Whitman Theatre
160 Walt Whitman Road,
Huntington Station,
NY
11746
160 Walt Whitman Road,
Huntington Station,
NY
11746
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 141 comments
And what a closing it was. They had already dismantled the concession stand and the movie advertised on the building sign was one which had been previously exhibited, not the one being shown.
Please update, theatre closed May 30, 2002
Technically not demolished. Structure was significantly altered.
Grand opening ad.
Century Whitman Theatre opening 28 May 1963, Tue Newsday (Suffolk Edition) (Melville, New York) Newspapers.com
Better quality grand opening ad posted.
P.S. I have a sh*t load of vintage movie ads to post on here!
My iMac died and I lost all my passwords! LOL. By the way THE PYLON IS NOW GONE!When did this happen ?????
Hey Bloop, welcome back. Where the hell you been…?
THANK YOU to the nice person that posted the photos of the comedy & tragedy masks! This means so much to me. I sat right under the tragedy mask during, “Jaws” late summer 1975 (the Whitman got the movie later on). When we were kids, we used to say “I hope they don’t come loose and fall on us!”. You know what’s funny- I remember them being GIGANTIC and in the photos they merely look “big”. LOL.
There were also masks at the Glen Oaks and, I think, the Argo. Don’t remember if they were at the York.
Those masks brought back a rush for me, I felt like I was again at the Whitman, watching my first James Bond movie, Live and Let Die. What a place.
Thanks so much for posting those mask photos. I will share with Pop.
msaudino, I’ve just uploaded pics of the comedy/drama masks you’re referring to. I managed at the Whitman for about a year, close to when they closed it down. I can’t say what happened to the masks, but the way Cineplex handled things, I wouldn’t hold out hope. As to the conversations here about the auditorium being “long” or “wide”, I’d say both. I always felt the place was cavernous. The blue grey sound proofing on the walls made it seem bigger.
Page one photo-3?“Wonderful World of the Brothers Grim”–(non-cinerama), page two,Mountain park cinema(man with a projector?),page three Cheri cinema photo(I’ve never been there.)
Paul, which of my photos did you comment on?
Wondered about them too.
Wondering if anyone on this comment thread can help me. I grew up in Huntington and my father (93 and still kicking) hand made the comedy/drama masks that hung on the walls inside the Whitman and many of their other theaters. The were hammered from aluminum sheet into a wooden form. I was hoping to find photos of them. A long shot would be to find out what happened to them. Any help would be appreciated.
Hello Mike(saps)if you’re seeing any of my postings with caps,they are older posts.After your first request on the Huntington Whitman page I followed your suggestion(read dates).I figured out you’re reading my posts on a cell phone.I went to Half Hollow Hill high school,I love rock and roll as much as movies.I made three comments on your photo page.
Paul, I’m enjoying your posts, but please don’t use all capital letters; it makes it hard to read…
I SAW A PLANET OF THE APES MARATHON THERE.THEY SHOWED THE FIRST FIVE ORIGINALS IN THE SERIES.SOME OF THE PRINTS WERE A LITTLE BEAT UP,BUT STILL IT WAS ENJOYABLE.YOU WOULD HAVE TO PAY SOME KIND OF FESTIVAL FEE TODAY IF THEY DID THAT.THE THEATER OPERATORS
USED TO BE MORE CREATIVE IN WHAT THEY SHOWED,AND HOW THEY SHOW IT!
Was up that way today. Pylon is finally gone. Went back to the photo section to make sure there was a picture of it. Also read the opening ad which said the Whitman was the 37th theater. Century had a lot and got rid of a lot before the “final curtain”. Back in the 1930s the Bellerose was number 37. In my lifetime they built the Meadows, Shore, 110 Drive-In, York, Whitman, Glen Oaks, Park East, Green Acres, Kings Plaza, Roosevelt Field, Five Towns, Richmond (on Staten Island), Paramus (NJ), one in Dayton, OH, assumed the Oceana, Sheepshead and Tuxedo (all in Brooklyn from one chain) and the Plaza (Corona) and Prospect (Flushing) from Loew’s. They had actually built the Prospect but leased it to Loew’s. Among the dropped over the years were the Parkside (Brooklyn), Town (Flushing), Huntington Station (aka Station) Valley Stream, Park (New Hyde Park)and Suffolk (Riverhead). Valley Stream closed when Green Acres opened, the Park closed when the Park East opened.
The beginning of the end was all the mergers with Almi and RKO as well as picking up former Prudential Theaters and the Merrick (Jamaica).
It wasn’t narrow but it was quite long. I remember standing in the back talking to the manager.
It did seem wide…
Mike, in my opinion the theater was long, not square.
Saw my first James Bond movie here — Live and Let Die — and have been a lifelong fan ever since. My sweetheart and I (ah, young love) took the HART bus from Northport, and I had no idea what to expect. In a word, wow! I remember the theater was big and square, with no balcony, but I did return here many times in the ensuing years.