Adonis Theatre

When was this an RKO theatre? If so, it must have escaped my notice. The seating capacity mentioned above seems excessive. The 1931 Film Daily Year Book claims 1,400 seats. The Tivoli's street address was 839 Eighth Avenue.

I have photos of the demolition showing the sun streaming in and exposing the blue painted walls. The theatre had an oval cut out in the upper lounge allowing patrons to see the last rows of the orchestra. I remember once going in here and foung the marble lobby and it's appointments very rich. If I remember, an elevator to the right of the indoor box-office once took patrons to the second level. As it being a RKO house, I don't think so because it is not listed in any display RKO ad that I have from the 1930's-1960's. If it was, it wasn't for long. Remember, RKO ran the Mayfair in Times Square before opening Radio City and The Center at Rockefeller Center. The Mayfair then passed on to Loew's in 1933 and then the Brandt's ran it in the '40's and '50's. The Mayfair then became the DeMille. Prior to being the Mayfair it was the Columbia burlesque theatre. The RKO presence in the Times Square area was the Palace Theatre during this time still with Vaudeville shows into the 1950's before it went legit. By the way, the Adonis screened their all male hits from a projector that was located directly in the center aisle of the orchestra. Most of the patrons were moaning and groaning and my visit did not include sitting or watching the on-goings on the screen.

The projector in the orchestra was the later years when all of the XXX theatres went video. The theatre originally ran film from the original projection booth with zenon 16mm projectors. If not RKO, who operated the Tivoli during the vaudeville and mvie years?

To the best of my knowledge, the Tivoli was always a minor-league theatre that played late-run double features. I doubt if it ever ran vaudeville. It was too close to the first-run theatres in the Broadway-Times Square area that offered vaudeville or stage shows.

During the 30's the Tivoli Theatre was part of the Consolidated Amusement Enter. company. Which operated 14 New York area theatres.
New York: Arena, Avalon, Columbus, Fleetwood, Forum, Gem, Ideal, Jerome, Luxor, Mt. Eden, Oxford, Times, Tivoli, Willis Theatres.

By the mid 40's the Tivoli Theatre was operated by J.J. Theaters, INC.. They operated 16 theatres in New York and one in Maine.
Maine: Bar Harbor Criterion Theatre.
New York: Avalon, Bryant, Fleetwood, Forum, Jerome, Kingsbridge, Luxor, Mt. Eden, Oxford, Times, Tivoli, Surrey, Earl, Ascot, Kent, Casino Theatres.

Also the in the 1947 it is listed as seating 1443 people.

Did you know the Tivoli had an open air roof theater? I discovered this when I covered another projectionists vacation. There were still planters on the walls of the roof theater up to it closed. There was also some parts in one of the organ chambers. It had a Kimbal organ. I think the the same architect that did the RKO Coliseium 181 St. & B'way did the Tivoli. Both theaters had an opening that looked down on the orchestra seats from the area under the balcony where rest rooms were located. They were in many ways very much alike but a smaller copy. I seem to remember reading some where the same architect did both theaters. That's all.

According to the book "Skyscraper" by Karl Sabbagh, when the speculative Worldwide Plaza building opened tenants were hard to find since it was considered too far west. The employees of the few tenants who were there initially found it 'distasteful' to be working next door to the Adonis (Tivoli) Theatre. Their concerns were brought to the attention of William Zeckendorf, the developer of the Worldwide building. Not wanting to lose the few tenants he had and discourage future tenants from moving in, he bought the theatre and had it demolished. Restoration and conversion back to a regular theatre was out of the question since God's gift to the theatre business from Toronto was opening another speculative venture, the Worldwide Cinemas, also in Zeckendorf's development. Ironically, the Worldwide Cinemas was itself closed and demolished in the past few years.

Have we changed the policy of listing theatres under their most recent name? Just curious because this was the Adonis for over 20 years?

The Worldwide Cinemas were NOT demolished. The underground complex has been converted into off-Broadway playhouses known as Dodger Stages.

Oh, OK, I had been told when it was closing that they were going to rip it out and put Bally's or NY Sports Club in the space.

ADONIS name is to much for this site.. LOL

this was a nice theater in its day

The Tivoli Theater on 8th Ave at 50th Street originally opened with 1,433 seats in September 1921. It was designed by the Architectural Firm; Eisendrath and Horwitz for the Consolidated Theatres Circuit.

The initial presentation policy was 'films, orchestra and grand opera soloists', the orchestra assisted by a 3-Manual Kimball organ. The building also incorporated a 951 seat roof theater.

