Meadowbrook Theatre

2549 Hempstead Turnpike,
East Meadow, NY 11554

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Showing 26 - 50 of 70 comments

tgreils
tgreils on March 23, 2009 at 7:22 pm

Hey Don…those were some great times…its always fun to think back and have a good laugh…Who would have thunk I would be married for twenty years with 3 kids to the prettiest candy girl that ever donned that black and white outfit…It was a great job..even though they got away with paying sub-minimum wage…its always great to talk good ole times..and great to hear or run into friends/co-workers that lived those same good times…30 ½ yrs ago hired for the film “Halloween” Its sad to drive the TD Bank instead of…

robboehm
robboehm on February 23, 2009 at 10:25 am

This completion of this theatre was delayed for a time because of a shortage of building materials, particularly steel. I believe the Korean “War” was the reason. For a considerable period of time there was only one completed “arch” of steel which, eventually, became the front of the theatre. When they added the additional auduitoriums in latter years they literally added to the building rather than just chopping it up. Really ugly. They did some chopping to. But as an earlier comment mentioned the way the name Meadowbrook was displayed on the marquee was unique. Something to be said for blue. (See my comments on the Salisbury in Westbury)

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on December 30, 2008 at 9:02 pm

Architectural plans of the Meadowbrook Theatre are listed in the finding aid of the J. Evan Miller Collection of Cinerama Theater Plans at the University of California, Los Angeles.

The Meadowbrook, opened in 1949, was designed by New York City architect E.C.A. Bullock, a nephew of George and Cornelius Rapp who had worked in their Chicago firm for many years before establishing his own practice. The Syosset Theatre, a few miles from East Meadow, was another theater he designed.

donidarko
donidarko on October 10, 2008 at 1:42 am

I was just thinking about this wonderful theater and felt compelled to comment. I worked at the Meadowbrook Quad from 1979-81, and what a cool experience it was. I was 17 at the time. Everyone on the staff became such good friends during that time. The Theater was a single house with a balcony until late 1977, when 3 more screens were added on. I was there for some of the Meadowbrooks' biggest hits (Caddyshack, Private Benjamin, Blues Brothers, Animal House, The Jerk, Apocalypse Now, Halloween, Superman II). Some of the bombs that screened have a warm place in my heart also (Xanadu, He Knows You’re Alone, 1941.) Jean S. and Tony Lomonico were the managers and they treated us great. Tony would run movies after the theater closed and we’d have private staff screenings of Blazing Saddles, Fame and Night Hawks. We would pile into our cars after the shows closed and head to the nearest watering hole (Black Thorn, Barrymore’s.) It’s such a shame it’s all gone now. It really was a class act during the late 70s – early 80s. To all my co-worker friends from that wonderful time (Tom, Lisa, Debbie, Roseanne, Karen, Vicki, Neil, Theone, Denise, Kathy) a Big warm hello from the past!

DixonSteele
DixonSteele on September 6, 2007 at 11:01 am

This was a great big theater that I went to many times in the 60s and 70s.

Once went to a Bond double-bill and the kids in the audience were unbelievably rowdy.

The manager stopped the show, came out front and admonished the kids saying “This is the Meadowbrook!”.

xxlive9xx
xxlive9xx on August 21, 2007 at 8:26 pm

I worked a few shifts at the Meadowbrook before it closed. I’m an assistant manager at the Lynbrook and Westbury theatres. During the last few years at that theatre it was difficult to find managers and staff to work there because they had reduced the amount of shows per day. i believe they opened at 4pm. A lot of the management during this time were managers just covering shifts from the Lynbrook. I was there the last day it was opened and even there to help close the theatre. Lynbrook still has the Meadowbrook’s booster seats! Very sad becuase I would hear stories of how busy this location used to be and I always thought it wasnt in that bad of condition. The Patchogue and Lynbrook are in far worse condition. I remember closing one night there and ending the entire day with $46.00 from Concession and $175.00 from the box office. That didnt even cover the cost of the Union Projectionist used for that day. What a shame…I had a few good times there though…always fun to work a differant theatre from time to time

Bloop
Bloop on July 7, 2007 at 9:53 am

Does ANYBODY remember Rocky Horror at the Haupauge theater circa late 1970’s?????????? It never gets mentioned.

MikeyG
MikeyG on July 5, 2007 at 9:38 pm

Hi Greg,

Send me an e-mail.

Mikey

ggangitano
ggangitano on July 5, 2007 at 9:21 pm

hey everyone, this is Greg, I used to play Eddie and Dr Scott back in the late 80’s. 86-88. Does anyone ever hear from any of the old cast of Lipps Inc? I miss the old crowd You guys made those 2 years great! I LOVED performing for you all, and didn’t miss a chance to hang out. Right after the show, we’d head across the street to the diner in full rocky regalia…

God I miss those days…If anyone has any pics of the floor show back then, PLEASE get in touch with me!
Don’t Dream it …BE IT!

Bloop
Bloop on July 5, 2007 at 4:30 pm

I’m pretty sure; the movie opened in 1979. It played as a “midnight movie” on and off through the 80’s—but I don’t think they would have gone out of their way with a van and masks and stuff for that?? Please ask your son if he remembers! Thanks!

jeano5
jeano5 on June 28, 2007 at 1:58 pm

Are you sure about the year ? My son did alot of promotions
for me being he was quite an artist and still is,
Grandmajeanie

Bloop
Bloop on June 28, 2007 at 10:01 am

Jean: were you involved with the Dawn of the Dead promotion above? Looks like FUN! Did the van go to OTHER UA theaters in the area?

