As a Star Trek fan since the night it premiered on NBC, I cannot tell you how much I looked forward to this picture. Between Xmas of 1978 and ‘79,I greatly looked forward to three films: Superman-The Movie in Dec '78, Moonraker in Summer '79 and Star Trek in Dec '79.
When the film opened up, I decided to wait 1 week for the crowds to die down. I dragged my wife and best friend, (neither of whom were Star Trek fans,) to see a Friday 5PM show at the Loews State 1 on Broadway. I told them over and over about how great this film was going to be. I knew something was wrong when the theater wasn’t even close to half full. The first few minutes were excellent with the great Jerry Goldsmith music and that terrifc Klingon scene that starts the film. However that was about as good as the film gets. Its not that its a bad film, its just not Star Trek.
Needless to say, my wife and friend despised it. (Eleven years earlier, I went with this same friend to see 2001 reserved-seat at the Capitol. He loathed that film also. I guess Sci fi. just wasn’t his thing.)
Thanks for the information, William.
By the way, would you know where John Wayne’s The Alamo played when it was reserved seat on Broadway? On my 10th. (or 11th.) birthday, my father gave me the choice to get reserved seat tickets to see either The Duke’s “The Alamo” or Kirk Douglas' “Spartacus” on Broadway. I chose The Alamo. After the film was over, my father said “I think we should have chosen Spartacus.” I wish I could remember what theater we saw The Alamo in. Perhaps you would know. (Even though it wasn’t the greatest picture, I still have a great deal of affection and nostalgia for Wayne’s epic western.)
I went to the Criterion several times growing up. I can remember proudly going there to see “Valley of the Dolls” myself, when that film was just released and was a big deal at the time. Later, I saw “Patton,”“Tora,Tora,Tora” and “Funny Girl"on reserved-seat at the Criterion.
However what I really remember was going to Manhattan with my mother and father, Xmas season 1962 (or ‘63.) At the Criterion was "Lawrence of Arabia.” On the next street at the Loews State was the Brando “Mutiny on the Bounty.” A few blocks away at the Warner/Demille, (I forget which,) was “The Longest Day.” And I think (though I am not sure,) that across the street at the Warner/Cinerama was “How the West Was Won.” These are some of my favorite films and all were playing on reserved-seat. I like to think that if I could discover a time machine and go back in time, I would return to that time and see all those lavish films again on all those big screens. What a time to be a movie-goer in New York.
I hadn’t been to the Criterion in many years but returned in the late '90s to see “The Sixth Sense,” which was playing there and fit into my schedule. It was obvious to me that the theater probably wouldn’t be around very much longer. And as I sat in that enormous theater one last time, I began to imagine the overture of “Lawrence of Arabia” wafting through this great theater one more time.
I remember my father taking us to see “Thunderball” at the Rialto after the original theater we went to, the Kingsway, was sold out. The excitement surrounding the release of this 4th Bond film was incredible: far more excitement than the mania surrounding the release of “Batman” in 1989 or “The Dark Knight” 2 years ago.
The Rialto got a lot of United Artists films. I remember seeing “The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming” and the Beatles in “Let It Be” there. It was a nice theater but I do not remember anything distinctive about it, unlike the beautiful Loews Kings which was about 2 blocks away. I also preferred the Albemarle which was about 3 blocks away.
I remember once eating at Henrys Ice Cream parlor,which was across the street, before seeing something at the Rialto. This nice little restaurant which used to put stuffed animals in its windows to celebrate the seasons, holidays, etc. held out a very long time as a nice middle-class neighborhood deteriorated into a dangerous area with hoodlums hanging out on the street, day or night. My express bus used to pass down Flatbush Avenue on the way to Manhattan. I marvelled at how long Henrys held out. Then about 15 years ago, they threw in the towel and Henrys was gone. The last time I passed that way, it had been converted into a Jamaican restaurant. Henrys joined the Rialto, Loews Kings,Albemarle, the Astor and the Kenmore as remnants of a better time on Flatbush Avenue.
I can’t tell you the great pleasure it has given me reading and writing about the many movie theaters, long gone, I practically grew up in and the many wonderful films I saw in these theaters. Memories not only of my childhood but of a better time growing up in Brooklyn and in this country. I was watching “Its a Wonderful Life” on Xmas eve. and after it was over I turned to my wife and said: “I miss James Stewart, I miss John Wayne, I miss Cary Grant, I miss Charlton Heston, I miss Gregory Peck.” They and all of the other great stars can never be replaced by the individuals we have in Hollywood today. And I have no doubt that most of the films of today will not be remembered in 40 years the way I remember the films of my childhood in the ‘50s and '60s. Anyway, I am so happy I have discovered this website. Thanks again.
