Ritz Theatre

walterk on August 14, 2014 at 6:56 pm

Thanks for the update, markp. I sort of thought a deal was finalized when I noticed it went off the market recently. If anybody wants to read it, here’s a link to the article you mentioned, and here’s another bit written by the person who wrote the article I cited earlier this year when plans for the purchase were announced. It gives a little more detail but doesn’t archive well, after a couple of months one is expected to pay to read it.

Also markp sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet up, but while I was in the area last month, I spent time in the libraries in Woodbridge and Rahway, also got to meet with the town historian in Rahway. So as time permits, I’ll be posting some comments about all three Carteret theatres, along with the State, Woodbridge Theatre, and one of the old Rahway houses, along with at least one as yet unlisted theatre there, along with some pictures from various locations over the next month or so. Hope you catch them.

markp on July 1, 2014 at 3:32 pm

walterk, I will be doing a union job monday thru friday from 7 to 4 mon thru fri starting july 7. Depending on extra work perhaps we can get together on a weekend.

markp on April 20, 2014 at 5:52 am

Hello RkoRoxy. We know each other. You know me from the local and working together. The only thing I know right now in speaking to people is that the town is in negotiations to buy it. Then they will find a company or corporation who restores. This process may take up to 2 years from what I’ve been told. Im interested in this too, as my father was a projectionist here for years and Im interested in getting on the stage crew.

markp on April 10, 2014 at 6:03 pm

Thanks walterk, but of course as luck would have it, Im working both Saturdays in 2 different venues. State theatre New Brunswick this week and the Count Basie next week. Figures.

walterk on April 2, 2014 at 3:10 pm

markp, I mentioned the Basie because the mayor made a comparison to it as what he hopes to do with the Ritz. My mention of UCAC was because it’s next door in Rahway, and while they may have dropped any film series, a group that calls itself Friends of UCAC is showing Night of The Living Dead later this month and doing a Saturday matinee next month featuring a Chaplin movie, cartoons and shorts. Both only 5 bucks admission, and they advertise it as “reel film”. Also next month is a rental that will show a documentary about motorcycle riding, for an extra charge you get to attend a tailgate party in the parking lot. So, maybe not a series, but the old Rahway still gets used for what it was built for on occasion. Same pretty much with the Basie, both houses are still set to show the occasional movie. I’ve read the CT pages for all the old area theatres, some of which I saw movies in, and was aware of your connection to both these houses from the comments.

I did get in touch with the author of the article I linked, who gave me the email address of a borough employee who supplied scans of the pictures I uploaded yesterday, I’m going to be writing them a note of thanks, and find out about being contacted when updates on progress are released. I’m also going ask them to mention that they got an email from someone who hopes that the capability of being able to show an occasional movie is taken into consideration when the renovation is planned. Of course it would sound better coming from people who live in the area and would support such a plan with regular attendance rather than a former resident who hasn’t lived in New Jersey for nearly as long as the Ritz hasn’t shown a movie, maybe that’ll happen… And if you happen to wind up installing those JJ2’s in the Ritz, I’ll fly back and help you carry them up the stairs (disassembled, I would hope).

walterk on April 1, 2014 at 1:34 pm

Well, I’m glad the link worked, markp. I hope you get the opportunity to work there when this project is completed, even better, to project there :–) . To do what they want with the building, we’re talking upwards of $7 million. A screen and a couple of 35mm projectors added would be a drop in the bucket. They might be open to the idea once they find out how successful classic movie series in restored vintage movie houses that are used mostly as performing arts venues are. I’m thinking here of the Basie,or the Union County Arts Center in Rahway,or out where I am now, the Oakland Paramount which has featured classic movies on an almost monthly basis for decades.

As I mentioned awhile back, by profession I am also a stagehand. I’ll be retired before this project is complete, and I do live at the other other end of the country, otherwise I’d entertain the thought of working there. The magic of the Ritz on this young kid was one of the factors leading to my getting involved in theatre. So you can imagine the thrill I feel at the thought of this old venue rubbing the sleep out of its eyes and waking up again.

Check the picture page, I’ll shortly be posting a couple of vintage pictures of the Ritz. I’ll also be posting updates as I hear them.

walterk on March 31, 2014 at 11:25 pm

Markp… I posted a link to an article that answered your questions. I’m new at writing html code and perhaps I screwed it up, so I’ll supply the info.

The article is local, I found it on the Gannett website. If it appeared in the printed media, which I suspect it did, it would most likely have been in the Home News Tribune, which I believe is the paper that would cover news of Carteret. Gannett publishes a half dozen newspapers in New Jersey.

