Jim, my grandmother May Davis used to work at Fowlers in Binghamon. She lived in an apartment in the building now housing Litle Venice Restaurant on Chenango Street. Little Venice also used to be located right across from the Strand and Rivera. I remember when The Beatles hard Days night played The Strand. Johnson City and Binghamton were fantastic places for going to the movies or drive ins back in th 1950s, and 6s.
I was born in Johnson City in 1953 and now live in Florida. My father used to own the Tip Top restaurant on Main street, just around the corner from the EnJoie. My mom, met my Dad while working at the Crystal Tea Room on Main street and used to work at the enjoie when she was a teenager. The last movie I saw at the enjoie was the evil kneivel story. besides the enjoie I used to go to the Sun Theater, Crest, Strand, Rivera and the Vestal Drive In or V drive in.
In 1973, after moving to Leesburg, I went to work at the Tropic. She was a grand old lady but spooky. ON a Sunda, while getting things set up, I was in the new side projection room. Out of the corner of my eye, i saw someone in a checkered shirt walk by to get to the old side. I thought it was my coworker. I heard the front door banging, so I went downstairs and it was my coworker. I asked him how he got locked out. He sai he just got there. I told him I sa him going to the old side. We both walked to the old side projection room. The machines were threaded and in the corner of the room was the checkered shirt I saw. That same night, while cleaning up in the old 1936 theater, I looked up and saw the lights on in the projection room. I dont know how they were on because you turned off everything at the circuit board. After cleaning up, my coworker and I heard someone walking towards the stairs. The lights upstairs turned on and we heard the stairs creak like someone was coming down. We shut the door and left the building. As we drove away, I looked back and saw the door to the upstairs slowly open but no one was there. It still makes my hair stand up thinking about it.
JIM, you are correct Henry’s was next to the Jarvis, not the Crest. I remember when they put in the McDonalds. Near the Crest wnas a Perkins Pancake House. My gramdfather used to take me there in between showings. These grand old ladies had the real Big Screens, The projectionsist were on the constant go having to keep the arc going for light and to change the reels every 20 minutes. My grndfather used to require the men to wear tuxes and the ladies to wear dresses. he required a show from everyone. He passed away in 1975 after closing the crest for the night. He would work every job in the theater from ticket seller to taker to concession to prohjectionist. I remember when El Cid played. He decorated the lobby in the el cid motif. Mall cinemas dont come close to the way thsy used to put on a show.
My brothers and I used to go to The Sun Theater every Saturday. Admission was 10 cents. We turned in soda bottles for movie money. They played mostly horror movies, gladiator movies or Hercules Movies wih Steve Reeves. Movies that stuck in my head were The Son of Sparticus and Atlantis The Lost Continent. I have Atlantis in VHS Format No concession, just a broke down popcorn machine in the back. The guy working there was always crabby but how would you feel with a bunch of brats all day Saturday. It was a nice way of spending the day seeing Hammer or Universal films of Dracula with Christopher Lee. Afte we got out my Mom and Dad would pick us up and take us to the Vestal or V drive in for another several hours of horror movies.
My father used to be the Manager of The Jarvis until it closed. I also have a mint untorn admission ticket. Cost of admission? 50 cents. Some of the movies I remember being played were The Guns of Navarone, Sampson and Delilah, Th Apartment, Ten Commandments and Psycho. Back then popcorn was served with real butter and not a chemical toping. You also paid your ticket and walked in, sometimes in the middle of the movie and you could stay until the next show where you walked in. My father was always in competition with my Grandfaher who managed The Crest. The Jarvis was torn down to make way for a car dealership. Next to the crest was Henrys Hamburgers the predecessor in Binhamton to McDonalds. My other possessions are a one sheet of Pinoccio and a mint one sheet of Forrest Gump and Star Trek 6.
Jim, my grandmother May Davis used to work at Fowlers in Binghamon. She lived in an apartment in the building now housing Litle Venice Restaurant on Chenango Street. Little Venice also used to be located right across from the Strand and Rivera. I remember when The Beatles hard Days night played The Strand. Johnson City and Binghamton were fantastic places for going to the movies or drive ins back in th 1950s, and 6s.
I was born in Johnson City in 1953 and now live in Florida. My father used to own the Tip Top restaurant on Main street, just around the corner from the EnJoie. My mom, met my Dad while working at the Crystal Tea Room on Main street and used to work at the enjoie when she was a teenager. The last movie I saw at the enjoie was the evil kneivel story. besides the enjoie I used to go to the Sun Theater, Crest, Strand, Rivera and the Vestal Drive In or V drive in.
In 1973, after moving to Leesburg, I went to work at the Tropic. She was a grand old lady but spooky. ON a Sunda, while getting things set up, I was in the new side projection room. Out of the corner of my eye, i saw someone in a checkered shirt walk by to get to the old side. I thought it was my coworker. I heard the front door banging, so I went downstairs and it was my coworker. I asked him how he got locked out. He sai he just got there. I told him I sa him going to the old side. We both walked to the old side projection room. The machines were threaded and in the corner of the room was the checkered shirt I saw. That same night, while cleaning up in the old 1936 theater, I looked up and saw the lights on in the projection room. I dont know how they were on because you turned off everything at the circuit board. After cleaning up, my coworker and I heard someone walking towards the stairs. The lights upstairs turned on and we heard the stairs creak like someone was coming down. We shut the door and left the building. As we drove away, I looked back and saw the door to the upstairs slowly open but no one was there. It still makes my hair stand up thinking about it.
JIM, you are correct Henry’s was next to the Jarvis, not the Crest. I remember when they put in the McDonalds. Near the Crest wnas a Perkins Pancake House. My gramdfather used to take me there in between showings. These grand old ladies had the real Big Screens, The projectionsist were on the constant go having to keep the arc going for light and to change the reels every 20 minutes. My grndfather used to require the men to wear tuxes and the ladies to wear dresses. he required a show from everyone. He passed away in 1975 after closing the crest for the night. He would work every job in the theater from ticket seller to taker to concession to prohjectionist. I remember when El Cid played. He decorated the lobby in the el cid motif. Mall cinemas dont come close to the way thsy used to put on a show.
My brothers and I used to go to The Sun Theater every Saturday. Admission was 10 cents. We turned in soda bottles for movie money. They played mostly horror movies, gladiator movies or Hercules Movies wih Steve Reeves. Movies that stuck in my head were The Son of Sparticus and Atlantis The Lost Continent. I have Atlantis in VHS Format No concession, just a broke down popcorn machine in the back. The guy working there was always crabby but how would you feel with a bunch of brats all day Saturday. It was a nice way of spending the day seeing Hammer or Universal films of Dracula with Christopher Lee. Afte we got out my Mom and Dad would pick us up and take us to the Vestal or V drive in for another several hours of horror movies.
My father used to be the Manager of The Jarvis until it closed. I also have a mint untorn admission ticket. Cost of admission? 50 cents. Some of the movies I remember being played were The Guns of Navarone, Sampson and Delilah, Th Apartment, Ten Commandments and Psycho. Back then popcorn was served with real butter and not a chemical toping. You also paid your ticket and walked in, sometimes in the middle of the movie and you could stay until the next show where you walked in. My father was always in competition with my Grandfaher who managed The Crest. The Jarvis was torn down to make way for a car dealership. Next to the crest was Henrys Hamburgers the predecessor in Binhamton to McDonalds. My other possessions are a one sheet of Pinoccio and a mint one sheet of Forrest Gump and Star Trek 6.