From a New York Times October 1938 article concerning the War of the Worlds radio broadcast:
In Orange, N. J., an unidentified man rushed into the lobby of the Lido Theatre, a neighborhood motion picture house, with the intention of “warning” the audience that a meteor had fallen on Raymond Boulevard, Newark, and was spreading poisonous gases. Skeptical, Al Hochberg, manager of the theatre, prevented the man from entering the auditorium of the theatre and then called the police. He was informed that the radio broadcast was responsible for the man’s alarm.
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Dec 1, 1998 p043
Legal fray halts new Caldwell cinemas. (ESSEX)
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1998 The Star-Ledger. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of The Star-Ledger by the Gale Group, Inc.
Byline: Rebecca Goldsmith
Plans for a perkier downtown Caldwell are stuck in limbo while competing movie developers face off over who can run a theater on the six-block strip of Bloomfield Avenue.
The former Park Theater, located in the heart of downtown, was supposed to reopen this month under new ownership with five screens and new plush seats, carpeting, and curtains after years of use as offices, a dance studio and a bowling alley.
The cinema was touted this summer by Mayor Paul Jemas as the cornerstone of downtown revitalization. The borough’s walkable stretch of Bloomfield Avenue offers daytime shopping but lacks a large magnet to draw people for food and entertainment on weekends and evenings. The legal dispute pits Jesse Sayegh of Cedar Grove against Chatham-based Clearview Cinemas and its owner, Bud Mayo. Both men built their fortunes in the movie business by focusing on small downtown theaters. Clearview now runs 45 movie theaters in New York and New Jersey, including most of the theaters in the western Essex and eastern Morris County region where Caldwell is located.
At issue are the details of a year-old, $9.5 million deal in which Clearview bought Sayegh’s theaters in Upper Montclair, Cedar Grove, Kinnelon and Middlebrook, according to court records.
Mayo’s attorney maintains that a clause in the contract prevents Sayegh from opening a movie theater within seven miles of any of the four locations. The Caldwell site at 317 Bloomfield Ave. is 2.59 miles from Cinema 23 in Cedar Grove and 3.51 miles from the Bellevue Theater in Upper Montclair.
Sayegh holds that the agreement allowed for one exception in an “undisclosed” location, which turned out to be Caldwell. He said he would not comment on the matter while it is in litigation.
The suit is heading for a spring trial. In the meantime, a state Superior Court judge ruled in October that Sayegh must halt construction plans until the dispute is settled. The injunction blocks a third party from developing the site.
If Mayo prevails, the theater could be delayed for five years unless Sayegh and Mayo reach a deal before then to allow Clearview to run the cinema. Sayegh’s offers so far have been “unreasonable,” according to Robert Lister, Clearview’s vice president.
‘'Five years? We’d be in college,“ exclaimed Jessica McDonnell, an eighth-grader from West Caldwell who learned of the legal dispute after school yesterday from a reporter.
News of the delay hit hard at Grover Cleveland Middle School, where hundreds of students from Caldwell and West Caldwell were looking forward to the freedom of walking to a local hangout. When they want to see a movie, they must ask for rides to theaters in Wayne, Parsippany, Montclair or Livingston.
‘'We’d be able to walk there, and our parents – we wouldn’t have to bug them for rides a lot,“ said Kevin MacKen, 13, of West Caldwell. "They get annoyed.”
Opened in the late 1980s shortly after this one story mall opened. Immediately became strong competition for GC’s Mercer Mall and AMC’s Quaker Bridge Mall, both very close and both of which are now closed. The big selling point at the time of opening was stadium seating, which the others didn’t have. The opening of the AMC Hamilton 24 also attributed to the demise of these two mall theaters.
The p/w is my library card number (a NJ perk). Here is the article:
The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Dec 8, 1999 pL3
ADULT-THEATER OWNER SENTENCED IN INSURANCE SCAM; GETS 4 YEARS FOR SUBMITTING INFLATED CLAIMS ON WAYNE FIRE. (NEWS) Dan Kraut.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1999 Bergen Record Corp.
By DAN KRAUT, Staff Writer
The owner of a defunct adult theater in Wayne was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for trying to scam two insurance companies after his business burned down.
The sentencing came five months after Jack Chesner admitted submitting claims to two insurers in 1994 in which he said the Ramapo Theater was worth more than $100,000, even though he knew it to be worth less.
Chesner’s scheme unraveled when investigators found the insurance policies were not purchased until hours after the fire at the Ramapo Plaza Mall at Valley Road and Hamburg Turnpike, authorities said. He tried to cover his tracks by submitting premium checks dated before the fire.
Chesner, a retail and entertainment consultant who lives in Union, was indicted in January on charges that could have led to a maximum of 10 years in prison. Under a deal reached in the summer, however, authorities agreed he would be sentenced to between three and five years in exchange for a guilty plea, said Edward M. Neafsey, state insurance fraud prosecutor.
Because Chesner never collected any money in connection with the scheme, he was charged with attempted theft by deception.
Chesner, who was 67 when he pleaded guilty this summer, asked for a reduced sentence Tuesday because of poor health. Superior Court Judge John Triarsi, who presided over the case in Elizabeth, rejected the request, Neafsey said. The judge also imposed a $2,000 fine.
The fire was never fully explained. Officials initially suspected that a natural-gas leak at the Plaza set the stage for an explosion and subsequent blaze. But the structure was demolished before the investigation was completed, Neafsey said, leaving questions unanswered. Prosecutors do not suspect arson.
Chesner has also pleaded guilty in federal court to filing false tax returns and to obstructing an Internal Revenue Service investigation. He is scheduled to be sentenced for those crimes in February and remains free on bail until then, Neafsey said.
