“If only there was a fair balance between the "crap” and classic movies. "
On that note, I will completely agree with you. I don’t think it would be difficult to imagine the Music Hall filling up if every now and then they showed worthwhile. And I don’t mean just classic films. My feeling is that if they had been able to premiere and show, say, “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” (very epic sized) it would have done pretty well. I for one would’ve loved to have seen it there. There are many times during the year where the offerings at RCMH are slim (not sure if it’s ever dark, though). But what movies do you think could or would fill up the Hall enough to warrant this? I don’t know anything about bookings and such so it would be hard to figure whether or not they’d be able to either make a profit or at least break even.
Well, I was there on Friday for the show and I hate to say Vincent’s right, but he is. They’re treating the place like it’s Madison Square Garden now. It’s still grand looking but it’s unique aspects that I remember (like the beautiful lounge) is not like it was. It’s got some of the art deco furnishings and such but whole areas are kept behind these partitions to store the overpriced krap souvenirs.
BUT….I think you have to understand the realities of a place like this now. In order for it to survive in some form, they have to do whatever they can to keep it going even if it means cheapening it’s heritage. Entertainment is not what it was 40 or 50 years ago. People don’t go to the movies like they used to even 20 years ago. Yeah, it’s a little nauseating when you think about “Dora the Explorer” playing the Music Hall and such. But it pays the rent and keeps the place alive. That is what we have to be thankful for.
Just another thing: my daughter was VERY impressed with the Music Hall. She could not believe that at one time they regularly showed movies there. And she made one point that was good for an eight year old. She asked why they have those awful looking hanging speakers and light holders above and to the side of the stage. Once she said that, I had to totally agree. There’s one huge set of speakers that comes down from the arch directly above the stage. I know they had to do that for sound and the concerts but it looks awful and kills the effect of the sunrise (sunset?). Either way, my daughter loved the place and especially the two organists. That was a neat touch. I didn’t know they still used the organs.
The RCMH’s underground boxoffice was only open when seats were available. As soon as the theatre reached capacity, it would be shut down, and you had to go up to the street and wait on line to get to the regular boxoffices. Underground, there was a mirrored corridor with a ticket taker at the end of it. You then entered into the theatre’s downstairs lounge, adjacent to the checkroom.
posted by Warren on Nov 22, 2004 at 4:19pm
I took my 8 year old daughter to see the Christmas show on Friday. We got to the theater a little early and went downstairs to the lounge. It seems a lot different than I remember it. Not as big but they did have these temporary partitions blocking off large sections of the lounge area. Behind them, they were storing the overpriced souvenirs they were hocking down there.
Anyway….regarding Warren’s comment about the passageway that led from the lower concourse to the lounge, it’s still there and I found it. It’s on the far side (southern) part of the lounge. It’s concealed by these temporary partitions and behind it are those souvenirs. I managed to work my way around them to get a decent look. It’s all still intact right down to the mirrors that Warren mentioned. The only thing is that at the far end, it does look sealed off except for a single door. So obviously the corridor is still intact just not used at all. Very interesting.
Amazing place. Shocked to hear that they closed it. I saw a mediocre “musical” there in 1986 called “Abosolute Beginners” here. The movie was so-so BUT it’s presentation was awesome. The screen was curved and you actually felt like you were surrounded by everyting. Amazing.
I remember the marquee on Broadway. What was it…five six lines tall at that? If you blinked, you’d miss the place. I never saw a movie at this place for some reason. Of the theaters in the Five Towns, I went to the one in Cedarhurst (which is not listed here) and the other one in Lawrence on that lovely stretch of LI road, Rockaway Blvd.
I answered my own question about where this theater was by racking my brain. This was right on Broadway in Hewlett a few blocks south of E. Rockaway Ave. (or Road). What was strange was that it was the very last building in that strip mall and I don’t think there was a very large marquee. You wouldn’t know there was a theater there. It was in an unexpected place.