The 6 screen theatre would be, according to the Mayor, “right in the heart of downtown Carteret”. I went by the Ritz and took the pictures I posted here this past December and would imagine he’s talking about the large tract of vacant land just east of the Ritz on the other side of Washington Avenue. Mayor Reiman is hoping to turn the area into a “theater district"and refers to it as such in the article. Reiman is up for re-election this year, there are pictures of the Ritz on both his campaign website and his Facebook page. He hasn’t given a timeline, but is quoted as saying this project should be done "in a few short years”.

As far as the Ritz, I too have my fingers crossed. The first step is to buy the building, and that does seem to be happening. I’ll post updates as I come across them,

walterk on March 29, 2014 at 9:21 pm

My last post here a couple months back mentioned the Ritz was again vacant and up for sale, jokingly asking if anybody had a spare $600,000 handy for a real fixer upper. Apparently the borough of Carteret does, the mayor announced earlier this month that the process to acquire the building has begun, with plans to refurbish it and open as a performing arts center. Evidently much of the original interior is intact and will be restored. Despite talk of opening a 6 screen movie complex nearby, one can only hope that the occasional classic movie will also get a screening. Regardless, to see the main theatre of my youth come alive in any format that will hold an audience after a half century is somethIng I am looking forward to, even if I do live on the opposite coast these years. I wish them the best of luck, I’ll be there for opening night.

I’m posting a bit of an article announcing these plans, the complete piece with vintage photograph can be viewed here.

Performing arts center planned for former bakery building in Carteret

Mar. 13, 2014
Written by
Suzanne Russell

CARTERET — A former theater that served as a stop on the vaudeville performance circuit in the 1930s appears headed for a new life as a borough performing arts center.

The borough has begun the process of acquiring the recently closed Vallone’s Bakery building, 46 Washington Ave., Mayor Daniel Reiman said Tuesday during his annual State of the Borough address. The building formerly housed the Ritz Theatre.

“Much of the original theatre decor remains in place and it is our intention to restore this building to its former glory and to return live performances to Carteret,” Reiman said during his speech.

Once restored, the performing arts center will house more than 1,000 seats in a fashion similar to the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank or the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown, Reiman said.

markp on January 25, 2014 at 7:33 pm

walterk, its not bad. I miss projection though. Stagehand work has taken a toll on me, since Ive had a bad back the past 12 years, probably from carrying all those film cans. And yess, all my relatives went to high school in town. And with 13 of them Im sure you couldn’t miss em.

markp on December 27, 2013 at 5:29 am

WalterK, Thanks for the kind words about my comments. I am very passionate about the old movie theatres and especially one I or my father and uncle (and many others from the old projectionists union) worked in. Although I post about being retired, Im being a bit sarcastic. See Im only 55 and I was put out of work in projection by digital. I have a ways to go yet, and now I work as a stagehand, mostly in Newark NJ Prudential Center. And if it might help you possible remember my father, his first name was Joe and came from a large family in town whose last name started with Pusi. (maybe that helps.

walterk on November 26, 2013 at 10:02 pm

I haven’t lived in Carteret in over 44 years, but I have fond memories of the Ritz, I lived only a few blocks from it when I grew up. The owner who someone mentioned looked like Hitchcock was Maurice Spewak. His wife often sold the tickets. I never knew the name of the usher who someone said resembled Lurch from the Addams Family, but I do remember he wore a hearing aid, which was more visible than the compact ones used today.

Mr. Spewak at one point also owned 2 of the other 3 Carteret theaters listed on CT, the Majestic located in the Hill section and the Crescent, located in the Chrome section, both on Roosevelt Avenue. The Crescent is listed on Cinema Treasures as the “New Palace” (it is listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook, as the Crescent, located in Chrome). Spewak built the Ritz to replace these venues, according to a 1926 article in the Carteret Press. He wanted a large modern centrally located theatre to replace the two smaller ones, citing labor costs of operating two houses at the opposite ends of town. He also said it would be better suited to the needs of the public, who would appreciate the modern equipment and conveniences. It’s worth noting that on the same page a few columns over was an article about another theatre to be built in Carteret by a corporation of “local and New York men” who purchased property at Cooke Avenue and Irving Street, which would have placed it around the corner from the Ritz, possibly on the same block. This project never materialized.

The Ritz, which was designed by a T. Glivae, a local artist and architect, who lived a few blocks from the structure he designed, held 1200 and opened its doors on Sept 1, 1927. The bill for the evening included war comedy “Lost at the Front” and 4 acts of “high class vaudeville”. Gone or out of commission by time I started to see movies at the Ritz (mid 50’s) was the “huge organ powered by electric motors” mentioned in the CP article about the opening night. Early on, the Ritz also experimented with vaudeville on Saturday evenings, the idea to expand to other nights if successful.

Hard to say what happened with that experiment from reading the newspapers, as the Ritz, Majestic and Crescent seldom advertised in the local paper. There were a few ads for the Ritz immediately after it opened and mention of occasional benefit shows the Ritz seemed to rent out for, but it wasn’t until 1949 that it began to advertise regularly in the local paper. Meanwhile there were always ads for theatres located in the towns surrounding Carteret.

