Whoa, whatta surprise – Jay and Dan posting on the same day! LOL!
Jay, you’re most welcome for the plug. I saved an extra copy for my files. Also appreciate your leaving your e-addy for the excellent sidebar timeline. Hope you get some requests.
Dan, you’re a wealth of local knowledge. Hope to see you on these pages more frequently. Too many folks now living in SoCal either don’t know or just don’t care about history. You certainly nailed it in your last post on the Loma page.
Erikhanson, hope you’ll continue the good fight (tho sometimes frustrating and futile, I’m sure) with SOHO. Kudos & props, sir!
Micheleandanniegirl, both author Ray Bradbury and the late oceanographer Jean Jacques Costeau would be tickled over the 5-fold increase in fathoms. “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” scared ALL of us 7 year olds back in ‘53 – or at any subsequent time in the future. A true classic, along with “THEM!” the following year.
Thanks for posting your memories out there in Rockaway. BTW, the last time I visited Rockaway Park a few year ago, I think I found a decaying salami sandwich under the boardwalk at 108th St., a leftover from 1963! :)
Before I bail out and head over to the refrigerated and frozen food aisles of my local supermarket (to keep cool in this atrocious heatwave!), thought I’d call attention to the 7/15 entry by Betsy Rae in the “Ridgewood Theatre to close” news item posted by Patrick Crowley back in March. A very heartfelt essay. Hope we hear more from Ms. Betsy on this page in the near future.
If he’s the taller one, reddish hair, about 38-42 years old…
Mebbe, but Hans doesn’t ring my upstairs bell. Thx for trying and posting so quickly, LM. Unless one of the other regulars connect, I guess I’ll know for sure when I visit Nagengast’s on my next trip. This time I’ll write it down! My memory is all-too-often lost these days!
PK, tried to access the “SubTalk” section the other day, as you recently suggested, but it only seems to go back 10 pages' worth. Can you recall the exact subject title or provide a way to delve back further? Appreciate it!
BTW, in your honor last night, I watched the ubiquitous Whit Bissell AND John Agar in “Creature From the Black Lagoon” (‘54) and “Attack of the Puppet People” ('58), respectively. I ask you, good sir: What would all CT’s architectural triumphs and losers, all these grand palaces and “itch” dives, all these proverbial “Orchids and Onions” be without all the wonderful, scary, funny, sad, colorful, dark, amazing films to be viewed in? I suspect that they’d be extremely hollow and haunted…
This is sooooo embarrassing, and it’s been bugging me ever since I posted the above on 6/17…
For the life of me, I cannot recall the guy’s name at Nagengast Hardware on Fresh Pond Rd.! Perhaps if someone such as PKoch, Bway, Lost Memory, EdSolero – in other words, one of the locals – called them and asked, then one of you guys could post his first name. He’s truly a font of knowledge, a walkin' talkin' history book for a relatively young guy. THX!!!
The novel and warm design of this Michigan theater is too beautiful for words and deserves another go-‘round under the “Recent Comments” section. Check out the Pines pix provided by LM on 7/12 and 7/24. All that’s missing (to make yours truly feel cooler) is the marquee featuring “The Thing From Another World” and “Iceman” plus 2 feet of freshly fallen snow…
[Screwy filter @ CT: G – I – R – L – S and a – d – u – l – t – s printed out as “s” and “– – – – –.” Ha! We all be saved from the wages of sin and the flesh! LOL!]
EdSolero, another “tip of the Hatlo hat” to you, sir, for confirming the 102 Court St. address for both Boro Hall and Cinart. As soon as I can locate some local PC guru to follow your instructions re the DVD photo, it’ll get posted ASAP. (And I wasn’t kidding about the heat. It hit 113 degrees in El Cajon Saturday! We are in meltdown.)
“A tip of the Hatlo hat,” as they used to say ‘way back when, Lost Memory. Very large thanks for finding the closing marquee pic, plus a link to the U-T story in its entirety!
