Fabian Theatre
69 Newark Street,
Hoboken,
NJ
07030
69 Newark Street,
Hoboken,
NJ
07030
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I’m trying to confirm a personal appearance by the Three Stooges (Moe, Larry and Curly Joe DeRita), along with Officer Joe Bolton, probably in 1959, at the Fabian. A display ad would be helpful, too.
Thanks,
Frank Reighter
This site has pictures of the Fabian, inside and out: http://hoboken411.com/archives/36466. It was replaced by a supermarket.
Dish Night at the Fabian. December 15, 1959:
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Monster Screamiere Tonight at the Fabian! September 14, 1957:
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Hi my name is Bill Erbis I was an employee of Fabian Theatres Corp. The Fabian although I didn’t know of it was named after the Fabian family of NYC. I think it later became part of the Stanley Warner Theatres. Which was owned and operated by Simon Fabian. Oh to go back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks TC. I always wondered what it looked like and how it was situated. To think that was replaced by a seedy Shop Rite and its parking lot. Criminal(which I’m sure it was.)
Now its a CVS and Barnes and Noble and parking lot. The basement is a New York Sports Club which I imagine for the Fabian was a lower lounge.
Old photos:
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A Wurlitzer organ, opus 1905, was installed in this theater on 7/9/1928.
….allen freed rock and roll show in 1956 at the fabian theatre it was great .i was there …little richard..and many other rock stars .any one out there remember that show ?? let me know …bobby slezak e- mail
Actor and Hoboken native Joe Pantoliano (“The Sopranos”) writes in his autobiography about going to the Fabian to see “West Side Story”.
I was born in Hoboken in 1954, and the Fabian was the first theater I was ever conscious of. I always asked my dad to drive past it whenever I was in the car with him. We moved out of Hoboken when I was 8 and I only got to go inside a couple of times, but I’m pretty sure my first wide screen movie experience was there: Doris Day in “Please Don’t Eat the Daisies”. I also recall the first movie I was NOT allowed to see there: “Village of the Damned”. My sister was 3 years older and she got to see it – I was awfully jealous.
The Fabian was a fun place to go when I was a kid. I remember the prices being 25 cents children and 50 cents adults. This was around 1960. Saturday afternoons were always for the kiddees. They would usually have the latest japenese sci fi movies, like Godzilla, Rodan ect. Also, they would show some good horror flicks with Vincent Price. They didn’t rip you off on candy and refreshments. We were kids and didn’t have much money. They must have realized that, They were kid friendly. Some kids would push open the fire doors and a gang of kids would run in for free. Sometimes the ushers would chase after them. It seemed that we would be running around the theatre sometimes socializing as much as watching the movies. There was usually a liitl romance going on with the older kids. I remeber a guy and his gal with a coat over their heads smooching. We thought that was such a big deal.
Old timers from Hoboken who have no interest in movies or in theaters will go wide-eyed when you mention the Fabian to them and will tell you how beautiful it was(I unfortunately have only seen one picture of its marquee from the 20’s.) It was torn down to make a Shop Rite and is now a CVS. Hoboken is a rather small town and it had 3 movie theaters on its main street. I’ve asked how it could have possibly supported a 3,000 seat movie theater and I’ve been told that it was often filled during its heyday especially on weekends. For special occasions you went to Journal Square in Jersey City to the Stanley or the Loews. (And I guess if you were feeling especially decadent you went into Manhattan to the Paramount, Roxy or the Music Hall a 15 minute bus ride away.)
I remember once seeing a picture of the marquee near the end, I think it was playing horror and action double bills in all of its auditoriums.
The Fabian Theatre was located at 69 Newark Street.