Alpine Theater

The Alpine's first sub-division took place in 1976, when it was twinned by architect John Teramo.

This theatre just made the CBS-TV survey listing of unsanitary food handling conditions this past week based on the last year's inspectitions. Shame on you, Onex!

P.S. This is one of Loew's original theatres celebrating it's 82nd year in business in it's original new owners' hands albeit tne name changes. A Loew's single theatre until 1982 and then "Golden"-divided, 1988 "Cineplex-Odeon" face lifted, "Loew's-Cineplex" whenever that happened, who cares?, and now Onex. This of all thier Brooklyn holdings at the time of the "100th anniversary of Loews" campaign should be taken care of, moneywise. Without the Alpine and other Loew's houses no longer around, the contributions these Loew's made to the company should not be overlooked. When theatre stockrooms are fumigated for vermin, the inventory of stock within is vulnerable to foriegn odors of the pesticide sprayed. All should be cautious!! The profits that the concession stands make lead them to sell everything but the traditional movie snacks and sometimes proper food handling is not being adhered to. My rule of thumb with popcorn, if it is not being popped at the counter as you are buying it, don't buy it. For the high popcorn prices charged, 3.85 plus tax (prices at Clearview Cinemas) for one ounce of raw corn popped is highway robbery and no real butter either!

Since when did this site become a place to vent anger and frustration at the high cost of the movie going experience?
The Alpine showed two films in their theater from the late 60's until the early 90's when it beame a Cineplex and addedd six more screens. My cousin was manager there from 1988 til 1991 when it was still a two theater house and they were showing "Flatliners" with "Excorsist III". Though the Alpine has declined because of the age of the workers who tend to denegrate the movie experience with their classic Teenage Angst, the theater is still better than The Fortway up the blocks. My nephew worked there recently and says it's getting worse.

Here is some information on the seating capacity for each of the Alpine's auditoriums. Theatre 1: 393 seats, Theatre 2: 373 seats, Theatre 3: 211 seats, Theatre 4: 216 seats, Theatre 5: 188 seats, Theatre 6: 188 seats, Theatre 7: 191 seats.

I agree with CoolGuyCarl, let's rmember what was good about the Alpine. Some Good Memories. I remember staying in line in 1965, which went around the corner, around the furniture store, to see "The Greatest Story Ever Told". The Sean Connery James Bond Movies, "A Hard Days Night", "Cat Ballou". "The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming", etc.. Couldn't beat the popcorn !

THIS IS ONE OF THE WORST MULTI PLEX JOBS, ALWAYS WEAK BOX OFFICE # HERE

Since moving to bay ridge a few years back, I've been to the Alpine twice, the 1st time was ok, only 5.00 to get in for the 1st show, however the 2nd time was terrible, they keep the lights on near the screen, and when I finally got fed up and went to complain the teenagers working there looked at me like I was nuts. Needless to say I have not been back since.

What is the layout of the auditoriums here?

There is a small hallway in the center, that slopes down. Off to the left of the hallway there are two large auditoriums numbers 1 & 2, To the right of the hallway are five much, much smaller theatres, numbers 3-7, the screens for these smaller theatres face a different direction than the two main ones. The Alpine never had a balcony so all the theatres are on one main level of the theatre.

As I mentioned in the introduction, the Alpine was the first Loew's theatre to have all of its seats on the ground floor, without a balcony. That later also became true of Loew's Woodside in Queens, which is now a Roman Catholic Church with much of the original auditorium decor still visible.

What a huge orchestra this must have been as a single screen.

Is this the theater that is seen briefly in the movie Saturday Night Fever during the opening scene with John Travolta?

The Alpine does not take a bow in SNF. The opening scene occurs on 86 Street and 20 Avenue near the Benson theater. You might discern Loew's Oriental in the distance. The sociological distinctions in this film are exquisite. Vinnie's girl-friend lives near 4 Avenue, and a key scene in her neighborhood takes place on 86 Street between 4th and 5th Avenues in front of a Key Food supermarket (is it still there? Century dept store now dominates this block), across the street from the long-gone RKO Shore Road theater. The Odyssey Disco stood on 65 Street and (I'm not exactly sure) 10 Avenue?

Thanks for the update.

RobertR wondered what the Alpine’s interior might have looked like before it was subdivided. It looked like a gigantic oven. At least to my childish imagination, that’s how it compared when, one day in the late ‘40s, I peered into our kitchen stove and asked whether anyone could show a movie inside it. The Alpine was big and boxy, and it appeared all the more so because it had no balcony. Neighborhood lore had it that the builders discovered a structural flaw in construction and so, instead of adding a balcony, they extended the length of the building to accommodate a larger orchestra. You can in fact see two distinct stages of construction if you examine the building on its 69 Street side, walking east from 5 Avenue: the larger unit close to the avenue has a darker-toned brick; then there’s a cement pilaster, and the second, smaller unit in reddish brick continues eastward in a distinctively different, aesthetically mismatched style.

The interior likewise divided into two large, squarish units. The bigger one was dimly lit by four orange-tinted stained-glass light fixtures high on the ceiling. The smaller one close to the screen was even more dimly lit by four tiny gray light fixtures, whence my comparison to the family oven. The floor plan followed these unit-divisions, with a trans-horizontal aisle paralleling the division. Five vertical aisles produced four sections of seats. The matron-supervised Children’s Section occupied the far-left section in the front part of the house. The Smokers’ Section occupied the entire right-half of the house.

Because of the orchestra’s forward sprawl, the pre-CinemaScope screen appeared quite small from the rear sections. Except for a small apron in front of the screen, there was no stage, and instead of a proscenium, the area around the screen was draped with dark maroon curtains. The curtains parted just enough to reveal the screen and its thin black border. Both apron and curtains were eliminated to make room for a curved panoramic screen in Fall ’53. The latter, quite sizable but in the old 1.33 ratio, was replaced the following Spring by a wider but flat CinemaScope screen, which Loew’s management advertised as the largest in Brooklyn. In that dark, cavernous space, hardly any screen could have been large enough. In this same space, the sound echoed off the smooth, undecorated walls, especially when the house was empty. Though to this kid’s eyes, the single-screen Alpine might have looked like an oven, it had a super air-conditioning system and none of the musty smell that I remember at other naborhood theaters.

whoops -- that's "neighborhood," not "naborhood."

