Colony Theatre
1519 Second Avenue,
New York,
NY
10075
1519 Second Avenue,
New York,
NY
10075
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Contributed by
William Gabel
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
This must have been a German language movie theater at least in the mid 1930’s. Here is another NY Times review from 1935.
At the 79th Street Theatre.
Published: September 21, 1935
“A gay little comedy is at the Seventy-ninth Street Theatre carrying the somewhat misleading title of "Frischer Wind aus Kanada,” because the only part of Canada shown in the picture is a “shot” of wholesome, young-looking Harald Paulsen, the “fresh breeze” in the case, and his more or less venerable sire (Jakob Tiadtke) starting back for the latter’s native Germany.
When they arrive in the Fatherland things begin to happen, and the happy ending is arrived at without too many circumlocutions. Although the story of the saving of Max Guelstorff’s dress business from a crooked chief clerk and scheming creditors by the rich young man who brings Canadian “pep” and his father’s money into action is entirely routine, there are enough funny incidents to keep the spectators amused and interested throughout.
Dorit Kreysler, one of the most decorative of the new crop of German screen actresses, is charming as the daughter of the merchant who furnishes the inspiration for the Canadian youth’s fast work. Blandine Ebinger is appealing as the loyal forewoman who finally marries the widowed boss.
FRISCHER WIND AUS KANADA, a dialogue film in German, with Harald Paulsen, Dorit Kreysler, Max Guelstorff, Blandine Ebinger, Paul Hoerbiger, Jakob Tiedtke, Hans Brausewetter, Leopoldine Konstantin and Grete Weiser; directed by Heinz Kenter and Erich Holder; an UFA production".
I was very pleased with valuable comments that followed my recent post on the Colony Theatre. I came into Manhattan last Saturday from my home in Queens primarily to snap the pictures of the former Colony and Europe theatres that I posted. I was born and raised in the Yorkville neighborhood where these theatres were located. Of the three theatres that were within two or three blocks from where I lived (on 78th St. near 1st Ave.), the Monroe, Europe, and Colony — I am old enough to remember only the Colony, which closed when I was about five years old. I particularly remember a red-haired women sitting in the ticket booth who smiled at me wheneverI passed with my parents.
It is not surprising that the German-language films played at one time at the Colony. 79th St. was the center of a large Hungarian population that had immigrated from Austria-Hungary and would have understood German. A few blocks north was a large German community. The Europe Theatre at one time showed German and Hungarian-language films, and on 86th Street, the Casino and 86th Street Garden Theatres often featured German films.
Yorkville is now a gentrified, yuppified neighborhood with few traces of its ethnic past.
Hey Lost your link for this site didn’t work. I went to the page and had to take off the following to get to the page
http://www.shaaraytefilanyc.org —–> /index.html
http://www.shaaraytefilanyc.org
ECR….I’ve found that some links don’t work correctly if you include “index.html” on the end. I’ll try not to include that anymore. Thanks for fixing the link.
This was already the 79th Street Theatre in 1923.
Still listed as a Trans-Lux theatre in the 1959 Film Daily Yearbook.
Fastidious, attractive, young lady of social background wanted for theatre manager in 1937.
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What happened to this theatre’s intro?
The Google Maps view has been incorrectly “set” and needs to be adjusted. The current Jewish temple occupies a site considerably larger than the original theatre. It seems possible that during this expansion, remnants of the theatre vanished with it.
This 1937 trade ad for Wagner Signs shows the new marquee installed when the 79th Street Theatre was transformed into Brandt’s Colony: boxofficemagazine