This cinema followed the design of several General Cinemas of the era, one big auditorium with a smaller one next to it. These were okay, but the four “boxes” that they added in the 1980s were much too small. You always hoped whatever movie you were going to see was in one of the original auditoriums and not the boxes. The place holds a lot of good memories from my days at Rutgers and living in the area afterwards. (I remember a FREE screening of HOOSIERS, with Gene Hackman).
This cinema definitely was open at least as early as 1974, because I remember passing the marquee when they were playing DAISY MILLER. And I believe it was twinned before the 1980s.
I remember seeing a special showing here at Christmastime of 1976 of NICKOLODEON (with Ryan O'Neal and Burt Reynolds)that cost only a nickel! Surprisingly, despite the lost admission fee, the auditorium wasn’t quite filled to capacity, as you’d think. By the following summer the theatre had been twinned. This left two good-sized auditoriums but it still seemed a shame they couldn’t have left it the way it was. It was also one of the few remaining cinemas of the 1980s that put star’s names on the marquee along with the titles! I’m pretty sure it closed in 1992.
Actually this cinema was definitely open as early as 1976 because I remember seeing OBSESSION there. And it was so small that I remember the show being pretty packed with people, which meant there were probably about sixty of us in the whole place.
Note, the name of this theater was the Verona, not the Verone. Also, it did not close in the late 1970s because the only film I ever saw there was Harry and Son which was released in March of 1984. I believe it closed shortly afterwards.
I grew up in Hazlet and was very proud that the Route 35 Drive-In was the very last New Jersey drive-in to resist the wrecking ball when it closed in September of 1991. I remember that the marquee used to have a tall, light-up tower on it back in the 1960s and there was once a playground at the base of the screen. It was an all-year theatre for most of its run but in the 1980s went on a warm-weather only schedule. I have fond memories of seeing such movies as The Great Escape, The Nutty Professor, The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming, Ice Station Zebra, Patton, Paper Moon, The Bad News Bears, and many others there.
This cinema followed the design of several General Cinemas of the era, one big auditorium with a smaller one next to it. These were okay, but the four “boxes” that they added in the 1980s were much too small. You always hoped whatever movie you were going to see was in one of the original auditoriums and not the boxes. The place holds a lot of good memories from my days at Rutgers and living in the area afterwards. (I remember a FREE screening of HOOSIERS, with Gene Hackman).
This cinema definitely was open at least as early as 1974, because I remember passing the marquee when they were playing DAISY MILLER. And I believe it was twinned before the 1980s.
I remember seeing a special showing here at Christmastime of 1976 of NICKOLODEON (with Ryan O'Neal and Burt Reynolds)that cost only a nickel! Surprisingly, despite the lost admission fee, the auditorium wasn’t quite filled to capacity, as you’d think. By the following summer the theatre had been twinned. This left two good-sized auditoriums but it still seemed a shame they couldn’t have left it the way it was. It was also one of the few remaining cinemas of the 1980s that put star’s names on the marquee along with the titles! I’m pretty sure it closed in 1992.
Actually this cinema was definitely open as early as 1976 because I remember seeing OBSESSION there. And it was so small that I remember the show being pretty packed with people, which meant there were probably about sixty of us in the whole place.
Note, the name of this theater was the Verona, not the Verone. Also, it did not close in the late 1970s because the only film I ever saw there was Harry and Son which was released in March of 1984. I believe it closed shortly afterwards.
I grew up in Hazlet and was very proud that the Route 35 Drive-In was the very last New Jersey drive-in to resist the wrecking ball when it closed in September of 1991. I remember that the marquee used to have a tall, light-up tower on it back in the 1960s and there was once a playground at the base of the screen. It was an all-year theatre for most of its run but in the 1980s went on a warm-weather only schedule. I have fond memories of seeing such movies as The Great Escape, The Nutty Professor, The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming, Ice Station Zebra, Patton, Paper Moon, The Bad News Bears, and many others there.