feature had in it's cast the legendary stripper Lili St. Cyr
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/NakedTheDead.jpg

Here's a 1943 image of the Alden's auditorium. Little had been changed since it first opened in 1928 as the "legit" Shubert Jamaica:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/e3f6b999.jpg

For what it's worth, in resolving a four-plus month-old mystery, Fred Astaire's final film was the 1981 thriller (and former Showtime staple) 'Ghost Story'.

"Blacula" played the Alden in 1973
http://photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/?action=view¤t=73Nabes.jpg

How odd it seems to see a film saying "direct from Radio City" and then playing the Alden, but 1971 was probably right before it went into it's decent of horror and kung-fu films
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/ToraToraTora1971.jpg

The Alden was built by Hurtjam Theatre Corporation, a subsidiary of Hurtig & Seamon, which never intended to operate the theatre itself. It was named in honor of its first tenant, the Shubert Organization, which opened it on New Year's Eve, December 31, 1928, with "Just a Minute," a musical that had a brief run on Broadway in October. A week later, the "Greenwich Village Follies," which had played on Broadway in the spring of 1928, followed. By March, competition from Loew's Valencia and stage plays at the Cort Jamaica forced the Shuberts to sell their lease to Mutual Burlesque, which took over the theatre starting on March 18, 1929 with a revue entitled "Nite Life in Paris," which boasted of using an illuminated runway for its chorus of 16 dancing beauties.

this theater is where i saw night and day also to have and have not with the young beautiful and unforgettable lauren bacall.also objective burma and most othe big warner brothers movies of the 1940s .at this point in time movies and baseball were bigger than life

In the years before "Showcase" saturations, the Alden did a "split" with the nearby Skouras Merrick of all programs put together for the RKO neighborhood circuit break. The Alden played all the WB and RKO movies and some Universal, the Merrick got 20th-Fox and some Universal. This often required running the programs for two weeks, even though attendance might not have warranted a "hold-over." Sometimes, a program of reissues or new "B" movies would be shown instead.

the pecking order of the movie houses in jamaica during my time wre as follows.valencia,alden,merrick.jamaica,hillside,carleton,liden,plazaaand the marlboro.

in the previous comment i ment linden not liden

Where was the Marlboro Theatre in Jamaica? I've never heard of it. In fact, I don't recall a Marlboro Theatre anywhere in Queens. Perhaps "english" confused it with the Savoy, a Jamaica theatre that he neglected to mention.

I don't remember the hillside, carleton linden plaza or marlboro. The Savoy I do remember in the '50s. Triple features - a war movie, a monster movie and a western - all in one long afternoon!

I saw the Three Stooges perform at the Valencia in about '61 or so during their resurgence at that time in TV.

The Carlton (not Carleton) has a listing here, as does Loew's Hillside.

the savoy was on jamaica ave and adistance from my house. so i went to the plaza.on saturdays the the price was eleven cents .i usally had sixteen cents . eleven cents for the movie and five cents for a box of good and plenty

the alden was my favorite theater because they had the best movies of the day all of the warner brothers movies with stars like cagney raft, davis, crawford, bogart,and bacall.

This August of 1958 ad for "The Fly' shows up what Warren said about the product split that happened because of the Merrick and Alden. All the RKO's are getting the "The Fly" and "Space Master X-7" but because it is booked in the Merrick the Alden is holding over the previous weeks "The Light in the Forest" and "The Story of Perri".
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/TheFly.jpg

The building appears vacant and for rent currently, at least what I believe was the Alden. The number on the for rent sign is 212 840- 9699. It's the large red brick structure on the east side of 165th St. halfway down the block south of Jamaica Av.

Jack4c... that number is no longer in service. Perhaps the sign has been there for some time. I'd love to know if any of this theater survives, besides just the other shell.

Yes, that is the number posted on two large signs currently on the structure. There is an additional much smaller sign ("office for rent") posted in one of the second floor windows with a cell number. It appears to be 347-276-6041. May be 6091.

To promote his new film "The Ladies Man," Jerry Lewis appeared on stage at this theater on July 13, 1961.

