RKO Madison Theatre
54-30 Myrtle Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
54-30 Myrtle Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
21 people
favorited this theater
Showing 51 - 75 of 1,251 comments
Thanks, George, I’m glad you agree.
Bob F, Murray The K’s last name was Kaufman. Mine is not. Lost Memory and I have chatted about “Murray The K’s Swingin' Soiree Is Now In Session !” back in 2004. He was kind enough then to post the link to a sound byte of same. Perhaps he will do so once again.
Indeed my good friend Peter K. ‘A rose will still smell the same, even if it is called by another name!’. Information which is informative and helpful to people will have the same meaning no matter the name used to post said information. Being polite is in essence being considerate of others. Manners and politeness are sadly lacking on this blog. Attacking an individual for being polite is the real crime being perpetrated here. A bully should not be tolerated regardless of his or her knowledge.
George
None whatsoever.
“I, too, post under my real name.”
Peter K, are you any relation to Murray the K?
Bob Furmanek, I, too, post under my real name.
“I can think of no other poster on this board who has contributed more in the way of facts, photos and documentation than Mr. Harris.”
That doesn’t give him the right to abuse other CT members.
I can think of no other poster on this board who has contributed more in the way of facts, photos and documentation than Mr. Harris.
I respect the fact that he posts under his real name as well and doesn’t hide behind some alias.
Warren dear, Your Arrogance, Your Rudeness, Your Truculence, Your High Exalted Sickness, I post invitations to Bushwick Buddies here so I and other CT'ers can engage in the type of talk there that you object so vehemently to on this site, free of your malevolent, noisome, annoying presence.
What makes you so valuable to the owners and management of CT that they allow you to continue posting your abusive comments here ?
Thank you, Panzer65. I don’t know anything about Warren’s personal life, nor do I want to know.
Bway, your point is well-taken. The inner lobby of the Ridgewood, even when it was all one theater, could not compare to the multi-storied glory of the inner lobby of the RKO Madison, even though the elliptical inner lobby of the Ridgewood balcony was beautiful. The most majestic thing I remember about the orchestra level inner lobby of the Ridgewood was the large staircase leading up to the elliptical inner lobby of the balcony.
I agree with you about having a photo of the interior of the Ridgewood when it was still one theater, and its usefulness to the current landmarking effort.
Cat fight. LOL
Peter,
That was a graceful comment on that person’s abusive comments which I have also received.I support your comment.
Could he be that matron you described that worked the RKO Madison in drag?
Warren, the only dumb question is the one that is never asked. Don’t lecture me on what I should have learned by now. I’ll post what I please.
Tell us, what inside dirt do you have, or think you have, on the owners and managers of CT that you think gives you the right, or will allow you to go on abusing other members of CT the way you do ?
Thanks for your polite answer, Bway.
Peter, I love the Ridgewood, but the Madison blew it away in ornateness of it’s interior decor. The fact remains, I only remember the Madison when I was a kid, and the Ridgewood as one theater also as a kid. While even the Madison wouldn’t compare to a theater such as the “Loews Kings” or theaters like that, the Madison was pretty fancy for just a “neighborhood” theater, and yes, fancier and more ornate than the Ridgewood. Although, that being said, it would be nice to see a photo of the interior of the Ridgewood from when it was still one theater. It would also be quite useful now more than ever that they are trying to landmark the Ridgewood.
Superior in what way, Bway ? Size ? Interior decor ?
Absolutely. The only difference though is that Mr Rothenburg did it legally….Thomas Huang destroyed the RKO Keith’s illegally….
Doesn’t make it any better though, as if the theater survived a little longer, it may have been saved. As beautiful as the Ridgewood Theater is and was, the Madison Theater was the superior building.
Well-put, Lost Memory.
Lost Memory, you are correct. And yes, Rothenburg was the one that altered the building for retail use, and who leveled the floor, etc.
With consumers, only the outer lobby was the store area open to the public. It was only a very small space, about the size the outer lobby was, and that’s all that was open to the public. I was in there a few times when it was Consumers. And all it was was a small area, with a few tables where you looked at catalogs. You then when to a counter that was enclosed in a wall, gave the clerk your slip with what you wanted, and they went and brought it to you.
All that stuff was stored in the auditorium area, and I am sure that nothing was changed in there, except perhaps the seats ripped out.
When it was odd lot, also not too much changed, although more of the building was opened up. I believe then the Odd lot store only occupied the area under the balcony, and the inner and outer lobbies. There was a wall at the edge of the balcony if I am not mistaken. I believe even the floor was still sloped, but you didn’t notice it much, as the lobby areas always had even floors, and only the area under the balcony was used.
It was after Odd Lot that most of the damage occured, and that was around 1990.
I, too, hope not, Lost Memory.
Thanks for refreshing us on all the details, Bway.
Life’s too short, that may have been the case prior to the Busy Bee Flea Market taking over around 1990. The renovations before that store were quite extreme, and that is when most of the damage was done to the building. When it was first converted to Consumers, the first store to occupy it after the conversion, the building was “attacked”, but the auditorium probably remained intact, and was the warehouse. The lobby area became the retail area, and it is highly likely it was only false walls placed in front of the original walls.
Most of the features also probably remained even into the Odd Lot days, but the Busy Bee conversion did jackhammer much of the orchestra level of the theater up. What is now the furniture area of Liberty is actually built right through the old two story inner lobby. Busy Bee even took over the area that was once the stage area. The damage was already done when the short lived Busy Bee Flea Market closed, and Liberty moved in.
I’m glad to read that, Panzer65. I rather thought you’d seen images of the Madison’s interior lobby.
Peter,
I did see that photo of Madison’s lobby, it was indeed grand, I think it was provided by our friend the lighting specialist somewhere in these links.
Thank YOU, Life’s too short !
It’s possible that the staircase is still there. The Oriental in Chicago had an electronics store called “Oriental Electonics” built in a shell within the lobby from roughly 1981 until it was restored and reopened. That was at least fifteen years and probably more. During that time the box office was encased in alumninum siding and the lobby decoration and staircases sat quietly behind false walls and ceiling. When the time came to restore, they removed the retail renovations and cleaned everything up. I don’t think that anyone really cared about the theatre. I just think businesses tend to only spend money when they are forced to. It seems like the expense involved with demolishing the staircase at the Madison might be viewed as excessive just to get a little extra floor space. I haven’t been to this place and could be totally wrong. But those are my thoughts.
Thanks, Chris.
It’s probably highly doubtful that the Grand Staircase is there, there’s no room where it was.