You jogged one memory, here, Al… but I’m not sure if it’s the same place we each have in mind. There was a place called the Auto Pub in the GM building on 5th Ave between 59th and 58th. I had a brief discussion about this place with a couple of other members on the RCMH page. The Auto Pub had two dining rooms. The one in the rear was set up the way you describe – each table was built into a different car chassis and we would dine while watching a movie on the big screen at the front of the room. I remember seeing “Airport” there in the late ‘70’s. But now that I am recollecting, I seem to recall that there was a place downtown – I thought more the financial district than Tribeca, but I could be mistaken. I never went to that place.
Thanks, Patrick. Perhaps you should have another go at the Ambassador, Al. Maybe even the Earl Carroll. Leaving it as liberal as Patrick has (“it could be weeks”) that opens up legit theaters that served for one-off premiere movie engagements. I can’t think of the specific case, but wasn’t the Royale or St. James (perhaps it was both) booked for an exclusive road-show engagement for a big MGM musical in the late ‘50’s? I want to say “Gigi” but I can’t recall the details.
Fair point, YankeeMike. I was not aware of that. I wonder if these prints were only available on certain weekends. I’m not looking to defend the FOL, I just think folks shouldn’t rush to judgment. Perhaps FOL should be contacted and the concerns presented in this forum shared directly with the theater.
Do we have a firm address, Lost? The address range for the building (including the storefronts) is 135-29 through 135-45. That would run left to right (or west to east) as you look at the facade from Northern Blvd. According to the address currently hung on the construction shedding, it looks like the main entrance under the marquee is 135-35 Main Street. Perhaps someone has an ad from the early days that lists the theater’s address. It may be posted above, but there’s so much volume on this site to sift through!
I looked up the C of O information (taking a page from Lost’s book) and found only one available for viewing within the Building Department’s website, which lists the full address range. That C of O is dated March 30, 1981 for alterations that were completed in 1976 (presumably, this is the conversion from single screen to triplex). I guess it took RKO a few years to get the City every little thing it wanted to issue a final Certificate. By the way, the seating broke down to a total of 1040 for a “Motion Picture Twin Theatres” on the 1st level and 1296 for the Balcony theater.
Hmmm. What are the site guidelines in that regard? The George M. Cohan is listed here, which was built for stage shows but – due to a string of flops – started running cinema on weekends and during dark periods in the 1920’s. It did go full-tilt cinema in 1932, lasting 6 years before demolition in ‘38. Is there a required 5 year minimum consecutive run at movie exhibition for submission eligibility? Is that information anywhere to be found?
Frankie, I’m not sure that’s the proper response. Alto brings up a valid concern. However, I’m not sure if observances of ANY religious holiday have ever been a consideration in the day-to-day business of movie exhibition – even with a specialized revival or repertoiry houses where films are only presented for a single day or two. Is it a major blunder on FOL’s part? I don’t know about that. But I think it behooves FOL to ascertain the feelings of their patrons on the matter. Have there been previous scheduling conflicts with holidays such as these and if so have regular patrons complained about it? How does the Film Forum (another not for profit organization) handle such scheduling?
I wouldn’t rush to charge FOL with insensitivity, however. They are operating on limited funds and have only so many weekends on which they can book their programs. Would it have been acceptable to book a program of less notable stature rather than Hitchcock for this particular weekend? Or should the theater have gone dark and lost out on much needed ticket revenue?
My mistake. Evidently, there is no Earl Carroll listing on CT. I suppose this might mean that the Carroll never had a policy of motion picture exhibition. Perhaps the Paree is due its own listing, if a decent amount of information is available about its history.
Of course, we also have some historical data with respect to opening date and famous personalities who have graced the Keith’s stage during its vaudeville days, but I’ll leave that to others who have more familiarity with those facts to summarize them for Bryan to include in an update to the introduction.
It occured to me that the introductory passages at the top of this page are in serious need of an update. Here’s what we know:
The chain was obviously RKO. The building’s lobby and grand foyer were designated a NYC landmark in 1984 after Queens Borough President Donald Manes (who would later commit suicide while embroiled in a high profile corruption scandal) persuaded the LPC that the auditorium should not be considered for protection. The theater was closed at the end of the summer of 1986 and owner Tommy Huang began to destroy parts of the interior, including landmarked portions. The facade was not removed (as indicated in the intro above) but the windows have been bricked up and some of the detail either stripped or severely weather damaged. Currently, a development plan seems to have been adopted that would restore portions of the damaged landmarked areas and construct a high-rise mixed use condo tower above the site.
