I will find out where the Dixie was as I have some old Miami Herald clippings. Do you guys remember the Coral Way, Turnpike, Boulevard, LeJeune, Golden Glades East/West, Miami, North Dade, & 27th Avenue?
I was not a big drive-in fan and the Tropicaire Boulevard, and Golden Glades (STAR WARS – first run) were my only experiences.
Fort Lauderdale had the Hi Way near the airport, possibly the first eleven-plex drive-in in the USA. The Thunderbird Swapshop is still there but the Lakeshore and Davie are gone.
Elwood, all I know is that Jacqueline kept the Carnegie Screening room for several years after Cineplex Odeon took over the larger side. She was eventually bought out when Garth offered her stupid money to pass him the lease. The Screening Room then became Carnegie II.
Was there ever a bypass on 42nd street in the 19th century? There is something similar on 42nd street shown in the latest KING KONG movie. Could it be the old east-west cattle run was still around in the thirties?
Saw a kung fu triple feature here in the early eighties when a film distributor asked me to do a car count. The movies were as interchangeable as porn and the drive-in crowd included many pick-up trucks loaded with migrants workers I assume came from nearby Homestead. Little tubes provided in-car air conditioning for the year round Florida heat and the windshield wipers had to be activated in order to keep the palmetto bugs from blocking the screen.
Always the center of controversy, the Central’s first advertised movie in the NY times is OPEN YOUR EYES, a documentary about venereal disease on June 1919.
In 1922 it premieres Erich Von Stroheim’s “million dollar picture” FOOLISH WIVES.
In 1924 it premieres DANTE’S INFERNO which faces censorship problems nationwide due to its nude bodies in hell sequence.
In 1926 it enjoys a long run of Lilian Gish’s THE SCARLET LETTER.
In 1927 it premieres yet another remake of UNCLE TOM’S CABIN “The 2 million dollar picture”.
1929 Disraeli
1930 All Quiet on the Western Front
In 1934 as the Columbia, it shows the controversial HITLER’S REIGN OF TERROR on moveover from the Mayfair. Back as the Central, it reopens ARE WE CIVILIZED?, a veiled attack on Nazi Germany.
In 1937, DAMAGED LIVES, “His life of debauchery brought disease to his wife!”
April 1944 opens as the Gotham with UP IN MABEL’S ROOM
April 1951 opens as the Holiday with FIVE.
February 1957, reverts to Central for MOM AND DAD/SHE SHOULDA SAID NO double feature. Ten year old exploitation “road show” finally reaches Manhattan and still makes a killing.
December 1957, opens as Odeon US Showcase with THE PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE.
June 1959, becomes the Forum during a re-release of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.
June 1964, HOW THE WEST WAS WON opens a regular run after a six month “window†from the Cinerama roadshow run.
December 1980, opens as Movieland with ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN.
June 1982, opens E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL.
In the late eighties/early nineties I went into Club USA. I did not know I was in the Movieland at the time but it was a very fancy club full of Japanese tourists and decorated with neon and faux advertising signs (Trojan Condoms was one I remember) that rivalled Times Square outside. The upstairs bar/balcony? area was a sex and drugs den worthy of Studio 54 with people doing lines of coke right at the bar.
On the question above about the Warner Twin, Cineplex Odeon called it the Warner Twin upon takeover from RKO. Since the building was coming down, they moved the name over to the Rialto 1 & 11 later in the year. The theatre never reopened in the new construction but Cineplex and the landlord settled out of court. The World Wide and product problems made the battle for yet another theatre redundant.
You will find some ads in the summer of 1987 that refer to the Rialto as the Warner Twin but in reality the basement theatre, although newly re-seated and refurbished, only opened for hours. Flooding, subway noise and lack of product forced them to cut their losses and stay open on a single screen only.
This theatre survived after the Fresh Meadows re-opened only because of product splitting. Cinema 5 and Loews Bay Terrace Twin played all WB, MGM and Disney product while the Meadows played Touchstone and eveything else. It was an eyesore.
I can confirm that it opened on May 22, 1981 with THE FAN, BUSTIN' LOOSE and OUTLAND. They may have received a temporary permit made official in January.
That seems about right, Ken. There is a venue on 176th and St. Nicholas that shows up in the NY Times as playing movies but then switches to boxing matches in the early 40’s when the US enters the war. It can’t be this theatres since Loews 175th Street was open and showing films during this same period. It is possible that the St. Nicholas Palace had boxing events while the “Annex” or “Garden” continued with movies and concerts. By all indications this seems to have been a very active section of Manhattan at least until after the war or whenever the Major Deegan cut-off the Bronx. There was skating rinks, bowling and concerts nightly along with the movies, fights, music halls and plays.
Was this ever anything other than a newsreel theatre?
I will find out where the Dixie was as I have some old Miami Herald clippings. Do you guys remember the Coral Way, Turnpike, Boulevard, LeJeune, Golden Glades East/West, Miami, North Dade, & 27th Avenue?
I was not a big drive-in fan and the Tropicaire Boulevard, and Golden Glades (STAR WARS – first run) were my only experiences.
Fort Lauderdale had the Hi Way near the airport, possibly the first eleven-plex drive-in in the USA. The Thunderbird Swapshop is still there but the Lakeshore and Davie are gone.
Elwood, all I know is that Jacqueline kept the Carnegie Screening room for several years after Cineplex Odeon took over the larger side. She was eventually bought out when Garth offered her stupid money to pass him the lease. The Screening Room then became Carnegie II.
Ed, the drive-in on South Dixie Highway was probably the Dixie.
