My condolences to you, Michael, on your disappointment.
The Ridgewood Theatre belongs in Ridgewood. Ridgewood needs and should have a movie theatre within walking distance of all of Ridgewood and most of Bushwick. Especially so with the RKO Madison gone now for more than thirty years. The Atlas Park Cinema is no substitute. Except for the Atlas Park Cinema, there are no currently functioning movie theaters within a four to five mile radius of the Ridgewood Theatre.
Same here, John D. My family and I travelled safely to and from our family doctor (Wilchfort) on Palmetto between Bushwick Avenue and Bway through 1965, until he moved to Ridgewood in 1966.
You’re welcome, MPol. Thanks for the good wishes for saving the Ridgewood. If you’ve had any possibly relevant and helpful experience in preserving endangered theatres, please share it here. Thanks.
The grandeur of the Ridgewood’s original interior has been diminished by having been divided into five cinemas, which is a minus for landmarking, but a plus for returning it to showing films once more, as it is. The outer lobby is beautifully intact, and that should count for something.
Something similar happened to me. I simply deleted the e-mails.
MPol, “Bway” on this site is very knowledgable about theatres, Bushwick, Ridgewood, and mass transit history, to name four things. He is also an accomplished photographer.
Fortunately, Mpol, Ridgewood and Bushwick were never bulldozed out of existence to build expressways (they almost were) or replaced by ugly high rises, but Bushwick, and some of Ridgewood, were heavily block-busted in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.
For further study, you may want to check out Bushwick Buddies at :
Thanks for the link, Warren.
My condolences to you, Michael, on your disappointment.
The Ridgewood Theatre belongs in Ridgewood. Ridgewood needs and should have a movie theatre within walking distance of all of Ridgewood and most of Bushwick. Especially so with the RKO Madison gone now for more than thirty years. The Atlas Park Cinema is no substitute. Except for the Atlas Park Cinema, there are no currently functioning movie theaters within a four to five mile radius of the Ridgewood Theatre.
Same here, John D. My family and I travelled safely to and from our family doctor (Wilchfort) on Palmetto between Bushwick Avenue and Bway through 1965, until he moved to Ridgewood in 1966.
You’re welcome again, MPol.
That’s good to know, LuisV.
I hope so. However, I don’t think NYC is immune yet to shooting galleries for junkies, and / or homeless shanty towns or “Hoovervilles”.
But it was always one of my fears, growing up and living in Ridgewood, especially post-July 13 1977 blackout and subsequent devastation of Bushwick.
Still better than a shooting gallery for junkies, or a homeless shanty town.
Me, too.
But any of the above is better than an empty lot.
Good point, John D. !
Thanks, Kieran. Glad to read you had such a good time there.
You’re welcome, MPol. Thanks for the good wishes for saving the Ridgewood. If you’ve had any possibly relevant and helpful experience in preserving endangered theatres, please share it here. Thanks.
Nyuk nyuk nyuk ….
Hope they got out of the RKO Bushwick Theatre, and Bushwick itself, safely !
See comment on RKO Keith Richmond Hill.
Nyuk nyuk nyuk …
Saw “Three Stooges In Orbit” on a double bill with “Mothra” at the RKO Madison, summer 1961. The Stooges had aliens Og and Zog doing the Twist !
I think that’s the flick in which they went from Ithaca in upstate NY to Ithaca, Ancient Greece.
Thanks, Bob. Missed ‘em then. Never even knew they were there.
Nyuk nyuk nyuk ….
You’re welcome, anniegirl. Thanks, mp775. Yes, MikeR. Very sad.
MPol, glad I made you LOL, and that you know about NYC’s Film Forum.
Mike, thanks for not giving up hope for the Ridgewood Theatre’s restoration and preservation.
Thanks, LM.
If you haunted the Ridgewood Theatre, MPol, I’d be tempted to haunt it with you !
Thanks for your input, Mpol. The main revival / foreign / avant-garde cinema in NYC is Film Forum, which you probably already know about.
The grandeur of the Ridgewood’s original interior has been diminished by having been divided into five cinemas, which is a minus for landmarking, but a plus for returning it to showing films once more, as it is. The outer lobby is beautifully intact, and that should count for something.
Good point, East Coast Rocker. No offense intended to you, LuisV.
You’re welcome, MPOl. If you’re still interested in joining Bushwick Buddies, you can e-mail the owner / manager, Eleanor Coody, at :
You need to log in, choose a screen name to post under, and choose a user ID and password.
MPol, you’re most welcome to the info about another poster. I think you’ll find Bway helpful.
If there’s anything else I can do for you re : Ridgewood heritage and history, please let me know.
Something similar happened to me. I simply deleted the e-mails.
MPol, “Bway” on this site is very knowledgable about theatres, Bushwick, Ridgewood, and mass transit history, to name four things. He is also an accomplished photographer.
Fortunately, Mpol, Ridgewood and Bushwick were never bulldozed out of existence to build expressways (they almost were) or replaced by ugly high rises, but Bushwick, and some of Ridgewood, were heavily block-busted in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.
For further study, you may want to check out Bushwick Buddies at :
http://www.bushwickbuddies.com
There is much material there on Ridgewood as well.