From the time I was attending shows at the Academy starting in the winter of 1971 they were all Ticketron issued tickets. Ticketbastard started out years later and eventually took over Ticketron.
As I was going through some of the older postings and came across a reference to the NY Dolls. I went to youtube and found this video clip. It’s about 10 minutes long but mid way there is a scene where the band is rolling down 14th street on a VW Bug and stops in front of the Academy. The clip is in B&W and grainy so it was hard to read what was on the marguee.
Does anyone have some pictures of the Academy inside or out other then the 2 that Warren has up from way back when. More like from the mid to late 60’s prior to the Palladium changeover
I tend to agree with Luis on this one. The Loews Paridise in the Bronx underwent a $25 million dollar restoration and ever since it reopened has had major problems with the owners and promotors. Te intent was not to reopen it as a movie house but a live venue. Concerts, live theatre and the like even boxing. One promoter held a show that sold the place out and is still trying to get his money. He agreed to use the theatre owners ticketmaster account to sell the tickets. When he went back to ticketmaster to collect his money they told him that it was paid out to the account holder and had to get his money from them.
I know this is something not everyone wants to hear. Sad but it is true. The wb site is down as well. The phone # goes to some managing angency not the box office. Even turning a former movie palace in to a live venue doesn’t always work either.
Wow thats a hand full of posts here today. I agree that it would be logistcaly impossible to move the Ridgewood in one piece. Even as Lost eluded to I think there is a Major difference between the London Bridge which was mainly all stone to a building that is brick mortar and for the most part plaster on the inside. I have heard of major size buildings such as the Empire being relocated but that was only a matter of blocks and even then it took a matter of days to do that. To move a structure such as Ridgewood Alabama would cost more then the building is worth.
Moyssi I do have a question for you. Speaking of memory recall.How could you and Harold have been in 2 places at once?
Maybe I am wrong but when I started working at the AOM in the spring of 1972 that is where I met you and Harold. At least once a month I would get a list of gel colors and go to Time Square Lighing for them and on other occasions a theatrical supply company to get carbons. I know in the latter years I had seen both of you at the Cap and on occasion at the Bottom Line.
Al I agree with your comments not only on how he seemed to forget about you but making it sound like he was the onlypromoter in the NY metro area. Prior to the closing of the Fillmore East Howard Stien was putting on shows at the Capitol Theatre in Portchester NY and then moved his operation to the Academy of Music (RIP). All the while in the background so to speak was Ron Delsener. When you and John were doing the summer gigs down the shore or at Roosevelt Ron was doing the Schaffer Festival in Central Park.
Sure there were toehrs trying to make a mark but it didn’t last long. Do you recall Gus Ungano? He tried to make a go of it at the Ritz on Staten Island. There was also a group that tried to make a go of it in Brooklyn at the former Loews 46th Street.
Maybe John is harping on the fact that most if not all major promotors have sold out to SFX aka Clear Channel and now known as Live Nation. Is John doing any venues major or minor? I am not sure when but for the longest time RD had been running the former Garden State Art Center now PNC till Clear Channel bought him out.
Oh yeah I met Mr Jiggs at a flea Market back in the 70’s.
Clay Cole is retired and lives on an island off the Cape Fear River on the Atlantic Ocean on the North Carolina coast. I still till this day remember seeing King Kong Vs Godzilla there and only a few years later there was a vacant lot that as far as I know is still vacant.
Hey Rosco I found Rick yesterday and we had a nice chat on the phone. He said he is unsure where the Academy Super Arcs whereabouts. He thinks it may have gone down with the building when NYU had it demolished. However he did tell me that Mike Proscia who was the IA steward for the building got screwed out of some money and took whatever equipment that was of any value and not nailed down with him. Rick told me that he has the house left Super Trooper is at his warehouse. From what I gather is when Delsener gave up the building the new people were not very receptive of having th IA there. BTW Moissy you are older then I am.
Hey Moyssi is Ric-Lo still around and is he still in the biz? More like the Super Arcs. Did you ever find out what happened to the Original Super Arc used at the Academy? BTW I sw my Cadio dr last week. Other then him telling me to drop some weight I am doing good.