Does anyone know exactly where this theater was? I lived in on the south shore of Nassau county for years and frequented the “Five Towns” area a lot and I can’t seem to remember where this was…
Also, does anyone remember a large, very nice theater in Cedarhurst? I don’t see it listed here. I know it closed back in the 80’s.
Well, the count is a 150 seat difference. Not much when you consider the overall count. I remember this one as being very large, fairly but not overly ornate. What was cute about the place was where it was located. The village area was very nice and this theater had a prime location in the heart of it.
Bosley Crowther’s reviews are some of the worst of all time. Check out his review of “Bonnie and Clyde” (you can read it online at NY Times.com). The guy sounds like a wind bag. But he did like “Citizen Kane” though which I found interesting…
For some reason, I’m very interested in the area of Los Angeles where this movie theater is located. It seems like a once forgotten area that is being found again. Is this true? What is the area like now? It appears to be one of the few areas in LA that actually looks like NY. I know they’ve used it as a stand in for NY when the want to make NY look seedier (not a nice thing to do…they did this in a bad movie called “Phone Booth”).
Anyway, is the renovation of these theaters helping this district?
Honestly, I estimated the 25 number. The place is so damn big that it’s hard for me to know exactly how many theaters there are. 21 sounds right. You can’t tell from the movie listings because they often will play a big movie in three theaters (maybe more but I don’t know.)
Well, a relatively new theater. I mean, this place attracts huge amounts of people. It’s a bit of a cattle call, if you know what I mean.
I took my children to see “Home on the Range” last year and it was in one of the smaller theaters (really small). They must’ve had the ampage turned down low because the image seemed dark and in the upper left hand corner there was a small but noticeable tear and to the right of the center was a smear of some kind like someone threw something at the screen.
When I was a kid, every single screener I went to had a curtain regardless of the venue (first run, second run, discount, etc.) The first time I ever saw a movie theater without one was the Jerry Lewis Twin in Massapequa LI. And people in the audience were actually complaining about it. This was about 1974. Now, like at this theater, there’s no curtain and they play these lousy looking advertisements before the movie. My children don’t know any better but I feel sorry for them not knowing what an experience the THEATER can be in addition to the movies. And the movies lately are a pretty sad lot to go along with the theaters themselves. Rant over.
lostmemory: yep, that’s the one. It was a big one, too. I remember it later on (late 70’s) was a discount house that charged for admission whatever the last two digits of the year were (79 cents, 80 cents, etc.) Closed around 1982 or so. I only saw one or two movies there (“Comes a Horseman” in 1979 was one) so I don’t know enough about it.
You’ll get a pretty good view of this theater in the 1974 film, “The Lords of Flatbush”. Actually, you’ll the side neon side that faced Sunrise Highway.
RobertR: since you seem to be aware of the theaters from “old” LI, I’ve got a question for you about two theaters that I remember that don’t seem to be on this site. One was in Cedarhurst on the main drag in town (was it Broadway or West Broadway?). The other was a large movie theater located right in the middle of Farmingdale. This was a big theater located right in the heart of the town. It was a discount theater in it’s later days….
Massapequa is large, fairly affluent….though to schlep up 110 is not a big deal, there would appear to be a lot of places to plop a megaplex.
Now the Jerry Lewis Theater…it was a twin located in the large shopping center right across the street from the Sunrise Mall. It was near the back of the parking lot.
Well, that shows you how long I’ve been off the Island. Those two weren’t there when I last lived on LI in the early 90’s. Yep, 110 actually still had a couple of working farms back then. Hell, there was one right off of the LIE for years. So I assume all that nice open space was perfect for the space needed for a multiplex.
But I still say Massapequa is a ripe area for a megaplex.
