All the references to the curtain are interesting when, as a usual patron of the Bellerose, the projectionist did some amazing things to create a theatrical experience – on a 20th Century Fox picture he would only have the sound on for the drum intro and only open the curtains for the swell of the music, particularly effective since the speakers were behind the curtain. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. No picture, but you could hear the Nautilus, then project the image on the curtain, like water. The guy was a phenom!
Islip probably has more potential for sub division. Also it’s at a better location, near where Rt 111 intersects with Main St/Montauk Highway. And, it’s in town and parking isn’t too bad.
I think they should resurrect the Islip. True it doesn’t have air conditioning but it’s a nice downtown. But, the previous owners couldn’t make it work. The multiplex in Patchogue didn’t work. Definitely seems like a void but, maybe for a reason. There are a lot of pockets with no coverage, even in Nassau.
People take advantage of the Silver Screen Classic ticket price and go to another auditorium. I know. A friend of mine used to meet me there and sometimes couldn’t get in because it was sold out. Yet there were seats available including one I had for her. My solution. Buy two tickets and leave one at the “box office” for her.
I have the answer on remove. CT now gives you the ability to remove messages you, and only you, have posted. Helpful for those times when you hit enter twice or when something has been resolved and the comment no longer applies.
Local merchants have confirmed that the theatre was demolished in the 1980’s. The replacement building houses a Fish Market/Grill and a number of officces.
Contrary to the heading this only came under the Century banner at the end of it’s, and Century’s life. It was originally part of a chain with a smaller pressence, I’ll say Mann. Much later it became RKO when that circuit was trying to get back into the Long Island market. I remember a Newsday article saying RKO was coming to Long Island and showing the exterior of the Wantagh. The Century association came about as a result of a series of mergers which produced RKO Century Warner. It would appear that the current office building, which has an address of 3305 Jerusalem Avenue, was created from the original theatre through additions and modifications.
I went back to the site today, in the daylight, to reaffirm my original May 1st comment that it was at the corner of the shopping center. It was; the eastern corner. However, subsequently, a cinder block addition as been added obliterating all but the exit door, by the screen, of the original exterior.
Tinseltoes – rather than report Google problems, of which there seem to be a good deal, on the theatre site you might achieve better results reporting them directly to CT.
The Helen Hayes (formerly Fulton), Bijou and Morrosco theatres were all demolished for the construction of a hotel. Of the three I believe only the Bijou ever screened films. The current Helen Hayes on 44th Street was formerly the Little and Winthrop Ames. It was a radio/tv studio for some years. Don’t believe there were any screenings.
The only difference in the appearance of the facade as a single screen, twin or quad are the designation “twin” or “quad” and the style of lettering is still the same. I would venture that the word “elwood” is the original and the adds on were made to match.
miss the point – perhaps you could post some of your recollections on the Rocky Point Cinema on that site.
Did it have a sloping floor? What was unique about it?
When I used to summer in Rocky Point we went to the Brookhaven. There was no Drive In in the early 1950s.
I noticed in a comment on another theatre that in 1938 the Strand was part of the Century Circuit because some trade paper announced a number of Century Managerial changes and the Strand was mentioned. Don’t know when it came on board but it did have life after Century because I saw some ads in Newsday when I was tracking down another theatre.
Nice to see the facade of the building looking so pristine. When the Jamaica Avenue El was still in place you could see very little of the building and everything was grimy.
This theatre was located in an L shaped shopping center on Jerusalem Avenue at the intersection of Hickville Road (the northwest corner). The theatre and the adjacent stores on the stretch of the shopping center running parallel to Jerusalem Avenue are now incorporated in a large Marshalls.
Well, if you were at the new Carvel you were next to the Rocky Point Cinema. Any recollections on it? When I established it on CT I was working from personal recollections and an article in the Port Jefferson Echo.
That was the norm. They did the same thing with the RKO Colonial on Broadway in Manhattan where I saw Steve Allen. Believe the same for the Ed Sullivan.
As the Avon it functioned as a TV preview theatre. When I was a teen in the early 1950’s I attended one of these sessions with my parents. Most of the pilot’s we previewed never made to it the airwaves.