I don’t know what happened to annother one of my posts I made in reply to the landmarking issue.
This is only my take on why the Landmark Commission may only designate the exterior/facade is because the interior has not been restored to it’s original condition. 25 Million dollars made that possible for the Loews Paradise to get both interior and exterior landmarked since it was restored to as close to original as possible.
Here is aa Wiki listing of designated Queens landmarks including the Loews Valencia
Ah yes you brought up the all mighty word here. “Stoops”. I wonder how many kids today would even know what they are. I recall many hours playing stoop ball, Stick ball and all other sorts of street games we no longer see today.
I was on another site in here earlier and someone posted a detailed list of movies that had played there from around 1970 till it closed in late 2007. What amazed me was this was a single screen 70MM theatre. How it went from first run films playing for weeks on end to 1 week.
Is anyone else posting and then finding out when the page refreshes it says you are not logged on? This has happened to me way to often. This last time I forgot to copy the post in case the need to paste it occurs.
Louis no apology needed. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the passion or the memories to share.
Hey B I empathize with you aboiut what has happened to the area. Between all the modern gadgets keeping kids in the house more then they were 30-40 years agao and all the junk added in the food we eat you wonder why we are becoming a nation of overweight people. I remember looking forward to getting together with friends on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and going to the local movie houses. Most of the times it wasn’t so much as what movie playing but more like how to pay for one on a student discount trying to sneak the rest of us in for free. In the single sreen theatres it wasa real no brainer because you didn’t have to guess which door you had to be at because any door got you in to the same show.
With all the modern gadgets it’s no wonder the movie houses are hurting. I just recently took on a subscription for Net-Flix. Why spend $10 to go out to see a flick when you know that the latest first runs will either be on DVD or On-Demand PPV within a few weeks to a few months after release. I don’t have a big screen HDTV but it sure looks and sounds good on my PC.
Most theatres still have matinees but you still get ripped off at the consession stands. Anyway who wants to watch a movie where a whole bunch of kids are sitting there texting all of their friens and the illumination of the cell phone screens.
Anywaysthe movies industy was always about making money but just like sports most of todays actors are being WAY over paid.
Todays kids are way better off then most of us were when we were kids. I wonder where some of us would be or doing if we had all this technology back then.
Luis no offense taken. All I was saying is that the Ridgewood goes beyond the doors the bricks and the sidwalk where the building is. You mention you grew up in S Ozone Park. When I hear that one of the first things that come to mind is Aquaduct Raceway. Woodhaven Blvd to Crossbay and passing the now closed Crossbay Theatre. I guess the neighborhood needed another sporting goods store like the streets need new potholes. See it stirs up the past like Lenny’s Clam bar and the stupid tv add that said mention this add and you get a glass of wine on the house or the Big Bow Wow. So as I said The neighborhood is the Ridgewood Sometimes ones memory of something may cause someone else in here remember that same thing or something else that may have happened in their life. Fpr example July 13th 1977. Was anyone atteneding a movie at the Ridgewood that afternoon prior to the bis blackout? I know i wasn’t but at the same time I was watching emergency crews trying to find a way to get 6 people who were stuck about 120 feet in the air on the Coney Island Astro Tower. Whats a little side tracking among friends? I may not know anyone in here personally but by reading what they say I find my self knowing who is who. Almost like real life It is also nice to know that if i do come up to NYC and have the time to be able to put a face to the names of the people in here. To me this is a vitual community that not only exists here but in the other threads/theatres as well. I even noticed your posts on the Crossbay from 2007.
Have a nice weekend and enjoy the memories for we can not go back in time any other way at least for right now.
Wow. Although i had never seen a movie at the Crossbay I still remember passing by there taking the streets to head out to JFK when the belt was backed up. I still remember the old maquee before the duplexed it. No need to go to Mo’s for me.
Just to put an end to Brownstone limestone dispute. Lets just call it what it should be called. A ROW house.
