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.
239 East 59th Street
1969 – Cine Malibu
1976 – D.W. Griffith
1989 – 59th Street East
2004 – ImaginAsian
220 East 59th Street
1969 – Avco Embassy/Pacific East
1970 – 59th St Twin-1/59th Street Twin-2
1977 – EastWorld/ 59th Street East
1979 – Manhattan-1/ Manhattan-2
As far as I can tell this location only ran one film, MALE MAGAZINE, in the late sixties for a few weeks and even that appears to have been a gimmick at turning gay porn loops into performance art. The Fortune should probably be delisted here.
Gerald, I recently tried adding the Ambassador and it was not posted either. Does anyone know the reason why a theatre that ran movies for over six years and brought foregn language classics like CHILDREN OF PARADISE to New York does not rate but the Winter Garden, Henry Miller, Bijou, and Drury Lane do?
I see a lot of moaning about the loss of this great theatre but not a single mention of the Criterion this one replaced. I would appear it was demolished in June 1935 (along with the Loews New York)in order to make this Criterion happen. The new one was open by September 1936. How was such a speedy construction of this mammoth building possible?
The old Criterion ran the first western blockbuster, THE COVERED WAGON and Oscar winner WINGS for over a year each. It also had the New York premiere of HELL’S ANGELS. Does anyone have more info on the OLD Criterion so it can get posted?
LM, it appears the Brooklyn Amphion was a major theatre since the nineteenth century with Manhattan dated talent making an appearance before leaving town. I found several NY Times stories about the shows but no mention of movies. The Williamsburg location assured the eventual tilt towards Yiddish Vaudeville and it seems it was a major drawing card.
In one story, when the femele lead failed to show up for a performance, the manager cancelled the show and refuse to pay the troupe. They promptly beat him up. You don’t need an address to figure that was Brooklyn. My Film Daily shows it was closed by 1934.
The Manhattan Amphion is more illusive.
Yes Ken. I live near Vauxhall and to NY often as I consider it home.
Thank you, Ken. This is one of the most obscure NY theatres I have encountered so far. It appears in my 1934 Film Daily (as Ampion) and an obituary for owner William Yoost. (He died in Miami Beach, like all hard working New Yorkers deserved to in 1940.)
The obit does confirm that all his theatres were in Manhattan. (Chelsea, Circle, Royal, 34th Street, Chaloner, and REGENT!)
By the way the 1934 address is 614 Ninth Avenue, as above, and to make matters even more convoluted, the Brooklyn Amphion was really off ninth street, not Division.
There appears to be an error in the introduction to this theatre. It did not premiere LONESOME COWBOYS. 55th Street Playhouse and the Warhol GARRICK in the Village did.
I think the confusion comes from the another nearby theatre, the Henry Miller owned HUDSON on 44th Street. In 1967 that theatre premiered Andy Warhol’s MY HUSTLER, I- A MAN and BIKE BOY.
Aside from gay porn, the Henry Miller’s life as a cinema consisted of two upscale long runs. LA DOLCE VITA and LES LIAISONS DANGEROUSES.
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.
I think I finally figured this street out:
239 East 59th Street
1969 – Cine Malibu
1976 – D.W. Griffith
1989 – 59th Street East
2004 – ImaginAsian
220 East 59th Street
1969 – Avco Embassy/Pacific East
1970 – 59th St Twin-1/59th Street Twin-2
1977 – EastWorld/ 59th Street East
1979 – Manhattan-1/ Manhattan-2
211 East 59th Street
1970 – Lido East
As far as I can tell this location only ran one film, MALE MAGAZINE, in the late sixties for a few weeks and even that appears to have been a gimmick at turning gay porn loops into performance art. The Fortune should probably be delisted here.
The Eros 2 was indeed a separate theatre and it did later become the Venus.
This theatre has received a real beating in the posts here and as I recall, they are not undeserved.
…but no one has mentioned that it did open with Fellini’s 8 ½, first-run. How many theatres can lay claim to that?
Great to hear that, Warren!
Gerald, I recently tried adding the Ambassador and it was not posted either. Does anyone know the reason why a theatre that ran movies for over six years and brought foregn language classics like CHILDREN OF PARADISE to New York does not rate but the Winter Garden, Henry Miller, Bijou, and Drury Lane do?
I see a lot of moaning about the loss of this great theatre but not a single mention of the Criterion this one replaced. I would appear it was demolished in June 1935 (along with the Loews New York)in order to make this Criterion happen. The new one was open by September 1936. How was such a speedy construction of this mammoth building possible?
The old Criterion ran the first western blockbuster, THE COVERED WAGON and Oscar winner WINGS for over a year each. It also had the New York premiere of HELL’S ANGELS. Does anyone have more info on the OLD Criterion so it can get posted?
The 1934 Film Daily seat count is 1671.
LM, it appears the Brooklyn Amphion was a major theatre since the nineteenth century with Manhattan dated talent making an appearance before leaving town. I found several NY Times stories about the shows but no mention of movies. The Williamsburg location assured the eventual tilt towards Yiddish Vaudeville and it seems it was a major drawing card.
In one story, when the femele lead failed to show up for a performance, the manager cancelled the show and refuse to pay the troupe. They promptly beat him up. You don’t need an address to figure that was Brooklyn. My Film Daily shows it was closed by 1934.
The Manhattan Amphion is more illusive.
Yes Ken. I live near Vauxhall and to NY often as I consider it home.
Thank you, Ken. This is one of the most obscure NY theatres I have encountered so far. It appears in my 1934 Film Daily (as Ampion) and an obituary for owner William Yoost. (He died in Miami Beach, like all hard working New Yorkers deserved to in 1940.)
The obit does confirm that all his theatres were in Manhattan. (Chelsea, Circle, Royal, 34th Street, Chaloner, and REGENT!)
By the way the 1934 address is 614 Ninth Avenue, as above, and to make matters even more convoluted, the Brooklyn Amphion was really off ninth street, not Division.
Are you based in London?
There appears to be an error in the introduction to this theatre. It did not premiere LONESOME COWBOYS. 55th Street Playhouse and the Warhol GARRICK in the Village did.
I think the confusion comes from the another nearby theatre, the Henry Miller owned HUDSON on 44th Street. In 1967 that theatre premiered Andy Warhol’s MY HUSTLER, I- A MAN and BIKE BOY.
Aside from gay porn, the Henry Miller’s life as a cinema consisted of two upscale long runs. LA DOLCE VITA and LES LIAISONS DANGEROUSES.