I saw 2001 at the Capital. I remember purchasing the reserved-seat tickets in advance. I remember being confused and disappointed in the film, my friend despised it. (I took him years later to see Star Trek: The Motion Picture and he despised that also.)I still have the program they sold that night and had it signed by its stars, Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, at a Chiller Theater several years ago. After we left the theater and were walking to the subway at 42nd St., we saw many police officers on duty and people exiting limos. It turned out that the TONY awards were being given that night. I also saw Planet of the Apes at the Capital. I remember that the theater was so jammed, people were sitting in the aisles. It is still one of my all-time favorites. Other films I saw at the Capital were The Dirty Dozen and In the Heat of the Night. It was another lavish and beautiful Loews theater.
Since I’ve discovered this website I’ve thought about so many of the theaters I’ve attended that are long gone and the films I saw there. Since this was my favorite local theater through most of my childhood I’ve come up with so many other films I saw there in addition to those listed in my above comment. I hope some of the titles bring back pleasant memories to you: John Wayne in “Rio Bravo,” Kirk Douglas in “Spartacus,” Cary Grant in “Operation Petticoat,” Gregory Peck and Tony Curtis in the wonderful “Captain Newman, MD,” Ernest Borgnine in the “McHale’s Navy” film, Rock Hudson in “Man’s Favorite Sport,” Joan Crawford in “Strait-Jacket,” the Man from U.N.C.L.E. films which I spent an entire Saturday afternoon watching over and over, James Coburn in “Our Man Flint,” etc. etc. Just some of the many films I saw at this wonderful old theater, now just a distant memory.
My father took me to most of the theaters in Brownsville that he went to while growing up. I think we went to this theater once or twice and while I have no clear memories of the inside of the theater itself, I remember we saw “The Longest Day,” when it finally made it to the nabes after its long reserve-seat run on Broadway. Since, (with the exception of the Bond films,) this is my all-time favorite film, for that reason alone the Sutter is remembered by me.
This was a nice theater and I went there on many occassions. But my only specific memory was my father taking myself, my sister and several friends to see “Goldfinger” there. The excitement created by the release of that third Bond film is still memorable today. (It would be repeated the following year with “Thunderball,” which we saw a few theaters done on Flatbush Avenue at the Rialto.)
My father grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn and he used to take me to many of the theaters in the area. However I think we went to the Loews Premier the most. I remember it being a very nice theater with a fountain and wishing-well as you left the outer-lobby to enter the theater.I remember the Loews Metropolitan as also having a fountain/wishing-well. I was a nice lavish theater (although not as lavish as the Loews Pitkin.) For some reason I mostly remember seeing films there starring Glenn Ford: “Cimarron,” “Pocketful of Miracles” and a comedy called “It Started with a Kiss,” also starring Debbie Reynolds. For years, I used to see this theater,already closed, as the L train passed the Sutter Avenue station. Since I gave up on the L train many years ago, even before I moved to Staten Island, I would assume the Premier is no longer there. It was a wonderful theater though.
I remember when this theater was the Forum. My friend and I took the subway into Manhattan to see “Dr. Strangelove” at this theater. We were both 14. When we got there they were charging one price of $2.50 to see this film. I remember how outraged we were after usually spending .50 childrens-price at our local theaters in East New York, Brooklyn (LOL) I kind of remember we also saw Elvis in “Roustabout” at this theater. The only thing I really remember about this theater was that it didn’t seem that large in comparision to other Manhattan theaters. But I will always remember our shock at that $2.50 admission price.
Christmas season 1969, I went with my father and brother to see the first film at the Ziegfeld, “Marooned,” which was playing reserve-seat. I remember really enjoying the size of the theater and the great sound system. Since that time I’ve seen several films there: “Earthquake” in sensurround, Langella in “Dracula” and the remastered “Lawrence of Arabia.” In May 2008, right before the release of “Iron Man,” they started showing some old Bond films at the Ziegfeld. I went one afternoon to see “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” I remember that the audience was almost exclusively male. I also remember being very disappointed in the sound. The theater was still very nice but just seemed a little-bit run-down. But then again, perhaps I was just imagining it. It still was massively large and I hope it remains a single theater, just the way it was when I was there for the first time in December 1969.
I grew up in East New York, Brooklyn and remember the Embassy as being close to the Brooklyn/Queens borderline. I can only remember going to the Embassy twice with my father in ‘65 or '66. We saw a rerelease of “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (which I remember being something of a disappointment since my father told me it was the greatest P.O.W. film ever and I so much preferred “The Great Escape.”) and Charlton Heston in the excellent “Khartoum.” And while I do not remember any specifics, I do remember that this was a very nice neighborhood theater.