Oh no not Mrs Stahls. They were the last of a dying breed. I sometimes used to walk from where I lived in Luna Park on W 8st to get knishes. Could it be that they moved to another location? I seem to recall a while back that the property owner was looking to put another building in it’s place. I saw something on www.Coneyisland.com that Mrs Stahls may have been sold and turned in to a pizza place. The original owners must have been feeling the pinch of the area being overun by the russians. I lived in the Coney Island ,Brighton Beach area most of my life and it makes you wonder if you are going to need a passport to be there. he last time I was upp in the area in 2004 the Luna Park Housing Complex was about 95% Russian occupied including the current board of directors. Even the area where the former Kingsway was is a mix of Russian and Asian.
You should come down here and see some of these places for your self. The Lincoln restoration looks awesome from the outside. It looks like the past came to life when you see when you see this almost 90 year old gem sparkle.
The Paradise and the Kings have lots in common unfotunatley one of thos things is that they are both in neighborhoods that have been run down. I am more familiare with the area where the Kings is now. When it was in it’s hey dey it was in a mostly white working class neighborhood. Now it is run down. Most of the stores nearby are closed or run down as well. Mostly West Indian and Jamaicans live there with scattered bits of Korean and Vietnamese. Not to many white people left. The same can be said about the area where the Paradise is.
I was watching a news story on line where some guy promoted a show andused Joe Gentie’s Ticketmaster account for ticket sales. When he called Ticketmaster to get his money he was told that since it was no his accoun that he had to get the procedes from Joe Gentile’s company The ammount was about $240,000. Also on that same report were others who had problems collecting money or obtaining deposits back for events canceled by the owners. The Bronx Boro president seemed all gung ho about the the restoration and reopening. SOmeone posted a link to the Bronx Ball 2007. You would never know there was trouble in Paradise from that video.
I have to say one thing about this site. When I try to go to sleep at night rather then counting sheep i try to go back in time and remember the times that i was in most of the theatres I had been to. i would love to go up to the Bronx to see the Paridise but from everything I have been reading there is trouble in Paradise. $25 million to restore it and now it is all going to waste. The interior is beautiful and reminds of the Loews 46th street which is now a furniture store. From what I gather the Kings had a simalar amospheric interior. As far as I am cooncerned NYU should be taken to court and be forced to tear down that building they call a dorm and rebuild the Academy of Music on it’s original foundation. It did have a Mighty Wurlitzer organ but it was sold and removed in 1976. I wish I had the moiney to just drive to all the theatres that are still standing.
I have had it happend quite a few times. It’s gotten to the point where before I hit submit I copy it so if I get that I log back in and paste it. Is there really a Queens Historical Society or is it Hysterical Society?
Sheeeesh. Do you ever sleep? It seems like no matter where I go in here you are everywhere. LOL The Ridgewood Bill’s “Follys” When is the picture database going to be functional again and why is it there are time when I come in here showing my self logged in and then I post a message informing me that I need to be logged in to post? it happend to me twice today.
WOW after reading this thread I tried to stand up and got dizzy from the mass of info and missinformation. Has anyone really found out the real deal. i must say i had a good chuckle reading all this.
Luis come on now. Ridgewood is part of the community. It is like remenissing about an old friend who moved on. The memories of the Ridgewood are part of the neigborhood. I just recently as of last week got interested in something that someone either said on here or another CT site about the Loews Paradise and all the crap going on up there with whoever was trying to run it after a $25 million restoration. I mean look at it like this. Unless or untill there is any new news or revolations about Ridgewood all there is are the memories and a core group of people in here talking about themselves and the neighborhood. Ridgewood is the neighborhood and the neigborhood is Ridgewood. It goes hand in hand. You have the option to ignore it. No one is forcing anyone to post in here. I like hearing about the area that I may have missed out on.
I only speak for my self here.
Ok I just had something strange just happen. I already had 4 e-mail notices about replies in this group 4021 and I just looked at my e-mail now and had 8 more notices and there was nothing new. I wonder if CT’s mail server is going bonkers.
Hey Bway from what I was reading it sounds like this whole thread was a goof from the get go.
From the time I was attending shows at the Academy starting in the winter of 1971 they were all Ticketron issued tickets. Ticketbastard started out years later and eventually took over Ticketron.
