I would argue with Netflix that the original auditorium of the Village East by Angelika, is still intact and operating as a single screen, even though there are additional screens in the annexed space adjacent to it!
I came across this CurbedNY article from 2017 that mentions the impending doom of this building, to be replaced by an apartment building. However, I drove past the Metropolitan AME Church just last night on my way to Yankee Stadium, and saw it still standing, and have since found its website to be current and active. I guess it was spared from redevelopment, somewhere along the way, but not sure of the details.
Looks nothing like it, but sort of brings to my mind when they renovated the Palladium (former Academy of Music) from a theater into a nightclub in the late ‘80’s.
Anything is better than American Airlines Theatre! Corporate naming rights bring in lots of money, but they result in awful monikers up on the marquee!
It’s in a busy location, lots of stuff going on and lots of foot traffic, particularly on weekends. Not sure if that translates into box office, but it’s either this multiplex or the Regal in Lynbrook for folks in RVC, Oceanside, Lynbrook, East Rock, Malverne, and Valley Stream. I know there’s the Malverne Cinemas, but that was small even as a single screener, and most of its programming caters to a more indie-minded crowd. So, if it’s not playing at Regal, people will go to the Fantasy.
Just uploaded a few pics taken today. Scaffolding is starting to come down, and evidently the work done was to restore the vertical sign with new letters spelling out FANTASY, backlighting for the letters and the red neon highlights along the outer spine of the sign. Though, looks to me like one of the neon strips may be out, already!
Just posted a pair of screenshots from Google Maps satellite image of the site. Not as up to date as the Street View, but they show the vacant and cleaned lot as well the “protected” enclosed lobby and foyer space to be restored with the new development.
I figure with the scaffolding built the way it is, perhaps the blade is going back up? I guess time will tell. They’d have to re-do the scaffolding to get to the part of the facade where the blade used to be, if they’re getting rid of it alltogether.
More construction scaffolding is up on the facade - and appears the blade has been stripped down to its frame. Three photos uploaded, and mislabeled - should be as of today 10/23, not 10/22.
Looks like workers are finally up on scaffolding doing something to the facade above the entrance. Too early to see exactly what that work entails, but I posted a photo, nonetheless.
I just posted a pic I found on the Internet showing the sign being removed. I was wrong about one thing, the Lethal Weapon advertisement on the Liberty marquee was for the Selwyn Theatre. Guess the Liberty had already been shuttered for good. I know that within a year or so, only the Harris Theatre would remain in operation out of all the original 42nd Street grindhouses.
That board had seen a lot of different signs on it over the years - I remember the faded/peeling “42nd St Movie Center” sign during most of the time I frequented - but there was also the lavish (for the times) Make Them Die Slowly signage up there during that engagement. The pic with the vintage looking “Why Pay More” signage is from 1989, when Bronson’s Kinjite movie came out. That would have been around the time the Durst Organization took over from the Brandt’s - which probably explains why the entrance gates were rolled down. The Dursts probably did a bit of cleanup in the theater, and spruced up that big sign to signal the change in ownership. When the sign was taken down off the marquee back in 1992 (with Lethal Weapon III playing), it was still in the same condition. The Dursts probably didn’t expect the city to be moving forward so quickly and brutally with eminent domain on those newly acquired (and still profitable) grindhouses!
I was on W 45th St yesterday to visit the RiseNY attraction that is adjacent to the stage entrance and loading bay for the Hudson. The bay was open, so I snapped a photo right through the very shallow backstage area looking into the auditorium. The image is uploaded to the photo section above. The view is blocked a bit by a piece of rollaway scenery or something, but one can still glimpse portions of the house, which is fully lit up. Hard to believe the backstage area is so small, as are the wings (not shown in the pic). The distance from the loading bay doorway to the lip of the stage does not look very far at all!
Never saw a film here once it was triplexed. I saw all those films you mentioned at this theater as well. But not The Right Stuff it seems! Jury is still out about Evil Dead.
