72nd Street Playhouse
350 East 72nd Street,
New York,
NY
10021
350 East 72nd Street,
New York,
NY
10021
7 people
favorited this theater
The 72nd Street Playhouse opened in 1914. By the early-1940’s it had been renamed Granada Theatre and was operated by the Interboro chain. Small plush neighborhood theater on the upper east side between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue or Third Avenue and Second Avenue, which I recall from the 1950’s that, for a time, it played RKO reissues.
Seating was very comfortable with red or maroon velvet seats similar in style to those at the Roxy Theatre and Radio City Music Hall. Theater has been demolished.
Contributed by
Erwin Markisch
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Recent comments (view all 26 comments)
Universal reissues helped AIT through a product shortage in August, 1968: www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/AIT68.jpg
Here is a February 1968 ad from the NYT:
http://tinyurl.com/2a6yee
Planet of the Apes was released on February 8, 1968 in NYC.
In November, 1948, this became a Trans-Lux theatre with first-run imports. The address used was 346 East 72nd Street: View link
I was a vacation relief manager at CINEMA 5’s 72nd Street East Theatre in winter of late 1983. [Tom Cruise made his debut in “Risky Business” while I was there. It was very cold that winter. A lot of cougars from the upper east side would come to the theatre to be warmed up by Cruise dancing in his underwear.] Rose Mansfield, the manager who was in her seventies back then, lived across the way on the NE corner and would watch the changing of the marquee from her window every Thursday night on her day off, then call the theatre to say a letter was crooked. Perhaps this theatre is best known for its singular CLANKING RADIATOR on the side wall of the theatre. Otherwise, it could be remembered for having the tiniest of snack bars, where there were delightful non-English speaking Asian girls with a shoe box, cash, and no coin nor cash register necessary.
Saw alot of movies here as a kid during the early to mid 70s. We called it the “dollar” theater because admission was, well, $1. I stopped going in ‘78 when they wouldn’t let me in to see Star Wars during it’s re-release without a parent. Sheesh it was only PG.
This closed in early November 1984 after a subrun showing of “Teachers”.
Thanks AlAlvarez. Was always wondering when this theater closed.
Here’s a new link to an expired vintage view: View link
Hey guys – I’m currently researching for a story on picturehouses/theatres in NY during the 1910s-20s….does anyone care to get in contact with memories/memories from relatives(!)…I’d really appreciate it – just to get an understanding of the ambience etc in this or any place like it…
Thanks in advance, Becks