Mayfair Theater
1444 North Broad Street,
Hillside,
NJ
07205
1444 North Broad Street,
Hillside,
NJ
07205
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Neighborhood theater featuring second run until the late 1960s. The theater ended its days as a porno house in the mid-1970s and now houses a liquor store.
Contributed by
jim thatcher
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
Address is now a liquor store.
Mayfair Liquor Store
1444 North Broad Street
Hillside, NJ 07205
973-923-5450
A Robert-Morton organ was installed in this theater in 1927 or 1928.
Saw ‘Bedazzled’ (w/Welch & Moore) here.
I use to go here almost ever Saturday in the early 70’s. Not sure when it started to show porno but do remember driving passed it about 1982 and it was still open. My Father use to work at a place called Moon motors right across the street from here. I also use to go to the slot car racing place near by. Does anyone remember the name of that place?
I too spent many saturday afternoons at the Mayfair Theater in the 1950s. We saw movies like “War of the Worlds”. My friend Greg’s father had a realestate office right next door.
And to answer a question from Izzy in the post above, the “slot car place” was in a facility that was previously named FunFair. It was just over the route 22 bridge from the Mayfair. Funfair was a large bowling alley with pool tables in the front. That’s where I spent friday and saturday nights, playing pool, as a teenager in the early 60’s. ()
I grew up Hillside and went to the Mayfair many times. First pic I remember seeing was “The Blob” with Steve McQueen. I was about 4 or 5. Went to many Satuday matinees. That was a trip—a theater full of screaming, belching, candy-throwing kids!! Seems funny now.
I remember the lady that either owned or ran the place. I know my mother used to talk with her. I remember the Mayfair was overhauled in the mid-60s—new paint, upholstery, and carpets. For many years,
there was a restaurant next-door called “The Flamingo Diner”. Funny thing is, this place was always closed. It was leveled in the early
70s. The slot car place was called Tom Thumb Raceway and there was another one in Union. It was in a vacant Woolworth.
Extra tidbits about the Mayfair. My parents grew up in Newark and
since the Mayfair is very close to the Hillside/Newark line, they
both remember the Mayfair from their youth (although they can’t recall having gone there) Anyway, they do recall that the building
next door to the theater originally housed a tobacco company which
was actually a front for the well-known New Jersey crime boss and Meyer Lansky pal, Longy Zwillman. Longy was from Newark and in those
days, it was an open secret what he was up to. As a matter of fact,
my friend’s mother, who also grew up in Hillside and lived near the
Mayfair, told me that she was friends with Zwillman’s sister and met him several times. Of course, he was called a businessman but…
I thank you for your info “Movie Guyâ€. It did jar my memory a bit. I spoke with my Father last night. He grew up in that area of Newark. As I am sure you must know back in those days it was a mostly Jewish area and my Zada (Grandfather) was the local bookmaker. He also owned a few nightclubs. The following is almost verbatim what my Father toll me.
“The There was Two Mayfairs. One somewhere off of South Orange ave the one you mean was in Hillside across from Moon Motors. Longie die some time in the mid 50’s. I don’t remember when but before I meet your Mother (1958). His business was taken over by a guy name Myron Surgerman. His big this was pinball. I knew they guy who own the Mayfair in fact I knew he since we were kids. His father bought it right after the warâ€
My Father gave me the name and I remember this man. I will try and track him down and report back.
Not sure, but I don’t think this house was ever a triplex. I know in its last days it ran XXX porno.
My mother grew up in Hillside in the 1920s and ‘30s. In those days the Mayfair was the big,beautiful, first run theatre in town. There was another, run down theatre that locals called “The Flea Circus.†(Anyone out there have any idea what the real name of this other theatre might have been?)
My mother especially recalled one time her grandfather took her to the Mayfair and tried to buy tickets with coins left over from the Civil War! He couldn’t convince the box office clerk that it was still valid currency.