It closed as the Adonis Theater in January 1990 and the name Adonis was transfered seven blocks south on 8th Avenue to the former Cameo Theater, close to W 43rd St. The Cameo was designed by the same architectural firm as the Tivoli and opened in 1916 as the Ideal Theater(It had been shuttered after a police raid in 1989).

It's sad how a porn booking policy has obscured the architectural value and quite often the historic worth of so many classic movie theatres which were later demolished without so much of a peep from the public.

An interesting footnote to the Adonis. The man who was in charge of real estate for the developers of the Worldwide Plaza was instrumental in purchasing the theater and closing it down because of the porn movies. In a case that made headlines, that man was found dead in a rundown motel in the Bronx. It was revealed that this pillar of the community enjoyed engaging in sex with men and he liked it rough. He would sometimes come into work with bruises and tell co-workers that he had been mugged. This was front page news as you can imagine. Hypocrates get it in the end all the time.
It is too bad that the theater wasn't purchased, refurbished, and used to business presentations. I will never forget the grand marquee and lobby. It was quite large.
I can also recall that on one visit man were engaging in sexual activity near the left entry way to the balconey. It was crazy in there.

I should add that the Adonis didn't die out after being evicted from the former Tivoli. It simply moved down to 44th street. I think the theater it took over was the Cameo but can't be sure. That theater, after the Adonis was closed, is now known as the Play Pen. The theater seats were removed and they installed booths where girls perform for a fee of a few dollars. The bolcony is now the male section with buddy booths. There were clippings about the former Tivoli on the wall of the new home of the Adonis.
I also recall that there was a theater called The David. It too was a gay porn theater and I believe that it was located on 7th avenue and 49. But can't be sure. I never went in but do recall that the name DAVID was spelled out in neon. This is before AIDS reared it's ugly head and the health department began to close down these theaters. I missed the opportunity to check out the old Victory theatre across the street from the New Amsterdam. As you may recall the old Times Square was home to many old theaters that were turned into porn houses.

the david theatre was just off broadway behind the ameritana hotel, i stayed in the hotel in 1990 and my room looked down on the neon marquee, i ventured inside the david but it had little or no decoration and didnt appear to have been a legit theatre, there was a slopping stalls floor and then some rooms, overflowing toilets and dark sleazy corridors upstairs full of fat old guys beating off, there were dead roaches everywhere... i dont know if it still exists
The Gaiety over the road was a much more fun affair

The David closed during or not long after the initial shutdown of adult businesses in the city in the late '90s; I'm not sure what, if anything, is presently occupying that space.

There was a theater called the New David, located around the corner from the Ed Sullivan Theater. I once passed by (okay, I was going in to the theater) and there was a line of people in front of the New David waiting to get into the David Letterman show which had moved into the refurbished Sullivan. The line was split into two so that men going into the New David could enter. I wonder if the folks at CBS pressured the landlord to evict the New David? If I am not mistaken there was another adult fare theater named the David somewhere around 49th and 7th. I have a foggy memory of seeing it when I started working in the area in the late 1980's.

Check this link to the UK Cinema Theatre Association CTA Online Yahoo group.Ive added six photos of 42nd st area cinemas, including a 1995 photo of the Adonis, the David, the Empire, Cine 42, New Amsterdam and Harem
As well as two postcards one of 42nd street in the snow in all its eighties sleazy glory and one very early eighties one of it at night...enjoy!

http://photos.groups.yahoo.com/group/cta-uk/lst?.dir=/42nd+street+New+York+Cinemas&.src=gr&.order=&.view=t&.done=http%3a//briefcase.yahoo.com/
posted by woody on Jan 29, 2005 at 3:42pm

There was an early Porn film called a Night at the Adonis that was supposedly filmed there. Dunno if they closed the theater for that or what.

Nick Justin who owned the theatre also had a financial interest in this film as well as many others starring Jack Wrangler. The film was filmed at the theatre during off hours when it was closed to the public.

Is he still around? I know he and Margaret Whiting were an item after his film career. LOL.

Yup I actually saw Jack and Margaret sitting together one night at the Cafe Carlyle when Eartha Kitt was playing. Ah New York :)

adonis and the tea room watch out ............lol

LOL; longislandmovies.

A Night at the Adonis (1977) is listed on The Internet Movie Database (you have to add your preference to do an 'adult' search to view it and the review).

I had some wild times at the old Adonis. I can't go into details here. But what times.

TJ and RobertR;
A search on IMDB reveals Jack Wrangler is still around, born 11th July 1946 (son of television producer Robert Stillman). Wrangler and Margaret Whiting were married in 1994, still married!

LOL. Too funny!

