Hey Gencin… The Cine 1 & 2 were actually on the same block just a few doors up from the Embassy 2-3-4. The Criterion was a couple of blocks in the other direction (past the Embassy 1).
I hope to make it down for “Blade Runner.” How about that “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” 70mm print that was shown last year out west? I wonder if the folks (like myself) who would be interested in attending such a festival wouldn’t be more interested in securing grade A 70mm prints than they would in the actual titles being shown. I know it sounds a bit silly, but I’d almost rather see a pristine 70mm print of “Far and Away” than a badly beat-up 70mm print of “2001: A Space Oddyssey.” And I don’t think you’d get your hands on many quality 70mm prints if the film is to be run on a platter.
I wonder if it wouldn’t be worth pursuing the possibility of a venture between the Ziegfeld and a studio that might be interested in striking new 70mm prints to celebrate the classics in its library. Sort of like what Warner Brothers did at Radio City Music Hall a few years back.
I think the PG-rated version of SNF was released in 1978 to capitalize on the soundtrack’s popularity with a younger audience than would have normally been permitted to see the original R-rated cut. If I’m not mistaken, the PG version was later re-released as a late-run double feature with “Grease” sometime in late ‘78 or '79. Maybe even later than that.
Craig… any word on another run at the classic series later this year or perhaps when the winter doldrums hit next February? And will management ever consider at least a temporary abandonment of the platter system in order to accommodate a possible 70mm festival???
Did this theater survive into the RKO Century acquisition of ALMI? I’m still trying to ascertain if this theater was open in 1985. I’m pretty positive this is where I saw “Return of the Living Dead” – but as BobT noted, age is a bitch and the memory gets bitch-slapped around!
Hmmm… Does Ripleys occupy the former 42nd Street entrance to the Liberty? I haven’t been down there since it has opened, but judging by the location of the marquee (as per the photo I posted on June 4th) it looks like Ripley does in fact occupy the space, thereby cutting off access to the Liberty from 42nd Street. A key plan to restoring the Liberty to theatrical use would have to be providing adequate lobby and foyer space. I’m pretty sure that the backstage wall fronts onto 41st Street, which would make ingress and egress from that frontage problematic.
Hey Mike… I’m sure you know this already, but your theater’s greatest asset is the wonderful staff you have. Particularly the gentleman who presides up front where the tickets are ripped. A very friendly bunch and I hope you treat them well! If I ever bring myself to take another stab and test out the theater’s A/C, I’ll be sure to say hello to you.
Hey saps… Those Verizon commercials were filmed a few years back – I remember them being on TV at least 4 or 5 years ago. They’ve only just come back into circulation again recently. Not sure how long Clearview has run the Manhasset – still, pretty ironic that the marquee figures so prominently in a competitor’s advertisement!
The same church that operates out of the former Community Theater also owns the former Cambria Theater in nearby Cambria Heights, where regular services are also held.
I used to attend movies at the Lynbrook back in the 1980’s when it was a quartet. I’ve recently moved into Lynbrook from Queens and have visited the theater twice in the last few weeks. The first occasion was to see the movie “1408” which was playing in the pitifully small theater that has been constructed within former retail space just off the entrance foyer. Avoid this “screening room” at all costs if you like to see movies on a big screen – the room is a small square box and the screen anything but big. The night I went, the A/C was out in the main building but was working in the two newest theaters (the store front space I attended and the theater converted from the old backstage area).
Just a week or so ago, I took my son to the Lynbrook to see “The Simpsons Movie” and once again found that the A/C was not working in the main building. The wonderfully nice ticket-taker (an older gentleman who has worked there for years) was advising that the upstairs theaters were unbearably hot but that the two former orchestra auditoriums were reasonably comfortable. He allowed me to walk in to check out the room before I had to purchase our tickets. It seemed OK so I forged ahead. Little did I realize that I would be spending much of the movie swatting at the gnats that were buzzing around the theater in the humidity. I probably should have asked for my money back, even though we stuck it out to the end of the movie.
The place (particularly the older four theaters) has definitely been neglected over the years – the usual UA treatment. I would have guessed that the well worn padded wooden seats were the originals from 1923, but they probably only date back to the original division of the orchestra floor as they were clearly properly oriented towards the screen. Still, that means they date to the late 1970’s! Any decor that may remain from the theater’s original architecture is obscured by a thick red padding that now adorns the walls and a drap commercial drop ceiling in the lobby and foyer spaces. I haven’t been in the balcony theaters for many years, so I’m not sure if any original design elements are visible.
