Ridgewood Theatre
55-27 Myrtle Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
55-27 Myrtle Avenue,
Ridgewood,
NY
11385
31 people
favorited this theater
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Here’s the link for “Without A Stitch” :
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063732/
Couldn’t find anything on IMDb about “Maxigasm”. Perhaps it was never released. Also, IMDb identifies Carlo Ponti as a film producer, not a director.
Jagger wore a striped rugby shirt with a white collar for the interview photos. He said “Maxigasm” was being directed by “a few freaks”, and also mentioned his reaction to “2001” (which he saw with all the other Stones and their wives and girlfriends in May 1968) and the Jean-Luc Godard film, “One Plus One” later re-titled “Sympathy For The Devil” that he and the Stones were in.
I think so, mike movies. Mick Jagger mentioned it in a June to September 1968 interview with Jonathan Cott and Sue Cox of “Rolling Stone” magazine. I also saw Tiny Tim mention it on TV sometime in 1968. I’ll check it out on IMDb and post the link to the IMDb page here, ditto “Without A Stitch”.
Was the Maxigasm the movie that the Rolling Stones were supposed to appear in? I’m not familiar with the movie premise and never saw it. Is it available in stores? Perhaps I have Maxigasm confused with another movie.
Here’s the link to the IMDb page for “Paranoia” :
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063413/
It’s original European release title was “Orgasmo”. Kind of says it all. Reads like it could be Superman’s sexy pet, instead of “Krypto”.
Anyone remember a Carlo Ponti film from 1968 or 1969 titled “The Maxigasm”, or “Without A Stitch” at the RKO Madison in April 1970 ?
Hmmmm …. “Change Of Mind” … the ultimate Halloween masquerade ? White man’s brain in a black body, with Star Trek’s lovely “Vina” (Susan Oliver) to canoodle with ? Heady stuff, apropos to the late 1960’s.
Thanks, ErwinM and EdSolero, for the details of the Wienerwald / Jaegerhaus. It reads like a good place. Sorry in retrospect I never ate there. On Friday November 11th 1994, after seeing “Stargate” at the Trylon, my wife and friends and I ate at the Triangle Hofbrau in Richmond Hill instead of the Jaegerhaus. That was the last time I saw a movie at the Trylon and the last time I ate at the Hofbrau. Sorry to see them both go.
I also remember Dinkelacker Beer also. Thanks for the memories.
That was also ten years and eight days after the first film I saw at the Trylon, “Firstborn”, with Teri Garr, Peter Weller and a young Sarah Jessica Parker, fresh out of “Square Pegs” TV show, on Saturday November 3rd 1984.
RobertR, thanks for posting the newspaper ad. I remember that ad for “The Oblong Box”, and when it played at the Ridgewood. I didn’t see it myself there, although my mother and aunt did. I remember almost all the other films except the X-rated one. I remember the film advertised at the left edge, “Change Of Mind”, with Raymond St. Jacques and Susan Oliver, at the RKO Madison, around Halloween 1969.
A fun Halloween double bill from 1969
View link
I can recall having a couple of steins of Dinkelacker over a nice filling meal at the Jagerhaus on several occasions back in the ‘80’s. They had the most awesome raisin bread there.
PKoch….We’re off topic, but the “Wienerwald” (translate as “Vienna Woods”) was at the Queens Boulevard location first. When it closed the restaurant became the “Jaegerhaus”, which you recall. When they closed it became “Anna’s Place”. In any event all three were good eateries to have dinner followed by a movie at the late lamented Trylon Theater, which was just a few blocks away.
I recall a “JaegerHaus” on Queens Blvd. in November 1994. I never ate there.
JDennis….I believe that the German restaurant you are thinking about was the “Wienerwald”. It was part of a chain in Germany that tried to make it in the US, but never quite made it. “Anna’s Place” on Queens Boulevard near 63rd Drive was also one of the original “Wienerwald"s in New York.
I remember the nightclub, “The Arena” over there, across from Antelyes Animal Hospital, but not the German restarant. “The Arena” had it’s name in huge concrete letters across the top of the building. It later (late 80’s-early 1990’s) became the showroom for I think LaFres Ford.
JDennis, you are most welcome. My pleasure. As to our ages, I will be 51 next month. Thanks for the update on Joe Petardi.
The only eatery near Meyer Chevrolet at Fresh Pond and Metropolitan that I know of was the Fresh Pond Diner, on the southwest corner, now gone.
