I took some photos the other day of the former Belair Shopping Center where this small twin was located. I think the center was anchored by Hills Supermarket. I’m not sure if anything that is currently on the site was part of the original mall, but the basic configuration remains the same – though it looks much larger now. The center was an L-shape running along the right side of the parking lot (as it does now) with the theater tucked into the corner of the L (where the white truck is shown parked in the 2nd photo below):
And just to show that old movie theaters aren’t the only things to fall prey to the march of time, here’s a dilapidated relic across the street from the shopping center:
This was known as the RKO Lawrence when I attended in 1979 and the very early ‘80’s. I remember seeing “Apocalypse Now” for the 3rd or 4th time here. Saw a number of movies here. I also saw the 1980’s 3-D flick “Coming At Ya” here and possibly “The Elephant Man”. I seem to remember this as a twin, but it might have been a triplex by the early '80’s. I know CConnoly is talking about another theater when he mentions the light flooding the auditorium whenever someone would enter from the lobby, but I think that occured at several theaters. Was the RKO Lawrence the theater where you had to walk down a few steps from the lobby to the doors leading into one of the auditoriums?
Anyway, here are a few shots of the building now, which is a Duane Reade now. The entrace looks the pretty much the same and the lobby ran along the wall that faces Rockaway Boulevard (facing the camera lens in the 1st photo) with the auditoriums on the left.
Here are a few current shots of the former TSS Shopping Center where the Five Towns Theater was located. I can’t exactly recall which current storefront marks the location of the former theater, though I think it was where the Danice discount clothing store is depicted in the last photo. One thing hasn’t changed about this location… the preponderance of sea gulls in the lot!
I remember the theater from 1979 through ‘81 or so. The price for tickets was 79 cents then went up a penny per year. I think the pricing policy here and elsewhere along the Century chain began in 1976 in coincidence with the bi-centennial. All the films here were either in re-release or on third run at least 6 months out from their initial release. In '79 I saw a re-release of Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” during which the audience laughed so long and hard we missed much of the dialogue. I remember my Mom and some of the neighborhood kids going to see Speilberg’s “1941” here sometime in 1980, I passed since I saw the movie a couple of times during its run at the Lynbrook Theater. I can also remember seeing (again with my Mom) the Neil Diamond remake of “The Jazz Singer” for 81 cents. This was definitely a favorite theater of my Mom’s as it allowed her to take a whole brood of kids along with her at very favorable prices!
Yeah, I knew what you were talking about Warren… I just didn’t read the caption in my souvenir booklet correctly. As Bill corrected, the caption also referred to Cary Grant the star not the movie itself. My error. I remember standing in line for “Mame” and other shows, but then, I mostly attended the Hall during holiday shows (though I can also remember at least one non-holiday show that featured Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”). I’m sure there were times we just marched right in, but the queue depicted in that photo is how I tend to remember waiting to get into the Hall. And we always sat somewhere in the orchestra – perhaps because we’d get there early enough to ensure those seats.
Matt… Great recommendations from everyone. You can’t really go wrong with them. Seeing a movie at the Ziegfeld and taking the RCMH tour is a great start. I must also endorse the idea of visiting the former Hollywood Theater (now the Times Square Church) on 51st Street just off Broadway, only a few blocks from the Ziegfeld. Go in just before the services and you can walk around the place and take photos – it is a spectacular space. Stick around for the service, if you wish, and you’ll be entertained by a first rate choir. I’d also bet that a quick ride (by cab or subway) uptown to Broadway and 175th Street to attend the boisterous services of Reverend Ike’s church in the former Loew’s 175th Street Theater would pay great dividends. Like the Jersey, it is one of the Loew’s Wonder Theaters and, while no longer showing films, it remains by all accounts in immaculate condition. As for the AMC Empire on 42nd Street, which has received mixed reviews lately, once you get beyond the lobby it’s basically just another stadium-style multiplex. I’d recommend just popping in to the lobby and taking in the original architectural elements that have been preserved from the old Empire Theater. No need to buy a ticket – unless you want to.