Bloop
Bloop on June 28, 2007 at 9:56 am

“DAWN OF THE DEAD” promotion at Meadowbrook!1979!
View link

jeano5
jeano5 on May 31, 2007 at 1:34 am

It was good to hear from you again it has been a long time
since anyone posted anything,I hope you enjoy the summer I
will always remember all of you and the fun we all had .
Jean S

jeano5
jeano5 on May 31, 2007 at 1:34 am

It was good to hear from you again it has been a long time
since anyone posted anything,I hope you enjoy the summer I
will always remember all of you and the fun we all had .
Jean S

MikeyG
MikeyG on May 30, 2007 at 12:35 pm

Wow… Almost 2 years since someone posted anything here…

Well, for those of you who need their fix of Rocky, there will be a summer run of the Rocky Horror Show. More info on the performances can be found at: http://www.myspace.com/franticfranstheatre

And, if you go, you get to see me running around in fishnets and panties again… ;)

jeano5
jeano5 on November 19, 2005 at 3:25 am

hi Terry P and Mikey G this is Jean S who was
the manager of the Meadowbrook Theatre ,and
Terry P you were right my son Pat is and still
is very talented artist I even have some of the
Island Ear he did for the Midnight Madness shows
those were the good times.

TerryP
TerryP on November 17, 2005 at 12:59 pm

The ads on the back of the Island Ear for Midnight Madness were actually designed and created by the manager Jean’s son, Pat. A very talented artist.

MikeyG
MikeyG on November 11, 2005 at 8:59 am

Was anyone else visiting here a Rocky Horror regular? I played Frank for a few years… Looking to make contact with some old friends and dead relatives… Mikey…

MikeyG
MikeyG on November 11, 2005 at 8:56 am

Was anyone else visiting here a Rocky Horror regular? I played Frank for a few years… Looking to make contact with some old friends and dead relatives… Mikey…

Ed Solero
Ed Solero on November 4, 2005 at 3:59 am

The address should be corrected to read “Hempstead Turnpike.” Also the write up is a little misleading. This was a quad before it was a sixplex. As described above in other posts, the 3 newer theaters were added by expansion to the original auditorium, which remained intact with balcony. Some years later, the original auditorium was split down the middle (with the balcony closed to the public due to ADA access problems) and the largest of the 3 add-on theaters was split as well, resulting in a total of 6 screens. I never attended the theater after this last renovation.

Ed Solero
Ed Solero on November 4, 2005 at 3:42 am

I came here for a few of those midnight shows in the ‘80’s but never made it down for a “normal” first run booking as I lived on the Queens/Nassau border and would more typically go to Valley Stream or Lynbrook to catch a first run. I definitely saw “Eraserhead” here as well as “The Kids Are Alright” and “The Song Remains the Same.” I didn’t know that theater 1 at the time was the original auditorium! The midnight showings we attended were usually in a smaller auditorium and I wasn’t as savvy about theater architecture then to have realized we were in an extension of the original building.

I remember when I saw “The Kids Are Alright” with my friends Mike and Kevin, we had loaded up on a quart of beer each and a small fifth of our favorite poison (Southern Comfort for me and Kev and Rum 151 for Mike). We were sitting in Mike’s Datsun 280Z (really a two-seater, but Kev would scrunch down into the small space behind the seats!) and figured that we’d never get the liquor snuck into the theater (it being a warm night and all) so we figured we’d better just down it all right now before the show! Oh, the abuse my body could take when I was 19!!! Needless to say we were happily lubricated, but you can imagine the many trips to the bathroom after about an hour into the movie!!!

Never saw “Rocky Horror Picture Show” here… I caught that one a few times at the 8th Street Playhouse and then once or twice at the UA Midway.

Anyone remember those ads for UA’s Midnight Madness on the back page of the free Island Ear weekly newspaper? As someone said above, “good times!”

curleybob
curleybob on July 6, 2005 at 7:45 am

Hi Jean — how are you? And how about Tim, Debbie, etc? As I wrote earlier, I worked at the Meadowbrook for a little more than a year in the early 80s when you were the manager … this was when Neil Esposito was there (didn’t he play in Tim’s band, A2Z?) along with, hmmm lets see, Donna Koch, Stephanie, Maria, jeez, wish I could remember more. Anyway, it was a fun job even if we never made more than minimum wage. ;–)

RobertR
RobertR on July 6, 2005 at 6:54 am

The UA plexing was one thing, what about letting theatres turn into rundown pig styes like they did with this, the Bayside, Continental, Squire, Manhasset and almost every other place they have.

TerryP
TerryP on July 6, 2005 at 5:33 am

Wow, how crazy is all this. Hello Jean!!! I grew up in East Meadow and used to go to the Meadowbrook all the time. In its time, it was THE palace in central Nassau. I used to work for UA in that home office and actually was responsible for the Midnight Show Program (after a few years managing the Mini-Cinema.

UA had a reputation of horrible multi-plexing. Look what they did to the Big Syosset…