Fair Theatre
90-18 Astoria Boulevard,
East Elmhurst,
NY
11369
90-18 Astoria Boulevard,
East Elmhurst,
NY
11369
18 people
favorited this theater
Showing 326 - 350 of 358 comments
I’ve finally solved the mystery of remembering the Fair being on Northern Blvd. It’s not the Fair I’m thinking of, AND it’s not Northern Blvd. It’s the Earle, now called the Eagle, on 37th Avenue, which runs parallel to Northern Blvd. The Earle didn’t turn up in my earlier search, probably because it hadn’t occurred to me it was now called the Eagle. The sign is very similar to the Fair’s art deco style.
Ah, now I can sleep.
Thanks for lending a likely explanation, dave-bronx… I’m sure no one has been up there to fix-up whatever the winds have done to those letters in ages!
The marquee letters there appear to be slotted letters: there is just a notch in the plastic on the back and the rail on the sign just slips into the letter. A good wind tends to re-arrange them, which is why a lot of theatres in the 1960 started to use snap-lock letters, they have metal clips that grip the rails and holds them in place.
Here are a few shots I took of the Fair’s illuminated marquee the other night:
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I love the spacing of letters on the marquee (and the two R’s in “THURR”). I’m also curious as to how long the advertising has read “First Run in Queens”??? Is this a legitimate claim? I supposed if the Fair and the Polk are the only two adult cinemas left in Queens it should be relatively easy to verify. Aren’t they both just projecting DVD’s or Video on to their screens anyhow?!? That these “theaters” are still in operation is fascinating to me.
I also grabbed some pics of the Polk Theater this same night.
No, I am familiar with the Polk…I had already looked at the photos that were posted (yes, the ticket-seller with tank top was intriguing!) and that’s not the theater I was thinking of. (I do remember going to the Fair…I’m curious as to whether the Polk was showing adult films even back in the late 60s-early 70s, because I have a vague memory of it being a kind of “forbidden” theater.) Anyway, I really think it truly is a case of combining the Fair and the Boulevard in my memory. (Heck, until I started browsing this site, I had completely forgotten there was ever such a thing as the Jerry Lewis Cinemas! Possibly proof of the mind’s ability to protect itself…)
Jeffrey… any shot you’re confusing 37th Avenue with Northern Blvd? If so, you might be thinking of the Polk Theater. I have some photos of that mid-block theater posted on its page here: /theaters/4489/
I spent most of my earliest childhood years (to age 7 or 8) living in Elmhurst and don’t really remember ever going to either the Polk or the Fair… but my mom says she definitely took me to movies at the Fair when I was a child in the late ‘60’s & very early '70’s. I do remember going to the Boulevard frequently, where my biggest memory was that you could glimpse the Manhattan skyline while crossing Northern Blvd.
Thanks, Warren, but this is still bugging me. In fact, it had me up last night! I was trying to think of what the name of the theater I’m thinking of could possibly be, because my mind is convinced it was a short name — like Fair — not a long name, like Boulevard. I just looked at EdSolero’s photos of the current incarnation of the Boulevard, and the problem is it shows a theater on the corner with a marquee at the end of the block. I’m convinced the theater I’m thinking of was in the middle of the block. And it seems to me that the old Food Fair supermarket, with its tall tan brick tower sign, was a block or two away. The only explanation I can come up with is that I’ve somehow combined my memories of the Fair and the Boulevard, and convinced myself that the Fair was the theater on Northern. Short of taking a trip down there to check it out for myself, I’m not likely to resolve this anytime soon!
The Haven was never a porn theatre. They ran X a few times and the neighborhood fought it.
I’ve looked through the list here for every theater in Queens, Jackson Heights, and Astoria, and cannot find anything that sounds like what I remember. Anybody aware of a theater on the south side of Northern Blvd., west of Junction Blvd. but east of Woodside?
I’m really confused, especially after viewing the photos above. I remember seeing some movies at the Fair back in the late 60s-early 70s, when I still lived in Queens. But for some reason I’ve gotten it confused with a theater that was on Northern Blvd. I’ve been through there a few times over the last couple of years and thought the Fair had been converted to other uses; now I realize the Fair is on Astoria Blvd. and I was on Northern Blvd. So what was the theater on Northern that had a similar art deco marquee?
“OK to bring a ladyfriend here who likes to ‘watch’?"
[posted by Furburger on Jun 19, 2005 at 7:41pm]
“does anyone know of any other actual porn theaters in the NYC area?”
