All the Prudential “All Weather” Drive-Ins (Smithtown, Johnny, Patchogue) started out with one screen inside and one outside, both playing the same features and not differentiating the name. As time went on and business slowed the indoor and outdoor theaters showed different films. The Patchogue one shut down the drive in, added additional screens, and was rebranded as the Patchogue-Sunrise.
Except for the 100 in Melville which was operated by Century, the Sunrise in Valley Stream which was operated by Redstone and the Westbury which was operated by Skouras, the balance of the Long Island Drive-Ins were operated by Prudential: 5th Avenue (Bay Shore); Bay Shore – Sunrise; Rocky Point; Coram; Skyway (Greenport); Massapequa; Hempstead Turnpike (Bethpage); Flanders (Riverhead); Shirley; Hamptons (Bridgehampton); Commack.
Prudential built a hardtop theater, the Cinema, next to the Bay Shore – Sunrise but always showed separate films at the two venues. The Bay Shore – Sunrise was later twinned. The Westbury triplexed.
When the Drive In closed it was used as a golf driving range. The Drive In portion of the sign was covered over with new information. When the driving range closed a portion of the “cover” was removed just leaving the “int”. Don’t ask what it said. All that has been removed and the owner put a totally new sign atop the structure. See the photo section. He has had numerous opportunities to sell the property but refuses to do so. It’s really a shambles.
The pylons often long outlive the theater. The Rocky Point one is still up. The one for the Whitman in Melville was still up at the beginning of the year (may still be) The one for the Movies at Coram was up for years and was only removed when they finally tore down the building. I think the remains of the one for the Brookhaven Multiplex is still visible from the Long Island Expressway. The one from the Westbury Drive In was repurposed for the new multiplex erected on the site. The one at the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa was used to list stores in the complex. The one for the Patchogue All Weather advertises the gated community erected on the site. Etc. Etc.
David, the only thing the South Bay has in it’s favor is parking. And that usage is questionable since they only, legitimately, have a small area around the building. The area used to have the Lindenhurst, Babylon, North Babylon theaters but somehow in it’s dilapidated condition the South Bay soldiered on. The pandemic will be the end of many theaters because of fear and social distancing. So many theaters have just about destroyed their viability when they severely reduced the seating capacity with the installation of recliners. So in an auditorium under 100 seats, which seems to be the case, more often than not, social distancing and reduced capacity percentages spells doom.
David, you’ll have to wait a couple of months for my next comment but, the way things have not been going, will probably be more of same.
I was only in the theater once with friends to see Sister Act. I remember not being impressed with the theater which was probably a triplex by that time.
The Katheral Event Center has set up a 40' screen pop up drive-in in conjunction with the Eagle. Tickets are $25.00 per car and can only be purchased online.
I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to get an actual seating count but it is apparent from the comparison of the interior images as a Post theater and as a convention center auditorium that everything is the same except the color scheme. I don’t really remember much about the interiors of the old “military style” theaters (an example of which is in the photos section) except that at, what we called, Theater 2 the wainscoting in the men’s room was identical to the Formica on my kitchen table at home.
At the Joint Base theater which now services McGuire AFB- Dix – Lakehurst (on the McGuire property) the Adult admission is $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for children and more for 3D. Theater is obviously closed because of the pandemic.
According to the Base Directory this is listed as the JB McGuire Movie Theatre (JB standing for Joint Base). It serves the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst complex and is located at 2909 Tuskegee Airmen Avenue, McGuire AFB, NJ 08641. Tuskegee intersects with East Arnold listed in the basic information. Phone is 609-723-8320. Theatre has been updated for 3D (from the price schedule) and is currently closed because of the pandemic restrictions.
FYI McGuire AFB was originally part of Ft. Dix in the days when there was no separate Air Force but rather the Army Air Corps.
It’s going to be interesting to see which theaters actually survive the pandemic. I’ve seen reports of AMC ones with expired or expiring leases will not. The possibility that AMC as a totality would go out of business was also mentioned.
Unlike the other boroughs of New York City where references are to the such and such section, Queens has maintained community identities in every day references and specifically designated Post Office Identities. If it’s good enough for the US Postal Service it should be good enough for Cinema Treasures. So let it be.
Also, isn’t it easier to find something with a community name than the borough name? Did you ever see how many entries there are for Brooklyn?
And let’s not even get into the fact that Manhattan is the borough name but it is New York County, Staten Island is the borough name but the County is Richmond, and the borough of Brooklyn is Kings County. The Bronx and Queens only have the one identity.
bigjoe if you’d input Flushing, NY you would have been given a page showing two open theaters. If you went for the prompt for all theaters you would have been given nine, one of which is the RKO Keith’s Theatre (which is how you would have had to enter it by it’s name). When circuit names are involved it can be tricky. Best bet is my city name.
According to an article in the Miami Herald-Record of July 13, 1906 the Opera House, made of Miami stone was erected in 1901 at a cost of $18,000 and had seating for 700. I have uploaded a postcard image.
All the Prudential “All Weather” Drive-Ins (Smithtown, Johnny, Patchogue) started out with one screen inside and one outside, both playing the same features and not differentiating the name. As time went on and business slowed the indoor and outdoor theaters showed different films. The Patchogue one shut down the drive in, added additional screens, and was rebranded as the Patchogue-Sunrise.
Except for the 100 in Melville which was operated by Century, the Sunrise in Valley Stream which was operated by Redstone and the Westbury which was operated by Skouras, the balance of the Long Island Drive-Ins were operated by Prudential: 5th Avenue (Bay Shore); Bay Shore – Sunrise; Rocky Point; Coram; Skyway (Greenport); Massapequa; Hempstead Turnpike (Bethpage); Flanders (Riverhead); Shirley; Hamptons (Bridgehampton); Commack.
