Comments from michelemarie

Dear Astyanax, How true about leaving the Republic as a “Neighborhood Moviehouse”. I went there as a kid on Saturday’s when the Commodore was not showing any great movies….The Republic was to me a local moviehouse, not like the Metropolitan on Fulton Street..To me the Met was a High Class moviehouse. And the Paramount was also, The Fox reminded me of a regular Moviehouse and the RKO Albee was a Side Street on Albee Square Moviehouse..Go Figure.Anniegirl

Dear Warren, read my script from 9-25..any thoughts on when the Republic closed its doors?????anniegirl

That’s good at least you have a friend from the old neighborhood to talk too…If all goes well , I am going back to my old neighborhood next month for a memorial Mass for my best friend’s Dad. I will surely pass by the site of the Commodore and perhaps place a Rose there in the dirt if I am able to……..IN MEMORY….anniegirl

Dear PKoch. Does your friend know the Homestead Gourmet Deli on Lefferts Blvd??????? Great eats there…I always shopped there for Holiday Salads and Cold cuts and Polish Rye Bread….the best bread ever……Anniegirl

Dear Warren, When did Randiforce take over the Republic? In 1965, I was still living in Williamsburgh and still going to that moviehouse..but I cannot remember when it closed..any details in your investigation of the demise of this theater….anniegirl

Dear Poch, I moved to Kew Gardens after my entire family moved there. My Aunt and Uncle moved to Austin Street near Lefferts Blvd first, then my other Aunt moved to Kew Gardens Road ( she still lives there) then we moved to 129th Street and Metropolitan Ave..So we can all be close to one another..We all moved from Williamsburgh.
Dear Panzer 65, My only memories of the Republic were Saturday afternoons at that moviehouse when not at the Commodore…..anniegirl

Dear PKoch
I hung out there around 1960-1962..did you know the Brown Sisters Dolly and Theresa and their brother Billy or as he was known as Bubba Brown..All irish folks…also the Dietz sisters Tina and Donna they lived on the North Side near Bedford..The Browns lived on Bedford Ave near North 5th Street closer to the Park…Sometime later on we went to a place called Medford’s Bar and Pizza Joint on Metropolitan and Bedford Ave….We sometimes would hang out in Daisy’s Bar on Bedford and North 7th Street when at age 18 at the time you could actually go into a bar…We went to that Burger place only once….Did they also serve breakfast and lunch there? and were they on the corner of North 7th and Bedford. If so than that is the place we ate in a few times….Anniegirl

Hi Guys, anniegirl here, do any of you remember the Republic or as we called it the R&F on Grand Street in Williamsburg..It was demolished and turned into a Shell gas station. Talk about greed. The former owners must have made a mint. That moviehouse was on a tri-cornerlot of property….That was our alternate theater to go to on Saturday Afternoons…….

Dear All, It is my hope that the greed associated with these owners remains a vacant lot……The Commodore will always be in our memory and I hope they don’t make a cent for the land……I would like a memorial school built, but that is asing too much…..Well anyway long live the Commodore…….anniegirl

Dear Billburg, The B53was the Metropolitan Ave Bus and it turned Right on Broadway and Marcy…In 1970 the Marcy Theater was gone and the Williamsburgh Theater was on Broadway towards Bridge Plaza. By 1970 the Ice Cream parlor on Broadway down the block east of the Commodore was run by 2 very portly brothers and by 1970 it was gone forever only to be remembered in our memories….Thanks for the compliments PKoch and Panzer65……..and Ligg are you going to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel feast. It is going on now. I spent many a Summer Nights at the Feast as a kid growing up in Williamsburgh…All the smells and good eats there…and I have not heard anything about the development on the Northside…as of yet..Take care all…anniegirl

Dear Tantive7,
I grew up in Williamsburgh, I lived on Penn Street near Bedford Ave. The moviehouse you are talking about was in fact the Williamsburgh Theater next to it was Stevens, you could buy Ice Cream Cakes and Soft serve Ice Cream, also Charlotte Rouse cakes and a lot more…..The Marcy theater’s entrance was on Marcy and Broadway. There was a Rexall Drug store next to the entrance to the theater. The Marcy as I remember it was a small theater. The YMCA was across the street on Marcy Ave. The Johnathan Williams Houses were built across the street. Across from the Marcy facing Broadway (west) was
a newsstand and across from the newsstand was a Bar. I remember Woolworths, I went there all the time and next to it was a Thom McCan shoe store..Do you remember Laskas Florist in the middle of the Block on Broadway between Marcy and Havemeyer.I know the owner named Neil..We used to get free flowers, whenever we went into the
store.. Do you also remember the concord Cafeteria and the Bowling Alley above it on Broadway between Havemeyer and Roebeling Street..It sure was fun growing up in Williamsburgh in the 50’s and the 60’s…anniegirl

Dear Karen, My husband used to bowl on a league at Woodhaven Lanes. We now live in Long Island and we took our kids bowling one night and it cost us a small fortune. Nothing is cheap anymore, not even going to the movie with the kids. We usually go with our daughters one is 28 and the other is 17 and it cost’s almost $40.00 not including treats. We go to a moviehouse called Island 16, they have concession stands that if you buy a ticket for the directors studio for $12.00, They take your food order and deliver it to your seat. Can you imagine that. What is next, tables and charis in the moviehouse???????? Anniegirl