Unless you worked at Loew’s Alpine, I doubt whether you could have spent more time there than I did in the late ‘40s and early ‘50s. My parents got a huge bang out of going to the movies, and they took me a lot, frequently to B’way first-runs. But the Alpine was our neighborhood house of choice, since it showed the great MGM, Paramount, and Columbia films that seemed superior to any RKO, 20C-Fox, and Warners fare at the rival RKO Dyker. I won’t rehearse the scores of films I remember seeing with them as a tiny kid.

When I reached the age of nine in Spring ’51, I was allowed to go to the movies by myself, and at that point I became a screen-crazed addict. The first solo film I saw there was “Father’s Little Dividend,” and I went back almost weekly after that. Even when I had already seen a film at the Capitol or RCMH, I’d revisit it at the Alpine (“Quo Vadis?” “Ivanhoe”). By Summer ’52, I made sure to arrive at the head of the box office line for the first show (“The Quiet Man,” “High Noon”), and then I’d race to the Children’s Section for the rear-row right-aisle seat, which had an unobstructed view of the screen owing to the curve of the aisle and the angle of the seat. I did that nearly every Saturday during the school year (except when the Dyker offered a film that grabbed my attention, such as a Disney live-actioner or the occasional Doris Day romp). During summer and holiday vacations (“The African Queen,” “The Prisoner of Zenda”), I switched my shift to Wednesdays when the new programs opened. Children under twelve paid thirty cents.

By Fall ’53, I began to complain that other kids were a noisy distraction, so I decided to attend noteworthy films after school in an emptier house, usually on Friday (the main feature started conveniently around 3:20 pm, but I’d skip the co-feature to arrive home before supper: “The Blackboard Jungle,” The Desperate Hours”). In the eighth grade, I fell in with a bunch of tough kids and would occasionally go with them to the Alpine on Sundays (though I still reserved serious films for private showings: “The Rose Tattoo,” “Picnic”). Often we would evade the matron in the Children’s Section (after all, we’d paid the adult price of sixty cents) and head off to the opposite side for the Smoking Section, where we’d puff on Lucky Strikes or Kool cigarettes. I can still taste tobacco when I think of Martin and Lewis in “Three Ring Circus” and “Artists and Models.”

That all ended when I reached high school in ’56 and hung out with a bunch of like-minded cinephiliacs. On Saturdays, we’d take the subway to B’way first-runs which cost ninety cents before noon, or else we’d go to MoMA or to assorted revival or foreign films shown around town (“The Lady Vanishes,” “Rififi,” “The Seven Samurai”) and eventually to live theater (day-of-perf. standing-room mat. $1.50) and music (Met Opera family-circle standing-room $1.25). I financed these expeditions by turning my thirty-cent school-lunch money into subway tokens and movie tickets. Like most addicts, I grew very pale and certainly very thin. For many years afterward, I hardly went to the Alpine (though I recall standing on line there for “Psycho” when they denied admission after the feature had begun—a gimmick associated with this film’s release in Summer ‘60). Certainly appropriate, the last film I saw at that theater was “Midnight Cowboy” in Fall ‘69.

Went to the Alpine recently. The theater is absolutely the worst Cinematic experience I ever had.Inside you loose all sense of direction. The theater is bisected by a long narrow corridor with ultra mini theaters on either side.It reminds one of a walk mthrough a funhouse,but it aint fun.Each mini theater has too many broken seats and a flypaper sticky substance on the floor from spilt soda and other things they sell to eat.The sound was inaudible and the heat was turned all the way up. It was so filthy that it gave me the creeps.I swear that I will never go again even if they give me a free lifetime pass.

Theaterat: Sorry to hear about your walk through the funhouse. One advantage to having a regular rear-row right-aisle seat by dint of reaching the Children’s Section before anyone else (as I wrote on 3 Feb.) is that, in case of emergency, family members would know where to find you. In Spring ’54, “Julius Caesar” finally played at the Alpine. I had seen it the previous summer during its reserved-seat run at the Booth, from which it had moved on to continuous showings at the Plaza for the rest of the year. On the Saturday morning of its stint at the Alpine, I set out as usual, pencil behind ear, to re-view that MGM triumph. It was a fine Spring day, and my aunt decided that it seemed a shame for a twelve-year-old boy to be cooped up indoors with a Shakespearean film. So she summoned my cousin and with him headed toward the theater, where they persuaded the ticket-taker to allow them inside to retrieve me. Alas, my cousin knew exactly where to look, and he and his mom bribed me away by proffering a trip to Coney Island. All this occurred during the premonitory storm sequence in act 2, scene 2, so I never got to see the actual assassination a second time. The big attraction at Coney Island that season was an enormous blue whale named “Miss Hispaniola.” It had washed up on the Maine shore, had died, and was then embalmed and shipped to NY for public viewing. As I gazed upon its rotting flesh, all I could think was that by now Marlon Brando had reached the plains of Philippi and was pursuing Brutus and Cassius to the death. By the end of the day, however, I would experience my first ride on the Cyclone, having reached the age of twelve and the requisite height for admission. At the top of the chute, I thought fractionally of the storm scene in act 2. O Julius Caesar, thou art mighty yet!

Theaterat-- when you walk though that directionless funhouse today, do you find they've dropped a new ceiling to cover the multiplexes? The original height was several stories.

AT the end of the HALLWAY the back room still has the stage area now used a stock room .pretty big area maybe theater 8 some day ...lol

To Box Office Bill. Always looking to take the cheap way out, there is a suspended celing in the hallway and in the mini theaters too. After all this is UA in the 21 century and not Loews in their glory years.Theaterat 3 6 05

Box Office Bill....You seem to be a bit older than I. A friend tells me there were movie theaters on 5th Av and 74th St and 3rd Av and 75th St in Bay Ridge. If that is true. please tell me the names and give a description of them, As you can probably see, I am fascinated by them and as a lifetime movie goer and Brooklyn resident, I am trying to compile a complete listing of movie houses in Brooklyn. Thank You.

