Queens Theatre
219-36 Jamaica Avenue,
Queens Village,
NY
11428
219-36 Jamaica Avenue,
Queens Village,
NY
11428
15 people
favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 164 comments
Hi “Youngnyer1!” I am amazed by some of the tax photos that you posted. Thank you for sharing them with us! I am a preservationist who has high hopes for a number of these properties. I would like to correspond with you via e-mail, since I have a few questions to ask. Please e-mail me at Thanks! – Michael
This photo was taken in 1941 when the theater had a double feature showing “Love Crazy,” starring Myrna Loy and William Powell, and “Underground,” starring Jeffrey Lynn and Philip Dorn. Note the banner advertising the “cool” air conditioned theater. Also note the young couple walking to the theater.
This photo is from the NYC Municipal Archives. This is one of 700,000 photos taken of NYC buildings between 1939 to 1941 for tax purposes.
View link
Please look at my other comments to see more photos from this
collection.
Warren & JKane,
Back in the pre-TV heydays, a REAL “top hit’s” first run was always as a single on Broadway (or Hollywood Boulevard); often including some vaudeville acts. So-called “first run” showings in suburban theaters followed several weeks later. At this point, a second film was normally added to replace the vaudeville; especially since the “feature” averaged only 90-100 minutes in length to begin with.
However, to call the second film a “hit” was pure hokum. It was extremely rare when a “co-feature” film outshone the feature. The Ernest Borgnine classic, “Marty,” was an especially outstanding example. The Queens, Floral, and Meadows theaters were packed for two solid weeks!
Thanks for posting that ad. That is a bizarre pitch, since the theaters listed below (including the Community about 3 blocks away, also a good-sized venue as I recall) all advertise double features as well.
Attended many double features here in the early and mid-60s (‘Portrait of a Mobster’/‘Fever in the Blood’ comes to mind for some reason); it was by far the largest venue in the area, though I never realized it had that many seats; somehow can’t picture a theater that size flourishing as an XXX house, though it probably afforded patrons ample ‘breathing’ room.
GregW… like it or not, it is a part of this theater’s history. Warren… did you notice that below the marquee and above the entrance doors it appears that the sign might read “Queens Village Theater?”
And Micheal D. Fein… I’ll never tell. The innocent must be protected!
EdSolereo, I gotta know. What happened at the Jamaica High School Senior Day in June of 1982?
Warren, I hate to say it, but I enjoyed your earlier pictures much more… Yuk!
Ha. Sex in Cunningham Park. Why am I reminded of the evening of Jamaica High School Senior Day in June of 1982???
Well KenF and GregW, I’m delighted to know there were such responsible and alert officials guarding the Queens balcony from such audacious behaviour. I always felt we should get sex out of the bedrooms and theatres, and into the bathrooms and Cunningham Park where it belongs. :–)
Gay hanky-panky in the upper reaches of the Queens? Not while I guarded the purple carpet and enforced the “Balcony Closed” sign in the mid-60s. And certainly not while my dad was among the gendarmie from the 105 who kept the back of the balcony safe for democracy (and the occasional nap).
You might very well by correct Greg. As I said, I was no longer in the area at the time, so I have no idea who was actually running the theatre. I just was told that the Queens Theatre had become a real “hot” zone for this kind of activity, but my sources did not mention whether or not the theatre had been sold or whatever.
Michael,
You might well be speaking of the theater’s later life as a porn house. There was absolutely nothing like that under Century Theaters management.
There was a time, before the theatre was completely out of business, that there was quite a bit of gay sexual activity in the balcony. By this time I no longer lived in the neighbourhood, but this was conveyed to me by several friends who would most definitely be in “the Know.” :–)
Michael – If your mom was there during that timeframe, I’m sure I knew her. Unfortunately, her name doesn’t ring a bell. But then we’re talking 50 years ago…
For a discussion of the popcorn and mice, check out the posts of 12/22/04 (above).
Re “alternate living,” you’re losing me. What do you mean?
Hello GregW,
Yes, it is very possible my mom worked in the Queens Theatre in the 1955 – August 1957 period. I believe she worked for the theatres until about 1958 or 59. Most of her time was spent at the Queens, but she also did time at the Fresh Meadows, The Alan, The Community and the Bellerose. Her name was Sylvia Fein.
