Grandview Theater
659 Grandview Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
659 Grandview Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
2 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 116 comments
I just found this series of postings and have enjoyed the memories.
I grew up on Cornelia St. in Ridgewood between Onderdonk and Woodward. As a kid, we went to all the movies in the area —–
Ridgewood and Madison on Myrtle, Parthenon (Wyckoff and Myrtle) and the Grandview and Oasis (Fresh Pond Rd) — one of the latter 2 — I think the Grandview – was open-air and I especially liked the ice creams — Mello Rolls —– where you got the cone and an ice cream wrapped up to be set into the cone.
Dennis F
Thanks, Ron Stork. It’s OK to exaggerate. Yeah, I’ll bet the Grandview was GREAT in the summer. Thanks for sharing your memories. I hope you continue to post here.
OK, I streached the truth a little, wasn’t 100 years ago. From what I can remember it was 53 – 55. I was 10 or 12 years old when my dad took me to see the Dean Martin / Jerry Lewis movies. He was a big fan of Jerry Lewis ….. But the Grandview was GREAT in the summer. Chairs were hard, I agree but it was nice sitting outside watching the movie and eating popcorn
Ron Stork
No, Lost Memory, I will try that when I can.
Thanks for the Martin-Lewis filmography. I have “At War With The Army” at home, but haven’t watched it. Perhaps my wife and / or my son have. It’s more to their taste than to mine.
I’m not a fan of rap either, so Polish rap wouldn’t appeal much to me either.
You’re probably right, Lost Memory. Perhaps it’s time to start checking the release dates of those Martin / Lewis movies on the IMDb or similar on-line resource.
Yes, Lost Memory, Polish rap at night, as related to me by a 29-year old co-worker and colleague of mine, who lives with her husband and parents on Grove Street near Forest Avenue. It’s probably due to the recent influx of Polish immigrants to Ridgewood. They’ve been priced out of Greenpoint, which has become the new Greenwich Village, with all the young artists and musicians now living and working there. There are many Polish stores on Forest Avenue now between Myrtle Avenue and the el station, and probably north of there to Metropolitan Avenue. St. Matthias R.C. Church now has a Polish pastor.
BTW, Lost Memory, will you join me, BrooklynJim and Bway at the Ridgewood Theatre next month for a movie and eats ? And whatever happened to mikemovies ?
It would depend on how noisy the neighborhood was. “Upper” Ridgewood in the late 1950’s near the Grandview was probably very quiet at night, as opposed to nowadays, where you can hear Polish rap at night, if you listen.
I think it was more like 1957 that you saw those Dean Martin / Jerry Lewis outdoor movies at the Grandview. Half a century ago rather than a whole century.
Understandably so, Ron Stork, thanks for your post. How about giving us the approximate date that you saw those Dean Martin / Jerry Lewis movies at the Grandview ourdoor in the summer ? I don’t think it was 1907.
When I was a kid, 100 years ago, lived on Grandview near Grove. My father took me to see Dean Martin / Jerry Lewis movies at the Grandview ourdoor in the summer, it was great ! Shown on the wall of the house / apt next doot it was GREAT ! Was VERY SORRY to see it sold off …………..
Ron Stork
i went to the wyckoff many times and can only describe it as a poor man’s glenwood only half the size and kinda crummy….if we didnt like what movies were shown there we would proceed further to the wagner……i did see" destination tokyo" at the wagner around 1948 we kids would start collecting “programs” from the theatres for coming attractions we WALKED a lot.. we would travel on some nice day from the acme to the belvedere and then in this order…glenwood, skip ridgewood and madison(go in the lobby for air conditioning) then parthenon wyckoff ..wagner ..side trip going from the irving theatre which showed a lot of pro nazi movies then to the rivoli to knickerbocker ave to the willoughby and the starr or if we still had the stamina the famous EAGLE !!!! AND FINALLY THE MONROE WE STOPPED ALONG THE WAY FOR PENNY CAndy and lemon ices amen
You’re welcome, Lost Memory. Unfortunately, my conversation with my aunt today was cut short by a visitor knocking on her door. I will ask her tomorrow, then post. In the meantime, please read what I HAVE posted on the Wyckoff Theatre, on its page, which I started.
