Rendezvous Cinema
149 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
149 W. 54th Street,
New York,
NY
10019
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The Rendezvous Cinema was a latecomer to the mini cinema boom that exploded in the midtown area of Manhattan around 1969/70. The cinema opened in 1978 just a few doors to the west of the Ziegfeld Theatre in the former location of a jazz nightclub called the Half Note (which had been a noted downtown night spot that relocated to W. 54th Street in 1972).
The Rendezvous Cinema ran first-run porn on a grind from 10AM till 2AM (with even later hours on Fridays and Saturdays). The cinema showed up in advertisements and in movie time clocks in the NY Post into the early-1980’s.
A precise closing date for the Rendezvous Cinema is not known at this time, however, the building and many adjoining parcels (including several of the block’s old jazz night spots like Eddie Condon’s and Jimmy Ryan’s) were demolished in 1987 to make way for the enormous Rihga Royal Hotel.
Contributed by
Ed Solero
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
At the bottom of this NY Post ad from 12/11/1980, there is an ad for the X-rated “Sweet Paradise” day-and-dating at the Rendezvous and several other porn theatres around town.
Ed, thanks for adding this historic venue.
I aim to please, Al! I know Warren was happy to see this one finally included. Seems the Google Street View is hopelessly broken when it comes to this stretch of W. 54th Street. Even in a new browser, when you go to street view on the block, it brings you to W. 44th Street.
The Rendezvous Cinema can be seen here at the Cecil Howard Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/cecilvision/photos/a.299855397141871.1073741828.296288574165220/299855550475189/?type=3&theater
Hello-
I remember meeting Jack Wrangler here when he did a personal appearence at the height of his gay porn fame.
Hello-
the intro refers to this theater as a first run house as opposed to some of the other smaller gay porn houses in Manhattan which played films only after they had played their first runs. it would be interesting which films of the period this theater played first run.