The Tivoli first opened on September 2nd, 1921. The name changed to Adonis Theatre on March 4, 1975. The first booking under the Adonis name was "Sur," a gay hardcore feature filmed in northern California's Big Sur area. A news report in Variety said the Adonis was the largest and most lavish gay porno theatre in NYC. Its chief rival at the time was the Park-Miller Theatre on West 43rd Street.

At the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library, I happened on a programme that's probably for the Tivoli, but carries no theatre address or date. However, the programme includes an ad for a restaurant in the midtown theatre district, so it probably is for this Tivoli. At the time, the Tivoli was primarily a vaudeville theatre, with just a film newsreel on the bill. Chatrand The Great, an illusionist and mind reader, was the headliner. The other acts were Myrtle & Ivy, described as "a little bit of everything"; Mack & LaRue, "skating marvels of the century"; Lytell & Fant, "the chocolate cake eaters"; Ethel Cantor, "the Hurrah Girl"; and Rita, a Spanish dancer backed by the Manila Marimba Band. Overture, intermission, and exit music was played by the Tivoli Orchestra.

Ah. The Adonis. That was the name of the theatre. I remember when they built the Worldwide Plaza, which I think is the site of the old Madison Square Garden or the version of the Garden that was used just before the new Garden opened on 33rd Street. I can add to the vignette about the contretemps between the Worldwide & the Adonis. The gentlemen who was later murdered in the Bronx was the partner in charge of his white shoe law firm's move into the Worldwide Plaza. When the Worldwide opened, Times Square wasn't the theme park it is now and one of the conditions that the law firm stipulated was that the Adonis, on the adjoining block, had to close and I believe William Zeckendorf, the builder of Worldwide Plaza, bought the site the Adonis was on.

Woody: The link you posted did not work, for me. I would like to see those Manhattan theater photos if you could post the correct link for them; thanks . . .

marqueemaven;
The link does work, you have to join the cta-uk Yahoo group to view them, or at least log onto Yahoo Groups and do a seatch for cta-uk (Cinema Theatre Association, UK)

Here are two images from the Tivoli's decadent era:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/133-3348_IMG.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/133-3346_IMG.jpg

great pictures. thanks for sharing. I recall "seeing " that movie during one of my visits to the Adonis.

I had forgotten how sensitively the ventilation ducting was placed in that particular auditorium. Perhaps my mind was on other things. Thanks for reminding me Warren;-)

In 1921 this building was listed as follows: 1st floor 902 seats, Balcony 541 seats, 2nd floor office space, 3rd floor office space, Roof 951 seat theater. Owner listed as Bancroft Realty Corp.

A Kimball organ Size 3/10 was installed in the Tivoli (Adonis) Theater in 1921.

The front cover of the Tivoli programme that I mentioned in my post of March 23, 2005, turns up as an illustration on page 56 of Jack Tillmany's recent book, "Theatres of San Francisco," supposedly as a programme for the Tivoli in S.F. Perhaps the programme that I saw at the Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library is not from the NYC Tivoli, although the performers listed are the same as those mentioned in Tillmany's book. Perhaps the two Tivolis were under the same management and part of a Tivoli circuit that covered the USA?

Was there ever a Tivoli Hotel next to the Tivoli Theatre? This photo of novelist Benjamin Appel in front of the hotel shows an adjacent advertising display that might well have been for the Tivoli when it showed soft-core "girlie" movies. "Hit #1" was apparently "Miss Body Beautiful." I can't make out a title for "Hit #2." The photo appeared in yesterday's New York Times as part of an article about Appel, whose novels were often set in "Hell's Kitchen," where the Tivoli Theatre definitely was.
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/tivolihotel.jpg

Chatrand The Great and the Tivoli Theatre figured in the hit 1927 Broadway stage play, "The Spider," which was filmed twice, first by Fox Films in 1931 and then re-made by 20th Century-Fox in 1945. See my post above of 3/23/05 for more details.

The Tivoli programmes that I found at the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts and as an illustration in Jack Tillmany's "Theatres of San Francisco" have turned out to be FAKES! They represent a fictious vaudeville theatre called the Tivoli which was the setting for the 1927 hit stage play, "The Spider." The programs were handed out to audiences to set the mood for the performance, which included an overture, a newsreel, and two novelty acts before the play's leading character, Chatrand The Great, starts his mind-reading act and a murder is committed in the audience. The show stops, police arrive, and the rest of the evening is spent solving the mystery. The entire audience were considered suspects, and not permitted to leave the theatre during the two intermissions. Armed guards were stationed at the exit doors. Amusingly, some librarian at Lincoln Center got fooled by the program and started a file for Chatrand The Great, who never existed in real life. The only item in the file is the Tivoli program created for "The Spider."
If you examine the cover closely, you will see a small spider lurking in the art work.

