What would all you Times Square bashers want done with Times Square? Back in 1979 it was a squalid has been of a place. Yes, today it’s glitzy but without any real entertainment value aside from the Broadway Theaters which are basically expensive tourist traps (OK..some shows are worthwhile but the good ones don’t run long enough or interest the tourists). But what was NYC supposed to do? I work right in the area and during Christmas time, the area was PACKED to the gills. I’ve never seen anything like it but it ws FUN to see all these people there enjoying the sites. Yes, I agree 100% that it would be wonderful if there were at least one or two of the old great movie houses there and belive wholeheartedly that if one had managed to survivie, it could thrive today as perhaps a IMAX venue (think of The Rivoli operating in that capacity!)
But something had to be done and I think that they Koch and Guilianni administrations did the best they could.
The very gay “Chicken Little”! Yes, this movie was truly horrible but I was amazed at the gay subtext and it’s not my imagination or anyone else’s. The obvious was the pig’s love of Streisand and how he became energized at the end to “I Will Survive”. Others have commented on Chicken Littles Daddy issues and such as well.
Going to this theater is still a mixed bag. Sometimes it’s OK and sometimes it’s not. I saw “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” here back in December in the “big” auditorium and it literally stunk. It smelled like bad feet but was probably the carpet never being cleaned. We got stuck in the crowd leaving and the entire houselights came up. The place looked awful. They should leave the lights off. Chipped paint, worn ceilings. Very tired looking. The sound was muffled too.
Then I saw “The Chronicles of Narnia” in (I think) #6. This is one of the larger ones in the back part of the theater. Now this one wasn’t bad at all. No smell, excellent projection and sound. Seats were fine too.
God I’m glad I live in the NY area. “Brokeback Mountain” is hardly creating a ripple of attention here. I see Brokeback Mountain folks every day so it’s nothing new or daring. That’s what diversity does: it makes one not only tolerant but nothing is a big deal.
WOW!!! The Slipped Disk is still in business. Amazing. Back in the mid 80s (the BEST TIMES!) this strip in Valley Stream was becoming a bit like a East Village knock off. It had all the elements in place. Not sure if it’s still the same though.
Sorry if I come across overly harsh on this place. Everyone of a certain age has their neighborhood theaters that they absolutely loved or hated. I grew up in Baldwin and was an avid movie goer since my folks came of age in Manhattan during the movie’s golden ages (the 30s & 40s). They instilled in me a love of the movies that I still carry to this day (not for todays fare, though).
But I digress. Growing up we avoided the Oceanside like the plague. Back in the 70s the place was a joke. So badly maintained. We had the Century’s Baldwin, The Fantasy in Rockville Center and my favorite, the Green Acres. All were absolutely immaculately maintained. No sticky floors, great presentation, etc. Oceanside? I have no idea how this place managed to last as long as it did.
Oceanside is a great town, better now than when I grew up in the area. The neighborhood deserves a great theater. 10 or 15 years ago, I guarantee that another movie theater would spring up in it’s place. The audience is there. But I don’t think it’s going to happen.
I know this site is meant to mourn the passing of movie theaters but in this case, I can hardly feel sad about losing the Oceanside. It was an insult to movie going. The owners always kept the theater trashy as hell. It was horrible going there. The only reason why it ever stayed open is that the neighborhood is very nice and it deserved a better theater.
RobertR: I agree. That space is huge for some a built up area. Developers are salivating over what they can do to it. But a quick run up and down Long Beach Road shows how developed that whole area is. I mean, what else does that area need now? Another nail place? Sushi? Tanning salon? It would be a good place for a smaller multiplex and back 15 years ago it would be assumed that the Oceanside Movie theater would be replaced. Now? No way. It has to be a megaplex and that site is just not suited for that.
Oldtime movie houses? Sorry but the Oceanside opened sometime in the mid to late 50s. To me, that does not exactly qualify it as Old Time but maybe that’s just me.
The Oceandside was always very second rate, perhaps even third. The place was rundown even back in the 70s. It never played first runs and it was a game in our family to try and figure out what was playing there because somehow the letters would always blow off the marquee.
The burning down of the old Foodtown supermarket AND the demolition of the truly awful Oceanside Motor Inn right across the street will go a LONG, LONG way to helping that section of Long Beach Road improve. It was a blighted section in an otherwise decent area.
But I will say this: the area needs and deserves a movie theater locally. And that site is now prime. It’s HUGE. They should somehow knock all of those buildings down and put in a shopping center with a theater. It will not happen though.
In some ways it’s sad to hear that the Oceanside is (probably) gone as I saw a lot of movies there (ableit with lousy projection and awful sound, sticky floors etc.) when I was much younger. It was kind of like going to White Castle. No one really liked it much but it was there.
