AMC Fresh Meadows 7

BrianF on September 26, 2006 at 9:39 pm

I was responsible for this theatre’s licenses from 1989 through early 2006 – so i know the theatre inside out………….and for extra money, I also ran lines in front of the theatre on Fr/Sa eves from approx 1995 to 1997, where I “rhymed” the movies—you know, “Bette Midler keeps the expressway clean; and at 7:00 she’ll be on the screen.” “‘That Thing You Do’ is in theatre 1; go and see it you’ll have a lotta fun.”….
Does anyone remember me ?
It was busy in those years, and I helped sell out a lot of weekend shows. “People are coming all the way from Manhasset, to see (whatever the movie was)…with Angela Bassett.” We sold Bulk candy, coffee, and had hawking carts.
Often I was asked to chase the Mr. Softee truck away because it was said he competed with concession sales.
The Gemini Diner (later called Future Diner) next door was where a lot of managers and staff bought cheese fries. In ( i tHINK) the 1992 Presidential election, a campaigning Governor Bill Clinton visited blue collar Fresh Meadows at the Future Diner. I remember the theatre was ordered to put a “Welcome Mr. Clinton” sign on the marquee—there is a picture of that marquee somewhere. There were pictures of Bill Clinton in the diner for years afterwards. I would go in there for an occasional burger. It competed HEAVILY with concession. Many theatre customers went there over the years, getting discounts with their ticket stubs. The food was very good. And there was always some interesting altakokkas telling their life stories “at the counter” . The waiters were extremely patient and nice. It has been sadly vacant for over a year.
While i was there, Donald Trump often brought his family to the movies there, and parked his limo in the parking lot. I want to set a few things straight:
1. The certificate of occupancy address is:
190-02 Horace Harding Expressway [ although: Horace Harding BOULEVARD was strangely used for the other theatre (CINEMA 5- now demolished) on the NORTH side of the expressway.
2. The Fire Department and a lot of the Buildings Dept actually use
190-02 LI Expwy
on all other documents. It’s easier to abbreviate on their computer.
3. ALL of the following are acceptable:
Fresh Meadows, NY 11364
Flushing, NY 11364,
Fresh Meadows Qns, NY 11364 (my personal favorite)
Queens, Ny 11364
Fresh Meadows is like a “subdivision” of Flushing.
4.It is now known as AMC Loews Fresh Meadows; however that name is not yet legal. That’s because the advertising people who place ads in the paper don’t
know the legalities. It was NEVER officially known as LOEWS. [it SHOULD be known as the AMC Cineplex Odeon Fresh Meadows. The building still bears the Cineplex Odeon sign. ]
Since 1989, one MUST include the FRESH in the name—although pre-1989 it was known as the Meadows.
I knew or worked with many of the managers there: Ed, Anthony, Joe Mc, Barry, MikeG, Darwin…even GeorgeS.
Sadly, yes, the operation has deteriorated. It is true concession is definitely underutilized, and could be a bit more sanitary. The showtimes on the mylar are so small that no one of advancing age can see them anymore. That is really sad. Escalator to theatres 5, 6 & 7 is still frequently out of order. When i went there 2 weeks ago, the elevator (down to the basement rest rooms) halted suddenly while I was in it with some other people and it scared me half to death because it felt like another car landed on top of us. I told the current manager, whom i know. I know he will fix it.
The presentation is Ok, but the vibe is not as exciting as in the past when it was always busy and selling out. I too miss the use of curtains
One last thing: i strongly disagree with the notion cited that New Yorkers don’t read the NY Times, as quoted in this column as being attributed to the late former Meadows Manager Ed Bernhardt. I can attest, that many, many New Yorkers unto this day, still read the Friday NY Times and complain at the fresh Meadows if the listings are erroneous.

So how bout it ? Who remembers any of my rhymes ?
Please recite those you remember.
Tawk amongst yourselves.

RobertR on June 4, 2006 at 12:52 pm

Pretty Maids in a Row held the hot pants finals here :)
View link

BoxOfficeBill on May 26, 2006 at 8:03 am

People actually used the circuit’s name for “Century’s” Meadows, “Loew’s” Valencia, and the “RKO” Keith’s Flushing? Was that a custom in Queens? In B'klyn, we cited just “the Alpine,” “the Dyker,” “the Albee,” “the Met,” etc. Certainly nobody ever said “Fabian’s Fox” (poor Fabian, lost and forgotten).
Upon crossing the river to Manhattan, we Brooklynites talked about “the Palace,” but curiously used the designation “Loew’s State” for that flagship theater. We distinguished the “B'klyn Paramount” from its 43 Street counterpart by calling the latter the “New York Paramount,” though the ads referred to it as the “Times Square Paramount.”
If I had lived in Queens, I would have grown hoarse from vocalizing all those two- and three-syllable circuit names.