Someone earlier mentioned the possiblity of mice in the popcorn bags or something like that. One day, when my mom was scooping out popcorn from that huge tank, she once took out the scoop and rather than popcorn, she found a rat.
The activity in the baclony was not quite the making out that most people described. It was far more “alternative living” kind of stuff.
Warren – Those are fantastic finds from the LIP archives.
Ed – Your 1993 photo of the marquee is as it existed in the mid-‘50s. But in the mid-'50s, the vertical still existed.
In the ‘20s, all marquee and vertical lighting was incandescent. But by the mid-'50s only clockwise “traveling” lights around the perimeters remained with incandescent lamps; all other lighting was neon or back-lighted florescent.
Michael – In your earlier post, you weren’t precise on your mother’s tenure at the Queens. Might 1955 through August ‘57 be included?
As for “what went on” in the balcony, read Dorothy’s post of 12/22/04. For over two years it was my (unfortunate) responsibility to STOP that stuff (chuckle)!
Thank you for sharing this photo of the Queens Theatre. This is one of the three Century Theates my mom worked in during the 50’s behind the candy counter. I spent many a weekend there as a kid watching films over and over again. When I was a teenager I also went to that theatre regularly with my Jr. High and neighbourhood buds. I always found the balcony a fascinating area to explore. You would be amazed what went on up there.
I wonder if anyone has any inside photos of this theatre to share with us.
Michael
Didn’t one of those “talkie” remakes involve the Ritz Brothers? The caricatures in that ad feature expressions similar to those in just about every Ritz Brothers publicity still I’ve ever seen! I guess to have them in the remake was a natural. And taken from a stage play, no less.
The original facade was pretty subdued, judging from that newspaper photo. Of course, we don’t have the advantage of a vintage color photograph… but here is an image from 1993 (which I previoulsy posted) with the ornamentation appearing to be largely intact. I’ll try to take some current day photos as soon as I get a chance. From driving by, I know the marquee has been spruced up – if not replaced – since ‘93.
Ed,
I remember – from my days as Head Usher – the occasional wad of gum on seats, missed by the cleaners.
Your Newsday ads evoke an interesting question: During the porn days, were the seats even more sticky??
I have a number of local newspapers from the 1980’s, saved for various reasons (the murder of John Lennon, the death of John Belushi, the Challenger tragedy, etc.) and I’ve posted a number of ads on this site from those papers. One thing I noticed from perusing those yellowing pages is that advertising for XXX theaters seemed to prosper in the NY Post and Daily News, particularly in the early part of the decade. The Times stopped allowing such advertising in the late 1970’s (after the chic had worn off). I never noticed any ads or listings for porn houses in Newsday until I came across these small ads from the fall of 1985:
Little Oval Annie – Newsday 9/23/85
Call Girls and Superstar Ladies – Newsday 10/5/85
Our favorite thing about the Queens Theater was, after seeing the movie, sneeking up to the balcony “living room” area and turning off all the lights. We would then hide and make the ushers find us. I was small enough to fit in space that was part of large chair. Sorry Greg W but if it wasn’t for us what would you ushers do? I wrote a book about growing up in QV in the fifties and there is a chapter on how to sneek into the Queens never the Community. It also covers Winter’s and Mueller’s Ice Cream Parlors,OLL,PS33 and Braddock Park.There is also a plan for getting a kiss while not getting slapped.
Here’s a small ad for the Queens (as well as the Austin and Olympia Theaters) from its XXX porn days:
Prisoners of Paradise
I assume the three theaters (all in various parts of Queens) fell under the same ownership during the time. The ad appeared in the 12/9/80 edition of the Daily News grouped in a lower corner of the page with an ad for a Kung Fu grind feature and some local “short stay” Motels.
I snapped the photo below in 1993 when the theater was vacant and about to be taken over by the church that presently occupies the building:
Coming Soon: New York Deliverance Gospel Tempel
I haven’t driven by the place in a while, but I do know that the word “Queens” has been removed from all sides of the current marquee.
KFP,
Frankly, I think we’re getting too far off the subject (the Queens Theatre) for this venue.
My e-mail address should be available for registered members.
Sorry,