Here are B&W copies of the four-page Tivoli Theatre programme presented to audiences at performances of "The Spider." On the front page with the herald and banner, you can find a spider image between "World's Best Vaudeville" and "This Week." As I said previously, this is not a programme for the Tivoli (later Adonis) Theatre in NYC:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/tivp1.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/tivp2.jpg

Warren... Did you ever resolve your inquiries about the Tivoli Hotel and adjacent theater depicted in the photo that accompanied that Times piece on Benjamin Appel? I read the article and had the same curiosity about that photo. It seems reasonable that the depiction is of a Theater District location.

No, I've never had the time to investigate the Tivoli Hotel, but the address would probably be listed in Manhattan phone directories from that era, which was either the 1950s or 60s.

Part of the marquee of the Tivoli Theatre can be seen at the right in this photo. Further in the background are a marquee and vertical sign for Madison Square Garden:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/tivmarquee.jpg

This theater should have an aka name of Playpen theater. Here is a photo of the former Adonis when it was called the Playpen.

No! The Playpen is not the ex-Tivoli. It's the still existing theatre on the west side of Eighth Avenue near 44th Street that was also called Cameo, Squire and other names during its long history. It has a listing here.

this is not the old adonis/playpen

The photo is labeled wrong? Sorry guys.

An early but undated view of the Tivoli's exterior:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/tivoliext.jpg

Great photo Warren. I recall seeing the film Silent Tongue there starring River Phoenix, Richard Harris & Alan Bates (in 1994?), which was released posthumously after River's death in 1993. I can't recall what the theater's name was then, but it was obvious the theater had alot of history to it, and was in need of repair.

I never saw "Silent Tongue." Was it a porno movie? If not, I doubt that it played at the Tivoli, which was the XXX Adonis by that time. Also, hadn't the theatre been demolished by 1994? I think so.

Silent Tongue a porno flick? With River Phoenix? LOL

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108135/

I recall the film was just released, but this was the only place in the NYC the film was being shown. But the theater was not Adonis, it had a different name, but I can't recall what it was called. I believe the theater may have closed for good after that.

I finally got to see what the inside looked like, it reminded me a bit of what the RKO Keith in Flushing was like. This was a theater that could still have been restored to it's previous glory.

Alex... I'm a little confused. I thought this theater had shut its doors as a gay porn house in 1989 due to the machinations of William Zeckendorf who was trying to lure tenants into his Worldwide Plaza hi-rise on the adjacent block. Here is an article from the Times published in 1990:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1D71F3EF930A25756C0A966958260

If the link doesn't work, here is a material passaage:

<< Directly north of Worldwide Plaza, on Eighth Avenue, between 50th and 51st Streets, is the blockfront that includes the former Adonis Theater, which showed gay pornographic films from 1975 until last year, when it was shut. The closing was engineered by Mr. Zeckendorf as part of his deal with the law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a major tenant in Worldwide Plaza, although the developer will not elaborate on how he did it. Repeated telephone calls to the theater operator were not returned.

Built as the Tivoli and opened in 1921, the 1,433-seat theater was perhaps the second largest single-screen cinema left in Manhattan, after Loews Astor Plaza, at Broadway and 44th Street. The building also has what may be the last open-air, roof-garden theater in Manhattan, according to Michael R. Miller, regional director of the Theatre Historical Society, although it has probably not been used since the advent of the talkies. The theater's Renaissance-style facade, by Eisendrath & Horwitz, includes a large balcony, flanked by two-story Ionic columns.

''It's an ugly, unattractive, eyesore,'' Mr. Zeckendorf said. ''We hope to replace it with a structure more in keeping with Worldwide Plaza.'' >>

I researched a bit more on the Times site and found a later article dated June 1995 that reports the demolition of the theater and mentions that Mr. Zeckendorf had finally succeeded in closing the theater (one assumes permanently) in January of 1994, "after years of manuevering." This opens a door for the possibility that in a fight for its life, the theater's management might have instituted a policy of showing straight films in a last ditch effort to prove its worthiness in the resurgent neighborhood. Here is a link to that article:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE4DF1230F93BA25755C0A963958260

I believe there was another theater that picked up the "Adonis" moniker at some point further down 8th Ave in the '40's across from the Cameo/Playpen Theater. Does that ring a bell with anyone?

