Marine Theatre
1956 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11234
1956 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11234
6 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Century Theaters
Architects: Joseph M. Berlinger, R. Thomas Short
Nearby Theaters
This was a fairly large neighborhood theatre (over 2,000 seats) located in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn at Flatbush Avenue and Kings Highway. It was opened on November 18 1926 with Harold ‘Red’ Grange in “One Minute to Play” plus vaudeville on the stage. It was equipped with an Austin 3 manual, 10 rank organ. Operated by the Century Circuit, it was booked with the same shows as the bigger RKO neighborhood theatres such as the Kenmore Theatre, Bushwick Theatre, and Keith’s Richmond Hill Theatre.
It was reworked with a new marquee and lobby around 1946. In 1948 it was fitted with the “new” pay television system which allowed projection of sporting events like champion fights at high prices and pre-empted the regular movie show. A special aerial was fitted to the base structure for the water tower.
Around 1963 the “Showcase Theater” booking format was adopted. In 1950, the post-Moderne style Brook Theatre, was opened by Century Theatres, around the corner on Flatlands Avenue. It shared the Marine Theatre’s boiler system. The Traymore Theatre on Avenue N and the Quentin Theatre on Quentin Road were nearby.
The Marine Theatre was closed in 1972 and the auditorium was demolished. It’s lobby converted to retail which has since been demolished.
Contributed by
J.F. Lundy
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
The Marine had the exclusive Brooklyn showing of “The Sound of Music”. It ran there for 6 months.
I went to the Marine Theater about every Saturday from
1942 to 1948, and also attended the school around the
corner, St. Thomas Aquinas (and later, for a year, Midwood
High School). (I was also a Brooklyn Eagle boy with a
100-paper route from Avenue U to King’s Highway.)
Is there anyone out there who remembers the Marine Theater
from those days?
I posted the following on the Brook Theater page:
Wow! What memories this site brings back. I was a regular at both the Brook and Marine theaters from 1953 to 1958. I believe admission was a quarter back then. The balcony was a great place to make out with the girls. Many of my friends worked at both theaters. We all hung out at the dinette (don’t remember the name) next to the Marine when I was 15 & 16. They had juke boxes on the tables. I loved the knishes at the Coronet deli. Another favorite hangout was the candy store on the corner of Flatlands and Flatbush Ave. and I dated a girl who lived in the apartment building next door to the Brook. I graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas, (Brother Armel) class of January 1955. Hard to believe theyâ€\ve shut it down. I still have the class graduation photo album and the names of all my classmates. If you would like a copy or any other information e-mail me at
posted by Netaddict on Feb 9, 2006 at 7:50pm
This article relates to purchase of the land upon which the Marine was constructed:
View link
Hi JF
I knew a Dan Lundy when I lived in Bay Ridge on 64th St. between 4th and 5th Avenues during the late 40’s and early 50’s. Are you related by any chance?
Thanks for that great picture of the great SOUND OF MUSIC playing at the Marine. However, I noticed from my research that TSOM did not open there until December 21, 1966, so this shot would have to be from that year or possibly sometime in 1967.
Century’s Marine was closed in 1972 and torn down weeks after its' closing. “Groundstar Conspiracy” was one of the last pictures on the double bill. The bank on the block needed more parking. 2 side stores still exist as a redone lobby entrance.
I remember going to the Marine only once, we saw Bonnie and Clyde in 1967.
Grand opening ad posted.
The local papers and trade press state that Perri Construction built the Marine and the Mayfair theaters as “near twins” to the plans of Joseph M. Berlinger. Whether true or not…