Oh, and all due respects to Janet Maslin (who was one of my favorite critics), “The Wall” – while not quite everyone’s cup of tea – was not a terrible movie. I saw it at the Ziegfeld on its original release and quite enjoyed it!
“But when it’s done sloppily, the showmanship is gone and the public is being cheated.”
And how.
Those last three paragraphs… sad that such presentations by such masters of their craft are now relegated to industry screening rooms out of the public’s view. I, for one, feel HORRIBLY cheated!
Just to correct the last sentence in my previous post. I found a comment posted by CT member Warren on the Embassy 2,3,4 page back in 2004, where he writes that the DeMille Theatre had closed in Sept of 1974 to undergo repairs after a fire had damaged portions of the balcony. The theatre re-opened in August 1975, still using the name DeMille. The theatre did not become a triplex until November of 1976 – as the Mark I, II and III. That would date the image I posted above of the Doll marquee to no earlier than 1974, and perhaps as late as 1976, depending on the reason for the renovations noted on the marquee in the clip from which I snagged the shot.
I was on the block earlier today and pulled over to see if the place was open. While the doors were locked and the lights turned off, I could look through the small square porthole windows on the front doors and note that there seems to be a small vestibule leading to a set of doors leading into the large gym space. The vestibule floor seems to retain the original upwards slope towards the inner doors and I suspect that this may have been the original outer vestibule under the theatre’s canopy. Next time I’m in a Barnes & Noble, I’ll have to look for the “Whitestone” book Warren posted about above and check out the 1946 image of the Rialto for comparison.
Those inner doors were open when I visited today, by the way, and I could make out that the space beyond is one big open room right back to the rear wall of the building. It was too dark to make out any details. I wonder if any elements remain at all – perhaps on the ceiling?
Fernando… I, for one, am extraordinarily grateful that the Rock Church came along and saved the Elmwood from an uncertain fate (RKO Keith’s anyone?), but I don’t think that the restoration path chosen for the exterior of the building is beyond critical analysis. That all this work has been done by volunteers is a tremendous credit to the Church and its congregation. Kudos and my sincere respect to all involved. However, I find (as do others) it extremely disappointing and frustrating that the beautiful original exterior – which appeared to be in very good condition right up to the end – was destroyed rather than preserved.
I hope that you don’t hold those opinions against those who have elected to post them here. I can understand your taking issue with the tone of some of the comments or the insulting asides that have been posted here by some, but understand that this is a website that is open to free discussion by all who wish to participate. As a result, the opinions expressed in this forum will inevitably run the gamut from respectful and well articulated to belligerently offensive – and everything in between. Please do not indict the entire board because you find a few of the opinions or comments to be critical or even disrespectful of the church’s plans and actions.
Here’s a local.live view looking at the back (or auditorium side wall) and proving that the Craft Theatre building itself is still very much in existence. This is the best view on local.live.com since the main facade and former entrance is obscured by the elevated train tracks on White Plains Road. A recon mission to the site is required to get a look at what remains of the theatre’s original facade elements and – if possible – interior design. I doubt it’ll be easy gaining access to the interior of a funeral home – particularly if there is a service going on. But perhaps the owners can be asked to advise if any of the interior was preserved in the conversion.
There is a glimpse of the Meadows from 1958 in the center image at the top of page 10 in the Fresh Meadows section of the queenspix.com website. The image ID is FRES137.
Already done. Ninety-one years of survival – even through the grime of the “Minnesota Strip” days – and now to be carelessly pounded into oblivion for yet another overpriced condominium for the well-to-do! I’m not optomisitic as greed always trumps historical preservation in this City, but as long as the building still stands, hope is alive. Good luck with your efforts!
Well, at least someday that stucco can be blasted off to reveal the terra cotta elements beneath. Unfortunately, I believe the original window lintels and decorative scroll and wreath motif just below the cornice were all stripped from the facade and thoughtlessly discarded. I haven’t been there in a while… does the stucco stop at the dentil molding at the base of the cornice? That seemed to be the direction the work was heading when I photographed the building back in October of last year. And then I believe the entire cornice was to be “whitewashed” to match the color of the stucco.