I remember passing this theater often when one left Radio City or when we would go each Xmas season to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. It seemed that every holiday season they had a Disney film playing. After many years I got to go to this theater in about 1983 to see a Gene Hackman flick “Uncommon Valor.” The theater was much bigger than I expected. Now when I pass down this street each holiday season, I’m kind of saddened that its not there anymore showing the latest Disney animated film.
I’ve been to this theater twice, once to see the revamped “Major Dundee” and once during the United Artists retrospective to see “The Magnificent Seven” and while I appreciate being able to see these classic films on the big screen again, this is one of the most uncomfortable theaters I’ve ever been in. The seats are uncomfortable, the screens are tiny, the space between rows too small and since I saw these films on fairly warm days in April and May, the theater was very hot. I cannot even imagine watching a very long film in this theater. I considered seeing “The Great Escape” there during the UA retro. I’m glad I didn’t. It would take a really great movie to get me back there again.
By the way, wasn’t there a Forum theater previously located on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan? I seem to recall seeing some films at a theater with that name during the 1960s.
I was thinking about my above comment about never seeing anything very good or memorable at the Kenmore and I vaguely remembered seeing “From Russia With Love” there. Since this is one of my 5 favorite Bonds, I take back my previous statement.
I did read the previous statements about the eventual fate of the Kenmore and what it deteriorated into and it saddened me. It is so depressing what happens to these beautiful theaters when the ethnic makeup of the area changes. I grew up in East New York and I never really saw my local theaters, the Biltmore and the Kinema, go down the drain since my friends and I had already graduated into going to see movies at “Showcase” theaters in Downtown Brooklyn, Flatbush Avenue and Manhattan. And I stopped going to beautiful theaters like the Loews Kings, RKO Albee and Loews Metropolitan when the areas started changing and getting more dangerous. However I remember being Downtown Brooklyn for some reason in the 1970s and seeing the Albee reduced to showing 2 Kung-fu films. They did not even have a 1 sheet poster for these films so a little ad from the newspaper was cut out and put under the glass where the poster should have been. Utterly pathetic. The picture of the Loews Pitkin from 1970 showing this glorious, mini-Radio City showing 2 low-grade Japanese horror films was sad also.
But even sadder were the stories of murders, metal-detectors, bullet holes and barbed wire at the Kenmore. I have the utmost contempt for the naive, pathetic jerks who actually defend and rationalize this barbaric behavior. And I have little pity on those in the area who allow this type of behavior to take place and then cry and whine to the media about not having anyplace to see a movie when the theater finally gives up and just shuts down. Too damn bad for you.
I went on an interview for an assistant manager position at the Brook. I had just graduated college and could not find a job. It was a depressing experience. There were several of us sitting in the back of the theater waiting to be interviewed (“American Graffiti” was showing at the time,) and the man who interviewed me told me that if I wanted the job I would have to shave my mustache off and go out and buy several new suits. Boy am I glad that I didn’t listen and made no attempt to go any further regarding that dead-end job.
Actually other than that, the Brook was a pretty nice theater. It was never all that crowded unless there was something big playing. I remember it drew huge crowds for “Rocky,” “Network” and “The Return of the Pink Panther.” I saw many films there including “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” “Clash of the Titans,” “The Deer Hunter,” “Straw Dogs,” “Zardoz,” etc. I used to pass this theater frequently. I can still remember passing by during Christmas season 1978 (I think,) and seeing the marquee stating “Gala Christmas Show” Charles Bronson in “Telefon."
As stated, this was a very nice theater with a balcony. However, due to the sparseness of the crowds, I was not surprised when it closed.
I went to the Flatbush Avenue theaters a lot during the 1960s and early ‘70s. And while I can remember seeing very good movies at the other theaters, I cannot remember seeing one very good movie at the Kenmore. I can remember seeing a mediocre western “Custer of the West” and a disappointing Robert Mitchum war film “Anzio” there. I just can’t remember seeing one great movie there. Isn’t that strange? I did go with my friends to the premiere of “The Lords of Flatbush” that was held at this theater. I remember that despite living in Brooklyn all my life I still could not understand one word Sylvester Stallone said. If you would have told me at that time that this guy would one day be the highest-paid star in the world, I would not have believed it. The Kenmore was a nice theater, I just don’t have any particularly good memories of the films I saw there.
