Midwood Theater
1307 Avenue J,
Brooklyn,
NY
11210
1307 Avenue J,
Brooklyn,
NY
11210
5 people
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Allen’s documentary on PBS was why I came to look at the write-ups about the Midwood. I’ve been on this site numerous times and lived in Brooklyn for a short period in the early 90s but I never checked out the Midwood until now. Allen’s recollections of the Midwood in particular and Brooklyn in general were kind of mind-blowing. A time and a place gone but it sounded amazing.
Part 1 of Woody Allen’s bio was great to me. As someone who loves his work and who as a young girl lived in the neighborhood on E 13th ST. between Avenues H and I, I found it to be a very nostalgic trip back in time. Just had to take the street-view Google tour today. Looking forward to tonight and Part 2! He is incredible. It’s been my secret desire to be in one of his films! Sad to see the Midwood Theater is not there any more. I saw many movies there and especially remember the pleasure and comfort of sitting in the air-conditioned space a day after baking at Coney Island or Brighton Beach. Brooklyn has always been God’s country to me!
The Midwood was Woody Allen’s local neighborhood theater. In last night’s American Masters on PBS about Woody, He speaks very fondly of growing up in the neighborhood and all the great films and memories he has of the Midwood. At one point he goes back and stands in front of it seeing what it has become. Very poignant.
During the late 1970s, the Midwood theatre had lines going around the block and the parking was extrememly difficult. This was because the admission price in 1978 was .78, it went up to .79 in 1979 and .80 in 1980. It was a good place to see a film that you had already seen somewhere else was wanted to see again. I saw “Superman,” “Moonraker” and “Star Trek-The Motion Picture” all for the second time for the .78 or 79 cents. It took an enormous amount of time for these films to work their way down to the Midwood. “Star Trek-TMP” opened up at Christmas and didn’t work its way down to the Midwood until near-summer. Still it was a fairly decen theater. I remember going back in the early 80s to see “The Final Countdown.” Suddenly the price was back to four bucks to get in. Suddenly the lines to get in disappeared and the Midwood was history.
This is the Midwood when it was still showing movies.
The big joke about the Midway was when it became the dicount theatre is that the seats may have been cheap but the snack mar was not. They chaged the same at the Midwood as any othere movie house. Who ever owned it at the time had a good idea but the other thing was that the place was never kept clean. It was a pig sty and stunk too.
Just discovered this web-site! Remember the Midwood well. For 30 cents: two movies, a short, AND cartoons. Brave kids exited out the front fire doors and ran down the alley bathing the theater in sunlight and blinding patrons until ushers rushed down to close doors.
Great neighborhood destination. By the 70’s most of the original detail had been “modernized” but always comfortable, clean and well run especially for a discount house. Packed the crowds when it played “Raging Bull” & “Grease” as well as other blockbusters of the era. Great eateries on Avenue J including Bonaparte’s, Joy Fong and of course Di Fara’s, still serving one of the best slices of pizza in the city.
As revealed in Eric Lax’s new book of interviews with Woody Allen, this theatre was owned by Allen’s grandfather.
Here is a recent photo of the Midwood Theater building.
The Midwood Theatre originally opened in 1913. By 1926 it had been enlarged into the present building.
Here are three photographs I took of the Midwood Theatre in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/199145747/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/199146096/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/199146380/
This place became a “dollar movie” where I saw “Over The Brooklyn Bridge” starring Elliot Gould.
The second run screening of Animal House was amazing there, I will never forget it. At that point, people had seen the film a million times and everyone knew all the lines, so it was like a showing of Rocky Horror with everyone riciting the best moments. The theatre was huge and packed.
“Nana” played the Midwood on it’s Blue Ribbon Showcase run.
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I saw Amadeus here around 1984, on a school assignment from my music class at Brooklyn College. It was a discount theatre, and it hadn’t been twinned or anything. I enjoyed the size and airiness of the house, and I’m sorry I didn’t go more often, but the next thing I knew it was closed. I always look for it when I’m on Avenue J.
The Midwood Theatre was located at 1307 Avenue J and it seated 1795 people.