RKO Strand Theatre
714 Beach 20th Street,
Far Rockaway,
NY
11691
714 Beach 20th Street,
Far Rockaway,
NY
11691
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Closed in 1969 advertising the new twin in Five Towns
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Re-opened in 1974
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Did it do time as an indie before closing since RKO has been covered over?
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On Friday January 26, 1962, the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly-Joe DeRita) embarked on a three day promotional tour for their latest feature film, THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES. They were accompanied by “The Herculean Giant” (almost 8 foot tall Dave Ballard) and popular DJ Clay Cole, who was one of the stars of the co-feature, TWIST AROUND THE CLOCK.
On Sunday January 28, they appeared at the RKO Strand at 1:45 PM.
On Friday January 26, 1962, the Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly-Joe DeRita) embarked on a three day promotional tour for their latest feature film, THE THREE STOOGES MEET HERCULES. They were accompanied by “The Herculean Giant” (almost 8 foot tall Dave Ballard) and popular DJ Clay Cole, who was one of the stars of the co-feature, TWIST AROUND THE CLOCK.
On Saturday January 28, they appeared at the RKO Strand at 1:45 PM.
This is from Boxoffice magazine, August 1962:
FAR ROCKAWAY, N.Y.-Isidor Jutkovitz and other members of the Jutkovitz family have sold their interest in the RKO Columbia and Strand theaters here to the RKO Corp. The family served as partners with RKO for 40 years. The firm will continue to operate as in the past.
Any updates on this once cherished theater?
An Austin theater organ opus 852 size 3/12 was installed in the Strand Theater in 1919 at a cost of $5,500.
This June 10, 2005 article claims that the interior “has been completely gutted and looks like a warehouse”.
You can keep track of this building’s property profile & the latest permits and job filings by following:
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It seems as if it’s being converted to office and warehouse use. I hope the facade is preserved at the very least.
Those wishing to read Ron Marzlock’s “I Have Often Walked” column documenting this theater, please follow this link:
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This building deserves a sensible restoration. A wise choice needs to be made soon. I’ll add it to my list of projects.
The Strand Theatre is the focus of Ron Marzlock’s “I Have Often Walked” nostalgia series in the March 1 issue of Queens Chronicle, page 28. Curiously, Marzlock never mentions the Strand’s affiliation with RKO, but does say that the long-closed building was sold at a tax lien sale in 2004 and is now available for re-development. A 1932 photo showing the Strand’s marquee accompanies the article, which can be seen by doing some simple searching at www.queenschronicle.com
The theatre was remodeled and redecorated in 1925.
To promote his new film “The Ladies Man,” Jerry Lewis appeared on stage at this theater on July 13, 1961.
Clark, this was probably the Strand Theatre in Modesto, California.
Clark, I doubt that this is the RKO Strand in Far Rockaway. First of all, the ad says just Strand Theatre, with no RKO attached to the name. RKO Vodvil may mean a bill that originated on the RKO circuit. Second, the amateur hour mentioned in the ad was broadcast on radio station KTRB. Radio stations in the New York area started with W (as in WEAF). If you can find where KTRB was, you should be able to locate this Strand.
My great uncle, Bee Ho Gray, performed a wild west type show on Vaudeville for many years. I have an advertisment from the 1930s for an RKO Vodvil performance at The Strand. The ad can be seen at:
http://beehogray.com/strand.html
Be sure to click on the ad for the full view.
Can anyone confirm if this is the same Strand in Far Rockaway?
Thank you,
Clark Gray
www.beehogray.com
June of 1961 the RKO Strand was showing “Return to Peyton Place” and reminded us to “Treat Dad to a show at RKO”.
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This is a tribute page that someone has made for the RKO Strand in Far Rockaway.
Here are two images. In the first, you can also see the marquee of the RKO Columbia at the far left in the next block. In this 1941 image, the Strand has only the main feature listed on the marquee, perhaps due to the limited space available. The co-feature with “Yank in the RAF” was “Weekend for Three.” The Strand’s single floor auditorium with stadium section at the rear was quite similar to the Savoy (originally Rialto) in Jamaica, though they had different architects:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/127-2766_IMG.jpg
www.18.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/127-2768_IMG.jpg
A year later and it is still standing. Only now it is a warehouse. The former owner was the Far Rockaway Strand Theatre Company Inc. The building was sold by NYC in a tax lien sale in 2004. Here is a photo of the Strand when it first opened:
http://www.farrockaway.com/carol/fr1919strand.jpg
This theater still stands.It is probably a total
wreck inside.Check it out here:
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With 1,730 seats, the Strand hardly qualifies as “huge.” It was designed by Thomas W. Lamb in a stadium style, with a raised section of seats at the rear of the auditorium instead of an overhanging balcony. It first opened in 1920 under the management of Sol Brill, who later sold it to RKO when that circuit inherited the nearby Columbia from B.S. Moss. The Strand was larger and better suited to “talkies,” so RKO kept both theatres and down-graded the Columbia to a second-run house.
The RKO Strand Theatre was located at 714 Beach 20th Street (Central Ave.)
The RKO Strand was actually located on Beach 20th Street (Central Ave.) on the corner of Cornega Ave. It held at least 2000 seats with an abundance of leg room. One block north of the Strand was the RKO Columbia, a somewhat smaller and much less comfortable house that was demolished in the late 70s or early 80s to make room for a parking lot. Until it was razed, you could see painted on the side of stage end of the building “B.F. Keith Vaudeville”
The only other theater in Far Rockaway was The Pix, a 600 seat “Art” house on Mott Avenue., also long gone.