Astor Theatre
722-728 W. Girard Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19123
722-728 W. Girard Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19123
2 people
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When we’d visit my grandparents at 7th & Poplar in the early-to-mid 1950s. I’d often go to the Astor. I remember seeing Mickey Spillane’s ‘I, The Jury’ and also ‘The Maze’ in 3D, both in 1953, when I was 8 years old.
The last mention in the archive is a help wanted ad on May 29th, 1974.
Rebuilt and reopened on June 19th, 1940. Ad uploaded.
Article about demolition- http://www.ocfrealty.com/naked-philly/northern-liberties/blighted-building-will-disappear-at-franklin-girard
To kencmcintyre, The Girard theater was in the 600 blk of Girard Ave on the north side of the street and the Astor was in the 700 blk of Girard Ave on the south side of the street. To RickB, I remember going to the Astor with my brother at the age of 9 or 10, and it was scary going under the 9th St bridge. It was so dark even during the day. And the stories about the green/turtle lady hiding under it added to the terror.
If memory serves, a cartoon version of the Astor showed up in an animated Bill Cosby special in the ‘70s. Bill and friends had to go under the terrifying Ninth Street Bridge to get home after watching a movie there. I think the cartoon Astor looked reasonably like the picture shown here, with the name at a point up at the top.
The phillyhistory.org site places this 1961 photo at N. 7th and Girard. It looks like there is a Girard Theater at that spot, but it’s hard to tell exactly.
http://tinyurl.com/qa76zt
Was mentioned by Bob Hope on the Dick Cavett Show DVD.