CAN I BUY ONE OF THOSE FLYERS OR GET A CLEAN XEROX COPY?!!!!!!! Great story ja2day! I also made like 100 pilgrimages to the Commack Drive In cemetery (alone and with friends). (It was creepy and haunting at night!)First few years, the snack bar was standing,the marquee, so was the screen and “toll” booths. Later, the screen and booths came down, followed by the sign (got a piece of it; see my above photo!)and only the snackbar was left—till someone set it on fire.Then people started dumping tires and garbage there (talk about “spitting on a grave”!) Me and my friends would go there at night, and ponder breaking into the snackbar to see what’s in there..but did not have enough nerve. Last night there, we stood outside on what looked like the remains of the linoleum /concrete floor of the snackbar.
Probably…(not that there’s anything wrong with that!)
Either way; Asbury ain’t gonna turn into Hoboken (a 12 minute train ride to NYC)which is what greedy land developers will have YOU believe —-for the simple reason of the awkward proximity to NYC.
in the summer of 1969, I saw the TV commercial for this movie; it scared the crap outta me! It was rated “M” (remember that?) so I could not get to see it.___Years later, it was on the ABC Movie of the Week, and I saw it…it was really really good! It’s on DVD now, so if you have never seen it; rent it or buy it. This original ad, shows this 1969 “shocker” playing at BOTH the Commack Drive In AND the Commack RKO at the same time! So now we have evidence that it happened twice (at least). The ad does NOT show the second feature at Commack; but knowing the lop-sided Commack double bills, the co-feature was probably “Born Free”… View link
Oops! The above print ad, is “exploitive” but the actual film is not. Frank Perry was known for his very realistic and gritty portraits of American life….that is up until he directed…“Mommie Dearest”. The VHS tapes of “Last Summer” are going for too much money on E-Bay (because it’s not on DVD…YET).
If it does well, it’s probably only because of people trying to find an alternative to the Commack Multi-Obnoxious-Teenager-Plex! The Shore used to be an alternative (for me; I worked in Huntington village for a decade). Now that has gone “Lolita-Plex”.
The RKO Commack and RKO Rockville Center, were mirror image bookings in the early 1970’s. I think the Babylon was too. I have some ads, with these very uniform bookings that I will post soon.
Funny thing was, I remember the Commack Drive In being schizophrenic with their bookings—often I recall tame middle-of-the-road movies that my parents took me to see; features like “Popi”, “Cotton Comes to Harlem”, “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight”, “Save the Tiger” and “Diary of a Mad Housewife” and other non-Drive In type movies (THAT A KID WOULD NOT ENJOY)LOL. But I did love being at the Drive In nonetheless. Tracing back; I think the Commack D.I. was at it’s apex in 1975/1976 (the “David Carradine Era”). Consistent drive-in fare tended to play there. “Eat My Dust” was a big deal at the Commack D.I.! * non-exploitive movie ad, from 1969 Commack: View link
Saps, I saw “Taste the Blood of Dracula” (great title!) at the RKO, but have NO memory of “Trog”. I think my father made us leave before it started (knowing that it was a “bomb”?). Yeah, the Will Rogers thing was annoying…they did it at Whitman too? And I remember it was the same ritual at Elwood but I could be wrong. ____
By the way, I’m shocked that Elwood is still standing…That has “closed/demolished” written all over it! C'mon people—lets wreck it an put a C.V.S. up in it’s place!
I think they should change the name of this site to “Gone Forever”!LOL! I also WISH, there was a site like this for old department stores. Imagine cliking on a page of posts for “Korvettes, Commack, NY”, etc.! I remember the Modells in East Northport had a pet department with a small monkey (!) for sale. LOL.
WOW, Saps! Great story! Like I said before, at the time, “Willard” was the most talked about movie in town! LOL. Everyone loved the scene where the big mean boss Ernest Broganine, was killed by the army of ferocious rats—watch that scene today: it looks like the camera crew is is tossing poor little trained mice at Ernie and they are bouncing off of him. This movie made a TON of money for…Bing Crosby as it was his production company that backed “Willard”. “Night of the Living Dead” still holds up well! I remember the first time I saw it, on the late movie on A.B.C. circa 1976 on a Saturday night. Although I was not enriched by seeing “Night…” at Commack, I did see “Dawn…” there, Spring 1979, twice and it’s one of my best Commack D.I. memories of all time.