I don’t get it. I joined for free. What are you paying for?
My 1934 Film Daily shows the Sunset at 316 W 125th street
and the 125th street at 112 E. 125th Street.
If this was indeed the 112 site, it was previously known as the Miner’s and the Columbia before its movie days.
Was there ever a bypass on 42nd street in the 19th century? There is something similar on 42nd street shown in the latest KING KONG movie. Could it be the old east-west cattle run was still around in the thirties?
Saw a kung fu triple feature here in the early eighties when a film distributor asked me to do a car count. The movies were as interchangeable as porn and the drive-in crowd included many pick-up trucks loaded with migrants workers I assume came from nearby Homestead. Little tubes provided in-car air conditioning for the year round Florida heat and the windshield wipers had to be activated in order to keep the palmetto bugs from blocking the screen.
Hardbop, the Universal is listed here as MUSIC PALACE.
2 West 59th Street tracks as the Plaza Hotel so it is probably the venue address before it became a theatre with an entrance on Central Park South.
This became the Daitch-Shopwell supermarket Januery 22, 1964.
I think it is KRONOS listed as KILLER KRONOS.
May 12, 1957, Jeff Morrow, Barbra Lawrence, plus 8 Vaudeville acts.
LOL. I think that wwbsite is a time travel portal. Just what we needed here!
Always the center of controversy, the Central’s first advertised movie in the NY times is OPEN YOUR EYES, a documentary about venereal disease on June 1919.
In 1922 it premieres Erich Von Stroheim’s “million dollar picture” FOOLISH WIVES.
In 1924 it premieres DANTE’S INFERNO which faces censorship problems nationwide due to its nude bodies in hell sequence.
In 1926 it enjoys a long run of Lilian Gish’s THE SCARLET LETTER.
In 1927 it premieres yet another remake of UNCLE TOM’S CABIN “The 2 million dollar picture”.
1929 Disraeli
1930 All Quiet on the Western Front
In 1934 as the Columbia, it shows the controversial HITLER’S REIGN OF TERROR on moveover from the Mayfair. Back as the Central, it reopens ARE WE CIVILIZED?, a veiled attack on Nazi Germany.
In 1937, DAMAGED LIVES, “His life of debauchery brought disease to his wife!”
April 1944 opens as the Gotham with UP IN MABEL’S ROOM
April 1951 opens as the Holiday with FIVE.
February 1957, reverts to Central for MOM AND DAD/SHE SHOULDA SAID NO double feature. Ten year old exploitation “road show” finally reaches Manhattan and still makes a killing.
December 1957, opens as Odeon US Showcase with THE PURSUIT OF THE GRAF SPEE.
June 1959, becomes the Forum during a re-release of FROM HERE TO ETERNITY.
June 1964, HOW THE WEST WAS WON opens a regular run after a six month “window†from the Cinerama roadshow run.
December 1980, opens as Movieland with ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN.
June 1982, opens E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL.
In the late eighties/early nineties I went into Club USA. I did not know I was in the Movieland at the time but it was a very fancy club full of Japanese tourists and decorated with neon and faux advertising signs (Trojan Condoms was one I remember) that rivalled Times Square outside. The upstairs bar/balcony? area was a sex and drugs den worthy of Studio 54 with people doing lines of coke right at the bar.
On the question above about the Warner Twin, Cineplex Odeon called it the Warner Twin upon takeover from RKO. Since the building was coming down, they moved the name over to the Rialto 1 & 11 later in the year. The theatre never reopened in the new construction but Cineplex and the landlord settled out of court. The World Wide and product problems made the battle for yet another theatre redundant.
You will find some ads in the summer of 1987 that refer to the Rialto as the Warner Twin but in reality the basement theatre, although newly re-seated and refurbished, only opened for hours. Flooding, subway noise and lack of product forced them to cut their losses and stay open on a single screen only.
The Zami Yellow pages:
http://newyork.zami.com/Movie_Theater/Clinton
Still list this as 244 W. 42nd street.
Bless!
This theatre survived after the Fresh Meadows re-opened only because of product splitting. Cinema 5 and Loews Bay Terrace Twin played all WB, MGM and Disney product while the Meadows played Touchstone and eveything else. It was an eyesore.
I can confirm that it opened on May 22, 1981 with THE FAN, BUSTIN' LOOSE and OUTLAND. They may have received a temporary permit made official in January.
I think that 34th Street Theatre was near Macys and I have some signs of it being opening 1949-1950. It tracks where Wendy’s is now.
241 East 34th Street is the 1963 Walter Reade house which was Head Office when I worked for Cineplex Odeon.
The part of town is confusing enough but I found yet another Yorkville on 96th and Third playing German films in 1933-1934.
The address for this theatre is 238 East 34th Street. The address listed above is for the 34th Street East across the street.
That seems about right, Ken. There is a venue on 176th and St. Nicholas that shows up in the NY Times as playing movies but then switches to boxing matches in the early 40’s when the US enters the war. It can’t be this theatres since Loews 175th Street was open and showing films during this same period. It is possible that the St. Nicholas Palace had boxing events while the “Annex” or “Garden” continued with movies and concerts. By all indications this seems to have been a very active section of Manhattan at least until after the war or whenever the Major Deegan cut-off the Bronx. There was skating rinks, bowling and concerts nightly along with the movies, fights, music halls and plays.
Make that St. Nicholas…
Is United Palace (above) a theatre name? Also, does anyone know about a Palace Theatre and annex on St. Nichol showing movies from around 1918-1922?
This advertised in the NY Times in the early thirties as the LENOX LITTLE THEATRE.