Mike… I appreciate your point of view as the theater’s manager, but I wonder if the place wouldn’t benefit from some TLC by Regal rather than bulldozing the structure and starting new. There is much history here and to have it unceremoniously razed – without even the consideration of upgrading the facilities – would be a shame. I would love it if any of the original design could be salvaged. Perhaps the drop ceiling could be removed to expose the original lobby decor – if any of it still exists. Even a gut job within the shell of the old theater with a restoration of the facade would be preferrable to a brand new structure. It’s really quite a handsome building and some of that character ought to be preserved.
So, the church conducts services upstairs in the former balcony? A post above states that services are held 10 am on Sundays and 7:30 pm on Wednesdays.
Just to follow up on Warren’s July 12th response to Queens Logic’s comments, the interior of the Trylon remained pretty much as it was on opening day – normal wear-and-tear notwithstanding – right up until the day it closed.
Hey Jason… I don’t think photographs would show you anything of distinction or interest. This was basically a non-descript twin tucked into the corner of an L-shaped strip of attached stores with an interior architectural style that would best be described as “concrete bunker.” The shopping center is still in existence and the exterior probably looks more or less the same as it did when the theater occupied the space. Next time I’m in the area I’ll try to remember to snap a couple of photos and post them here.
Warren posted a link to this forgotten-ny article about Albee Square over on the RKO Albee page. If you scroll down about 2/3 of the way you’ll come across a large vintage B&W image of the Flatbush Avenue Extension looking towards the elevated Myrtle Avenue subway line. At the far right is a canopy that reads “Photo Plays” belonging to the old Subway Theater. If you compare to Ken Roe’s 2006 photos above, you’ll see the same arch detail on the facade above where the canopy used to be. Ken actually describes this as a bricked-in exit door, with the original entrance located around the corner on Myrtle Avenue. I’m not sure if this doorway was used as an auxilliary entrance or if the canopy was merely installed for advertising purposes – since Flatbush Avenue Extension was unfettered by the El tracks.
The photo also clearly illustrates PKoch’s observation that the underground Myrtle Avenue subway station (you can make out the large signage for the station entrance just beyond the theater canopy) was distinct from the elevated Myrtle Avenue line.
Here’s a link to the Albee Square article on the Forgotten NY website that Warren mentioned above. If you scroll about 2/3 of the way down, there is a large vintage B&W image of the cobblestone Flatbush Avenue Extension which depicts a marquee at far right that reads “Photoplays”… What theater is this? I believe it to be a glimpse of the old Subway Theater.
This is not conclusive (a shot of the marquee would be best) but this 1980 ad clearly advertises the theater as the single word “Bayshore” – even though the town is most definitely named Bay Shore.
Late response here, Dora… While I do not actually remember Gary US Bonds from his heyday in the early 1960’s (I was born in 1965), I do know of him and recall his comeback in the 1980’s where he enjoyed a pair of well received and fairly popular rock radio hits – thanks in large part to the support of Bruce Springsteen.
Wow, interesting post. Too late for me, as I went to the theater just the other night to see “The Bourne Ultimatum.” I don’t know about any filthy hillbillies and henchmen, but I will say that the auditorium (number 4 upstairs) was not sufficiently air-conditioned and several seats (including the first one I tried) were broken. As I think has been mentioned on this page already, all traces of the old Fantasy have been completely eliminated – a complete gut-job very much along the lines of the old Meadows Theater in Fresh Meadows, Queens. It suffers from having been renovated prior to the establishment of the high-backed stadium style seating arrangement as the new standard.
There is one small item of interest to report: After the coming attractions, they ran a vintage “And now our feature presentation” bumper that must have dated back to the 1970’s. I wonder if theater management found this reel in some basement storage area and decided to put it back into circulation for nostalgia’s sake. Or is AMC going retro at other theaters?
Hey Bloop… That ad is from ‘79? Interesting that the “R” rated version of “Saturday Night Fever” is on the late-run double feature here. I remember that the film was re-issued in '78 at some point edited down for a “PG” rating in order to draw a wider audience. I’m a little surprised that UA was able to get a print of the original version for this engagement – though I guess with the “R” rated “Eyes of Laura Mars” on the same bill it makes sense.
