Lakeside Cinema

Bloop. The two theatres in Ronkonkoma did show porn at some time but I don’t think simultaneously. The other one was operated by the same owner as the Coram when it was porn oriented.

This venue launched as a Jerry Lewis Cinema on October 4, 1972 with “The Godfather.” Long after the Jerry Lewis Cinema circuit had disbanded, it became the Lakeside Cinema on September 12, 1975. Florin Creative Film’s final showings are listed as “Deadly Friend” on October 30, 1986.

Never even noticed. Just happy to see the image.

The entrance to the OTB has been moved to the east side of the building but from Portion Road it is readily seen to have been a theatre.

Turn key is also used in standard real estate terminology.

This is how a lot of the independants in the New York Northern New Jersey area got into the business in the first place. Put your money down, and Network Cinema Corporation, the company overseeing the franchises guided you along. The problem was Network took the money, expanded things too fast and poof!! by 1974 they were history. Then the mom and pops were free to rename the theatres whatever they wanted.

What was/is a turn key operation?

Where was the Lakeside Cinema listed in Newsday Movie times. Was it the Jerry Lewis retitled, the Ronkonkoma retitled or a separate entity?

I remember when The Jerry Lewis opened in the ‘70’s, in Carmel, California, and being really disappointed. A real “no frills” operation. Just two black box auditoriums with small screens, lousy sound and freezing. I remember thinking, Jeeze, that Jerry Lewis must be a cheap bastard. As far as I know it’s still there today.

I remember going to this theater back in the early 80’s to see Brewster’s Millions. I was only 7 or so at the time, but I remember thinking it was a tiny theater. I also remember being weirded out by the Will Rodgers promo at the beginning of the film followed by an awkward collection of money by the ushers.

There was a Jerry Lewis Theater in Portage, Indiana. It was later converted to a Concert-style Night club. The building is still there and being used for something, but I haven’t been passed there in quite a while.

I purchased and operated a former Jerry Lewis Twin in NW Ohio. The theatre originally opened in 1971 and was quite successful. After Network Cinema Corp. bailed and failed on the corporate end it left in-experienced operators at a loss. I purchased and re-opened the twin under a different name and operated it successfully for 15 years even when a major chain built the first 7-plex ¼ mile away from me. In defense of the JL Cinemas I will say the designs were far superior to many theatres at that time. They were the last theatres that I personally remember with automated curtains in front of the screens. I never ceased using them and refused to show ads/slides. Most JL’s had a 350 seating capacity in each auditorium. The previous owners were “Area Director’s” who sold additional franchises. There was a Jerry Lewis Twin in Findlay, Ohio later renamed Twin Palace. It has since been demolished and that’s a shame as it was the best in the area and one of the nicest Lewis’s. There was a twin in Monroe, Michigan which never opened under the JL name but opened as the River City Twin. It was also very nice but is now a restaurant. Again, the nicest theatre in that area. A JLC was opened in Taylor, Michigan and renamed The Pandora. There was a single screen JLC in Lambertville, Michigan later renamed Bedford Cinema, now closed and remodelled. I personally liked the Jerry Lewis concept. Most of the theatres were not built on the cheap and this is especially evident when compared to what we get today in the guise of a mulitplex. Contrary to popular belief, “R” rated films were not verboten in a JLC. It was customary in the twins and triples to exhibit a “G” or “PG” film alongside an “R”. In the case of a single screen, a “G” feature would be shown as a matinee attraction and the “R” shown at night. Typically most single screen operators rarely had a need to exhibit “R” rated fare. Many were flipped to XXX theatres as a way to get back at Network Cinema Corp. for abandoning the franchise owners and causing damage to the name. Most were in-experienced theatre owners as the original concept was a turn-key operation. Hey, we would all like to own a business that runs successfully by itself but any true showman knows that it takes some work and a vision. I think Jerry Lewis had a great concept, designed to boost theatre attendence, provide a clean environment and a relatively streamlined operation. With each new 20 plex that opens across the street from the 16 plex which last month closed the 10 plex one block over and shows multiple screens of the one “big” hit of the summer, I most definitely miss the Jerry Lewis Cinemas as well as any of the other lost single screens that truly built this industry and made movie going one of America’s favorite past times.

We had one in Hawaii in early 1973, it did not last long, partly due to the strict ban on R rated movies. It was eventually sold to one of the Royal theatre chain and then to an independant operator who along with regular releases in 35mm, showed classic films in 16mm. It ran for a few years before closing.