Century's Baldwin Theatre

Hi…I haven’t been on this site in a long time because of chaning jobs and all. I was CConnolly but I lost my password and the site hasn’t sent it to me. Anyway…loved all the comments on “MY” theater, Century’s Baldwin.
To jgroom: if you were an usher there during that period, I definately walked by you or got some kind of service from you. I must’ve gone to the Baldwin every week during the summers of ‘75 and '76 and beyond. But those two stick out. Yes, I saw “The Island of Dr. Moreau there. Did you work there when that god awaful Joan Collins movie "Empire of the Ants” was there? Terrible movie but perfect for me and my older brother to go see and kill a couple of hours with. It was just such as nice place. So well maintained. And how about that wild floral print all over the auditorium? It hung over the little hallways leading to the exit doors in the back of the theater.
And I totally agree with you about how the theater’s closing (with “Rambo First Blood” in 1985) was the death knell for that little neighborhood. It was slowly sliding even before that but when I was a kid, it was a great place with Pergaments and Nassau Chemists and, of course, “Howies” with his ancient looking mother sitting in the back in that kitchen of his (only die hard Baldwinites will know what anyone means by Howies). And Carvels right across from the theater. The neighborhood wasn’t upscale, there wasn’t much to look at but there was always a lot to do and see. I think my generation (born in the 60s) was the last to experience, however fleetingly, the concept of neighborhood, neighbors and a sense of community. These multiplexes and movie malls. Some are nice but there totally impersonal.
The last movie I saw there was a really cute, very good movie called “Heaven Help Us” around 1985. I had not been in the theater for a few years and about halfway through the movie, I just happened to kind of look around at the auditorium. I noticed that the ceiling paint was chipping really badly and it was very dirty. I felt sad because I sensed that the theater’s time was ending. But I’m glad I got to see such a nice movie there for my last time.

Thanks everyone for writing with their memoris and for everyone who worked there, as a former patron, I thank you for your great work.

Vito-Thank’s, I’ll follow that up,Baldwin

Vito,Do you know a projectionist by the name of Chuck Toma? After school he got me a job working for his dad in a gas station,In the early 70’s he was working in Freeport, Then I lost track.Baldwin

In 1965 I was a usher at the Baldwin Century Theatre and there was no balcony. There was smoking in the last five rows only.The theatre was know for playing movies for weeks at a time. Not a bad job for high school kid and making $1.25 an hour.

Yes Ed, the plan originally was to begin to gradually replace all the signage on the Loews houses to AMC Loews. I am not quite sure how far they have come with that.

Ed, I have several friends working for the new AMC Loews, they all tell me the name is expected to remain as is. Although there was much apprehension as to what would happen to all of old Loews employeees, for the most part things have been going very well. Everyone seems very happy with what followed after the merger, Of course not everyone survived, but in most cases the in-house staffing at the Loews locations was left intact. Only a few Loews upper management positions were absorbed by AMC.

SAG HARBOR
BELLMORE
MONTAUCK-SUMMER ONLY
THE LAST OF THE SINGLE SCREENS ON LI…………………

Robert, that’s quite a trio of great theatres, I worked them all. Other than in Bellmore are there any single screen theatres left on L.I ?

I worked a lot of Century theatres in the 60s and 70s, they were in a class all their own. Century was at the top of the game then, they kept all the theatres in first rate condition. If you needed something, you got it nothing could be left in disrepair. I loved working the Baldwin but my favorite was a gem in the jewel box called Green Acres in Valley Stream. That was the top of the line for the Long Island theatres in it’s day. Projection was a top priority to Century, the projection equipment had to run perfectly.
As a projectionist if you missed a changeover or in any way caused a disruption in the performance , you were written up in a file kept in the District Managers ofice, I believe his name was Mr. Neuman
For as while, the union had to get his approval before awarding a projectionist with a job at a Century theatre. That policy ended in the 60s but you knew if you wanted a job at a Century theatre you had better know your stuff. Century had a great policy called Delux, which ment the curtains had to be closed and reopened before the feature. They also played the Star Spangeled Banner before the first show on many holidays. The last time I worked for Century was at the Five Towns in 1972 with a Roadshow engagement of “Fiddler on the Roof” playing day and date with the Syosset.

I have 8x10 pictures from a bunch of the Century’s theatres. I have to find them and I will scan them to link onto here. I am almost positive I have one of this theatre showing the balcony still in place. When Cineplex was gutting the Meadows before they multi-plexed it the entire basement was full of filing cabinets with Century’s material. It all went in the garbage. One of the projectionists there knew I was into old theatres and grabbed a stack of the pictures.

I think what doomed the Baldwin was the lack of a balcony. This theater was virtually identical in size and basic design to the one in Franklin Square. When we used to go to that one, I always felt we were in the same place. The key differnece between the two was the the Franklin Square still had the balcony whereas Baldwin’s was removed in the late 60’s for some reason. When they decided to multiplex, I think they realized they could get more theaters out of the Franklin Square than the Baldwin. The most they could’ve gotten out of the Baldwin was two or maybe four VERY small theaters. I assume they felt it was not worth the cost. Also, the Baldwin remained a single screen long after the wave of multiplexing former one screeners had taken place. It closded in ‘85 when the new stage of multiplexing was taking place where theaters like the Fantasy and Green Acres had their insides completely gutted and remade.

The Baldwin was in an ideal location and, best of all, had tremendous parking. If it had been just slightly bigger, it would’ve been multiplexed and it could’ve helped the area stay nice. Now there’s nothing to bring people to that neighborhood. It’s depressing.

Geez…I haven’t thought about the Old Venice in a long time. Breaks my heart to think about it because my family used to go there a lot for dinner and then up to the theater afterwards for a movie. Then across the street to Carvels after the movie. It was such a nice neighborhood then.

I can’t imagine the place is still there. The area where it was is weirdly run down. It’s not the place I grew up in. If anyone is a real 70’s Baldwinite, you’d also know about Howies. The name should be enough to evoke memories.

Glad to see someone else posted something about my beloved Century’s Baldwin. It seems so forgotten now it’s like a ghost.

Maybe longislandmovies or Orlando can shed some light on the closing.