The address was 165-16 Jamaica Avenue. The space measured only 18 feet wide and had previously been occupied by a store whose owner sold his lease to the theatre so the property could be converted into a new entrance and lobby that would be directly opposite Loew's Valencia, according to a report in The New York Times of April 13, 1930. The theatre was then still known as the Shubert Jamaica, with its only entrance around the corner on 165th Street. The NYT story said that the theatre had recently been sold to B.S. Moss Theatrical Enterprises, which came as a surprise to me, but may explain how it eventually became part of the RKO circuit.

Just had to say I saw the movie Mandingo in 1975 with my dad. He didn't know it had such steamy sex scenes and took me right out! I was only 10. I know the theatre was open in 1980 becuse I saw the movie, The Blues Brothers with Dan Ackrod and John Belushi. It was 2 screen place by then. What was amazing to me was that it out lived the Loews Valencia. It was no way near as ornate as the Valencia but it was nice. When it first closed it was turned into bunch of little stores. I never knew about the entrance being on 165st but as I think about it I do remember a large opening on that side of the street!
Man do I miss both movie Theatres. I was a kid and would spend many Saturdays on Jamacia Ave. She would give me $5 and I was good. All of my freinds would go!
In looking at the picture that was posted earlier, I forgot that there used to be a SACHS store at the corner of Merrick and Jamacia aves.

I live in Washington State, but I was just in Jamaica, and took a long walk along Jamaica Ave. There are still some architectual points of interest, such as the Jamaica Arts Center Building between 161st and 162. In my mind's eye, I can still see Fischer-Bear (Dep't Store), Skouras Restaurant, which had autographed pictures of the actor Thomas Gomez (Key Largo, et al). I think his sister worked at Jamaica High. Other great stores included the Parsons Smoke Shop and a marvelous music store. Stetson Hats also, and Gertz, where I saw Paul Winchell perform in about 1960 and a host of others. New population, different stores, but still a vital neighborhood!

So, which one is the correct address: 92-11 165th Street, 92-23 165th Street, or 165-11 Jamaica Avenue?

165-16 Jamaica Avenue is the correct address for the RKO Alden. When the theatre first opened as the Shubert Jamaica, its only address and entrance were on 165th Street. After new owners changed the name to Alden, they purchased a small store on Jamaica Avenue at 165-16 and built a new entrance and lobby. The 165th Street entrance was closed and never used again except as an exitway from the theatre.

The last time I attended the Alden was some time in the late 50s or early 60s I saw a stage show featuring the great swing trumpeter "HOT LIPS PAGE".The rest of the program I don't remember.Maybe Warren remembers the year that "HOT LIPS" appeared.

The 165th Street entrance was closed and never used again except as an exitway from the theatre.
posted by Warren on Apr 13, 2006 at 3:20pm


The 165 St entrance was used again at the end when they lost the lease on the lobby store.

According to the asterisk in the following ad, only the bottom half of this double bill was playing one of the Alden's four auditoriums in December of 1980:

Vampire Playgirls Daily News 12/12/80

No Manhattan theaters are listed in the ad, but don't tell me this pairing didn't wind up in one of the 42nd Street grind houses! Sorry for the blurry image.

Thanks, EdSolero ! "only the bottom half of this double bill was playing" : So the double bill was topless, eh ?

Vampire Playgirls ? Like Gay Dracula, I suspect that blood is not all that they suck. Yes, it must have wound up in at least one 42nd Street grind house.

OK, youse guys, time for that story I promised in my recent RKO Keith's (Richmond Hill) post...

The time is 1959. We parochial school kids (I had attended St. Malachy's in ENY only for my final grammar school year, '58-'59) were brainwashed into reading THE TABLET each and every week. Now this paper had a section in which movies were placed into several categories for non-offensive, family-oriented viewing purposes: There were 3 categories of "A" movies, followed by the "B" section (these might play some havoc with yer faith 'n' morals, kids, and then finally, the infamous "C" list for CONDEMNED movies. What a promo! We devoured "C" for ones to try to get to "SEE" without our parents ever finding out.

Bridget Bardot was a pot of the 1950s, no argument there. And the Vatican certainly had it in for in her (figuratively speaking only, amigos) ever since her debut in Roger Vadim's "And God Created Woman" in 1955 or '56. If Bardot's name should appear in the credits, La Iglesia de Catolica Romana instantly and without hesitation condemned the film.

At some point in '59, I spotted a movie ad in the L.I. Press that a Bardot movie had begun playing at the RKO Alden. With my young teenage hormones raging at warp speed, I hadda go no matter what the cost, no matter what the risk!