It was the same theater that was once the Adonis at 50th Street & 8th Avenue. I recall having passed by many times and wondering what the theater looked like inside, since it appeared to be so big. I think it was closed for a while before they reopened it and attempted to play first release non-porn films. I'm not sure if they remodeled the place inside when I saw Silent Tongue, since I had nothing to compare it to.

I located 2 release dates for Silent Tongue. The Entertainment Weekly reviewed it in their December 17, 1993 issue. So it may have been in very limited release in December 1993 for Oscar contention purposes. It was then released more widely on February 25,1994, as I have the NY Times review of the film from that date, when it played at 2 theaters Loews Tower East (3rd Ave & 71st) & Lowes Village Theater VII (3rd Ave & 11th St). So it's likely I saw it at the Tivoli/Adonis in December 1993, instead of in 1994.

Thanks for sharing that, Alex, and apparently shedding some light on a little known and obviously short-lived legitimate revival for the former Tivoli before she was so unceremoniously swept out of the way in the name "progress." I wonder if the distributors of the film four-walled the theater for their qualifying run? I wonder if we can find out more about this engagement (and possible others), as well as nailing down just exactly what the place was renamed during the time.

The all-male-films Adonis Theater on 8th Ave. was turned into the Playpen sometime when Gulliani was cleaning up 8th. Avenue during the 1990's. I don't remember the Adonis being at any other location from my NYC years 1971 - 2000. There was a reason that the marquee used in the movie "A Night At The Adonis" was different than the actual theater(I think it had to do with lighting) but everthing else in the film (including Eartha) was filming inside the Adonis Theatre. Since we can no longer upload pictures I can't upload the last picture I took of the Adonis in 1989. You can clearly recognize it was changed to the Playpen.

Why don't you try uploading it to a site like photobucket.com or the like and then put the link to that photo here. I'm curious to see this photo of the Adonis being called the Playpen. Especially since the Playpen to the best of my knowledge has always been on 43rd street and 8th. I do recall having one of the other theatres down on 8th avenue, I want to say the Eros taking the Adonis name.

I'd be interested in seeing that photo as well, hollywood. The two facades (the Tivoli/Adonis and the Cameo/Playpen) were very similar in architectural styles and can be easily confused. They're also on the same side of 8th Ave and within blocks of each other. But so many of those XXX theaters in the area changed or swapped names over the years that its easy enough to believe. You can set up a photobucket account for free (www.photobucket.com), or if you like you can contact another CT member who already has a photobucket account and perhaps they'll post it here for you. I've hosted other members' photos on my photobucket several times already.

I will attempt the photobucket site. The Eros was across the street from the Adonis. The Adonis became the Playpen. I used to stay at the HoJo's on Eighth Ave. and knew the area well.

So then, would your recollection be that the Cameo became the Playpen after the Adonis/Playpen was closed for demolition in 1990? And do you recall any attempts to book 1st run non-porno fare at the Adonis in its last days such as the story conveyed by AlexNYC on March 23rd and 26th of this year?

My recollection is that the Adonis turned into the Playpen during Gulliani's reign. Eighth Avenue was practically swept clean. The Adonis/Playpen was not demolished as it can be seen in episodes of Taxicab Confessions from 2000 or 2001. I haven't been back to NYC since 2002 and The Playpen was still operating.

Try http://i85photobucket.com/albums/k79/hollywood90038/th_adonistheater.jpg

Sorry...try:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k79/hollywood90038/adonistheater.jpg

Hollywood... as a few of us here suspected, you are confusing the theater listed on this page with the former Squire/Ideal theater that later became the XXX Cameo and subsequently assumed the Adonis moniker when the former Tivoli (the subject of this page) was demolished. The photo you have posted is definitely a shot of that other theater listed on CT here and located further to the south down 8th Ave near 43rd Street. That theater still exists and still goes by the name Playpen.

The Tivoli theater discussed on this page was located on B'way between 50th and 51st. While both buildings resemble each other to a degree, you can compare your photo with the one Warren posted on August 16th, 2005 to note the differences.

By all means, please repost your photo on the right page as it offers a glimpse of that theater during a period of operation that is not documented there.

The Tivoli Theatre was on Eighth Avenue, not on Broadway.

Sorry...I thought this page was about the Adonis Theatre. After reviewing pictures of the old Tivoli and Cameo Theatres, the picture I posted was of the Cameo turned Adonis turned Playpen. However I do not recall this theater being near 43rd and 8th. I apologize for any confusion. My recollections of the 43rd and 8th include a host of small sex shops on the west side and the Show Palace on the east side of 8th.

Yes, Warren, my typing error. I meant 8th Ave. Thanks for pointing it out. Hollywood... both theaters were known as the Adonis at different times. I believe the name probably has a longer association with the Tivoli than it does with the Cameo turned Playpen.

