Again, Peter hits the mark – not only his sharp eye for the WHN John Denver ad (“Sunshine on my shoulder makes me sweaty…”), but also for the link below:
Now Bway can go nutz trynna figure out which Frankenstein flix in what year. Ha! Hint: the old BMT standards were part of the Transit Authority’s Nostalgia Specials to Coney Island and elsewhere in the late 1970s. [i was still a F/T resident in ‘77 and had snapped a shot of my own personal fave at the time, good ol’ Olivia…]
Here’s another link for the RKO Alden. Pic was snapped when the J train terminated in the Jamaica shopping district at the 168th Street station. The top of the Alden’s marquee can be seen clearly at lower right:
Restoration continues at a snail’s pace, although it’s difficult to tell how far along workers are in the interior. The outside wooden barricade that has been erected around the base of the Balboa now announces a re-opening date of 2007. (Frankly, I doubt it.) The Gaslamp down the block is the plush theater of choice in the meantime, but do avoid the closer one in Horton Plaza (with its garish MTV architecture). The sound system is bottom of the barrel.
Ignore both URLs above. The SD Reader is a free weekly paper and only keeps the current edition online. If one is interested, perhaps he/she can write for a copy of the back issue I referenced.
It seems as if every time I pass by on New Jersey Transit’s commuter trains, there are more screens at the Maplewood! This is the local theater of my beloved cousins who live mere blocks away. Will see if Cousin Matt can piggyback on these comments before he leaves for college in PA in the fall.
Question: Has anyone ever eliminated (or pared down the number of) those pesky yellow jackets emanating from nearby Kings Grocery? Most annoying l'il kamikazees I’ve ever encountered near any movie theater anywhere in the country…Ouch!
I’ve got Bob in age by a year or so, but no, don’t know either one personally. Just hoping for more “experts” on the site. You can never have too many, I guess.
Thought it was Ratt’s “Round and Round.” Oh, well. (BTW, garlic is also effective on Middle Eastern vampire types. Go ask Mustafa and Waleed down on Atlantic Ave.)
What strong gray matter you have upstairs, LM! Had totally forgotten about the gas station parking behind the theater on Wyckoff. My neighbor used it frequently. IMHO, the RKO Madison was the classier of the two theaters, so yeah, as you said, go figure. Perhaps future historians (or former Madison managers) will eventually clue us in regarding its seemingly premature closing. Hopefully, anyway…
Parking in Ridgewood has been a royal PIA since the 1960s. That’s why the Good Lord invented the Myrtle el, the Canarsie subway and the B/Q-58 bus, making the Ridgewood Theater (and the former RKO Madison) very accessible. At least the new Atlas will validate their reasonably low parking fee, at least for now – a sure win bet at OTB.
[Curses don’t bother me in the slightest, LM…as long as I have some garlic, silver bullets and a cross. As Linda Blair autographed an 8x10 for my son a few years ago, “Greg, you make my head spin!” LOL!]
This week’s issue of The Reader (7-6-06) has a fairly comprehensive history of San Diego drive-in theaters as they had existed here over the years. (This town is down to only two – Santee and South Bay!) To access Jay Allen Sanford’s FIELD OF SCREENS cover story, go to:
(What I could not find on-line, however, were the highly informative sidebar capsule timelines of drive-ins throughout the U.S. Perhaps they can be located under a different heading. Also do not know how long The Reader keeps its feature articles available on the net.)
The Imperial Theatre is clearly shown in a 1928 half-page photo that appeared in William D, Middleton’s book, “The Time of the Trolley” (Kalmbach Publishing, 1967, p. 209). The theater’s marquee, unfortunately, is blocked by two passing Birney trolley cars, but the signage stands tall, sharp and ornate.
I lack the technical tools to scan and post photos, but Middleton’s book is available in many public libraries. Hopefully, some industrious person can get the job done and link the photo to this page. Good luck!
Great pix, KenRoe! Can’t believe how the Ridgewood has changed since my last visit in 1977. Am in agreement with Lost Memory that it looks as if it may very well have a few more years to go. Sincerely hope it lasts well beyond its centennial.
