Star Theatre
1716 Lexington Avenue,
New York,
NY
10029
1716 Lexington Avenue,
New York,
NY
10029
No one has favorited this theater yet
More information is needed about the Star, which was one of William Fox’s first vaudeville-movie theatres in Manhattan but might have been an acquisition rather than one that he built himself. During the Star’s heyday, many top names performed on stage, but it eventually fell victim to competition from the Proctor’s 86th Street Theatre and Loew’s Orpheum, which were given exclusive first-run status for that area of the Upper East Side.
Reduced to playing late-run movies with several program changes per week, the Star finally closed in the early 1950s and was eventually demolished.
Contributed by
Warren G. Harris
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 41 comments)
Here are varying views of the same 1928 image:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/star5.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/star85.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/starx.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/starxy.jpg
Here’s an early image of the Star in its original form as playhouse. The entrance lobby apparently cut through the corner building to the auditorium behind:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/star10.jpg
This was actually a pretty big theater judging by the exterior photos. Any interior ones available?
This theatre is mentioned in Rogelio Agrasanchez, Jr.’s excellent book MEXICAN MOVIES IN THE UNITED STATES.
In 1952 it switched to Spanish language films and broke all previous first-run records. An excellent photo of the BORICUA can be found in the book.
On November 17th, 1908, the New York Tribune reported in a small item on page 7 that “The New Star Theatre, at 107th Street and Lexington Avenue, has been leased for five years by Henry H. Jackson to the William Fox Amusement Company.” The Star remained with Fox and his successors for nearly half a century before becoming a showcase for Spanish language movies.
Here’s a new link to an image described above on 1/18/06: View link
There appears to be a large apartment building now on the site:
View link
I suspect this is the same 1928 image from the broken links above.
View link
Cool photos.
View link