The Seaview was the newer theater in Canarsie. Yet it closed almost 20 years before the older movie theater, the Canarsie. It was actually a very nice theater. Yet it was never very crowded. The only times I can remember it being jammed were when “Star Wars” and “The Exorcist” came there after their long Broadway runs. I remember spending a frigid XMAS eve with my wife and parents seeing a Goldie Hawn flick “Seems Like Old Times.” We then went to dinner at the Seaview diner across the street. Now they are both gone. What happened with this theater was that the landlord raised the rent and since this theater never drew that well to begin with, it was decided to close it. Naturally the site stayed vacant for a long time, so I’m really not sure what the landlord got out of basically forcing them to close. Now I think this theater is a CVS pharmacy
This was a very nice theater that never went downhill. It opened around 1970 and I saw many films there. I remember the large crowd Christmas eve. 1976, when we waited to see the first disappointing “King Kong” remake. But that was the exception to the rule. For some reason,for the most part, this theater never drew big crowds. I remember once not being able to get into this theater, on a Saturday night, to see “Murder on the Orient Express.” But, for the most part, this theater never did a great business. When the UA Sheepshead Bay multiplex opened in 1987, it drew even more people away and was the final nail in this theater’s coffin. Actually this was a nicer and more relaxing place to see a film.
This theater opened up in the summer of 1987. I saw Schwarzennegger there in “Predator” the first week it opened. It was an immediate smash and knocked out many nicer places to see a film like the Loews Georgetowne twin. This place was so popular that on Saturday night, even if you lived close by, you had to leave at least 2 hours ahead of time to wait in an enormous line to get into their parking lot. It was the most frustrating experience and took the enjoyment out of going to the movies. Sometimes on a realy crowded night, you had to park blocks away. The more popular it got, the more it went downhill. It was discovered by a massive amount of hoodlums from outside the area. I can remember one blasting rap music in the theater, while an usher was nowhere to be found. I remember boobs shining small lasers at the screen and an idiot, sitting next to my sister, talking on a cell-phone during the last scene in “Titanic.” I moved out of Brooklyn in 1999 and I understand that they have revamped this theater, even making one into an IMAX. To be frank, despite my having seen many films there, I really don’t miss it.
This theater opened when the Kings Plaza mall opened in 1970 and, at the beginning, was quite popular. In 1971, I stood for 2 hours on a very long line waiting for the next showing of Sean Connery in “Diamonds are Forever.” (I saw many Bond films there.) One of my favorite memories was a rainy Christmas eve. 1978, sitting on the floor next to the Alexanders dept. store for several hours waiting, with my wife, for the next showing of “Superman.” I saw many films there and then 2 things happened: they turned 2 nice large theaters into four (six now.) But more importantly, individuals from outside the area discovered the plaza and this theater. As a result predictibly the crime rate went up and this was no longer a very enjoyable place to see a film. (I can clearly remember an incident of windows being smashed after a group of rowdy “youngsters” came out of a showing of Bad Boys.“) The last time I was there was in the late ‘80s or early '90s to take my son to see a Tom Selleck film "Mr. Baseball.” I have not been back since.
I went to the Rock Hill Drive-In one time during the summer of 1963. I had never been to a drive-in before or since. My family and I went to see “Tom Jones.” Since it was a double-feature, we saw the second feature first, one of the British “Carry On” films. Then there was a long intermission and coming attractions. At that point my younger brother, who was about 5 at the time, started crying that he wanted to go home. Since we couldn’t get him to stop, we had to leave before ever seeing the main feature. I do remember seeing the great trailer for “How the West Was Won,” one of my all-time favorite films, it was the high-point of my visit to the Rock Hill Drive-In.
My father grew up about a block away from this theater and while he took me to the movies a lot as a child, we never went here very much. Hedid tell me about the stage shows this theater used to show and what a beautiful theater it was. I did finally go in 1961 to see “The Guns of Navarone” here and found the theater to be sort of a small version of Radio City Music Hall with a round second level overlooking the massive inner-lobby. When I next was there in 1963 the area was going downhill fast and the theater was reduced to showing 2 horror films: “Werewolf in a Girl’s Dormitory” and Boris Karloff in “Corridors of Blood.” While these films do sound kind of low-grade, I have no doubt that there was a lot worse to come. This was a spectacular theater in its prime though.
My father grew up in Brownsville and used to take me to this theater. I can remember it being in the middle of an average street and my father sometimes parking across the street. Interestingly the only 2 films I can definitely remember seeing there were by the king of gimmicks: the great William Castle. The first being “Macabre” for which we were given a little piece of cardboard advising we were insured for $1000.00 by Lloyds of London in case we died of fright. The second film I remember was Castle’s most famous film “The Tingler.” I do remember that I did not get one of the seats wired by Castle to scare the audience during the sequence when the Tingler gets loose in the movie theater. These are my only memories of the Stadium theatre.