So, on one rainy summer afternoon, I ducked out of the house, got on the Jamaica train and made my first visit to the Alden to see this proverbial "sex kitten" in "Babette Goes to War." It turned out to be a slow moving WWII movie, in black & white, and could never seem to make up its mind whether it wanted to be a drama or light comedy. At any rate, it was so tame I nearly dozed off several times. Bardot was gorgeous, I admit, and she bent forward once or twice to display cleavage that went clear to China, but that was IT! Nothing else! And for this it earned a big fat "C" rating by the Legion of Decency? Sorry, but LMAO...then and now, folks.

Anyone else out there have a similar Bardot moment???

P.S.: I'm havin' a blast learning about the goofy filter employed by CT. It allowed me to write "sex kitten" in the next-to-last paragraph above, but edited s-e-x-p-o-t to pot in the 3rd paragraph up top. LOL!

Thanks for your Bardot-Tablet story, BrooklynJim. I'm ten years younger than you, so it's a bit hard to relate. I remember Bardot mentioned as a sexpot around 1964-65, but never saw her in any films. I remember an over-scrupulous conversation with my cousin Fran, both of us age nine, in the late fall of 1964, about whether or not the film "Horror Of Party Beach" was indecent or not. It showed scaly monstrosities menacing bikini-clad babes on the beach.

I don't recall a "hot" movie that all the guys felt they had to see when I finished 8th grade at St. Brigid's parochial school in the spring of 1969, only that, by the end of that year, film-makers were letting it all hang out with films like "Midnight Cowboy" and "I Am Curious", both blue and yellow, and later in April 1970 with "Without A Stitch". I remember being taken aback by the sex and nudity in the film "Joe" when I first saw it in February 1971.

Things seemed to peak in the late spring and early summer of 1975, when I saw a re-release of "Harrad Experiment" and "Harrad Summer" at the RKO Madison, then the first run of "The Incarnation Of Peter Proud" at the Madison in July 1975, showing Margot Kidder masturbating fully frontally nude in her bathtub.

Then DeNiro in "Taxi Driver" at the Madison in May 1976, then the trashy "Lipstick", with the Hemingway sisters and Chris Sarandon at the Madison in July 1976, which is the last film I ever saw at the Madison.

Films nowadays seem much more restrained in terms of sex and nudity than the films of the early to mid 1970's.

PKoch... you should have seen what was offered up on 42nd Street (and I don't mean porno) during the '70's and '80's!!! I was too young for the '70's, but I saw stuff from about 1979-80 through the late '80's there that was just unbelievable! But you are right... in the '90's and into today there seems to be a more purient attitude towards sex in films. I think its all about demographics. Distributers want that PG-13 rating.

I have seen "Horror of Party Beach" - perhaps on Creature Features or Chiller Theater when I was a kid. You should catch its 1980's update called "Humanoids from the Deep" one day! The same scaly monstrosities menacing bikini-clad babes - but they rip the bikinis right off of them in this one! And you get Doug McClure thrown in for good measure!

Sorry... Fruedian slip. I typed the word "prurient" (and mispelled it to boot) where I meant "puritan" and as a result said the complete opposite of what I intended! Anyway, it probably should have been "puritanical" anyway. Hopefully you caught my drift.

EdSolero, thanks for your feedback. Thanks for the explanation of distributors wanting that PG-13 rating for their films. Last summer, I heard that reasoning expressed in another form, namely, that NC-17 films don't make money, because they miss the mid-teen audience.

Thanks for the tip on "Humanoids from the Deep" !

BTW : "prurient" means "lustful" : give us more sex !

"prudent" : means the opposite.

PKoch, 42nd St. ran the gamut of entertainment from my time in the '50s until now. Between 7th and 8th Avenues, there were a bunch of theaters lit up like mad. (Some are still there.) This was before the porno wave of the late '60s and '70s. Can't recall any specific theaters on 42nd St., but two films stand out in my mind:

1) "The Thing (from Another World)" - originally out in '51, I saw the '57 re-release. All of us Brooklyn street urchins hit the floor simultaneously when Ken Tobey opened the greenhouse door behind which was 8-foot James Arness as the vegetable from space! *shudder*

2) "Hud" ('63) with Paul Newman, Patricia Neal, Brandon de Wilde, Melvin Douglas and others, including the ubiquitous Whit Bissell! The widescreen B&W panorama of Texas - breathtaking! - won the Cinematography Oscar for James Wong Howe, and Neal and Douglas got one for their supporting roles. Watched it twice on the same day!

