Embassy Theatre
New York Avenue and Atlantic Avenue,
Atlantic City,
NJ
08401
New York Avenue and Atlantic Avenue,
Atlantic City,
NJ
08401
3 people
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Opened on June 7th, 1941. Ads for the Embassy ended in 1976, but they may have to be unable to afford the ad space.
article:
Embassy theatre at New York & Atlantic opening 07 Jun 1941, Sat Press of Atlantic City (Atlantic City, New Jersey) Newspapers.com
It was open all year round until November 75 when it closed for the season with Pelham 123. The theater was actually open past 76. The summer of 78 which was the last year we were in AC it was open because my friend Marie was the cashier and I would go hang there nightly.
Taken over by Frank theatres in 1970 from Apollo theatres and closed in 1976.
That’s because I live on the west coast now. On the east coast going away from the beach is west, so northwest
would be correct..
I would say east and north.
Can anyone pinpoint for me which of the four corners this theater was on, please?
It looks like there were actually three Embassy Theatres in Atlantic City, and it was an Embassy Theatre built in 1911 that later became the City Square Theatre (during the silent movie era- probably when the Embassy on the Boardwalk, later to be the Warner, opened), then the Shore Theatre (1947) and finally the Beach Theatre (1952.)
This Embassy, the last Atlantic City house of that name, opened in, or shortly before, 1942, with a newly-built auditorium accessed through a lobby located in the former bank building (see my comment of March 3 above.)
Also see my comment of today on the Beach Theatre page for further clarification. The aka’s on this page need to be removed, as this theater apparently never operated under any name other than the Embassy. The aka’s need to be added to the Beach Theatre page. Also, the name of the Embassy’s architect, Armand de Cortieux Carroll, needs to be added to this page.
The Embassy was already closed when this photo was taken in 1981:
http://tinyurl.com/dgehol
Renewing link.
The cover plate of the Modern Theatre section of Boxoffice Magazine’s issue of November 7, 1942, featured a photo of the standee-foyer area of the Embassy Theatre in Atlantic City. A caption on a later page says that it was designed by architect Armand de Cortieux Carroll. The auditorium was rather austere, but the photo gives a glimpse of a nice little Moderne lounge with bench seating on the other side of the standee area.
Funny how there can be so many theaters in one town and then they all just disappear. I suppose it had to do with the decline of Atlantic City’s population in the sixties and seventies.
I remember those Roman columns out front. Large and grey. The other theater (Capitol?) was practically next door.
I believe the City Square was later the Beach Theatre.
In 1963, My parents took me to the Embassy to see “Brothers Grimm”, on my 11th birthday. We lived out near Mays Landing.
In 1968, My parents took me & my 1st date there to see “The Subject Was Roses”. ..I also saw “Bullet” there.
The Embassy was one of the classiest places to go see a movie. …Four years later it was “Deep Throat”! What the heck happened?
Thanks, Ken. My memory is not perfect, and needs refreshing from time to time. Just trying to remember anything from the ‘70s can be a challenge.
You have a good memory, Bob.
The Embassy was at New York & Atlantic Ave. The lobby was an old bank. You entered on Atlantic Ave., but the autotorium was paralell to Atlantic Ave. The screen was towards KY. Ave, similar to the Margate. Baccarach BLVD. ran behind the Embassy at 45 degree angle. The unemployement office was beind the Embassy. The main projectionist there was Rich McSweeny. I believe that he said that it opened around 1940. The projection equipment that I remember was 35mm Simplex (flat gate) XL’s, Peerless magnarc cabon lamps, a motor generator for DC supply. Magnetic sound heads. They ran “Deep Throat” the in ‘72 or '73 continuious and packed the place. I did matinance for “The Franks” around 1974-75. I remember scrapping and painting the Marquee(the city made us do it), and pumping water out of the first ten rows and stage area every time it rained! They usually just roped off those rows and the stagnet water drained away over time. Smelled great! and the theatre was open.