As a Star Trek fan since the night it premiered on NBC, I cannot tell you how much I looked forward to this picture. Between Xmas of 1978 and ‘79,I greatly looked forward to three films: Superman-The Movie in Dec '78, Moonraker in Summer '79 and Star Trek in Dec '79.
When the film opened up, I decided to wait 1 week for the crowds to die down. I dragged my wife and best friend, (neither of whom were Star Trek fans,) to see a Friday 5PM show at the Loews State 1 on Broadway. I told them over and over about how great this film was going to be. I knew something was wrong when the theater wasn’t even close to half full. The first few minutes were excellent with the great Jerry Goldsmith music and that terrifc Klingon scene that starts the film. However that was about as good as the film gets. Its not that its a bad film, its just not Star Trek.
Needless to say, my wife and friend despised it. (Eleven years earlier, I went with this same friend to see 2001 reserved-seat at the Capitol. He loathed that film also. I guess Sci fi. just wasn’t his thing.)
Thanks for the information, William.
By the way, would you know where John Wayne’s The Alamo played when it was reserved seat on Broadway? On my 10th. (or 11th.) birthday, my father gave me the choice to get reserved seat tickets to see either The Duke’s “The Alamo” or Kirk Douglas' “Spartacus” on Broadway. I chose The Alamo. After the film was over, my father said “I think we should have chosen Spartacus.” I wish I could remember what theater we saw The Alamo in. Perhaps you would know. (Even though it wasn’t the greatest picture, I still have a great deal of affection and nostalgia for Wayne’s epic western.)
I went to the Criterion several times growing up. I can remember proudly going there to see “Valley of the Dolls” myself, when that film was just released and was a big deal at the time. Later, I saw “Patton,”“Tora,Tora,Tora” and “Funny Girl"on reserved-seat at the Criterion.
However what I really remember was going to Manhattan with my mother and father, Xmas season 1962 (or ‘63.) At the Criterion was "Lawrence of Arabia.” On the next street at the Loews State was the Brando “Mutiny on the Bounty.” A few blocks away at the Warner/Demille, (I forget which,) was “The Longest Day.” And I think (though I am not sure,) that across the street at the Warner/Cinerama was “How the West Was Won.” These are some of my favorite films and all were playing on reserved-seat. I like to think that if I could discover a time machine and go back in time, I would return to that time and see all those lavish films again on all those big screens. What a time to be a movie-goer in New York.
I hadn’t been to the Criterion in many years but returned in the late '90s to see “The Sixth Sense,” which was playing there and fit into my schedule. It was obvious to me that the theater probably wouldn’t be around very much longer. And as I sat in that enormous theater one last time, I began to imagine the overture of “Lawrence of Arabia” wafting through this great theater one more time.
I remember my father taking us to see “Thunderball” at the Rialto after the original theater we went to, the Kingsway, was sold out. The excitement surrounding the release of this 4th Bond film was incredible: far more excitement than the mania surrounding the release of “Batman” in 1989 or “The Dark Knight” 2 years ago.
The Rialto got a lot of United Artists films. I remember seeing “The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming” and the Beatles in “Let It Be” there. It was a nice theater but I do not remember anything distinctive about it, unlike the beautiful Loews Kings which was about 2 blocks away. I also preferred the Albemarle which was about 3 blocks away.
I remember once eating at Henrys Ice Cream parlor,which was across the street, before seeing something at the Rialto. This nice little restaurant which used to put stuffed animals in its windows to celebrate the seasons, holidays, etc. held out a very long time as a nice middle-class neighborhood deteriorated into a dangerous area with hoodlums hanging out on the street, day or night. My express bus used to pass down Flatbush Avenue on the way to Manhattan. I marvelled at how long Henrys held out. Then about 15 years ago, they threw in the towel and Henrys was gone. The last time I passed that way, it had been converted into a Jamaican restaurant. Henrys joined the Rialto, Loews Kings,Albemarle, the Astor and the Kenmore as remnants of a better time on Flatbush Avenue.
I can’t tell you the great pleasure it has given me reading and writing about the many movie theaters, long gone, I practically grew up in and the many wonderful films I saw in these theaters. Memories not only of my childhood but of a better time growing up in Brooklyn and in this country. I was watching “Its a Wonderful Life” on Xmas eve. and after it was over I turned to my wife and said: “I miss James Stewart, I miss John Wayne, I miss Cary Grant, I miss Charlton Heston, I miss Gregory Peck.” They and all of the other great stars can never be replaced by the individuals we have in Hollywood today. And I have no doubt that most of the films of today will not be remembered in 40 years the way I remember the films of my childhood in the ‘50s and '60s. Anyway, I am so happy I have discovered this website. Thanks again.