As for the RKO Alden, it may have been the only theater I'd known to have 2 marquees, the main one on Jamaica Ave. and the other on 165th St. Somewhere I have a color shot of the latter on a NYC Transit calendar which shows not only a battered silver & blue J train pulling out of the 168th St. station, but also a gray & orange LIRR train a bit farther down on Archer Ave. Gotta try to find that one to see how clearly the Alden's marquee is and perhaps what was playing...

That would be a great scan to include on this site, B'klynJim. I passed by the area today and you can still clearly make out where the 165th Street entrance was because the facade appears to be pretty much intact. At least, it appears obvious to me. I had my camera on me, but the area was too congested for me to stop and take photos. I'll have to get down there one weekend morning so I can park the car and walk around the block to snap some proper shots.

1) "The Thing (from Another World)" :

"An interstellar carrot ! The mind boggles !"

2) "Hud" : I recall my dad's remark about Paul Newman in 1966's "Hombre" as "the blue-eyed, Jewish Indian".

" ... the ubiquitous Whit Bissell!" I know what you mean ! Ditto Ned Glass, Stanley Adams, Richard Deacon, and John Hoyt :

"Oh, no, not HIM again !"

Ed, I don't have the necessary equipment to scan that photo when I find it, but I will search my transit files on the Web. I know I've seen it and can post a link to it that way.

Peter, I still laff whenever I hear Melvyn Douglas (as Wild Eyed Homer Bannon) growl at Whit Bissell, the hapless vet, in "Hud" after he's just been told his cattle have the worst thing they could have: Foot and Mouth Disease:

"Yer not a bad feller. Ya just got a cruddy job."

But, yes, Bissell WAS everywhere!!! Jeez Louise!!!

One of my favorite lines of Bissell's was in "I Was A Teenage Frankenstein" :

"Speak ! You have a civil tongue in your head ! I know ! I sewed it there !"

PKoch... that is my favorite Bissell line of all time!

I wasn't around in those days, being in my early 40's, but I did catch a lot of those old movies on WPIX channel 11 and WNEW channel 5 growing up! I shouldn't forget channel 9, WOR TV. Or even the local programming no the network owned stations! The Late Show on WCBS, the 4:30 Movie on WABC... the Million Dollar Movie... Chiller Theater... Creature Features... Fright Night...

DVD and cable TV pretty much put an end to watching old movies that way... As much as I miss the intro's to some of those shows (the 6 fingered claymation hand rising from the swamp on Chiller Theater is a fave), I gotta say I love watching unedited and uninterrupted classic-era films on Turner Movie Classics. And the prints they run are usually pristine.

Anyway... are you telling me that Whit Bissell was even more ubiquitous than John Agar?!? Or John Carradine?!? I love this site.

EdSolero, I'm glad it's your favorite.

I'm glad you remember all those old movies on TV. There was also "The Late Late Show" and Schaefer Award Theater on Saturday night.

The Chiller Theater opening I first remember was a montage of clips from the films they showed, like "Plan 9", "Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman", "The Gorilla", "Killers From Space", backed with godawful scary music I couldn't begin to mimic. The six-fingered hand came later, about 1970.

Whit Bissell even more ubiquitous than John Agar?!? Or John Carradine?!? Not at all ! I couldn't begin to guess !

For diehard Carradine fans, "The Unearthly" is avaible on widescreen DVD for less than 10 bucks. As a bonus, it also features the non-acting skills of Allison Hayes, who was the 50-foot woman with a terminal case of P.M.S..

To save you guys some dough, try this site that my late son turned me on to a while back. The beauty is that there's NO tax and NO shipping fees, and delivery is fast:

www.deepdiscountdvd.com

And if you're music lovers to boot:

www.deepdiscountcd.com

I first saw "Teenage Frankenstein" on the ABC 4:30 movie. It was called "The Big Show". CBS, NBC and WOR also had 4:30 movies. The CBS 4:30 movie was called "The Early Show".

