Menlo Park Twin Cinema

390 Menlo Park Mall,
Edison, NJ 08837

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Showing 26 - 50 of 90 comments

markp
markp on December 30, 2008 at 8:25 am

Exactly 17 years ago today, I as the the last projectionist, along with my partner Ed H. turned over the keys to the mall owners, after a month of stripping and gutting and removing whatever General Cinema wanted. The following week the demolishon began. I walked out of this place at 3:30 p.m. for the final time.

verranth1
verranth1 on October 18, 2008 at 5:43 pm

Menlo Park Cinema tribute group formed!

A tribute to Central New Jersey Movie Theaters that brought happiness to thousands of people but have sadly been demolished. The theaters may be gone but the memory lives on and here is a place were we can discuss, reminisce, and remember.

This group can also be open to other thetheaters the surrounding areas such as Somerville, Plainfield, Westfield and other areas of Somerset County. Please feel free to post your stories and in particular any ads, photos or memorabilia you may have. Many Thanks and…enjoy the show!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MenloBlueStarCinemas

markp
markp on March 8, 2008 at 7:19 pm

Unfortunately, neither theatre 1 or 2 was ever THX certified. And to add to the above quotes, Cinema 1 was Dolby Stereo from the day it was twinned, and Cinema 2 got Dolby Stereo around late 1983 or early 1984.

markp
markp on January 9, 2008 at 8:09 pm

Oh the memories you folks have rekindled. All the great people who worked here, Mr.Rizzo, Thom T, Abe and Joe and Jerry K. Some of you know me, Mark Pusillo, the last projectionist to work there in Dec 1991 when the place closed. My dad Joe P. worked there as well. Sadly, he passed on over 14 years ago. But the memories, from “Star Wars” to “Close Encounters” to “Grease” to whatever. This was THE place to be in the late 70’s into the late 80’s. It was really hard for me at the end because General Cinema hired me and Ed H. the other projectionist at the time, to strip the interior of whatever was useable, from equipment to seats. I have said for years that many of the old theatres should not have been destroyed, but this one and the Woodbridge Twin (former Walter Reade) were true crimes. Neither of these should have ever come down, espescially Menlo Park, for what? That sheetrock multiplex they put in the mall? Anyway it was great to read all the old stories, Thanks.

verranth1
verranth1 on January 3, 2008 at 9:43 am

Website Dedicated to Menlo Park and Blue Star Cinemas.

I am in the very early stages of starting a small website dedicated to the memories of the General Cinemas owned MENLO PARK CINEMA and BLUE STAR CINEMA, both formerly located in Central New Jersey.

Both movie theatres were a haven for me as a child and adolescent and judging from responses on this website, they meant a great deal to many others as well.

If anyone has photos, or ads or stories they would like to share â€" I would of course give full credit. I am especially looking for any exterior and interior photos.

You can reach me at:

Many Thanks.

Anthony (formerly of Green Brook, NJ)

AdamBomb1701
AdamBomb1701 on November 15, 2007 at 11:11 am

I lived in Staten Island in the summer of ‘77. I was unemployed at the time, and went to see a matinee of “Star Wars” its first day. I walked right in; the theater was only half full on a Wednesday afternoon. I went back a few weeks later to try to see it again. By then, word had gotten out, and the theater was sold out. Even with the air conditioning out on a hot July day. Needless to say, I blew it off.
I went back there to see “Empire Strikes Back” three years later. By then, I had a job (I took the day off) and waited about three hours to get in. It was well worth it.

moog
moog on June 30, 2007 at 8:54 pm

My last movie at this twin was “Cinema Paradiso”.

I didn’t go to this theater much. I lived closer to Madison Cinema and Cinema 9. But I would love to see pictures of this theater.

Does anyone know if movie ads from the Star Ledger or News Tribune are archived online anywhere? I can’t find any.

shany94
shany94 on June 15, 2007 at 9:31 pm

I worked at the Menlo Twin in the summer of 1989 – even then we knew it was going once the new multiplex opened over at the mall, but it was still a shock for me when I got back from Alaska in 1992 and it was totally gone. I worked with some good people and still have some good memories of that summer, and now I drive by that spot and think about what was.

Starman
Starman on June 4, 2007 at 3:29 am

This is a great find! I’ve been meaning to put together a “tribute page” for the theater. If anyone can please email me pics, I’ll be more than happy to put a good page together, complete with credits for all pictures sent to me. I think it’s about time we get some kind of web site for this theater on the ‘net.

I have ticket stubs, newspaper ads, an article written on the day Jedi premiered (I was there) among other things.

Coate
Coate on March 20, 2007 at 1:46 pm

If I knew I wouldn’t have asked, bonehead!

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on March 6, 2007 at 4:05 pm

I don’t know; when did it get certified by THX?

Coate
Coate on March 6, 2007 at 3:46 pm

Beginning when?

Coate
Coate on March 6, 2007 at 3:11 pm

Was screen #1 really THX certified as claimed in a post from Feb 2?

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on February 28, 2007 at 12:29 am

Was that screening crowded when Alien came out?

Coate
Coate on February 27, 2007 at 8:37 pm

“Was Menlo Park running 70MM long before it did with ‘Star Wars’ ???”


Menlo Park did not run the original “Star Wars” in 70mm. The first 70mm engagement at Menlo Park I’m aware of was “Alien” in 1979.

ArchStanton007
ArchStanton007 on February 26, 2007 at 8:45 am

Did the Menlo Park lobby have a waterfall of some type in it?
( GCC Central Plaza in Yonkers did )

Saw the theater’s opening day newspaper ad on www.fromscriptotdvd.com and it mentions “Beautiful gardens” with an illustration resembling a waterfall. The ad appears in the list of 70mm equipped theaters section on that site.

Thanks.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on February 26, 2007 at 5:57 am

I use that site and read that some of the theaters I used to go to, such as those in Wayne and Paramus, used to have 70mm screens that have been chopped up into smaller 35mm screens.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese on February 26, 2007 at 5:26 am

Justin –

Even if the Rockaway 16 had 70mm it would do no good as there are no new films being made or presented in that process. Michael’s articles about 70mm in New York are fascinatiing reading for anyone who grew up in this area.

ArchStanton007
ArchStanton007 on February 26, 2007 at 4:23 am

Was Menlo Park running 70MM long before it did with “Star Wars” ???

Seems like it was such a wonderful theater in it’s day based on all of the passionate comments posted.

Thanks

Coate
Coate on February 25, 2007 at 10:34 pm

Justin:
In addition to Peter’s recommendation of the American Widescreen Museum, I’d also like to recommend the “70mm in New York” article that Bill Kallay and I put together a couple of years ago.

View link

The American Widescreen Museum is a great resource for a general history of 70mm (and other widescreen processes). But do also check out “70mm in New York” if you want to know which films played in 70mm and in which theatres in the greater New York City region (including North Jersey). The films that ran in 70mm at MENLO PARK are included.

By the way, those simultaneous engagements of “Star Wars” at MENLO PARK did not begin on the same date. The Screen #1 engagement began on May 25, 1977; the Screen #2 booking began on June 10, 1977. (Sorry, I do not at present have the closing dates.)

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on February 25, 2007 at 4:18 pm

Wished the rockaway 16 had 70mm rather than the blurry 35mm.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese on February 25, 2007 at 4:07 pm

35 millimeters :)

Seriously, 70mm offered a much larger film area than 35mm and looked stunning on a large screen. Go to www.widescreenmuseum.com and read up on it.

moviebuff82
moviebuff82 on February 25, 2007 at 11:18 am

what was the difference between those two formats?