The Embassy Theater that I remember was on the northwest corner of New York and Atlantic Avenues. The Colonial theater was next door,if I recall. There was also a theater on the other side of the street, the Beach, which ended up as an adult movie theater. I saw “Ben” at the Embassy when I was in high school.
The Embassy Theatre at New York & Atlantic Avenues was part of the Apollo Circuit Theatres. See my comment regarding the Ventnor Theatre for more information on that circuit as it was when I worked there (1954-63).
The AC theater I am referring to with respect to the roadshow showing of “Doctor Zhivago” in 70mm was the Embassy Theater (New York and Atlantic Aves). I can’t think of any other 70mm showing; mostly a 35mm theater with multi-aspect ratio/‘Scope capacity. The previous year I saw “Operation Crossbow” there (Widescreen—filmed in Panavision—shown that way in 35mm). I remember passing the Embassy over the years (in the summertime), and films like “The Haunting” (original 1963), “Donovan’s Reef”, and “The Maltese Bippy” were showing there. It’s my understanding that it was a bank before it became the Embassy.
In response to HowardB’s inquiry of AC theaters with 70mm capacity: I saw the reserved seat showing of MGM’s “Doctor Zhivago” there during the summer of 1966. On the display poster, next to “Screenplay by Robert Bolt”, an “informational” card was presumably inserted by theater management staff. It read in bold black-and-white letters —– 70MM. I believe that what I saw was a 70mm stereo presentation. The film was shot in (regular) Panavision (i.e. not Super Panavision 70 or Todd-AO or Ultra Panavison 70,etc…..meaning not shot in 70mm, but in 35mm). The print was streched to fit the 70mm projector(commonplace once).
I too spent my summers in Atlantic City from 67-78. The Embassy was a classy first run house when we first started going. The first year we were there, they had Rosemary’s Baby all summer until Labor Day weekend when they swaped with the Strand and started showing Where Were You When The Lights Went Out.I never could figure out why they did that.
The Australian publication from which I found the Embassy Theatre did mention the architects as Hoffman-Henon so it definitely seems to be an earlier name for the Warner.I thought I had found another atmospheric.Thanks to everyone for their input.
I think I can clear this up. Based on the address, Arkansas Ave and
the Boardwalk, and the pictures and info about this theater on www.philadelphiabuildings.org the theater known as the “Embassy” which was built in the 1920’s is actually or later became the famous Warner Theater. The Embassy located at Atlantic and New York Ave was most likely constructed after WWII. I hope this helps.
Having added this theatre and not having been to the US,except for New York,you are confusing me.This theatre was an atmospheric and the one listed on Philadelphiabuldings.org is the correct one and its location is listed as Arkansas Ave and Boardwalk.It looks like it may have opened in 1928.
I grew up in AC in the 60’s and 70’s and remember all the theaters
pretty well. The only Embassy in my lifetime was the one located at the corner of Atlantic Ave and New York Ave. The theater was pretty unique. The front of the theater was an old converted bank building
with Roman columns (hence it looked like an “Embassy”)which housed an outside box office, lobby, consession area, and rest rooms.
The theater auditorium was a separate structure which was added on to the original bank building. The auditorium had no balcony and was
fairly wide with a large flat almost wall to wall Cinemascope screen. For most of its' lifetime the Embassy was a classy first run house, showing mainly Paramount and MGM films. I don’t recall any roadshows and I don’t think the theater had 70mm capability. Some of the films I saw there were PT 109, Secret of Santa Victoria, Villa Rides, Once Upon A Time In The West, Ice Station Zebra (35mm Scope),
and Where Eagles Dare. It was a nice place to see a film – spacious feeling, unique look, good size screen. In the mid to late 70’s the theater started going downhill and ended up showing mainly kung fu and blaxploitation double bills until it was closed and demolished around 1980 along with all the other palaces in AC.