A bit of a dump in a noisy, ugly, congested area of Rockaway Boulevard (isn’t the whole roadway like that? Is this not the ugliest stretch of road in Nassau County?). Anyway…I saw a lot of movies here in the mid 80’s but the place was not well maintained. The surprising thing about it was that you would think that the clientele from the affluent 5 Towns would expect/demand more. Ugh. This was in such an ugly area.
ANOTHER question: There was a really nice single screen movie theater located (I believe) on the “main drag” in Cedarhurst. It was right on the street but I don’t see it listed here on this site. It closed in the mid 80’s I think. I was a beautiful theater. I saw only two movies there: “The Deep” in 1977 and “Grease” in 1978. I remember the seats in the balcony were big, plush and rocked like the stadium seats do now. Does anyone remember this place?
You know, RobertR, you’re absolutely correct. Think about Massapequa. Where’s the nearest theater these days? Merrick? Bellmore? Amityville is gone. There used to be a Jerry Lewis Twin in the shopping center across the street from the mall (I forget what it is now and I don’t think it’s listed on this site…). That area is under served as far as a movie theater is concerned. It would be a great place to build a megaplex.
Chip: Thanks for the original name Loews Nassau Quad. That’s how I remembered it. I think it opened first in 1977 because a lot of my friends caught “Close Encounters” there and I remember them telling me what a great theater it was.
Nice to know that at least one nice theater from my childhood on LI is not only still operating but operating well.
RE: the downstairs boxoffice…one more question. The stairs that are on either side of it. Did these at one time lead up to the lobby of the building (not Radio City but the main Rock Center building)? Just curious…Right now the stairs go to a small landing and there is a door but it’s a janitor’s closet now.
TomR: that’s intriguing…that concourse entrance thing. So people would enter the Music Hall from inside the Rockefeller Center concourse to where? The lower level area of RCMH? Was this removed during the remodelling that took place a few years ago?
Thanks for the reply…that box office is funky looking right out in the hallway like that.
“If only there was a fair balance between the "crap” and classic movies. "
On that note, I will completely agree with you. I don’t think it would be difficult to imagine the Music Hall filling up if every now and then they showed worthwhile. And I don’t mean just classic films. My feeling is that if they had been able to premiere and show, say, “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” (very epic sized) it would have done pretty well. I for one would’ve loved to have seen it there. There are many times during the year where the offerings at RCMH are slim (not sure if it’s ever dark, though). But what movies do you think could or would fill up the Hall enough to warrant this? I don’t know anything about bookings and such so it would be hard to figure whether or not they’d be able to either make a profit or at least break even.
Well, I was there on Friday for the show and I hate to say Vincent’s right, but he is. They’re treating the place like it’s Madison Square Garden now. It’s still grand looking but it’s unique aspects that I remember (like the beautiful lounge) is not like it was. It’s got some of the art deco furnishings and such but whole areas are kept behind these partitions to store the overpriced krap souvenirs.
BUT….I think you have to understand the realities of a place like this now. In order for it to survive in some form, they have to do whatever they can to keep it going even if it means cheapening it’s heritage. Entertainment is not what it was 40 or 50 years ago. People don’t go to the movies like they used to even 20 years ago. Yeah, it’s a little nauseating when you think about “Dora the Explorer” playing the Music Hall and such. But it pays the rent and keeps the place alive. That is what we have to be thankful for.
Just another thing: my daughter was VERY impressed with the Music Hall. She could not believe that at one time they regularly showed movies there. And she made one point that was good for an eight year old. She asked why they have those awful looking hanging speakers and light holders above and to the side of the stage. Once she said that, I had to totally agree. There’s one huge set of speakers that comes down from the arch directly above the stage. I know they had to do that for sound and the concerts but it looks awful and kills the effect of the sunrise (sunset?). Either way, my daughter loved the place and especially the two organists. That was a neat touch. I didn’t know they still used the organs.