Thanks, BklynJim. My condolences to you on the death of your son.

Thanks, Peter. Greg was only 23 when a rare form of cancer nailed him last year. He was a diehard movie critic. He was friends with French actress/writer/director Agnes Jouie, met his hero David Lynch and even got to do a walk-on for a late '05 episode of his fave TV show, "Gilmore Girls." He loved anything connected with film and Hollywood. We hope to issue a book of his reviews, articles and interviews next year, with all profits going to the Film School Scholarship his film critic peers established at San Diego State University.

We are never good at making sense out of random stuff like this, but I always liked what one of his peers had said: "God needed a foreign film critic He could understand." That sure works for me.

With you guys jumpin' on some TV talk, wish some of you might have remembered Zacherle (and Gasport!) on Channel 7's "Shock Theatre." It was so bad that it was great!!!

EdSolero, I found the website I'd told you about:

www.subwaywebnews.com

Will need to solicit your assistance, however, as I don't have e-mail capability. The guy who runs the site occasionally removes the archive files. There are some 17 transit archives (where the 165th pic is on) and 11 bus archives. Oddly, he still has the 3 rail archive sites accessible. His e-addy is Motorinstructor@aol.com Perhaps you could drop him a quick line to ask where he may have posted them now. And maybe if you describe the photo, he'll e-mail an attachment to you. It doesn't hurt to ask, right? Thx!

BklynJim, I remember Zacherle hosting Chiller Theater in the spring of 1970, mocking films like "Killers From Space", that really mocked themselves, by inserting a shot of a page with "2 + 2 = 5" scrawled on it, in the scene where the bug-eyed alien zombies are showing the Peter Graves character some physics equations.

Sort of a pre "Mystery Science Theatre 3000".

Thanks B'klynJim... I found the photo on the website and snagged it for my photobucket collection. The film on the marquee is "The Beguiled" from 1971 with Clint Eastwood:

Alden 165th Street marquee

The marquee looks a bit closer to Jamaica Avenue in the photo than the spot I would have assumed it existed based on my drive down the block the other morning, but then... those telephoto lenses tend to mess with the field of depth. I remember that for a few years after the elevated J line was dismantled, the concrete bases of those support stanchions were still embedded along the edge of the sidewalk. I seem to recall that the steel girders were actually cut just above the concrete base rather than being completely torn out.

Anyway, you're right... A great photo.

I think my dad and I ate in that Chock Full O' Nuts, near the left edge of the image, in spring 1968.

You da man, EdSolero! Can't believe ya got it so fast! Impressive!

I know what you mean about telephoto lenses. The 165th St. marquee was probably 5-6 doorways down toward Archer and the LIRR.

BrooklynJim, I invite you to e-mail me privately, should you wish to continue our dialogue about films.

Great photo, Ed Solero. Thanks !

Would love to, Peter, and I thanks ya for the invite. Unfortunately, I don't currently have access to an e-addy. In time, perhaps...

BrooklynJim, you mean, you don't have an e-mail address, or, you don't have mine ? You're most welcome to the invite.

I used a buddy's addy to log on to this wonderful site. The poor guy just found some 20 CT messages telling him that someone had responded to my posts. After I stopped laughing, I told him it was A-OK to delete 'em wholesale.

I'll have access to a relative's e-addy when I return to Brooklyn later this year. We'll make contact then. Thx!!!

Here's another link for the RKO Alden. Pic was snapped when the J train terminated in the Jamaica shopping district at the 168th Street station. The top of the Alden's marquee can be seen clearly at lower right:

www.subwaywebnews.com/AB_168th_St.jpg

That's a good picture, BklynJim. Thanks ! It's like images I've seen on nycsubway.org, one of many images of "els showing the cinemas" that either are no longer there, or are no longer cinemas. In this case, the el isn't there any more, either !

The WHN 1050 John Denver poster is familiar, and dates it to about September 1977 :

"Thank you for being part of our country !"

Also The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Crystal Gale, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Olivia Newton-John, etc.

I joked with a friend, that WNEW 102.7 FM should have had a poster of the Rolling Stones, captioned, "Thank you for being busted !"

I wonder what the "Two Action Hits" were.

I think there's at least a hint in the nycsubway.org images of 168th Street that are similar to this one.

