Grove Theatre
80 W. Merrick Road,
Freeport,
NY
11520
80 W. Merrick Road,
Freeport,
NY
11520
1 person
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Uploaded 1930 ad showing under Century management.
Correct address is 80 West Merrick Road.
Word Of Life Ministries is still the tenant.
Photo added via Rodney Baisley. Socony station and parking East side elevation of the Grove Theatre.
Updated an exterior of the Grove to the east and the theater under construction in 1926. Still a lot to do. It didn’t open until 1928.
Architect was Herbert J. Krapp.
Uploaded a photo of façade architectural detail.
Seems that Century and its booking agents were just grabbing at straws in the hopes of finding something, anything, to book. Programs were run on a double bill for 1 week with the new show coming in on Wednesday.
I do remember that at this time it was very hard to get an audience into the theatre, some nights we must have had only 10 people in the house.
some more odd and interesting bookingS. All were double bills.
9/72-PRIME CUT 9/72-THE BOYS IN THE BAND 9/72-SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE 9/72-MINNIE & MOSKOWITZ 9/72-THE WAR BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN 9/72-A MAN CALLED HORSE 9/72-THUNDERBALL 9/72-YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
10/72-STANLEY
10/72-THE NIGHT OF THE LEPUS
10/72-VAMPIRE CIRCUS
10/72-COUNTESS DRACULA
10/72-HICKEY AND BOGGS
10/72-RETURN OF SABATA
10/72-THE CANDIDATE
10/72-RACHEL,RACHEL
11/72-DAUGHTERS OF SATAN
11/72-SUPERBEAST
11/72-HAMMER
11/72-HALLS OF ANGER
11/72-VIRGIN WITCH
11/72-THE MINX
11/72-MELINDA
11/72-COOL BREEZE
12/72-SUPER FLY 12/72-COOL HAND LUKE 12/72-TEENAGE SEX REPORT 12/72-TEENAGE MOTHER 12/72-EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX… 12/72-WHAT DO YOU SAY TO A NAKED LADY? 12/72-LADY SINGS THE BLUES 12/72-SUCH GOOD FRIENDS
11/73-SCREAMING TIGER
11/73-BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA
11/73-GORDONS WAR
11/73-TROUBLE MAN
11/73-SAVE THE CHILDREN
11/73-THE MAN
11/73-DONT LOOK IN THE BASEMENT
11/73- LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT
12/73-THE SISTERS
12/73-DR. PHIBES RISES AGAIN
12/73-SSSSSSS
12/73-HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER
12/73-THE DEADLY TRACKERS
12/73-TRAIN ROBBERS
These were all double bills
The nail was in the coffin, the final months bookings were all over the place-well so were the last 2 years:
2/74-DELIVERENCE
2/74-THE CANDIDATE
2/74-DEEP THROAT II
2/74-PAPER MOON
2/74-PLAY IT AGAIN SAM
And the final booking:
2/74-THE PAPER CHASE
2/74-KID BLUE
A bit of a pick up albiet with 2nd 3rd and 4th runs:
1/74-THE DON IS DEAD/ SHOWDOWN
1/74-MIDNIGHT COWBOY/WHERES POPPA?
1/74-DAY OF THE JACKAL/PETE N TILLIE
1/74-LIVE AND LET DIE
1/74-SCORPIO
And on 1/28/74 there was a one time only affair, THE ALI/FRAZIER FIGHT
9/73- FEARLESS FIGHTERS
10/73- SLAUGHTERS BIG RIP PFF
The Grove Theatre closed on March 3, 1974, Its final presentation was a double bill:
THE PAPER CHASE/ KID BLUE
How about the Plaza? That was around before either of the others.
Scan and post those pics, please.
There is a book being sold on LI ( and perhapsin other sections of the country) about the history of the Village of Freeport. In it is a picture of the Grove taken in the late 20s or early 30s. Nice shot showing the original marquee and the vertical blade spelling out GROVE. Also in the same book, a shot of the Freeport Theatre taken around the same time,showing the original marquee and vertical blade as well.
Link to Berserk ad
Some bookings of the 1960s and 1970s:
6/65-HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA
6/65-GENGHIS KHAN
8/65-VON RYANS EXPRESS
8/69-POPI
4/70-THE MERCENARY
4/70-MIDNIGHT COWBOY
4/71-ALICES RESTAURANT
4/71-THE NIGHT THEY RAIDED MINSKYS
4/71-COLD TURKEY
“What Do You Say to a Naked Lady?” “Slaughterhouse Five”,Woody Allens “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex”, all early 70s. A shame that 3 years later the blaxploitation, grindhouse and soft porn would come. By then Freeport was in decline, there were racial problems, and people were just not coming to Freeport to go to the movies any longer.
some interesting bookings The Grove had: May 1972- a double bill of “The Stepmother” and “Cindy and Donna”
Feb 1973-“The Train Robbers” March 1973-“Vault of Horror” May 1973- “The French Connection” w/ “MAS*H”
“Women in Love” was a feature presentation here in the early 1970s
In the building, street level on either side of the theatre entrance were stores,one being a jewlery shop if I remember correctly. And nest door,where the Rent-A-Center is now, was an Italian restaurant where the usher staff would go on break to grab a drink or something to eat
GAILY,GAILY,and THE REIVERS were two other early 1970s attractions, and an engagement of the film Z was also in the 70s. The dressing areas for employees were upstairs, for men,a room by the mens room,and for females,a room by the ladies room. The managers office was located on the lobby level,and from within that office you could walk into the box office. After the evening show began,and the box office was closed,the manager counted the evening receipts. When they were counted, a deposit was made up, and two of us walked to the bank across the street to put the money in the night depost box.
restrooms were located in the lodge/balcony area, and in addition to the candy counter on the main level,there were also vending machines from which you could buy candy as well
around 1969, 1970 I recall seeing GONE WITH THE WIND,and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE here