Drake Theatre
62-90 Woodhaven Boulevard,
Rego Park,
NY
11374
62-90 Woodhaven Boulevard,
Rego Park,
NY
11374
8 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 72 comments found
I was born and raised in Forest Hills. My memory of the Drake, besides passing it on the way to the “M” train right next to Christ the King High School, was going to see The Deadly Spawn, a “B” horror film produced by a friend of mine. I actually worked on the movie and had one of the little creatures with me. During one of the bloodier scenes, I put it on the shoulder of a girl who was sitting in front of me. Man, did she SCREAM!
BTW, RobertR, I used to sneak into the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium to watch the concerts, too. I did get to see the Helicopter with The Beatles, but didn’t have tickets so I went home (69th Avenue between Olcott Street and Metropolitan Avenue) and could hear the girls screaming while I sat on my stoop!
I WAS there for the Monkees when Jimi Hendrics played and the crowd chanted “We want Davey…” and he stormed off the stage in his neon orange boots.
corlando52
I was born and raised in Forest Hills. My memory of the Drake, besides passing it on the way to the “M” train right next to Christ the King High School, was going to see The Deadly Spawn, a “B” horror film produced by a friend of mine. I actually worked on the movie and had one of the little creatures with me. During one of the bloodier scenes, I put it on the shoulder of a girl who was sitting in front of me. Man, did she SCREAM!
BTW, RobertR, I used to sneak into the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium to watch the concerts, too. I did get to see the Helicopter with The Beatles, but didn’t have tickets so I went home (69th Avenue between Olcott Street and Metropolitan Avenue) and could hear the girls screaming while I sat on my stoop!
I WAS there for the Monkees when Jimi Hendrics played and the crowd chanted “We want Davey…” and he stormed off the stage in his neon orange boots.
corlando52
That’s too bad. Although I don’t remember it being anything special inside even when it was a theater.
I attended a function there recently, and I was hard-pressed to think of its resemblance to its theater space. It has dropped ceilings and other finishes that strips it of its formerly Art Deco and modernistic interior appeal.
It’s great seeing the old photos of the Drake! Just like I remember it….I remember seeing a couple movies there in the 1980’s.
What if anything of the interior remains on the inside of the now Catering hall?
Vintage photos have been provided courtesy of Warren Harris. Thank you!
This is the Drake Theatre photoset, courtesy of Rego-Forest Preservation Council:
View link
Please feel free to contact and send vintage photos and ads, which may merit inclusion. Thank you!
Hi Warren! If you can send me high-resolution photos of the ones you posted that are no longer available, as well as re-post them here for other members to appreciate, that would be great! Thanks!
I will soon post photos (wide angles and close-ups) in my flickr photoset for the Drake Theatre. If anyone would be interested in contributing some vintage photos or ads, or images from the “recent past,” please contact me at I will give you credit. We need to preserve the spirit of this former theater, which is a humble yet elegant example of Art Deco. It was the second most popular theater in Rego Park, besides the Trylon Theater, which can also be referred to as Forest Hills.
The Drake was great for those one dollar movies (took a couple of cheap dates when I wasn’t making alot of money)followed by a dinner in Cooky’s Steakhouse in the mall (good steaks and the best salad bar for that type of restaurant.
No actual name was given in this “Building Plans Filed” report from the 6/20/35 issue of The New York Times, but it was almost certainly the Drake: “Woodhaven Blvd, west side, from 62d to 63 Sts; 1-story brick moving picture theatre, 100 x 200; Thesium Amusement Corp., 441 Av. P, Brooklyn, owner; Paul Greenbaum, architect; cost, $40,000.”
Since it was converted into the catering hall soon thereafter, it seems pretty easy to assume that the movie house was closed by 1987.
By the way, some time last year, I noted that many years ago – no later than the late 1950’s – a bowling alley was situated in the basement of what I believe was the Drake. My parents bowled there as part of a league. The place closed rather suddenly, probably right after the Woodhaven Lanes opened. Does anyone remember the old bowling alley, and was it siuated in the Drake building or somewhere else? It would seem that only a building as large as the Drake could accommodate a bowling alley, but maybe not.
Was the Drake closed by 1987? It apperars there’s nothing on the Marquee.
This photo claims to be from 1987.
I wss never in the Drake but was impressed to read one time that the owners would close the theatre for a week or two each year and give it a really thorough cleaning. Must have been a mom and pop shop.
The one and only film I saw at the Drake was “Return Of The Jedi” on Sunday, May 5, 1985. It didn’t look that great inside, and I felt slightly uneasy due to the run-down, unclean condition within.