Now the question is… where and what was the Paree Theatre? It rings a definite bell in my head (I can just barely hear it above all the voices). Would that address put it up near 50th? Near the old Earl Carroll?
C'mon, Al… Make Lost’s day! I think he is on to something here. The only other possibility for the C of O info he found for 719 Seventh Ave would be if there was another theater on the east side of Seventh on the next block, between 48th and 49th. I know that the Avon 7 (which was on the west side of that block) was number 724 Seventh Ave and that was very close to the 48th street corner. I’m guessing that 719 is the Doll building and that the 48th-49th block began with either 721 or 723.
Can we get an “Amen!” and have Bryan update the address information?
Looks to me like 1970’s or very early ‘80’s, from the marquee and make of that car parked in front. I have a vague memory of the roof-top sign even during the Keith’s triplex days. I couldn’t find the article on the News’ website. Perhaps if someone has a copy of the paper in front of them, they can make out the titles on the marquee for an approximate date of the photo.
You’re welcom, Gene. Being a native and life-long Queens boy, I don’t exactly give the English language its proper phonetic respect at all times, myself! I try, but sometimes the old accent has a complete relapse!
Art Theatre… would you care to make an intelligent and legitimate theater related comment here? Please, illuminate us. Otherwise, are you looking to re-ignite the flame wars now that the situation has in fact simmered down? If so, you’ll get no satisfaction from me. However, I do feel compelled to ask why you continue to make comment about this theater’s thread. If the topic is of no interest to you, move on. There is a scroll feature available whereby you can skip past any posts that are not of interest. Hmmm. The tone of your comments and your choice of words strike me as somewhat familiar. I can’t put my finger on it, but it seems like you’ve posted comments on this site before, but using a different name. Nah… that’s against the rules set by the proprietor’s of this site. You wouldn’t stoop to that. It must simply be a coincidence.
RobertR, Ken Roe and AlAlvarez have all submitted such theaters on this site and, despite the complaints of some on this site, I hope they continue to do so until every little theater in the Times Square area and beyond is listed here! Where else can one go to find out ANY information on those dens of perverse pleasure and iniquity? They may not have been my cup of tea, but one man’s rubbish is another’s treasure. And, if you ask me, the art of movie-exhibition showmanship died with these often squalid little retail-conversion porn pits and the grinds on 42nd Street. New York hasn’t been the same since being scrubbed clean of them in the 1990’s.
Gene r… The RKO “Keats” you refer to is the RKO Keith’s on Hillside where it meets up with Jamaica and Myrtle next to Jahn’s ice cream parlor. Funny you remember it that way… it was probably how a lot of locals referred to the theater in New York vernacular – “da Keats”! The Keith’s has a listing as well on CT right here.
Bway, my notices to email about comments on CT seems to be working fine. Including not getting emails for threads that I have “unsubscribed” to. Remember all, it isn’t enough to uncheck the box below. If you’ve ever had it checked, you must then respond to the email notification using the link given to take yourself notification. Not sure what the story is with your account, Bway.
This listing (along with the Mayfair/Demille and Cine 1 & 2) now completes the west side of the block on 7th Avenue between 47th and 48th Street. All those little Times Square nooks and crannies are slowly being filled in, thanks in large part to RobertR.
The Embassy 2, 3, 4 is still running at the time. Out of frame and to the left on the corner of 48th and 7th would have been the Doll Theater, which was closed sometime earlier and featured a mix of live sex shows and films. RobertR created a listing for the Doll and posted a great photo featuring a shot of the Cine 1 and 2 in its Spanish language days.
I remember this theater, RobertR. Great photo. I recall my friends and I strolling down 7th Ave from the 53rd Street IND station into Times Square and being beckoned by the theater’s street hawker to go on in and have a great time. We were maybe 15 or 16 first time that happened!
After ending the Spanish language policy, the adjacent Cine 1 & 2 became the porn palace Show Follies sometime in the late ‘80’s and featured a mix of live nude reviews and XXX films in 4 auditoriums on a 24 hour grind lasting into the early '90’s. It looked like a sister of the Show World facility over on 8th Ave and 42nd so it might have also been run by local porn king Richard Basciano.
I was asking myself the same question. Not sure I want to spend $250, but I’d sure love to peruse those magazines! Particularly the issue featuring the Rialto – which I presume would be about the opening of the 1935 theater designed by Rosario Candela that replaced the original Rialto.