And speaking of “a few more years to go,” you may want to consider seeing and meeting a few actors up there in years: Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, June (“Rocky & Bullwinkle”) Foray, Elena Verdugo, Irene (“Flashdance”) Cara and many others at the Hilton Burbank Airport Hotel and Convention Center 7/15-16. If you plan to vacation in the SoCal/LA/Burbank area by mid-month, hit the URL below and scroll down for additional details:
RobertR, the Rugby (823 Utica Ave.) was one of 8 finalists out of 30 from my “non-scientific” experiment on the Cumberland page 7/1/06. (I soon tossed out the Haven Theater suggestion for various and sundry reasons.) Let’s see if we can get an additional confirmation on this from another Brooklynite from Flatbush. Good work, sir!!!
[“You used to be the best torch man in town. Now I don’t think you could crack a safe if you knew the combination.” – Attorney Paul Lowe to alcoholic Joe Marcelli (on crutches) in “The Indestructible Man,” 1956.]
Lorraine Diehl’s “The Late, Great Pennsylvania Station” is precisely the book I was referencing, davebazooka. I was unable to quote it with any accuracy as my copy (unsigned) is back in my NY casa. I’ll check out her tour on my next trip. Thx for the tip!
If there’s anyone out there in CT Land who can access the archival photo files of the Minneapolis Public Library Historical Collection, there’s an excellent daytime photo of the State Theater, c. 1954. The photo had appeared on page 95 of Alan R. Lind’s book, “Twin City Rapid Transit Pictorial” (Transport History Press, 1984), but the first edition was limited to only 3,000 copies and is long out-of-print.
In this panoramic shot, a trolley is heading toward the photographer on Hennepin at 9th St., and a city bus is going in the opposite direction. The State, shown on the right with a different marquee design than previously displayed in earlier years by others, was running “Arrow in the Dust” at the time, starring Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray. Lots of other local buildings are also shown in the photo.
I lack the technical capability to scan the book’s photo and link it to this page. Hopefully, one of you folks can locate that pic and post it for the enjoyment of all. Good luck!
EdSolero: the first one might possibly be the old Haven in Queens. It’s certainly narrow enough. Nada on the second. [i posted some additional material for you over on the Cumberland Theatre page. Not sure about your m.o. in checking back for replies.] Buena suerte!
(Note for Ridgewoodites still living in the area: the location of Matt Weber’s “Funeral Home” shot should be up on Forest Avenue, even-numbered side of the street, closer to Metropolitan Avenue. That one jumped out at me!)
davebazooka, couldn’t agree with you more! Your comments about Big Bucks and Grand Central Station had already happened to the old Penn Station in the early 1960s! Its demolition, under the guise of “progress,” along with the political machinations of Mr. Felt (of MSG’s Felt Forum) and others, including impotent newspapers which sat idly by and hardly printed a word of protest, was one of the most infamous architectural disgraces of the 20th Century. Pieces of the old Penn Station were dumped unceremoniously along the Jersey marshlands for viewing by NY/NJ commuters on the Lackawanna. (I have photos of this.) The remnants of RKO Keith’s fountain are probably close by…
On page 25 of Herbert H. Harwood’s book, “Baltimore and Its Streetcars” (Quadrant Press, NY, 1984), there is a sharp half-page photo of the Edmondson Village Theater taken in January, 1951. The marquee features Ingrid Bergman’s “Joan of Arc” (1948) and Debbie Reynolds' “Two Weeks With Love” (1950), both on their second runs.
Unfortunately, I do not have the technical capability to scan or post this great pic, but if Charles or someone else who has access to Harwood’s book can share it with all, that would be terrific. Good luck!
In his 6-15-06 column, longtime SD Reader movie reviewer Duncan Shepherd wrote, “The home of ‘alternative’ cinema, the Landmark chain in our little neck of the woods is still open to the period piece, the literary adaptation, the digital documentary, the Holocaust remembrance, the coming-of-age tale, anything gay-themed…” High praise, and richly deserved, especially in this large, but extremely culture-deprived city.
My late son Greg (only 23 when he passed last year from a rare bone cancer) often invited me to press screenings at the Hillcrest Cinemas. I never questioned whether he was in need of a ride or if he really thought I’d like the film in question. Inevitably, it was the latter, and I’m indebted to him for rekindling my love of excellence in foreign films. Because of him, I was exposed to and thoroughly enjoyed “Monsieur Ibrahim,” “Les Choristes,” “No One Knows” and so many, many more. (The only dud I ever saw with him was the domestically made “Lost Skeleton of Cadavra,” and that was no reflection whatsoever on Chris, the bookers at the Hillcrest, Solomon & Friedman, or anyone else involved, except perhaps the filmmakers themselves. Back to Film School 101 at SDSU and Remedial Comedy for all you guys…)
Through Greg, I was also fortunate to meet theater manager Chris Principio, who has done a yeoman job for the Landmark chain, reviewers Beth Accommando, Diana Saenger, Scott Marks, Kyle Counts (who, sadly, also passed away in ‘05) and a host of others. My son ran with some really good company in the S.D. Film Critics’ Society.