I recollect they didn’t have a concession stand, I remember buying popcorn from a machine for 10 cents and there was a candy machine. I believe they had a soda machine, but after nearly a half century, I could be wrong about that. Mr. Spewak kept the front half of the theatre closed off, because as someone mentioned, kids threw candy and whatnot at the screen. It was closed at evening shows also, except when the crowd warranted opening it. In regard to mention of possibly a small balcony near the front, there wasn’t one. I think the architecture referred to housed the speakers or pipes for the organ I mentioned (and possibly later speakers for the movies), or could just have been decoration. Their angle wasn’t right for viewing the screen.

Speaking of the screen, the wide screen and sound system that those of us who have posted comments remember were installed in the spring of 1954. Ads from that period also announced that female patrons would receive a hand painted piece of seaspray dinnerware every Monday night.

The Ritz, as mentioned by another contributor, featured movies that already had their initial run, I remember seeing West Side Story with my folks at the Majestic in Perth Amboy and then with my friends on a Friday night somewhat later @ the Ritz. Same with the Beatles first movie which I saw with friends, again at the Majestic, several weeks before it came to the Ritz. I also remember one New Year’s Eve going to see the 10 Commandments with my family. An old ad tells me that was 1958; it was originally released in the fall of 1956. They changed their double bill twice a week at least, kids 35 cents, adults 70. The lobby had numerous displays of coming attractions, each in its own glass case mounted on the walls, most of them featuring glossy publicity photos of scenes.

After a double bill featuring Jerry Lewis as “The Disorderly Orderly” with second feature “Dual of the Titans”, the Ritz closed its doors for the last time on January 31, 1965. I’m basing that on the lack of ads in the Carteret Press after that date, and it jibes with my own recollection that it closed sometime in 1965. Had I known, I would have gone for one last show. It was a part of my growing up, not only the weekend matinees, but later Friday and Saturday nights on some of my earliest dates, or just with my friends and even earlier as I mentioned, occasional shows with my family.

Acherepo, your recollections of the neighborhood brings back memories. I well remember Harrigan’s candy store, though her pinball machine got a lot more of my quarters than did her register for candy. Klein’s had the best collection of comics for sale in Carteret, in addition to a fine selection of models to build, lots of other stuff, the classic mom and pop 5 and 10. Ulman’s bakery wasn’t down the street from the Ritz, rather at the corner directly across, where Atlantic Street ended. Kochek’s Pharmacy was on the other corner. I could go on about other businesses on that street….

Much credit to the Woodbridge Public Library, which has an online archive of the Carteret Press from 1925—65 (also a fine collection of Woodbridge papers), where a little bit of search and research supplied the historical background to this bit.

acherepo on December 30, 2011 at 5:51 am

I grew up in Carteret and have fond memories of spending many a day at the Ritz theater, where you could see cartoons and a double feature for 35 cents. Instant babysitting, where our mom could drop us off for a good part of the day and not have to worry about us. I want to say the bakery caty corner and about half a block east of the Ritz was originally called Uhlman’s Bakery, where you could smell the baking from blocks away, and the candy store next to the Ritz was Harrigans, and a door or two down was another sstore where we sometime got candy but always got our comic books was Jakee Klien’s (not sure about first name spelling). As I recall, the movie was either owned or run by a Mr. Spewak or Spevak (again, not sure about the spelling). The young usher guy someone said reminded him of Lurch reminded me more of someone from Terry and the Pirates, or those guys who put a stocking over their heads and pull it back to draw their face back. He was freaky to us kids. I also recall sticky (from spilled sodas and gum) concrete floors, and seats covered underneath with bubble gum, kids throwing jaw breakers at the screen, and my favorite candy from the machine were Boston Baked Beans, They would also hand out a little bi-fold flyer telling you what movies were next, and it would be great if someone had one they could scan and post, as it would bring back lots of memories. I also recall the red plastic seats, the blue-lighted neon-like Flieshman’s clock up front on the right side, and I want to say they may have had a small balcony on each side near the front, but I am not sure.
I want to say they would typically show two of the same sort of movies, like two westerns, or two sci-fi movies. My mom would tell us about the earlier movie theaters in the area, as back in the 60s, the remains and sign for the old Majestic up the Hill in Carteret, could still be seeen along Roosevelt Avenue. The Majestic in Pert Amboy was one of the old, grand type theaters, much larger than the Ritz. I also recall the Woodbridge Drive-in, and they had a mock-up space ship up near the Woddbridge Circle, where you sat inside this cigar-shaped rocket ship, they would raise it up at an angle, it would shake, and you would get out on the other side in a soryt of lunar landscape, and could pick up what we thought were moon rocks, and buy ray guns at the store where you got your tickets. Fun times for a space-race Cold War kid in those days.