Correction – obviously, the church took over in the late 1970’s (based on the C of O for altered use issued in ‘78). I also should have noted that all of the chandeliers hung throughout the auditorium were done so by the church and were not a part of the original decor.
So, I took my son for a tour of the old neighborhood with camera in hand and saw that the front door to the former Laurelton Theater was open. We poked our heads in and a very nice gentleman by the name of “Valentine” (I believe that’s what he said) asked if he could be of help. I explained about my growing up in the area and how I used to attend this theater with some regularity back in the ‘70’s and wondered if he might let me take some photos once the congregation had finished with its prayer meeting – which he was more than happy to allow. I came back after 20 minutes or so (took the time to poke around my old grade school) and met some of the congregants who were wonderfully receptive – and with whom I shared some neighborhood memories.
Anyway… I was surprised to find that there was some significant architectural detail to the place that I just didn’t remember as a kid. It’s all been painted a thick coat of white (save for some gold paint at the top of the 4 corinthian columns in the auditorium) and the old plaster ceiling fell in on the place about 3 years ago (no one was hurt) and replaced with the drop ceiling depicted in the shots below.
The lower facade and entrance seen in the 1st photo was built out sometime after the church took over in the 1980’s. Behind that new wall is a small outer vestibule on a steep incline and the original glass theater doors. There is a hole in the drop ceiling in the vestibule (the last photo below) where some of the original plaster detail is visible. Beyond these doors one is in the former and fairly deep ticket lobby/vestibule, in which is displayed a model of the planned renovations to the church (which will incorporate some attached store fronts on Merrick and remodel the facade to a more sleek and modern design). The floor here continues the steep slope of the outer vestibule – in fact, one of the glass doors is severely cracked from a recent incident with a runaway piece of sound equipment.
Through another set of glass doors lies the old foyer where the concession stand used to be (the outline of which can still be made out in against the left wall in the “Foyer” photo below) and where a set of stairs at the far end leads up to the rest rooms and projection booth (there was no balcony). The photos of the auditorium speak for themselves. Note the “overhang” pictures from the rear of the auditorium. Apparently, the projection booth level hung over the last few rows of the orchestra (which might explain why I thought there might have been a balcony). Some coat closets installed in the foyer have encroached a bit into this area, but the decorative molding is still in view and in pretty good shape under the paint.
There was never a stage here, but the church was able to make use of some utility space behind the old screen to build their pulpit area. NYC records show that the structure was built in 1932 (though I would have guessed the ‘20’s) and that a C of O altering the use to “church” was issued in 1978. The proposed renovations for the building will not alter what is left of the auditorium at all – the church plans on keeping it more or less as it appears today. The bulk of the remodeling will include a redesign of the facade, refurbishing the foyer, replacing the doors and breaking through into the adjacent store fronts. The church is on a tight budget.
And note that “The Odd Couple”, which played 6 years after “Mink”, had a record breaking 14-week run at the Hall – though apparently not well enough attended to top the business that “Mink” brought in.
Saps… I’m happy Joe the projectionist payed some respect to the presentation of “Ben-Hur” the night you saw it. When I attended a screening on Saturday at 4:30, however, they did run about 5 or 6 commercial spots before turning the lights down for the overture, so the fact that they weren’t played for your screening didn’t have anything to do with the length of the movie, as HowardBHaas suggests – unless theater staff just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible that night!
Also, minor point, but I don’t think the MGM lion actually roars or moves at all for “Ben-Hur”… I remember noticing that the logo appeared to be a still photo.
Looking forward to the 70mm “Lawrence” and keeping my fingers crossed for a 70mm “2001” some time down the line.
Geoffrey… I had no idea that Ben Hall had been murdered in 1970. I had to look it up on the internet to double check! Not to doubt the veracity of your comments, but, very recently I had posted some images from a Radio City Music Hall souvenir booklet on the RCMH page from 1978 and that booklet has an introduction about the Hall that was written by Ben Hall! Obviously it was written before his death, but the publishers of the booklet must have updated some of the comments without providing any disclosure of their alterations. In one passage Hall seemingly talks about the great showplace having survived “into the 1970’s” and refers to it still being in operations “more than forty years” after its 1932 opening!