My friend, who used to be deeply involved in community theater activities, told me that OnStage Productions tried numerous times to lease space there (unsuccessfully), as their miniscule playhouse nearby on Third barely seats 100 attendees. Perhaps they’ll have better luck, depending on future plans of the Vogue’s new owners.
In an article dated Saturday, 7-22-06, by San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Tanya Mannes, the Vogue has closed its doors after 60 years of continous operation in downtown Chula Vista. Owners Bill and Esther Upham sold the property for $1.55 million after struggling to break even for several years as a single-screen venue. (The buyer was not identified because the sale hasn’t closed yet, and there is no info regarding future plans for the theater.)
Mannes' story featured some nostalgic memories of local residents. The landmark was a favorite and will be missed. Everyone seemed to love its special blend of “perfect popcorn.”
It was mentioned that the Vogue was built by Thomas Huntington in 1945. (He may not have been the architect listed in the credits above.)
Ticket price for the final triple bill last Thursday cost $3.50: “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” “Over the Hedge” and “Poseidon.” (Fewer than 50 people attended.)
On Friday, the marquee read: “Opened 1945, Closed 2006. That’s all, folks.”
[Sorta reminds me of the old Queen song, “Another One Bites the Dust.]
Also, duh! Sure woulda helped if I’d taken the time to read the write-up below the pic! Double Duh! (Must be the heat. Hafta blame something besides stoopidity!) Think I’ll re-retire and write some sound bytes for SNL, the Sierra Club, etc:
The gent who runs the website below has added some new pix (his subway/el archives now number 19 pages). Here’s one of Myrtle & Wyckoff at night. Half of the RKO Madison’s marquee is at far right, dead center:
What Lisa didn’t tell Patrick was this: a nearby Bar-B-Q emporium smoked ‘em out good in Mission Hills a few years ago, effectively closing them down for about 2 years. (Got this from a respected writer who lives nearby and had attended some screenings in the past.)
How do they handle studio/movie royalties from their DVD screenings? We’ve seen that FBI warning on tapes and DVDs far too often…
Yessir, Life’s too short, it IS crazy – and wild, too, but energy costs were considerably cheaper back then. We’ve got SDG&E and you probably have Con Ed, both ripoffs these days. But in the good ol' days… Really wish you could see the multitude of bright yellow chase lights that I mentioned in my 6/18 post about the MAHP video, “Chicago Trolleys.” It was a special treat for the eyeballs. WOW!
[Please note that “BrooklynJim” is out somewhere in the west coast heatwave trying to find Cheryl Hansson and her Cover s to cool off with. He may even find them in the – – – – section of the San Diego ComiCon, currently in progress. – Cinema Treasures Mgmt.]
Lab coat. Goggles. Mouse. Feel like Clint Eastwood in “Revenge of the Creature.”
Info sounds great, Ed, and is greatly appreciated! Will utilize it once I’m back in NY or if I befriend some lady PC guru here in La La Land. Will let you know if and when it flies…:)
Vincent’s comments above re Biography (“Long live early R'n'R!”) and the archival footage of the Times Square area reminded me of just how fast the Manhattan scene can change.
In an earlier post, I’d remarked about observing some of the filming of “The Godfather” back in ‘71. The building formerly occupied by Best & Co. (5th & 51st) had already been closed for a year when Coppola & Puzo made the realtors an offer they couldn’t refuse. Fifth Avenue between 51st and 52nd was sealed off by the NYPD, snow blowers and 1945-era taxis were in place, and the front windows of the store were stocked with colorful Christmas gift items and apparel. As soon as the Francis the Director was satisfied with the rushes of Michael and Kay’s holiday shopping jaunt, demolition began.
One year later, just prior to the movie’s premiere at the State, a new building, a towering building of glass, chrome and steel – the Aristotle J. Onassis Building – was in place and open for business on the corner where Best & Co. had been. That’s PDQ in my book, folks!
