The funny thing is the theatre never closed during plexing. I know as a recently renovated place I saw Mommy Dearest and Blowout there and those flicks were released in 1981. Another weird this is that during this period all the movies I went to see there always played in the downstairs left theatre.
If I’m not mistaken it went from single to triplex. The donstairs was 2 and the upstairs was one big theatre. I remember the huge floating screen up there for “Blowout”.
I would have to drive down there to look. I know I went with my grandmother a few times to Michaels and if I am remembering correctly there were no apartments. It was a few floors of furniture.
After the Spanish films they tried Kung-fu and even a few B grade first run films from Cannon and New Line. I think at the very end it tried porno. Was this always the name of this place? I have a feeling it was a re-name after the real Delancy closed.
That marquee most definately looks like a theatre marquee not a store marquee. I hate to start another Ridgewood treasure hunt but does anyone remember the furniture store a block or two past The Glenwood (heading into Ridgewood). It was on the other side of Myrtle. I believe it used to be Michaels Furniture. I always thought it looked like an old theatre. It was a huge building and had a marquee also. Any ideas?
What a sad end, this place must have been great at one time. The painted curtain actually looks in good shape is it? Also what was Jeckyl and Hyde on the marquee referring to?
CaptRonLI
I could not agree more, I drive in from Queens to go to the Manhasset or Squire because they still have the feeling of days gone bye. The Syosset was a class house all the way.
Actually there is so much wasted space in the Ridgewood, where the stage and backstage was. It was plexed cheaply, but this did keep all of the original side walls intact. If they plexed it like the Meadows adding an actual second floor they could add many screens. They could also put theatres in the basement like The Center did.
Was this a Jerry Lewis cinema when it first opened? The weird thing about this and the other twin the same owner had was they never called their schedules into the papers. When they played first run they had the studio block ads, but at the end with second run double bills they needed that to let people know they were open???????
On 4/28/58 the Merrick advertised the exclusive Queens showing of “Saddle The Wind” starring Robert Taylor & Julie London. However the second Cinemascopic feature “The Deer Slayer” was playing all over town but mostly with a re-release of “The Song of Bernadette”. Was this a common practice to send a co-feature out with different main features.
The Long Island Press for 4/28/58 has an ad advertising the 4th smash week of “Ten Commandments” at the Valencia. COMPLETE, INTACT, NOTHING CUT BUT THE PRICE. The showtimes Sunday through Friday were 2pm and 8pm. On Saturday 10am, 230pm and 8pm. Tickets were on sale in advance for all future shows. Children are advertised as 60 cents at all times, and the management will give special consideration to theatre parties. The phone number was REpublic 9-8200. I wish I could go back and see that classic under the Valencias stars and clouds.
An ad from the 4/28/58 Long Island press shows both Keiths playing a re-release of Jennifer Jones in “Song of Bernadette” alond with Lex Barker in “The Deerslayer”. The second feature was in Cinemascaope. I guess this was to capitalize on “Farewell to Arms” which was winding into the first run neighborhood houses at that time.
If I am remembering correctly, when they twinned the state cinema 1 was all of the area below the balcony. Cinema 2 was the whole balcony with the screen in the original place. I remember the upstairs theatre was still a true movie palace. I am not proud to admit it but saw “Friday The 13th #-D” there in addition to many first rate films.
In an issue of The Journal American the ad for Tuesday Dec 2, 1958 announces the last day for Robert Wagner and Jeffrey Hunter in “Love and War” paired with Anne Bancroft in “The Restless Breed” starting on Wed was the first NY showing of “The Spider” along with “Terror From The Year 5000”. I think these were Fox films, even though they sound like AIP.
This only opened a few years ago as a multi-plex and they ran it down already? UA is one of a kind, are they not. I am suprised though with such few theatres in SI, there is not enough business to go around. What ever happened to the Lane?
Peter K.
I also have a vague memory of walking by the theatre and seeing an unusual placement of large metal coca-cola signs (or was I hallucinating) on each side of the marquee to the left of where the plexiglass panels were that held the letters. Was there an RKO logo there that they were trying cheaply to hide? I have thought about this many times because I know they were not there earlier. I know when I saw “Squirm” and “Tenticles” there it was RKO, because I still have the block ad I cut out of the Daily News.