Within the past few months, I’ve been pleased to see three worthwhile movies here, all of which branched out later to more mainstream theaters after seeing their respective successes at Hillcrest: “Good Night and Good Luck” (Clooney’s excellent tribute to the late reporter, Edward R. Murrow), “Neil Young: Heart of Gold” and “An Inconvenient Truth.” Four stars for each!
Earlier in this post, I took a swipe at this town, justly deserved. But if you should happen to visit at some point in the future, consider taking in a movie at the Hillcrest Cinemas just as you might go to Radio City Music Hall in NYC or a classy emporium in any other city of your choosing. This venue is theater-goer friendly and kept meticulously clean and comfortable. Hopefully, it will be around for you and for us locals for many years still to come.
Lost Memory: You can call off the dogs. The Cumberland snuck its way up there and now has 3 posts on its very own page between yesterday and this morning. My aunt has confirmed the fact that the theater did have an organ, so perhaps your astute research material can provide model and cost (in pre-Depression dollars, of course). It appears that the venue was listed as closed by 1941. Am unsure of exactly when A&P took the building over, but it was certainly doing brisk business in the neighborhood before the end of the 1940s.
“Squeamy” Ellis, portrayed uncredited and on crutches by Marvin Ellis, was the one you remember getting tossed to his death from on high by “Butcher Benson” after his return from S.F. to L.A. It was right behind the old Hillcrest Hotel downtown and Angel’s Flight. Try this link for some great pix of the world’s shortest railway:
Una otra fotografia, lo mismo tiempo (‘77):
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?43038
Again, Peter hits the mark – not only his sharp eye for the WHN John Denver ad (“Sunshine on my shoulder makes me sweaty…”), but also for the link below:
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?24041
Now Bway can go nutz trynna figure out which Frankenstein flix in what year. Ha! Hint: the old BMT standards were part of the Transit Authority’s Nostalgia Specials to Coney Island and elsewhere in the late 1970s. [i was still a F/T resident in ‘77 and had snapped a shot of my own personal fave at the time, good ol’ Olivia…]
Here’s another link for the RKO Alden. Pic was snapped when the J train terminated in the Jamaica shopping district at the 168th Street station. The top of the Alden’s marquee can be seen clearly at lower right:
www.subwaywebnews.com/AB_168th_St.jpg
Restoration continues at a snail’s pace, although it’s difficult to tell how far along workers are in the interior. The outside wooden barricade that has been erected around the base of the Balboa now announces a re-opening date of 2007. (Frankly, I doubt it.) The Gaslamp down the block is the plush theater of choice in the meantime, but do avoid the closer one in Horton Plaza (with its garish MTV architecture). The sound system is bottom of the barrel.
Ignore both URLs above. The SD Reader is a free weekly paper and only keeps the current edition online. If one is interested, perhaps he/she can write for a copy of the back issue I referenced.
It seems as if every time I pass by on New Jersey Transit’s commuter trains, there are more screens at the Maplewood! This is the local theater of my beloved cousins who live mere blocks away. Will see if Cousin Matt can piggyback on these comments before he leaves for college in PA in the fall.
Question: Has anyone ever eliminated (or pared down the number of) those pesky yellow jackets emanating from nearby Kings Grocery? Most annoying l'il kamikazees I’ve ever encountered near any movie theater anywhere in the country…Ouch!
I’ve got Bob in age by a year or so, but no, don’t know either one personally. Just hoping for more “experts” on the site. You can never have too many, I guess.
Thought it was Ratt’s “Round and Round.” Oh, well. (BTW, garlic is also effective on Middle Eastern vampire types. Go ask Mustafa and Waleed down on Atlantic Ave.)
What strong gray matter you have upstairs, LM! Had totally forgotten about the gas station parking behind the theater on Wyckoff. My neighbor used it frequently. IMHO, the RKO Madison was the classier of the two theaters, so yeah, as you said, go figure. Perhaps future historians (or former Madison managers) will eventually clue us in regarding its seemingly premature closing. Hopefully, anyway…
OK, Peter, Question of the Day:
Did you give Bob the CT URL for himself and Danny Gallagher?