Born in Bay Ridge in 1942, I lived there (except for some university years) until 1967. And, yes, I recall with gargantuan appetite a good deal about that neighborhood, Park Slope, the Heights, and Flatbush in those years. Especially about movie theaters therein.

The Stanley occupied the space of a present-day mini-supermarket on Fifth Ave between 74-75 Streets. Q.v. my contribution to the Stanley page on this site. Its mate, the Electra, occupied a similar space on Third Avenue and 75 Street. Q.v. the Electra page on this site.

Box Office Bill....Thank You thakk you.

Box Office Bill- Thanks for the info on the Electra and the Stanley theaters. Tell me, Box Office Bill. Other than the Park theater at 41st and 5th av, and the Coliseum on 4th av, were there any other theaters on 5th av.in the Sunset Park area? My memory may be hazy(comes with age0 but I think I remember another theater on th av, probably at about 53 or 53st.This had to be in the early 1960s.Thanks.

Theaterat -- You're right: the Sunset Theater stood at the southwest corner (or was it northwest corner?) of (I believe) 55 Street and 5 Ave., with its rear-exit wall on the side-street. I'd check the exact address in Film Daily Yearbook. I remember it as a low greystone building, with a blue-neon-framed art-deco-ish marquee. To judge from the size of the building, I doubt that it had a balcony. It probably sat 500 patrons. Its fare consisted of subsequent runs, and its demise might have occured in the late '50s or early '60s. I never entered it.
Thanks for recalling the Park. To this kid in the early '50s, the world's most wonderful secondhand-comicbook-and-magazine store stood a few doors away. It was a terrific treat for me to go there with a few nickles and exit with an armful of vintage comics and mags, especially ones with coverage of WWII.

Theaterat--

I checked the Film Daily Year Book for 1952 about the Sunset. It appears that, with the reported address of 4705 5 Avenue, the theater stood on the southeast corner of 47 Street, not on the NW corner of 55 Street as I reported above. Unless I’m just mad north-by-northwest, I still hold to my mind’s-eye image of it as a squat greystone building. And my guestimate of its size appears reasonable: FDYB reports a capacity of 564. Since FDYB discontinued listing such theaters around 1956, when the theater still appeared functional, I can’t trace the date of its closing.

FDYB lists the Park at 4322 5 Avenue (that one then definitely on the NW corner of the avenue) with a big capacity of 1,308 (never been there, never imagined that size; can only wish the neighboring comic-and-mag store such stability). And it lists the Coliseum—I’d forgotten that one!— with a capacity of 1,102, at 5205 4 Avenue (and so blurring into my image of the Sunset as standing on 55 Street).

Here’s yet another that just occurred to me (and matter for further checking in a yet older FDYB): the Ritz (I think), beneath the Belt Pkwy on 3 Avenue in a mid-‘40s block. I recall it as a hole-in-the-wall, with a marquee designating “Top Fotoplays” but with no space for specific titles. I’ll bet that it started its life as a nickelodeon or silent-film parlor and didn’t survive much into the 1950s.

Thany you Box Office Bill! You are a wealth of infomation. I remember the Park, even though I never went there. I remember being in that neighborhood probably in Oct 1965 with a friend. His grandmother(wno was Norwegian) lived in the Sunset Park area.The theater was about to be torn down. We asked the workers if we could go inside and take a look. They told us to be careful.I remember a mid size house with 3 blocks opf seats and a small balcony.Another friend who currently lives on 48th. st off 5th av lived in this area in the late 40s. The theater on 3rd av was called the Alben- not to be confused with the RKO Albee. It was a hole in the wall and showed last run fare. Another friend of mine who calls himself PhilPhil{he does not have a computer, so I post his entries under my screen name}recently described the Ratz..sorry, ment the Ritz on 8th. av and 46th.st Qv. Another nabe. He also recalls the Berkshire on 60th.st and 8th.av wich is now a Muslim mosque, and the Center...never heard of it...on 6th av and 55th.st. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back and experience some of these long forgotten theaters , who knows, maybe someday.

Error Above.... The Park was not demolished ,the inside was gutted. The building still stands, and is a supermarket now.

Theaterat--

Yes-- I've been following your postings on the Ratz, and have realized that the hole-in-the-wall on 3 Avenue in the 40's could not have been named the Ritz. That's was a curious conflation on my part, mixing two theaters in the 40's, one on 3 Ave, the other on 8 Avenue. But I still retain their images as distinct in my mind's eye.

Alben: I would never have recalled that name (it's either cognate with the ancient name for Britain, "Albin" or "Alban," or else it commemorates a partnership between two guys, Al and Ben? likely the latter, given that time and place). There's no listing in the Film Daily Year Book of 1950 (I'm certain that it was still operating then).

I dimly recall the Center, but not the Berkshire. I'll check on them in the Film Daily Year Book when I'm in the library. PhilPhil sounds up to speed on all of it. I moved from Brooklyn in the late 1960s, so have only a phantasized recall of it, enhanced by bookish data.

Ja, ja, ja, die 40's verr a Nordisk neighborhood -- great delicatessens, and a Norwegian language newspaper, Nordisk Tidende, printed on 63 Street and Ft. Hamilton Pkwy, no?

Box Office Bill... Yes, there were excellent Norsk delis, but only 3 or 4 remain. There even was a good restaurant called the Trondheim not too far away from the Park on 5th. Av. They had great herring and meatballs, not to mention the fresh cheese and breads. It too is history.There also was a great hobby shop called Stanleys on 4th.av near 49th.st. Remember going there with my friends, and building those great Aurora and Revell ship and plane models.

I just consulted Film Daily Year Book of 1950 again, and found that the Alben is indeed listed (I missed it because, in scanning the columns for a theater on 3 Ave, I failed to see its address printed off-center on the right side). Its address was 5406 3 Avenue (ergo between 54 and 55 Streets) and it held 447 seats. It is not listed in the FDYB of 1954, so it surely did not survive the introduction of widescreen in '53.

The Alpine showed a midnight preview of Carrie when they were showing Norman, Is That You?

