Acme Theatre

I remember my brother Carl taking me to see my first W.C.Fields movie here.It was the one with Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy in it.I think the title was NEVER GIVE A SUCKER AN EVEN BREAK.Sadly I don't remember what the theater looked like.I do remember the location near the trestle.
Bob Dittmeier

The 585-seat Acme was located at 67-14 Myrtle Avenue. Glendale is situated in Queens, just east of Ridgewood.

This is not near the trestle, you may be thinking of the Glenwood also on Myrtle Avenue.

67-14 Myrtle Avenue is the address given for the Acme in the 1949 Film Daily Year Book. That same volume lists the Glenwood's address as 60-60 Myrtle Avenue, which suggests that the two theatres were at least seven blocks apart.

They were probably much more than 7 blocks apart (many of the numbers repeat themselves - 64th St, 64th Pl, etc). The Glenwood was actually about a block away from the trestle, and probably the theater Bob is thinking of. The Acme, aka the Victorian House caterers, was on the other side of the trestle, and many many blocks away, near St Pancras Church on Myrtle.

Its 3 blocks from St Pancras a far walk from the Glenwood. Bdwy do you know anything about the ACME, when it closed or what it ran?

Robert, I don't know too much else about the Acme aside from in it's life as the catering hall, and even that, I only visited once, so don't really remember the interior. I also vaguely remember that there was Social Security Office somewhere in the theater.
I wish there was website online somewhere that had photos of old theaters, either current or historical. They seem very hard to find.

I went to school at St Pancras and remember the Victorian House being a real popular place in the 60's and 70's. Besides regular catering events they once in awhile booked shows there, where you would get dinner, drinks and the show. I remember Frank Sinatra Jr. one time and Lou Monte another. The funniest thing was when Frank Jr played they had this huge banner New Years Eve Show with Frank Sinatra and then in tiny letters Jr.

Prior to 1934, the theatre was known as the Alpha, according to the 1926 through 1933 editions of the Film Daily Year Book. In "old numbers," the address was 2746 Myrtle Avenue. Presumably, Alpha was the original name.

The Acme building is in neglected shape. After the Victoria House Caterers left, the building has not been all that well maintained, at least on the exterior.
The building is currently for lease. Hopefully once a new tenant is found, it will be cleaned up.

Here's a photo of the Acme taken today. Sorry, that it's not the best angle or photos, but the traffic around the site was horrible. There was no place to park, and trucks double-parked everywhere, and cars everywhere. After being disgusted from circling by the theater four times, I finally decided to just snap the photo out the window of my car, and be done with it.

CLick here for Photo 1

Click here for Photo 2

Was anyone ever in here when it was a movie house? I would like to know what the place was like?

The Acme theatre opened as the Alpha theatre as posted by Warren. I show the name change occured in 1935 with a closing date in the mid fifties.

I remember the Acme showing german films no subtitles once aweek until WW11 started.It was across from MULLIGANS BAR near Bohacks and about 2 blocks from St Pancreas about6 blocks from the Bevedere and about 10 or 11 to the Glenwood.
David Robertson

One of my grandmothers who lived in Glendale was a regular at the Wagner to see German films. This was the first time that I ever heard the Acme doing the same thing. It is amazing how German this area along with ridgewood was.

Thank you .Where was the Wagner?
David Robertson

See here:

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/3927/

The 1945 Film Trade Directory of New York Theatres lists the following for Myrtle Avenue, all reported as being in Brooklyn:
Acme, 67-14 MA
Belvedere, 64-34 MA
Glenwood, 2408 MA
Jefferson (closed), 811 MA
Madison, 54-30 MA
Mozart (closed), 1525 MA
Peerless, 433 MA
Ridgewood, 1673 MA
Rivoli, 1374 MA
Subway, 158 MA

Warren
The Parthenon should be on that list of Myrtle Ave even though it may tecnically be on Wycoff Ave it was at the convergence of the two and only a block from the Madison.
David Robertson

Yeah the Parthenon "feels" like Myrtle, but it's really Wyckoff Ave.

It's funny how for some of the theaters on Warren's list they use the "old" Queens numbering system, and for others they use the "new" QUeens numbering system. While the Jefferson (now demolished), the Mozart (also known as the Wagner theater, and now a 99 cents store), the Peerless, the Rivoli (also known as the Myrtle Theater), and the Subway never lost their old numbers because they are in Brooklyn, others should be listed in the new system.

While the Acme, the Belvedere, and the Madison are correctly in the new Queens numbering system because they are all in Queens. However, the Belvedere (not even close to Brooklyn), the Glenwood (also not near Brooklyn), and the Ridgewood (further into QUeens than the Madison, which is only about a 100 feet in Queens near the Brooklyn border) are listed in the old numbering system.