R143, this indeed was a beautiful place, even at it’s end it might have been a little beat up but still a palace. I have so many fond memories of going to this theatre growing up and spending a whole day at double features. I have a question for everyone. A projectionist friend swears that when RKO closed this theatre an independant opened it up again for a short time. I dont recall this, but he says that RKO had removed the screen and the new one was smaller and installed half assed with cheap maskings. He recalls it only staying open another year. Is he right or is he recalling another place?
The reason the Ridgewood many times has no listings in the paper is they double book movies that should not be paired up. Many times you will call the tape for these theatres and they give out full schedules as if they have more screens then they do. In actuality they are doubling up films and reporting the split grosses to the respective film companies. Nothing will top the time the Commodore paired up one of the Batman movies then in its opening week with a Legal Weapon flick in like its third week. They normally played double features so they got away with it by leaving it out of the time schedules and having no tape. An in the know person called Warner Brothers who thought they had one movie on each screen and ratted them out. The other screen also had 2 blockbusters playing.
I cant believe that the neighborhood gave the owners a problem about adding screens to the Plaza. That area needs improvement and movie patrons spend money in areas around the theatre in restaurants and shopping. Makes no sense.
There was a time that the Westbury was doing decent grosses for some of the art runs they presented. They also had “Jean De Florette” and “Manon of the Spring” for almost a year. The sad part is their gestapo antics cost them their patronage. Prior to the Kew Gardens Cinemas opening, I knew many people who drove there from Queens. It was easier to drive to Westbury then to put up with the crowds in Manhattan. Almost everyone I knew stopped going there as the antics of the owners made not only the newspapers but the tv news as well. I was listening to WOR one day and the topic was the condition of theatres. The phones lit up and one call after another complained about that theatre in Westbury. Sad, that the theatre may be gutted for such stupidity.
The funny thing is the theatre never closed during plexing. I know as a recently renovated place I saw Mommy Dearest and Blowout there and those flicks were released in 1981. Another weird this is that during this period all the movies I went to see there always played in the downstairs left theatre.
If I’m not mistaken it went from single to triplex. The donstairs was 2 and the upstairs was one big theatre. I remember the huge floating screen up there for “Blowout”.
I would have to drive down there to look. I know I went with my grandmother a few times to Michaels and if I am remembering correctly there were no apartments. It was a few floors of furniture.
There are two cinemas on the ground floor and three upstairs.
After the Spanish films they tried Kung-fu and even a few B grade first run films from Cannon and New Line. I think at the very end it tried porno. Was this always the name of this place? I have a feeling it was a re-name after the real Delancy closed.
Lets boycott the last City Cinema theatres, what a bunch of loosers.
I was recently here again to see AIDA. This place is maintained immaculately. This is one of the few theatres that New York should be proud of.
That marquee most definately looks like a theatre marquee not a store marquee. I hate to start another Ridgewood treasure hunt but does anyone remember the furniture store a block or two past The Glenwood (heading into Ridgewood). It was on the other side of Myrtle. I believe it used to be Michaels Furniture. I always thought it looked like an old theatre. It was a huge building and had a marquee also. Any ideas?
What a sad end, this place must have been great at one time. The painted curtain actually looks in good shape is it? Also what was Jeckyl and Hyde on the marquee referring to?
CaptRonLI
I could not agree more, I drive in from Queens to go to the Manhasset or Squire because they still have the feeling of days gone bye. The Syosset was a class house all the way.
Actually there is so much wasted space in the Ridgewood, where the stage and backstage was. It was plexed cheaply, but this did keep all of the original side walls intact. If they plexed it like the Meadows adding an actual second floor they could add many screens. They could also put theatres in the basement like The Center did.
This theatre could survive another hundred years. It needs a facelift, but is in a free booking zone and can book anything it wants.
Was this a Jerry Lewis cinema when it first opened? The weird thing about this and the other twin the same owner had was they never called their schedules into the papers. When they played first run they had the studio block ads, but at the end with second run double bills they needed that to let people know they were open???????
On 4/28/58 the Merrick advertised the exclusive Queens showing of “Saddle The Wind” starring Robert Taylor & Julie London. However the second Cinemascopic feature “The Deer Slayer” was playing all over town but mostly with a re-release of “The Song of Bernadette”. Was this a common practice to send a co-feature out with different main features.