As unfortunate as the choices were for the exterior renovations, has anyone been inside to check up on the interior restoration?
Here’s a shot of the Bliss sidewall to illustrate Warren’s point. Not exactly the same when viewed side by side, but they do share that motif of lighter colored brick accents along the wall. I want to say there is a somewhat similar motif on the sidewall of the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, but I might be mistaken.
I’d be shocked if any theatre in Queens ever had TWO balconies, let alone three! Even in Manhattan, three balconies smacks more of a turn of the century opera house or concert hall – unless we’re talking Radio City Music Hall.
Where’d you find that bit of misinformation, shoeshoe? As you probably know, this was a modern theater opened in 1949 with a single balcony and featuring a streamlined decor that was far from ornate. If you haven’t already seen them, Warren posted some images of the exterior and interior of the Parsons back on September 2, 2005.
I think that some degree of upward slope in theatre vestibules and ticket lobbies was a rather common feature. The terrain around the Laurelton Theatre is pretty flat. It was probably necessary to raise the floor of the foyer and rear orchestra for the slope down to the screen. This way, fire exits behind the screen would let out right at ground level. If there were no slope up on the way in, the slope down towards the screen would put the screen end of the auditorium several feet below grade.
Scott… I maintain a Photobucket album where I’ve housed hundreds of photos of theatres in Queens and Nassau Counties (and elsewhere in the NYC area) that I’ve taken myself over the last couple of years. You are welcome to peruse those images and copy any files that you wish to use on your site. My albums are arranged by County or Borough and then by theatre. If you find the images to your liking, it might eliminate some legwork on your part and allow you to cover theatres that have not been well documented.
All I ask is that you give me proper photo credit if you elect to use any of my photos. It should be easy to distinguish those photos that I actually took myself as opposed to older photos that I copied form other sites. I always date my own photos with comments indicating month and year taken. If you wish to contact me privately with any questions, please feel free to do so at .
In any event – have a great time! Happy hunting and good luck!
Glad you enjoyed, PKoch. Those Castle Films, by the way, had no connection at all to William Castle. I used to think they did, but after looking it up on the internet a few years back I learned otherwise.
I remember those Castle films came in both 8mm and Super 8 and some had sound! I never had a sound projector, so that latter option was never a consideration. They also came in varying lenghts – the small reels that ran about 4 minutes and the larger reels that ran about 8 or 10 minutes. Whenever I passed a camera store with my folks or grandparents (or in a department store with a film or camera department) I’d beg them to let me go pick out a new film! The covers were great because they used the original poster art for the films. I had a bunch of the old Universal horror flicks in varying lenghts. “The Invisible Man,” “Frankenstien,” “Bride of Frankenstein,” “Son of Frankenstien,” “Frankenstien Meets the Wolfman,” “House of Frankenstien” and “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstien.” Also had “Dr. Cyclops” with Albert Dekker (and in color), “Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and the 1950’s sci-fi flick “Tarantula” with Leo G. Carroll. Because they were so condensed, we could run through our entire catalogue at the block parties in just over an hour! What fun that was! I’m sure I still have some of those films in their original boxes stashed away somewhere in my basement.
If I could only find my old Monster Times newspapers and Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines!!!
According to the intro, the Loews Auditorium here supports 70mm projection. I wonder if this is still the case and if so, do they run exclusively platter or do they have changeover capabilities for 70mm? I’d sure love to see AMC utilize the house in slower periods for 70mm revival if that’s possible.
Have they changed the name of the individual auditoriums since the AMC takeover? The premier auditorium with the balcony and huge screen was named the “Loews Auditorium.” I imagine since AMC owns the name Loews now that there’d be no reason to change anything. This might be my favorite room in NYC to see a movie. Even better than the Ziegfeld, in my opinion. This has always been a top-notch multiplex.