Does the show still have that bizarre and alienating voice over/scroll at the end of the Nativity? That element (among others) got my blood boiling when I saw the show last year. I had taken my 8 year old daughter to see it remember how amazing it was back in the 70s and frankly, I was appalled at how lame the show was in comparison. And it ain’t cheap.
Go back to last years posts here and you’ll see the discussion.
$12.50, eh? I remember my Mother being shocked, SHOCKED going to see “Rocky” at the big, old, grand Lynbrook theater and having to shell out a whopping $4.00.
“The Producers” looks terrible and so does “Rent”. With a past loaded with great musicals, why the HELL can’t someone get it right? The arguement is that todays “kids” won’t believe the musical the way it used to be presented. WRONG. Kids by the millions watch non stop musicals all day on MTV and it’s various channels.
Pauline Kael once said in the late 60’s that the time then was ripe to create more musicals with the present (then) rock stars like Janis Joplin. That’s what made the musicals of the 30s, 40s and 50s successful: they were populated with the top recording artists of the day (Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Crosby et. al.). That’s what the studios could do: setup a musical with one or many of today’s contemporary recording artists. This would probably not appeal to some of the older generation on this site (sorry…I do NOT mean this at all as an insult but it’s the truth…you’re not going to see or even want to see the likes of Britney Spears, Sheryl Crowe or a Justin Timberlake crooning a 50s ditty).
The studios lack the creative nerve to do something like this. If someone took the dare to create a really good musical, it would be a blockbuster. Christ, look at “Purple Rain” back in 1984. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but it was pretty good.
The pictures on this site for the Marboro only show the front entrance. It doesn’t do the size of this place justice. I was in Brooklyn last Sunday (11/13) and drove right past this place. The marquee is surprisingly large but the auditorium must’ve been fairly large.
ghamilton: you hit it right on the head about Paterson. The place is like the land that time forgot. Because it’s so undervalued, the old buildings are still there albeit, some quite rundown.
The oddest thing is that the Great Falls is pretty much right in the downtown area and hardly anyone knows about it. It has to be one of the most amazing sites in the northeast.
Depressing? Sounds fascinating. Too think I saw “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother” with Gene Wilder here in 1976 and all that “stuff” was there when I saw it. Amazing.
Was there another theater down on Broadway about two or three blocks north of the George Washington Bridge? I’m not talking about the Loew’s 175th.
I was in this neighborhood about two weeks ago after getting stuck in some awful traffic on the Cross Bronx (what else is new, right?). I made my way to Broadway and as I was heading down, I could definately see what was once a fairly large movie theater on the west side of Broadway. It was somewhere (I guess) in the 180’s.
The one and only movie I saw here was in 1978 for “High Anxiety”. I remember the building had no heat but we went in anyway. It was beautiful but very badly in need of repairs.
Someone above mentioned “The Towering Inferno” played here but I think they’re mistaken. Since this was one of my favorite theaters on LI (if not my absolute favorite), I simply don’t remember it ever playing here but I could be wrong. I would’ve seen it here but I ended up seeing “Inferno” as the Rockville Centre Fantasy.
“Earthquake” was her in 74/75 and I remember seeing it here with that awful sensouround (sp?) thing.
And since those two “classic” disaster movies opened so close to eachother, I remember the old joke about them playing as a double feature (which never happened) and they’d be billed as “shake-and-bake”.
I found it odd that IMDB didn’t have much of a blurb either but I might’ve missed something. I read about Wise’s death on another website but was surprised to see little or nothing about it on IMDB.
Good movie or not (sorry, but it’s debatable…) “The Sound of Music” is loved by millions. For that Wise deserved more. BUT you have to remember that Wise is considered by many (including PAULINE KAEL) to be one of the major talents behind “Citizen Kane”.
Vito: since you worked there during the period that I saw a lot of movies there, do you remember the riot that took place during “Krush Groove”? In my opinion, that was the beginning of the end of this place. As popular as it was, I know a lot of people who began to have second thoughts about going there. After the shooting during “The Godfather, Part III”, I absolutely refused to go there ever again and never did. Even before that, it was the theater of last resort.
How is it doing these days? I cannot imagine that its like it was during the early 80’s.
I drove past there last night and saw the line. Just curious: what did you think of “Broken Flowers”? As much as I like Murray, his indie thing (to me) is starting to wear thin. “Rushmore” and “Lost in Translation” were fine and good for a change of pace. But this is the guy who did “Meatballs” and “Stripes” for God’s sake!
Strange to consider that in it’s heyday, this theater was pretty much an art house. Strange because the mall it’s located in is definately NOT associated with the type of crowd that would normally go to an “art” or foreign film. Was the Bergen Mall once considered upscale? I know they’re trying to turn it around but nowadays, it’s kind of a trashy place.
