Alpine Cinema
6817 5th Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11220
6817 5th Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11220
22 people
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Are you sure that shot is of the Fortway on Fort Hamilton Pkwy in Bklyn? There are some interior shots of The Fortway on its page on this site. The photos look much different
The Theatre Historical Society of America (THSA) has interior photo’s of the Fortway as a single, have you seen those? I have not seen Alpine interiors as a single on their site, but there are descriptions in the comments that give a pretty good description of it when it was a single.
I’ve never seen an interior shot of the Alpine when it was one screen. This site has a lot of great pics of theaters before they were multiplexed. I’d love to see an interior shot of the Alpine prior to the gut job.
I know when AMC walked away at the end of May 2006, the Alpine was closed for about a weeks time until the current operator assumed operation. Not sure of what happened between Golden & Cineplex Odeon. You are absolutely right the Fortway was a much nicer theatre, probably because it was not gutted like the Alpine was to make it into a seven-plex.
When I worked at the Fortway the Alpine was our “sister” theater. It’s pretty cool that the place is still opened. However I’m still a little bitter that the Fortway closed. In my opinion it was the much nicer theater. Also I’m not sure how continual the operation of the Alpine has been. When Cineplex Odeon took over from Golden there was a renovation. Was the Alpine opened during that renovation?
Hello-
i find it fascinating that this theater has been in continual operation since it opened making it the oldest movie theater in NYC. if it hadn’t closed the Fall of 2012 or 2013 the Coliseum in upper Manhattan would be the winner. it opened the in 1920.
Yes by all accounts it is. It went from Loews Theatres to Golden Theatres to Cineplex Odeon to Loews Cineplex to AMC Entertainment and since May 2006 it has been under independent ownership.
Hello-
is this theater the oldest continually in operation movie theater in New York City?
Another view of the marquee as a multiplex uploaded.
Twinned in 1976: Boxoffice
Turned into 7 plex 1986: Me -L0L
If you came to the Alpine often, there’s a good chance we bumped into each other.-LOL
If you look at the entire city, there aren’t many theatres left and the ones that are left are mostly LARGE multiplexs. There’s a group on Facebook “trying” to save the old RKO Keith’s in Flushing from being turned into an apartment building. While the entire building was given landmark status in the 80’s after it closed, it was recinded and only the lobby now retains landmark status. However, the first owner wrecked the landmarked lobby before they stopped him. Now, after sitting all these years, the inside of this REAL movie palace is in ruins. To “restore” it to its original condition would be a job that makes me shudder.
I stopped coming because I moved out of Brooklyn in 1996, but I wonder if I ever bumped into you in the lobby! (And since they played commercial fare available everywhere else, there was no point in coming back to Bay Ridge just to see a mainstream release.)
saps- I did the design and installation of the Alpine when it was converted to 7 theatres in 1986 and was my last theatre installation. I also worked there as a projectionist until 1997. Within a couple of years (or less), ALL THEATRES will have to convert to digital projection. Because it’s so expensive, independent theatres, like the Alpine, might wind up having to close. The way things have been going with home theatres, DVD and Blu-ray release dates, etc., sadly, I don’t see a very bright future for theatres in general. I think the film companies might see that they shot themselves in the foot with all their current policies. While they helped the big theatre chains with digital conversions, the independents didn’t fare so well.
I used to come here all the time when it was a Cineplex Odeon, but haven’t been back since it became an independant. I’m glad it’s still open.
Popeye used to say “I ams what I am and that’s all thats I am….I’m Popeye the Sailor Man”-toot toot.
Or “Popeye”.
“AlAlvarez on January 8, 2012 at 1:59pm
I am."
LOL- Al, when I saw this post it made me think about “The Ten Commandments” when Charlton Heston is on the mountain and he says “Who should I tell them sent me?” And you hear a voice that says “I am that I am….you can tell them I AM sent you.”
Al, To be honest, I really never noticed or even thought about “who” comprised the customers at the Alpine. If there was any trouble at the Alpine, I was TOTALLY unaware of it. Since I would regularly speak to some of the security people (who as you know were all off duty cops), they never mentioned any problems downstairs. I’m really surprised and saddened to hear that any Alpine employees had any problems with the local police. I would have thought that if any employees had any problems with local police, the security cops could straighten it out for them (of course it depends on the type of problem). Unlike other theatres where local police would “hide out” in the balcony in cold weather, I never saw any local police even come into the Alpine. I just assumed that with all the off duty cops that were hired as “security”, there was never any reason for local police to be around.
As you know, I stopped working at the Alpine in 1996, so I wouldn’t have been aware of anything that might have taken place after that time and would have been unaware of anything that took place at the Fortway after I stopped doing service for GTM in 1988. However, from your description, it doesn’t sound good and I’m sorry to hear about it. It’s something that I really wish I didn’t hear about.
In any event, have a HAPPY and HEALTHY NEW YEAR.
I am.
They only harassed people on the Bay Ridge side of the Gowanus. Didn’t you ever wonder why Spike Lee movies played to all white audiences at the Alpine? Or why horror and big action movies always did better at the Fortway even if they were move-overs from the Alpine?
AlAlvarez-Hello Sir. Would you be the same AlAlvarez who was a district manager for Cineplex Odeon? I grew up in Bay Ridge and worked in the Fortway. THe “Bay Ridge Police” you refer to are the officers of the 68 Pct. The 68 Pct covers both the Alpine and former Fortway. The two theaters are roughly ten blocks apart. I don’t see why the “Bay Ridge Police” would intimidate a group in one place and not intimidate that same group ten blocks away at a similar venue.
Techman, you may have noticed that minority audiences were rare at the Alpine and that the grosses reflected their reluctance to come into Bay Ridge at night. Even our ethnic Alpine employees had problems with the local police.
The Fortway attracted the Sunset crowd and had some problems. That is the price we paid for higher grosses.
You are correct about Garth Drabinsky and he now has the criminal record to prove it.
“DJM78 on January 7, 2012 at 11:55 pm Just read an article about the Alpine. It seems that as of a few years ago Jeffrey Deneroff still owned the building which is the Alpine.”
That could be, I haven’t kept up with it. I know that Nick Nicolaou was leasing the Alpine from Golden after Loews Cineplex (or whatever they were calling themselves at that point) gave up the theatre. He still there as far as I know. I wonder if he’s converted to DCI….or how many theatres has he converted?
Al, While you know that I agree that Bernie Goldberg was an a-hole (by the same token, Garth Drabinsky and Steve Wiener (who personally I liked), were no bargains either.
What’s all this “There was no such intentional preference against the Alpine. The Fortway just had access to an ethnic audience that Bay Ridge police intimidated at the Alpine. Blacks and hispanics were simply not welcome in the streets of Bay Ridge in the evenings, even as late as the late nineties, so movies with wide appeal went to the Fortway first” all about?
I must have missed all that shit. All I know is that EVERY TIME I had to do work at the Fortway, if I parked in the back, when I came out my window was smashed and my radio gone.
Just read an article about the Alpine. It seems that as of a few years ago Jeffrey Deneroff still owned the building which is the Alpine.
There was no such intentional preference against the Alpine. The Fortway just had access to an ethnic audience that Bay Ridge police intimidated at the Alpine. Blacks and hispanics were simply not welcome in the streets of Bay Ridge in the evenings, even as late as the late nineties, so movies with wide appeal went to the Fortway first.
Mr. Goldberg was simply grade-A asshole. Dead or alive. Anyone who knew GTM could confirm that.
I worked for Cineplex Odeon and dealt with these silly Brooklyn clowns for years.