RKO Madison Theatre
54-30 Myrtle Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
54-30 Myrtle Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
16 people
favorited this theater
Located in the Ridgewood section of Queens. The RKO Madison Theatre was opened on November 24, 1927, presenting Keith-Albee vaudeville and a feature movie. It was operated by B.S. Moss, an affiliate of Keith-Albee. It was a first run RKO theatre that had a huge stage that often ran live shows along with the film. I have seen ads from the 1960’s that show a lot of personal appearences here. By the 1970’s the Madison Theatre was on the AIP grind run, I remember seeing “Squirm” and “Tenticles” here right at the end.
The current retail space uses the lobby and inside the auditorium there is a false ceiling across at the underside of the balcony level.
Contributed by
RobertR
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Recent comments (view all 1,670 comments)
Thanks, Lost Memory, Tinseltoes and Bway !
RKO Madison on Myrtle Ave
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Thanks, Jayar1. I just finished exploring the Brooklyn photo album on Topix.
Here’s a link to a 1967 exterior view:
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Whoa! GREAT shot!
Yes it is!!!!!
Here is perhaps one of the best interior photos of the former palatial lobby of the RKO Madison that I have seen to date. It just boggles the mind that they decided it would be a good idea to destroy this beauty in the 1980’s:
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Click below for the full page on the Madison:
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This photo really exemplifies what a stunning palace the Madison was, thanks for posting Bway.
During this week in war-torn 1943, the Madison and most other RKO theatres in Brooklyn and Queens were showing Walt Disney’s Technicolor cartoon, “Der Fuehrer’s Face,” as a bonus to the 20th-Fox B&W double bill of “The Meanest Man in the World” (Jack Benny) and “Chetniks”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iumEGAUceDg
Fifty years ago this weekend, Jayne Mansfield included the RKO Madison on her p.a. tour for “The George Raft Story.” More details here: cinematreasures