You jogged one memory, here, Al… but I’m not sure if it’s the same place we each have in mind. There was a place called the Auto Pub in the GM building on 5th Ave between 59th and 58th. I had a brief discussion about this place with a couple of other members on the RCMH page. The Auto Pub had two dining rooms. The one in the rear was set up the way you describe – each table was built into a different car chassis and we would dine while watching a movie on the big screen at the front of the room. I remember seeing “Airport” there in the late ‘70’s. But now that I am recollecting, I seem to recall that there was a place downtown – I thought more the financial district than Tribeca, but I could be mistaken. I never went to that place.
Thanks, Patrick. Perhaps you should have another go at the Ambassador, Al. Maybe even the Earl Carroll. Leaving it as liberal as Patrick has (“it could be weeks”) that opens up legit theaters that served for one-off premiere movie engagements. I can’t think of the specific case, but wasn’t the Royale or St. James (perhaps it was both) booked for an exclusive road-show engagement for a big MGM musical in the late ‘50’s? I want to say “Gigi” but I can’t recall the details.
Fair point, YankeeMike. I was not aware of that. I wonder if these prints were only available on certain weekends. I’m not looking to defend the FOL, I just think folks shouldn’t rush to judgment. Perhaps FOL should be contacted and the concerns presented in this forum shared directly with the theater.
Do we have a firm address, Lost? The address range for the building (including the storefronts) is 135-29 through 135-45. That would run left to right (or west to east) as you look at the facade from Northern Blvd. According to the address currently hung on the construction shedding, it looks like the main entrance under the marquee is 135-35 Main Street. Perhaps someone has an ad from the early days that lists the theater’s address. It may be posted above, but there’s so much volume on this site to sift through!
I looked up the C of O information (taking a page from Lost’s book) and found only one available for viewing within the Building Department’s website, which lists the full address range. That C of O is dated March 30, 1981 for alterations that were completed in 1976 (presumably, this is the conversion from single screen to triplex). I guess it took RKO a few years to get the City every little thing it wanted to issue a final Certificate. By the way, the seating broke down to a total of 1040 for a “Motion Picture Twin Theatres” on the 1st level and 1296 for the Balcony theater.
Hmmm. What are the site guidelines in that regard? The George M. Cohan is listed here, which was built for stage shows but – due to a string of flops – started running cinema on weekends and during dark periods in the 1920’s. It did go full-tilt cinema in 1932, lasting 6 years before demolition in ‘38. Is there a required 5 year minimum consecutive run at movie exhibition for submission eligibility? Is that information anywhere to be found?
Frankie, I’m not sure that’s the proper response. Alto brings up a valid concern. However, I’m not sure if observances of ANY religious holiday have ever been a consideration in the day-to-day business of movie exhibition – even with a specialized revival or repertoiry houses where films are only presented for a single day or two. Is it a major blunder on FOL’s part? I don’t know about that. But I think it behooves FOL to ascertain the feelings of their patrons on the matter. Have there been previous scheduling conflicts with holidays such as these and if so have regular patrons complained about it? How does the Film Forum (another not for profit organization) handle such scheduling?
I wouldn’t rush to charge FOL with insensitivity, however. They are operating on limited funds and have only so many weekends on which they can book their programs. Would it have been acceptable to book a program of less notable stature rather than Hitchcock for this particular weekend? Or should the theater have gone dark and lost out on much needed ticket revenue?
My mistake. Evidently, there is no Earl Carroll listing on CT. I suppose this might mean that the Carroll never had a policy of motion picture exhibition. Perhaps the Paree is due its own listing, if a decent amount of information is available about its history.
Of course, we also have some historical data with respect to opening date and famous personalities who have graced the Keith’s stage during its vaudeville days, but I’ll leave that to others who have more familiarity with those facts to summarize them for Bryan to include in an update to the introduction.
It occured to me that the introductory passages at the top of this page are in serious need of an update. Here’s what we know:
The chain was obviously RKO. The building’s lobby and grand foyer were designated a NYC landmark in 1984 after Queens Borough President Donald Manes (who would later commit suicide while embroiled in a high profile corruption scandal) persuaded the LPC that the auditorium should not be considered for protection. The theater was closed at the end of the summer of 1986 and owner Tommy Huang began to destroy parts of the interior, including landmarked portions. The facade was not removed (as indicated in the intro above) but the windows have been bricked up and some of the detail either stripped or severely weather damaged. Currently, a development plan seems to have been adopted that would restore portions of the damaged landmarked areas and construct a high-rise mixed use condo tower above the site.
We can move this to the Earl Carroll page, but did the Paree use any portion of the old EC theater? If so another AKA is uncovered… To the bat poles!
Now the question is… where and what was the Paree Theatre? It rings a definite bell in my head (I can just barely hear it above all the voices). Would that address put it up near 50th? Near the old Earl Carroll?