Again, Peter hits the mark - not only his sharp eye for the WHN John Denver ad ("Sunshine on my shoulder makes me sweaty..."), but also for the link below:

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?24041

Now Bway can go nutz trynna figure out which Frankenstein flix in what year. Ha! Hint: the old BMT standards were part of the Transit Authority's Nostalgia Specials to Coney Island and elsewhere in the late 1970s. [I was still a F/T resident in '77 and had snapped a shot of my own personal fave at the time, good ol' Olivia...]

Una otra fotografia, lo mismo tiempo ('77):

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?43038

The photo ending with 24041.jpg shows the Valencia already as a church, and with a white cross in the spot where the vertical sign used to be. The church must have acted very fast, as the photo is dated 9/11/77.

Both photos show the Alden featuring the popular 3-D martial arts extravaganza "Dynasty" on a bill with a Frankenstein film that is either this European import, which was released in the U.S. in '77 or might possibly be Andy Warhol's X-rated version of the tale which was also shot in 3-D. The former is probably the more likely scenario.

September 11th, 1977 was the last day of service for the Jamaica El, east of Queens Blvd. At that point service was truncated at the Queens Blvd station, 4 stations west. The el was demolished soon after. The Valencia operating as a theater never operated without the el obliterating it's facade. The Valencia opened in 1928, the el opened in I believe 1918, so the Valencia was built 10 years after the el was already there. And going by the photo that Warren pointed out, the last day of service for the old Jamaica El saw the Valencia already the Tabernacle of Prayer.

Thanks, BklynJim ! John Denver, eh ?

"Sunshine on my shoulder makes me sweaty..."

To which I can only add :

THANK GOD I'M A CITY BOY !!!!!

The mind boggles at what "special arrangement" was required for this "unusual entertainment scoop" in March, 1961:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/daffydilly.jpg

I think I saw Creep Show here in the early 70's when it was already a divided theater. Has anyone been able to determine if any of the detail is still left behind the drop ceilings, store walls etc. Is this theater a diamond in the rough?

Just to close out a "burning" question from the posts of July 18th regarding BrooklynJim's excellent transit shots of the Alden's marquee... The co-feature that played with the 3-D martial arts epic "Dynasty" was indeed Andy Warhol's 3-D "Flesh for Frankenstien" on an eye-popping double bill that played at nabes and grinders all over town in the fall of '77, based on some research I did on the NY Times website.

If anyone is interested, you can do a search for "Weekend Movie Clock" on the Times' website and it will return pages and pages of pdf files covering many (not all) of the weekends from as early as 1976. My search was limited to pre-1981. I'm sure many more years of movie clocks may be found if one selectes 1981-Present in search criteria.

LuisV... "Creepshow" was released in 1981, by which time the Alden was already split (was it a twin for a while before a quad?). Anyway, for most if not all of the '70's, the Alden remained a single screen theater.

"Creepshow" was released in 1982. It was playing at the Ridgewood Theater on Tuesday, September 23rd, 1982, and I saw an ad for it at the Midway the first Friday of November 1982. On that day, "An Officer And A Gentleman" was playing at the Trylon. That's the film my friend and I should have seen that evening, rather than "National Lampoon's Class Reunion" at the Midway. Would have gotten me to the Trylon two years earlier than I actually did.

Here's the link to "Creepshow" on the IMDb.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083767/

Thanks for the info! Now I remember that I was just out of college when I saw Creepshow. I know The Alden was already divided. I think I remember being in one of the upstairs theaters because it felt like a balcony. Unfortunately, I didn't have the appreciation for old theaters then that I do now and so I don't remember very much about the actual theater and what kind of ornamentation was still visible. Has it been determined if the theater is still there behind the dropped ceilings and retail walls?

Way back when, the only theaters I was passionate about were The Valenica and Radio City Music Hall. I can't believe how many other incredible theaters were around back then that I never got to see like The Madison (from what I've read), Loew's Pitkin, The Midway (Before the plexing), The Triboro, and it goes on and on and on. I'm even sorry about the theaters I only got to see only once like RKO Keith's in Flushing and the Elmwood.

Nonetheless, for all that we've lost I am also grateful for what has been saved though it will never be enough.

You're welcome, LuisV. Thank YOU ! I'd never been to the Valencia or the Alden, only heard about them, and seen pictures of them. Yes, the RKO Madison was a beautiful show-house in its day, and the Elmwood was a sight to see, too.

