Fox Theatre

20 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11217

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Showing 51 - 75 of 178 comments

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 14, 2008 at 4:29 pm

You’re most welcome, my friend.

Change to Brooklyn Fox ? I recommend you contact the CT management.

Perhaps “robot” could mean “automaton” in Polish, rather than a Horn and Hardart “automat” restaurant. Is that what you meant ?

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 14, 2008 at 3:25 pm

Peter.K, I was once told that robot could mean ‘automat’ in Polish. Perhaps that person was mistaken. Klient is friend. Thank you for your wonderful conversation my klient. When may we expect the name of this theatre to be changed to Brooklyn Fox?
George

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 14, 2008 at 3:05 pm

Thanks, George, for the explanation of your last name. So it was shortened from Toborski ? Cool. I am Polish on my mother’s side. Her maiden name was Rakowski.

I thought you might have gotten part of your posting “handle” from “Tobor The Eighth Man”.

Incidentally, our English word “robot” comes from a Czech or Polish word meaning “worker” or “work”. I remember my Polish grandmother saying “roboti” (sp ?) as the Polish for “work”.

She emigrated from Poland to the USA after the Titanic (1912) but before the Lusitania (1915), but not on a luxury liner.

See also the famous play “R.U.R. : Rossum’s Universal Robots”.

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 14, 2008 at 2:56 pm

Peter.K, indeed Tobor is robot spelt in reverse. As a child I received much kidding about the name. Truth be told, the name was shortened from Toborski when my grandparents immigrated from Warsaw.
George

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 14, 2008 at 10:28 am

Geroge Tobor (“Robot” deliberately spelled backwards, as in “Tobot The Eighth Man” ?) thanks for the explanation of Murray The K and Alan Freed.

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 12, 2008 at 9:15 pm

Peter.K, returning to Murray Kaufman for a moment, he did not pioneer rock at WINS. That honor belongs to Alan Freed who hosted the Big Beat show for four years at WINS prior to Murray Kaufman replacing Alan Freed. After leaving WINS, Alan Freed served a brief stint at WABC radio. Disc jockeys moving from one station to another station had been going on long before Murray Kaufman came on the scene.
George

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 10, 2008 at 10:58 am

Leon, BAM is not far away at 30 Lafayette Avenue, between Flatbush Avenue and Fulton Street. I was last there to see “Psycho” on Saturday July 15 2006.

George, I’ll keep in mind your remark about the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. It looked like a beautiful theatre in the 1987 film “Chuck Berry : Hail ! Hail ! Rock And Roll !”.

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 9, 2008 at 9:59 pm

Indeed LeonLeonidoff, the Brooklyn Paramount was one long block away from the Fox Theatre. Both theatres were magnificent although of the two, I preferred the Fox Theatre. Rock ‘N’ Roll shows were hosted at both theatres. A pity that the Fox Theatre was not saved.

Peter.K, a journey to the fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis is a worthwhile trip. It is a fine example of a former movie palace being given a second lease on life. I highly recommend it.
George

roxy1927
roxy1927 on October 9, 2008 at 6:12 pm

What a gorgeous theater.
The borough of Brooklyn tore this down?!
Well why am surprised?
Was this near BAM?
This should have been saved as a dance and opera theater not the Academy of Music which is nice and all but nothing like this.
And as I have mentioned before maybe the Brooklyn Paramount is the most beautiful theater interior I have ever seen according to the old photos. That is near BAM as well isn’t it?
And they turned that into a gym. Well that exists in some form.
Is that now coming down as well?

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 9, 2008 at 4:55 pm

Not to be confused with the Fox Theatre in St. Louis, where Chuck Berry had his 60th birthday concert, going on 22 years ago …

Yes, why not call it the Brooklyn Fox ? What’s happened to Warren ? I haven’t seen any posts by him for awhile.

No George, no relation to Ed Koch, although my then-fiancee, now wife, got so tired of being asked seventeen years ago, she started saying, “Oh yeah, Uncle Ed’s coming to the wedding !”

My father met Ed Koch in the streets of Ridgewood 31 years ago when he was campaigning.

“This meeting of the Swingin' Soiree is now in session.”

Lost Memory, I"m SO glad you said that ! You sent me the sound byte of it privately four years ago ! Thanks !

Murray The K vs. Brian Epstein as The Fifth Beatle ?

Fab listeners, we may never know !

What a Jewish question for Yom Kippur !

