Momart Theatre

Newspaper advertising from November, 1928, shows this as Weingarten’s Momart, “Brooklyn’s Little Art Theatre.” I suspect that Herman Weingarten ran it from the start, since he was a pioneer exhibitor in Brooklyn and Queens, and is probably best known at CT for the Parthenon Theatre in Ridgewood. One ad even includes a photo of Weingarten and says that he “has dedicated the Momart Theatre to the presentation of German films for the German people of Brooklyn.” The current attraction was a German filmization of “Crime and Punishment,” directed by Robert Wiene and featuring actors from the Moscow Art Players. This was followed by UFA’s “Bondage,” starring Heinrich George, and then by “Q Ships,” which featured “sensational submarine warfare.”

There seem to be two theatre marquees in that image. I believe that the one at the right is the Orpheum’s, so the other could be the Momart. Contrary to what I said on 5/31/07, it appears that Herman Weingarten was not the original operator of the Momart. I think that Keith-Albee, which also ran the Orpheum, started the Momart as an experiment, was disappointed with the results, and then leased it to Weingarten.

The spelling of the original name in the introduction is incorrect. The theatre was called Montmarte, not “Montemarte.”…The Montmarte first opened on September 2nd, 1927, according to an article in the next day’s issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Here are some excerpts from that report: “Brooklyn, it seems, has at last been given a chance to show its cinematic appetite by supporting a house boasting of long-run pictures. It is the only one of its kind in this boro, we suspect. Opening the theater is ‘Les Miserables,’ Universal picture also current at the Central Theater in Manhattan. The Montmarte is destined to succeed because of its novelty. The theater is small, seating about 600 in the orchestra. There is no balcony, and the place is calmly furnished…From all appearances, the theater presents a very ‘arty’ front. In order to maintain this pose, it will have to live up to its policy of exhibiting very recent productions. We quote the following from its programme: ‘It has always been necessary for you, the public, to leave your boro in order to view a motion picture in its premier form. This theater will be operated along the line of the so-called Broadway pre-release policy theater, thereby giving you the opportunity of this convenience right in your midst, with the thought in view of ever catering to the discriminating audience.’ Then the programme goes on to hope that we may become ardent rooters of the Montmarte. Let us say that our cheers are mildly given. Furthermore, we sincerely hope that the chocolate vended in the slot machines at the rear of the auditorium will always be fresh and inviting…The Montmarte is on the site of old Val Schmidt’s Hofbrau Haus which was in existence many years ago. The hostelry closed its doors with the advent of the subway and was later torn down. The cinema progresses apace.” Curiously, the report does not name the Montmarte’s owner and/or management. If it was Keith-Albee, they were keeping it secret for the moment.

Here are several ads showing the progress of the Montmartre, the first for its opening day in November, 1927:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/mont27.jpg
Early in 1928, the Montmartre turned up under Keith-Albee management. This ad shows it with some of its affiliates in the Keith’s, Keith-Albee and B.S. Moss family. Most of these theatres would eventually carry the banner of RKO. which had not yet been formed, but not the Montmartre or Flatbush:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/mont28.jpg
A new name and policy for the theatre:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/mont28a.jpg

The 1928 Brooklyn Red Book lists a movie venue, the Putnam Theater, up Fulton from the Momart’s 590 Fulton. It is listed at Fulton and Grand Avenue. That would put it somewhere around 1003 to 1012 Fulton. Is this theater listed under another name on this site ?