Astral Theatre

GaryZ7 on May 4, 2010 at 4:41 pm

The Empress Theater at 181st Street near Audubon Avenue gave me some of the greatest moments of my moviegoing childhood. For one thing, a kid could get in for 25 cents and see THREE movies, not to mention a cartoon, newsreel, or short feature on the lumber industry haha. It also showed older films, from the 1940s, like DeMille’s NORTHWEST MOUNTED POLICE, which my brother and I saw in 1958, I believe (along with FIRE MAIDENS FROM OUTER SPACE and a horror flick). Sometimes the films were 5-10 years old; e.g. I recall seeing THE FAR HORIZONS and SEVEN CITIES OF GOLD (both from 1955) there around 1961. Generally, however, the films were recent releases, often after making their initial runs in the major theaters. From Elvis in GI BLUES to THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, from HERCULES UNCHAINED to other foreign films, it was always a treat to go there, although the hot dogs were terrible and the place was small and not well kept. Around 1962, however, it was cleaned up and refurbished, and became the small but classier “CINEMA 181.” I remember seeing there such films as THE MAGIC SWORD, THE 300 SPARTANS, BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ, THE YOUNG SAVAGES, SODOM AND GOMORRAH, HATARI, many many others. By that time, however, I had to pay the exorbitant adult admission of 75 cents, as I recall. It only lasted as the Cinema 181 for a few more years, I believe, then becoming a Spanish language theatre. But all I can say in retrospect is, it may have become a forgotten theater, but I will always remember the wonderful films seen there, and in such generous quantity!

Al Alvarez on April 13, 2009 at 10:06 am

Is this the Empress?

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Ed Solero on July 31, 2006 at 7:26 am

Here’s a 1985 ad from the Spanish publication El Diario:

Astral 9/20/85

The paper also published a small neighborhood movie guide similar to that which ran in the Post and News listing Spanish language cinemas around town:

Carelera Cinematografica 9/20/85

turibar on October 6, 2005 at 7:29 pm

This is another of the three movie houses on the same street in Washington Heights, I saw many great movies there as a kid most notibly the original KING KONG, and numerous Horror Films. The other two movie houses on that block were the GEM, and the LANE, they all had TRIPLE features on the weekends and of course serials ….FLASH GORDON, I remember eeing theBLACK SLEEP horror movie on a triple bill…..the greatest times of my life if you want more reply, I almost forgot the HEIGHTS a few blocks away showed foreign films….saw my first Brigette Bardot movie there!!!! Jimmy T from 183rd street guys!!!

Ken Roe on September 12, 2005 at 2:45 am

The Empress is listed in Film Daily Yearbook;1926 edition with a seating capacity of 600. It retains this seating capacity in F.D.Y. for several decades, until 1957 when it is listed as having 596 seats.

The retail unit operating out of the building is now called ‘Astral Mart Plaza’. It uses the main entrance on 181st street and another entrance has been punched into the screen end of the building on Audubon Avenue. There is a false ceiling inside, so not much to see of its cinematic decoration.

The Empress could have been known in its last years of operation as the Astral Theatre screening Spanish language films and Hollywood films with Spanish subtitles or dubbed.