Parking in Ridgewood has been a royal PIA since the 1960s. That’s why the Good Lord invented the Myrtle el, the Canarsie subway and the B/Q-58 bus, making the Ridgewood Theater (and the former RKO Madison) very accessible. At least the new Atlas will validate their reasonably low parking fee, at least for now – a sure win bet at OTB.
[Curses don’t bother me in the slightest, LM…as long as I have some garlic, silver bullets and a cross. As Linda Blair autographed an 8x10 for my son a few years ago, “Greg, you make my head spin!” LOL!]
Just tried to verify the URL above and it did not work. Better to go here and click on cover story pic at top left for the story:
http://www.sdreader.com/
This week’s issue of The Reader (7-6-06) has a fairly comprehensive history of San Diego drive-in theaters as they had existed here over the years. (This town is down to only two – Santee and South Bay!) To access Jay Allen Sanford’s FIELD OF SCREENS cover story, go to:
http://www.sdreader.com/ed.cover/
(What I could not find on-line, however, were the highly informative sidebar capsule timelines of drive-ins throughout the U.S. Perhaps they can be located under a different heading. Also do not know how long The Reader keeps its feature articles available on the net.)
Here’s a color shot of the marquee c.1948 featuring “The Paleface,” starring Bob Hope and Jane Russell:
http://www.nycsubway.org/perl/show?46008
The Imperial Theatre is clearly shown in a 1928 half-page photo that appeared in William D, Middleton’s book, “The Time of the Trolley” (Kalmbach Publishing, 1967, p. 209). The theater’s marquee, unfortunately, is blocked by two passing Birney trolley cars, but the signage stands tall, sharp and ornate.
I lack the technical tools to scan and post photos, but Middleton’s book is available in many public libraries. Hopefully, some industrious person can get the job done and link the photo to this page. Good luck!
Newsreels were produced until 1967, saps, but fewer and fewer first-run theaters carried them after 1962. Check this site:
http://history.acusd.edu/gen/newsreels/
Great pix, KenRoe! Can’t believe how the Ridgewood has changed since my last visit in 1977. Am in agreement with Lost Memory that it looks as if it may very well have a few more years to go. Sincerely hope it lasts well beyond its centennial.
And speaking of “a few more years to go,” you may want to consider seeing and meeting a few actors up there in years: Debbie Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, June (“Rocky & Bullwinkle”) Foray, Elena Verdugo, Irene (“Flashdance”) Cara and many others at the Hilton Burbank Airport Hotel and Convention Center 7/15-16. If you plan to vacation in the SoCal/LA/Burbank area by mid-month, hit the URL below and scroll down for additional details:
http://www.hollywoodcollectorshow.com
RobertR, the Rugby (823 Utica Ave.) was one of 8 finalists out of 30 from my “non-scientific” experiment on the Cumberland page 7/1/06. (I soon tossed out the Haven Theater suggestion for various and sundry reasons.) Let’s see if we can get an additional confirmation on this from another Brooklynite from Flatbush. Good work, sir!!!
[“You used to be the best torch man in town. Now I don’t think you could crack a safe if you knew the combination.” – Attorney Paul Lowe to alcoholic Joe Marcelli (on crutches) in “The Indestructible Man,” 1956.]
Lorraine Diehl’s “The Late, Great Pennsylvania Station” is precisely the book I was referencing, davebazooka. I was unable to quote it with any accuracy as my copy (unsigned) is back in my NY casa. I’ll check out her tour on my next trip. Thx for the tip!
If there’s anyone out there in CT Land who can access the archival photo files of the Minneapolis Public Library Historical Collection, there’s an excellent daytime photo of the State Theater, c. 1954. The photo had appeared on page 95 of Alan R. Lind’s book, “Twin City Rapid Transit Pictorial” (Transport History Press, 1984), but the first edition was limited to only 3,000 copies and is long out-of-print.
In this panoramic shot, a trolley is heading toward the photographer on Hennepin at 9th St., and a city bus is going in the opposite direction. The State, shown on the right with a different marquee design than previously displayed in earlier years by others, was running “Arrow in the Dust” at the time, starring Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray. Lots of other local buildings are also shown in the photo.
I lack the technical capability to scan the book’s photo and link it to this page. Hopefully, one of you folks can locate that pic and post it for the enjoyment of all. Good luck!
EdSolero: the first one might possibly be the old Haven in Queens. It’s certainly narrow enough. Nada on the second. [i posted some additional material for you over on the Cumberland Theatre page. Not sure about your m.o. in checking back for replies.] Buena suerte!