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 9, 2008 at 4:30 pm

That is a marvelous idea. I wish to thank Warren for the suggestion. The Fox theatre has always been known as the Brooklyn Fox to myself and others. Any entertainer that ever performed at the Fox theatre in Brooklyn would generally refer to it as the Brooklyn Fox. Perhaps Fox theatre could be an alternate name.
George

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 9, 2008 at 2:54 pm

Yes, consumer advocate Bess Myerson Grant was usually associated with Mayor Ed Koch. No relationship to the former mayor I presume. Murray Kaufman was the self appointed fifth Beatle. One can only wonder if the manager Brian Epstein embraced that title.
George

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 8, 2008 at 11:36 am

Thanks, George. Others have told me that, too. I remember WMCA 570 AM playing cuts off albums “in orbit” as recently as June 1970 : “McCartney” and “Morrison Hotel” (Doors).

I recall WMCA 570 AM as talk radio in September 1970, now that you mention it. The only music on air then was a “sting” or sound-byte of guitar heard as they proceeded to their next news item. I remember someone calling in to report that he / she had found a rat tail in a can of food. Someone on WMCA suggested mailing it to consumer advocate Bess Myerson Grant so the appropriate action could be taken.

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 7, 2008 at 5:54 pm

Indeed it was Peter.K. September 1970 to be precise. I must say that you have a remarkable memory.
George

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 7, 2008 at 5:50 pm

Thanks, George. I’m not sure I ever heard Murray The K on WMCA. I vaguely remember the change of WMCA to talk radio in the fall (?) of 1970.

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 7, 2008 at 5:40 pm

Some little known data about Murray Kaufman. He worked at WMCA in 1958 before moving over to WINS. In 1969 in an attempt to boost ratings, Murray Kaufman returned to WMCA. WINS had already begun a 24 hour news format by that time. The move did not work and eventually WMCA switched to talk radio in 1970. I am familiar with Mays department store. Spent many a saturday shopping on Fulton Street.
George

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 7, 2008 at 5:38 pm

Good thought, BklynRob, of downtown Brooklyn as Brooklyn’s Times Square. I’d never thought of it that way. Thanks.

BklynRob
BklynRob on October 7, 2008 at 10:40 am

I agree,George,those times listening to AM radio,WMCA,WABC or WINS and Murray the K were fun times. It really broke my heart to hear the Brooklyn Fox closed down. Growing up in Brooklyn, I always viewed the downtown area as its Times Square with all the different theatres,restaurants & stores. One of my first jobs was working downtown in the old Mays department store. I would walk by the theatres to check out what was playing. Now all of them are gone.

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 6, 2008 at 12:52 pm

Thanks, George, I know what you mean.

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 6, 2008 at 12:50 pm

Indeed Peter.K, Harry Harrison left WMCA and moved over to WABC as Scott Muni had done earlier. As multple screens theatres were causing the decline of many single screen theatres, FM radio was forcing AM stations such as WMCA and WABC to change their format. The world may move forward but all changes are not necessarily for the better. Those were fun and carefree times which are sorely missed.
George

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 6, 2008 at 12:27 pm

You’re welcome, George Tobor. For some reason I associate Harry Harrison with WABC 770 AM. I heard Scott Muni late at night on WMCA in about 1960 or 1961, then later at night on WNEW 102.7 FM in 1968.

GeorgeTobor
GeorgeTobor on October 6, 2008 at 12:25 pm

Thanks to both. WMCA Good Guys do bring back some fond memories. Harry Harrison was the late night DJ. The loss of the Fox Theatre was tragic. It was another indication of downtown Brooklyn’s decline. I find the many comments here to be both fascinating and very interesting.
George

PeterKoch
PeterKoch on October 6, 2008 at 11:10 am

Thanks, BklynRob. I grew up listening to the WMCA Good Guys : Joe O'Brien, Jack Spector (your main man Jake, booby !) Scott Muni …

BklynRob
BklynRob on October 4, 2008 at 10:56 am

Brooklyn Fox-thanks for the memories! I remember being at that same Murray the K show too. I’m also a big Dusty Springfield fan.Didn’t she sing “Wishin & Hopin”? I would try and catch all Murrays holiday shows as I lived in Brooklyn at that time, maybe 20 minutes away by subway.It would only cost $2.50 for the live show and a movie. If you arrived before noon you would get a free Murray the K album. The WMCA Goodguys also put on shows at the NY Paramount around this time.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on September 30, 2008 at 8:31 pm

What a shot of the Fox marquee. Thanks for that. And it’s the Con Ed building on that site with a bank on the ground floor; no parking lot.