I saw 2001 at the Capital. I remember purchasing the reserved-seat tickets in advance. I remember being confused and disappointed in the film, my friend despised it. (I took him years later to see Star Trek: The Motion Picture and he despised that also.)I still have the program they sold that night and had it signed by its stars, Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood, at a Chiller Theater several years ago. After we left the theater and were walking to the subway at 42nd St., we saw many police officers on duty and people exiting limos. It turned out that the TONY awards were being given that night. I also saw Planet of the Apes at the Capital. I remember that the theater was so jammed, people were sitting in the aisles. It is still one of my all-time favorites. Other films I saw at the Capital were The Dirty Dozen and In the Heat of the Night. It was another lavish and beautiful Loews theater.
Since I’ve discovered this website I’ve thought about so many of the theaters I’ve attended that are long gone and the films I saw there. Since this was my favorite local theater through most of my childhood I’ve come up with so many other films I saw there in addition to those listed in my above comment. I hope some of the titles bring back pleasant memories to you: John Wayne in “Rio Bravo,” Kirk Douglas in “Spartacus,” Cary Grant in “Operation Petticoat,” Gregory Peck and Tony Curtis in the wonderful “Captain Newman, MD,” Ernest Borgnine in the “McHale’s Navy” film, Rock Hudson in “Man’s Favorite Sport,” Joan Crawford in “Strait-Jacket,” the Man from U.N.C.L.E. films which I spent an entire Saturday afternoon watching over and over, James Coburn in “Our Man Flint,” etc. etc. Just some of the many films I saw at this wonderful old theater, now just a distant memory.
My father took me to most of the theaters in Brownsville that he went to while growing up. I think we went to this theater once or twice and while I have no clear memories of the inside of the theater itself, I remember we saw “The Longest Day,” when it finally made it to the nabes after its long reserve-seat run on Broadway. Since, (with the exception of the Bond films,) this is my all-time favorite film, for that reason alone the Sutter is remembered by me.
This was a nice theater and I went there on many occassions. But my only specific memory was my father taking myself, my sister and several friends to see “Goldfinger” there. The excitement created by the release of that third Bond film is still memorable today. (It would be repeated the following year with “Thunderball,” which we saw a few theaters done on Flatbush Avenue at the Rialto.)
My father grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn and he used to take me to many of the theaters in the area. However I think we went to the Loews Premier the most. I remember it being a very nice theater with a fountain and wishing-well as you left the outer-lobby to enter the theater.I remember the Loews Metropolitan as also having a fountain/wishing-well. I was a nice lavish theater (although not as lavish as the Loews Pitkin.) For some reason I mostly remember seeing films there starring Glenn Ford: “Cimarron,” “Pocketful of Miracles” and a comedy called “It Started with a Kiss,” also starring Debbie Reynolds. For years, I used to see this theater,already closed, as the L train passed the Sutter Avenue station. Since I gave up on the L train many years ago, even before I moved to Staten Island, I would assume the Premier is no longer there. It was a wonderful theater though.
I remember when this theater was the Forum. My friend and I took the subway into Manhattan to see “Dr. Strangelove” at this theater. We were both 14. When we got there they were charging one price of $2.50 to see this film. I remember how outraged we were after usually spending .50 childrens-price at our local theaters in East New York, Brooklyn (LOL) I kind of remember we also saw Elvis in “Roustabout” at this theater. The only thing I really remember about this theater was that it didn’t seem that large in comparision to other Manhattan theaters. But I will always remember our shock at that $2.50 admission price.
Christmas season 1969, I went with my father and brother to see the first film at the Ziegfeld, “Marooned,” which was playing reserve-seat. I remember really enjoying the size of the theater and the great sound system. Since that time I’ve seen several films there: “Earthquake” in sensurround, Langella in “Dracula” and the remastered “Lawrence of Arabia.” In May 2008, right before the release of “Iron Man,” they started showing some old Bond films at the Ziegfeld. I went one afternoon to see “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” I remember that the audience was almost exclusively male. I also remember being very disappointed in the sound. The theater was still very nice but just seemed a little-bit run-down. But then again, perhaps I was just imagining it. It still was massively large and I hope it remains a single theater, just the way it was when I was there for the first time in December 1969.
I grew up in East New York, Brooklyn and remember the Embassy as being close to the Brooklyn/Queens borderline. I can only remember going to the Embassy twice with my father in ‘65 or '66. We saw a rerelease of “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (which I remember being something of a disappointment since my father told me it was the greatest P.O.W. film ever and I so much preferred “The Great Escape.”) and Charlton Heston in the excellent “Khartoum.” And while I do not remember any specifics, I do remember that this was a very nice neighborhood theater.