The listing was published in 1945, still wartime. Perhaps they hadn't yet gotten around to changing all addresses to conform with the "new."...Also, the "trade" seems to have always treated that area as entirely in Brooklyn, regardless of whether part was in Queens.

Bway...Slight correction to your last posting. The Mozart Theater was previously known as the Irving Theater. The Wagner, which was the prime showcase in the Ridgewood area for the showing of German language films for many years, was located at 110 Wyckoff Avenue.

I have seen Myrtle Theatre lists that have included the Parthenon Theatre as well as the Grandview Theatre. These listings were mostly promotional in nature used for advertising the theatres. Seems rather odd that the RKO Madison Theatre would show a new address while the Ridgewood Theatre shows an old address considering their close proximity to each other.

I'm sorry Erwin, that is correct. The Mozart was indeed the Irving, not the Wagner. (The Irving-Mozart is the 99 cents store now). The Wagner Theater was demolished a few years ago, and a "Woman's Health clinic" built on it's site.
For some reason, I always get those two theaters mixed up, as the Mozart (Irving) also played German films, especially in the years leading up to WWII. It was even speculated that the Mozart's films were "Nazi propoganda" films.

There is a 1940's ad for the Acme theater and an old coupon for free dinnerware here and here.

The illustration #1 is more likely a page from a paper programme, rather than an ad that ran in newspapers. Many "nabes" published these programmes on a regular basis. They were handed out in the lobby, and, in some cases, also mailed to patrons who volunteered their addresses. When I was a kid, we were on the mailing list for the Drake Theatre in Rego Park, Queens. The programme came folded in a plain brown envelope, unsealed to get the lowest postage rate. My mother would hold it for me to open when I got home from school. As I recall, there were four pages, a front, a center-fold, and then the back. This looks like the front page.

lostmemory;
Nice ad for the Acme.But may I make a suggestion (not a criticism). Why isolate the Acme ads from the actual website. There might be other images on the site of interest to those who post on Cinema Treasures. The ads for the Acme are in this issue of "Theatre Scrapbook". Not the best issue of this ezine. However there are ads for the Glenwood and Greenpoint theatres plus some great photographs.Also I think it might be a good idea to give credit to the person who created the site by linking directly to it. The short url for Theatre Scrapbook is:

http://www.theatre-scrapbook.com/

Here’s a weekly program from the Stanley Theater in Brooklyn, from 1955, dated exactly fifty years ago today, 24 April, 2005. This is exactly the kind of program that Warren described yesterday.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/stanley1.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/stanley2.jpg

“The Racers,” “The Country Girl,” and “Jupiter’s Darling” with their co-features were arriving at the Stanley at the very end of their initial release, as the first booking had already traveled through the RKO circuit and the other two through the Loew’s circuit. The remaining features were all revivals or “return engagements” of films ranging from one to ten or more years old. In the age before VCR or DVD, the Stanley and theaters like it were great places to catch up on classics.

I'm tickled that I put my hands on this program exactly fifty years after picking it up in the theater. But, then, yet stranger co-incidences have happened.

On a recent trip upstate to Cherry Valley, NY, I spotted a fragile poster on the wall of a thrift shop advertising the Alpha Theatre, Myrtle Avenue and Alpha Place, showing (among others) The White Hell of Pitz Palu. Is it possible 'Alpha Place' was the former name for 67th Place (the Acme's location was Myrtle Ave and 67th Place)?

marg....Alpha Place is the former name for 67th Place in Glendale. The movie that you mentioned "The White Hell of Pitz Palu" is a German movie that came out around 1929. I don't know if the Acme theater was also known as the Alpha theater or was the Alpha theater another theater entirely.

lostmemory -- thanks, I appreciate your comment. I notice that at the top of this page, it says that The Acme Theatre was "also known as Alpha Theatre." Can that be possible--or, as you speculate, were there two theatres within this close proximity of Myrtle Avenue at Alpha Place (aka 67th Place)in Glendale?

Hi marg....I read the messages again in this section and a message posted by Warren on Sep 19, 2004 at 10:44am states that "Prior to 1934, the theatre was known as the Alpha". I believe that the poster you saw of the Alpha theater showing "The White Hell of Pitz Palu" is accurate as this theater would have still been the Alpha theater in 1929.

