Deer Park Theater

Hello Bob,

I don’t think I saw King Kong opening weekend, I was too young at the time. I know my father just gathered the family up and we went to go see it one night. Yes, I do remember the Deer Park theatre having windows on the auditorium door. The first pair of doors (near the concession stand) were tinted because there would have been too much light coming in. But the doors down the corridor were sheilded from the light and you could peek in.

The North Babylon theatre was a bit of a wierd layout. They used a different set of doors to enter and exit. You had to enter way in the back by the restrooms. The doors on the other side, facing the shopping center, were the exit doors. In addition, when you walked in there was another corridor with a half wall and pillars, so you could stand behind this half wall and watch the movie from there. I think the North Babylon theatre was one of the few that I went to that had such a standing area. They eventually closed this area off to expand the lobby. When I saw Close Encounters of the 3rd kind, the standing area was still there. By the time I saw Empire Strikes back this section was gone. The North Babylon theatre did go through a few changes. In the beginning it was a nice theatre, but I grew to like it less and less. I all but stopped going there when they butchered the place. The Loews SSM theatre I went to quite often as well. It was one of the larger twin theatres near me. But when the NB went twin I went to the Deer Park Theatre more and also the Babylon theatre. That became my next favorite movie theatre. HUGE and also it had a balcony. Note I used the word HAD, they neutered this theatre too. BUT not before I saw E.T. there. The Babylon Theatre WAS a really nice place. I believe the theatre is still open…but barely.

The Deer Park and Mayfair were identical even down to the marquee on the roof, built into a shopping center. I’m sure they were built by the same company. “Willard” played the North Babylon (just up the road on Deer Park Ave) with “Night Of The Living Dead” as a co-feature and “Ben” was a single at Deer Park a few years later. NOTLD never really got a proper Long Island release and NB was the first time I was aware of it playing in the area. Newsday had ads for it as a midnight out in the Hamptons for while but that was it. Horror movies I saw here included the double features of “Don’t Go In The Basement” with “The Last House On The Left”, “War Of The Gargantuas” with “Monster Zero” and “The Bird With the Crystal Plumage”. Still dying to know what the opening feature was. I’ve looked up on the IMDB the features in RobertR’s ad but still haven’t figured it out.

The grand opening of the Regal Cinemas Deer Park Stadium 16 & IMAX will take place this coming Friday (10/24/08). The new multiplex is located at Commack Rd. and Grand Blvd., in the Tanger Outlet Center at The Arches. More information can be found at View link

This pic is dated August 1983
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Hey Robert R

Thanks for posting that picture…it gave me chills and flood of memories…I probably was the one who did that marquee…love the way I left the “A” in -DANCE- … those letters were alway so hard to get to stick on the marquee…can’t tell you how many cars got hit from falling letters, too funny! Do you see the orange pipe that “acted” as security to hold onto when up there…trust me, not to sturdy, hand built by an assistant manager. I wonder if there are any other images of the theater online…if you have more, please post. I used to love sitting on the edge of the marquee planks with some of the other ushers on Friday and Saturday nights. We’d have a case of beer (cheap of course) and watch all the “hot rods” pull into the parking lot…actually it was the “hot bods” that came with the “hot rods” we were checking out. There was an old homeless guy, “John”, we used to let sleep in the theater, mostly in the winter. He used to stand out front where that bike is in the photo and share his life’s wisdom along with a few off-color jokes…nice guy and harmless, so we’d let him stay overnight.

Does anyone remember some of the people who worked there? If you went to Deer Park High in the late ‘70’s / early '80’s you might…Theo and Mel, the Palmer boys, Kessler…Donna, Denise, Mario…a great bunch of kids I got to grow up with…we were like family. My sisters and I still discuss some of the great stories that came from working there…like the day Mario changed the marquee…it was supposed to be “The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh” but his read “The Fish that Killed Cincinnati”…too much! I always tell my wife how one day I would love to write a screen play about my days and nights at the Deer Park Theater…one of these days I’ll get to it. Until then, please all keep posting your memories and pictures of this great little local movie theater. Thanks.