Interesting grouping of ads here:

My Little Porno - Post 7/4/86

Brings to mind the old Sesame Street learning song "One of these things is not like the other..."

very funny..........gives a new meaning to my little pony

LMAO Forget movie theaters, you people should be on Comedy Central.

Nothing has been mentioned on this page yet about Mrs. Chelly Wilson, the Greek-born exploitation film producer, distributor and exhibtitor who was a seminal figure (no pun intended) in the New York porn cinema scene. The Tivoli and the Cameo (former Squire) on Eighth Avenue were her earliest ventures as an exhibitor. I found a NY Times article that identifies Mrs. Wilson as the operator for both theaters as early as January of 1968 - and her association with the Cameo goes back possibly as early as 1964 when proto-porn flicks like the Olga series made their debut under her stewardship. Her empire on Eighth Avenue would expand by 1970 to include the Capri and the Eros I and Eros II theaters (the latter to become known as the Venus) all clustered on the block between 45th and 46th Streets.

Wonderfully informative thread which I look forward to reading in detail later. To clear up anything I may have missed in skimming, I can definitely tell you about the 2 Adonises, having gone to both of them quite a lot. The old one was truly a pleasure, and was on 8th, between 50th and 51st, and has, as noted, been demolished for that high rise. When I first started going in 1976, it was clean and stayed that way for a few years, there were quaint old-fashioned signs about 'The Male Flagship Theater of the Nation' and outside the balcony theater was a spacious are with quaint wicker chairs, which sank into disrepair by the early 80s.

(continuing) I had heard that the old theater, obviously the Tivoli, had been built by B. Rose for F. Brice, that was what everybody used to say. I remember seeing 'A Night at the Adonis' there right after it was filmed inside there, and I've got a review of the film on IMDB. by 1987 at least, the balcony had collapsed and the place went all the way downhill. It closed in 1989 and moved down to the west side of 8th at 44th. The old marquee bore the words 'Move to 44th Street'. The theater there (correct as shown in a photo above) did become the Playpen, which still exists--I'd forgotten how ugly the colours are.

The Playpen is still there, but I've never been inside. I think it lasted as the 'New Adonis' for 5 years, till 1995, in any case a few years. It was full of campy Greek statues and became filthy after a year--broken chairs, toilets, everything. They had taken the old 'Adonis Superstar' photos (from the film 'A Night at the Adonis', which I saw at the old theater just after they filmed it there) on black velvet from the old theater and placed them back up at the new place. The same cashiers worked both theaters for years, and one of them, a woman named Bertha, was in the film 'A Night at the Adonis.

the old Adonis had a restroom on the balcony level with one of those old 70's silver disco light fixtures for awhile. Things were done quite out in the open as well as in comparative privacy. There was a phone booth on the second floor that was always ringing, people would call in for dirty talk.

I met Wrangler and Whiting at a wedding of mutual friends in 1990, but had thought they were already married. someone said here they didn't marry till 1994. I talked to them a good bit, as both Margaret and I were performers in the wedding ceremony. They were very funny, real Beverly Hills characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here is another photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2pwdxw

This theatre was before my time, but I would like to have seen it. Sounds like it was a fun cruise spot.

Try to find a copy of A Night At The Adonis and you'll see exactly what it was like!

Was "The Back Row" also filmed there? That handsome lead actor is exactly my type of guy.

The owners of "A Night at the Adonis" could provide a vauluable public service by resissuing it with a prologue saying something like this: "Dedicated to the memories of the thousands, young and old, who lost their lives to AIDS and/or other sexually transmitted diseses that they caught during nights like those depicted in this motion picture."

And release it with its original soundtrack...not that junk that's on the vhs tape. Is Jack Deveau or Hand In Hand Films still around??

'A Night at the Adonis' is well before AIDS, but that doesn't stop professional bores from giving insufferable and uninformative and hateful sermons. What an idiotic thing to say, Nameless Bore. I warned them at the Fair about you, and they've made sure to cut out all smoking, after you reported them. You are obviously on a homophobic crusade under the guise of old movie house expertise (you may have some, but who would care now...) Why don't you start your own preachy blog or just go teach Sunday School in a red state?

Hollywood--Jack Deveau has been dead a good while, and Hand in Hand Films and all the old porno studios are long gone, replaced with the things straight to video from Czech Republic, etc. You mean the vhs doesn't have 'Moonlight Serenade' on it? Anyway, I think eBay's naughtybids site has it pretty frequently. Impossible to find those old titles in regular porno stores any more--things like 'Adam and Yves' are long gone, and one early 70's that was terrific, showed at the Mini-Cinema, once right in Rockefeller Cinema, was 'Gay Guide to Hawaii'. It's probably been completely lost, and was probably never even on vhs.