If you would like to know more about the movie "The White Hell of Pitz Palu" you can click the following link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020570/

RobertR - I was in the Acme many times as a young child. On Saturday mornings by brother and I along with my girlfriend would go there for the children's shows. Upon leaving the theatre the matron would hand each child a gift as we walked out into the lobby. I remember receiving a toy sewing machine once, but as far as what the building looked like inside, I was to young and it's been too many years.

Space for lease in the former Acme at http://listing.loopnet.com/13992532

Recent photo of Alpha as it was known in the 20s, or Acme later.
<<http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/nutrichris/detail?.dir=b6f9&.dnm=938d.jpg>>

On the same link that 'Tonino posted, there are two photos of the Atlas Terminal. It looks like they are starting to do some work there:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/nutrichris/detail?.dir=b6f9&.dnm=d335.jpg&.src=ph

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/nutrichris/detail?.dir=b6f9&.dnm=9e84.jpg&.src=ph

How does the Atlas Terminal relate to the movies?

BTW, I should have mentioned in my previous post that you can see a picture of the Belvedere if you go to the Glendale link and scroll down 1/2 way:

http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/glendale/glendale.html

"This building, topped off with the word "Belvedere," was a movie theater from the 1920's to the 1950's. If they had known that The Jazz Singer was coming out in 1927, they may not have installed that organ in 1926. At least the organ can be be put to work again - the building is now a church."

The Atlas Terminal is going to be the new home of a shopping center and possibly a Regal movie theater. There are some messages about the Atlas Terminal under the Belvedere theater section. Start with the message dated Dec 7, 2004:
http://www.cinematreasures.org/theater/4625/

the ACME theatre should be listed in GLENDALE..Queens

This building is still vacant from what I can see passing not too long ago. It appears to be deteriorating fast.

Bway, I'm surprised thee is so much deterioration in a year and that it is vacant. See <<http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/nutrichris/detail?.dir=b6f9&.dnm=938d.jpg>>.

Metz, I agree the Acme should be listed as in Glendale.

Tonino, the photo does it justice. It doesn't look all that great in the photo, and looks even worse in person.

At the left hand side of the page, in the section named "Recent Comments," couldn't there be a "more..." option at the bottom as there is the cases of "Newest Theaters" and "Updated Theaters?" Without that option, one can miss an addition to "Recent Comments" because they disappear very quickly.

The recent comments are set at ten. I think at one time it was showing twenty recent comments. A "more" option would be great but I'm not sure if the current software supports a feature like that.

Warren, it would be great, as its very hard to keep up with what is going on without that. I have often wished for that feature. Perhaps it should be suggested in a section we know the webmasters will see, like perhaps the "update your email" news item, or perhaps a personal email.
This is one of the reason I was upset when I stopped recieving the "someone just responded" emails, as I was totally cut off from the site by that point, and would have no clue if anyone posted a message in a theater I iwas interested in, unless I randomly checked every theater I am interested in, but that would be insane. Now I am stuck with the task of putting a message (slowly day by day) in theaters I am interested in, as otherwise there's no way to know if someone commented. Luckily, I am slowly getting back on the email lists for anything I recently commented in, but anything I commented in before May 25th, and haven't commented in since is cut off for me.

So a feature like warren suggests would be great. Or even a "Notify me when someone comments in this theater" feature, that could be clicked whether the person wanting the emails could check, regardless of if they already commented in the theater.

There was an airdome or open air theater next to this theater at one time. This comes from the Times Weekly dated April, 2004

"In 1916, the Alpha Theater was constructed on the southwest corner of Alpha Place and Myrtle Avenue. Immediately to the west of the Alpha Theater they installed an outdoor theater for use during the warmer months during the evening hours when the weather was nice. The Alpha Theater had a candy vendor who also sold vanilla ice cream cones which tended to drip on patrons during warmer weather.
In 1916, Meyerrose and Van Sise built the houses on the east side of Alpha Place north toward Myrtle Avenue. The lot on the northeast corner of Cooper Avenue and Alpha Place remained a vacant lot until the 1920’s when a house was built on it".

A 1917 ad for the original Alpha Theatre and Open Air Annex. Their main rivals at the time in the Glendale/Ridgewood area were William Fox's Ridgewood Theatre, the Whitney Theatre, the Kossuth Theatre, the Evergreen Theatre, and the Irving Theatre and its Open Air Annex: www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/alpha617.jpg

Where was the Kossuth Theater?

I know where it was located Bway, but Is the Kossuth theater listed on Cinema Treasures?

No, I tried searching for it, and there is no such theater listed. it should be added, but I know nothing about it.