Was it the RKO the theaters chain where they showed that Will Rogers short “commercial” then had the ushers come around with cans collecting change? That was very strange and discomforting—even for a good charity..at least that’s how I had felt as a kid. They showed the “commercial” way into the 80’s and it was in horrible shape as well.
Asbury Park is currently pandering to gays and yuppies. This is good and bad. You won’t get the “cozy old fashioned” Asbury back from the 1940’s, nor will you have scuzzy Asbury from the 1980’s. You WILL get a safer neighborhood with two room condos going for $300,000. and specialized ice cream shops with $7.00 for a one scoop cone. It’s the classic “either/or” concept in the wicked econo-structure we live in today! The main problem , however, is that Asbury is a just a little too far commute to NYC, making DAILY travel, pretty draining (most of us can’t even tolerate a 45 minute subway ride). It will remain a “summer spot” I suspect, but the surrounding “ghetto” is still an issue to deal with…
Dig this! Too cool for words: Fellini & Hells Angels at…the Commack Drive In… View link
Bloop
commented about
Paramounton
Jun 28, 2007 at 8:38 pm
Still, a very nice theater !
Bloop
commented about
Paramounton
Jun 28, 2007 at 8:37 pm
A cool theater in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s. We used to go see “Rock n' Roll High School” every Saturday! Also saw “The Song Remains the Same”, “Up in Smoke” and others. Today is features somewhat stale adult-oriented concerts by performers you only thought were dead.
…and ja2day gets points for seeing the Al Adamson double bill!
CAN I BUY ONE OF THOSE FLYERS OR GET A CLEAN XEROX COPY?!!!!!!! Great story ja2day! I also made like 100 pilgrimages to the Commack Drive In cemetery (alone and with friends). (It was creepy and haunting at night!)First few years, the snack bar was standing,the marquee, so was the screen and “toll” booths. Later, the screen and booths came down, followed by the sign (got a piece of it; see my above photo!)and only the snackbar was left—till someone set it on fire.Then people started dumping tires and garbage there (talk about “spitting on a grave”!) Me and my friends would go there at night, and ponder breaking into the snackbar to see what’s in there..but did not have enough nerve. Last night there, we stood outside on what looked like the remains of the linoleum /concrete floor of the snackbar.
P.S. what is the movie term “moveover”?
For your consideration: Here are some more Oscar winning films from The Whitman circa 1978-1980:
View link
Enjoy the $7.00 one-scoop ice cream cone!
Probably…(not that there’s anything wrong with that!)
Either way; Asbury ain’t gonna turn into Hoboken (a 12 minute train ride to NYC)which is what greedy land developers will have YOU believe —-for the simple reason of the awkward proximity to NYC.
Rock n' Shock…….at the Whitman Theater!Wow! If I didn’t know it; I’d think the Whitman was a sleazy drive in theater!
View link
View link
I wish they were running out of the Commack Drive In!
in the summer of 1969, I saw the TV commercial for this movie; it scared the crap outta me! It was rated “M” (remember that?) so I could not get to see it.___Years later, it was on the ABC Movie of the Week, and I saw it…it was really really good! It’s on DVD now, so if you have never seen it; rent it or buy it. This original ad, shows this 1969 “shocker” playing at BOTH the Commack Drive In AND the Commack RKO at the same time! So now we have evidence that it happened twice (at least). The ad does NOT show the second feature at Commack; but knowing the lop-sided Commack double bills, the co-feature was probably “Born Free”…
View link
LOL! SAPS! You rule! I think the smell is merely uncleaned movie floor. That place is a movie-goers nightmare
One more classic Commack Drive In hit, I forgot; “Grizzly” (summer 1976). I think, the co-feature was “Beyond the Door” with Juilet Mills?
Oops! The above print ad, is “exploitive” but the actual film is not. Frank Perry was known for his very realistic and gritty portraits of American life….that is up until he directed…“Mommie Dearest”. The VHS tapes of “Last Summer” are going for too much money on E-Bay (because it’s not on DVD…YET).