'Oklahoma Cowboy'--The Back Row was probably not filmed there, because I frequented the place during most of its history (without EVER getting one of the above personnel's Famous STD's), and I think I would have known. You can write this one guy BJ at his blog, BJ's Pornology, and ask him, he'll know. I've exchanged some videos and info with him, and he's an encyclopedia of 70s gay movies. Friendly, and will answer your email right away. Just put BJ's Pornology into Google and you'll find him straightaway.

Correct...it doesn't have Moonlight Serenade or Menage a Trois or any of the original good music that worked so well with the film. If it was never released on dvd then anything selling on ebay is a copy of the vhs that has the crappy music and I already have that. Fortunately I worked at a porn theater for a while and was given a few of the old titles that are not available anywhere.

Dear Warren,
Being homophobic is just telling everyone how ignorant and stupid you are. You are a shameful individual who should be excised from this website post haste. Being homophobic and ignorant means you can't cope with life and you have to hate others so you can love yourself. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome affects straights as well. I pray the good lord will overlook your ignorance and not inflict you or your loved ones with this illness.

pmullins;
Thanks for the update & info.
Actually, my monider is OKLAHOMO COWBOY

Oklahomo Cowboy:
You have charm. You are clever. Without a doubt you are the best looking young stud in Oklahoma City, but your vocabulary and spelling are somewhat lacking. Perhaps the word you were wanting to write is moniker(?).

"fairytail," I'm not a homophobe. I'm simply telling a truth that needs to be repeated as often as possible. I know that anyone can become infected with AIDS, but it can be avoided by practicing safe sex and not engaging in behavior like that depicted in "A Night at the Adonis."

Oklahomo Cowboy====== what a name ===== love it !

Warren--you are a homophobe and a nuisance. You are not trying to get people to practice safe sex, which everybody is aware that they should be doing anyway, whether or not they are. You come here to make self-righteous pronouncements about people's lifestyles, to be a boring missionary that nobody wants to hear from.

Most of the New York original cases of AIDS came from the bathhouses and heavy bars like the Mineshaft, not from movie theaters, where sexual activity was more restricted. You want to police gays, and tell them they should hear your message when it is very transparent that you are trying to make a moral point about certain kinds of sex acts, which are not nearly all in themselves dangerous anyway, and the others are dangerous only if unprotected.

Most of the video versions have long had warnings at the beginnings of the films warning people NOT to engage in what they see on the screen. You are not really worth talking to, since you are obviously not very bright, but since you won't shut your redneck mouth, I do agree with fairytale that you ought to be shut out of here.

Or why don't you go stand out in front of the baths or the Fair and preach like some vulgar street evangelist? That's what you are anyway, isn't it? Or probably just some homely troll who wants to bother guys that like to get laid.

Knock it off, Warren and pmullins. This isn't the place for this sort of discussion.

Let's please try to stay focused on the purpose of this website.

Thanks,
Patrick

Very true, and thanks, actually. However, mention of the film about the theater was appropriate, not commentary that was tangential about life-styles. It is necessary that you recognize that there are some people on these threads of gay porno houses do take the opportunity to make unnecessary remarks while pretending to be sincere.

I realize that saying this may get me banned from this forum, but I don't care, because this thread and the one for the Fair is full of such stuff, and you should direct your moderating at the first offender, not those who try to get them to stop.

I know this is not the correct website to post this question, but I know many NYers visit this site so I apologize in advance: Does anyone know if 40 West 53rd Street is still an old apartment building? Thanks you.

No, the south side of West 53rd Street has been totally modernized from Fifth Avenue to at least Broadway. I don't know what stands at 40 West 53rd Street, but the Donnell branch of the NYPL is at #20. Directly across the street is the Museum of Modern Art, which was greatly enlarged about two years ago.

Warren: Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it.

great blog on the adonis. i remember so clearly watching them blow torch the neon sign into pieces and dropping the chunks into a dumpster, when it was at the cameo location. i couldnt believe it. i became determined to save it's sister and brother- the eros and the venus. a few years later during the giuliani nightmare- i contacted the eros and venus owners and they sold me their marquee signs. they are safe for now and i will return them to one of the cities museums when they appreciate them. i illustrated the theaters for marc almonds book "the end of new york".