What would all you Times Square bashers want done with Times Square? Back in 1979 it was a squalid has been of a place. Yes, today it’s glitzy but without any real entertainment value aside from the Broadway Theaters which are basically expensive tourist traps (OK..some shows are worthwhile but the good ones don’t run long enough or interest the tourists). But what was NYC supposed to do? I work right in the area and during Christmas time, the area was PACKED to the gills. I’ve never seen anything like it but it ws FUN to see all these people there enjoying the sites. Yes, I agree 100% that it would be wonderful if there were at least one or two of the old great movie houses there and belive wholeheartedly that if one had managed to survivie, it could thrive today as perhaps a IMAX venue (think of The Rivoli operating in that capacity!)
But something had to be done and I think that they Koch and Guilianni administrations did the best they could.
The very gay “Chicken Little”! Yes, this movie was truly horrible but I was amazed at the gay subtext and it’s not my imagination or anyone else’s. The obvious was the pig’s love of Streisand and how he became energized at the end to “I Will Survive”. Others have commented on Chicken Littles Daddy issues and such as well.
Going to this theater is still a mixed bag. Sometimes it’s OK and sometimes it’s not. I saw “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” here back in December in the “big” auditorium and it literally stunk. It smelled like bad feet but was probably the carpet never being cleaned. We got stuck in the crowd leaving and the entire houselights came up. The place looked awful. They should leave the lights off. Chipped paint, worn ceilings. Very tired looking. The sound was muffled too.
Then I saw “The Chronicles of Narnia” in (I think) #6. This is one of the larger ones in the back part of the theater. Now this one wasn’t bad at all. No smell, excellent projection and sound. Seats were fine too.
God I’m glad I live in the NY area. “Brokeback Mountain” is hardly creating a ripple of attention here. I see Brokeback Mountain folks every day so it’s nothing new or daring. That’s what diversity does: it makes one not only tolerant but nothing is a big deal.
WOW!!! The Slipped Disk is still in business. Amazing. Back in the mid 80s (the BEST TIMES!) this strip in Valley Stream was becoming a bit like a East Village knock off. It had all the elements in place. Not sure if it’s still the same though.
Sorry if I come across overly harsh on this place. Everyone of a certain age has their neighborhood theaters that they absolutely loved or hated. I grew up in Baldwin and was an avid movie goer since my folks came of age in Manhattan during the movie’s golden ages (the 30s & 40s). They instilled in me a love of the movies that I still carry to this day (not for todays fare, though).
But I digress. Growing up we avoided the Oceanside like the plague. Back in the 70s the place was a joke. So badly maintained. We had the Century’s Baldwin, The Fantasy in Rockville Center and my favorite, the Green Acres. All were absolutely immaculately maintained. No sticky floors, great presentation, etc. Oceanside? I have no idea how this place managed to last as long as it did.
Oceanside is a great town, better now than when I grew up in the area. The neighborhood deserves a great theater. 10 or 15 years ago, I guarantee that another movie theater would spring up in it’s place. The audience is there. But I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Again, sorry if I seem to harsh.
I know this site is meant to mourn the passing of movie theaters but in this case, I can hardly feel sad about losing the Oceanside. It was an insult to movie going. The owners always kept the theater trashy as hell. It was horrible going there. The only reason why it ever stayed open is that the neighborhood is very nice and it deserved a better theater.
RobertR: I agree. That space is huge for some a built up area. Developers are salivating over what they can do to it. But a quick run up and down Long Beach Road shows how developed that whole area is. I mean, what else does that area need now? Another nail place? Sushi? Tanning salon? It would be a good place for a smaller multiplex and back 15 years ago it would be assumed that the Oceanside Movie theater would be replaced. Now? No way. It has to be a megaplex and that site is just not suited for that.
Oldtime movie houses? Sorry but the Oceanside opened sometime in the mid to late 50s. To me, that does not exactly qualify it as Old Time but maybe that’s just me.
The Oceandside was always very second rate, perhaps even third. The place was rundown even back in the 70s. It never played first runs and it was a game in our family to try and figure out what was playing there because somehow the letters would always blow off the marquee.
The burning down of the old Foodtown supermarket AND the demolition of the truly awful Oceanside Motor Inn right across the street will go a LONG, LONG way to helping that section of Long Beach Road improve. It was a blighted section in an otherwise decent area.
But I will say this: the area needs and deserves a movie theater locally. And that site is now prime. It’s HUGE. They should somehow knock all of those buildings down and put in a shopping center with a theater. It will not happen though.
In some ways it’s sad to hear that the Oceanside is (probably) gone as I saw a lot of movies there (ableit with lousy projection and awful sound, sticky floors etc.) when I was much younger. It was kind of like going to White Castle. No one really liked it much but it was there.
Used to be a grand theater.
Does the show still have that bizarre and alienating voice over/scroll at the end of the Nativity? That element (among others) got my blood boiling when I saw the show last year. I had taken my 8 year old daughter to see it remember how amazing it was back in the 70s and frankly, I was appalled at how lame the show was in comparison. And it ain’t cheap.