The RCMH’s underground boxoffice was only open when seats were available. As soon as the theatre reached capacity, it would be shut down, and you had to go up to the street and wait on line to get to the regular boxoffices. Underground, there was a mirrored corridor with a ticket taker at the end of it. You then entered into the theatre’s downstairs lounge, adjacent to the checkroom.
posted by Warren on Nov 22, 2004 at 4:19pm
I took my 8 year old daughter to see the Christmas show on Friday. We got to the theater a little early and went downstairs to the lounge. It seems a lot different than I remember it. Not as big but they did have these temporary partitions blocking off large sections of the lounge area. Behind them, they were storing the overpriced souvenirs they were hocking down there.
Anyway….regarding Warren’s comment about the passageway that led from the lower concourse to the lounge, it’s still there and I found it. It’s on the far side (southern) part of the lounge. It’s concealed by these temporary partitions and behind it are those souvenirs. I managed to work my way around them to get a decent look. It’s all still intact right down to the mirrors that Warren mentioned. The only thing is that at the far end, it does look sealed off except for a single door. So obviously the corridor is still intact just not used at all. Very interesting.
As much as I think they did an OK job with the renovation to a multiplex, they pretty much removed everything that I remebered from the old Fantasy.
Amazing place. Shocked to hear that they closed it. I saw a mediocre “musical” there in 1986 called “Abosolute Beginners” here. The movie was so-so BUT it’s presentation was awesome. The screen was curved and you actually felt like you were surrounded by everyting. Amazing.
I remember the marquee on Broadway. What was it…five six lines tall at that? If you blinked, you’d miss the place. I never saw a movie at this place for some reason. Of the theaters in the Five Towns, I went to the one in Cedarhurst (which is not listed here) and the other one in Lawrence on that lovely stretch of LI road, Rockaway Blvd.
I answered my own question about where this theater was by racking my brain. This was right on Broadway in Hewlett a few blocks south of E. Rockaway Ave. (or Road). What was strange was that it was the very last building in that strip mall and I don’t think there was a very large marquee. You wouldn’t know there was a theater there. It was in an unexpected place.
Does anyone know exactly where this theater was? I lived in on the south shore of Nassau county for years and frequented the “Five Towns” area a lot and I can’t seem to remember where this was…
Also, does anyone remember a large, very nice theater in Cedarhurst? I don’t see it listed here. I know it closed back in the 80’s.
Well, the count is a 150 seat difference. Not much when you consider the overall count. I remember this one as being very large, fairly but not overly ornate. What was cute about the place was where it was located. The village area was very nice and this theater had a prime location in the heart of it.
Bosley Crowther’s reviews are some of the worst of all time. Check out his review of “Bonnie and Clyde” (you can read it online at NY Times.com). The guy sounds like a wind bag. But he did like “Citizen Kane” though which I found interesting…
For some reason, I’m very interested in the area of Los Angeles where this movie theater is located. It seems like a once forgotten area that is being found again. Is this true? What is the area like now? It appears to be one of the few areas in LA that actually looks like NY. I know they’ve used it as a stand in for NY when the want to make NY look seedier (not a nice thing to do…they did this in a bad movie called “Phone Booth”).
Anyway, is the renovation of these theaters helping this district?
Honestly, I estimated the 25 number. The place is so damn big that it’s hard for me to know exactly how many theaters there are. 21 sounds right. You can’t tell from the movie listings because they often will play a big movie in three theaters (maybe more but I don’t know.)
I’d add the Farmingdale Theater because I’d like to know more about it but I don’t know the exact name.
Well, a relatively new theater. I mean, this place attracts huge amounts of people. It’s a bit of a cattle call, if you know what I mean.
I took my children to see “Home on the Range” last year and it was in one of the smaller theaters (really small). They must’ve had the ampage turned down low because the image seemed dark and in the upper left hand corner there was a small but noticeable tear and to the right of the center was a smear of some kind like someone threw something at the screen.