Unless, of course, the editors of the magazine had channelled Hall from beyond the grave!
Thanks, Warren. I saw that double feature at the Alden, while I saw “Car Wash” sans the second feature at the old Continental in Forest Hills. It has always been reported – whenever an article is written about the Valencia’s history – that the final feature to play was the Muhammed Ali bio-pic “The Greatest”, which is listed on the imdb.com site as having been released on May 20th, 1977. I saw “The Greatest” at the Valencia during it’s run there. I wish I could tell you exactly when that was, but somehow I recall it as being in June right near the end of the school year.
Sounds like a book I’d be very interested in reading. I remember being pelted from the balcony of one 42nd Street theater with popcorn and lord knows what else. From that day forward, my freinds and I decided that our seats of preference at any grind-house theater would be center orchestra a few rows BEHIND the balcony over-hang! Of course, brave as we were to venture into some of these theaters, we knew instinctively that neither the balconies nor the restrooms were places that we wanted to visit under any circumstance! And I don’t mean this to imply that we would have been subject to homosexual advances, but these areas in those theaters (sparsely attended as they often were) seemed desolate and dangerous. I think we were more fearful of gang violence or getting mugged, than anything else. As for sexual activity… I can recall on more than one occasion noticing a John being serviced in the back rows of a Duece grinder.
I look forward to getting my hands on a copy of this one.
Yes. The original marquee had that French curve as you see in vintage photos of the Keith’s and as evidenced by the steel framework that is now exposed as the abandoned hulk awaits its fate. As with so many other theaters in NYC (the Paramount in Times Square, for example), the old curved marquee was replaced by a square box that was built on top of the old one. Such was the case with the RKO Keith’s in Richmond Hill, where the original marquee was found more or less intact behind the square-box marquee that had been hung over it decades ago. The old marquee was refurbished by the production company for a period set film that filmed some exterior shots outside of the Richmond Hill Kieth’s.
That’s exactly what I’ve been saying, hardbop, since we first picked up on these Village Voice ads. “Kiss Daddy” is a 1981 horror film that probably did play on 42nd Street. The closest imdb.com match I can find for that second title is something called “9 Deaths of the Ninja” from 1985 starring 42nd Street stalwart Sho Kosugi. “Messenger of Death” is likely the Charles Bronson flick from 1988 that might have played the tail end of the Duece’s grind house existence. It was directed by veteran J. Lee Thompson who in his hey day helmed “Guns of Navarone”, the original “Cape Fear” and “Taras Bulba” before turning to low budget genre fare in the ‘70’s and '80’s (the last two “Planet of the Apes” installments and numerous Bronson flicks). That final title is actually “Bruce LE’s Greatest Revenge” from 1978 featuring one of the decade’s many Lee impersonators.
Thanks for that shot, Warren. I’m not sure that’s exactly the marquee I remember as a kid when I saw, say, “Star Wars” here… was it altered again in the late ‘70’s just prior to the triplexing? I seem to recall more or less the same boxy shape, but a lighter background behind the movie titles. And I don’t recall the cluster of lights along the corner edges. I’m also remembering blue as a dominant color, for some reason. Maybe the lettering of the theater’s name? Time has certainly dimmed the recollection.
Last time I drove by the site (about 2 weeks ago) no signs of demolition were in evidence.
Patsy… I can’t recall seeing any good photos of the theater’s interior at all. However, here is a link that was posted last year with a photo and some info about the organ:
Yes, Patsy. Swanson lived long enough to play herself (or a facsimile of herself) in the 1970’s disaster film (a phrase that applies on many levels) “Airport 1975”!!!
Vito… Could that film at the Paramount with the girl in the swing been “The Maze”, a 1953 Allied Artists release filmed in 3-D and starring ‘50’s sci-fi stalwart Richard Carlson. The film took place on a Scottish estate, as I recall. Fifty-three was also the year “Man in the Dark” was released by Columbia.