Here’s a photo of the Alpine in 1946. It comes from Brian Merlis and Lee A. Rosenzweig, “Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge and Fort Hamilton: A Photographic Journey” (Brooklyn: Israelowitz Publishing, 2000), p. 131.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y116/petrarch/alpine1.jpg

The double feature on the marquee lists “Gilda” and “Blondie’s Lucky Day.” Since the Rita Hayworth classic opened at RCMH on 14 March of that year, the photo was likely shot in the following May.

The cranky kid at the extreme right could very well have been me, since I was approximately his age at the time, and defiantly in character. I would have been pestering my mom to take me to the Alpine, even though we had already seen the feature film some weeks earlier at Loew’s State, where it had moved after RCMH. At the State, “Gilda” was accompanied by a stage show that featured a memorable puppet act, the chief reason (I think) why my parents (bless their hearts) took me to see that steamy film (and people wonder why I behave the way I do).

Box Office Bill.....Gilda was rather sophisticated fare for a 4 year old, though the stage show sounded like fun! I was not weaned off Disney until I was 8 years old!

I recall as a kid taking the bus to the Alpine to see "Help" with the Beatles. It was a nice big single theatre then,now as a multiplex it is terrible. The last time I was there was about 1990 and it was very bad!I could hear the movie in the next theatre-the walls seemed paper thin.Also it was too small,dirty & very crowded. I never have gone back.

Bklyn Rob....You ain"t missing anything!

Box office Bill... I checked the "Sunset" in search theaters and came up with another theater on 5th. a. and 56th.st. in the Sunset Park area. It was owned by Interboro and it was called the "Vanity".This may be the lost theater I vaugely remember from the early 60s.According to the entry, this theater had no air conditioning. Must have been like an inferno on a hot day.They probably charged a little less than average to get in.

Box office Bill... I checked the "Sunset" in search theaters and came up with another theater on 5th. a. and 56th.st. in the Sunset Park area. It was owned by Interboro and it was called the "Vanity".This may be the lost theater I vaugely remember from the early 60s.According to the entry, this theater had no air conditioning. Must have been like an inferno on a hot day.They probably charged a little less than average to get in.

The Vanity: yes! That was there then, and likely the theater that I confused with the Sunset. If it was on the south-west corner of 5 and 56, then, yes, that was the Vanity.

Box Office Bill... Quess the old memory ain`t that bad after all!As a movie obsessed kid I was sure there was a theater here and, lo and behold, there was! It is amazing that this theater does not have its own entry in "search theaters". I found it in the entry for the Sunset.I used to go shopping in this area with my parents way back when, and it was a great place to go on a Friday or Saturday night. I remember a Woolworth, Davega appliances and a great toy store. We also used to go to the Times Square Store(TSS) on 4th av. and 61st, and the Robert Hall clothes shop across the street on 62th. st.

Yes-- On 4 Avenue in the 60s, there was also a used car dealership owned by Jack D'Amico. I always thought it odd that, aside from the Coliseum on 52 Street and the Terminal on Dean Street, 4 Avenue sported no movie theaters. As a kid, I held the firm belief that every major avenue should be lined with movie palaces.

I remember Robert Hall & TSS also. But I always remember the Coliseum showing Spanish films. Did anyone ever remember a movie theater on 4th Ave. & 29th Street? It was a bowling alley at one time,then a gas station. For some reason I have a vague memory of seeing "Attack Of the 50ft. Woman" at this theater. I am probably mistaken.

BklynRob-- 4 Ave and 29 Street on the west side of 4 and south side of 29? Ja, you're really jogging my memory. Perhaps. But a third- or fourth-run emporium in any case, at least in the mid-1940s when my memory begins. I'll consult FDYB.

I think it was on the south side. It later became a bowling alley. Paradise lanes maybe,not sure.

Brooklyn Rob... The Coliseum had mostly English speaking fare, but on occassion they would have a Spanish language film according to a Hispanic friend of mine who lived in the neighborhood. The Terminal, at Dean St. and 4th Av. showed Spanish films near the end of their run- late 60s early to mid 70s. Dont remember a movie house at 4th.Av. and 29th.St. but at 4 th. Av and 16th.St. there is a Strauss auto shop in a building that looks like it was a movie house at one time.The classic theater shape is undeniable. At one time Brooklyn had over 200 movie theaters, but now we are down to a mere 12.

Box Office Bill... You forgot! The Harbor was on 4th Av., albeit on 92nd. St.

I use to live on 4th Ave.& 24th St. back in the 60's/70's.I remember all those theaters very well. I also have fond memories of the Park movie across from Sunset Park,which is now a supermarket. And I remember going to see the Batman flick at the old Sanders near Prospect Park. I can't seem to recall what was on 4th ave. & 16 St. back then.I use to go to the Avon & Prospect theaters on 9th St as a kid. I loved the Avon.It's a shame we have lost all these great theaters.

Does anyone here remember the Alpine Ice Cream Parlor around the corner from the Alpine Theatre on Bay Ridge Avenue? The sign is still there along with the entrance, but the windows and doors are covered up with paint.

This place will be closing next.

I reopened the Alpine ice cream parlor when Cineplex Odeon bought that theater ...

Was it run by Cineplex Odeon at that time? It looks like it's been closed for a while.

The Loew's Circuit transferred control of the Alpine to Golden Theatre Management circa 1985, Does anyone know when Cineplex Odeon took over to run the Alpine?

Golden let go of control of the then-Olympia Quad at Broadway and 107th on the UWS in the spring of '87 and I think the Quad Cinema not long thereafter (maybe within a years' time at most?), so I'd guess Cineplex Odeon took over the Alpine sometime around then.

Thanks br91975, the last Golden Theatres that I remember were the Benson & Oceana. I know the Benson closed in 1988, but can't seem to put a year on when exactly the Oceana closed.

Cineplex ran it for about 2 years as an ice cream parlor

87 is about right

Box Office Bill... In case you have not heard, the Fortway theater had its final curtain call and closed probably for good on 6-24-05.There is now one less theater in Bay Ridge, the Alpine being the last survivor. Check the obits under the " Fortway "posting.