There was an article in the NY Times a couple of weekends ago that focused on the adjacent novelty shop, The Funny Store. The story had to do with the store having to pack up and move to another location due to the sale of the building to developers. Here’s a passage:
<<The business, now at 44th Street and Eighth Avenue, has been part of the Times Square scene since 1957, changing owners and locations several times but always sticking to the same few blocks and staying ahead of rising rents, new zoning laws and new construction.
Now, it will have to move again. Mr. Martin’s landlord is selling the building, at 693 Eighth Avenue, to a developer, and he has to vacate the store by the end of the month to make way for condominiums. And retail rents in Times Square are now so high that he cannot afford to stay>>
The article makes a passing reference to the adjacent Playpen in this passage:
<<The Funny Store had an agreement with the Playpen, a shop selling sexually explicit materials next door that provided an entrance through the magic shop. The arrangement was drawn up after a 1995 antipornography law limited the amount and display of such materials sold in parts of the city to 40 percent of a store’s inventory or floor space.
That agreement ended last year, and now a wall has replaced the curtain.>>
Bottom line – Looks like the Times Square area gets another high rise condo and yet another of the neighborhood’s old cinemas bites the dust.
Hey Bloop… Sorry for delayed response (haven’t been online in a long while). You’re so right. The only “off years” I have are a Daily News from 1978 (no idea why my grandfather save that one) and a bunch from ‘85 due to the Mexico City Earthquake and '86 due to the Mets’ World Series victory (my grandfather was a huge Mets fan). Also have some from ‘92 when my daughter was born. That’s it. I know somewhere I have more from my grandfather’s collection – including the very last edition of a defunct NY paper (the Herald perhaps?) from the late 1950’s. I can remember that it had ads for that evening’s Giants game – which unbelievably started at 8:45 that evening! Games probably breezed by in an hour and 45 minutes back then! Anyway, I have to dig that up one of these days and upload some images from it.
Hey Gencin… The Cine 1 & 2 were actually on the same block just a few doors up from the Embassy 2-3-4. The Criterion was a couple of blocks in the other direction (past the Embassy 1).
Hey Hollywood… I’m sorry to hear that. Mind if I ask why? You can email me privately if you like:
I hope to make it down for “Blade Runner.” How about that “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” 70mm print that was shown last year out west? I wonder if the folks (like myself) who would be interested in attending such a festival wouldn’t be more interested in securing grade A 70mm prints than they would in the actual titles being shown. I know it sounds a bit silly, but I’d almost rather see a pristine 70mm print of “Far and Away” than a badly beat-up 70mm print of “2001: A Space Oddyssey.” And I don’t think you’d get your hands on many quality 70mm prints if the film is to be run on a platter.
I wonder if it wouldn’t be worth pursuing the possibility of a venture between the Ziegfeld and a studio that might be interested in striking new 70mm prints to celebrate the classics in its library. Sort of like what Warner Brothers did at Radio City Music Hall a few years back.
I think the PG-rated version of SNF was released in 1978 to capitalize on the soundtrack’s popularity with a younger audience than would have normally been permitted to see the original R-rated cut. If I’m not mistaken, the PG version was later re-released as a late-run double feature with “Grease” sometime in late ‘78 or '79. Maybe even later than that.
Craig… any word on another run at the classic series later this year or perhaps when the winter doldrums hit next February? And will management ever consider at least a temporary abandonment of the platter system in order to accommodate a possible 70mm festival???
Did this theater survive into the RKO Century acquisition of ALMI? I’m still trying to ascertain if this theater was open in 1985. I’m pretty positive this is where I saw “Return of the Living Dead” – but as BobT noted, age is a bitch and the memory gets bitch-slapped around!
Hmmm… Does Ripleys occupy the former 42nd Street entrance to the Liberty? I haven’t been down there since it has opened, but judging by the location of the marquee (as per the photo I posted on June 4th) it looks like Ripley does in fact occupy the space, thereby cutting off access to the Liberty from 42nd Street. A key plan to restoring the Liberty to theatrical use would have to be providing adequate lobby and foyer space. I’m pretty sure that the backstage wall fronts onto 41st Street, which would make ingress and egress from that frontage problematic.
Hey Mike… I’m sure you know this already, but your theater’s greatest asset is the wonderful staff you have. Particularly the gentleman who presides up front where the tickets are ripped. A very friendly bunch and I hope you treat them well! If I ever bring myself to take another stab and test out the theater’s A/C, I’ll be sure to say hello to you.