On 4/28/58 the Savoy was advertising the last day for the triple feature of
1- Jack Palance in “House of Numbers” in Cinemascope
2- Victor Mature in “Chief Crazy Horse” in Cinemascope
3- “Voodoo Woman” with an all star cast
This must have been a damn fun place to go :)
The Long Island Press for 4/28/58 has an ad advertising the 4th smash week of “Ten Commandments” at the Valencia. COMPLETE, INTACT, NOTHING CUT BUT THE PRICE. The showtimes Sunday through Friday were 2pm and 8pm. On Saturday 10am, 230pm and 8pm. Tickets were on sale in advance for all future shows. Children are advertised as 60 cents at all times, and the management will give special consideration to theatre parties. The phone number was REpublic 9-8200. I wish I could go back and see that classic under the Valencias stars and clouds.
An ad from the 4/28/58 Long Island press shows both Keiths playing a re-release of Jennifer Jones in “Song of Bernadette” alond with Lex Barker in “The Deerslayer”. The second feature was in Cinemascaope. I guess this was to capitalize on “Farewell to Arms” which was winding into the first run neighborhood houses at that time.
If I am remembering correctly, when they twinned the state cinema 1 was all of the area below the balcony. Cinema 2 was the whole balcony with the screen in the original place. I remember the upstairs theatre was still a true movie palace. I am not proud to admit it but saw “Friday The 13th #-D” there in addition to many first rate films.
In an issue of The Journal American the ad for Tuesday Dec 2, 1958 announces the last day for Robert Wagner and Jeffrey Hunter in “Love and War” paired with Anne Bancroft in “The Restless Breed” starting on Wed was the first NY showing of “The Spider” along with “Terror From The Year 5000”. I think these were Fox films, even though they sound like AIP.
This only opened a few years ago as a multi-plex and they ran it down already? UA is one of a kind, are they not. I am suprised though with such few theatres in SI, there is not enough business to go around. What ever happened to the Lane?
Peter K.
I also have a vague memory of walking by the theatre and seeing an unusual placement of large metal coca-cola signs (or was I hallucinating) on each side of the marquee to the left of where the plexiglass panels were that held the letters. Was there an RKO logo there that they were trying cheaply to hide? I have thought about this many times because I know they were not there earlier. I know when I saw “Squirm” and “Tenticles” there it was RKO, because I still have the block ad I cut out of the Daily News.
R143, this indeed was a beautiful place, even at it’s end it might have been a little beat up but still a palace. I have so many fond memories of going to this theatre growing up and spending a whole day at double features. I have a question for everyone. A projectionist friend swears that when RKO closed this theatre an independant opened it up again for a short time. I dont recall this, but he says that RKO had removed the screen and the new one was smaller and installed half assed with cheap maskings. He recalls it only staying open another year. Is he right or is he recalling another place?
The reason the Ridgewood many times has no listings in the paper is they double book movies that should not be paired up. Many times you will call the tape for these theatres and they give out full schedules as if they have more screens then they do. In actuality they are doubling up films and reporting the split grosses to the respective film companies. Nothing will top the time the Commodore paired up one of the Batman movies then in its opening week with a Legal Weapon flick in like its third week. They normally played double features so they got away with it by leaving it out of the time schedules and having no tape. An in the know person called Warner Brothers who thought they had one movie on each screen and ratted them out. The other screen also had 2 blockbusters playing.
I cant believe that the neighborhood gave the owners a problem about adding screens to the Plaza. That area needs improvement and movie patrons spend money in areas around the theatre in restaurants and shopping. Makes no sense.
There was a time that the Westbury was doing decent grosses for some of the art runs they presented. They also had “Jean De Florette” and “Manon of the Spring” for almost a year. The sad part is their gestapo antics cost them their patronage. Prior to the Kew Gardens Cinemas opening, I knew many people who drove there from Queens. It was easier to drive to Westbury then to put up with the crowds in Manhattan. Almost everyone I knew stopped going there as the antics of the owners made not only the newspapers but the tv news as well. I was listening to WOR one day and the topic was the condition of theatres. The phones lit up and one call after another complained about that theatre in Westbury. Sad, that the theatre may be gutted for such stupidity.