Box Office Bill... In case you have not heard, the Fortway theater had its final curtain call and closed probably for good on 6-24-05.There is now one less theater in Bay Ridge, the Alpine being the last survivor. Check the obits under the " Fortway "posting.

The Loew's Circuit transferred control of the Alpine to Golden Theatre Management circa 1985, Does anyone know when Cineplex Odeon took over to run the Alpine?
posted by Theatrefan on Jun 26, 2005 at 6:51am


A year ago when I talked about Golden managing theatres including the Olympia, people said they were only a booking agent. I knew they ran theatres too.

Theaterat: The Fortway's last day was actually on Sunday June 19th, when I went there on June 21 all of the theatre signage was removed. All we have now is the Alpine and with the merger who knows how long that will be around for?

Golden was a two-partner business that started the dollar theatre policy in Brooklyn with the Oceana, Graham, Granada, Rugby and the Highway. They also owned the Alpine, Olympia and the Fortway, additionally they also operated the Quad in Greenwich Village for a while. Eventually one of the partners died of cancer and the small theatres in the chain were either closed or sold off.

Theaterfan--

I don't recall the Alpine Ice Cream Parlor on BR Ave. But in the 1940s-50s, the neighborhood's best emporium for the sweet-tooth was Pohl's Homemade Candy on 5 Avenue between 70 and 71 Streets (east side--i.e. Alpine side--of the street). The aroma of chocolate and caramel was intoxicating on the street and a knock-out inside. I believe that the store closed around 1960. [It's not to be confused with Pohl's Homemade Ice Cream and Candy on 5 Avenue between 82 and 83 Street (west side), which closed a few years later. The latter's ice cream was inferior to Hinsch's near 86 Street, and its candy was several notches below the above-mentioned Pohl's.]

For those who threw all caution to the winds and would sacrifice artisanal chocolate for sheer bulk, a doughnut shop across the street from the Alpine offered its wares for the movie-going crowd. There the proprietor would hand-fry your choice of a doughnut-with-cream-filling as you stood at the counter. The paper-bag that you brought into the Alpine would be dripping with hot oil as you entered the theater.

I forewent all that so I could save money to see more movies later in the week at the Stanley or Bay Ridge. But I remember that most people wouldn't think of buying a ticket without the promise of sweets to go with it. Those double features, after all, were pretty long and viewers got hungry.

A photo of the Alpine Theater has been posted on the Bay Ridge Blog
( www.bayridgebrooklyn.blogspot.com )

Tip of the hat to all the contributors of Cinema Treasures, a great site.

...and a tip of the hat to you, Phantom, for posting all those great photos of Bay Ridge theatres (accompanied by brief histories) on your blog, present - and, all too sadly - mostly past.

Awww-- that's sad to see the current Alpine reduced to a storefront entrance. The structures to the right and left are clearly new ones. The structure to the left has replaced a large furniture store that perfectly complemented the Alpine's old facade and added bulk to the entrance. It looks so shrunken now. Compare a picture that I posted above last 26 April.

I remember the nice lady that used to manage the Alpine (Ms. Pulize, not sure of spelling) and she would come out of the office door on the left hand side of the theatre when you needed something ("Ms. Pulize, Please!"). I also remember when the twinned the theatre and you would wait for the next movie to start and people would spill out and ruin the end of the movie, like Rocky. Also sat through The Sunshine Boys twice there. And they showed Dondi for free as a kids' day special.

I work in the same office as a real estate and they got a fax about the Alpine going up for sale. Looks like it may be closing soon.

A 1939 billboard. For more details, please go to the listing for Loew's Oriental:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/quartet.jpg

I knew the Alpines days were numbered, sad the whole theatre business seems to be taking a nosedive.

According to the website of Massey Knakal (the Alpine's Real Estate Firm), the property is being offered for 10 million dollars and will be delivered vacant to the new landlord. This is the same firm that brokered the sale of the Fortway for 4.5 million earlier this year.

The Alpine is the last of Loew's original theatres in Brooklyn still showing movies, this point was brought up at the Loew's Centennial exhibit at the Museum of the Moving image last year. I can still remember it as one huge theatre before it was twinned, the marquee had the name Loew's Alpine on it, in the traditional Loew's sunburst style shared with the Delancey & Sheridan theatres.

Its closing will represent a tremendous loss for the community of Bay Ridge, already stung by the closure of the Fortway earlier this year. Bay Ridge's closest theatres will now be the Kent Theatre, Park Slope Pavilion and the Sheepshead Bay.

An article in today's daily news states that this theatre is up for sale and could close early next year.

Here is the article mentioned in YankeeMike's Post:

New York Daily News:
Credits to roll?
BY JOTHAM SEDERSTROM
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Friday, December 2nd, 2005

It could be the last picture show for Bay Ridge.
Alpine Cinema, the neighborhood's last remaining movie theater, went up for sale at $10 million this week, setting off a chorus of boos from local elected officials and merchants.

"We need to have a local movie theater in the neighborhood," said Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Bay Ridge). "When you start taking away theaters that people can walk to, it destroys the ambience and small-town character."

Merchants on bustling Fifth Ave. said they feared a drop in business, especially because the likely closing would come on the heels of bridal gown-seller Kleinfeld's move to Manhattan.

"Obviously, I'm very saddened - it's the last movie theater in Bay Ridge," said Fifth Avenue Board of Trade President Basil Capetanakis. "But for us, when people go to the movies they also go to the restaurants and the shops."

The announcement comes six months after the 76-year-old Fortway Theater screened its last movie. Both theaters were owned by Jeffrey Deneroff.

Speculation on what will replace the 49,000-square-foot Alpine varied from highly prized space for schools to a grocery store - both badly needed in the area, said officials.

It was unclear whether the current leaseholder would be allowed to renew when the lease expires next year, said Kari Neering, a spokeswoman for real estate firm Massey Knakal.

"I doubt it will remain a theater," said Neering. "But at this point there are endless possibilities."

Deneroff included a provision upon sale demanding that any new owner of the Fortway would be prohibited from opening another theater, a source said.

Deneroff, who declined to comment on the terms of the Fortway sale, said a buyer of the Alpine might continue showing movies.

"It's possible," said Deneroff. "I really couldn't say."

