Glen Oaks Theater
255-01 Union Turnpike,
Glen Oaks,
NY
11004
255-01 Union Turnpike,
Glen Oaks,
NY
11004
4 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 94 comments
Markp,
I can’t say that I disagree with you about the “rules”, however, as someone who installed more multi-plex theatres then I’d care to admit, the one thing that I’ve learned is that YOU CAN’T STOP PROGRESS!
Since you posted here at Century’s Glen Oaks Theatre, were you (and your dad) members of Local 306? If so, do we know each other?
P.S. Unfortunately, digital projection had really NOTHING to do with the “quality” or “competence” of projectionists. Even in a PERFECT WORLD where every projectionist was perfect, Digital Projection would have happened anyway.
Too often the pictures I want to see don’t play within a 25 mile area. Theaters are too into the “blockbuster”. Else, they’re only around for a week. Took an act of God to find Her and Philomena. Never got to Dallas Buyers Club, the one about saving art from the Germans and several others.
Hey techman707, maybe if more companies had a good list of “rules” and decent projectionists, theatres wouldn’t be the way they are today. I mean lets face it, if qualified people were still running film, I believe there never would have been this huge push to digital. And maybe if these companies would have stuck to say 6 or 8 plexes (maybe 10 at the most), why maybe movies wouldn’t make it so fast to video. But this is just one mans opinion and after a nice 37 year run as a projectionist (coupled with my deceased dads 55 years).
1938 sounds about right. I never met E.H. Schwartz, but my father was friends with Leslie Schwartz, who was the president of Century Theatres when I was young. Although I started working as a projectionist in 1965, I can’t even recall whether he was still the president of Century. I can tell you that they (Century Theatres) could be a tough company to work for. They had a list of “rules” that rivaled NONE.
Glen Oaks shopping center opened in 1951. The Glen Oaks was an add on sometime later.
Somewhere in the comments a contributor wondered about the age of Century founder A. H. Schwartz. I saw an obit for him in 1938. The quality of the microfilm was poor but I think his age was only in the late 50s.
I worked as an Usher at the Glen Oaks in 1981-2. I transferred there from the Floral. The manager when I first arrived was Bob Schroeder. When he left there was a succession of managers, among them: Walter Schweigert, Bob Emmanuel (who later married cashier Elaine), Bobby Wong and Rob Davidian. Funny—as I write this now, I’m just noticing how many Roberts there were as manager.:)
nhpbob: I saw Rocky there, too at that time—numerous times.:) I was thrilled to have moved around the corner from a movie theater in 1975. I think the first film I saw there was The Towering Inferno.
Gone forever now. In fact, the only thing left are those SUPER Multiplexes….and they don’t even use film anymore. The picture comes in on a hard drive.
Oh yeah, and with my Mom we went on a Friday late afternoon in the winter of ‘76 to see some new boxing movie with buzz called “Rocky”. ;–)
Saw many movies there, coming over “the border” from nearby New Hyde Park. A few memories: seeing “The Towering Inferno” with my Dad on a Sunday night, and coming out to the parking lot in the back, the nearby relatively-new North Shore Towers visible in the distance seemed like they were from the film! Also, seeing “Yellow Submarine” there after loving it at the Park East (and waiting til the double feature it was paired with, “The Pink Jungle”, ended before going in)…and deep into my love of monster movies, seeing the double bill of “Sssss” & “The Boy Who Cried Werewolf”.
You’re certainly right about some of the relationships being VERY complicated. When I think about how the Justice Department made it MORE complicated with their consent decrees they forced Loews into, it makes me sick. They RUINED Loews only to allow virtually the same “problems” to occur again by other companies only to ignore the situation to this very day.
I can only wonder how many more movie palaces would exist today if not for the gutting of Loews in 1958. I’ll bet the number of theatres on CT is MORE than 75%.