Hey saps. I purloined that one when it was posted a while back. I know Warren often rotates images out of his scrapbook, and I figured he wouldn’t mind me hosting it as well, provided I gave proper credit.
Just to correct an error from my post above. It was not the “Neighborhood Association” that picketed the Laurelton Theatre for showing porn, but a “Federation” of some 180 block associations from the community!
Warren, a definite possibility. However, while my area of Laurelton was not developed until the 1930’s, the area to the west in the 220’s had been developed by the 1920’s. The theater is located in this older section, so may have been completed by the late ‘20’s in anticipation of plans for further development to the north and east. According to the local library’s website, there were 3,000 residents in Laurelton by the 1920’s. However, that number would increase tenfold over the next decade.
Also interesting to note on the library site that development of the area had begun as early as 1905. The community history detailed on that site provides a more thorough dissemination of facts than I did above.
The Laurelton that my family moved to in 1973 was a quiet tree-lined neighborhood of tidy mostly detached Spanish-inspired stucco two-story homes. My understanding is that this section of homes (south of Merrick Blvd and east of 230th) was built in the 1930’s on the site of a former golf course. North of Merrick Blvd, the homes were mainly capes and colonials built of brick and on the western edge near 225th Street were the larger (and older) frame-construction colonials that dated to the early 20th century when the former farmland was first developed.
The area had a large African-American population (probably 50% or better by ‘73) but still had a reasonable mix of other ethnicities – including those of German, Irish, Italian and Jewish descent that had dominated the neighborhood in earlier decades. I remember the Jewish Synagogue on 228th Street was still a very active facility when I attended grade school across the street at PS 156. Today it is a Church. There was a very strong and active PTA at 156, with many parents also involved in the Neighborhood Association (the very same organization that had picketed in protest when the Laurelton Theater briefly switched to a XXX porn program). Block parties were an annual summer tradition throughout the nabe. My mom would run a cord from the stoop-light outlet of our home to power our 8mm home movie projector at the curb, where she’d run my collection of Castle Films titles (remember them before home video?) for all the kids on the block. Great times.
Merrick Blvd was the main commercial strip – with plenty of shops and services within easy walking distance of our house (which was three blocks from the strip on 231st Street near Francis Lewis Blvd). Not only could I walk to the Laurelton Theatre near 228th Street, but there was an awesome German deli on 230th, the Public Library on 225th, Stan’s Hardware on 229th, Martin Paints on the next block, the great Twin Ponds Bakery off 234th, the Bike shop on the corner of 233rd and – best of all – Gail & Larry’s Candy Store across 233rd from the bike shop, which had an old fashioned counter where one could order real fountain sodas, ice cream floats and egg creams (Yum)!
I remember before Merrick Blvd was completely re-paved and the traffic islands were added, one could still spot the old trolley car tracks and ancient paving stones peaking through spots were the road had been worn down.
The community had always been well-kept because most of the folks living there were property owners. Laurelton had been subject to the nefarious real estate scheme known as “blockbusting” that had been perpetrated by unscrupulous brokers who would exploit racial fear among the white homeowners in the area, convincing them that the influx of blacks to southeast Queens (which had begun after WWII but really picked up in the early ‘60’s) was bringing land values down. The whites were scared into selling and fleeing to more remote suburbs while the brokers themselves would steer prospective black homeowners to the area. I feel that the real problems began when investors starting buying up a number of homes in the neighborhood and started renting them out (often illegally letting individual rooms to low-income tenants and welfare recipients). As pride of ownership went by the boards, the remaining white families moved out and a number of concerned black families followed suit.
Oh, and all due respects to Janet Maslin (who was one of my favorite critics), “The Wall” – while not quite everyone’s cup of tea – was not a terrible movie. I saw it at the Ziegfeld on its original release and quite enjoyed it!
