Bay Ridge Theatre
7120 3rd Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11209
7120 3rd Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11209
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 34 comments
Loew’s Bayridge Theatre closed on October 13, 1959 with a double feature of Alan Ladd and Brandon deWilde in “Shane” and Heddy Lamar in “Samson and Delilah.” It also suggests that the theatre was gutted and equipped with gutters as a bowling center.
On the Alpine site it mentions that when Loew’s acquired the Bay Ridge is was relegated to being a second run house.
jackfegs, I greatly enjoyed your comment and particularly your reference to Andresen’s which was a fabulous ice cream store. I lived in the apartment store directly across 3rd Avenue, at 307 72md Street, attended PS 102. The picture of the theater was taken just shortly after we moved to Long Island.
I just came across this photo of the Bay Ridge Theater and I was surprised to see that the car parked at the corner was my 1958 Olds Super 88. I was probably in Andresen’s Ice Cream Parlor which was next door. Spent a lot of time there.
To Richard Rassmussen: I have a digital copy of the original 1915 opening brochure for the theater which mentions your two ancestors prominently. Please contact me at and I will e-mail it to you
The Hubert Selby, Jr., short story “Double Feature,” in his book SONG OF THE SILENT SNOW, is set inside the Bay Ridge Theatre; it’s about two friends who sneak a bottle of wine into the balcony, and then goof off and get pretty high (and drink a few more bottles) before fighting with management, which calls the cops. Surely not everyone’s memories of this theater, but an interesting read!
The architect for the Bayridge was my great uncle Robert T. Rasmussen. He and my grandfather George Rasmussen owned several RKO theaters in Brooklyn and other boroughs. I wold appreciate any information regarding them. Thanks for the article and the picture. Definitely part of NY history.
Great photo of this theater. A block away and across the street was Lento’s. Taking in a show at the Bay Ridge theater then getting a pizza at Lento’s must have been a good night.
The 1959 photo has been moved to the following website:
http://yfrog.com/h80mohj
Here’s a photo of the Loew’s Bay Ridge c.1959
http://twitpic.com/3gz4o4
This is from an item datelined Brooklyn, in the trade journal Engineering & Contracting, issue of June 9, 1915: “Robert T. Rasmussen, architect… will let contracts at once for a 3-story, 88x169-ft theater here for the Bay Ridge Theater Corp…. estimated to cost $200,000.”
It looked pretty run down in 1968 already!
I assume the McDonalds only uses the lobby area. What is the rest of the theater used for? Does any ornamentation inside remain?
My Uncle was an Usher at the Etude. His boss also owned the Grand. This was in 1915-16. One of his duties was to run reels from the Etude to the Grand.
I’m looking for information on the Trans Art Theater at 4805 3rd Avenue in Brooklyn. It was around in 1940. Perhaps here under another name, or a live theater? Thanks.
Attention ! The name is not simply: Warren G. Harris, but THE Warren G. Harris. You know how he is about leaving out (or adding) THEs !!!
I, too, attended P.S. 102 down the street, but I lived about half a mile away. The Bay Ridge is fondly remembered as the closest theater to my home. It was great having it show RKO chain films, although a week later, since the RKO Dyker was quite a hike. These usually played Tuesday-Thursday, with the Loew’s films on the weekends, a week later than at the Alpine a few blocks away. I believe the last film shown as a Loew’s theater was “Baby Doll”, so it was 1956. I vaguely remember the opera company, but had left town by the time of the wrestling matches. There had also been attempts at community theater and older films – both generated little interest.
Actually, I believe the entire postcard is an artist rendering, not just the cars, etc.
I’m posting nice movie material that are also mostly for sale.
http://s110.photobucket.com/albums/n94/irajoel/
you can also view my entire inventory at
www.cinemagebooks.com
I have over 5,000 items including many books in non-film such as
gay and lesbian, African American, posters, graphic design, fiction, poetry and much more.
posted by ij on Jul 23, 2006 at 1:52pm
Ahhh! I had no idea that the Bay Ridge offered Vodvil that late in its history. And with Keye Luke as M.C.—he must have been promoting the upcoming release of his “Dark Delusion,” the very last of the Drs. Kildare/Gillespie series, released in Jan. ‘47. During the war years, he displayed his patriotism in such fims as “The First Yank into Tokyo.” Gotta wonder how many jugglers and ventriloquists he introduced, and where, in the Loew’s circuit, and how often the stage at the Bay Ridge was lit up for live shows. I fly into NYC on Sat., and if the flight pattern is right (as it sometimes is), I look forward to catching a glimpse of the old neighborhood.
Box Office Bill… Good to heasr from you again. Besides the Bay Ridge, wrestling was sometimes held at the Roll- a- Rama{ Ex Stillwell} in the early 60s and another theater on Eastern Parkway, but I`m not sure of its name.
Yes, Theaterat, it was a comfortable theater, a small jewel. I never knew that live wrestling occupied the premises in ‘63, though I still lived in the neighborhood at the time. I believe the last film I caught there was “The Harder They Fall” with Humphrey Bogart in '56. I still have flashbacks of seeing “Three Coins in the Fountain” and “East of Eden” there in '54: at the age of twelve I thought both films boring (er, just who was Jo Van Fleet supposed to be?), but found the photography in each to be stunningly terrific. Most memorably in the late '40s I recall there my first glimpse of the Marx Bros. in a revival of “A Night at the Opera.” My sides still hurt from laughing.
Remember going to the Bay Ridge in the early 60s-62 and early 63 with the Cub Scouts. My father who was the activities co ordinator took our troop to see wrestling matches that were held here for a while.Remember it to be a medium size theater and the seats were upholstured in a green fabric that contrasted nicely with the white plaster decor.This theater had a balcony and I remember we sat in the first row for a good view.
If I remember correctly, the Salmaggi Opera Company played this theater when I went to Xaverian High School 1957-1961. frankie from Brooklyn
Thanks, Zouave: the photos capture some of the spirit.
PHOTOS!
Here is the interior:
View link