Here's a 1917 ad for the Kossuth Theatre, which was on the lower part of Fresh Pond Road. Someone told me that Halleck Avenue is now called 70th Street, but I don't know for sure:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/kossuth.jpg

Actually, what is now called Fresh Pond Rd, south of the intersection of Fresh Pond Rd and Cypress Hills Street was not always called "Fresh Pond Rd". That is a new alignment of Fresh Pond Rd (very early on). Originally, what is now Cypress Hills St on the stretch between Central Ave and that intersection was originally "Fresh Pond Rd". So it could have been on what is now Cypress Hills St.
Halleck was indead 70th Ave. I am wondering if the Kossuth was located where the Salvation Army building or parking lot is. Was it a big theater?

The 1917 ad that I posted displays an address of Fresh Pond Road and Halleck Avenue. I don't know the theatre's seating capacity. The Kossuth is not listed in any of my early FDYBs, so I suspect that it closed during the silent era. Perhaps Ken Roe can find it listed in his directory of pioneer cinemas.

Bway....You should submit the Kossuth theater. I will give you the information that I have on this theater via email.

I can't find a Kossuth Theatre listed in the New York section of the American Motion Picture Directory 1914-1915, so I presume that the theatre opened either late 1915, 1916 or even in 1917 as the advertisement Warren posted is for that year, and closed by 1926.

Here's a reference to the Kossuth theatre in this article below

http://www.timesnewsweekly.com/Archives2003/Jan.-Mar.2003/022003/NewFiles/OURNEIGH.html

. "The original building at 70-02 Cypress Hills Street had been Harry Buckley’s Kossuth Theater named for Kossuth Place, which was the street name for Cypress Hills Street in 1916. Harry Buckley was a comedian who used the name “Heinie GeBlatz.” When the theater closed, for a period of time it became a dance hall. Then it became the regional office of the Queens Borough Electric Light and Power Company, a utility supplying electric power to Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth, etc. John Welz, Jr. was one of the founders of the utility. He was one of the owners of the Welz & Zerweck Brewery in Ridgewood. People in Ridgewood and Glendale could pay their electric bills there. It was a triangular-shaped building, bounded on the south by 70th Avenue, on the west by Fresh Pond Road and on the east by Cypress Hills Street. On the north it came to an apex, The utility company was acquired by Consolidated Edison and the regional office was closed.

That is a good article. Thanks for posting it because I lost the bookmark for it. That was one source of imformation that I found for the Kossuth theater a few months ago. I'm not sure about the address given. It doesn't map to a building that meets the description given as being "a triangular-shaped building". The building that does match the description in that article is the old Strauss Auto parts store. Anyone from Ridgewood or Glendale should be familiar with that building. Does anyone know the address of the old Strauss store?

The 70-02 Cypress Hills St address given in the article is currently listed as a Primarily 2 Family building With 1 Store built in 1920. It is also not "a triangular-shaped building", so I doubt that is the correct address. The Strauss Auto building was later called Crown Auto after Strauss moved out.

NY Times Apr 4, 1949

"The 600 seat Acme Theatre at 67-14 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, Queens, has been leased by Selig Theatres, Inc., headed by Joseph Selig, from the Fran-Lynn Amusement Corporation. Berk and Krumgold were the brokers".

The Alpha Theatre first opened on April 7th, 1917, with "A Splendid Program of High-Class Photo Plays," according to an ad in the Ridgewood Times. As soon as warm weather set in, the Alpha also unveiled its Open Air Annex. By 1921, the site was being advertised as the Alpha Theatre and Airdome.

I grew up in Glendale being born on 69th Street in the big apartment house at 72-06 69th St., (Fosdick Court) in 1946 and attending P.S. 91. I saw many movies at the Acme although I can't remember their names, however, I do remember the presents that were given out after the Saturday matinee and coming home with 50cents and giving it to my mother as her change for the day. I remember when it became the catering hall "Victorian House" and was "The Place" to have your wedding. It all seemed so big back then.

The former Acme theater and Victorian House has been re-opened! As of early May, it is now a Met food store. I visited recently and found a lot of the theater's distinct features still in tact. The marquee is still up and being utilized, inside, the former ticket booth/concession stand now serves as the delicatessen! The original red quarry tile floor is being utilized, and is in remarkable shape.However the slope still exists, especially at the front at the check out lanes,when I parked my shopping cart to check out,it actually rolled away from me! Finally the original ceiling is exposed, complete with a fresh coat of paint, showing the beautiful molding. Visit and enjoy!

I am amazed that so many of the Acme's original features are still intact. I went to the Victorian House on a number of occasions, but do not recall seeing anything you've mentioned. My recollection was that it had been totally rehabilitated into a 50s Soprano's-style catering house.

The "Itch" was my co-babysitter for the better part of two summers. Depending on the shows, I went to the Belvedere every other day.

Can anyone confirm that the ticket booth and concession stand were there when it was the Victorian House?

Shalom, caio, and excelsior

Rollo
The 2nd sentence of my first paragraph should read as follows: "My recollection was that it had been totally transformed into a 50s Soprano's-style catering house."

Tonino,
I have passed by this building many times during the 70's when it was the Victorian House, although I never went inside until last month, the placement and construction of the deli counter does seem to indicate it served purpose as the concession stand.

Sadly when they repainted the building they covered up the Acme sign that had been etched into the top of the concrete all these years :(

The exterior has been painted yellow.
I went inside this morning to get a look, and aside from some large ceiling beams, that may have been "theater like", that's the only thing that I saw that may look like a left over from the theater days. I forgot to look at the deli counter. The Inside seems small, so it couldn't be that big of a theater. I was never in the Vicotia house, so don't really know what was left from it's theater days when the Victoria house operated there.

By the way, the place does look great. (or at least so good compared to the images I posted in Oct 2004 above). The Met Food signs use all three sides of the marquee, and the building has a fresh look all painted up. They took out the bushes in front, and that's where all the shopping carts are stored. You enter the store right under the marquee doors.

I was just reading some of the comments above, and I did see the floor too. It looked so remarkably good, that I didn't think it was original (and still can't be sure, I'll have to check it out again). I also thought the molding was original around those big columns, but closer looking at it looks like sheetrock with newer molding installed around it. I was fooled at first too....but as I looked closer it looks too good to be original, but I certainly can be mistaken....

Its obvious the marquee is the remnant that stands out most, but regarding the floor, which is constructed of etched quarry tile, is sloped as you enter, if it was a newer floor, the slope would have been straightened, (like The Belvedere).Quarry tile floors were used in many 20's era buildings, mostly for its good looks and durability.
Perhaps the renovation had the floor steamed ad/or painted.
Regarding the moldings, I was referring to the area in the food aisles along the walls where it meets the ceiling,they do look original. As for the ceiling beams aforementioned, I do not recall seeing any. I may have to take another look myself!

Here's a photo of the Acme Theater taken yesterday....now a Mets Food Supermarket:

Click here for photo taken yesterday

Compare to the wreck it used to look like when I took a photo of the building back in 2004....see my Oct 6, 2004 post on this page for a photo of the building then.

Did the supermarket install windows on each side of the entrance or were the windows there and covered over in the 2004 photo? A May 2007 permit was issued for the following work and doesn't mention the windows:

Propose to convert existing photograph equipment manufacture use on first and second floors to a supermarket use on first floor and storage/office use on second floor. Interior renovation throughout the building, new partitions and new plumbing fixtures as per plans.

There were boarded up windows according to my photos from Oct 6, 2004 (posted above), so they probably just opened them, and put new windows in.

I also remember a church, Victory House, at the Acme in the latter 1980's, its name apparently based on its predecessor, Victorian House Caterers. I have never been inside the supermarket that is there now, though.

Yes, it was a church for a while apparently, perhaps since the name was so close, I didn't notice. I heard it was some sort of Pentecostal congregation.
The supermarket only opened over the last two months or so, so it hasn't been that long....I posted a photo of the Met supermarket up above....

Acme

[from Greek akme highest point of perfection or achievement] The canonical supplier of bizarre, elaborate, and non-functional gadgetry — where Rube Goldberg and Heath Robinson (two cartoonists who specialized in elaborate contraptions) shop. The name has been humorously expanded as A (or American) Company Making Everything. (In fact, Acme was a real brand sold from Sears Roebuck catalogs in the early 1900s.) Describing some X as an “Acme X” either means “This is insanely great”, or, more likely, “This looks insanely great on paper, but in practice it's really easy to shoot yourself in the foot with it.” Compare pistol.

This term, specially cherished by American hackers and explained here for the benefit of our overseas brethren, comes from the Warner Brothers' series of “Road-runner” cartoons. In these cartoons, the famished Wile E. Coyote was forever attempting to catch up with, trap, and eat the Road-runner. His attempts usually involved one or more high-technology Rube Goldberg devices — rocket jetpacks, catapults, magnetic traps, high-powered slingshots, etc. These were usually delivered in large wooden crates labeled prominently with the Acme name — which, probably not by coincidence, was the trade name of a peg bar system for superimposing animation cels used by cartoonists since forever. Acme devices invariably malfunctioned in improbable and violent ways.

I think the Pink Panther also always used "Acme" businesses.

The Acme was also known as "The Itch".

Haha, I think a lot of run down theaters were called "The Itch"!