Just posted a pic I found on a Facebook group (The Forty-Deuce), labeled 1984 and credited to Kent Almqvist. It shows this theater under the banner of “The Big Apple Theater,” showing Caligula on one screen (in English with Spanish subtitles) and porno double bill on the other. Same Big Apple lettering and logo as the former Globe down on Broadway between 43rd and 42nd Streets. I guess we can add that to the list of names for this cinema. I don’t personally recall it ever being the Big Apple, and 1984 would have been a time of frequent visits to the area for me!
I guess perhaps I have! It has been nearly 40 years, and the both theaters were down the road from each other. Thinking back in my mind’s eye, I suppose the theater where I saw the Right Stuff was a bit smaller than the Green Acres would have been (I remember because I was a third wheel on that particular night, and after the movie we grabbed a bite at Red Lobster). The other films I mentioned were definitely here at the Century’s Green Acres. Ridethectrain, I have a similar memory of seeing Evil Dead at the Green Acres, then chowing down at Red Lobster afterward. Am I also wrong about that one?
This thread has been dormant a few years, but if anyone still getting notifications remembers the theater, did the auditorium have a balcony? I’ve been trying to figure out the cinema where my dad took me to see a triple feature of Magical Mystery Tour, One Plus One, and An American Band around New Years of 1978/79. I remember it being a downtown theater and also remember we sat up in an actual balcony (not a raised loge at the rear).
Agreed, Al. How about Birth of a Nation? And there’s scads of dialogue in so many classic films that would make folks wince today (referring to Sam as a “boy” in Casablanca, Groucho referencing the song “That’s Why Darkies Were Born” in Duck Soup). I think we need to view these movies in the context of their times. But I also say it could be a factor in why the film has not received a restoration, and why you don’t see it on TV all that often anymore.
Could be. Or could be the original elements aren’t in good shape. Or a combination of the two. Porgy and Bess was revived on Broadway as recently as 2012.
Why even have Fantasy in the name when the word has been stripped from the building these past few years? Either the name will be going back up (doubtful) or their just fixing some defect and will shortly remove “Fantasy” from all future advertisements and listings.
My error, if that’s the case, Howard. I figured if the space is landmarked (which I believe it is) it would have been unaltered.
I would argue with Netflix that the original auditorium of the Village East by Angelika, is still intact and operating as a single screen, even though there are additional screens in the annexed space adjacent to it!
Thank you for that verification, Lord Garth!
I came across this CurbedNY article from 2017 that mentions the impending doom of this building, to be replaced by an apartment building. However, I drove past the Metropolitan AME Church just last night on my way to Yankee Stadium, and saw it still standing, and have since found its website to be current and active. I guess it was spared from redevelopment, somewhere along the way, but not sure of the details.
For what it’s worth, just posted a pic taken this evening, of the refurbished upright FANTASY sign
Looks nothing like it, but sort of brings to my mind when they renovated the Palladium (former Academy of Music) from a theater into a nightclub in the late ‘80’s.
Now THERE’s an idea!
Anything is better than American Airlines Theatre! Corporate naming rights bring in lots of money, but they result in awful monikers up on the marquee!
It’s in a busy location, lots of stuff going on and lots of foot traffic, particularly on weekends. Not sure if that translates into box office, but it’s either this multiplex or the Regal in Lynbrook for folks in RVC, Oceanside, Lynbrook, East Rock, Malverne, and Valley Stream. I know there’s the Malverne Cinemas, but that was small even as a single screener, and most of its programming caters to a more indie-minded crowd. So, if it’s not playing at Regal, people will go to the Fantasy.
Just uploaded a few pics taken today. Scaffolding is starting to come down, and evidently the work done was to restore the vertical sign with new letters spelling out FANTASY, backlighting for the letters and the red neon highlights along the outer spine of the sign. Though, looks to me like one of the neon strips may be out, already!
Just posted a pair of screenshots from Google Maps satellite image of the site. Not as up to date as the Street View, but they show the vacant and cleaned lot as well the “protected” enclosed lobby and foyer space to be restored with the new development.
I figure with the scaffolding built the way it is, perhaps the blade is going back up? I guess time will tell. They’d have to re-do the scaffolding to get to the part of the facade where the blade used to be, if they’re getting rid of it alltogether.
More construction scaffolding is up on the facade - and appears the blade has been stripped down to its frame. Three photos uploaded, and mislabeled - should be as of today 10/23, not 10/22.
