I managed the Cove Theater in Glen Cove for about a month in 1967. The reason for the special care of this building was the fact the Dr. and Mary Calderone lived not all too far from this theater and visited often. Dr. Calderone owned this building. AIT took over the operation of this and all the Calderone theaters in the early 1970. The Cove was performing poorly at best and was the first theater that AIT closed. I think this happened in 1972 or 73. It sat empty for a long period and I lost track of what happened after all the Calderone theaters were closed by AIT in 1974. The Cove was quite a beautiful theater in its day.
posted by js662 on Feb 13, 2004 am29 3:29am
If I recall correctly, the Cove was transformed into a “dinner theatre” after it stopped showing movies. Amusingly, “in the old days,” Glen Cove also had a movie theatre called the Glen. It had only 590 seats, while the Cove had 1,658, according to the 1932 Film Daily Year Book.
posted by Warren G. Harris on Feb 14, 2004 pm29 1:32pm
i am sorry to say, the cove changed into a CVS. the Glen,(which i believe was the one next to Exxon is now strip stores, various stores such as bagel, radio shack etc.
i was sorry to see them go also. I am a Glen Cove resident born and raised, 36 yrs.
posted by mg on Feb 29, 2004 am29 8:05am
The Cove Theatre was located at 90 School Street. The Glen Theatre was at 49 Glen Street, between School St. and the LIRR station. I believe that another movie theatre was built on Glen Street in the 1950s or 60s, but on the opposite side of the LIRR station going towards the south shore.
posted by Warren G. Harris on Feb 29, 2004 am29 8:20am
Does anyone have any photos of either the Glen or the Cove? I remember the Glen growing up during the 80s. I don’t remember it ever being open then, but I could be wrong.
posted by Mike G on Apr 24, 2004 pm30 12:16pm
I do remember the Cove Theater; a Greek family ran it in the early 1970’s before it was turned into a dinner theater.
FYI Glen Cove in the early 1960’s had FOUR theaters.
The Cove – was a large, old-fashioned 1920’s theater palace with a balcony and fly space above the stage, for vaudeville or theater. And yes, film pioneer Marcus Loew had an estate in Glen Cove.
The Glen – was a small movie theater on Glen Street in the heart of the city. Burned down in the late 1960’s, replaced by a roadway leading to one of the city’s parking garages. The building next door to it has a Tudor facade; it’s still standing as architect’s offices.
The Glen Cove – modern cinema built in the ‘50’s, turned into a CVS drug store in the early '80’s. Further down Glen Street than the 1920’s ear Glen, its parking lot backed into that of St. Patrick’s RC Church. The theater had a small balcony.
The Town – modern cinema almost next door to the Glen Cove (in between was a Wetson’s burger stand, then a McDonald’s). Torn down in the late '70’s for shops. This theater did not have a balcony.
FYI my family preferred drive-in’s – the Westbury and the 110 in Huntington off the LIE.
posted by dw438 on Apr 22, 2006 pm30 2:43pm
The Cove Theater became the Northstage Dinner Theater from about 1977 'ish, to mid 80’s.
As a dinner theater the orchestra section had all the seats removed with tables installed for food service. A kitchen was added on the east side, with a bar in the lobby. The balcony stayed as theater seating. This was a truly beautiful theater, with Roman columns in a semi-circular room, framing painted fabric murals on the walls representing the 4 seasons.
My wife (GC born and raised) was a cashier here when it was a movie theater in ‘73 thru '75, she then went on to get a degree in technical theater, becoming a follow spot operator, then head prop mistress when it was a dinner theater. She remembers her father (also GC born and raised) talking about seeing vaudeville shows here.
I was the head stage electrician in 1978, then again in 1980 to 1981 and met my wife here. We ran some fun show – My Fair Lady, Shenandoah, Pippin, Camelot, with some memorable ones, such as Grease, whose cast and set came right off of Broadway the day it closed in NYC, including the Greased Lightning golf cart….ummm Car, as well as a set whose rear walls were covered in bubblegum after a 7 year Broadway run.