“But when it’s done sloppily, the showmanship is gone and the public is being cheated.”
And how.
Those last three paragraphs… sad that such presentations by such masters of their craft are now relegated to industry screening rooms out of the public’s view. I, for one, feel HORRIBLY cheated!
Just to correct the last sentence in my previous post. I found a comment posted by CT member Warren on the Embassy 2,3,4 page back in 2004, where he writes that the DeMille Theatre had closed in Sept of 1974 to undergo repairs after a fire had damaged portions of the balcony. The theatre re-opened in August 1975, still using the name DeMille. The theatre did not become a triplex until November of 1976 – as the Mark I, II and III. That would date the image I posted above of the Doll marquee to no earlier than 1974, and perhaps as late as 1976, depending on the reason for the renovations noted on the marquee in the clip from which I snagged the shot.
I was on the block earlier today and pulled over to see if the place was open. While the doors were locked and the lights turned off, I could look through the small square porthole windows on the front doors and note that there seems to be a small vestibule leading to a set of doors leading into the large gym space. The vestibule floor seems to retain the original upwards slope towards the inner doors and I suspect that this may have been the original outer vestibule under the theatre’s canopy. Next time I’m in a Barnes & Noble, I’ll have to look for the “Whitestone” book Warren posted about above and check out the 1946 image of the Rialto for comparison.
Those inner doors were open when I visited today, by the way, and I could make out that the space beyond is one big open room right back to the rear wall of the building. It was too dark to make out any details. I wonder if any elements remain at all – perhaps on the ceiling?
Fernando… I, for one, am extraordinarily grateful that the Rock Church came along and saved the Elmwood from an uncertain fate (RKO Keith’s anyone?), but I don’t think that the restoration path chosen for the exterior of the building is beyond critical analysis. That all this work has been done by volunteers is a tremendous credit to the Church and its congregation. Kudos and my sincere respect to all involved. However, I find (as do others) it extremely disappointing and frustrating that the beautiful original exterior – which appeared to be in very good condition right up to the end – was destroyed rather than preserved.
I hope that you don’t hold those opinions against those who have elected to post them here. I can understand your taking issue with the tone of some of the comments or the insulting asides that have been posted here by some, but understand that this is a website that is open to free discussion by all who wish to participate. As a result, the opinions expressed in this forum will inevitably run the gamut from respectful and well articulated to belligerently offensive – and everything in between. Please do not indict the entire board because you find a few of the opinions or comments to be critical or even disrespectful of the church’s plans and actions.
Here’s a local.live view looking at the back (or auditorium side wall) and proving that the Craft Theatre building itself is still very much in existence. This is the best view on local.live.com since the main facade and former entrance is obscured by the elevated train tracks on White Plains Road. A recon mission to the site is required to get a look at what remains of the theatre’s original facade elements and – if possible – interior design. I doubt it’ll be easy gaining access to the interior of a funeral home – particularly if there is a service going on. But perhaps the owners can be asked to advise if any of the interior was preserved in the conversion.
There is a glimpse of the Meadows from 1958 in the center image at the top of page 10 in the Fresh Meadows section of the queenspix.com website. The image ID is FRES137.
J.F. Lundy… I think the photo depicts the Fox Kew Gardens Theatre. The location definitely matches what we know about the Fox.
Already done. Ninety-one years of survival – even through the grime of the “Minnesota Strip” days – and now to be carelessly pounded into oblivion for yet another overpriced condominium for the well-to-do! I’m not optomisitic as greed always trumps historical preservation in this City, but as long as the building still stands, hope is alive. Good luck with your efforts!
Well, at least someday that stucco can be blasted off to reveal the terra cotta elements beneath. Unfortunately, I believe the original window lintels and decorative scroll and wreath motif just below the cornice were all stripped from the facade and thoughtlessly discarded. I haven’t been there in a while… does the stucco stop at the dentil molding at the base of the cornice? That seemed to be the direction the work was heading when I photographed the building back in October of last year. And then I believe the entire cornice was to be “whitewashed” to match the color of the stucco.