Oh by the way, I’d like to see how the Will Rogers collection cans would do with today’s Long Island teen audiences.
If it does well, it’s probably only because of people trying to find an alternative to the Commack Multi-Obnoxious-Teenager-Plex! The Shore used to be an alternative (for me; I worked in Huntington village for a decade). Now that has gone “Lolita-Plex”.
The RKO Commack and RKO Rockville Center, were mirror image bookings in the early 1970’s. I think the Babylon was too. I have some ads, with these very uniform bookings that I will post soon.
Funny thing was, I remember the Commack Drive In being schizophrenic with their bookings—often I recall tame middle-of-the-road movies that my parents took me to see; features like “Popi”, “Cotton Comes to Harlem”, “The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight”, “Save the Tiger” and “Diary of a Mad Housewife” and other non-Drive In type movies (THAT A KID WOULD NOT ENJOY)LOL. But I did love being at the Drive In nonetheless. Tracing back; I think the Commack D.I. was at it’s apex in 1975/1976 (the “David Carradine Era”). Consistent drive-in fare tended to play there. “Eat My Dust” was a big deal at the Commack D.I.! * non-exploitive movie ad, from 1969 Commack:
View link
So when are we gonna have that “Commack Drive In / Commack R.K.O.” tailgate/reunion party ?
Saps, I saw “Taste the Blood of Dracula” (great title!) at the RKO, but have NO memory of “Trog”. I think my father made us leave before it started (knowing that it was a “bomb”?). Yeah, the Will Rogers thing was annoying…they did it at Whitman too? And I remember it was the same ritual at Elwood but I could be wrong. ____
By the way, I’m shocked that Elwood is still standing…That has “closed/demolished” written all over it! C'mon people—lets wreck it an put a C.V.S. up in it’s place!
I think they should change the name of this site to “Gone Forever”!LOL! I also WISH, there was a site like this for old department stores. Imagine cliking on a page of posts for “Korvettes, Commack, NY”, etc.! I remember the Modells in East Northport had a pet department with a small monkey (!) for sale. LOL.
WOW, Saps! Great story! Like I said before, at the time, “Willard” was the most talked about movie in town! LOL. Everyone loved the scene where the big mean boss Ernest Broganine, was killed by the army of ferocious rats—watch that scene today: it looks like the camera crew is is tossing poor little trained mice at Ernie and they are bouncing off of him. This movie made a TON of money for…Bing Crosby as it was his production company that backed “Willard”. “Night of the Living Dead” still holds up well! I remember the first time I saw it, on the late movie on A.B.C. circa 1976 on a Saturday night. Although I was not enriched by seeing “Night…” at Commack, I did see “Dawn…” there, Spring 1979, twice and it’s one of my best Commack D.I. memories of all time.
Was it the RKO the theaters chain where they showed that Will Rogers short “commercial” then had the ushers come around with cans collecting change? That was very strange and discomforting—even for a good charity..at least that’s how I had felt as a kid. They showed the “commercial” way into the 80’s and it was in horrible shape as well.
Asbury Park is currently pandering to gays and yuppies. This is good and bad. You won’t get the “cozy old fashioned” Asbury back from the 1940’s, nor will you have scuzzy Asbury from the 1980’s. You WILL get a safer neighborhood with two room condos going for $300,000. and specialized ice cream shops with $7.00 for a one scoop cone. It’s the classic “either/or” concept in the wicked econo-structure we live in today! The main problem , however, is that Asbury is a just a little too far commute to NYC, making DAILY travel, pretty draining (most of us can’t even tolerate a 45 minute subway ride). It will remain a “summer spot” I suspect, but the surrounding “ghetto” is still an issue to deal with…
Dig this! Too cool for words: Fellini & Hells Angels at…the Commack Drive In…
View link
Still, a very nice theater !
A cool theater in the late 1970’s/early 1980’s. We used to go see “Rock n' Roll High School” every Saturday! Also saw “The Song Remains the Same”, “Up in Smoke” and others. Today is features somewhat stale adult-oriented concerts by performers you only thought were dead.