The Patio was newer than the Town and the 43Street and was quite the place when it opened. Also, as far as movie ads were concerned there were some that said Century/Skouras. I’ve actually seen actual Century/Skouras ads and then down the page a couple that just said Century. This whole relationship seems to be quite complex. When Calderone built the theatre of the same name in Hempstead Skouras managed it, yet he had a number under his own name. Whatever, the majority of them are history anyway. Probably more than 75% of the theatres listed on CT are closed.
I believe once Century started managing theatres for Springer, Springer was no longer operating any theatres. However, there was a strange booking arrangement and in some instances, when the film companies placed ads in the newspaper where they list all the theatres playing a particular picture, it would occasionally say “Springer’s Xxxxxx Theatre” instead of Century’s.
The so called “lesser” Century theatres you refer to were Springer Theatres in the first place….that’s why they were “lesser” theatres (a polite way of saying a dump). -LOL
What was the Omni bit?
Century operated the Community under the Century “banner”, however, it was actually owned by Springer. Century was just the management company for Springer. Century was already gone when the Community was twinned and was probably under the control of RKO CENTURY WARNER and the buildings that were still owned by Century and taken over by RKO CENTURY WARNER were not subject to the old restrictions. I’m trying to remember what “Springer’s” first name was, but I’m getting senile, but I remember things from 40 years ago better than yesterday.
The Community was originally a part of the Citizens Community House, or something like that. That would imply that it was a leased property. Also, when the Community was twinned was that still under the Century banner? Also, at one time the office space at the Community building was entitled Century Management Corporation. What was the nature of that, the actual operation of the theatres of the disposing of old properties? Subsequently Century had an office building on Verbena Avenue in Floral Park.
But you’re absolutely correct about the clause. That’s why the Queens and Community didn’t wind up as catering halls. -LOL
Springer was a relative of Scwartz.
With respect to the restricted use clause, a number of the Century’s operated under the Springer name before they closed. These properties were leased by Century or built by Century without the clause?
I really don’t know what happened to Mr. Schwartz, but, based on his age I assume he must have passed away. I imagine Mr. Schwartz would have to be around 95 to 100 or more if was still alive, which I doubt. My father was also friends with Jack Warner. I only met him twice, but back then he arranged for me to get a 16mm print of “Gypsy”, which I still have to this day. It’s still like brand new (last I looked) and is a pretty rare Technicolor IB print. In 1964 he sent my father 6 tickets for the premiere of “My Fair Lady” at the Criterion. STILL one of my favorite films. My father told me he saw a screening of the 1927 version of “The Jazz Singer” at the Winter Garden Theatre. I thought it premiered at the Warner Theatre, and I’ve never been able to resolve the discrepancy.
I don’t know how or why, but my father also friendly with producer/director Richard Brooks, who I never met but sent my father tickets for the premiere of “Lord Jim” in 1965 at Loews State. I was amused because my father wasn’t really a real big movie fan, while I on the other hand and despite being a projectionist, really loved (past tense) movies. I say loved because I really don’t “Dances With Wolves”, “Forrest Gump” and “Titanic”. I mainly like musicals from the 50’s to early 70’s the best.
I would have wanted to get involved to obtain landmark status for a number of theatres in New York, but when I was diagnosed with stage 2 emphysema, which is now end stage, I was just too weak to do anything.
I was happy that Loews Valencia was saved when they gave it to the Tabernacle Of Prayer years ago….at least it saved that beautiful theatre. The RKO Keith’s on Main Street didn’t fair so well. When I worked at the Prospect with your dad, my friend Willie Hastad worked at the RKO Keith’s. He was very friendly with your father and worked with me at the Prospect before he went to the RKO Keith’s. Willie also moved to Florida around when I did. Actually, I’m in Florida right now. I own a house here, as well as my home in NY, that I wound up with when my father passed away in 1997. While I lived in Florida for years, flying back and forth when I worked at the Alpine 7 plex (former Loews Alpine)in Brooklyn. I also worked as the serviceman for Golden Theatre Management that owned the Alpine from 1973 until 1988 when Cineplex Odeon took it over. I designed and installed the multiplexing of the Beverly, Rugby, Granada, Fortway, Oceana, Alpine, etc. in Brooklyn and the Quad Cinema and Olympia (Loews Olympia) in Manhattan (I think that’s all of them).
