Rainbow Theatre

There is a for sale sign outside the theater. Does anyone know which company is selling it. It supposedly built inside with an Art Deco look like the Chrysler Building or the Empire State buiding. We could not save the Commodore but maybe we can save this one!

Two views of the Rainbow Theatre, that I photographed in June 2006:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/186859614/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kencta/186860208/

Notice there is a small ‘For Sale’ on the front entrance to the building.

When I lived on Stockton St. I would walk to the Rainbow Theatre on Graham Ave. It was a nice theatre where I recall seeing “Westward the Women” (which the projectionist started in the middle of the picture) and also “Miss Sadie Thompson” with Rita Hayworth, among many other films.

I also recall a nice little old man in that area who sold round hot knishes from a little push cart and they were delicious. Does anyone recall this little fellow?

The Lindy (a dump) and the Graham Theatre were on the same strip, with the Grand Theatre just around the corner, before the Graham. I also believe that the R&F? of the Republic Theatre were in the area.

JoeB.

Hi my name is Bill Erbis. I grew up in Williamsburgh and still go back there frequently. I can remember myself and friends going up to the cashier and stooping down claiming we were youngher than we actually were to get a reduced admission. I also remember paying the doorman to get in, sneaking in the side Meserole St. exit when our friends would push open the doors. I can remeber those delicious greek hamburgers we ate from the restaurant next to the theatre. What a great time in my life, oh to relive it!!!!!!!!!

I took a walk to the former Rainbow Theater. I remember this place very well but only as a church.

.. Thanks all for bring back memories of the “Rainbow Theater.”
.. Perhaps I can add a bit more to this history.
.. Till 1962, I lived two flights up, at 137 Montrose Ave, directly across from Most Holy Trinity School. Our apartment’s kitchen windows faced the left side (i.e., side parallel to Meserole) of the movie house, and yes the Rainbow was quite long. If I had to guess I’d say that it ran at least 2/3 of the depth between Manhattan Ave & Graham Ave.
.. Between the back of the houses facing Montrose and the Rainbow was a significantly wide alley that ran almost along the total side, and then made an "L-turn” to a gated exit on Meserole. I say almost because there was a tenement house on Graham that abutted the movie house to the left (facing the Rainbow) and a furniture store to the right extending to Meserole.
.. Entrance was from Graham, and after buying your ticket at curbside, you entered a fairly long, somewhat narrow, uphill slanted walkway to where your ticket was collected. This entrance walkway was lined with posters of upcoming events, and many folks would actually stop to see what was posted. Once you actually entered, the interior was much wider, the width going behind the furniture store all the way to Meserole. A grand staircase on the right took you upstairs to the second level.
.. Before it was “air-conditioned”, it was quite common that the fire doors leading out to the alley would be thrown open on hot summer nights.
.. I remember one hot summer night a Mario Lanzza movie was playing and the alley doors were wide open, and my mom sitting at our kitchen window listening to him singing.
.. There were also fire doors on the Meserole side, and when movies were over, especially on weekends when there were large crowds, the ushers would open those Meserole side doors to let folks out.
.. Parking was not a problem since the bus stops were at both corners of Graham Ave.
.. The furniture store was where folks gathered on I think it was Tuesday nights, on the sidewalk, to watch Milton Berl on TV. The store had a device that was basically a magnifying glass placed on the inside store window that made the TV image look bigger.
.. To the left, on the first floor of that tenement house was a traditional candy store, and the neighborhood telephone! I earned some of my movie money by hanging around the candy store, and then running to peoples’ homes to tell them that they had a telephone call or to deliver a message. Typical “tip” was a penny, but sometimes it would be 2 cents. There were always rumors that someone got a nickel, but never I.
.. Across the street was a school-stationary store, I believe called “Jimmy’s” who sponsored Saturday movies & events. And thus almost all of my movie going was confined to Saturday’s, and Saturday morning movies were always packed!
.. I have not been back to Brooklyn now for many-many years, and really want to again thank you all for the photos’ and info.
.. Joe
..

A gem of a neighborhood theater. Perfect for the wide screen epics & musicals of the ‘50s & '60s including Helen of Troy, the Buccaneer, the Greatest Show on Earth, Somebody Up There Likes Me, West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, as well as Psycho.

I see there is a differance of opinion about the Rainbow Theatre. This theatre presents an unusual problem. I find two Rainbow Theatres listed for this area. One was located at 167 Graham Avenue. The other theatre was located at 142 Merserole Street. The two theatres were one block apart. That situation should not be unless one theatre replaced the other or one Rainbow Theatre opened with a differant name. I find the Rainbow Theatre on Meserole street listed as being closed in 1965. I believe that this theatre warrants more research to make all the facts known and a fair and accurate conclusion be reached.

My grandmother and my mother worked at the Rainbow circa the 1950s-1960s. My grandmother lived for decades on nearby Meserole Street and the theatre was clearly visible from her front windows. Family lore has it that while filling in for my grandmother’s shift one day, my mother was confronted by an armed robber who stole the day’s receipts. Although there was an buzzer/intercom she could have used to notify management that there was a problem, she chose not to use it, as the manager’s response would have been clearly heard by the robber. My grandmother became aware that there was trouble at the theatre after seeing the police from her window.

There is a photo of the Rainbow in the collection at http://www.housingauthority.lagcc.cuny.edu/nycha/

I always past threw there and never seen it open. Is this theatre for sale?

Could this theater also have been the Graham at one time?