On February 14, 2015, Orlando wrote: “A new replica of the vertical sign will read K I N G S with Theatre below it when it is installed at a later date. Personally, I think I would like to see the terra cotta without any sign on it.”
Vindanpar, welcome to CinemaTreasures… Please continue to post your thoughts and memories of the great (and not so great) cinema treasures of years past. And add some photos, too, if you have any to share.
After this theater was demolished, a new Rialto link was built on this corner and operated as a movie theater from 1935 to 1990 and for many years specialized in two-fisted melodramas and horror movies. Its manager once said his theater, both in styling and presentations, sought to satisfy the “ancient and unquenchable male thirst for mystery, menace and manslaughter.”
Orlando, it’s true than an eyewitness is often the best source of first-hand accounts, but there are many ways to arrive at the truth.
If there are errors in the introduction, I suggest you inform the site through the proper channels (which I’m sure you have done) and leave out the personal attacks on parties unknown. Your comment of April 16 at 9:40am was probably written out of frustration but it really should be deleted. You are working your dream job and have accomplished a lot, so these petty spats just sully this website.
And JamesD, your response of April 17, 5:36am was a bit out of line as well.
Let’s all delete this section of the comments before the webmaster has to do it for us.
One booking change to this house I have notice is that they no longer hold their features forever; they seem to get a new picture every couple of weeks…
This theater was featured in an Inside Edition episode tonight (4/10/15) in a report about rude kids at a screening of Cinderella.
Link here to the Inside Edition story, but I don’t think the report was actually filmed at this exact site, since they all went out afterwards at a New York restaurant…!
Searching is weird sometimes. The theaters that pop up are the Open ones, then you have to find the tab with the closed or demolished ones…
What I do when I can’t find something specific is look for a nearby theater, in this case I looked up the Fox, and in the column on the right is a short list of nearby houses, and often — voila!
Text of article: (Note: at the link, the last photo is upside down!)
Fort Greene’s Paramount Theatre, which for the past half-century has been used as the Long Island University sports complex, is set to be restored to its mid-20th century glory by a partnership of Barclay Center developer Bruce Ratner and Onexim Sports and Entertainment.
The $50 million renovation is set to take place over the course of two years, and in advance of that the university has released a couple renderings on its Flickr account, as well as a few historical photos.
This trend, led by the Loew’s Kings Theater in Flatbush, of formerly majestic Brooklyn theaters being returned to their original uses and levels of magnificence is definitely one that we can get behind.
Saw the Disney show (Three Classic Fairy Tales) Saturday night, and it wasn’t half bad…!
But the theater itself and the real reason I went) was spectacular in a very muted way. Lots of dark wood, earth tones, and general good taste. The lobby was a little darker than the auditorium, which had lots of gold leaf trim and highlights. You can easily see why the theater was never subdivided — the ceiling is soaring and the auditorium is w i d e…
The photos of the place are usually bright and well-lit, to show the detail, but in actual use the theater lighting is much more subdued, as you might expect in a performance space. It isn’t a grand ballroom, after all, although it resembles one!
That said, the view from the mezzanine is breathtaking.
It always breaks my heart a little to know that I missed the days when people only had to pay a quarter or a dollar to enter these neighborhood fantasy wonderlands for a couple of hours; today the cost, if you are lucky enough to find a working movie palace, is considerably more.
Joe, I think you missed Coate’s point. A chat involves give and take, comments and responses, questions and answers and follow ups… It’s more interesting for everyone if we reply to posts by addressing the info in the previous post, rather than just going on to more questions…
On February 14, 2015, Orlando wrote: “A new replica of the vertical sign will read K I N G S with Theatre below it when it is installed at a later date. Personally, I think I would like to see the terra cotta without any sign on it.”
I look forward to its reopening — the space is so tight I wonder what the seating capacities will be.
Vindanpar, welcome to CinemaTreasures… Please continue to post your thoughts and memories of the great (and not so great) cinema treasures of years past. And add some photos, too, if you have any to share.
Are we sure that isn’t the line of people trying to get OUT of the Criterion after sitting through the worst sequel and worst movie of the 1970s?