The Alden (originally known as the Shubert Jamaica) was purpose-built for stage plays and became a cinema by default. Architect Herbert Krapp's design was done on a strict budget and is rather plain in comparison to most of his Broadway theatres, and is likely to disappoint those expecting a "movie palace."

Here's an ad for the original playhouse's premiere attraction, "Just a Minute," whose cast of 75 included 16 "specialty dancers" choreographed by the great Russell Markert. The opening on New Year's Eve, 1928, would soon be overshadowed by that of nearby Loew's Valencia on January 12, 1929:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/shujam.jpg

This photo was taken in 1941 and shows that "Sergeant York," was playing, which starred Gary Cooper and Joan Leslie.

The large black dot in the lower right corner is a hole in the negative. Many of the negatives in the collection have began to decompose from age.

This photo is from the NYC Municipal Archives. Between 1939 and 1941, the City of New York, for tax purposes, took photos of all standing buildings in the five boroughs.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o91/youngnyer1/RKOAlden.jpg
Check my other comments to see more photos from this collection.

Thanks, youngnyer1. I'll look forward to more of these photos.

What have you got for the Ridgewood and RKO Madison Theaters ?

Wow, that would be really nice! I have seen plenty of old photos of the Madison (not that I wouldn't want to see more), but the Ridgewood's exterior (and especially interior) shots are hard to come by. I have only seen a few old exterior photos of the Ridgewood, and NONE of the interior.....so anything on the Ridgewood would be most welcome.

If your taking requests, I would be very interested in photos of two theaters in Ridgewood, Queens from that time period. The Majestic Theater and the Grandview Theater. Both would have been open at the time those photos were taken (1939-41).

Yes keep them coming. ESPECIALLY the Ridgewood. Are these photos online somewhere, or did you have to obtain them somehow?

Anyone can order tax photos from the NYC Municipal Archives. Prices start at $30 each for an 8"x10" B&W print. There is also a mailing fee and a research charge of $5 if you don't have the building plot number. You can do the research yourself at the Archives office in downtown Manhattan. You will receive your order in 5 to 6 weeks.

P.S. In the past, I have displayed several tax photos here, one at the Oasis Theatre listing on 7/15/05 at 10:58AM, and one of the Fox Kew Gardens on 2/21/06 at 7:22AM. Both links are still operating. Some of the photos can be disappointing due to the ID sign in the foreground. In the case of the Kew Gardens photo, I was able to crop the sign. Some tax photos are taken from such a distance that you can't see much of the theatre, like one that I once displayed of the Granada Theatre in Corona.

P.S. I would also like a photo of the Parthenon Theater if possible. This is the link to order the tax photos if you choose to purchase them.

Thanks, Warren, I'll go to your links, but I'm not spending $ 30 per photo and a 5 to 6 week wait for one photo of a theater. I daresay many others on this site won't, either.

There's a good photo of the Parthenon Theater on the Queenspix.com website, on the Ridgewood page.

While it may be true that anyone can order photos from the Municipal Archives, I for am quite appreciative of youngnyer1's efforts to share them with the rest of us here at CT. Thanks a bunch, friend! Looks like you're saving fellow members a lot of time and money by sharing your collection.

Indeed !

On this Father's Day in 1949, the Alden's competition in Jamaica included: "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" & "Northwest Stampede" at Loew's Valencia; "Chicken Every Sunday" & "Canadian Pacific" at the Skouras Merrick; five acts of vaudeville plus "Flight Lieutenant" & "Two Yanks in Trinidad" at the Skouras Jamaica; "Tangier," "The Chase," & a Roy Rogers western at the Savoy; "Knock On Any Door" & "The Untamed Breed" at Loew's Hillside; and "My Dear Secretary" & "Impact" at Prudential's Carlton:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/alden49.jpg

Thanks, Warren. Wow ! Hot black chicks and two late '40's Universal monster movies ! What a combination ! Just in time for Valentine's Day 2007 !