I remember passing this theater often when one left Radio City or when we would go each Xmas season to see the tree at Rockefeller Center. It seemed that every holiday season they had a Disney film playing. After many years I got to go to this theater in about 1983 to see a Gene Hackman flick “Uncommon Valor.” The theater was much bigger than I expected. Now when I pass down this street each holiday season, I’m kind of saddened that its not there anymore showing the latest Disney animated film.
I’ve been to this theater twice, once to see the revamped “Major Dundee” and once during the United Artists retrospective to see “The Magnificent Seven” and while I appreciate being able to see these classic films on the big screen again, this is one of the most uncomfortable theaters I’ve ever been in. The seats are uncomfortable, the screens are tiny, the space between rows too small and since I saw these films on fairly warm days in April and May, the theater was very hot. I cannot even imagine watching a very long film in this theater. I considered seeing “The Great Escape” there during the UA retro. I’m glad I didn’t. It would take a really great movie to get me back there again.
By the way, wasn’t there a Forum theater previously located on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan? I seem to recall seeing some films at a theater with that name during the 1960s.
I was thinking about my above comment about never seeing anything very good or memorable at the Kenmore and I vaguely remembered seeing “From Russia With Love” there. Since this is one of my 5 favorite Bonds, I take back my previous statement.
I did read the previous statements about the eventual fate of the Kenmore and what it deteriorated into and it saddened me. It is so depressing what happens to these beautiful theaters when the ethnic makeup of the area changes. I grew up in East New York and I never really saw my local theaters, the Biltmore and the Kinema, go down the drain since my friends and I had already graduated into going to see movies at “Showcase” theaters in Downtown Brooklyn, Flatbush Avenue and Manhattan. And I stopped going to beautiful theaters like the Loews Kings, RKO Albee and Loews Metropolitan when the areas started changing and getting more dangerous. However I remember being Downtown Brooklyn for some reason in the 1970s and seeing the Albee reduced to showing 2 Kung-fu films. They did not even have a 1 sheet poster for these films so a little ad from the newspaper was cut out and put under the glass where the poster should have been. Utterly pathetic. The picture of the Loews Pitkin from 1970 showing this glorious, mini-Radio City showing 2 low-grade Japanese horror films was sad also.
But even sadder were the stories of murders, metal-detectors, bullet holes and barbed wire at the Kenmore. I have the utmost contempt for the naive, pathetic jerks who actually defend and rationalize this barbaric behavior. And I have little pity on those in the area who allow this type of behavior to take place and then cry and whine to the media about not having anyplace to see a movie when the theater finally gives up and just shuts down. Too damn bad for you.
I went on an interview for an assistant manager position at the Brook. I had just graduated college and could not find a job. It was a depressing experience. There were several of us sitting in the back of the theater waiting to be interviewed (“American Graffiti” was showing at the time,) and the man who interviewed me told me that if I wanted the job I would have to shave my mustache off and go out and buy several new suits. Boy am I glad that I didn’t listen and made no attempt to go any further regarding that dead-end job.
Actually other than that, the Brook was a pretty nice theater. It was never all that crowded unless there was something big playing. I remember it drew huge crowds for “Rocky,” “Network” and “The Return of the Pink Panther.” I saw many films there including “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” “Clash of the Titans,” “The Deer Hunter,” “Straw Dogs,” “Zardoz,” etc. I used to pass this theater frequently. I can still remember passing by during Christmas season 1978 (I think,) and seeing the marquee stating “Gala Christmas Show” Charles Bronson in “Telefon."
As stated, this was a very nice theater with a balcony. However, due to the sparseness of the crowds, I was not surprised when it closed.
I went to the Flatbush Avenue theaters a lot during the 1960s and early ‘70s. And while I can remember seeing very good movies at the other theaters, I cannot remember seeing one very good movie at the Kenmore. I can remember seeing a mediocre western “Custer of the West” and a disappointing Robert Mitchum war film “Anzio” there. I just can’t remember seeing one great movie there. Isn’t that strange? I did go with my friends to the premiere of “The Lords of Flatbush” that was held at this theater. I remember that despite living in Brooklyn all my life I still could not understand one word Sylvester Stallone said. If you would have told me at that time that this guy would one day be the highest-paid star in the world, I would not have believed it. The Kenmore was a nice theater, I just don’t have any particularly good memories of the films I saw there.