Scott--that's super and I'd like to see the book. I just looked it up at NYPL and they don't have it, will search later. In the meantime, let us know something about it. I'm very envious you own the marquee signs--that's fantastic! I've felt that way about signs before, and been glad when they've been preserved, like the old PanAm signs which are, I think, now in Florida, but preserved (I've always hated looking up Park and seeing MetLife, which seems to indicate death, whereas the old PanAm logo was part of the zingy period of New York when things were lighter and there was a real chic, not this low hum of computers and fax machines that the city feels like now. I used to go to both the Eros and the Venus on rare occasions, but think that is wonderful of you to have preserved the signs. Almost all this heritage that we took for granted in the 70s has been destroyed--not just the fun ways of life that went with some of them, but even the relics. You're a real inspiration, I have to say.

The Tivoli advertised as showing LA CUCARACHA in the New York Times, a Mexican all star hit headlining Maria Felix and Dolores del Rio in 1961. This implies it was showing Spanish product then and this one had cross-over potential.

Poor but viewable screen-grab of the other ADONIS theater:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k79/hollywood90038/NYCoriginalADONIS04.jpg

My bad...that should read the ORIGINAL (not other) Adonis theater.

Another screen-grab of the interior of the original Adonis theater:
http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k79/hollywood90038/NYCAdonis06Small.jpg

You can see the marquee for the Tivoli Theatre in the film "Willie Dynamite" (1974), around 53 minutes into the film.

Here's a new link to a vintage exterior view of the Tivoli Theatre:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/tivoliext.jpg

What a shame this theatre couldn't have been saved and restored.

Weak-kneed thief, from the NYT on 9/3/59:

Hold-Up Try Is Foiled By Unyielding Cashier

A would-be bandit's flesh was willing last night but his spirit quailed before an unrelenting cashier at the Tivoli Theatre, Eighth Avenue and Fiftieth Street. He told his intended victim before he fled: "If you'll forget about this, I will."

Ha. In the words of the Tivoli backwards: ILOVIT.

I surprised that I have never commented on this theater prior to now. Had this theater survived into the new century, I believe it could have been saved and restored; probably into a legit house.

I say this because I have to admit that I did visit this theater once. I was in my mid twenties and still very much in the closet and the facade of this theater was so impressive and I wanted to see what it looked like inside. Well that, I I was curious about what a gay theater would be like. I believe it was the mid 80's and as others have posted above, I remember being impressed with the beauty of the lobby and I could tell that at one time it had been a beautiful theater. I do believe that its history as a gay porno house has diminished what what lost when this theater was demolished.

Posted above was a comment from Zechendorf about how ugly the Adonis was and that he hoped to put up a more attractive building in keeping with the new identity of Hells Kitchen. Well, the building that was built was the Longacre, a banal high rise rental that is certainly no improvement over what was lost.

p.s. I remember staying in the theater only about 15 minutes. I couldn't bring myself to actually sit down and I wasn't comfortable with what was going on around me. I'm glad I got to see the theater though and I never went to another gay porno theater. :-)

1979 Photo

1981 Photo

1983 Photo

I remember plenty about the Adonis, but funny enough, not its lobby.

Does anyone know the name of the black and white porn movie that was being watched in the orgially movie? it was hott..i would like to know the name of it...my emal addy is london_ginuwine@yahoo.com if anybody wants to help me out...thanks

the black and white movie playing at the theatre in the movie is narcissus II, here are some screen grabs from the "a night at the adonis"
exterior
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3710518398/
box office
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3709707031/
lobby with horny punters waiting to get in
http://www.flickr.com/photos/woody1969/3709706531/

In 1976 or 77, my parents brought me to NYC to look at colleges (Cooper Union and Columbia). One night after dinner, they let me go out alone to visit "record stores". My real plan was to go to the Adonis, which I'd either seen or read about. I walked from the Tudor Hotel (42nd and 1st), no short jaunt. I sat down in the middle of the main floor to watch the movie (which, I swear to God, involved a guy doing things to himself with produce). Couldn't figure out why everybody kept walking around and changing seats while the movie was playing. (OK, I was 16 or 17.) Don't remember much about the theater, or how long I stayed. Mostly remember how freaked out my parents were when I got back to the hotel hours later (man, that walk back was looong!).
Moved to NYC in '77, and visited the Adonis many times. I vividly remember the oval cutout in the upper lobby, and I think there were urns at each end of it with plastic flowers. Could be wrong. Also recall the Mens room, down a couple of steps from the main floor. It was really big, with intricate tile work and dim lighting. I think the Ladies room was reserved for the staff.
What an incredible theater. What a sad loss.

The movie with the produce must have been "Rough Trades". Like a car crash, you couldn't look away.

what a sweet memory from bflonguy. this was a great theater and a different world.