Syosset Triplex
565 Jericho Turnpike,
Syosset,
NY
11791
565 Jericho Turnpike,
Syosset,
NY
11791
11 people
favorited this theater
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“The day they knocked down the Pally, my sister stood and cried.
The day they knocked down the Pally, part of her childhood died."
—the Kinks, "Come Dancing”
I remember moving to Syosset at the age of 9 in 1981, about two or three years before they converted the Syosset into a triplex. The last movie they played there before the conversion was “Superman III”, I believe. I also remember seeing a triple-bill of the “Star Wars” trilogy there. My Dad was ready to kill me for dragging him to six hours of “Star Wars.”
This was such a huge part of growing up. Me and my best friends went there all the time, either just to hang out during the summer or, in high school, on dates. Saw a lot of great movies there (“Poltergeist”, “Batman”, “When Harry Met Sally”) and some not-so-great movies (“Cobra”). It was located perfectly next to McDonald’s and within walking distance of Syosset House diner and Carvel, perfect for carless teens.
When they closed the place down, I felt just like that Kinks song. It really felt like a huge part of my childhood was gone. As a result, I have refused to set foot in the retail space that now festers there on principle. It also increased my hatred of souless, anticeptic multiplexes. I’d much rather go out of my way to the Babylon Triplex, one of the last vestiges of the old-school movie theaters than to the zillion-screen megaplex off the highway.
As an addendum to that last statement…i meant driving by on Jericho Turnpike, not the World Trade Center site. (A totally different version of wincing…)
Ah man….memories of seeing great films on that LARGE screen: “Alien”, “Monty Python’s The Meaning Of Life”, “Pink Floyd: The Wall”, “Outland”, “The Killing Fields”, “The Shining”…and years before those films, a school bus trip to see a matinee of “Godspell” (an underrated musical that shows an empty Manhattan thru much of the film…and a then-brand new World Trade Center still unfinished, with the end of a song on top of the first finished tower!)
I wince every time i drive by….
This modern palace used to be where exclusive engagements for Long Island were shown before the “150”. The parking lot was tremendous It was near Lollipop farm, which is now David Lerner and Associates. After being vacant for years, the Office Depot, which had replaced the theater, was doubled in footprint and stories. Its now a mini-mall palace. The two anchor stores are a Marshal’s Mega-store and a Petco, which used to be in Hicksville.
This theatre had 3 projector Cinerama in the early 60’s. The Able and Charly booths were built into the outside walls sticking out over the walkways. I saw GONE WITH THE WIND in 70MM IN 1968. I believe the theatre had private press showings of MAD MAD WORLD IN 70MM IN 1963 before the WARNER CINERAMA IN NYC had been renovated for the No. 1963 opening.
I believe an Office Depot was opened on the former site of the theater, yet when I drove past the place last April, the store had gone out of business and the space was for rent.