As I was going through some of the older postings and came across a reference to the NY Dolls. I went to youtube and found this video clip. It’s about 10 minutes long but mid way there is a scene where the band is rolling down 14th street on a VW Bug and stops in front of the Academy. The clip is in B&W and grainy so it was hard to read what was on the marguee.
Memories is all thats left
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYv433L5wI4
Does anyone have some pictures of the Academy inside or out other then the 2 that Warren has up from way back when. More like from the mid to late 60’s prior to the Palladium changeover
I tend to agree with Luis on this one. The Loews Paridise in the Bronx underwent a $25 million dollar restoration and ever since it reopened has had major problems with the owners and promotors. Te intent was not to reopen it as a movie house but a live venue. Concerts, live theatre and the like even boxing. One promoter held a show that sold the place out and is still trying to get his money. He agreed to use the theatre owners ticketmaster account to sell the tickets. When he went back to ticketmaster to collect his money they told him that it was paid out to the account holder and had to get his money from them.
I know this is something not everyone wants to hear. Sad but it is true. The wb site is down as well. The phone # goes to some managing angency not the box office. Even turning a former movie palace in to a live venue doesn’t always work either.
Wow thats a hand full of posts here today. I agree that it would be logistcaly impossible to move the Ridgewood in one piece. Even as Lost eluded to I think there is a Major difference between the London Bridge which was mainly all stone to a building that is brick mortar and for the most part plaster on the inside. I have heard of major size buildings such as the Empire being relocated but that was only a matter of blocks and even then it took a matter of days to do that. To move a structure such as Ridgewood Alabama would cost more then the building is worth.
Keep the Ridgewood where it is in one piece.
Moyssi I do have a question for you. Speaking of memory recall.How could you and Harold have been in 2 places at once?
Maybe I am wrong but when I started working at the AOM in the spring of 1972 that is where I met you and Harold. At least once a month I would get a list of gel colors and go to Time Square Lighing for them and on other occasions a theatrical supply company to get carbons. I know in the latter years I had seen both of you at the Cap and on occasion at the Bottom Line.
Al I agree with your comments not only on how he seemed to forget about you but making it sound like he was the onlypromoter in the NY metro area. Prior to the closing of the Fillmore East Howard Stien was putting on shows at the Capitol Theatre in Portchester NY and then moved his operation to the Academy of Music (RIP). All the while in the background so to speak was Ron Delsener. When you and John were doing the summer gigs down the shore or at Roosevelt Ron was doing the Schaffer Festival in Central Park.
Sure there were toehrs trying to make a mark but it didn’t last long. Do you recall Gus Ungano? He tried to make a go of it at the Ritz on Staten Island. There was also a group that tried to make a go of it in Brooklyn at the former Loews 46th Street.
Maybe John is harping on the fact that most if not all major promotors have sold out to SFX aka Clear Channel and now known as Live Nation. Is John doing any venues major or minor? I am not sure when but for the longest time RD had been running the former Garden State Art Center now PNC till Clear Channel bought him out.
Oh yeah I met Mr Jiggs at a flea Market back in the 70’s.
Michael
Clay Cole is retired and lives on an island off the Cape Fear River on the Atlantic Ocean on the North Carolina coast. I still till this day remember seeing King Kong Vs Godzilla there and only a few years later there was a vacant lot that as far as I know is still vacant.
Hey Rosco I found Rick yesterday and we had a nice chat on the phone. He said he is unsure where the Academy Super Arcs whereabouts. He thinks it may have gone down with the building when NYU had it demolished. However he did tell me that Mike Proscia who was the IA steward for the building got screwed out of some money and took whatever equipment that was of any value and not nailed down with him. Rick told me that he has the house left Super Trooper is at his warehouse. From what I gather is when Delsener gave up the building the new people were not very receptive of having th IA there. BTW Moissy you are older then I am.
Hey Moyssi is Ric-Lo still around and is he still in the biz? More like the Super Arcs. Did you ever find out what happened to the Original Super Arc used at the Academy? BTW I sw my Cadio dr last week. Other then him telling me to drop some weight I am doing good.
I don’t know what happened to annother one of my posts I made in reply to the landmarking issue.