I’m hoping they put the name back up on the blade, at least, after the repair work is complete.
Looks like workers are finally up on scaffolding doing something to the facade above the entrance. Too early to see exactly what that work entails, but I posted a photo, nonetheless.
I just posted a pic I found on the Internet showing the sign being removed. I was wrong about one thing, the Lethal Weapon advertisement on the Liberty marquee was for the Selwyn Theatre. Guess the Liberty had already been shuttered for good. I know that within a year or so, only the Harris Theatre would remain in operation out of all the original 42nd Street grindhouses.
That board had seen a lot of different signs on it over the years - I remember the faded/peeling “42nd St Movie Center” sign during most of the time I frequented - but there was also the lavish (for the times) Make Them Die Slowly signage up there during that engagement. The pic with the vintage looking “Why Pay More” signage is from 1989, when Bronson’s Kinjite movie came out. That would have been around the time the Durst Organization took over from the Brandt’s - which probably explains why the entrance gates were rolled down. The Dursts probably did a bit of cleanup in the theater, and spruced up that big sign to signal the change in ownership. When the sign was taken down off the marquee back in 1992 (with Lethal Weapon III playing), it was still in the same condition. The Dursts probably didn’t expect the city to be moving forward so quickly and brutally with eminent domain on those newly acquired (and still profitable) grindhouses!
I was on W 45th St yesterday to visit the RiseNY attraction that is adjacent to the stage entrance and loading bay for the Hudson. The bay was open, so I snapped a photo right through the very shallow backstage area looking into the auditorium. The image is uploaded to the photo section above. The view is blocked a bit by a piece of rollaway scenery or something, but one can still glimpse portions of the house, which is fully lit up. Hard to believe the backstage area is so small, as are the wings (not shown in the pic). The distance from the loading bay doorway to the lip of the stage does not look very far at all!
Never saw a film here once it was triplexed. I saw all those films you mentioned at this theater as well. But not The Right Stuff it seems! Jury is still out about Evil Dead.
Just posted a pic I found on a Facebook group (The Forty-Deuce), labeled 1984 and credited to Kent Almqvist. It shows this theater under the banner of “The Big Apple Theater,” showing Caligula on one screen (in English with Spanish subtitles) and porno double bill on the other. Same Big Apple lettering and logo as the former Globe down on Broadway between 43rd and 42nd Streets. I guess we can add that to the list of names for this cinema. I don’t personally recall it ever being the Big Apple, and 1984 would have been a time of frequent visits to the area for me!
I guess perhaps I have! It has been nearly 40 years, and the both theaters were down the road from each other. Thinking back in my mind’s eye, I suppose the theater where I saw the Right Stuff was a bit smaller than the Green Acres would have been (I remember because I was a third wheel on that particular night, and after the movie we grabbed a bite at Red Lobster). The other films I mentioned were definitely here at the Century’s Green Acres. Ridethectrain, I have a similar memory of seeing Evil Dead at the Green Acres, then chowing down at Red Lobster afterward. Am I also wrong about that one?
This thread has been dormant a few years, but if anyone still getting notifications remembers the theater, did the auditorium have a balcony? I’ve been trying to figure out the cinema where my dad took me to see a triple feature of Magical Mystery Tour, One Plus One, and An American Band around New Years of 1978/79. I remember it being a downtown theater and also remember we sat up in an actual balcony (not a raised loge at the rear).
Agreed, Al. How about Birth of a Nation? And there’s scads of dialogue in so many classic films that would make folks wince today (referring to Sam as a “boy” in Casablanca, Groucho referencing the song “That’s Why Darkies Were Born” in Duck Soup). I think we need to view these movies in the context of their times. But I also say it could be a factor in why the film has not received a restoration, and why you don’t see it on TV all that often anymore.
Could be. Or could be the original elements aren’t in good shape. Or a combination of the two. Porgy and Bess was revived on Broadway as recently as 2012.
Why even have Fantasy in the name when the word has been stripped from the building these past few years? Either the name will be going back up (doubtful) or their just fixing some defect and will shortly remove “Fantasy” from all future advertisements and listings.