The Seaview was the newer theater in Canarsie. Yet it closed almost 20 years before the older movie theater, the Canarsie. It was actually a very nice theater. Yet it was never very crowded. The only times I can remember it being jammed were when “Star Wars” and “The Exorcist” came there after their long Broadway runs. I remember spending a frigid XMAS eve with my wife and parents seeing a Goldie Hawn flick “Seems Like Old Times.” We then went to dinner at the Seaview diner across the street. Now they are both gone. What happened with this theater was that the landlord raised the rent and since this theater never drew that well to begin with, it was decided to close it. Naturally the site stayed vacant for a long time, so I’m really not sure what the landlord got out of basically forcing them to close. Now I think this theater is a CVS pharmacy
This was a very nice theater that never went downhill. It opened around 1970 and I saw many films there. I remember the large crowd Christmas eve. 1976, when we waited to see the first disappointing “King Kong” remake. But that was the exception to the rule. For some reason,for the most part, this theater never drew big crowds. I remember once not being able to get into this theater, on a Saturday night, to see “Murder on the Orient Express.” But, for the most part, this theater never did a great business. When the UA Sheepshead Bay multiplex opened in 1987, it drew even more people away and was the final nail in this theater’s coffin. Actually this was a nicer and more relaxing place to see a film.
This theater opened up in the summer of 1987. I saw Schwarzennegger there in “Predator” the first week it opened. It was an immediate smash and knocked out many nicer places to see a film like the Loews Georgetowne twin. This place was so popular that on Saturday night, even if you lived close by, you had to leave at least 2 hours ahead of time to wait in an enormous line to get into their parking lot. It was the most frustrating experience and took the enjoyment out of going to the movies. Sometimes on a realy crowded night, you had to park blocks away. The more popular it got, the more it went downhill. It was discovered by a massive amount of hoodlums from outside the area. I can remember one blasting rap music in the theater, while an usher was nowhere to be found. I remember boobs shining small lasers at the screen and an idiot, sitting next to my sister, talking on a cell-phone during the last scene in “Titanic.” I moved out of Brooklyn in 1999 and I understand that they have revamped this theater, even making one into an IMAX. To be frank, despite my having seen many films there, I really don’t miss it.
This theater opened when the Kings Plaza mall opened in 1970 and, at the beginning, was quite popular. In 1971, I stood for 2 hours on a very long line waiting for the next showing of Sean Connery in “Diamonds are Forever.” (I saw many Bond films there.) One of my favorite memories was a rainy Christmas eve. 1978, sitting on the floor next to the Alexanders dept. store for several hours waiting, with my wife, for the next showing of “Superman.” I saw many films there and then 2 things happened: they turned 2 nice large theaters into four (six now.) But more importantly, individuals from outside the area discovered the plaza and this theater. As a result predictibly the crime rate went up and this was no longer a very enjoyable place to see a film. (I can clearly remember an incident of windows being smashed after a group of rowdy “youngsters” came out of a showing of Bad Boys.“) The last time I was there was in the late ‘80s or early '90s to take my son to see a Tom Selleck film "Mr. Baseball.” I have not been back since.
I went to the Rock Hill Drive-In one time during the summer of 1963. I had never been to a drive-in before or since. My family and I went to see “Tom Jones.” Since it was a double-feature, we saw the second feature first, one of the British “Carry On” films. Then there was a long intermission and coming attractions. At that point my younger brother, who was about 5 at the time, started crying that he wanted to go home. Since we couldn’t get him to stop, we had to leave before ever seeing the main feature. I do remember seeing the great trailer for “How the West Was Won,” one of my all-time favorite films, it was the high-point of my visit to the Rock Hill Drive-In.
My father grew up about a block away from this theater and while he took me to the movies a lot as a child, we never went here very much. Hedid tell me about the stage shows this theater used to show and what a beautiful theater it was. I did finally go in 1961 to see “The Guns of Navarone” here and found the theater to be sort of a small version of Radio City Music Hall with a round second level overlooking the massive inner-lobby. When I next was there in 1963 the area was going downhill fast and the theater was reduced to showing 2 horror films: “Werewolf in a Girl’s Dormitory” and Boris Karloff in “Corridors of Blood.” While these films do sound kind of low-grade, I have no doubt that there was a lot worse to come. This was a spectacular theater in its prime though.
My father grew up in Brownsville and used to take me to this theater. I can remember it being in the middle of an average street and my father sometimes parking across the street. Interestingly the only 2 films I can definitely remember seeing there were by the king of gimmicks: the great William Castle. The first being “Macabre” for which we were given a little piece of cardboard advising we were insured for $1000.00 by Lloyds of London in case we died of fright. The second film I remember was Castle’s most famous film “The Tingler.” I do remember that I did not get one of the seats wired by Castle to scare the audience during the sequence when the Tingler gets loose in the movie theater. These are my only memories of the Stadium theatre.