All the references to the curtain are interesting when, as a usual patron of the Bellerose, the projectionist did some amazing things to create a theatrical experience – on a 20th Century Fox picture he would only have the sound on for the drum intro and only open the curtains for the swell of the music, particularly effective since the speakers were behind the curtain. Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. No picture, but you could hear the Nautilus, then project the image on the curtain, like water. The guy was a phenom!
Islip probably has more potential for sub division. Also it’s at a better location, near where Rt 111 intersects with Main St/Montauk Highway. And, it’s in town and parking isn’t too bad.
I think they should resurrect the Islip. True it doesn’t have air conditioning but it’s a nice downtown. But, the previous owners couldn’t make it work. The multiplex in Patchogue didn’t work. Definitely seems like a void but, maybe for a reason. There are a lot of pockets with no coverage, even in Nassau.
Yeh, Google finally got the front of the building.
Would like to see some of those photos on CT since most of us are not privvy to union material
People take advantage of the Silver Screen Classic ticket price and go to another auditorium. I know. A friend of mine used to meet me there and sometimes couldn’t get in because it was sold out. Yet there were seats available including one I had for her. My solution. Buy two tickets and leave one at the “box office” for her.
I have the answer on remove. CT now gives you the ability to remove messages you, and only you, have posted. Helpful for those times when you hit enter twice or when something has been resolved and the comment no longer applies.
Local merchants have confirmed that the theatre was demolished in the 1980’s. The replacement building houses a Fish Market/Grill and a number of officces.
Contrary to the heading this only came under the Century banner at the end of it’s, and Century’s life. It was originally part of a chain with a smaller pressence, I’ll say Mann. Much later it became RKO when that circuit was trying to get back into the Long Island market. I remember a Newsday article saying RKO was coming to Long Island and showing the exterior of the Wantagh. The Century association came about as a result of a series of mergers which produced RKO Century Warner. It would appear that the current office building, which has an address of 3305 Jerusalem Avenue, was created from the original theatre through additions and modifications.
I went back to the site today, in the daylight, to reaffirm my original May 1st comment that it was at the corner of the shopping center. It was; the eastern corner. However, subsequently, a cinder block addition as been added obliterating all but the exit door, by the screen, of the original exterior.
Tinseltoes – rather than report Google problems, of which there seem to be a good deal, on the theatre site you might achieve better results reporting them directly to CT.
The Helen Hayes (formerly Fulton), Bijou and Morrosco theatres were all demolished for the construction of a hotel. Of the three I believe only the Bijou ever screened films. The current Helen Hayes on 44th Street was formerly the Little and Winthrop Ames. It was a radio/tv studio for some years. Don’t believe there were any screenings.
George Strum – from Cabaret?
The only difference in the appearance of the facade as a single screen, twin or quad are the designation “twin” or “quad” and the style of lettering is still the same. I would venture that the word “elwood” is the original and the adds on were made to match.
Since you’re on friendly terms with Vito could you get in there with a camera and immortalize the place before, whatever is going to happen?
miss the point – perhaps you could post some of your recollections on the Rocky Point Cinema on that site.
Did it have a sloping floor? What was unique about it?
When I used to summer in Rocky Point we went to the Brookhaven. There was no Drive In in the early 1950s.
I noticed in a comment on another theatre that in 1938 the Strand was part of the Century Circuit because some trade paper announced a number of Century Managerial changes and the Strand was mentioned. Don’t know when it came on board but it did have life after Century because I saw some ads in Newsday when I was tracking down another theatre.
Nice to see the facade of the building looking so pristine. When the Jamaica Avenue El was still in place you could see very little of the building and everything was grimy.
This theatre was located in an L shaped shopping center on Jerusalem Avenue at the intersection of Hickville Road (the northwest corner). The theatre and the adjacent stores on the stretch of the shopping center running parallel to Jerusalem Avenue are now incorporated in a large Marshalls.
Well, if you were at the new Carvel you were next to the Rocky Point Cinema. Any recollections on it? When I established it on CT I was working from personal recollections and an article in the Port Jefferson Echo.
That was the norm. They did the same thing with the RKO Colonial on Broadway in Manhattan where I saw Steve Allen. Believe the same for the Ed Sullivan.
As the Avon it functioned as a TV preview theatre. When I was a teen in the early 1950’s I attended one of these sessions with my parents. Most of the pilot’s we previewed never made to it the airwaves.
After the fire it was called, I believe, Studio 78
The restaurant is now Anthony Joseph’s.
An emergency manicurist?