Walker Theater
6401 18th Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11204
6401 18th Avenue,
Brooklyn,
NY
11204
9 people
favorited this theater
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The Walker theatre’s ceiling was dark blue, representing the sky. It was in the “atomspheric” stlye as the interior was designed to make you think you were outside. (The Walker was in many ways like a small version of Chicago’s Paradise theatre) When I took a private tour of the THE WALKER years ago, I spoke with the caretaker who was there when the theatre opened. He gave me a great deal of information.
I also graduated from Shallow Junior High in 1970 at the Walker. I remember the movies Orlando describes playing there. It is a shame that these theaters, movie palaces, are all gone now. The Walker was beautiful, just like the movie palaces on Flatbush Avenue, the Loews Kings, and the others. They made movie-going a lot more fun. How sad that such a part of NY history and tradition is going to waste. Maybe some of these theaters could be converted into live community theaters.
The multiplexing of the theatre was done in a way as to not destroy any of the walls or ceiling. It was almost like a free standing shell. There was one theatre in the balcony and three downstairs. The two under the balcony were tiny but the other one allowed the walls and arch to be seen. In typical UA fashion they mismanaged this place and just closed it. The Mandys store is only built in the lobby and part of the auditorium, dead center. The entire theatre is there untouched as per the lease with the owner. The marquee remains also. Maybe someday someone will make this a live theatre. By the way in the 70’s they played loads of italian shows here with people like Tony Bennett, Al Martino and Connie Francis.
I graduated from Shallow Junior High School at the Walker Theatre in 1970. At the time, we had a G.O. card that enabled us access to all Randforce Theatres in Brooklyn for 50 cents. The card had a list of all the theatres on it. That June of 1970, the double bill at the Walker was “Cactus Flower” and “The Ambushers” which I and a friend saw the day before the graduation excercises. It was a $1.00 house at the time. Fifty cents is what children and G.O. students paid. There was a poster for the reserved seat engagement of “Hello Dolly!” at the N.Y. Rivoli in the lobby. The United Artists takeover of all the Randforce Theatres occured some months later. I do not remember the stars in the ceiling, but it was a beautiful neighborhood theatre.
The Walker theater was opened in 1927 with movies & stage shows. Live shows were dropped when sound films shortly came in. It was
named for the then New York mayor, Jimmy Walker. The WALKER was a very beautiful “atmospheric” theatre. You felt you were in a garden of a chateau. There was a Wurlitzer organ which was restored by an organ society shortly before the theatre was divided into quads. (At first the auditorium and balcony was split into two theatres. Little damage was done to it at that time) United Artists owned the theatre for a while. The stage was occasionally used for shows until the late 1970’s. Shallow Junior High School used it for their graduations.
The Walker Theatre is located at 6401 18th Ave., and it seated 2276 people.