Glen Oaks Theater
255-01 Union Turnpike,
Glen Oaks,
NY
11004
255-01 Union Turnpike,
Glen Oaks,
NY
11004
3 people
favorited this theater
The small Glen Oaks Theater stood on Union Turnpike in eastern Queens. It was a long one-level theater that anchored an outdoor shopping center. At some time during Century’s wholesale closing of its theaters, this one was shuttered, and it rose from the ashes as a drug store.
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philipgoldberg
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Recent comments (view all 72 comments)
What was the Omni bit?
“Techman,” I think it was the other way around. Springer took over the management of some of the lesser Century theatres that weren’t doing well, such as the Patio in Brooklyn and the Town and 43rd Street in Queens. Under Springer, those ex-Century theatres didn’t last very long.
I believe once Century started managing theatres for Springer, Springer was no longer operating any theatres. However, there was a strange booking arrangement and in some instances, when the film companies placed ads in the newspaper where they list all the theatres playing a particular picture, it would occasionally say “Springer’s Xxxxxx Theatre” instead of Century’s.
The so called “lesser” Century theatres you refer to were Springer Theatres in the first place….that’s why they were “lesser” theatres (a polite way of saying a dump). -LOL
The Patio was newer than the Town and the 43Street and was quite the place when it opened. Also, as far as movie ads were concerned there were some that said Century/Skouras. I’ve actually seen actual Century/Skouras ads and then down the page a couple that just said Century. This whole relationship seems to be quite complex. When Calderone built the theatre of the same name in Hempstead Skouras managed it, yet he had a number under his own name. Whatever, the majority of them are history anyway. Probably more than 75% of the theatres listed on CT are closed.
You’re certainly right about some of the relationships being VERY complicated. When I think about how the Justice Department made it MORE complicated with their consent decrees they forced Loews into, it makes me sick. They RUINED Loews only to allow virtually the same “problems” to occur again by other companies only to ignore the situation to this very day.
I can only wonder how many more movie palaces would exist today if not for the gutting of Loews in 1958. I’ll bet the number of theatres on CT is MORE than 75%.
Saw many movies there, coming over “the border” from nearby New Hyde Park. A few memories: seeing “The Towering Inferno” with my Dad on a Sunday night, and coming out to the parking lot in the back, the nearby relatively-new North Shore Towers visible in the distance seemed like they were from the film! Also, seeing “Yellow Submarine” there after loving it at the Park East (and waiting til the double feature it was paired with, “The Pink Jungle”, ended before going in)…and deep into my love of monster movies, seeing the double bill of “Sssss” & “The Boy Who Cried Werewolf”.
Oh yeah, and with my Mom we went on a Friday late afternoon in the winter of ‘76 to see some new boxing movie with buzz called “Rocky”. ;–)
Gone forever now. In fact, the only thing left are those SUPER Multiplexes….and they don’t even use film anymore. The picture comes in on a hard drive.
nhpbob: I saw Rocky there, too at that time—numerous times.:) I was thrilled to have moved around the corner from a movie theater in 1975. I think the first film I saw there was The Towering Inferno.
I worked as an Usher at the Glen Oaks in 1981-2. I transferred there from the Floral. The manager when I first arrived was Bob Schroeder. When he left there was a succession of managers, among them: Walter Schweigert, Bob Emmanuel (who later married cashier Elaine), Bobby Wong and Rob Davidian. Funny—as I write this now, I’m just noticing how many Roberts there were as manager.:)