Deester… I agree with you 100%. And that scene is precisely where I went to the men’s room during “Ben-Hur” as well. The concession stand was still open as there was an 8:30 “Braveheart” screening to follow the show I saw, but I just raced back and forth from my seat so as to miss as little of the movie as possible.
Bob… thanks for that insight. I suppose that it would be far too much to expect the Ziegfeld to run reel-to-reel for this series (assuming they still have that capability) so that we could get grade A prints and more 70mm – Craig??? Shouldn’t the Ziegfeld Theater be a “special venue”?
Did anyone see the gentleman who came to the 8:30 Saturday night “Braveheart” screening in full William Wallace regalia and face paint? I caught him coming into the lounge area as I was leaving the auditorium. He was among a handful of people who were upstairs already, even though a considerable ticket-holders' line had already formed and been courdoned off from the stairs in the lower foyer. Too bad my camera batteries had died or I’d have taken a portrait – only after obtaining permission, of course (armed as he was with a set of bagpipes)!
I caught a couple of the recent Phil Lesh & Freinds shows at the Beacon earlier this month and took the opportunity to grab a few photos of this fantastic venue:
As you can see, I took a pretty exhaustive photo-tour of the place (at least its public spaces) while there those two nights. You will also see from the photos that feature the projection booth that the booth is not off center – as some have claimed. Or, if it is, it is ever slightly so. I took those two photos from deadcenter 1st row in front of the stage and it looks like a dead-on shot to the portholes (it is one hell of a steep projection angle, however). The thing that makes it look uneven is that the backwall of the balcony area is not symmetrical. This is due largely to the catty corner orientation of the auditorium within the trapezoidal city block on which the theater is situated.
Great theater and a great couple of shows (particularly Wednesday night). This is my current favorite place to see a live show. Never saw a movie here.
Patsy… if you scroll up a ways there are some images of the current gymnasium configuration posted here (or linked via other websites). Check out SNWEB’s post of Nov 28th 2005 for two links with some interesting photos from immediately after the conversion as well as the present day. You’ll see how with each passing year, more and more of the ornamentation and theatrical features were stripped away. A good deal of the upper walls and ceiling grill and plaster work still remain, but the school’s basketball team has moved on to new facilities, leaving the future of the space currently up in the air.
BoxOfficeBill… this was a souvenir booklet about the movie itslef – with cast and credits and production stills – not a program in the sense of the old Playbill-types that the RCMH used to distribute for free. I paid for this booklet at the candy counter. Many films used to sell these kinds of books at the concession stands (I still have a great deal of them – “Star Wars”, “Rocky II”, “Moonraker”, “Reds”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, etc.) even at the neighborhood theaters. I just posted a couple of vintage booklets for “How the West Was Won” (on the Capitol Theater page) and “Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” (on the Strand Theater page).
I took some photos the other day of the former Belair Shopping Center where this small twin was located. I think the center was anchored by Hills Supermarket. I’m not sure if anything that is currently on the site was part of the original mall, but the basic configuration remains the same – though it looks much larger now. The center was an L-shape running along the right side of the parking lot (as it does now) with the theater tucked into the corner of the L (where the white truck is shown parked in the 2nd photo below):
Former Belair Shopping Center
White Truck marks the spot
And just to show that old movie theaters aren’t the only things to fall prey to the march of time, here’s a dilapidated relic across the street from the shopping center:
[url=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Nassau%20Theaters%202005/IMG_1689.jpg]Abandoned Dairy Barn[//url]
I saw a number of movies here, but the one that I seem to recall the most was the Dan Aykroyd comedy “Doctor Detroit” back in ‘83 I think.
[url=
This was known as the RKO Lawrence when I attended in 1979 and the very early ‘80’s. I remember seeing “Apocalypse Now” for the 3rd or 4th time here. Saw a number of movies here. I also saw the 1980’s 3-D flick “Coming At Ya” here and possibly “The Elephant Man”. I seem to remember this as a twin, but it might have been a triplex by the early '80’s. I know CConnoly is talking about another theater when he mentions the light flooding the auditorium whenever someone would enter from the lobby, but I think that occured at several theaters. Was the RKO Lawrence the theater where you had to walk down a few steps from the lobby to the doors leading into one of the auditoriums?