After an attempt by the us stagehands to unionize (I’ve nothing nice to say about the management or pay scale), the theater management switched the programming to R&R concerts – Gary US Bonds, Elvis Costello, Greg Allman, Ramomes, etc…
Eventually that too failed and the theater was closed, to be torn down with senior housing taking it’s place.
posted by lightingguy on May 19, 2007 pm31 8:06pm
Nice, dw438. Thanks for posting that. I grew up in GC and could never keep all those theater names straight. The Glen Cove and the Town were the two that I knew best and spent many hours in as a kid. I loved those theaters. The building that the Glen Cove was in is still standing. Like you already said it was turned into a CVS, but I’m pretty sure CVS has now moved out and is in the space next door (where the original GC Radio Shack used to be). I remember the day the Town was demolished and became a big pile of rubble. I should have taken some pictures because one of the original projectors was lying on top of the pile. It was a sad and eerie sight.
posted by potato222 on Nov 9, 2008 am30 10:05am
Can’t all these postings be moved to the listing for the Cove Theatre, where they rightfully belong?
posted by Warren G. Harris on Nov 9, 2008 am30 10:13am
Hi. I don’t remember what year, but I was watching The Love Bug in the Cove Theatre when part of the ceiling caved in. But kids have their priorities, and I guess management does, too. After a brief halt, the movie was put back on and we watched til the end. This was not too long before the theatre was closed, before it was turned into the Northstage Dinner Theatre. I wnet there a lot as a kid.
I also remember the theatres next door to Wetson’s. St. Pat’s took us there on field trips. Once to see Charleton Heston in ‘The Ten Commandments’, and another time to see ‘I Remember Mama’. The buildings had theatre faces on them, happy and sad.
posted by Cecile on Mar 3, 2009 pm31 2:45pm
YOUR COMMENTS
I managed the Cove Theater in Glen Cove for about a month in 1967. The reason for the special care of this building was the fact the Dr. and Mary Calderone lived not all too far from this theater and visited often. Dr. Calderone owned this building. AIT took over the operation of this and all the Calderone theaters in the early 1970. The Cove was performing poorly at best and was the first theater that AIT closed. I think this happened in 1972 or 73. It sat empty for a long period and I lost track of what happened after all the Calderone theaters were closed by AIT in 1974. The Cove was quite a beautiful theater in its day.
posted by js662 on Feb 13, 2004 am29 3:29am
If I recall correctly, the Cove was transformed into a “dinner theatre” after it stopped showing movies. Amusingly, “in the old days,” Glen Cove also had a movie theatre called the Glen. It had only 590 seats, while the Cove had 1,658, according to the 1932 Film Daily Year Book.
posted by Warren G. Harris on Feb 14, 2004 pm29 1:32pm
i am sorry to say, the cove changed into a CVS. the Glen,(which i believe was the one next to Exxon is now strip stores, various stores such as bagel, radio shack etc.
i was sorry to see them go also. I am a Glen Cove resident born and raised, 36 yrs.
posted by mg on Feb 29, 2004 am29 8:05am
The Cove Theatre was located at 90 School Street. The Glen Theatre was at 49 Glen Street, between School St. and the LIRR station. I believe that another movie theatre was built on Glen Street in the 1950s or 60s, but on the opposite side of the LIRR station going towards the south shore.
posted by Warren G. Harris on Feb 29, 2004 am29 8:20am
Does anyone have any photos of either the Glen or the Cove? I remember the Glen growing up during the 80s. I don’t remember it ever being open then, but I could be wrong.
posted by Mike G on Apr 24, 2004 pm30 12:16pm
I do remember the Cove Theater; a Greek family ran it in the early 1970’s before it was turned into a dinner theater.
FYI Glen Cove in the early 1960’s had FOUR theaters.