Some years ago, theatre historian Michael Miller, who was then serving as president of Theatre Historical Society of America, told me that the Alden's architect was Herbert J. Krapp. Needless to say, I accepted that as fact, and eventually used it in my posting above of January 18th, 2004, which resulted in Krapp being credited in the introduction. But now I must dispute that credit due to two articles that I found yesterday in real estate sections of the Long Island Daily Press. The first, dated April 28, 1928, says that construction of the new Shubert theatre in Jamaica is due to be completed in September and that "the interior decoration will be in early Spanish style. The theatre will seat 1,837 persons in orchestra and balcony. Eugene De Rosa, designer of some of the finest theatres in America, is the architect." A week later, on May 6th, 1928, the Press ran a sketch of the building's exterior, and again credited Eugene De Rosa as architect. Unless someone can produce documentary evidence to prove that Herbert J. Krapp designed the theatre, I think that the introductory credit should be changed to Eugene De Rosa...The sketch shows the original 165th Street entrance. At that time, the entire building had no presence on Jamaica Avenue. A narrow entrance and lobby were later added by tunneling through an adjacent building that faced on Jamaica Avenue:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/shujam28.jpg

That facade still exists along 165th, Warren, largely as it appears in the rendering - albeit without the marquee. I'm also sure some of the window fenestration has been altered, but I believe the decorative parapet work is still intact. I noticed it just the other day as I was traveling on the LIRR. I'll have to take another look next time I pass on the train.

As Ed Solero mentioned, the 165th Street facade is still reasonably close to the original depicted in the sketch that I posted on 3/28/07. Here are some photographs that I took yesterday. Unfortunately, 165th Street is not wide enough to duplicate that 1928 view, so I had to do it in sections. The first shows the end of the Alden building nearest to Jamaica Avenue. The building was unconnected to buildings on Jamaica Avenue until a store on Jamaica Avenue was converted into a new entrance and lobby. Note in the last photo how the auditorium runs parallel to 165th Street and is behind the portion of the building that contained the original entrance, stores and offices. I believe that the current stores occupy that space, and do not extend into the auditorium itself, which is reportedly still intact,though twinned:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/alden02.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/alden03.jpg
www.18.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/alden04.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/alden05.jpg

Here's another photo that I took yesterday, this one showing the current status of the former entrance to the RKO Alden at 165-16 Jamaica Avenue, which is now occupied by a store called Expo 2000. If you compare this to a vintage Municipal Tax photo displayed above by "youngnyer1" on January 18, 2007, you will see that the decor across the top of the facade is still the same. When I took this photo, I was standing across the street, under the marquee of the former Loew's Valencia and directly in front of its boxoffice:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/alden01.jpg

The Alden started its RKO affiliation on October 5th, 1934, which coincided with the annual "Jamaica Day," when all the stores offered huge bargain sales. The RKO Alden's opening week attraction was the Ann Harding soaper, "The Fountain," supported by four short subjects and an RKO Pathe newsreel. At the time, Loew's Valencia presented a stage show as well as a feature movie, so the RKO Alden was forced to charge lower admission prices, which were from 10 to 20 cents less, depending on time and day of the week. The RKO Alden's highest price was 35 cents on Saturday nights, when Loew's Valencia charged 55 cents. On weekdays, the Alden opened at 10 in the morning, and charged 15 cents for all seats until 1 PM, while the Valencia opened at 11 AM and charged 25 cents until 1PM. While those prices seem ridiculous now, don't forget that 1934 was one of the worst years of the Depression.

I would like to know if anyone has original pictures of the theatre and the building on 165th Street. The picture from WARREN which is a clipping of a newspaper article is great!

www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/shujam28.jpg

I am in need of pictures of this theatre badly. Please respond if anyone has any original pictures of this theatre.

Try this, also see links in my post of May 12 2004 :

http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?24041

Here's a new link to an image of the auditorium in 1943. Very little had been changed in the fifteen years since the Alden first opened as a playhouse called the Shubert Jamaica:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/jamalden43.jpg

Do any of the architectual features of the Alden remain in the store is being used as? What is it today?

Just re-registering for alerts with this link:
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=jamaica%2c+ny&catpageindex=2&ProductID=30847

Jamaica Avenue entrance
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c32%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=97&ProductID=30847
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c32%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=97&ProductID=30848
The side marquee after the closing
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c32%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=97&ProductID=30849
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c32%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=97&ProductID=30850
http://americanclassicimages.com/Default.aspx?tabid=141&txtSearch=CATAdvancedSearch1%2c32%2c3%2c-1&catpageindex=98&ProductID=30851