Comments from Audrey

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Audrey
Audrey commented about RKO Madison Theatre on May 8, 2005 at 9:21 pm

I saw many movies at the Madison but the best were the Murray the K Rock N Roll Shows. We saw Joey Dee & the Starliters, Chubby Checker, Chuck Berry, the Duvals, Little Stevie Wonder (when he first started performing) Brenda Lee and many other groups and singles. It was great growing up in the Ridgewood/Glendale neighborhood, wonderful memories.

Audrey
Audrey commented about Acme Theatre on May 8, 2005 at 9:07 pm

RobertR – I was in the Acme many times as a young child. On Saturday mornings by brother and I along with my girlfriend would go there for the children’s shows. Upon leaving the theatre the matron would hand each child a gift as we walked out into the lobby. I remember receiving a toy sewing machine once, but as far as what the building looked like inside, I was to young and it’s been too many years.

Audrey
Audrey commented about Ridgewood Theatre on May 8, 2005 at 8:52 pm

That’s it – Gotliebs. Couldn’t remember that name at all. I remember the Parthenon and yes the one on Fresh Pond was the Glenwood. There was an Italian restuarant on the same block, I think it was on the corner before the Glenwood. Do you remember the restaurant called Gebhardt’s. Can’t remember if it was in Glendale or Ridgewood but it was on Myrtle Avenue. Do you remember the Chinese restaurant near the Madison. It was up one long flight of stairs, was quite large and they had female impersonators on the weekends? Haven’t been to the area since about 1990. My family lived in Glendale since 1945 and growing up there left me with many happy memories. It was a great neighborhood.

Audrey
Audrey commented about Ridgewood Theatre on May 8, 2005 at 9:47 am

There were 5 movie theaters in the Ridgewood/Glendale neighborhoods when I was growing up in the 1950’s. They were the Acme where the Vitorian House was built in Glendale, the Glendale or Glenridge near Fresh Pond Road, the Bellvedere, the Ridgewood and the Madison. The Acme use to give all the kids in the audience a gift when leaving the Saturday afternoon show. There were many Rock N Roll shows at the Madison Theater. I saw a young blind teenager brought out on the stage and introduced as no other than Little Stevie Wonder, along with other groups such as the Duvals, Chubby Checker, Joey Dee & the Starliters, Brenda Lee, Chuck Berry, the Ronettes and many others all brought there by Murray the K. They use to have 2 shows per day and we would get there early and stand in line so we could get a good front row seat and then when the show was over we would hide in the bathroom and wait for the next one so we could be the first ones in and get a seat in the 1st row. I remember as we got older we allowed to sit in the balcony of the theaters. And those matrons walking around with the flash lights and getting thrown out because we were too loud. I grew up on 69th Street and Myrtle Avenue in the big apartment house that was named Fosdick Court. Kids from our area attended PS 91 from K-8 and then on to Richmond Hill High School. There was a drug store across Myrtle Avenue from the Apartment house that was Fosdick Pharmacy and the Glendale Pizza was on Myrtle next to the Shannon Bar and a lawyer on the corner named Romano, and the corner store under the apartment house was a deli, called Cohens. Across Myrtle there was Kay’s and P & M Department Stores and a florist on the corner. Alot of it is hazy now and while I’m typing I’m trying to remember. Across from the Madison Theater there was a restaurant, I can’t remember the name of it, it was quite large. They had terrific pastrami sandwiches. Does anyone remember Martha’s Chocolate Shop on Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood? We use to walk the Avenue every Saturday. All those shoe stores, Miles, National, Tom McAnn, Simco and then there was the houseware stores, I think Peck’s was one and the women’s hat store on a corner. Can’t remember where on Myrtle but it was in Ridgewood.