No need to be more specific, PKoch, as it was I who was somewhat vague when I wrote that I was “looking for the Boro Hall Theatre.” I meant as a CT page. The Cinart, also on Court St., is listed without a number. Boro Hall was 102 Court. It is a bit unclear to me if this was, in fact, a later version of the old BH.
BTW, the book you cited by Frederick Kramer is excellent, as are all his others. I shipped my copy back to NY earlier this year. I’ll try to have a friend scan and post a number of pix from it and other sources in the fall or early winter. I wish I knew how to freeze-frame a DVD or VHS shot to capture it for CT readers. Aaarrggghhh! The BH marquee, although visible for only a second or three, is crystal-clear in its clarity and composition. (The color scenes with the Ridgewood and RKO Madison Theaters are somewhat grainy and, as they were filmed late in the day, not quite as well-lit as the B&W scenes of the Farragut and BH Theaters, but certainly no less enjoyable and equally well-documented for historians, current film/theater aficianados, and future generations of movie-goers.)
For what it’s worth, I vote with KenRoe, Bway and Lost Memory for some kind of “Research” or “Inquiry” CT page. It makes a ton of sense, rather than having us inquiring mind-types continually chasing leads on busy and/or popular pages such as the Ridgewood’s.
Until then, however, I’ll add here that I’m presently looking for the Boro Hall Theatre, formerly located at 102 Court St. in downtown Brooklyn. I’m not certain that the Cinart, which is CT listed, was actually a later incarnation of the Boro Hall, mentioned in my 7/18 post. Ayudu, anyone?
My 1935 edition of “A Complete Street Guide to Brooklyn” confirms KenRoe’s info on Brooklyn’s Crystal Theatre, 327 Washington St., which began at East River South and continued to 340 at Fulton St. At #325, it was one block east of Court St. & Myrtle Ave. (by the Fulton El) and one block west of Adams (by the Myrtle El. It shouldn’t be confused with Washington Ave. which was on the other side of Ft. Greene Park in the Clinton Hill section.
There was no entry for the R.H. Jacobs Brooklyn Theatre.
FYI, while viewing my DVDs of Brooklyn Trolley Lines Vols. 1 & 4 (DE-40 & DE-43) this morning, I discovered some additional theater gems from the cameras of Carl Groh, George Kuhn, Vincent Seyfried, Harvey Mordetsky and Arthur F. Ferguson:
Several B&W views of the Farragut Theater (1401 Flatbush Ave.) c. late ‘40s/very early '50s. Two good shots from the front and one from the rear, complete with its high water tower.
Myrtle Ave. in Ridgewood in color. An 8000 car turns onto Myrtle from Palmetto and passes some stores: A “Shoe Re-Building” store on the corner, then Optimo Cigars and the Ridgewood Florist, all just prior to the RKO Madison, also visible. From the other side of the street, another trolley passes Howard Clothes in the distance, then right past the Ridgewood Theater, RCA Ulan & Co., an A&P grocery and Roman style clothiers.
From the Downtown Brooklyn section, there was a split second shot of the Boro Hall Theatre’s marquee at 102 Court St. Featured were Ty Power and Gene Tierney in “Son of Fury” (‘42) and “Niagara” ('53). [Couldn’t locate a CT entry for the Boro Hall.]
On Vol. 4 (B&W), there was the elusive Rugby Theater on Utica!
For anyone interested in a catalog, contact Victor Gordon, Jr. at:
Whoa, whatta surprise – Jay and Dan posting on the same day! LOL!
Jay, you’re most welcome for the plug. I saved an extra copy for my files. Also appreciate your leaving your e-addy for the excellent sidebar timeline. Hope you get some requests.
Dan, you’re a wealth of local knowledge. Hope to see you on these pages more frequently. Too many folks now living in SoCal either don’t know or just don’t care about history. You certainly nailed it in your last post on the Loma page.
Erikhanson, hope you’ll continue the good fight (tho sometimes frustrating and futile, I’m sure) with SOHO. Kudos & props, sir!