Anyway, here are a few shots of the building now, which is a Duane Reade now. The entrace looks the pretty much the same and the lobby ran along the wall that faces Rockaway Boulevard (facing the camera lens in the 1st photo) with the auditoriums on the left.
RKO Lawrence
Pylon sign
Old entrance
Here are a few current shots of the former TSS Shopping Center where the Five Towns Theater was located. I can’t exactly recall which current storefront marks the location of the former theater, though I think it was where the Danice discount clothing store is depicted in the last photo. One thing hasn’t changed about this location… the preponderance of sea gulls in the lot!
Shopping Center and Gulls
This might be the old pylon sign for the theater
Theater was somewhere among these stores
Maybe here?
I remember the theater from 1979 through ‘81 or so. The price for tickets was 79 cents then went up a penny per year. I think the pricing policy here and elsewhere along the Century chain began in 1976 in coincidence with the bi-centennial. All the films here were either in re-release or on third run at least 6 months out from their initial release. In '79 I saw a re-release of Mel Brooks’ “Blazing Saddles” during which the audience laughed so long and hard we missed much of the dialogue. I remember my Mom and some of the neighborhood kids going to see Speilberg’s “1941” here sometime in 1980, I passed since I saw the movie a couple of times during its run at the Lynbrook Theater. I can also remember seeing (again with my Mom) the Neil Diamond remake of “The Jazz Singer” for 81 cents. This was definitely a favorite theater of my Mom’s as it allowed her to take a whole brood of kids along with her at very favorable prices!
Yeah, I knew what you were talking about Warren… I just didn’t read the caption in my souvenir booklet correctly. As Bill corrected, the caption also referred to Cary Grant the star not the movie itself. My error. I remember standing in line for “Mame” and other shows, but then, I mostly attended the Hall during holiday shows (though I can also remember at least one non-holiday show that featured Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue”). I’m sure there were times we just marched right in, but the queue depicted in that photo is how I tend to remember waiting to get into the Hall. And we always sat somewhere in the orchestra – perhaps because we’d get there early enough to ensure those seats.
Matt… Great recommendations from everyone. You can’t really go wrong with them. Seeing a movie at the Ziegfeld and taking the RCMH tour is a great start. I must also endorse the idea of visiting the former Hollywood Theater (now the Times Square Church) on 51st Street just off Broadway, only a few blocks from the Ziegfeld. Go in just before the services and you can walk around the place and take photos – it is a spectacular space. Stick around for the service, if you wish, and you’ll be entertained by a first rate choir. I’d also bet that a quick ride (by cab or subway) uptown to Broadway and 175th Street to attend the boisterous services of Reverend Ike’s church in the former Loew’s 175th Street Theater would pay great dividends. Like the Jersey, it is one of the Loew’s Wonder Theaters and, while no longer showing films, it remains by all accounts in immaculate condition. As for the AMC Empire on 42nd Street, which has received mixed reviews lately, once you get beyond the lobby it’s basically just another stadium-style multiplex. I’d recommend just popping in to the lobby and taking in the original architectural elements that have been preserved from the old Empire Theater. No need to buy a ticket – unless you want to.
What was once a glorious 1920’s vaudeville & movie house is now this dreary little brick medical facility:
Former Valley Stream Theater site
At least some things stand the test of time (directly across the street from the old theater):
Slipped Disc
Correction – obviously, the church took over in the late 1970’s (based on the C of O for altered use issued in ‘78). I also should have noted that all of the chandeliers hung throughout the auditorium were done so by the church and were not a part of the original decor.
So, I took my son for a tour of the old neighborhood with camera in hand and saw that the front door to the former Laurelton Theater was open. We poked our heads in and a very nice gentleman by the name of “Valentine” (I believe that’s what he said) asked if he could be of help. I explained about my growing up in the area and how I used to attend this theater with some regularity back in the ‘70’s and wondered if he might let me take some photos once the congregation had finished with its prayer meeting – which he was more than happy to allow. I came back after 20 minutes or so (took the time to poke around my old grade school) and met some of the congregants who were wonderfully receptive – and with whom I shared some neighborhood memories.