Hey saps… Those Verizon commercials were filmed a few years back – I remember them being on TV at least 4 or 5 years ago. They’ve only just come back into circulation again recently. Not sure how long Clearview has run the Manhasset – still, pretty ironic that the marquee figures so prominently in a competitor’s advertisement!
The same church that operates out of the former Community Theater also owns the former Cambria Theater in nearby Cambria Heights, where regular services are also held.
The church that operates out of the former Cambria Theater also holds services in the fromer Community Theater in Queens Village.
Here is the church’s website which states that the Cambria came into their posession on Easter Sunday, 1975.
I used to attend movies at the Lynbrook back in the 1980’s when it was a quartet. I’ve recently moved into Lynbrook from Queens and have visited the theater twice in the last few weeks. The first occasion was to see the movie “1408” which was playing in the pitifully small theater that has been constructed within former retail space just off the entrance foyer. Avoid this “screening room” at all costs if you like to see movies on a big screen – the room is a small square box and the screen anything but big. The night I went, the A/C was out in the main building but was working in the two newest theaters (the store front space I attended and the theater converted from the old backstage area).
Just a week or so ago, I took my son to the Lynbrook to see “The Simpsons Movie” and once again found that the A/C was not working in the main building. The wonderfully nice ticket-taker (an older gentleman who has worked there for years) was advising that the upstairs theaters were unbearably hot but that the two former orchestra auditoriums were reasonably comfortable. He allowed me to walk in to check out the room before I had to purchase our tickets. It seemed OK so I forged ahead. Little did I realize that I would be spending much of the movie swatting at the gnats that were buzzing around the theater in the humidity. I probably should have asked for my money back, even though we stuck it out to the end of the movie.
The place (particularly the older four theaters) has definitely been neglected over the years – the usual UA treatment. I would have guessed that the well worn padded wooden seats were the originals from 1923, but they probably only date back to the original division of the orchestra floor as they were clearly properly oriented towards the screen. Still, that means they date to the late 1970’s! Any decor that may remain from the theater’s original architecture is obscured by a thick red padding that now adorns the walls and a drap commercial drop ceiling in the lobby and foyer spaces. I haven’t been in the balcony theaters for many years, so I’m not sure if any original design elements are visible.
Mike… I appreciate your point of view as the theater’s manager, but I wonder if the place wouldn’t benefit from some TLC by Regal rather than bulldozing the structure and starting new. There is much history here and to have it unceremoniously razed – without even the consideration of upgrading the facilities – would be a shame. I would love it if any of the original design could be salvaged. Perhaps the drop ceiling could be removed to expose the original lobby decor – if any of it still exists. Even a gut job within the shell of the old theater with a restoration of the facade would be preferrable to a brand new structure. It’s really quite a handsome building and some of that character ought to be preserved.
And whatever happens – fix that air conditioning!
So, the church conducts services upstairs in the former balcony? A post above states that services are held 10 am on Sundays and 7:30 pm on Wednesdays.
Hollywood… have you moved your photos to a new server? None of your links to Photobucket seem to work any more.
Just to follow up on Warren’s July 12th response to Queens Logic’s comments, the interior of the Trylon remained pretty much as it was on opening day – normal wear-and-tear notwithstanding – right up until the day it closed.
Hey Jason… I don’t think photographs would show you anything of distinction or interest. This was basically a non-descript twin tucked into the corner of an L-shaped strip of attached stores with an interior architectural style that would best be described as “concrete bunker.” The shopping center is still in existence and the exterior probably looks more or less the same as it did when the theater occupied the space. Next time I’m in the area I’ll try to remember to snap a couple of photos and post them here.
I can only hope that the “free children’s playground” was empty throughout the engagement of these two particularly harrowing Dustin Hoffman flicks!
Hey Hollywood – what happened to your photos?
Warren posted a link to this forgotten-ny article about Albee Square over on the RKO Albee page. If you scroll down about 2/3 of the way you’ll come across a large vintage B&W image of the Flatbush Avenue Extension looking towards the elevated Myrtle Avenue subway line. At the far right is a canopy that reads “Photo Plays” belonging to the old Subway Theater. If you compare to Ken Roe’s 2006 photos above, you’ll see the same arch detail on the facade above where the canopy used to be. Ken actually describes this as a bricked-in exit door, with the original entrance located around the corner on Myrtle Avenue. I’m not sure if this doorway was used as an auxilliary entrance or if the canopy was merely installed for advertising purposes – since Flatbush Avenue Extension was unfettered by the El tracks.