I never attended a Christmas special at the Ridgewood Theater.
The only eating places I know of across Myrtle Avenue from the Ridgewood Theater were the Little Garden Restaurant, many years ago, and more recently, Ding Ho Chinese Restaurant, later replaced by Merry Land Chinese Restaurant about 1995.
I don’t remember a murder across the street from the Ridgewood Theater in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Detective Anthony Venditti was gunned down in the Castillo Diner on the triangle formed by Myrtle, St. Nicholas and Woodbine late January 1986. That is across and half a block east on Myrtle Avenue from what used to be the RKO Madison Theater.
Peter K,
Thank you for the trip down memeory lane. I must be a little younger than you. I spent eight years at St. Brigids. The names you mentioned like Petardi. His kids went to St. Matthias with my son. Some of the other names must have been syblings of the kids I went to school with due to different first names.
Does any one remeber the name of the German restaurant/caterer that was on Fresh Pond Road off Metro late 60’s early seventies basically next door to Myer Chevrolet? After they tore it down it was the Arena night club. Anyone remeber the Ridgewood Theature had christmas specials. All the kids showed up and had chances to win prizes in the theature? I watched all the kung fu movies there.
Late 60’s early seventies there was a murder across the street from the theater in front of the diner, anyone remeber that?
There are a few interior photo’s already posted by KenRoe. Perhaps you could use those NativeForestHiller. On the RKO Madison Theatre listing Vik was going to take some photo’s of the Ridgewood Theatre and post them. Perhaps Vik forgot to take the photo’s.
The Jamaica Library’s files might be limited on this theater. They recommended contacting the Greater Ridgewood Historical Society, which I did. I will keep you informed.
P.S. When we conduct research or visit locations, I do not wish to act alone. We accomplish a whole lot more as a unified force.
Sorry I haven’t posted for a while. In regard to landmarking, I plan on conducting research at the LI Division of the Jamaica (Central) Library. They have lengthy archives. I will incorporate my findings into a report that will run ¾ – 1 full page. I will attach that to the Request For Evaluation (RFE) form to send to the Landmarks Preservation Commission. Does anyone wish to join me at the library? Please let me know via e-mail at
I would also appreciate it if someone can take various shots of the Ridgewood Theatre’s exterior, as well as some interior shots of potential landmark-worthy spaces. When photographing the exterior, I recommend taking wide angles of the facade, close-ups of facade features, the entire streetscape, and side views to establish the theater’s relationship to the street according to passersby. These photos must accompany the RFE form to send to the Landmarks Commission.
Please e-mail me (Michael) and carbon copy AL at Thank you!
Where are we in the land mark process fella’s. I have not received any emails from the Ridgewood theatre for awhile. Do we need to contact anyone else? Perhaps we need better organization. Would someone like to take the lead and be in charge of this process?
Bway, I vaguely remember that also.
In the center of the “pie”, I remember in the 80’s, they had a sign in that black area that had either “3-Plex” or “5-plex” on it. It was a large number, with “plex” in smaller letters written right throiugh the middle of it. I don’t know when they took that down.
Yes, Bway. It’s still more conspicuous, and looks more like a movie theater, than the Kew Gardens Cinema, the former Austin, on Lefferts Blvd. just southwest of Austin St.
Yes, they probably took the vertical sign down when the marquee collapsed. They probably thorugh the bolts were getting old on that too, and better remove it before it came down like the marquee did. All you needed was a windy day, and if it wasn’t secure, it would have blew off, so I guess they figured to take it downn before that happened.
I believe the marqee in the 30’s photo was pronbably the original, but perhaps not. The Madison had a very simple marquee when it first opened, from photos I have seen, but those were very popular at the beginning. I think it was only the late 20’s or early 30’s when they started using those fancy marquees with all the lights flashing, so it is possible that the Ridgewood’s marquee was also one of those simpler old fashioned marquees, before getting the ornate one that is seen in the 1930’s photo.
I agree, the current marquee on the Ridgewood is too small, as it’s slanted to a pie shape, rather than a squared off marquee like the old one.
Here’s an easy reference link to a photo of the RIdgewood I took about two years ago….I posted it above, but it would be some large project to find it with all the posts in this thread:
Click here for photo 1
CLick here for photo 2
But of course….it’s way better than “no marquee”!!
I know what you mean, Bway. I remember both marquees lit up at night, and how they looked.