Well, if you were at the new Carvel you were next to the Rocky Point Cinema. Any recollections on it? When I established it on CT I was working from personal recollections and an article in the Port Jefferson Echo.
That was the norm. They did the same thing with the RKO Colonial on Broadway in Manhattan where I saw Steve Allen. Believe the same for the Ed Sullivan.
As the Avon it functioned as a TV preview theatre. When I was a teen in the early 1950’s I attended one of these sessions with my parents. Most of the pilot’s we previewed never made to it the airwaves.
Boy I’d like to see pictures of this. Escalators in 1913. Wonder what this all would have cost in today’s dollars. Great background info, but how long did it last? Certainly must be more out there.
Always found it interesting that the Garden wasn’t Prudential since everything in the surrounding towns was: Cambria (Cambria Heights), St. Albans, Hollis, Island (Hollis), Bellaire, Laurelton, Carlton (Jamaica). Then when you got to Queens Village the majority of the theatres to the East in Nassau County were Century. Prudential then had Suffolk pretty much tied up.
The original auditorium was so plain that the ceiling girders were exposed. I found that odd. Although there was originally a loge area with better seats and a metal railing around it they eventually became general admission. When they split it up there were three long narrow auditoriums. If I remember correctly the beams were no longer exposed. They also supplemented their income by renting videos, which has to be unique.
Just came upon this. When I summered in nearby Voluntown in the 1950s the theatre was only open on weekends. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.
Closed as a theatre, Tinseltoes, per the discussion above. Remember the Katherine Hepburn story when she was going to do Coco? She noticed the construction across the street and said it would be a problem with the noise for the Wednesday matinee. She was particularly concerned about the number “Gabrielle” and was reported to have arranged for construction work to be shut down during that number. And so, each matinee, just as the intro to the piece began, a hush came over the building site. Kate the Great, indeed!
When I was a child my aunt took me to Flushing. I remember walking past the Town. Even then I was a theatre nut. Does no one have pictures of the theatre as the Town? Also, I posted similar information to this a year or so ago but it has disappeared. Anybody else experience this sort of problem?
I saw Bagdad Cafe there in the mid 70’s when it was only a single screen. The information above said it opened around that period but it didn’t strike me as a new space. I wonder if that was intentional.
Many of the components of design of the Pequa were also at the Mid-Island:the exposed ceiling joists, the railed loge section, two story lobby. I seem to remember reading that the number of people at the final showing was something like 180.
It wasn’t a big theatre but it was at the corner of the shopping center. If it was converted to a dealership they would have had to taken over stores. I rarely get to that area but will file this in my memory bank to check it out.
I used to work in the Gramercy Park area and on nice days would venture down to 14th to get an ice cream sandwich, with freshly cooked waffles, at Mc Clellans. The Jefferson was closed the entire time I worked there. I remember thinking it odd that the name was right justified. Aha! When RKO left the owner took down those initials just leaving the Jefferson part. A slow decline. Sad.
I attended several performances in the Mineola, sitting in the balcony, when it went legit toward the end and the entrance was moved from Mineola Boulevard. I was really surprised by the space. I don’t think movie-goers often appreciate the space they’re in and look around as a live theatre person would.
Tinseltoes, I knew of the swap you mentioned. It just seemed more than coincidental that the Sheepshead came back into the Century circuit at the time some of the divested Loew’s did.
I thought this was a Loew’s theatre at some point before it finished life as a Century. I remember when Loew’s had to divest itself of theatre properties the Sheepshead, Tuxedo and Oceana in Brooklyn and the Prospect and the Plaza reverted to Century. My assumption was all had been Loew’s. In the case of the Prospect, it was built by Century and leased to Loew’s, It would appear from a reference above that this might have also been the case with the Sheepshead.
Well, if you were at the new Carvel you were next to the Rocky Point Cinema. Any recollections on it? When I established it on CT I was working from personal recollections and an article in the Port Jefferson Echo.
That was the norm. They did the same thing with the RKO Colonial on Broadway in Manhattan where I saw Steve Allen. Believe the same for the Ed Sullivan.
