Drake Theatre

The one and only film I saw at the Drake was “Return Of The Jedi” on Sunday, May 5, 1985. It didn’t look that great inside, and I felt slightly uneasy due to the run-down, unclean condition within.

It was a Friday night in 1973 at the Drake. Double feature: “Let The Good Times Roll” and “Bless the Beasts and the Children”. First film was very loud, second was very disturbing to a 9 year old and my 7 year old sister (shots of animals getting slaughtered, etc). I believe it was the only time in my live at that theatre. Pretty much forgot about the place till I saw “Private Parts” in 1997.

Woops, I meant to say that Woodhaven was moved to the WEST – not the east! – during the 1930’s. Sorry for making a confusing situation even more muddy.

p.s. As for there being a bowling alley downstairs, I really don’t recall that. But I do remember there being a bowling alley in the area known as Woodhaven Lanes — and if you want a classic example of just how confused the community names in Queens can be, try Googling “Woodhaven Lanes.” You’ll immediately get a page on which it is variously referred to as:

Woodhaven Lanes, in Forest Hills
Brunswick Woodhaven Lanes – Rego Park, NY 11374 – …
Brunswick Woodhaven Lane – Queens/Middle Village – Flushing, NY 11385
Brunswick Woodhaven Lanes in Flushing

How many more places can it be?

Warren and Jeffrey, I think I can add some information on the Rego Park/West Forest Hills question. As early as 1928, when the Rego Park LIRR station opened under that name, the area was – at least to a certain extent – being referred to as Rego Park. This was only a few years after the initial development began.In many cases, the name selected by the LIRR to name a station had a significant effect on how the community would subsequently be known, and it probably had no small effect here. (Incidently, the fact that no station was created BEFORE 1928 clearly underlines just how undeveloped Rego Park was at that relatively recent date.)

My guess is that the area now called Rego Park was referred to as West Forest Hills for the same reason that Corona was once known as West Flushing – the two lightly populated “communities” were just viewed as appendages to their more developed neighbors. (It’s funny that in both of these cases, the usual “west-to-east” development pattern just did not apply.) The fact that some people were still calling the area West Foprest Hills as late as the mid-1930’s just means that things didn’t change all at once. It was probably the opening of the Queens Boulevard subway in the late 1930’s that spurred the explosive development that tipped the scale on Rego Park’s side once and for all.

While I never caught a film at the Drake, I vaguely remember my parents taking me to a bowling alley that – I believe – was situated in the theater’s basement. I was only about eight or nine at the time – I was born in 1950 – so I may be confusing this with another building situated a block or so away. (Anyone with clearer memories, please join in.) The bowling alley was, as I recall, a rather modest affair that featured human pin setters.

One last point about neighborhoods that might confuse the situation even more. Since this portion of Woodhaven Blvd. serves as the border between Rego Park and Middle Village – and since the Drake is on the Middle Village side of the street – the latter apparently has a pretty strong claim to it. Does anyone remember the Drake ever being referred to as a Middle village venue? Given the fact that the Drake is pretty far from Middle Village’s center, I think this probably is not the case. But it is worth to raise the question, if only to cover all the bases.

I enjoyed going to the drake. The theatre was not that big so you had a good view of the screen. The last movie I had seen there was – THE LAST STAR FIGHTER- . I miss the good days of sitting there and watching a movie.

That’s an interesting question, but a cursory search indicates that the name Rego Park was already in use by the 1920s:

From the history of the Resurrection Assumption Church, http://www.rachurch.org/history.htm

In 1925, Rego Park was, simply, a nameless stretch of country where, approximately, ten farmers -most of them of the old German and Dutch stock — raised truck vegetables which they sold in Manhattan. Sixty-third Drive was a cow path — none of the present streets existed — and the farmhouses had neither gas nor electricity. The Rego Construction Company had purchased three farms, which comprised approximately forty-five acres. The name “Rego Park” was adopted to mean “Real Good” – a description of the quality of the homes they intended to build. This farmland was bounded [triangularly] by 63rd Drive, the Long Island Railroad, and a line of about 200 feet east of Eliot Avenue. Many of our “pioneer” parishioners were the proud purchasers of these homes when they were completed.

Meanwhile, Rego Park was springing up like an adolescent youth. The cornerstone of P.S. 139 was laid in 1928, and the school was opened in 1930. Next, the Lutheran Church of Our Saviour was opened in 1931. Noticeably, 63rd Drive also appeared to be shaping up. Families were rapidly moving into this lovely and convenient section of Queens and so, in keeping pace with this development, his Excellency, Bishop Thomas Molloy addressed the spiritual needs of his people. Therefore, in 1926, Rev. Francis Scullin was appointed to found a parish in what was, then, the outlying section of St. Bartholomew’s Church in Elmhurst. There were many problems facing Father Scullin [and his parishioners] foremost, of course, was finding the most suitable location to build a church that would serve all the people. A temporary church was constructed by the parishioners on 55th Avenue in Elmhurst. It was called the Church of the Ascension of Elmhurst. Over the years, improvements have been made to this very “homelike, and "peaceful” church. The probable date of the first Mass was February 28, 1926. … The first wedding took place on June 19, 1926. The groom was George Renhardt and his bride, Eleanor Coddington. Father Scullin “officiated” at their marriage.For the convenience of many parishioners, arrangements were made to schedule the Sunday Mass celebration in the Rego Park Community Club House, on 62nd Avenue.

Thus there was already a Rego Park Cumminty Club House in 1926. Also, note that the 63rd Drive-Rego Park station of the IND subway was so designated when it opened on Dec. 31, 1936.

My memories of the seedy Drake Theater are not favorable at all. In the late ‘60s, they ran a number of foreign softcore X films, mostly in B&W. I watched a few out of curiosity, but they were pretty bad, especially when the moviemakers tried to throw in some redeeming social value. There was even one (“491” or something like that) with a Biblical connection! I’d seen other non-erotic films there, but upon leaving the Drake, I always felt that I needed to shower, and real fast!

I didn’t realize they showed stuff like that at the Drake!

Here is a pair of soft X’s from 1972. The company that released them Marvin was a releasing company that put out hundreds of horror, action and soft porn flicks in the 70’s and 80’s. They distributed for dozens of independent companies. At the end of the Rivoli’s life (then the UA Twin) when UA was sabotaging it, the booker for UA said to me “we should have renamed it the Marvin 1 & 2 because that’s all the f%$^* we book in there”.
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Thanks, Warren and Jeffrey1955, for your answers. Warren, I thought that 589 Woodhaven Boulevard looked suspicious. Perhaps that was the address before the hyphenated Queens “Philadeplphia” street address system of numbered streets and avenues took effect. Thanks, Jeffrey1955, for your personal details. It’s a good idea to to include your year of birth in your handle on this board, so other moviegoers can gain some sense of what your movie-going experience might be.

The sixth comment on this page is my first comment on the Drake Theater, as “Peter.K”, on 14 April 2004. I somehow logged myself out, and had to log back in as “PKoch”.

Jeffrey1955, were you born in 1955 ? I was.

Here is the ad for the 1970 matinee re-issue of the “Wizard of Oz”. I remember when I was working at the Drake the posters and lobby cards for this engagement were still there. They spared every expense for this ad, and the one sheet was not too much better either.
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