Micheleandanniegirl, both author Ray Bradbury and the late oceanographer Jean Jacques Costeau would be tickled over the 5-fold increase in fathoms. “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” scared ALL of us 7 year olds back in ‘53 – or at any subsequent time in the future. A true classic, along with “THEM!” the following year.
Thanks for posting your memories out there in Rockaway. BTW, the last time I visited Rockaway Park a few year ago, I think I found a decaying salami sandwich under the boardwalk at 108th St., a leftover from 1963! :)
Before I bail out and head over to the refrigerated and frozen food aisles of my local supermarket (to keep cool in this atrocious heatwave!), thought I’d call attention to the 7/15 entry by Betsy Rae in the “Ridgewood Theatre to close” news item posted by Patrick Crowley back in March. A very heartfelt essay. Hope we hear more from Ms. Betsy on this page in the near future.
If he’s the taller one, reddish hair, about 38-42 years old…
Mebbe, but Hans doesn’t ring my upstairs bell. Thx for trying and posting so quickly, LM. Unless one of the other regulars connect, I guess I’ll know for sure when I visit Nagengast’s on my next trip. This time I’ll write it down! My memory is all-too-often lost these days!
PK, tried to access the “SubTalk” section the other day, as you recently suggested, but it only seems to go back 10 pages' worth. Can you recall the exact subject title or provide a way to delve back further? Appreciate it!
BTW, in your honor last night, I watched the ubiquitous Whit Bissell AND John Agar in “Creature From the Black Lagoon” (‘54) and “Attack of the Puppet People” ('58), respectively. I ask you, good sir: What would all CT’s architectural triumphs and losers, all these grand palaces and “itch” dives, all these proverbial “Orchids and Onions” be without all the wonderful, scary, funny, sad, colorful, dark, amazing films to be viewed in? I suspect that they’d be extremely hollow and haunted…
This is sooooo embarrassing, and it’s been bugging me ever since I posted the above on 6/17…
For the life of me, I cannot recall the guy’s name at Nagengast Hardware on Fresh Pond Rd.! Perhaps if someone such as PKoch, Bway, Lost Memory, EdSolero – in other words, one of the locals – called them and asked, then one of you guys could post his first name. He’s truly a font of knowledge, a walkin' talkin' history book for a relatively young guy. THX!!!
The novel and warm design of this Michigan theater is too beautiful for words and deserves another go-‘round under the “Recent Comments” section. Check out the Pines pix provided by LM on 7/12 and 7/24. All that’s missing (to make yours truly feel cooler) is the marquee featuring “The Thing From Another World” and “Iceman” plus 2 feet of freshly fallen snow…
For some additional research info on the contents of newsreels up to 1967, try the URL listed below:
http://history.acusd.edu/gen/newsreels
[Screwy filter @ CT: G – I – R – L – S and a – d – u – l – t – s printed out as “s” and “– – – – –.” Ha! We all be saved from the wages of sin and the flesh! LOL!]
EdSolero, another “tip of the Hatlo hat” to you, sir, for confirming the 102 Court St. address for both Boro Hall and Cinart. As soon as I can locate some local PC guru to follow your instructions re the DVD photo, it’ll get posted ASAP. (And I wasn’t kidding about the heat. It hit 113 degrees in El Cajon Saturday! We are in meltdown.)
Just a wild thought: is “Cinema Treasures” a fancy acronym for “eBay?”
Nah. Didn’t think so.
“A tip of the Hatlo hat,” as they used to say ‘way back when, Lost Memory. Very large thanks for finding the closing marquee pic, plus a link to the U-T story in its entirety!
My friend, who used to be deeply involved in community theater activities, told me that OnStage Productions tried numerous times to lease space there (unsuccessfully), as their miniscule playhouse nearby on Third barely seats 100 attendees. Perhaps they’ll have better luck, depending on future plans of the Vogue’s new owners.