As unfortunate as the choices were for the exterior renovations, has anyone been inside to check up on the interior restoration?
Here’s a shot of the Bliss sidewall to illustrate Warren’s point. Not exactly the same when viewed side by side, but they do share that motif of lighter colored brick accents along the wall. I want to say there is a somewhat similar motif on the sidewall of the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan, but I might be mistaken.
I’d be shocked if any theatre in Queens ever had TWO balconies, let alone three! Even in Manhattan, three balconies smacks more of a turn of the century opera house or concert hall – unless we’re talking Radio City Music Hall.
Where’d you find that bit of misinformation, shoeshoe? As you probably know, this was a modern theater opened in 1949 with a single balcony and featuring a streamlined decor that was far from ornate. If you haven’t already seen them, Warren posted some images of the exterior and interior of the Parsons back on September 2, 2005.
You also see this entryway slope in many of the legitimate Broadway theatres.
I think that some degree of upward slope in theatre vestibules and ticket lobbies was a rather common feature. The terrain around the Laurelton Theatre is pretty flat. It was probably necessary to raise the floor of the foyer and rear orchestra for the slope down to the screen. This way, fire exits behind the screen would let out right at ground level. If there were no slope up on the way in, the slope down towards the screen would put the screen end of the auditorium several feet below grade.
Scott… I maintain a Photobucket album where I’ve housed hundreds of photos of theatres in Queens and Nassau Counties (and elsewhere in the NYC area) that I’ve taken myself over the last couple of years. You are welcome to peruse those images and copy any files that you wish to use on your site. My albums are arranged by County or Borough and then by theatre. If you find the images to your liking, it might eliminate some legwork on your part and allow you to cover theatres that have not been well documented.
All I ask is that you give me proper photo credit if you elect to use any of my photos. It should be easy to distinguish those photos that I actually took myself as opposed to older photos that I copied form other sites. I always date my own photos with comments indicating month and year taken. If you wish to contact me privately with any questions, please feel free to do so at .
In any event – have a great time! Happy hunting and good luck!
Glad you enjoyed, PKoch. Those Castle Films, by the way, had no connection at all to William Castle. I used to think they did, but after looking it up on the internet a few years back I learned otherwise.
I remember those Castle films came in both 8mm and Super 8 and some had sound! I never had a sound projector, so that latter option was never a consideration. They also came in varying lenghts – the small reels that ran about 4 minutes and the larger reels that ran about 8 or 10 minutes. Whenever I passed a camera store with my folks or grandparents (or in a department store with a film or camera department) I’d beg them to let me go pick out a new film! The covers were great because they used the original poster art for the films. I had a bunch of the old Universal horror flicks in varying lenghts. “The Invisible Man,” “Frankenstien,” “Bride of Frankenstein,” “Son of Frankenstien,” “Frankenstien Meets the Wolfman,” “House of Frankenstien” and “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstien.” Also had “Dr. Cyclops” with Albert Dekker (and in color), “Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and the 1950’s sci-fi flick “Tarantula” with Leo G. Carroll. Because they were so condensed, we could run through our entire catalogue at the block parties in just over an hour! What fun that was! I’m sure I still have some of those films in their original boxes stashed away somewhere in my basement.
If I could only find my old Monster Times newspapers and Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines!!!
According to the intro, the Loews Auditorium here supports 70mm projection. I wonder if this is still the case and if so, do they run exclusively platter or do they have changeover capabilities for 70mm? I’d sure love to see AMC utilize the house in slower periods for 70mm revival if that’s possible.
Have they changed the name of the individual auditoriums since the AMC takeover? The premier auditorium with the balcony and huge screen was named the “Loews Auditorium.” I imagine since AMC owns the name Loews now that there’d be no reason to change anything. This might be my favorite room in NYC to see a movie. Even better than the Ziegfeld, in my opinion. This has always been a top-notch multiplex.