I, too, walked past it countless times as a kid, on my way to and from my maternal grandmother’s house and my own, without ever knowing it was once a theater, only seeing it as a Jehovah’s Witnesses Hall, and, as such, never having a reason to go inside.
Thanks, Bway and metz.
The Grove is listed on the site…the theater (as well as the whole block) was torn down and replaced with brand new homes fairly recently:
/theaters/8034/
The Wyckoff is also on the site of course, and I believe it showed porn for a while after it closed to normal movies. It’s currently a Jehovah’s Witness Church, so must still look somewhat similar inside to when it was still a theater:
/theaters/7934/
Thanks for your details, metz. Good to hear from you too. Long absence ? Have I been away from Cinema Treasures THAT long ?
Does the Grove Theater at Wilson Avenue and Grove Street have a page on Cinema Treasures ?
My father remembers the Monroe, at 4 Howard Avenue, opposite the RKO Bushwick. Both the Monroe and the Bushwick have pages on this site.
Thanks, Lost Memory for the details on Livoti.
I’ll ask my Aunt Annie about the inside of the Wyckoff today and post about it.
my email is wmetzelaar @aol.com
hello PKoch…no joe wAS MY ELDER BROTHWER joe metzelaar he passed away last year at 83 ,,,,,,,,,,i am the last leaf of the bunch …age 78 widowed ridgewood boy from 1928 to 1959 the only other outdoor movie i remember id the GROVE on Wilson Avenue and the night we went theit they told my mother it was too"cold" so they showed the film “So ends our night ” indoors…..it was abot 75 degrees in june!!did not go theere except tht one time…nice to hear from you after a long absence i have posted recently on Parthenon Belvedere, Monroe, LUXOR(eagle) parthenon oasis majestic and NYC lyric
Thank you, metz. Is your elder brother Joe on this site as “Joe From Florida” ?
My father remembers outdoor movies at The Colonial Theater in Bushwick, entrance on Broadway, opposite Moffat Street, on the block bounded by Broadway, Rockaway Avenue and Chauncey Street. There is a page for it on this site.
as for the grandview" THE DUMPS" it had very hard wooden sewats and was good for a double feature ansd shortf for one dimew my elder brother joe would let me tag along uo forest avenue ridgewood and get there before the price changed to 15 cents he had long legs and i was alittle tyke age 7 bu ti huuried alonfg as best i could///…..the grandvie, majestic and belvedere were at that time owned by the same man ….the facade and marqees all l;ooked the same ….best part of the grandview was in summer when they started the outdoor theatre ..a little man had a booth near the fence aand sold delicious italian lemon ices …i can still remeber those hard woodewn benches that we sat on swatting mosquitos and praying for NO RAIN!!
Important information is buried between tons of infantile drivel by OT troublemakers. Why don’t you people go to myspace.com.
WE ALL LIVE IN A YELLOW SUBMARINE, A YELLOW SUBMARINE, YELLOW SUBMARINE …..
Here’s the aerial view for the Grandview Theater. It’s the building with the marquee. The parking lot is where the open air theater used to be.
Now the real question….is this where the Ridgewood Folly Theater once was…Uh, better not get into that again!
View link
Dave, was the outdoor theater located where the funeral home parking lot is today (the funeral home of course occupying the main part of the Grandview).
Hello! As a young child, I lived on Grandview Ave. between Menahan and Grove streets. My father, who was born in 1943 and grew up in the same apartment, has distinct memories from his adolescence of summertime screenings at an outdoor theater just down the street. I offer this just as another bit of supporting evidence of the location and time-frame of the Grandview Theater.
There was mention of Clara Bow in a [Ridgewood]Times Newsweekly “Our Neighborhood” installment about the Oasis Theater. Perhaps Bway remembers it, and can direct us to it.
Yes, good point. It was an article that appeared in PHOTOPLAY issues February and March of 1928. I am quite sure it was at least rewritten by someone, as you say probably from Paramount. I am going to get David Stenn’s bio of her from the library today. It may clear up some details. Some sources say she moved around a lot. I will try to get more specific information.
BTW I am in So Cal so I am unfamiliar with the details of New York neighborhoods.