Graham Cinema

Circa 1974 photo added courtesy of Michael Schuman.

hope all habitual visitors and moviegoers like the picture I posted – I took it back in the 80s (?)

Graham Theater! Any photos?

ahhh- the Graham! my neighborhood cinema; I lived in the nearby projects on W and Batchelder and nearly EVERY saturday of my childhood was spent in that darkened palace for the matinees (only $.35, later $.50). Mom used to give us $1.00 for the show, and there was enough left over to buy a sugar daddy, hot dog and soda and then go buy a comic book at the corner store on knapp and ave X on the way home. my favorite schedules always seemed to include Abbot & Costello films as part of the double feature, which began with the great B&W screener for “previews of Coming Attraction” loads of cartoons (usually Merrie Melodies) and then two films; an afternoon of pleasure, enter at 12 or 1230 and home in time for dinner by 530! my friends and I used to “tightwalk” the railing at the adjacent driveway; sometimes, we’d sneak someone in but often got nailed by the stern Matrons in their blue and white uniforms as they flashed the torchlights looking for those who opened the exit doors to allow “interlopers” to steal in without paying. I saw “the thing from another world” there at the age of 7 and it gave me nightmares for weeks thereafter; (it’s one of my favorite sci-fi films to this day). in fact, many of my favorite films today are the result of the education garnered from drowsy afternoons at the Graham, the Tarzan double features, musicals, westerns (that I took my grandfather to see – he loved “cowboy and indian movies”). Though we had a plethora of Century owned theaters in sheepshead bay, such as the Marine, Nostrand, Sheepshead, Brook, Mayfair et al, the Graham was our neighborhood palace- not ornate in any way, mind you, but a few short walking blocks from home. it was also where I took my first “date” at the age of 9 – the twins, maureen and madeline to see Oklahoma! My dream as a child was to grow up and buy the Graham, turn it into my own bijou and show the films I wanted to see and share with other patrons. When I travel back to the old neighborhood, I always drive by, and park in front of the sad looking condos that replaced my childhood pleasure palace and reminisce. God Bless that old movie house, and thanks for the memories!

Hi Jim H,
My brother and I have wonderful memories of the Graham.
If you have any photos, we’d really appreciate it.

Seppy

It’s great to read all the stories about the Graham at 3171 Whitney Avenue, because my grandfather was the original owner and the ONLY owner throughout the Graham’s life as a cinema. It was in my family for over 50 years, although we did not operate it ourselves after 1960.

The building was originally a trolley car barn, which accounts for the long and narrow shape, unusual for a cinema. When trolley service disappeared from Brooklyn, the city sold off the building. My grandfather, who owned a few other cinemas in Brooklyn, bought it and turned the trolley car barn into a 900+ seat cinema. He operated it for decades. In the Great Depression, he would give away a five-pound bag of sugar for every 100th ticket. Tickets were a quarter of a buck.

After he retired he leased the Graham out to various operators in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. When the cinema finally closed, I did a walk-through to figure out what we should do with the building. Since nobody in the family lived in Brooklyn or was free to move there and run a cinema, we decided to sell the property. After we sold it a builder turned the old shell into condos by digging out the parking lot and created a few levels for the apartments.

Keep the stories coming. If I find the old family photos I will try to post some here!

The first time that I went to the Graham I was quite young. I walked with my sitter from our homes near Batchelder St. and Ave. S. It was a hot summer day — typical 1940’s weather. After we crossed Ave. U it was mostly vacant weed filled lots.
The Graham stood by itself. As I remember it there was very little else there except for PS 194 and the Brooklyn Robbins baseball field. It was during WWII. The film that we saw was British and had something to do with women training to be paratroopers. My sitter, Dorothy Ann, kept saying â€" “I could do that.” I think I must have been about seven and she was all of twelve. The place wasn’t air-conditioned but we were use to that then.
The Graham showed a lot of films that weren’t on the Century circuit. The Century chain dominated our neighborhood.
The next time that I went was later in that decade to see two films that were not on the Century Circuit and still can’t be found on VCR or DVD today. “Salty O’Rourke” and “The Man in Half Moon Street.” They were better than good!
Still later in the decade I attended a Saturday afternoon showing of “Jungle Book” staring Sabu. All the wild life was not just on the screen that day. A rat crossed the aisle about ten rows in front of me and disappeared into some vacant seats. My attention had been drawn by a laughing commotion in the effected area. We were a tough bunch of kids. Today I think the theater would have been closed and fumigated.

send me your email I will send it as an attachment for you. Mine is

This 1970 article talks about the Graham going to the $1 policy.
View link

I always knew it as the Graham Theater, but then again I was about 12 years old when it closed so my memory may be a little fuzzy. I was in the Men’s Room between the two movies of a double feature when the blackout of 1977 occured. I think the movies were “Lipstick” and “Black Sunday” with the second movie never being shown because the night turned into a black Wednesday (I think).

Though hardly luxurious, the Graham was a decent place to catch a movie. I remember seeing the movie “Tommy” , based on the album by the WHO there in the summer of 75. All the employees were wearing “Tommy” t shirts and most of the patrons were “blitzed” . It was a great vnight at the movied. I was with my friend Jerry D and we stayed for it twice.Every time I pass the new condo development, I think of that night so long ago.

Does anyone remember lining up outside the Graham for the ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW on Saturday nights. We bought rice, water guns and umbrellas to act out the movie. We were usually a pretty roudy group of drunk teens. The people of Gerritsen Beach were not happy with us.In retrospect, they should have understood us. We called it the Itch.

The Graham was a great movie theatre. It was like going to an event. On Saturday afternoon it was packed. They would show a Children’s full length film, an Abbott & Costello movie, 5 to 10 cartoons, a Three Stooges short and then they would let you stay for the main movie (all for 50 or 75 cents). Later in its history, they used show The Rocky Horror Picture Show every Staurday at Midnight and it was a full house. Every one was throwing rice and toilet paper and running down the aisles. What memories!!!