This is only my take on why the Landmark Commission may only designate the exterior/facade is because the interior has not been restored to it’s original condition. 25 Million dollars made that possible for the Loews Paradise to get both interior and exterior landmarked since it was restored to as close to original as possible.
Here is aa Wiki listing of designated Queens landmarks including the Loews Valencia
View link
Ah yes you brought up the all mighty word here. “Stoops”. I wonder how many kids today would even know what they are. I recall many hours playing stoop ball, Stick ball and all other sorts of street games we no longer see today.
I was on another site in here earlier and someone posted a detailed list of movies that had played there from around 1970 till it closed in late 2007. What amazed me was this was a single screen 70MM theatre. How it went from first run films playing for weeks on end to 1 week.
Catch 22- 18 weeks
12/26/73 … THE EXORCIST (26 weeks)
12/05/84 … BEVERLY HILLS COP (16 weeks, Dolby Stereo)
I wonder if anyone has a listing of showings at the Kingsway prior to and after the spit ups.
Is anyone else posting and then finding out when the page refreshes it says you are not logged on? This has happened to me way to often. This last time I forgot to copy the post in case the need to paste it occurs.
Louis no apology needed. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the passion or the memories to share.
Hey B I empathize with you aboiut what has happened to the area. Between all the modern gadgets keeping kids in the house more then they were 30-40 years agao and all the junk added in the food we eat you wonder why we are becoming a nation of overweight people. I remember looking forward to getting together with friends on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and going to the local movie houses. Most of the times it wasn’t so much as what movie playing but more like how to pay for one on a student discount trying to sneak the rest of us in for free. In the single sreen theatres it wasa real no brainer because you didn’t have to guess which door you had to be at because any door got you in to the same show.
With all the modern gadgets it’s no wonder the movie houses are hurting. I just recently took on a subscription for Net-Flix. Why spend $10 to go out to see a flick when you know that the latest first runs will either be on DVD or On-Demand PPV within a few weeks to a few months after release. I don’t have a big screen HDTV but it sure looks and sounds good on my PC.
Most theatres still have matinees but you still get ripped off at the consession stands. Anyway who wants to watch a movie where a whole bunch of kids are sitting there texting all of their friens and the illumination of the cell phone screens.
Anywaysthe movies industy was always about making money but just like sports most of todays actors are being WAY over paid.
Todays kids are way better off then most of us were when we were kids. I wonder where some of us would be or doing if we had all this technology back then.
Luis no offense taken. All I was saying is that the Ridgewood goes beyond the doors the bricks and the sidwalk where the building is. You mention you grew up in S Ozone Park. When I hear that one of the first things that come to mind is Aquaduct Raceway. Woodhaven Blvd to Crossbay and passing the now closed Crossbay Theatre. I guess the neighborhood needed another sporting goods store like the streets need new potholes. See it stirs up the past like Lenny’s Clam bar and the stupid tv add that said mention this add and you get a glass of wine on the house or the Big Bow Wow. So as I said The neighborhood is the Ridgewood Sometimes ones memory of something may cause someone else in here remember that same thing or something else that may have happened in their life. Fpr example July 13th 1977. Was anyone atteneding a movie at the Ridgewood that afternoon prior to the bis blackout? I know i wasn’t but at the same time I was watching emergency crews trying to find a way to get 6 people who were stuck about 120 feet in the air on the Coney Island Astro Tower. Whats a little side tracking among friends? I may not know anyone in here personally but by reading what they say I find my self knowing who is who. Almost like real life It is also nice to know that if i do come up to NYC and have the time to be able to put a face to the names of the people in here. To me this is a vitual community that not only exists here but in the other threads/theatres as well. I even noticed your posts on the Crossbay from 2007.
Have a nice weekend and enjoy the memories for we can not go back in time any other way at least for right now.
Michael
Wow. Although i had never seen a movie at the Crossbay I still remember passing by there taking the streets to head out to JFK when the belt was backed up. I still remember the old maquee before the duplexed it. No need to go to Mo’s for me.
Just to put an end to Brownstone limestone dispute. Lets just call it what it should be called. A ROW house.