In an article dated Saturday, 7-22-06, by San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Tanya Mannes, the Vogue has closed its doors after 60 years of continous operation in downtown Chula Vista. Owners Bill and Esther Upham sold the property for $1.55 million after struggling to break even for several years as a single-screen venue. (The buyer was not identified because the sale hasn’t closed yet, and there is no info regarding future plans for the theater.)
Mannes' story featured some nostalgic memories of local residents. The landmark was a favorite and will be missed. Everyone seemed to love its special blend of “perfect popcorn.”
It was mentioned that the Vogue was built by Thomas Huntington in 1945. (He may not have been the architect listed in the credits above.)
Ticket price for the final triple bill last Thursday cost $3.50: “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” “Over the Hedge” and “Poseidon.” (Fewer than 50 people attended.)
On Friday, the marquee read: “Opened 1945, Closed 2006. That’s all, folks.”
[Sorta reminds me of the old Queen song, “Another One Bites the Dust.]
Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa…
Also, duh! Sure woulda helped if I’d taken the time to read the write-up below the pic! Double Duh! (Must be the heat. Hafta blame something besides stoopidity!) Think I’ll re-retire and write some sound bytes for SNL, the Sierra Club, etc:
“Fight Mental Health”
“More Trees, Less Bush”
The gent who runs the website below has added some new pix (his subway/el archives now number 19 pages). Here’s one of Myrtle & Wyckoff at night. Half of the RKO Madison’s marquee is at far right, dead center:
View link
1st photo is dated 12-4-38:
http://www.subwaywebnews.com/Images2/6thavel.jpg
2nd photo is a slightly larger shot of the postcard scene at the top of this page:
http://www.subwaywebnews.com/Images2/hippo02t.jpg
What Lisa didn’t tell Patrick was this: a nearby Bar-B-Q emporium smoked ‘em out good in Mission Hills a few years ago, effectively closing them down for about 2 years. (Got this from a respected writer who lives nearby and had attended some screenings in the past.)
How do they handle studio/movie royalties from their DVD screenings? We’ve seen that FBI warning on tapes and DVDs far too often…
Yessir, Life’s too short, it IS crazy – and wild, too, but energy costs were considerably cheaper back then. We’ve got SDG&E and you probably have Con Ed, both ripoffs these days. But in the good ol' days… Really wish you could see the multitude of bright yellow chase lights that I mentioned in my 6/18 post about the MAHP video, “Chicago Trolleys.” It was a special treat for the eyeballs. WOW!
“BrooklynJim… where are you?!?”
[Please note that “BrooklynJim” is out somewhere in the west coast heatwave trying to find Cheryl Hansson and her Cover s to cool off with. He may even find them in the – – – – section of the San Diego ComiCon, currently in progress. – Cinema Treasures Mgmt.]
Lab coat. Goggles. Mouse. Feel like Clint Eastwood in “Revenge of the Creature.”
Info sounds great, Ed, and is greatly appreciated! Will utilize it once I’m back in NY or if I befriend some lady PC guru here in La La Land. Will let you know if and when it flies…:)
Here’s a URL for a 1932 shot of both the United Artists and Oriental Theaters by Bill Volkmer:
http://davesrailpix.com/cta/htm/cta0228.htm
[Correction to my earlier post: MAHP is an acronym for Mid-America Heritage Preservation Foundation.]
Vincent’s comments above re Biography (“Long live early R'n'R!”) and the archival footage of the Times Square area reminded me of just how fast the Manhattan scene can change.
In an earlier post, I’d remarked about observing some of the filming of “The Godfather” back in ‘71. The building formerly occupied by Best & Co. (5th & 51st) had already been closed for a year when Coppola & Puzo made the realtors an offer they couldn’t refuse. Fifth Avenue between 51st and 52nd was sealed off by the NYPD, snow blowers and 1945-era taxis were in place, and the front windows of the store were stocked with colorful Christmas gift items and apparel. As soon as the Francis the Director was satisfied with the rushes of Michael and Kay’s holiday shopping jaunt, demolition began.