Hey saps. I purloined that one when it was posted a while back. I know Warren often rotates images out of his scrapbook, and I figured he wouldn’t mind me hosting it as well, provided I gave proper credit.
Just to correct an error from my post above. It was not the “Neighborhood Association” that picketed the Laurelton Theatre for showing porn, but a “Federation” of some 180 block associations from the community!
Ibnybill… This photo is posted somewhere above – maybe from Warren? With all the comments since then, I thought it worth a repeat link.
Warren, a definite possibility. However, while my area of Laurelton was not developed until the 1930’s, the area to the west in the 220’s had been developed by the 1920’s. The theater is located in this older section, so may have been completed by the late ‘20’s in anticipation of plans for further development to the north and east. According to the local library’s website, there were 3,000 residents in Laurelton by the 1920’s. However, that number would increase tenfold over the next decade.
Also interesting to note on the library site that development of the area had begun as early as 1905. The community history detailed on that site provides a more thorough dissemination of facts than I did above.
The Laurelton that my family moved to in 1973 was a quiet tree-lined neighborhood of tidy mostly detached Spanish-inspired stucco two-story homes. My understanding is that this section of homes (south of Merrick Blvd and east of 230th) was built in the 1930’s on the site of a former golf course. North of Merrick Blvd, the homes were mainly capes and colonials built of brick and on the western edge near 225th Street were the larger (and older) frame-construction colonials that dated to the early 20th century when the former farmland was first developed.
The area had a large African-American population (probably 50% or better by ‘73) but still had a reasonable mix of other ethnicities – including those of German, Irish, Italian and Jewish descent that had dominated the neighborhood in earlier decades. I remember the Jewish Synagogue on 228th Street was still a very active facility when I attended grade school across the street at PS 156. Today it is a Church. There was a very strong and active PTA at 156, with many parents also involved in the Neighborhood Association (the very same organization that had picketed in protest when the Laurelton Theater briefly switched to a XXX porn program). Block parties were an annual summer tradition throughout the nabe. My mom would run a cord from the stoop-light outlet of our home to power our 8mm home movie projector at the curb, where she’d run my collection of Castle Films titles (remember them before home video?) for all the kids on the block. Great times.
Merrick Blvd was the main commercial strip – with plenty of shops and services within easy walking distance of our house (which was three blocks from the strip on 231st Street near Francis Lewis Blvd). Not only could I walk to the Laurelton Theatre near 228th Street, but there was an awesome German deli on 230th, the Public Library on 225th, Stan’s Hardware on 229th, Martin Paints on the next block, the great Twin Ponds Bakery off 234th, the Bike shop on the corner of 233rd and – best of all – Gail & Larry’s Candy Store across 233rd from the bike shop, which had an old fashioned counter where one could order real fountain sodas, ice cream floats and egg creams (Yum)!
I remember before Merrick Blvd was completely re-paved and the traffic islands were added, one could still spot the old trolley car tracks and ancient paving stones peaking through spots were the road had been worn down.
The community had always been well-kept because most of the folks living there were property owners. Laurelton had been subject to the nefarious real estate scheme known as “blockbusting” that had been perpetrated by unscrupulous brokers who would exploit racial fear among the white homeowners in the area, convincing them that the influx of blacks to southeast Queens (which had begun after WWII but really picked up in the early ‘60’s) was bringing land values down. The whites were scared into selling and fleeing to more remote suburbs while the brokers themselves would steer prospective black homeowners to the area. I feel that the real problems began when investors starting buying up a number of homes in the neighborhood and started renting them out (often illegally letting individual rooms to low-income tenants and welfare recipients). As pride of ownership went by the boards, the remaining white families moved out and a number of concerned black families followed suit.
In other words, Lost is a bit weary from “baby sitting” me over there! Don’t worry, it’s a padded room and I’ve had my medicine.