The Cove – was a large, old-fashioned 1920’s theater palace with a balcony and fly space above the stage, for vaudeville or theater. And yes, film pioneer Marcus Loew had an estate in Glen Cove.
The Glen – was a small movie theater on Glen Street in the heart of the city. Burned down in the late 1960’s, replaced by a roadway leading to one of the city’s parking garages. The building next door to it has a Tudor facade; it’s still standing as architect’s offices.
The Glen Cove – modern cinema built in the ‘50’s, turned into a CVS drug store in the early '80’s. Further down Glen Street than the 1920’s ear Glen, its parking lot backed into that of St. Patrick’s RC Church. The theater had a small balcony.
The Town – modern cinema almost next door to the Glen Cove (in between was a Wetson’s burger stand, then a McDonald’s). Torn down in the late '70’s for shops. This theater did not have a balcony.
FYI my family preferred drive-in’s – the Westbury and the 110 in Huntington off the LIE.
posted by dw438 on Apr 22, 2006 pm30 2:43pm
The Cove Theater became the Northstage Dinner Theater from about 1977 'ish, to mid 80’s.
As a dinner theater the orchestra section had all the seats removed with tables installed for food service. A kitchen was added on the east side, with a bar in the lobby. The balcony stayed as theater seating. This was a truly beautiful theater, with Roman columns in a semi-circular room, framing painted fabric murals on the walls representing the 4 seasons.
My wife (GC born and raised) was a cashier here when it was a movie theater in ‘73 thru '75, she then went on to get a degree in technical theater, becoming a follow spot operator, then head prop mistress when it was a dinner theater. She remembers her father (also GC born and raised) talking about seeing vaudeville shows here.
I was the head stage electrician in 1978, then again in 1980 to 1981 and met my wife here. We ran some fun show – My Fair Lady, Shenandoah, Pippin, Camelot, with some memorable ones, such as Grease, whose cast and set came right off of Broadway the day it closed in NYC, including the Greased Lightning golf cart….ummm Car, as well as a set whose rear walls were covered in bubblegum after a 7 year Broadway run.
After an attempt by the us stagehands to unionize (I’ve nothing nice to say about the management or pay scale), the theater management switched the programming to R&R concerts – Gary US Bonds, Elvis Costello, Greg Allman, Ramomes, etc…
Eventually that too failed and the theater was closed, to be torn down with senior housing taking it’s place.
posted by lightingguy on May 19, 2007 pm31 8:06pm
Nice, dw438. Thanks for posting that. I grew up in GC and could never keep all those theater names straight. The Glen Cove and the Town were the two that I knew best and spent many hours in as a kid. I loved those theaters. The building that the Glen Cove was in is still standing. Like you already said it was turned into a CVS, but I’m pretty sure CVS has now moved out and is in the space next door (where the original GC Radio Shack used to be). I remember the day the Town was demolished and became a big pile of rubble. I should have taken some pictures because one of the original projectors was lying on top of the pile. It was a sad and eerie sight.
posted by potato222 on Nov 9, 2008 am30 10:05am
Can’t all these postings be moved to the listing for the Cove Theatre, where they rightfully belong?
posted by Warren G. Harris on Nov 9, 2008 am30 10:13am
Hi. I don’t remember what year, but I was watching The Love Bug in the Cove Theatre when part of the ceiling caved in. But kids have their priorities, and I guess management does, too. After a brief halt, the movie was put back on and we watched til the end. This was not too long before the theatre was closed, before it was turned into the Northstage Dinner Theatre. I wnet there a lot as a kid.
I also remember the theatres next door to Wetson’s. St. Pat’s took us there on field trips. Once to see Charleton Heston in ‘The Ten Commandments’, and another time to see ‘I Remember Mama’. The buildings had theatre faces on them, happy and sad.
posted by Cecile on Mar 3, 2009 pm31 2:45pm