Under reconstruction May 2015 photo added.
Under reconstruction May 2015
There was a seldom-used entrance on Livingston Street, but usually the Livingston Street marquee was used to advertise the current attraction.
The marquee has a lot of burned-out light bulbs, especially in the sign that says “Theatres”
After this theater was demolished, a new Rialto link was built on this corner and operated as a movie theater from 1935 to 1990 and for many years specialized in two-fisted melodramas and horror movies. Its manager once said his theater, both in styling and presentations, sought to satisfy the “ancient and unquenchable male thirst for mystery, menace and manslaughter.”
The TVLand 2015 Awards were filmed here, and the place looked great.
Orlando, it’s true than an eyewitness is often the best source of first-hand accounts, but there are many ways to arrive at the truth.
If there are errors in the introduction, I suggest you inform the site through the proper channels (which I’m sure you have done) and leave out the personal attacks on parties unknown. Your comment of April 16 at 9:40am was probably written out of frustration but it really should be deleted. You are working your dream job and have accomplished a lot, so these petty spats just sully this website.
And JamesD, your response of April 17, 5:36am was a bit out of line as well.
Let’s all delete this section of the comments before the webmaster has to do it for us.
I love that term “picture sheet.” Thanks for using it…!
One booking change to this house I have notice is that they no longer hold their features forever; they seem to get a new picture every couple of weeks…
Does the Dolby Theater in LA show movies on a regular basis?
This theater was featured in an Inside Edition episode tonight (4/10/15) in a report about rude kids at a screening of Cinderella.
Link here to the Inside Edition story, but I don’t think the report was actually filmed at this exact site, since they all went out afterwards at a New York restaurant…!
Mike Keegan — can we add your photos to our database here at Cinema Treasures? For posterity and all…
Interesting and informative article and well-chosen photos. Here is a direct link to the Alamo Drafthouse page.
Searching is weird sometimes. The theaters that pop up are the Open ones, then you have to find the tab with the closed or demolished ones…
What I do when I can’t find something specific is look for a nearby theater, in this case I looked up the Fox, and in the column on the right is a short list of nearby houses, and often — voila!
Text of article: (Note: at the link, the last photo is upside down!)
Fort Greene’s Paramount Theatre, which for the past half-century has been used as the Long Island University sports complex, is set to be restored to its mid-20th century glory by a partnership of Barclay Center developer Bruce Ratner and Onexim Sports and Entertainment.
The $50 million renovation is set to take place over the course of two years, and in advance of that the university has released a couple renderings on its Flickr account, as well as a few historical photos.
This trend, led by the Loew’s Kings Theater in Flatbush, of formerly majestic Brooklyn theaters being returned to their original uses and levels of magnificence is definitely one that we can get behind.
Link to article about a reborn Paramount is here
This one? Link
It looks like it’s on twice more — Friday at 2:30pm and Monday at 4:00am.
Saw the Disney show (Three Classic Fairy Tales) Saturday night, and it wasn’t half bad…!
But the theater itself and the real reason I went) was spectacular in a very muted way. Lots of dark wood, earth tones, and general good taste. The lobby was a little darker than the auditorium, which had lots of gold leaf trim and highlights. You can easily see why the theater was never subdivided — the ceiling is soaring and the auditorium is w i d e…
The photos of the place are usually bright and well-lit, to show the detail, but in actual use the theater lighting is much more subdued, as you might expect in a performance space. It isn’t a grand ballroom, after all, although it resembles one!
That said, the view from the mezzanine is breathtaking.
It always breaks my heart a little to know that I missed the days when people only had to pay a quarter or a dollar to enter these neighborhood fantasy wonderlands for a couple of hours; today the cost, if you are lucky enough to find a working movie palace, is considerably more.
Joe, I think you missed Coate’s point. A chat involves give and take, comments and responses, questions and answers and follow ups… It’s more interesting for everyone if we reply to posts by addressing the info in the previous post, rather than just going on to more questions…
As my mother used say in answer to my endless queries, “What, are you writing a book…?!”