Larkfield Theatre
81 Larkfield Road,
East Northport,
NY
11731
81 Larkfield Road,
East Northport,
NY
11731
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Showing 26 - 50 of 58 comments
Bloop: One of my favorite lop-sided double features ever was “Fail-Safe” and “Bye Bye Birdie” at the Islip Theatre:
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….more Larkfield ads….and one of their BEST kiddie matinees ever…….
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I was lucky enough to see one of the best modern-day horror movies of the 1970’s at….the Larkfield! Thankfully, my parents did not let us stay for “Shampoo” (I would have been bored out of my skull!).
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Also, I do remember Larkfield’s ticket prices was lower than the other theaters.
Here are some vintage Larkfield “stand alone” ads. Appropriately enough ; the more I find out about Larkfield’s history, the more it stands apart from other local theaters. The terrific lo-fi /no-frills ads, certainly reflect the Larkfield Theater’s character & decor(to anyone who remembers it!).
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just a brief article on lop-sided double features…I will find the ads by next week..
Which article?
Saps; YES; I have a few of the very plain stand-alone ads… gimme a few weeks to find em. The best one that I have , is for “Planet of the Apes” and “Alice’s Restaurant”…..I did an article in my Zine about the old days of lop-sided double features like this one. LOL.
http://snackbar-confidential.blogspot.com/
I almost never see the Larkfield listed in movie ads, but here’s one I swiped, 1977’s Telefon paired with Carrie. (Thanks Ed)
And Lance, the Larkfield used to run weekly stand-alone ads about 1 inch by 1 inch in Newsday…can you find any of those and post them here?
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Wish we had pix of the interior— sometimes The Larkfield, till this day, pops up in my dreams/nightmares!
There was a lot of weed smoked in theatres in those days, including some by the staff.
And believe me, “JAWS 2” is not a pot smoking “head” movie…..
You know, I remember going here with a friend who had a teen-aged brother. We were six at the time and my Dad took us to see Jaws 2, I think. Anyway, kids were smoking pot in theater and I said to my friend, “Why does it smell like your brother’s room?”
Saps, another great story! Yeah, the Larkfield marquee was so SMALL. So I have no idea how you could have “juiced up” the movie titles—except with an exclamation point here and there. LOL.
What was the last movie playing there when you had left in 1978? Do you remember a strange double bill at Larkfield of “TunnelVision” and a cheap movie called “American Tickler” circa 1977? Also, like I said earlier…do you remember when people actually smoked POT in movie theaters? I remember this was a common practice for the early Cheech and Chong movies, and other related “head” movies.
I worked at Larkfield from 1974 until about 1978 — (The Exorcist was playing when I started) until I moved to NYC and the commute was too much, for a minimum wage job!
I loved working there, and became good friends with the projectionist, Steve Napoli. He taught me how to thread and run the projectors, do change-overs, raise and lower the curtain, dim the houselights, everything except prepare/repair/splice the film. He was a union man and that was strictly his domain.
I started as an usher/candy counter, and worked my way up to box office cashier. I also did the recorded announcements for most of the time I was there — “This is the Larkfield Theater, located on Larkfield Road in East Northport. This week we are proud to present an outstanding motion picture…For additional information, or if you wish to speak to the manager, please call 261-0902 during showtime, and thank you for calling the Larkfield Theater!”
I also changed the marquee every week, and inspired by 42nd Street, I tried to give it a little juice from time to time, although space and letters were limited.
Well, at least I was in show business for a while.
I also loved the owners Stuart and Sarah Baker, real old-school characters from a time long passed. Stuart taught me how to tie my necktie, and to this day I tie it the same way. Sarah was hard as nails, but soft on the inside with a face like Winston Churchill. She had intelligence and integrity and I treasured our time together.
OPPS: here is the evidence:
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Oh, new evidence that Larkfield coulda turned “adults only” at some point:
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You are being very, very,very kind, Saps. You forgot about the built-into-the-wall phone booth next to the ticket booth, and it had a balcony too. The Larkfield actually looked like it should have turned into an “adult” theater at some point. Imagine that!? LOL! (SEE my pic; 7th post down from the top).
The Larkfield had SOME decor — it did have about a dozen light sconces on the auditorium walls. I changed those bulbs, and changed them to red and green during the holidays.
And it also had a lovely Austrian-style scalloped gold curtain, which rose before each show and came down at the end. When the curtain was down, it was illuminated by colored footlights, which I also changed.
It was a real treat when the projectionist would properly time the curtain’s rising and lowering, to see the film images slowly revealed or slowly covered.
There were also two one-sheet display cases outside the theater, and two “coming attractions” display cases in the ticket lobby.
And the inner lobby had a couple of illuminated advertising signs, including a nice Coca-Cola clock.
We didn’t have much, but we kept it clean and had a modest sense of showmanship.
Also saw “Tunnelvision” at Larkfield. Played with some other cheap R rated “comedy”. I think it was the first time I smelled pot being smoked in a movie theater. A little later, that was a common practice when Cheech & Chong’s “Up In Smoke” played at midnight shows! Imagine that happening today.
…Like I said before, Larkfield was as cheap and generic as theaters come ——just a huge square box—no decor whatsoever, very UNcomfortable small seats, but I have so many memories…I think the last thing I saw there was “The Shining” (1980). I will never forget seeing “Tales from the Crypt” there in 1972. Gave me nightmares for weeks. For years, I had dreams that took place in and around this theater!
Saps! I’m freaking! LOL. My friends name was Bruce…kinda odd sorta chubby guy— very slightly effeminate, but friendly. He lived in Northport in the “Sand Pit” …pardon; “Northport Bay Estates”. He did not work there long. I believe, it was Fall 1979 (Junior year at Northport High). Not only did I see “The Big Bus” at Larkfield, (years later) Bruce stole the poster and gave it to me! He told me stories of the “couple” that owned the theater. Did they have the required “huge pile of valuable one-sheets” in a locked room?! I do not remember the soda machines, but they had CANDY machines, which was unusual for a theater with a snack bar. What’s the point? ….
Bloop, I also worked here in the late ‘70s. Who’s your friend? (You can click my name to get my email.)
By the way, for many years the lobby also had a soda machine, which dispensed soda and ice in paper cups. The only drinks available at the candy counter were fruit punch and lemonade. Buyer beware!
In the summer of 1976 the theater upgraded from second run double features to first run (but second rate) Paramount “Flagship” features, starting with “Lifeguard” and including “The Big Bus.” After that experiment was over, they went back to sub-run.
I also had a friend who worked there in the late 1970’s. He got/stole for me some GREAT one sheet posters: The Poseidon Adventure, Phantasm, Grease, etc. He remembers The Bakers too! Where are they NOW? Would LOVE to speak to them!
The Disney re-release double features during the long hot (sometimes dull) summers of the 1970’s were always here. I remember “Dumbo” & “The Legend of Lobo”. Also, grade “Z” kiddie movies; like “Zebra in the Kitchen”, “Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm”, and other movies that looked way old to a kid in 1973! I saw “The Big Bus” (a pre-“Airplane” disaster movie spoof)here in 1976.