I’ll be back in NY at the end of the month. It’s been too hot for me down here and it makes breathing hard from the humidity. I considered a lung transplant, but after looking into it and hearing all the requirements, I decided against it.
I’ve always had a screening room in my home. Way before all this talk about “Home Theatre” and had both 16 & 35mm projectors in my booth. When I originally moved to Florida I got rid of all the 35mm film but kept my 16mm collection. That was a BIG mistake because although I kept it in an air conditioned house, all my Eastman prints went bad (turned red). All I have left are my Technicolor prints, which were new or in excellent condition and included some of the best pictures ever made. I was going to try to sell them, but I’m just too weak to deal with all of them (and my wife is of NO HELP!). I think I’m going to donate them to either the AFI or the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria if they’re interested. I’m sure the Museum Of Modern Art would be. I’ve now replaced EVERY picture with DVD or Blu-rays of every film I had plus a few more. About 400 in all. I use an expensive video projection system where the Blu-rays look better than some 35mm prints (and they don’t show dirt near the end of every reel -LOL).
When I originally moved to Florida I donated hundreds of rare items and documentation to the Museum of the Moving Image. They said they made me a life patron and sent me their monthly flyer for a number of years and then NOTHING. I still have a lot of stuff, both here in Florida and in New York. My wife will probably just get a dumpster when I die and throw out treasures through her ignorance.
Actually, a long time ago, my dad managed the Skouras theater on Main Street in Port Washington, near where we lived on the North Shore. I don’t remember much about those times, it was before he went to work for Century.(it was like 1960 or 1961…)
What happened to the orig. president Mr. Schwartz?
Can any of the surviving buildings be protected from demolition due to their age and history? I think it is so sad that they tore down the Prospect- I moved out of New York many years ago-but I remember how the Prospect used to pack them in on weekends!
Century just didn’t want to close a theatre and have some other company come along and open the theatre to compete with them. They probably didn’t want anyone to take over what they closed and make money when they couldn’t.
Century went out when the two crooks Schwartz & Landis (not the Schwartz that was originally Century’s president) took over Century, RKO and Stanley Warner theatres. They used the name RKO Century Warner Theatres. After beating the bank out of 50 million, the theatres were somehow taken over by Cineplex Odeon Theatres a company from Canada. That guy, Garth Drabinsky also turned out to be a crook. After wasteing a ton of other peoples money, they sold out to Loews (really Sony Theatres). Sony then sold everything to Regal, I believe.
RVB: The Lynbrook was a Skouras theatre and then became a UA theatre. Century had the Fantasy in Rockville Center. Skouras owned most of their own theatres, probably with exception of the ones they took over from Frisch and Prudential circuits.
That leasing idea is interesting..probably had to happen so one company did not begin to have a monopoly on a Borough or a Town…
Is Century still operating in any form of business- merged or otherwise?
I always thought all the companies owned their own theatres. Thanks to this site I’ve found out that there was a lot of leasing. The Prospect, for example, was built by Century and leased to Loews. Then they got it back. The Merrick was leased to Skouras. On the other hand, Century leased the Lynbrook. In reality, though, the property restriction didn’t mean much since most of the former Century, and everybody elses theatres are gone. A big problem for many, to be of any use in the current day, was the absence of parking. I lived around the corner from the Bellerose and I would think that the majority of the business was walk in. However, on occasion, 245th Street was packed with cars for some very popular film.
He was born in 1916, so I guess ushering at a theater was a good first job in those days…Why did they care to deed restrict the property after they sold it? And is the company still in any form of business-merged or otherwise?