(Note for Ridgewoodites still living in the area: the location of Matt Weber’s “Funeral Home” shot should be up on Forest Avenue, even-numbered side of the street, closer to Metropolitan Avenue. That one jumped out at me!)
davebazooka, couldn’t agree with you more! Your comments about Big Bucks and Grand Central Station had already happened to the old Penn Station in the early 1960s! Its demolition, under the guise of “progress,” along with the political machinations of Mr. Felt (of MSG’s Felt Forum) and others, including impotent newspapers which sat idly by and hardly printed a word of protest, was one of the most infamous architectural disgraces of the 20th Century. Pieces of the old Penn Station were dumped unceremoniously along the Jersey marshlands for viewing by NY/NJ commuters on the Lackawanna. (I have photos of this.) The remnants of RKO Keith’s fountain are probably close by…
Hang Huang!
On page 25 of Herbert H. Harwood’s book, “Baltimore and Its Streetcars” (Quadrant Press, NY, 1984), there is a sharp half-page photo of the Edmondson Village Theater taken in January, 1951. The marquee features Ingrid Bergman’s “Joan of Arc” (1948) and Debbie Reynolds' “Two Weeks With Love” (1950), both on their second runs.
Unfortunately, I do not have the technical capability to scan or post this great pic, but if Charles or someone else who has access to Harwood’s book can share it with all, that would be terrific. Good luck!
In his 6-15-06 column, longtime SD Reader movie reviewer Duncan Shepherd wrote, “The home of ‘alternative’ cinema, the Landmark chain in our little neck of the woods is still open to the period piece, the literary adaptation, the digital documentary, the Holocaust remembrance, the coming-of-age tale, anything gay-themed…” High praise, and richly deserved, especially in this large, but extremely culture-deprived city.
My late son Greg (only 23 when he passed last year from a rare bone cancer) often invited me to press screenings at the Hillcrest Cinemas. I never questioned whether he was in need of a ride or if he really thought I’d like the film in question. Inevitably, it was the latter, and I’m indebted to him for rekindling my love of excellence in foreign films. Because of him, I was exposed to and thoroughly enjoyed “Monsieur Ibrahim,” “Les Choristes,” “No One Knows” and so many, many more. (The only dud I ever saw with him was the domestically made “Lost Skeleton of Cadavra,” and that was no reflection whatsoever on Chris, the bookers at the Hillcrest, Solomon & Friedman, or anyone else involved, except perhaps the filmmakers themselves. Back to Film School 101 at SDSU and Remedial Comedy for all you guys…)
Through Greg, I was also fortunate to meet theater manager Chris Principio, who has done a yeoman job for the Landmark chain, reviewers Beth Accommando, Diana Saenger, Scott Marks, Kyle Counts (who, sadly, also passed away in ‘05) and a host of others. My son ran with some really good company in the S.D. Film Critics’ Society.
Within the past few months, I’ve been pleased to see three worthwhile movies here, all of which branched out later to more mainstream theaters after seeing their respective successes at Hillcrest: “Good Night and Good Luck” (Clooney’s excellent tribute to the late reporter, Edward R. Murrow), “Neil Young: Heart of Gold” and “An Inconvenient Truth.” Four stars for each!
Earlier in this post, I took a swipe at this town, justly deserved. But if you should happen to visit at some point in the future, consider taking in a movie at the Hillcrest Cinemas just as you might go to Radio City Music Hall in NYC or a classy emporium in any other city of your choosing. This venue is theater-goer friendly and kept meticulously clean and comfortable. Hopefully, it will be around for you and for us locals for many years still to come.
Lost Memory: You can call off the dogs. The Cumberland snuck its way up there and now has 3 posts on its very own page between yesterday and this morning. My aunt has confirmed the fact that the theater did have an organ, so perhaps your astute research material can provide model and cost (in pre-Depression dollars, of course). It appears that the venue was listed as closed by 1941. Am unsure of exactly when A&P took the building over, but it was certainly doing brisk business in the neighborhood before the end of the 1940s.
“Squeamy” Ellis, portrayed uncredited and on crutches by Marvin Ellis, was the one you remember getting tossed to his death from on high by “Butcher Benson” after his return from S.F. to L.A. It was right behind the old Hillcrest Hotel downtown and Angel’s Flight. Try this link for some great pix of the world’s shortest railway:
www.usc.edu/isd/archives/la/historic/angels_flight html