Merrick Theater
163-06 Jamaica Avenue,
Jamaica,
NY
11432
163-06 Jamaica Avenue,
Jamaica,
NY
11432
5 people
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The Merrick Theater opened in 1920, at 163rd Street and Jamaica Avenue in the Jamaica section of Queens. A recent drive-by indicates that the facade of the former Merrick Theater appears to be well intact.
With a 2,500 seating capacity, the Merrick Theater would have historically been the third largest theater in the neighborhood, after the Loew’s Valencia Theatre and Loew’s Hillside Theatre.
Contributed by
SteveSmith
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Recent comments (view all 64 comments)
Maybe you should contact the folks at CT and ask them. I have had a lively exchange with them on a number of issues over the past several days.
Still no correction of the Google Maps street view. Pathetic!
Tinseltoes I find if you remove the dash from the address usally does the trick. try 16306 Jamaica Avenue,Jamaica, NY 11432 insted of163-06 Jamaica Avenue,Jamaica, NY 11432.
Fred, those adjustments need to be made by “management.” Part of the problem is an incorrect zip code. See my post of 6/2/11 at this listing.
Well the zip is as you specified on 6/2
They may have corrected the zip code in the CT listing, but the Google Maps view was made with the incorrect zip code. Only Google can correct that and make an adjustment.
The Merrick Theatre showed mainly 20th Century Fox films (The Valencia and Hillside showed MGM while the Alden showed mainly Warners). I remember the first screening of THE ROBE at the Merrick. It was the first CinemaScope feature. I was 11 and the projectionist invited my sister and I up to his booth to show us the new lens used for the process. I was so thrilled to be in the inner sanctum of that booth that I stayed there immobile looking out the little window for the whole first reel until I noticed my sister outside frantically waving at me to come down. I quickly returned to reality in the deep maroon deco interior of that spacious hall.
The Merrick and Alden were in a “pool” jointly owned by RKO, Skouras, and Century (which leased the Merrick to Skouras). Double bills which originated on the RKO circuit (chief rival to Loew’s in the Greater NYC area) were divided between the Alden and Merrick, which explains why programs at those two theatres usually ran two weeks and sometimes longer. Since Skouras was affiliated with 20th-Fox, the Merrick got all the Fox releases, whle the Alden had first pick of the WB and RKO films. Other studios on the RKO “track” were similarly divided between the Alden and Merrick.
The name and address ribbon at the very top of the page needs to be corrected. Why is “Woodhaven-Richmond Hill” mentioned? Similar nonsense can be noted in the listing for Loew’s Valencia, where “Jamaica” is repeated after “Jamaica.” In neither listing does “Queens” appear. Perhaps the Merrick should be changed to Jamaica, Queens" instad of “Jamaica Woodhaven-Richmond Hill,” and the Valencia to “Jamaica, Queens.”
No, No No. When you put the Queens in it just confuses the situation. Previously, half of the Queens theatres on CT had the Queens disignation, with or without the actual village. A special purge was done so that only the Queens Village theatres, the Queens and Community, would access when you input Queens. Rather than posting this problem here you have to contact CT directly. They don’t monitor the comments for fixes. Go to “about” and follow the prompts.