Oh no not Mrs Stahls. They were the last of a dying breed. I sometimes used to walk from where I lived in Luna Park on W 8st to get knishes. Could it be that they moved to another location? I seem to recall a while back that the property owner was looking to put another building in it’s place. I saw something on www.Coneyisland.com that Mrs Stahls may have been sold and turned in to a pizza place. The original owners must have been feeling the pinch of the area being overun by the russians. I lived in the Coney Island ,Brighton Beach area most of my life and it makes you wonder if you are going to need a passport to be there. he last time I was upp in the area in 2004 the Luna Park Housing Complex was about 95% Russian occupied including the current board of directors. Even the area where the former Kingsway was is a mix of Russian and Asian.
SOunds like a plan. Where do you live? Let me know if you do head out this way. Maybe we can find others on CT and have a live CT meet.
You should come down here and see some of these places for your self. The Lincoln restoration looks awesome from the outside. It looks like the past came to life when you see when you see this almost 90 year old gem sparkle.
The Paradise and the Kings have lots in common unfotunatley one of thos things is that they are both in neighborhoods that have been run down. I am more familiare with the area where the Kings is now. When it was in it’s hey dey it was in a mostly white working class neighborhood. Now it is run down. Most of the stores nearby are closed or run down as well. Mostly West Indian and Jamaicans live there with scattered bits of Korean and Vietnamese. Not to many white people left. The same can be said about the area where the Paradise is.
I was watching a news story on line where some guy promoted a show andused Joe Gentie’s Ticketmaster account for ticket sales. When he called Ticketmaster to get his money he was told that since it was no his accoun that he had to get the procedes from Joe Gentile’s company The ammount was about $240,000. Also on that same report were others who had problems collecting money or obtaining deposits back for events canceled by the owners. The Bronx Boro president seemed all gung ho about the the restoration and reopening. SOmeone posted a link to the Bronx Ball 2007. You would never know there was trouble in Paradise from that video.
I have to say one thing about this site. When I try to go to sleep at night rather then counting sheep i try to go back in time and remember the times that i was in most of the theatres I had been to. i would love to go up to the Bronx to see the Paridise but from everything I have been reading there is trouble in Paradise. $25 million to restore it and now it is all going to waste. The interior is beautiful and reminds of the Loews 46th street which is now a furniture store. From what I gather the Kings had a simalar amospheric interior. As far as I am cooncerned NYU should be taken to court and be forced to tear down that building they call a dorm and rebuild the Academy of Music on it’s original foundation. It did have a Mighty Wurlitzer organ but it was sold and removed in 1976. I wish I had the moiney to just drive to all the theatres that are still standing.
I have had it happend quite a few times. It’s gotten to the point where before I hit submit I copy it so if I get that I log back in and paste it. Is there really a Queens Historical Society or is it Hysterical Society?
Sheeeesh. Do you ever sleep? It seems like no matter where I go in here you are everywhere. LOL The Ridgewood Bill’s “Follys” When is the picture database going to be functional again and why is it there are time when I come in here showing my self logged in and then I post a message informing me that I need to be logged in to post? it happend to me twice today.
WOW after reading this thread I tried to stand up and got dizzy from the mass of info and missinformation. Has anyone really found out the real deal. i must say i had a good chuckle reading all this.
Luis come on now. Ridgewood is part of the community. It is like remenissing about an old friend who moved on. The memories of the Ridgewood are part of the neigborhood. I just recently as of last week got interested in something that someone either said on here or another CT site about the Loews Paradise and all the crap going on up there with whoever was trying to run it after a $25 million restoration. I mean look at it like this. Unless or untill there is any new news or revolations about Ridgewood all there is are the memories and a core group of people in here talking about themselves and the neighborhood. Ridgewood is the neighborhood and the neigborhood is Ridgewood. It goes hand in hand. You have the option to ignore it. No one is forcing anyone to post in here. I like hearing about the area that I may have missed out on.
I only speak for my self here.
Wow Lost I must have passed by there at least a few dozen times and I never knew it was there.
Ok I just had something strange just happen. I already had 4 e-mail notices about replies in this group 4021 and I just looked at my e-mail now and had 8 more notices and there was nothing new. I wonder if CT’s mail server is going bonkers.