[posted by “E” on Jul 20, 2005 at 12:32am]
I’m curious also (blue, not yellow).
The other porn theater in Queens that is still active is the Polk Theater, also in Jackson Heights. There may be another, but if so I can’t think of it. The Earle and the Mayfair went Bollywood, the Austin went semi-artsy and the Haven is no longer in theatrical operation.
I took some exterior snapshots of the Fair a couple of weekends ago with my digital camera. I started with a few long shots and then moved in to focus on the marquee and entrance. As I was about to snap a photo of the 1970’s vintage poster for “The Klansman” that is still displayed in the outer foyer (as br91975 mentioned in his post in June) , an employee of the theater came to the door and advised that I should stop taking any further photos of the building. I tried to explain that I was merely a movie-theater enthusiast who was snapping some shots of theaters in Queens for my own personal use and was very careful not to intrude on the privacy of their patrons. I then showed the man (and the “security” guard who by this time had joined him) all of the photos I had taken during the day of this and other theaters in the borough.
Unfortunately, he was having none of it and insisted that I leave. I asked if I could just take one last shot – the “Klansman” poster. He refused. I certainly didn’t want to rankle him any further so I asked if I could speak with the manager and obtain his permission. He advised the manager was not there at the time (it was Sunday, after all) but that I could return during the week to seek him out.
I plan on returning to the Fair as soon as my schedule permits. Perhaps one evening after work so I can get a shot of the marquee all lit up (that is, if they bother to light the signs at all). Naturally, I’ll look for the manager’s permission to do so, but in the meanwhile… here are the photos I took before the order to cease and desist.
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There really are no porn theaters left in Manhattan. Just adult DVD stores/video booths where people “play.” (Most of those are not for couples, just for gay men.) In Brooklyn, there’s cinema kings highway. I don’t know how safe it is. Other commenters say the clientele is kind of creepy. In queens, there’s this one, and one more in queens, I believe, whose name escapes me. Oh, there’s the cameo in NJ and one other one I can’t think of in NJ. Shirley and Mark, you’re probably better off going to a party where you can be watched. There’s a lot of those in the city.
Hi
We are an English couple visiting New York in October and are looking to find an adult cinema where we can “play†and be watched. Would this be possible in this movie theater and is it clean and safe?
Can anyone recommend any adult movie theaters in Manhattan?
Our email is
does anyone know of any other actual porn theaters in the NYC area?
It now costs $15 to see a porn movie at the Fair.
OK to bring a ladyfriend here who likes to “watch”?
Thinking further about the Fair, it occurred to me that perhaps if it was programmed and marketed well, it could thrive (or, perhaps at its worst, hold its own) as a second-run cinema. It’s pretty obvious why there aren’t any such theaters in Manhattan (the former policy at the Loews State notwithstanding), but does anyone have any theories or first-hand knowledge as to why the same is true in the outer boroughs (perhaps, if I’m neglecting to consider them, one or two here and there) as well?
“Running regular movies on video” – what? This is scary that “porn” theatres show regular films on tape, I read that as whats running on the screen doesn’t really matter. I’m no prude, but, man, this is one creepy thought I still can’t wrap my head around. I’m no relgiious freak, but I have no intention of exploring these types of cinemas, but I’ve noted in reading comments this is a simi-frequent occurence (where regular movies, or even pay TV are shown in cinemas that also house adult entertainment).
I walked by the Fair Theater this weekend, on my way to visiting with some friends who were in town, and saw a vintage one-sheet in an exterior case for the 1974 Lee Marvin-O.J. Simpson flick ‘The Klansman’. It looks as if it’s been on display since that time; can anyone confirm this?
Those the only three? Assumed there were none until I drove by the Fair a year or two back on my way to a Mets game.
Like the Cinema Kings Highway they run a combination of porno and regular movies on video. The main screen runs video projection of regular movies that are on tape and the smaller mini cinemas located through the place run porn. Queens also has the Polk which is still a XXX house.
Am I getting this right: regular movies on the screen, porn in booths? Or just the booths now, and nothing on the big screen? Or porn on both? I am curious to know if this is the last remaining porn theater in New York City limits.
Great theater. Plays porn, mainly in booths that are kept clean and are private. Admission to the theater is standard price, no tokens have to purchased for viewing as in regular porn peephole-style venues. Of course the religious cretins want to close it down and impose their religious theocracy on those of us who like porn and don’t give a damn about their silly fairy tale bible. THESE are the people who must be defeated, not the porn business.