When I was a kid, every single screener I went to had a curtain regardless of the venue (first run, second run, discount, etc.) The first time I ever saw a movie theater without one was the Jerry Lewis Twin in Massapequa LI. And people in the audience were actually complaining about it. This was about 1974. Now, like at this theater, there’s no curtain and they play these lousy looking advertisements before the movie. My children don’t know any better but I feel sorry for them not knowing what an experience the THEATER can be in addition to the movies. And the movies lately are a pretty sad lot to go along with the theaters themselves. Rant over.
lostmemory: yep, that’s the one. It was a big one, too. I remember it later on (late 70’s) was a discount house that charged for admission whatever the last two digits of the year were (79 cents, 80 cents, etc.) Closed around 1982 or so. I only saw one or two movies there (“Comes a Horseman” in 1979 was one) so I don’t know enough about it.
You’ll get a pretty good view of this theater in the 1974 film, “The Lords of Flatbush”. Actually, you’ll the side neon side that faced Sunrise Highway.
RobertR: since you seem to be aware of the theaters from “old” LI, I’ve got a question for you about two theaters that I remember that don’t seem to be on this site. One was in Cedarhurst on the main drag in town (was it Broadway or West Broadway?). The other was a large movie theater located right in the middle of Farmingdale. This was a big theater located right in the heart of the town. It was a discount theater in it’s later days….
Are either of these on this site?
Massapequa is large, fairly affluent….though to schlep up 110 is not a big deal, there would appear to be a lot of places to plop a megaplex.
Now the Jerry Lewis Theater…it was a twin located in the large shopping center right across the street from the Sunrise Mall. It was near the back of the parking lot.
Well, that shows you how long I’ve been off the Island. Those two weren’t there when I last lived on LI in the early 90’s. Yep, 110 actually still had a couple of working farms back then. Hell, there was one right off of the LIE for years. So I assume all that nice open space was perfect for the space needed for a multiplex.
But I still say Massapequa is a ripe area for a megaplex.
A bit of a dump in a noisy, ugly, congested area of Rockaway Boulevard (isn’t the whole roadway like that? Is this not the ugliest stretch of road in Nassau County?). Anyway…I saw a lot of movies here in the mid 80’s but the place was not well maintained. The surprising thing about it was that you would think that the clientele from the affluent 5 Towns would expect/demand more. Ugh. This was in such an ugly area.
ANOTHER question: There was a really nice single screen movie theater located (I believe) on the “main drag” in Cedarhurst. It was right on the street but I don’t see it listed here on this site. It closed in the mid 80’s I think. I was a beautiful theater. I saw only two movies there: “The Deep” in 1977 and “Grease” in 1978. I remember the seats in the balcony were big, plush and rocked like the stadium seats do now. Does anyone remember this place?
You know, RobertR, you’re absolutely correct. Think about Massapequa. Where’s the nearest theater these days? Merrick? Bellmore? Amityville is gone. There used to be a Jerry Lewis Twin in the shopping center across the street from the mall (I forget what it is now and I don’t think it’s listed on this site…). That area is under served as far as a movie theater is concerned. It would be a great place to build a megaplex.
Chip: Thanks for the original name Loews Nassau Quad. That’s how I remembered it. I think it opened first in 1977 because a lot of my friends caught “Close Encounters” there and I remember them telling me what a great theater it was.
Nice to know that at least one nice theater from my childhood on LI is not only still operating but operating well.
RE: the downstairs boxoffice…one more question. The stairs that are on either side of it. Did these at one time lead up to the lobby of the building (not Radio City but the main Rock Center building)? Just curious…Right now the stairs go to a small landing and there is a door but it’s a janitor’s closet now.
TomR: that’s intriguing…that concourse entrance thing. So people would enter the Music Hall from inside the Rockefeller Center concourse to where? The lower level area of RCMH? Was this removed during the remodelling that took place a few years ago?
Thanks for the reply…that box office is funky looking right out in the hallway like that.