Anyway… I was surprised to find that there was some significant architectural detail to the place that I just didn’t remember as a kid. It’s all been painted a thick coat of white (save for some gold paint at the top of the 4 corinthian columns in the auditorium) and the old plaster ceiling fell in on the place about 3 years ago (no one was hurt) and replaced with the drop ceiling depicted in the shots below.
The lower facade and entrance seen in the 1st photo was built out sometime after the church took over in the 1980’s. Behind that new wall is a small outer vestibule on a steep incline and the original glass theater doors. There is a hole in the drop ceiling in the vestibule (the last photo below) where some of the original plaster detail is visible. Beyond these doors one is in the former and fairly deep ticket lobby/vestibule, in which is displayed a model of the planned renovations to the church (which will incorporate some attached store fronts on Merrick and remodel the facade to a more sleek and modern design). The floor here continues the steep slope of the outer vestibule – in fact, one of the glass doors is severely cracked from a recent incident with a runaway piece of sound equipment.
Through another set of glass doors lies the old foyer where the concession stand used to be (the outline of which can still be made out in against the left wall in the “Foyer” photo below) and where a set of stairs at the far end leads up to the rest rooms and projection booth (there was no balcony). The photos of the auditorium speak for themselves. Note the “overhang” pictures from the rear of the auditorium. Apparently, the projection booth level hung over the last few rows of the orchestra (which might explain why I thought there might have been a balcony). Some coat closets installed in the foyer have encroached a bit into this area, but the decorative molding is still in view and in pretty good shape under the paint.
Here are the photos:
Exterior shot
Rear view 1
Rear view 2
Church signage
Rear auditorium & projection booth
Auditorium
Proscenium
Left arch & columns
Right arch & column
Rear auditorium overhang
Overhang molding
Molding detail
Panel over proscenium
Foyer
Foyer ceiling molding detail
Ticket lobby/vestibule
Behind drop ceiling in outer vestibule
There was never a stage here, but the church was able to make use of some utility space behind the old screen to build their pulpit area. NYC records show that the structure was built in 1932 (though I would have guessed the ‘20’s) and that a C of O altering the use to “church” was issued in 1978. The proposed renovations for the building will not alter what is left of the auditorium at all – the church plans on keeping it more or less as it appears today. The bulk of the remodeling will include a redesign of the facade, refurbishing the foyer, replacing the doors and breaking through into the adjacent store fronts. The church is on a tight budget.
Warren… the Grant & Doris Day comedy “That Touch of Mink” is listed in my souvenir booklet as RCMH’s all time box office champ:
View link
And note that “The Odd Couple”, which played 6 years after “Mink”, had a record breaking 14-week run at the Hall – though apparently not well enough attended to top the business that “Mink” brought in.
Saps… I’m happy Joe the projectionist payed some respect to the presentation of “Ben-Hur” the night you saw it. When I attended a screening on Saturday at 4:30, however, they did run about 5 or 6 commercial spots before turning the lights down for the overture, so the fact that they weren’t played for your screening didn’t have anything to do with the length of the movie, as HowardBHaas suggests – unless theater staff just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible that night!
Also, minor point, but I don’t think the MGM lion actually roars or moves at all for “Ben-Hur”… I remember noticing that the logo appeared to be a still photo.
Looking forward to the 70mm “Lawrence” and keeping my fingers crossed for a 70mm “2001” some time down the line.
Geoffrey… I had no idea that Ben Hall had been murdered in 1970. I had to look it up on the internet to double check! Not to doubt the veracity of your comments, but, very recently I had posted some images from a Radio City Music Hall souvenir booklet on the RCMH page from 1978 and that booklet has an introduction about the Hall that was written by Ben Hall! Obviously it was written before his death, but the publishers of the booklet must have updated some of the comments without providing any disclosure of their alterations. In one passage Hall seemingly talks about the great showplace having survived “into the 1970’s” and refers to it still being in operations “more than forty years” after its 1932 opening!
