Biltmore Theatre
464 New Lots Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11207
464 New Lots Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11207
7 people
favorited this theater
This theater stood in the East New York section of Brooklyn. It was opened around December 1927. A Robert Morton organ was initially installed, but this was replaced by a Wurlitzer 2 manual, 10 rank instrument in 1928. It was a Randforce house before becoming a UA theater before it finally became an independent showing double features for a dollar.
The neighborhood went down and the movie house went with it, closing in 1971. Many times over the years, it came up as a centerpiece for its block’s revival, but nothing ever happened. The Biltmore Theatre was demolished a few years ago.
Contributed by
philipgoldberg
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Recent comments (view all 38 comments)
Looked liked a nice theatre in its day.
Mike, I think I practically grew up in this theatre. I can still remember the inside clearly even though the last time I was there was probably over 45 years ago.
I lived on Wyona Street, right next door to the Biltmore. On Saturday nights, I sold newspapers under the marquis. Next door was a candy store and Murray’s Pool Room. On Saturday, for 25 cents, you got a double feature, 25 cartoons, serial (Flash Gordon, Three Stooges, Buck Rogers, etc.), MovieTone news and coming attractions. When Mr. Siegel was the manager, there was a birthday club with live performances (Three Stooges, Claribel, etc.) After the movie “broke” on Friday and Saturday nights (about midnight), everyone poured out and headed for Rogers for burgers, milk shakes, or a frappe.
Howard Topoff
Hi
I leave the theater and take a flyer. Let’s say it’s number 112. I look at my sheet, and see that the next winning number is 158. So, I just stick around the lobby and count as people take flyers. When flyer number 157 is taken, I walk by and take 158. We were not greedy. We did not take wining flyers and sell them. No scalping. If there were three of us, we just hung around until we all had free entrance to the next Saturday matinee. This went on for several YEARS!
Other Biltmore stories:
Our first two-wheel bicycle (a Raleigh) was won by my sister at one of the Biltmore coloring contests.
Mr. Siegel had a birthday club. You had to register your birthday. Before every Saturday matinee began, he came onto the stage for a little pep rally. First, he would yell the names of the local schools, so those kids who attended could scream at the top of their lungs. PS 213, being the closest, always won the shouting contest. Then he would announce whose birthday was that week, and the birthday boys and girls got to come up on the stage to receive their prize (nothing great, but much more substantial than a cracker-jacks toy). When, in early May, he announced my name, he said (and I quote): “Let’s here it for the wild boy of Wyona Street.” Yes, it was not just Bertha who knew me by name. I had quite a reputation.
By the time the numbers game stopped, I was in TJHS, and got a “job” selling the newspapers on Saturday night:
News, Mirror, Brooklyn Eagle, Journal American, and two Jewish papers: Forwards and Tag. Because the weather could be a problem, we received permission to set up shop under the Biltmore marquee, from 6:00 pm until the movie “broke,” about midnight. In return for letting us use the marquee, every theater employee received free newspapers. I personally distributed them to the staff after the movie, before taking off to Rogers for a late night burger and shake. Next thing I knew, I go to know the entire staff by first name and I was allowed into the theater for free on ANY day of the week, at any time. The only downside was that if I entered the theater for free on Friday, I didn’t have a ticket stub, and so did not get a free dish! No problem, as my mother went every Friday night and dragged my sister and father, so we had lots of Biltmore dishes.
Now, you may wonder why so much of life revolved around the Biltmore. Easy. My house was right next door to the Biltmore, so it was my second home.
I have lots more Biltmore stories, but I had better save some for next time.
Howard – The Wild Boy Of Wyona Street
Gary,they are about all gone.thank goodness CINEMA TREASURES is here.
I was an usher at the Biltmore in the summer of 1960. I was in high school (Franklin K. Lane) and it was my first job. I believe the manager’s name was Sam Samuels. I lived in the Cypress Hills Houses and I either took the New Lots Avenue bus or my dad gave me a lift. The big movie then was “Psycho” and I saw it dozens of times. I’d walk through the theater and watch the reactions when Norman Bates' “mother” turned around and faced the audience. What a scream! Sometimes we’d hand out flyers at the IRT station on Livonia Ave. Those were good old days. Too bad they are gone forever. Oh yeah…I think I was paid 75 cents an hour. That was real money back then. Neil
I lived at 422 new lots. I remember it was 25 cents to get in and my mom always went to get the plates. We sometimes chipped in to buy one ticket for a person to get in and he would open the door on Bradford Street and all of us would run in and hide under the seats while the ushers try to catch us. Carl the cop always chased us off the corner and we usually went upstairs to murray’s pool room. Murray was known as “bilty” and his last name was Finklestein.There was a sweet shop a few doors down where we would buy pistachio and indian nuts. We used to watch the tv in the window across the street at bressner’s. Always something to do and we had fun doing it. A great neighborhood to grow up in and a lot was learned from all the education we received by growing up on the street. take care, buddy
I have extremely vague memories of this theater but I DID go there as a small child. In the 60;s you could go there as a kid without needing a bodyguard. After 1970 the area became dangerous, the theater closed as it says in 1971. Does anyone have vide or photos of the interior and surrounding streets circa 1970? VERY hard to find. (for good reason)
RichieFoot spent much of the 60s at murrays poolroom except when banned by Murray along with some of the guys.