RKO Alden Theatre

Closed quickly as the Mutual due to protests from local churches against the risque content of the burlesque shows. Remained closed until leased by an indie and re-named the Alden with vaudeville and films. Closed and re-opened several times until eventually taken over by RKO, which had no outlet in Queens closer to Jamaica than the Richmond Hill.

Uploaded Ed Doyle’s vintage street level photo. These links are getting very tenuous. Also uploaded two American Classic images: street view by night and the marquee on the 165th Street entrance after the theater closed.

“Willburg145 on October 5, 2012 at 4:11 pm I doubt the interior is still intact. I remember going to a DMV office located in what probably was the auditorium. As I recall the lobby was located on Jamaica and the theatre on the side street. Does anyone know what the interior was like?”

I had the MISFORTUNE of working as a projectionist at the Alden for a few years after it was “quaded”. The motor vehicle office was NOT in the theatre building, it was a separate NEW building.

On Monday 1 January 1951, Bela “Dracula” Lugosi presented his in person Horror and Magic Stage show at RKO Alden. Currently I am conducting research on all things Lugosi; if anyone out there actually saw this show and/or has memorabilia (poster, handbill, photos) related to this show, please contact Bill at Thanks in advance for any assistance!

What’s wrong with that? We need more photos and less of some of the comments.

Hi, I just found this wonderful site and here’s my story. In June of 1960 upon completion of our freshman year at Richmond Hill HS, my friend Alan Wood and I went to EVERY movie theatre in Jamaica looking for work. Alan was hired but I had to wait until September when I turned 16. We were hired by the manager, Mr. LaRocca. Some of the people who were already working there included HEAD Usher, Jimmy Ward, two lovely old matrons (who loved to drink), Tony Sacco, porter, Malverna, cashier, Patricia, the candy counter girl and an elderly doorman. Alan and I quickly became friends with everyone especially Jimmy Ward who was 18 and could proof us at the local bar ajacent to the 165th St. train station, The Paddock Bar. We continued working there thru graduation in June of 1963. During that time we had our friends/classmates Sonny Spiller, his girl friend Rosann DeGruccio and my almost girl friend, Emma Haines. Being an usher is a lonely job, often times boring after you have seen Gypsy 40 times! So part of the fun was exploring the old vaudville back stage dressing rooms where we would find old movie posters, accounting ledgers with hand written accounts of weekly takes from the different stage shows and films. The stage itself was a wonderful array(?) of electrical switches and ropes for the curtains and scenery. Lastly, if Brooklyn Jim is around, I went to Saint Michael’s in East New York.

So is this place still intact? The retail seems to be just in the lobby.

Hi vyurkevich… If you mean the ad for the movie “Bigtime” that is at the top of the page, I posted it. It’s just a photo I took of a page from an old Daily News paper that I have. My grandfather saved it for some reason – not sure what it was in that particular edition that held significance for him, but when he passed, I got possession of it. I hold no ownership, since it’s a newspaper ad, so you are free to use it. If you like, I will send you a copy of the original photo file, which you’ll be able to open up much larger than is currently allowed here on Cinema Treasures. Just let me know your email address and I’ll forward it.

So do I !The Florida one is the first, so perhaps there’s hope.

Changing gears a bit [although related to old movies]: has anyone seen the info on or signed up for Turner Classic Movies first cruise, out of Florida?

No doubt that typos abound in movie ads. But I’m sure the RKO Alden is correctly listed. I rode the Q5 bus up and down Merrick Boulevard on a daily basis from 1977 through 1982 to get to and from both my junior high school and my high school. And I was one of those kids who loved just looking out the windows at the passing scene, day in and day out. I used to pay particular attention to the progress of dismantling the old elevated tracks and took pleasure in seeing the two movie theater facades being revealed as the structure came down. My memory might not be as sharp as rafaelstorm – as I don’t remember the Alden’s closure – but I’m sure that the Alden was in operation (even if briefly interrupted) during the entire time I rode that bus back and forth for school. I think the newspaper ads help to support that as fact. And please understand, I do not mean to be argumentative, just trying to arrive at the true history of the theater and reconcile our collective memories here. I hope my efforts are taken in that spirit!

Dug through some more newspaper clippings. While I don’t have all the gaps, I do show that the Daily News edition on January 25, 1978, has an ad for a movie called “Big Time” which played the RKO Alden (I’ve posted the ad here). Jump forward to December 11, 1980, and an ad in the Post for “Flash Gordon” shows it playing at the “RKO Alden 2.” While some newspapers listed the theater only as “Alden 1, 2, 3 and 4” in ads and movie clocks (with no “RKO”), I do see a March 6, 1982, ads for the movies “The Seduction” and “Death Wish II” that list the theater as “RKO Century’s Alden” (the same paper has ads for “Enter the Ninja” and the 3D re-release of Hitchcock’s “Dial M for Murder” that list only “Jamaica Alden.” My guess, rafaelstorm, is the theater was closed for renovations by RKO to divide the auditoriums, sometime between early 1978 and late 1980. This is when you remember seeing it shuttered. RKO evidently held on to the theater into the 1980’s, even if it neglected to list it in block ads.

I’ve seen the same RKO block ads from 1980 and 1982 and also found the Alden missing – but the Alden still shows up in movie clock listings in those same newspaper editions. It is entirely possible that the Alden was operated independently its last few years. The listing I referenced above did not cite “RKO Alden,” merely “Alden 1,” “Alden 2,” “Alden 3” and “Alden 4.”