The photo also clearly illustrates PKoch’s observation that the underground Myrtle Avenue subway station (you can make out the large signage for the station entrance just beyond the theater canopy) was distinct from the elevated Myrtle Avenue line.
Here’s a link to the Albee Square article on the Forgotten NY website that Warren mentioned above. If you scroll about 2/3 of the way down, there is a large vintage B&W image of the cobblestone Flatbush Avenue Extension which depicts a marquee at far right that reads “Photoplays”… What theater is this? I believe it to be a glimpse of the old Subway Theater.
This is not conclusive (a shot of the marquee would be best) but this 1980 ad clearly advertises the theater as the single word “Bayshore” – even though the town is most definitely named Bay Shore.
ALMI Theaters
Late response here, Dora… While I do not actually remember Gary US Bonds from his heyday in the early 1960’s (I was born in 1965), I do know of him and recall his comeback in the 1980’s where he enjoyed a pair of well received and fairly popular rock radio hits – thanks in large part to the support of Bruce Springsteen.
Wow, interesting post. Too late for me, as I went to the theater just the other night to see “The Bourne Ultimatum.” I don’t know about any filthy hillbillies and henchmen, but I will say that the auditorium (number 4 upstairs) was not sufficiently air-conditioned and several seats (including the first one I tried) were broken. As I think has been mentioned on this page already, all traces of the old Fantasy have been completely eliminated – a complete gut-job very much along the lines of the old Meadows Theater in Fresh Meadows, Queens. It suffers from having been renovated prior to the establishment of the high-backed stadium style seating arrangement as the new standard.
There is one small item of interest to report: After the coming attractions, they ran a vintage “And now our feature presentation” bumper that must have dated back to the 1970’s. I wonder if theater management found this reel in some basement storage area and decided to put it back into circulation for nostalgia’s sake. Or is AMC going retro at other theaters?
Hey Bloop… That ad is from ‘79? Interesting that the “R” rated version of “Saturday Night Fever” is on the late-run double feature here. I remember that the film was re-issued in '78 at some point edited down for a “PG” rating in order to draw a wider audience. I’m a little surprised that UA was able to get a print of the original version for this engagement – though I guess with the “R” rated “Eyes of Laura Mars” on the same bill it makes sense.
There was an article in the NY Times a couple of weekends ago that focused on the adjacent novelty shop, The Funny Store. The story had to do with the store having to pack up and move to another location due to the sale of the building to developers. Here’s a passage:
<<The business, now at 44th Street and Eighth Avenue, has been part of the Times Square scene since 1957, changing owners and locations several times but always sticking to the same few blocks and staying ahead of rising rents, new zoning laws and new construction.
Now, it will have to move again. Mr. Martin’s landlord is selling the building, at 693 Eighth Avenue, to a developer, and he has to vacate the store by the end of the month to make way for condominiums. And retail rents in Times Square are now so high that he cannot afford to stay>>
The article makes a passing reference to the adjacent Playpen in this passage:
<<The Funny Store had an agreement with the Playpen, a shop selling sexually explicit materials next door that provided an entrance through the magic shop. The arrangement was drawn up after a 1995 antipornography law limited the amount and display of such materials sold in parts of the city to 40 percent of a store’s inventory or floor space.
That agreement ended last year, and now a wall has replaced the curtain.>>
Bottom line – Looks like the Times Square area gets another high rise condo and yet another of the neighborhood’s old cinemas bites the dust.
Hey Bloop… Sorry for delayed response (haven’t been online in a long while). You’re so right. The only “off years” I have are a Daily News from 1978 (no idea why my grandfather save that one) and a bunch from ‘85 due to the Mexico City Earthquake and '86 due to the Mets’ World Series victory (my grandfather was a huge Mets fan). Also have some from ‘92 when my daughter was born. That’s it. I know somewhere I have more from my grandfather’s collection – including the very last edition of a defunct NY paper (the Herald perhaps?) from the late 1950’s. I can remember that it had ads for that evening’s Giants game – which unbelievably started at 8:45 that evening! Games probably breezed by in an hour and 45 minutes back then! Anyway, I have to dig that up one of these days and upload some images from it.