One year later, just prior to the movie’s premiere at the State, a new building, a towering building of glass, chrome and steel – the Aristotle J. Onassis Building – was in place and open for business on the corner where Best & Co. had been. That’s PDQ in my book, folks!
No need to be more specific, PKoch, as it was I who was somewhat vague when I wrote that I was “looking for the Boro Hall Theatre.” I meant as a CT page. The Cinart, also on Court St., is listed without a number. Boro Hall was 102 Court. It is a bit unclear to me if this was, in fact, a later version of the old BH.
BTW, the book you cited by Frederick Kramer is excellent, as are all his others. I shipped my copy back to NY earlier this year. I’ll try to have a friend scan and post a number of pix from it and other sources in the fall or early winter. I wish I knew how to freeze-frame a DVD or VHS shot to capture it for CT readers. Aaarrggghhh! The BH marquee, although visible for only a second or three, is crystal-clear in its clarity and composition. (The color scenes with the Ridgewood and RKO Madison Theaters are somewhat grainy and, as they were filmed late in the day, not quite as well-lit as the B&W scenes of the Farragut and BH Theaters, but certainly no less enjoyable and equally well-documented for historians, current film/theater aficianados, and future generations of movie-goers.)
For what it’s worth, I vote with KenRoe, Bway and Lost Memory for some kind of “Research” or “Inquiry” CT page. It makes a ton of sense, rather than having us inquiring mind-types continually chasing leads on busy and/or popular pages such as the Ridgewood’s.
Until then, however, I’ll add here that I’m presently looking for the Boro Hall Theatre, formerly located at 102 Court St. in downtown Brooklyn. I’m not certain that the Cinart, which is CT listed, was actually a later incarnation of the Boro Hall, mentioned in my 7/18 post. Ayudu, anyone?
My 1935 edition of “A Complete Street Guide to Brooklyn” confirms KenRoe’s info on Brooklyn’s Crystal Theatre, 327 Washington St., which began at East River South and continued to 340 at Fulton St. At #325, it was one block east of Court St. & Myrtle Ave. (by the Fulton El) and one block west of Adams (by the Myrtle El. It shouldn’t be confused with Washington Ave. which was on the other side of Ft. Greene Park in the Clinton Hill section.
There was no entry for the R.H. Jacobs Brooklyn Theatre.
FYI, while viewing my DVDs of Brooklyn Trolley Lines Vols. 1 & 4 (DE-40 & DE-43) this morning, I discovered some additional theater gems from the cameras of Carl Groh, George Kuhn, Vincent Seyfried, Harvey Mordetsky and Arthur F. Ferguson:
Several B&W views of the Farragut Theater (1401 Flatbush Ave.) c. late ‘40s/very early '50s. Two good shots from the front and one from the rear, complete with its high water tower.
Myrtle Ave. in Ridgewood in color. An 8000 car turns onto Myrtle from Palmetto and passes some stores: A “Shoe Re-Building” store on the corner, then Optimo Cigars and the Ridgewood Florist, all just prior to the RKO Madison, also visible. From the other side of the street, another trolley passes Howard Clothes in the distance, then right past the Ridgewood Theater, RCA Ulan & Co., an A&P grocery and Roman style clothiers.
From the Downtown Brooklyn section, there was a split second shot of the Boro Hall Theatre’s marquee at 102 Court St. Featured were Ty Power and Gene Tierney in “Son of Fury” (‘42) and “Niagara” ('53). [Couldn’t locate a CT entry for the Boro Hall.]
On Vol. 4 (B&W), there was the elusive Rugby Theater on Utica!
For anyone interested in a catalog, contact Victor Gordon, Jr. at:
Rail Tapes
2570 Colvin Hill Rd.
Danby, VT 05739
(802) 293-5421
I found a pair of Charles Theater pix on the links below:
View link
View link