York Theatre
1187 First Avenue,
New York,
NY
10065
1187 First Avenue,
New York,
NY
10065
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The Victor Theatre was operating prior to 1914. By 1926, it had been renamed East End Theatre. Does anyone have any further information about this theatre, perhaps best known to Soupy Sales fans as the theatre used in the opening and closing credits of his 1964-66 WNEW-TV show.
Contributed by
Paul Dial
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Recent comments (view all 11 comments)
This was my local movie theater when I was growing up on East 67th back in the late 40’s through the mid 50s. It was a shabby belly-run house that changed double bills twice a week (and I went everytime a new pair of movies was offered.) At some point it was purchased or leased by
Warner LeRoy and run as an off-Broadway theatre, with limited success. Ironically, he hired me, in the early 60s, to turn it back into a movie theater, featuring revivals and off-beat programming of independent films. I had worked with Dan Talbot at The New Yorker (running the Monday night film society there) and then been program director of The Bleecker Street Cinema (along with the late Marshall Lewis.) Little came of this scheme, mainly because Mr. LeRoy was a very difficult man to work with. He eventually turned the theater into the very successful Maxwell’s Plum, the start of Mr. Leroy’s restaurant career which included the still successful Tavern On The Green. Regards, rudy franchi
I visited this theatre only once, to see a specially-touted revival of David Lean’s “Great Expectations” in July of 1964. Was this at the start of the new art/revival policy?
Yes, that was our first fumbling attempt to return this theater to its former days of non glory. I have such bad memories of that expierence that I had forgotten about the Lean film. Regards, rudy
Listed in the American Motion Picture Directory 1914-1915 as the Victor Theatre(the address is given as 1185 First Avenue).
By 1926 and thru until at least 1930 it was known as the East End Theatre, 1187 First Avenue, with a seating capacity given as 569. By 1941 it had be re-named York Theatre which it retained until closure.
400 ESCAPE THEATRE FIRE.; Film of “The Burning of Broadway” Ignites at First Avenue Show.
NY Times May 21, 1928
More than 400 spectators in the East End Theatre, 1185 First Avenue, were ordered from the building last night when a fire started in the projection room.
The apartment building housing the Duane Reade on the corner of 64th & 1st Ave (actual address 345 E 64th St) was, according to city records, erected in 1996. So presumably the York Theatre was demolished then.
I too have attempted to do some sleuthing on this theatre due to its appearance on the Soupy Sales Show !
Free preview from the NY Times December 9, 1951
FILMGOERS IGNORE COLLAPSE OF WALL; Section of Near-By Tenement Crashes on Theatre Roof— Sound Effect to Patrons
Two hundred and seventy youngsters and eighty adults were so engrossed in a motion picture in the York Theatre at 1185 First Avenue, near Sixty-fourth Street, early yesterday afternoon that they did not notice the crash of several hundred bricks on the theatre’s roof. The bricks fell when a section of a chimney and wall on an adjoining six-story old-law tenement collapsed.
According to the New York Times, from 1924 to 1958 it was a full time movie house. In 1958 it switched over to legitimate shows.
In 1964 it switched back to movies as the York with only 299 seats. By summer 1968 it was closed.
In 1966 a comedy club called Mr. Laffs was operating at 1185 First Avenue, so the original Victor must been scaled down at some point.
The map above links to the wrong street as the York was on 64th street. Here is a 1964 re-opening ad as a cinema;
View link
OK gang Here is the straight scoop on the old York, I grew up around the corner. As A kid in the 50’s it was a small neighborhhod movie house. Buttered popcorn and a soda was a quarter. In the early 60’s it tried becoming a playhouse. I remember seeing young abe Lincoln there with Piper Laurie. Next to it on the corner was Frank’s luncheonette. When the area got bar happy, The theatre and the luncheonette were gutted, and became the famous MAXWELL’S PLUM. building was torn down some years ago and now is another boring high rise.