The seven-screen, 2,200-seat Alpine opened June 6, 1921, the same year Douglas Fairbanks starred in "The Three Musketeers."

The theater was then valued at $420,000.

What a sad day for Bay Ridge! I remember as a kid, going to the Lowe's Alpine when it was a single theater, seeing "Help!" starring The Beatles, with all my friends. Bay Ridge lost a lot of great movie theaters,including the Fortway,Dyker & Harbor. What a tragedy!I will remember the Alpine when it was at its best, a huge single screen movie palace,where a kid in Bay Ridge could spend a weekend afternoon catching some great movies.

I knew this would come, but I didn't want to think about it. Although people still go to the movies, it seems there is no way to protect theaters from voracious, space-seeking developers. We indeed live in another world from the one in which I lived when I used to come home from Xaverian High School and wait for the bus in front of the Alpine. Although I mostly go to the Pavilion, since I live near there, I have been to the Alpine countless times. I went there in the '80s especially to see Dottie Lamour's very last movie, "Creepshow II". I took my Mom there to see a revival of "E.T." I'll certainly try to get there one more time before the end. If this keeps up, going to the movies will go the way of vaudeville. To quote my late Mom: "I'm glad I'm on my way out." frankie from Brooklyn

Frankie reading your post reminded me that I also brought my mom to the Alpine to see that "E.T." revival.I also remember the sound was bad for that show, too low. Anyway I agree, movie going will one day be a thing of the past. What a shame.

Here is an article regarding the Sale from the Bay Ridge Courier:

12/01/2005
That’s a Wrap: Alpine Cinema to be Sold
By Thomas Tracy

Realtors Massey Knakal is currently asking $10 million for the Alpine Theater, which is expected to close its doors by spring, 2006.
The Alpine Movie Theater in Bay Ridge is drawing its final curtain. As this paper went to press, the property, located at 6817 5th Avenue, was up for sale. At the same time, the theater’s lease agreement with Loew’s Cineplex was expected to end in early 2006, with no renewals anticipated. By spring, the Alpine will be no more, following the fate of the Fortway Theater on Fort Hamilton Parkway, which was sold earlier this year and may soon open as a neighborhood school.
Massey Knakal, the realtor which sold the Fortway and is currently shopping the Alpine around, hopes to get $10 million for the 48’ X 200’ irregular lot that opens on 5th Avenue but takes up most of Bay Ridge Avenue between 5th and 6th avenues. “This investment or large retail/office conversion is a one in a lifetime opportunity,” according to the sales pitch, which adds that the premises “will be delivered vacant.”

Officials at Massey Knakal said that it was “unclear if the building will remain a theater.”

Calls to Loew’s Cineplex as to why they were not renewing their lease with the Alpine were not returned by press time.

Originally a Loew’s theater, the Alpine first opened on June 6, 1921.

All told, the property and building costs just reached $420,000, according to records.

At the time, the Carlson & Wiseman-designed edifice was the first Loew’s theater anywhere with its entire seating capacity (2,200) on one floor, without a balcony or gallery.

Historians said the stage had no fly gallery or gridiron, but had an apron just large enough to accommodate a vocalist or musical instrumentalist between film showings.

Variety described the Alpine’s interior as “decorated in a tan and gold color scheme, the general atmosphere created being one of brightness. The side walls are paneled and painted in an imitation of tapestry.”

The floors of the theater were “carpeted with red velvet” according to the description.

The first movie shown at the theater was Paramount’s “City of Silent Men” with music provided by a resident orchestra of twelve.

At the time, admission was a quarter.

Today, the Alpine is considered one of the borough’s cheapest movie theaters at $8.75 a ticket.

Over the decades, the large theater was cut down and sectionalized, now showing eight movies on any given day.

This week’s selection includes “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” and “Chicken Little.”

Another article from the Bay Ridge Courier, regarding the fight to save the Alpine:

12/08/2005
Preservationists Vow to Save the Alpine Theater
By Helen Klein

Residents of Bay Ridge were hardly happy to hear last week that the Alpine Theatre, the area’s last movie theater, plans to shut its doors next year.

Bad news enough that the Alpine – a vital part of the community’s fabric for 84 years -- is about to become history. Also making preservationists in the community seethe is word that the owners of the Alpine, who also had owned the now-shuttered Fortway Theater on Fort Hamilton Parkway, had sold that theater with a deed restriction preventing it from be used as a movie theater in the future.

Activists say they don’t want to see both the area’s historic theaters go, and are vowing to save the Alpine – which is now for sale through Massey Knakal Realty for $10 million -- if at all possible, even though the theater’s lease agreement with Loew’s Cineplex is expected to end in early 2006, with no renewals anticipated..

“If the Fortway can’t be saved for the purpose of a theater,” proclaimed City Councilmember Vincent Gentile, “then we want to redouble our efforts to see if the Alpine can be saved.”

“People are really upset about the theater,” remarked Victoria Hofmo, the chair of Gentile’s preservation committee, and the founder of the Bay Ridge Conservancy, a preservation group. “Everybody is talking about it. Kids are really upset. To have two original movie theaters, that’s a treasure. We should protect them. They are the sort of generational things that make neighborhoods places for all ages. I don’t think anybody had an inkling that this was going to happen.”

Kari Neering, a spokesperson for Massey Knakal, said that it was too early to say what the future use of the site might be. “At this point,” she noted, “there are endless possibilities. It’s very early in the marketing stage, and a lot of ideas are being tossed around. No one has said absolutely it won’t be a theater, but there’s no way of knowing for certain without having a concrete buyer.”

The putative sale restriction on the Fortway had definitely raised hackles even before the Alpine was put up for sale.

Gentile was one of those who queried the rationale behind it. Noting, “I have it on an informational basis, from a good source, that it was a clause in the sale,” he contended, “It doesn’t make sense to me to have it in there if the ultimate intention was also to get rid of the Alpine. Everyone thought it was part of the sale of the Fortway so the Alpine would have exclusivity. It doesn’t make sense if the same owner is now trying to unload the Alpine.”

Hofmo also questioned the reasoning behind restricting the use of the Fortway, if the owner of both theaters planned to turn around and sell the Alpine, too. “What is the motive?” she asked. “The only thing I can think of is that someone wants to put in a multiplex.”