The last movie I saw at the Drake was “Annie”. I don’t remember the theater being all that impressive inside.
Here are front and back views of the auditorium from the 1970s. The final image has been deliberately brightened to show some of the side walls, which were just panels of fabric punctuated by painted columns:
View link
View link
View link
It was a Friday night in 1973 at the Drake. Double feature: “Let The Good Times Roll” and “Bless the Beasts and the Children”. First film was very loud, second was very disturbing to a 9 year old and my 7 year old sister (shots of animals getting slaughtered, etc). I believe it was the only time in my live at that theatre. Pretty much forgot about the place till I saw “Private Parts” in 1997.
Thanks, John and Jeffrey, for this detailed information. Such loving attention to fine detail shows your love of this subject so clearly.
Woops, I meant to say that Woodhaven was moved to the WEST – not the east! – during the 1930’s. Sorry for making a confusing situation even more muddy.
The bowling alley at – or near – the Drake probably closed around 1960. This was probably the reason why my father’s bowling league had to find a new place to play.
Apropos Woohhaven Lanes, your reference is timely since, despite protests to the contrary, this venue is scheduled to close very soon. (It seems that bowling alleys appear as much on the endangered list as do old movie palaces!) It is situated south of the Drake – on the other side of the street – between Metropolitan Ave. and the bridge that crosses the LIRR’s Montauk line.
It’s confused geography stems from the action taken in the 1930’s that moved Woodhaven Blvd. to the east. Since Woodhaven – or, as it was originally known, Trotting Course Lane – served as the border between Forest Hills/Rego Park and Glendale in this neck of the woods, this action placed a small enclave of Glendale on the other side of the border. (A remnant of Trotting Course Lane remains and traces the original street course.) Woodhaven Lanes is situated within this enclave. So, if we are to be historically accurate, the bowling lanes are actually situated in Glendale, the above noted Google references notwithstanding. And you thought the Drake’s location was cloudy!
p.s. As for there being a bowling alley downstairs, I really don’t recall that. But I do remember there being a bowling alley in the area known as Woodhaven Lanes — and if you want a classic example of just how confused the community names in Queens can be, try Googling “Woodhaven Lanes.” You’ll immediately get a page on which it is variously referred to as:
Woodhaven Lanes, in Forest Hills
Brunswick Woodhaven Lanes – Rego Park, NY 11374 – …
Brunswick Woodhaven Lane – Queens/Middle Village – Flushing, NY 11385
Brunswick Woodhaven Lanes in Flushing
How many more places can it be?
John, thanks for that information. I suspect that the Drake would not want to be known as a Middle Village venue, because the Arion already was drawing the Middle Village crowd, and the Drake wanted to be identified with the area from which it was most likely to draw — whether that was thought of as West Forest Hills (at it apparently was initially) or Rego Park.
Warren and Jeffrey, I think I can add some information on the Rego Park/West Forest Hills question. As early as 1928, when the Rego Park LIRR station opened under that name, the area was – at least to a certain extent – being referred to as Rego Park. This was only a few years after the initial development began.In many cases, the name selected by the LIRR to name a station had a significant effect on how the community would subsequently be known, and it probably had no small effect here. (Incidently, the fact that no station was created BEFORE 1928 clearly underlines just how undeveloped Rego Park was at that relatively recent date.)
My guess is that the area now called Rego Park was referred to as West Forest Hills for the same reason that Corona was once known as West Flushing – the two lightly populated “communities” were just viewed as appendages to their more developed neighbors. (It’s funny that in both of these cases, the usual “west-to-east” development pattern just did not apply.) The fact that some people were still calling the area West Foprest Hills as late as the mid-1930’s just means that things didn’t change all at once. It was probably the opening of the Queens Boulevard subway in the late 1930’s that spurred the explosive development that tipped the scale on Rego Park’s side once and for all.
While I never caught a film at the Drake, I vaguely remember my parents taking me to a bowling alley that – I believe – was situated in the theater’s basement. I was only about eight or nine at the time – I was born in 1950 – so I may be confusing this with another building situated a block or so away. (Anyone with clearer memories, please join in.) The bowling alley was, as I recall, a rather modest affair that featured human pin setters.
One last point about neighborhoods that might confuse the situation even more. Since this portion of Woodhaven Blvd. serves as the border between Rego Park and Middle Village – and since the Drake is on the Middle Village side of the street – the latter apparently has a pretty strong claim to it. Does anyone remember the Drake ever being referred to as a Middle village venue? Given the fact that the Drake is pretty far from Middle Village’s center, I think this probably is not the case. But it is worth to raise the question, if only to cover all the bases.