As the Avon it functioned as a TV preview theatre. When I was a teen in the early 1950’s I attended one of these sessions with my parents. Most of the pilot’s we previewed never made to it the airwaves.
After the fire it was called, I believe, Studio 78
The restaurant is now Anthony Joseph’s.
An emergency manicurist?
And I hope this includes what I’ve been asking for, the ability to access the last 100 comments as we can for New Theatres and Updates.
Boy I’d like to see pictures of this. Escalators in 1913. Wonder what this all would have cost in today’s dollars. Great background info, but how long did it last? Certainly must be more out there.
Always found it interesting that the Garden wasn’t Prudential since everything in the surrounding towns was: Cambria (Cambria Heights), St. Albans, Hollis, Island (Hollis), Bellaire, Laurelton, Carlton (Jamaica). Then when you got to Queens Village the majority of the theatres to the East in Nassau County were Century. Prudential then had Suffolk pretty much tied up.
The original auditorium was so plain that the ceiling girders were exposed. I found that odd. Although there was originally a loge area with better seats and a metal railing around it they eventually became general admission. When they split it up there were three long narrow auditoriums. If I remember correctly the beams were no longer exposed. They also supplemented their income by renting videos, which has to be unique.
Just came upon this. When I summered in nearby Voluntown in the 1950s the theatre was only open on weekends. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did.
Closed as a theatre, Tinseltoes, per the discussion above. Remember the Katherine Hepburn story when she was going to do Coco? She noticed the construction across the street and said it would be a problem with the noise for the Wednesday matinee. She was particularly concerned about the number “Gabrielle” and was reported to have arranged for construction work to be shut down during that number. And so, each matinee, just as the intro to the piece began, a hush came over the building site. Kate the Great, indeed!
When I was a child my aunt took me to Flushing. I remember walking past the Town. Even then I was a theatre nut. Does no one have pictures of the theatre as the Town? Also, I posted similar information to this a year or so ago but it has disappeared. Anybody else experience this sort of problem?
I saw Bagdad Cafe there in the mid 70’s when it was only a single screen. The information above said it opened around that period but it didn’t strike me as a new space. I wonder if that was intentional.
Rarly “twin” theatres.
All I remember was LILCO per my predicament finding the car above.
Many of the components of design of the Pequa were also at the Mid-Island:the exposed ceiling joists, the railed loge section, two story lobby. I seem to remember reading that the number of people at the final showing was something like 180.
It wasn’t a big theatre but it was at the corner of the shopping center. If it was converted to a dealership they would have had to taken over stores. I rarely get to that area but will file this in my memory bank to check it out.
I used to work in the Gramercy Park area and on nice days would venture down to 14th to get an ice cream sandwich, with freshly cooked waffles, at Mc Clellans. The Jefferson was closed the entire time I worked there. I remember thinking it odd that the name was right justified. Aha! When RKO left the owner took down those initials just leaving the Jefferson part. A slow decline. Sad.
I attended several performances in the Mineola, sitting in the balcony, when it went legit toward the end and the entrance was moved from Mineola Boulevard. I was really surprised by the space. I don’t think movie-goers often appreciate the space they’re in and look around as a live theatre person would.
Ed, notice the seating pattern with the raised, stadium portion? Per our discussion of the Westbury.
Any rememberances about the interior of the theatre Eastport HomeBoy?
Tinseltoes, I knew of the swap you mentioned. It just seemed more than coincidental that the Sheepshead came back into the Century circuit at the time some of the divested Loew’s did.
I thought this was a Loew’s theatre at some point before it finished life as a Century. I remember when Loew’s had to divest itself of theatre properties the Sheepshead, Tuxedo and Oceana in Brooklyn and the Prospect and the Plaza reverted to Century. My assumption was all had been Loew’s. In the case of the Prospect, it was built by Century and leased to Loew’s, It would appear from a reference above that this might have also been the case with the Sheepshead.
You could easily see the SeaView adaject to the eastbound lane of the Belt Parkway. You could also see the original Sheepshead a short ways away.