The theater’s impending closure will hit Fifth Avenue hard, said Basil Capetanakis, president of the Fifth Avenue Board of Trade. “We are very disappointed,” he remarked. ‘It’s the only theater in the area, and we wonder what’s going to go in there. We lost Kleinfeld’s, which was a big draw to the avenue, and now we are going to lose the theater. We really need some kind of retail business that will bring traffic into the area. The avenue looks nice. The holiday lights are up, and now this has to come up.”

“It’s a destabilizing thing for the business area,” agreed Hofmo.

The theater’s closing will also negatively impact area youth, noted Craig Eaton, the chairperson of Community Board 10. “We’ve taken a real aggressive approach with the Youth Committee to try to identify different things we can provide to children in the community to keep them off the streets,” Eaton noted. “My feeling is, the more you have to entertain and occupy the time of children and young adolescents, the less trouble they can get into.

“Groups of teens hanging out on Third Avenue, Fifth Avenue and 86th Street, in my opinion, can only lead to trouble,” Eaton went on, noting with the closure of the two theaters, as well as the neighborhood bowling alley, “My fear is that there is nothing for children and young adolescents.” Senior citizens will also lose out when the Alpine closes, Eaton added, saying he had been told by the manager that seniors flock to the theater during the day. “We’re taking away a good form of entertainment and it concerns me,” he concluded.

Gentile said that, as part of an effort to save the theater, his office had already gotten in touch with the theater’s current owner, Jeffrey Deneroff, to, “See if he wants to keep the property, if we can be helpful, or if he can help us find someone, or a conglomerate, who would be interested in keeping it as a theater.”

Gentile also said that his office had contacted Loews Cineplex. “They know the site very well,” he noted, “and they too agree that it would be in the community’s best interest to keep the local theater alive. It’s just a matter of economic viability for a theater to remain at the location.”

To that end, Gentile said he was, “Looking to fund people who have an interest in purchasing the property and keeping it as a theater. The question is how to make it economically viable for the new owner to make a go of it. That’s what we are exploring at this point.”

One problem, Gentile pointed out, is that the Alpine is, “Extremely old and somewhat in disrepair, so the new owner would have to make a significant investment to rehabilitate the structure. Even with the volume of moviegoers who now use the Alpine, because of the rehabilitation costs, plus the rising assessment of property, you really need a high volume of revenue to come in, in order to make it viable.”

The Alpine is located at 6817 Fifth Avenue

any update?

The ALPINE definately will close- the date is yet to be announced, but it does not have too long for the world. A good friend of mine {he insisted that I not give his name} is friendly with the manager. He says it should be either in the late spring or early summer. They probably will announce the closing at the last minute. Even though this theater is absolutely THE worst multiplex I ever been to, even in its so called "glory days" it was never a great theater in the Loew`s tradition. The inside was rather plain- especially when compared to the ORIENTAL, 46TH>ST, KINGS, or other Loews theaters. The fact that it did not have a balcony always made me think this theater was designed "on the cheap", but it was an alright theater to see a movie at in most of the 60s and early 70s.When this one goes- and it will be going soon- the closest theater will be the PAVILLION in the Windsor Terrace area, or the UA SHEEPSHEAD on Knapp ST near the Belt Parkway. Does anybody really care?

Theaterat--

Yes to all you write, plus: in the 50s and 60s, Loew's Alpine boasted of the largest CinemaScope screen in Brooklyn-- larger than those at the B'klyn Paramount, the Fox, and Loew's Kings. It spanned nearly the entire width of the theater's proscenium-free viewing area.

The Alpine's conventional wide-screen, however, might not have been the borough's largest, since its masking closed in at the sides without rising at the top. The result limited the viewing area somewhat. Here I'd bet that the Fox won the title for size.

Box office Bill... Remember seeing IT`S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD and AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS at the Alpine in the late 60s.These films- wich were in a widescreen format DID look good on the Alpines screen. When it was first `plexed in the late 70s- early 80`s it was not too bad and I did manage to see a few films there at that time.After not going for many years when I did return to see PASSION OF THE CHRIST 2 years ago, it was absolutely in rock bottom condition. I based my initial entry on that. And speaking about the PASSION, I found Mel Gibsons non epic on the life of Christ to be way too brutal and way to graphic, Even though Gibson took a chance and made a movie peopkle actually went to see, I thgought the whole crucifixion and aftermath were handled better in BEN HUR and KING OF KINGS, but that is just my humble opinion.

NYC lists the seating for this theater as follows:

Theater #1-411
Theater #2-394
Theater #3-394
Theater #4-286
Theater #5-286
Theater #6-238
Theater #7-238

The grand total is: 2247 seats.

The Alpine, which is adjacent to an Islamic mosque, can be seen in the background of this recent photo of men praying on the sidewalk at the end of Ramadan:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/alpine06.jpg

LostMemory--

All those seats, and none with a view of the original CinemaScope screen. In '58 I saw "Gigi" at the Sutton on its exclusive first-run after leaving its reserved-seats engagement at the Royale. When it finally reached the nabes, I returned to see it at the Alpine, and remember thinking that it looked magnificently better on the huge screen. Terrific, in fact.

Hello Bill. How are you? Even though the Alpine has seven screens and isn't the same theater that you have fond memories of, look on the bright side, it's still open. There aren't alot of Brooklyn theaters that can make that claim. It sure beats having another Rite Aid store at this address.

What a shame it will be when the Alpine closes, as mentioned by THEATERAT on his March 5 post. With all of the technological imporovement and changes, this century is losing so much glamour and fun that the movie entertainment once offered. Like many members of my age, it was an era I am glad to have lived in. Hopefully some people will try to bring it back in some form, or keep what ever is left of it alive.

The last few years have been the blackest for the movie theatres since TV came on the scene in the early 50's. That and that people only care about selling theatres for the real estate and you wind up with a sadly dying business.

Correction on my March 6 post- spelling typo on the word improvement.
Also, totally agree with RobertR.

