Cranford Theatre

I practically grew up in that theater, I remember the beautiful chandelier, I used to stare at it before the Saturday Matinees used to start. :-D (1960s). Standing in a very long line outside the theater to see “Help” and “A Hard Day’s Night”, “Yellow Submarine”, oh you name the movie, I was there weekly. Love that old photo with “Bonnie and Clyde” on the marquee (which I saw there too!) I was literally sick when they made the theater into two screens, and now it’s five screens? Wow! I’m in Texas now, but I dearly miss my old hometown of Cranford, and my favorite theater of all time.

This movie opened in the 1920’s. It was originally one-screen, had a beautiful curved ceiling and a rear balcony. I think the ceiling had a chandelier at some point. There was also a clock (Westclox?) hanging from the left or right side of the theater. I thought that was odd to put a clock there. The main entrance/vestibule also had a lovely, curved ceiling with a shell-like motif. Sometime in the 1990’s the movie theater was split in half into two screens – big mistake – really small screens. Then a few years later, another Einstein decided to add a second floor to the two rooms, as well as completely covering (or demolishing for all I know) the beautiful curved ceiling. I think the rear balcony was saved/just kept as part of the second floor. But the screens were made even smaller after that – almost like a television. Also the main vestibule’s beautiful ceiling was covered up. Now there are no traces of the theater’s architectural past. It’s a shame. My husband remembers seeing “A Hard Day’s Night” in this movie theater in 1964, as well as old Groucho Marx movies that were re-issued in the 1960’s.

Listed as part of RKO-Stanley Warner Theatres, Inc. in the 1976 International Motion Picture Almanac.

My sister-in-law grew up in Cranford and I believe she worked here
when she was in college. My brother and I saw “Young Frankenstein"
here and I believe I saw "Midway” here. Don’t recall musch else.
Sorry.

saw Peter Weir's
‘Picnic…'
here in the '70s.

Purchased in February 1998 by Jesse Sayegh, president of CJM Entertainment of Cedar Grove. The businessman purchased the movie theater from Cineplex Odeon, the company that owns cinemas at Menlo Park Mall in Edison and Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City.
Sayegh, who purchased the Rialto movie theater in Westfield in 1997, expanded the twin-screen Cranford Theatre to five screens, poured $600,000 to $700,000 worth of improvements into the cinema. The theater, built in the 1920s, was closed during the renovations.