Prudential built a hardtop theater, the Cinema, next to the Bay Shore – Sunrise but always showed separate films at the two venues. The Bay Shore – Sunrise was later twinned. The Westbury triplexed.
All are now history.
Not in the ads or on the pylon. “5th”.
Not so David. Never known as Bethpage Drive-In. Always a question, however, whether it was in Bethpage or Plainedge.
The townhouses have been open for sometime. Called the Vineyard.
A more familiar name than the village of Nesconset in which it is located. Confusing. However, Nesconset IS located in the TOWN of Smithtown.
On a similar note the new Huntington Plaza Theater is located in the village of East Northport which is in the TOWN of Huntington.
When the Drive In closed it was used as a golf driving range. The Drive In portion of the sign was covered over with new information. When the driving range closed a portion of the “cover” was removed just leaving the “int”. Don’t ask what it said. All that has been removed and the owner put a totally new sign atop the structure. See the photo section. He has had numerous opportunities to sell the property but refuses to do so. It’s really a shambles.
The pylons often long outlive the theater. The Rocky Point one is still up. The one for the Whitman in Melville was still up at the beginning of the year (may still be) The one for the Movies at Coram was up for years and was only removed when they finally tore down the building. I think the remains of the one for the Brookhaven Multiplex is still visible from the Long Island Expressway. The one from the Westbury Drive In was repurposed for the new multiplex erected on the site. The one at the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa was used to list stores in the complex. The one for the Patchogue All Weather advertises the gated community erected on the site. Etc. Etc.
Never operated by Century just Prudential and UA.
When Prudential opened the Bay Shore – Sunrise Drive In the capacity was also given as 2,500. Later they twinned it.
Perhaps one of the specific Drive In sites would have some insight (lol)re theater capacities.
David, the only thing the South Bay has in it’s favor is parking. And that usage is questionable since they only, legitimately, have a small area around the building. The area used to have the Lindenhurst, Babylon, North Babylon theaters but somehow in it’s dilapidated condition the South Bay soldiered on. The pandemic will be the end of many theaters because of fear and social distancing. So many theaters have just about destroyed their viability when they severely reduced the seating capacity with the installation of recliners. So in an auditorium under 100 seats, which seems to be the case, more often than not, social distancing and reduced capacity percentages spells doom.
David, you’ll have to wait a couple of months for my next comment but, the way things have not been going, will probably be more of same.
I was only in the theater once with friends to see Sister Act. I remember not being impressed with the theater which was probably a triplex by that time.
It’s interesting that the opening ad read “Hampton’s” when the pylon and subsequent ads read “Hamptons”.
Kelli Rippa, on her show, often mentions the Echelon Mall and attending movies there.
The Katheral Event Center has set up a 40' screen pop up drive-in in conjunction with the Eagle. Tickets are $25.00 per car and can only be purchased online.
I’ve tried, unsuccessfully, to get an actual seating count but it is apparent from the comparison of the interior images as a Post theater and as a convention center auditorium that everything is the same except the color scheme. I don’t really remember much about the interiors of the old “military style” theaters (an example of which is in the photos section) except that at, what we called, Theater 2 the wainscoting in the men’s room was identical to the Formica on my kitchen table at home.
At the Joint Base theater which now services McGuire AFB- Dix – Lakehurst (on the McGuire property) the Adult admission is $6.00 for adults, $3.00 for children and more for 3D. Theater is obviously closed because of the pandemic.
According to the Base Directory this is listed as the JB McGuire Movie Theatre (JB standing for Joint Base). It serves the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst complex and is located at 2909 Tuskegee Airmen Avenue, McGuire AFB, NJ 08641. Tuskegee intersects with East Arnold listed in the basic information. Phone is 609-723-8320. Theatre has been updated for 3D (from the price schedule) and is currently closed because of the pandemic restrictions.
FYI McGuire AFB was originally part of Ft. Dix in the days when there was no separate Air Force but rather the Army Air Corps.
Uploaded a photo when the auditorium sported the original color scheme from the Army days.
I think only the lobby is being retained.
Still broken windows and ragged curtains. BobCat doesn’t seem to have moved. The only change I see is the addition of a Portapotty.
The pandemic is going to play havoc on the number of theaters that will emerge.
It’s going to be interesting to see which theaters actually survive the pandemic. I’ve seen reports of AMC ones with expired or expiring leases will not. The possibility that AMC as a totality would go out of business was also mentioned.
Unlike the other boroughs of New York City where references are to the such and such section, Queens has maintained community identities in every day references and specifically designated Post Office Identities. If it’s good enough for the US Postal Service it should be good enough for Cinema Treasures. So let it be.
Also, isn’t it easier to find something with a community name than the borough name? Did you ever see how many entries there are for Brooklyn?
And let’s not even get into the fact that Manhattan is the borough name but it is New York County, Staten Island is the borough name but the County is Richmond, and the borough of Brooklyn is Kings County. The Bronx and Queens only have the one identity.
bigjoe if you’d input Flushing, NY you would have been given a page showing two open theaters. If you went for the prompt for all theaters you would have been given nine, one of which is the RKO Keith’s Theatre (which is how you would have had to enter it by it’s name). When circuit names are involved it can be tricky. Best bet is my city name.
The theater could not have been stand alone since that address houses an apartment complex.
According to an article in the Miami Herald-Record of July 13, 1906 the Opera House, made of Miami stone was erected in 1901 at a cost of $18,000 and had seating for 700. I have uploaded a postcard image.