Ed Solero on May 26, 2006 at 7:51 am

Saw that too, Warren. “The Meadows” might have been how folks referred the place informally, but Warren is correct that the AKA here should be “Century’s Meadows” while the theater’s new name is being updated. I wonder if the signage (that has been out of date for sometime) will now be updated to include the “AMC Loews” logo.

Al Alvarez on May 25, 2006 at 4:30 pm

LOL.

Ok here are some Meadows stories to help put all this nastiness behind us and start some new nastiness.

Ed Bernhardt, bless his heart, a Mr. Magoo style driver, once drove (literally) into the local bank.

On my arrival in QUEENS, I asked Ed if the typical New Yorker read the New York Times. Ed responded that the “typical New Yorker could not read” and I should “stop assuming ANYONE read the New York Times”.

Ed also taught me that Arabs can never anti-semetic as they are all semites.

On the opening weeks of the Cineplex Odeon Meadows, a sold out showing of THE PRESIDIO was moved from a 400 plus screen to a 200 plus screen after construction workers removed the projector while finishing ceiling drywall without telling anyone. Refunds and anger ensued.

On THX certification day, the post office heater kicked in and the whole building shook for five minutes. We failed the test.

A hot water/cold water problem caused steaming toilets and urinals for the first few weeks, a fact that perplexed locals. Oddly enough, a basement crank flushes every toilet and urinal in the building, an oddly satifying act of power for me at the time.

Although we had several 306 projectionists, only two, Sal Mancuso and Randy knew what they were doing. Randy was arrested on site one night accused of stealing an Oscar by the widow of a Manhattan retiree who won it for a 1940’s film that won in all four major categories. (look that one up!)

The cinema received hate mail for NOT showing THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST.

Some man called nightly for over a year to tell us he had a red bow on his head.

One Sunday night four men armed with shotguns came in the front door and robbed the manager’s office while holding customers at gun-point in the lobby.

THE BLOB remake was a big hit here.

Once I went into the projection booth and could not find the projectionist. I closed a roof door that was creating a draft and went back to call the Union. They sent a replacement several hours later. The next day I found out the projectionist had wondered on to the roof for sun bathing a fallen asleep. He was fired.

Staff who caught a Yamuka wearing young man masterbating in the auditorium while watching WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? asked him to leave the theatre. To our dismay, he walked out screaming “My parents won’t let me do it at home either!”.

Ed Solero on May 25, 2006 at 12:55 pm

Some appellations die hard, Al… I wonder if “Boulevard” just stuck around on the theater’s letterhead out of habit for many years (since at the time of the Meadows' construction in the 1940’s it was surely located on Horace Harding Boulevard)? Just like how the Jackie Robinson Parkway will continue to be the “Interboro” to many folks and for many years to come. Or how I’ll always remember my telephone # exchange in Elmhurst as “HAvemeyer 8” rather than “428”.

As long as I’ve been frequenting the area (since I attended Junior High School there at I.S. 216 in 1977) it’s been “Expressway”. It’s possible some old street signs were still in place on certain corners back in the day (you know the City), but I think they’ve all been replaced by now.

This topic sure has “legs”, eh? I’ll stop aiding and abetting now.

margatemanor on May 25, 2006 at 11:31 am

like i said earlier it IS horace harding expressway..case is now closed…let’s move on ..

Michael Furlinger on May 25, 2006 at 7:47 am

stop the madness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

margatemanor on May 24, 2006 at 4:56 pm

this is much to do about nothing your right..however, the expressway and the service road are one in the same…

margatemanor on May 24, 2006 at 3:27 pm

Horace Harding Expressway does not denote north or south..it never did..so that would be wrong also..however, the above poster is right..queens is never used in the address..it is always the city or town of the area of queens..like bayside, or rego park or corona etc etc…

Ed Solero on May 12, 2006 at 12:30 pm

Thanks Lost… I’ll steal those for my album too! That 2nd photo looks like the mezzanine foyer. The photos of the stairwell from both the main foyer and the mezzanine looking down are precisely how I remember the Meadows when it was a twin. The only difference was there was a candy counter under the mezzanine railing (below where those diamond shaped signs are hung). On either side of the counter was the entrance to each auditorium (as the theater had been split evenly down the middle). Up the stairs, you also had two entrances on either side of the mezzanine to the balcony of either auditorium.

Today, the place has been gutted. Only the ticket lobby is more or less the same as it was. The old staircase is gone entirely and is now where theater #1 is located. Where the candy counter was, there are now 7 or 8 steps leading down to a sunken lobby with a large candy counter against the left wall, theaters 2 and 3 off the right and at the rear the big theater 4 (occupying what was the front third or so of the original orchestra seating). The new staircase/escalator leading up to theater’s 5, 6 and 7 (with their own decent sized foyer and candy counter) begins to the left of where the photographer of that 1st 1961 photo was standing.

Ed Solero on May 12, 2006 at 10:44 am

My new Meadows Theater album includes the photos I had posted here in October plus a couple of recent night shots as well as some vintage views I purloined from Warren’s post above. The old links to my shots no longer work.