Unless, of course, the editors of the magazine had channelled Hall from beyond the grave!
Thanks, Warren. I saw that double feature at the Alden, while I saw “Car Wash” sans the second feature at the old Continental in Forest Hills. It has always been reported – whenever an article is written about the Valencia’s history – that the final feature to play was the Muhammed Ali bio-pic “The Greatest”, which is listed on the imdb.com site as having been released on May 20th, 1977. I saw “The Greatest” at the Valencia during it’s run there. I wish I could tell you exactly when that was, but somehow I recall it as being in June right near the end of the school year.
Sounds like a book I’d be very interested in reading. I remember being pelted from the balcony of one 42nd Street theater with popcorn and lord knows what else. From that day forward, my freinds and I decided that our seats of preference at any grind-house theater would be center orchestra a few rows BEHIND the balcony over-hang! Of course, brave as we were to venture into some of these theaters, we knew instinctively that neither the balconies nor the restrooms were places that we wanted to visit under any circumstance! And I don’t mean this to imply that we would have been subject to homosexual advances, but these areas in those theaters (sparsely attended as they often were) seemed desolate and dangerous. I think we were more fearful of gang violence or getting mugged, than anything else. As for sexual activity… I can recall on more than one occasion noticing a John being serviced in the back rows of a Duece grinder.
I look forward to getting my hands on a copy of this one.
Yes. The original marquee had that French curve as you see in vintage photos of the Keith’s and as evidenced by the steel framework that is now exposed as the abandoned hulk awaits its fate. As with so many other theaters in NYC (the Paramount in Times Square, for example), the old curved marquee was replaced by a square box that was built on top of the old one. Such was the case with the RKO Keith’s in Richmond Hill, where the original marquee was found more or less intact behind the square-box marquee that had been hung over it decades ago. The old marquee was refurbished by the production company for a period set film that filmed some exterior shots outside of the Richmond Hill Kieth’s.
That’s exactly what I’ve been saying, hardbop, since we first picked up on these Village Voice ads. “Kiss Daddy” is a 1981 horror film that probably did play on 42nd Street. The closest imdb.com match I can find for that second title is something called “9 Deaths of the Ninja” from 1985 starring 42nd Street stalwart Sho Kosugi. “Messenger of Death” is likely the Charles Bronson flick from 1988 that might have played the tail end of the Duece’s grind house existence. It was directed by veteran J. Lee Thompson who in his hey day helmed “Guns of Navarone”, the original “Cape Fear” and “Taras Bulba” before turning to low budget genre fare in the ‘70’s and '80’s (the last two “Planet of the Apes” installments and numerous Bronson flicks). That final title is actually “Bruce LE’s Greatest Revenge” from 1978 featuring one of the decade’s many Lee impersonators.
Thanks for that shot, Warren. I’m not sure that’s exactly the marquee I remember as a kid when I saw, say, “Star Wars” here… was it altered again in the late ‘70’s just prior to the triplexing? I seem to recall more or less the same boxy shape, but a lighter background behind the movie titles. And I don’t recall the cluster of lights along the corner edges. I’m also remembering blue as a dominant color, for some reason. Maybe the lettering of the theater’s name? Time has certainly dimmed the recollection.
Last time I drove by the site (about 2 weeks ago) no signs of demolition were in evidence.
Patsy… I can’t recall seeing any good photos of the theater’s interior at all. However, here is a link that was posted last year with a photo and some info about the organ:
http://www.nytos.org/LIU.htm
Yes, Patsy. Swanson lived long enough to play herself (or a facsimile of herself) in the 1970’s disaster film (a phrase that applies on many levels) “Airport 1975”!!!
B.O.Bill… Unfortunately, I do not still have the Showplace Program for “Crossed Swords”.
Vito… Could that film at the Paramount with the girl in the swing been “The Maze”, a 1953 Allied Artists release filmed in 3-D and starring ‘50’s sci-fi stalwart Richard Carlson. The film took place on a Scottish estate, as I recall. Fifty-three was also the year “Man in the Dark” was released by Columbia.