Go back to last years posts here and you’ll see the discussion.
$12.50, eh? I remember my Mother being shocked, SHOCKED going to see “Rocky” at the big, old, grand Lynbrook theater and having to shell out a whopping $4.00.
“The Producers” looks terrible and so does “Rent”. With a past loaded with great musicals, why the HELL can’t someone get it right? The arguement is that todays “kids” won’t believe the musical the way it used to be presented. WRONG. Kids by the millions watch non stop musicals all day on MTV and it’s various channels.
Pauline Kael once said in the late 60’s that the time then was ripe to create more musicals with the present (then) rock stars like Janis Joplin. That’s what made the musicals of the 30s, 40s and 50s successful: they were populated with the top recording artists of the day (Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, Crosby et. al.). That’s what the studios could do: setup a musical with one or many of today’s contemporary recording artists. This would probably not appeal to some of the older generation on this site (sorry…I do NOT mean this at all as an insult but it’s the truth…you’re not going to see or even want to see the likes of Britney Spears, Sheryl Crowe or a Justin Timberlake crooning a 50s ditty).
The studios lack the creative nerve to do something like this. If someone took the dare to create a really good musical, it would be a blockbuster. Christ, look at “Purple Rain” back in 1984. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but it was pretty good.
The pictures on this site for the Marboro only show the front entrance. It doesn’t do the size of this place justice. I was in Brooklyn last Sunday (11/13) and drove right past this place. The marquee is surprisingly large but the auditorium must’ve been fairly large.
ghamilton: you hit it right on the head about Paterson. The place is like the land that time forgot. Because it’s so undervalued, the old buildings are still there albeit, some quite rundown.
The oddest thing is that the Great Falls is pretty much right in the downtown area and hardly anyone knows about it. It has to be one of the most amazing sites in the northeast.
Depressing? Sounds fascinating. Too think I saw “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother” with Gene Wilder here in 1976 and all that “stuff” was there when I saw it. Amazing.
Was there another theater down on Broadway about two or three blocks north of the George Washington Bridge? I’m not talking about the Loew’s 175th.
I was in this neighborhood about two weeks ago after getting stuck in some awful traffic on the Cross Bronx (what else is new, right?). I made my way to Broadway and as I was heading down, I could definately see what was once a fairly large movie theater on the west side of Broadway. It was somewhere (I guess) in the 180’s.
Is that theater listed here?
Did Disney’s “Dumbo” open here?
The one and only movie I saw here was in 1978 for “High Anxiety”. I remember the building had no heat but we went in anyway. It was beautiful but very badly in need of repairs.
Someone above mentioned “The Towering Inferno” played here but I think they’re mistaken. Since this was one of my favorite theaters on LI (if not my absolute favorite), I simply don’t remember it ever playing here but I could be wrong. I would’ve seen it here but I ended up seeing “Inferno” as the Rockville Centre Fantasy.
“Earthquake” was her in 74/75 and I remember seeing it here with that awful sensouround (sp?) thing.
And since those two “classic” disaster movies opened so close to eachother, I remember the old joke about them playing as a double feature (which never happened) and they’d be billed as “shake-and-bake”.
I found it odd that IMDB didn’t have much of a blurb either but I might’ve missed something. I read about Wise’s death on another website but was surprised to see little or nothing about it on IMDB.
Good movie or not (sorry, but it’s debatable…) “The Sound of Music” is loved by millions. For that Wise deserved more. BUT you have to remember that Wise is considered by many (including PAULINE KAEL) to be one of the major talents behind “Citizen Kane”.
He also made a lot of other great films as well.
Vito: since you worked there during the period that I saw a lot of movies there, do you remember the riot that took place during “Krush Groove”? In my opinion, that was the beginning of the end of this place. As popular as it was, I know a lot of people who began to have second thoughts about going there. After the shooting during “The Godfather, Part III”, I absolutely refused to go there ever again and never did. Even before that, it was the theater of last resort.
How is it doing these days? I cannot imagine that its like it was during the early 80’s.
I drove past there last night and saw the line. Just curious: what did you think of “Broken Flowers”? As much as I like Murray, his indie thing (to me) is starting to wear thin. “Rushmore” and “Lost in Translation” were fine and good for a change of pace. But this is the guy who did “Meatballs” and “Stripes” for God’s sake!
Strange to consider that in it’s heyday, this theater was pretty much an art house. Strange because the mall it’s located in is definately NOT associated with the type of crowd that would normally go to an “art” or foreign film. Was the Bergen Mall once considered upscale? I know they’re trying to turn it around but nowadays, it’s kind of a trashy place.
The theaters in this dismal place have the ambience of a bomb shelter. Terrible place to see a movie. No idea how it stays open.