I hope it doesn't close this summer! All the movies I wanna see are this summer, and I usually go to matinees to save some money. When it closes, and if not another theater, I'm gonna blow those savings on train fare to Court Street. And I hope they aren't gonna try to put condos there. Won't be long before all of Brooklyn is one big condo.

Well, folks, the sale is finalized. The Alpine is sold. Dunno what's gonna happen yet, but rumors are they're talking about making it a 2-screen job.

My thanks to Doug Douglass for sending this link:
www.nydailynews.com/05-03-2006/boroughs/story/414171p-350132c.html

It takes an Upstate newspaper to report the news! And what great news. And what an upbeat turn in the history of the Alpine, one of the very few Loew's theaters built without a stage for live shows. Every showplace deserves a stage, and now the Alpine will have one. May Bay Ridgites break down the doors forever after. Evcharisto, Nico Nicolaos!

Nice to know there is someone innovative enough in Brooklyn to take a chance.

Re the Alpine... It seems that this theater will NOT be closing after all.A theater developer from Queensbought the property for an undisclosed ammount. He plans to refurbish it and have community theater and other events in one of the auditoriums.Bay Ridge congressman Marty Golden is part of the plan and Massey- Knakal real estate has confirmed the deal according to a NY Daily News article dated May 3. Keep you posted. While far from being a great theater, maybe now in the near future it may become a better theater. Prehaps I will go to it again and give it a better review, providing there is something worth seeing!

Nicolos Nicolaou who owns the Cinemart Theater in Forest Hills & CC Cinemas on the Upper East Side, sealed the deal on the Alpine Theater. It will show films and also operate as a cultural center. It's superb that he made a committment to reuse this 1921 theater, sparing it from the all too familiar drugstore. Looking forward to this victory! These links may be of interest:

www.courierlife.net/site/news.cfm?newsid=16583707&BRD=2384&PAG=461&dept_id=560112&rfi=6

www.brooklynpapers.com/html/issues/_vol29/29_18/29_18nets6.html

NY Sun: http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/news/news.cfm?doc_id=5859

Here is another recent article about the Alpine theater.

Thank you for sharing this NY1 news story. What a great article!

Glad you enjoyed the article NativeForestHiller. It appears that Nick Nicolaou not only saved the Alpine, he is going to clean it up and give it a slight makeover. I wonder if he would like to add the Ridgewood theater to his collection.

Nick Nicolaou is a very determined individual! It might be a good idea if he would be willing to add the Ridgewood Theater to his collection, although ALthefilmguy on the Ridgewood thread might already be working on that project. Too bad Nick didn't add the Trylon Theater to his collection a few years back!

AMC has left the building.

Also, I can't tell exactly what other theaters Nicolaou owns in Manhattan...is it one theater or is it the City Cinemas chain?

Cinema Village

Some of the articles specifially mention that his other screens show mainstream fare, not art, yet Cinema Village shows exclusively art product.

He owns the Cinemart and owned the 59th Street East but I'm not sure if he has that one anymore.

Here are some photos of the Alpine Theater. There are ten photos on two pages so make sure that you click them all.

Nice photos - I count 16 of them so perhaps a few were added recently. I like the use of fish eye and the shot out through the front doors to the street. I wonder if this person has shots of the auditoriums that will be added at some point...

He must have slipped those other photos in when I wasn't looking. :) You can post a comment on that website so you could ask about auditorium photos. There are many nice NYC theater photos on that site. I posted links to some of them.

Two photographs of the Alpine Cinema I took in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/210959751/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/210960082/

When is this place closing?

Is this the theater that can be seen behind John Travolta as he struts his stuff in the opening scene of SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, with the movie title, NETWORK, on the marquee?

And if not, which theater is it?

The movie theatre in SNF is the Loews Oriental under the el on 86th street.

The movie theatre Tony Manero (John Travolta) walks under in the opening scene of Saturday Night Fever was the Benson Twin, which was next to the Chase Manhattan Bank off of 20th Avenue and 86th Street, not the Loew's Oriental, but you also can see the Loew's Oriental in the very start of the film, when the B train is zooming by, it's way off in the distance of that shot.

check it out, the alpine has a new a/c system, brand new seats and a fresh painted floor! also ticket prices are cheaper and they even sell ice cream! sooner or later there are going to be even more changes to make this theater even better

Are any changes being made which will affect or enhance the building's historical integrity?

The theater is no longer owned by AMC. It is independently owned & uses Creative Ent. (sometimes it advertises that) as a booking service. Please update the netsite to show that.

A Moller theater organ opus 2875 size 3/17 was installed in Loew's Alpine Theater in 1921.

The year given for this photo of the Loew's Alpine is 1949.

On May 5, 1993, The Brooklyn Spectator published two pages of Bay Ridge movie palace memories written by Andrew Johnson and John Cocchi.

Here they are:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25725093@N07/2677973948/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25725093@N07/2677160367/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25725093@N07/2677977584/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25725093@N07/2677164793/

Here is another photo of the Alpine.

Here's a 1958 view of Loew's Alpine:
http://www.brooklynpix.com/photoframex1.php?photo=/photo99/T/theater357.jpg&key=THEATERS 357

Here is the Loew's Alpine in 1970.

Here's the Alpine Theratre website for your CT perusal....I'm checking out This is it! whose coming with?

http://www.alpinecinemas.com/alc/ca/

Just seen "Michael Jackson:This is it" at the Alpine, lovely old theatre.....heres some (2) shots...


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037507

The number of seats (around 2200+) is for the chopped up theater. The single screen version must have been much more. As I recall (and keep in mind this goes back about 45 years), there were four sections each with fourteen seats (a bit less for a few front rows) and about 55 rows. This computes to about 3000 seats - remember this was without a balcony. It was huge! Does anyone know the exact number of seats in the original theater?

The 1943 Film Daily Yearbook lists it with 2163 seats. The multiplex probably used lobby space as well. The proscenium remains as storage area behind the last two screens.

It's unlikely the Film Daily Yearbook was wrong. It's more likely my memory is wrong. Perhaps the theater was three sections wide, which would be consistent with the number of seats stated in the Yearbook. Nevertheless it still looked huge, and definitely had a much larger Cinemascope screen than any other nearby theater.