Deester… I agree with you 100%. And that scene is precisely where I went to the men’s room during “Ben-Hur” as well. The concession stand was still open as there was an 8:30 “Braveheart” screening to follow the show I saw, but I just raced back and forth from my seat so as to miss as little of the movie as possible.
Bob… thanks for that insight. I suppose that it would be far too much to expect the Ziegfeld to run reel-to-reel for this series (assuming they still have that capability) so that we could get grade A prints and more 70mm – Craig??? Shouldn’t the Ziegfeld Theater be a “special venue”?
Did anyone see the gentleman who came to the 8:30 Saturday night “Braveheart” screening in full William Wallace regalia and face paint? I caught him coming into the lounge area as I was leaving the auditorium. He was among a handful of people who were upstairs already, even though a considerable ticket-holders' line had already formed and been courdoned off from the stairs in the lower foyer. Too bad my camera batteries had died or I’d have taken a portrait – only after obtaining permission, of course (armed as he was with a set of bagpipes)!
I caught a couple of the recent Phil Lesh & Freinds shows at the Beacon earlier this month and took the opportunity to grab a few photos of this fantastic venue:
Marquee
Outside ticket booth
Outer vestibule fixture
Rotunda ceiling
Rotunda wall
These windows look onto Rotunda from loge and balcony foyers
Stairwell to upper tiers from Rotunda
Rotunda painting over ticket-lobby entrance
Rotunda chandelier
Lobby torchier at Rotunda/Foyer entryway
Main foyer light fixture
Lower Lounge ceiling medallion
Lower Lounge light fixture
Rotunda ceiling detail (from loge foyer overlook)
Rotunda chandelier (from loge foyer overlook)
View of left side wall from upper balcony
Proscenium from upper balcony
Right side wall from upper balcony
Ceiling over upper balcony
Upper balcony fixture
Ceiling centerpiece from mid balcony
Lion/Mural over loge exit
Proscenium Goddess (from orchestra floor)
Left orchestra exit archway
Ceiling centerpiece from orchestra floor
Balcony tiers & projection booth from dead center stage
Longer view of tiers & projection booth
Ceiling centerpiece looking up from lip of stage
Loge facade bas relief
Loge overhang from rear orchestra
Right orchestra exit archway from loge
Exit archway detail
Left side wall & proscenium from loge
Proscenium Goddess (right side)
Balcony overhang from loge
As you can see, I took a pretty exhaustive photo-tour of the place (at least its public spaces) while there those two nights. You will also see from the photos that feature the projection booth that the booth is not off center – as some have claimed. Or, if it is, it is ever slightly so. I took those two photos from deadcenter 1st row in front of the stage and it looks like a dead-on shot to the portholes (it is one hell of a steep projection angle, however). The thing that makes it look uneven is that the backwall of the balcony area is not symmetrical. This is due largely to the catty corner orientation of the auditorium within the trapezoidal city block on which the theater is situated.
Great theater and a great couple of shows (particularly Wednesday night). This is my current favorite place to see a live show. Never saw a movie here.
Patsy… if you scroll up a ways there are some images of the current gymnasium configuration posted here (or linked via other websites). Check out SNWEB’s post of Nov 28th 2005 for two links with some interesting photos from immediately after the conversion as well as the present day. You’ll see how with each passing year, more and more of the ornamentation and theatrical features were stripped away. A good deal of the upper walls and ceiling grill and plaster work still remain, but the school’s basketball team has moved on to new facilities, leaving the future of the space currently up in the air.
BoxOfficeBill… this was a souvenir booklet about the movie itslef – with cast and credits and production stills – not a program in the sense of the old Playbill-types that the RCMH used to distribute for free. I paid for this booklet at the candy counter. Many films used to sell these kinds of books at the concession stands (I still have a great deal of them – “Star Wars”, “Rocky II”, “Moonraker”, “Reds”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, etc.) even at the neighborhood theaters. I just posted a couple of vintage booklets for “How the West Was Won” (on the Capitol Theater page) and “Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” (on the Strand Theater page).
Thanks for that information, Alto.