C'mon, Al… Make Lost’s day! I think he is on to something here. The only other possibility for the C of O info he found for 719 Seventh Ave would be if there was another theater on the east side of Seventh on the next block, between 48th and 49th. I know that the Avon 7 (which was on the west side of that block) was number 724 Seventh Ave and that was very close to the 48th street corner. I’m guessing that 719 is the Doll building and that the 48th-49th block began with either 721 or 723.
Can we get an “Amen!” and have Bryan update the address information?
Here’s an ad for the Doll (at the bottom of the clipping) from the good ole bad ole days:
Interlude of Lust – NY Post 3/10/82
Looks to me like 1970’s or very early ‘80’s, from the marquee and make of that car parked in front. I have a vague memory of the roof-top sign even during the Keith’s triplex days. I couldn’t find the article on the News’ website. Perhaps if someone has a copy of the paper in front of them, they can make out the titles on the marquee for an approximate date of the photo.
You’re welcom, Gene. Being a native and life-long Queens boy, I don’t exactly give the English language its proper phonetic respect at all times, myself! I try, but sometimes the old accent has a complete relapse!
Art Theatre… would you care to make an intelligent and legitimate theater related comment here? Please, illuminate us. Otherwise, are you looking to re-ignite the flame wars now that the situation has in fact simmered down? If so, you’ll get no satisfaction from me. However, I do feel compelled to ask why you continue to make comment about this theater’s thread. If the topic is of no interest to you, move on. There is a scroll feature available whereby you can skip past any posts that are not of interest. Hmmm. The tone of your comments and your choice of words strike me as somewhat familiar. I can’t put my finger on it, but it seems like you’ve posted comments on this site before, but using a different name. Nah… that’s against the rules set by the proprietor’s of this site. You wouldn’t stoop to that. It must simply be a coincidence.
RobertR, Ken Roe and AlAlvarez have all submitted such theaters on this site and, despite the complaints of some on this site, I hope they continue to do so until every little theater in the Times Square area and beyond is listed here! Where else can one go to find out ANY information on those dens of perverse pleasure and iniquity? They may not have been my cup of tea, but one man’s rubbish is another’s treasure. And, if you ask me, the art of movie-exhibition showmanship died with these often squalid little retail-conversion porn pits and the grinds on 42nd Street. New York hasn’t been the same since being scrubbed clean of them in the 1990’s.
That shot is 1993, not 1992 (as the link implies)… my typo.
Gene r… The RKO “Keats” you refer to is the RKO Keith’s on Hillside where it meets up with Jamaica and Myrtle next to Jahn’s ice cream parlor. Funny you remember it that way… it was probably how a lot of locals referred to the theater in New York vernacular – “da Keats”! The Keith’s has a listing as well on CT right here.
Bway, my notices to email about comments on CT seems to be working fine. Including not getting emails for threads that I have “unsubscribed” to. Remember all, it isn’t enough to uncheck the box below. If you’ve ever had it checked, you must then respond to the email notification using the link given to take yourself notification. Not sure what the story is with your account, Bway.
Sorry… the east side of the block.
This listing (along with the Mayfair/Demille and Cine 1 & 2) now completes the west side of the block on 7th Avenue between 47th and 48th Street. All those little Times Square nooks and crannies are slowly being filled in, thanks in large part to RobertR.
Here’s a shot of the theater in October of 1993 when it was the Show Follies porn palace.
Show Follies and Embassy 2 3 4 – 1992
The Embassy 2, 3, 4 is still running at the time. Out of frame and to the left on the corner of 48th and 7th would have been the Doll Theater, which was closed sometime earlier and featured a mix of live sex shows and films. RobertR created a listing for the Doll and posted a great photo featuring a shot of the Cine 1 and 2 in its Spanish language days.
I remember this theater, RobertR. Great photo. I recall my friends and I strolling down 7th Ave from the 53rd Street IND station into Times Square and being beckoned by the theater’s street hawker to go on in and have a great time. We were maybe 15 or 16 first time that happened!
After ending the Spanish language policy, the adjacent Cine 1 & 2 became the porn palace Show Follies sometime in the late ‘80’s and featured a mix of live nude reviews and XXX films in 4 auditoriums on a 24 hour grind lasting into the early '90’s. It looked like a sister of the Show World facility over on 8th Ave and 42nd so it might have also been run by local porn king Richard Basciano.
I was asking myself the same question. Not sure I want to spend $250, but I’d sure love to peruse those magazines! Particularly the issue featuring the Rialto – which I presume would be about the opening of the 1935 theater designed by Rosario Candela that replaced the original Rialto.