Chesner will begin his prison time after federal sentencing and will ultimately serve the longer of the two sentences.
Attempts to reach Chesner or his lawyer Tuesday evening were unsuccessful.
Chesner made news in 1994 during an unsuccessful bid to open an adult shop in Rochelle Park.
Hill Theatre Studio
35 West Broad St. Paulsboro NJ 08066
This is one of the only studios in the Tri-state area. They have done Reebok commercials with Allen Iverson, the makeout rain scene for Kevin Smith’s “Chasing Amy”, and they just did the rain for Nicolas Cage’s new film “Atlantis”. The studio used to be one of the oldest movie theatres in South Jersey, although the seats have been ripped out, but the old movie theatre lobby still exists. The film will be projected on a thirty foot high seamless green screen that will be painted white for the best projection.
There was a Seaview Square Mall in Neptune. It is now a shopping center (Target, Costco, etc.). Perhaps there is a link between the two (PS Asbury Park is not too far away)
From a New York Times October 1938 article concerning the War of the Worlds radio broadcast:
In Orange, N. J., an unidentified man rushed into the lobby of the Lido Theatre, a neighborhood motion picture house, with the intention of “warning” the audience that a meteor had fallen on Raymond Boulevard, Newark, and was spreading poisonous gases. Skeptical, Al Hochberg, manager of the theatre, prevented the man from entering the auditorium of the theatre and then called the police. He was informed that the radio broadcast was responsible for the man’s alarm.
The above article refers to the Caldwell theater.
The Park theater burned down in 1974.
The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), Dec 1, 1998 p043
Legal fray halts new Caldwell cinemas. (ESSEX)
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1998 The Star-Ledger. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of The Star-Ledger by the Gale Group, Inc.
Byline: Rebecca Goldsmith
Plans for a perkier downtown Caldwell are stuck in limbo while competing movie developers face off over who can run a theater on the six-block strip of Bloomfield Avenue.
The former Park Theater, located in the heart of downtown, was supposed to reopen this month under new ownership with five screens and new plush seats, carpeting, and curtains after years of use as offices, a dance studio and a bowling alley.
The cinema was touted this summer by Mayor Paul Jemas as the cornerstone of downtown revitalization. The borough’s walkable stretch of Bloomfield Avenue offers daytime shopping but lacks a large magnet to draw people for food and entertainment on weekends and evenings. The legal dispute pits Jesse Sayegh of Cedar Grove against Chatham-based Clearview Cinemas and its owner, Bud Mayo. Both men built their fortunes in the movie business by focusing on small downtown theaters. Clearview now runs 45 movie theaters in New York and New Jersey, including most of the theaters in the western Essex and eastern Morris County region where Caldwell is located.
At issue are the details of a year-old, $9.5 million deal in which Clearview bought Sayegh’s theaters in Upper Montclair, Cedar Grove, Kinnelon and Middlebrook, according to court records.
Mayo’s attorney maintains that a clause in the contract prevents Sayegh from opening a movie theater within seven miles of any of the four locations. The Caldwell site at 317 Bloomfield Ave. is 2.59 miles from Cinema 23 in Cedar Grove and 3.51 miles from the Bellevue Theater in Upper Montclair.
Sayegh holds that the agreement allowed for one exception in an “undisclosed” location, which turned out to be Caldwell. He said he would not comment on the matter while it is in litigation.
The suit is heading for a spring trial. In the meantime, a state Superior Court judge ruled in October that Sayegh must halt construction plans until the dispute is settled. The injunction blocks a third party from developing the site.
If Mayo prevails, the theater could be delayed for five years unless Sayegh and Mayo reach a deal before then to allow Clearview to run the cinema. Sayegh’s offers so far have been “unreasonable,” according to Robert Lister, Clearview’s vice president.
‘'Five years? We’d be in college,“ exclaimed Jessica McDonnell, an eighth-grader from West Caldwell who learned of the legal dispute after school yesterday from a reporter.
News of the delay hit hard at Grover Cleveland Middle School, where hundreds of students from Caldwell and West Caldwell were looking forward to the freedom of walking to a local hangout. When they want to see a movie, they must ask for rides to theaters in Wayne, Parsippany, Montclair or Livingston.
‘'We’d be able to walk there, and our parents – we wouldn’t have to bug them for rides a lot,“ said Kevin MacKen, 13, of West Caldwell. "They get annoyed.”
Article CJ81646360
Is this a photo of the cinema building?
http://www.fortleenj.com/Sharon%20Plaza.htm
Photo of the VFW hall can be seen on this link:
http://www.fortleenj.com/Main%20Street%20West.htm
Interesting. I’ll do some digging.
Is this the old Woodbridge Cinemas, located on Rt. 1 across from the Woodbridge Center mall?
Operated from circa 1945 to circa 1955.
Built around 1930. In the 1950s operated under Brandt theaters.
Is this a duplicate of the one in Willowbrook?
Located inside the Willowbrook Mall.
Main address:
1400 Willowbrook Mall
Wayne, NJ 07470
973-785-1655
RobertR – you are correct. drive-ins.com has the history
Nice current photo on page 163 of Reader’s Digest Discover America ISBN 0762104341.
Nice night photo on page 126 of Reader’s Digest Discover America ISBN 0762104341.
Opened in the late 1980s shortly after this one story mall opened. Immediately became strong competition for GC’s Mercer Mall and AMC’s Quaker Bridge Mall, both very close and both of which are now closed. The big selling point at the time of opening was stadium seating, which the others didn’t have. The opening of the AMC Hamilton 24 also attributed to the demise of these two mall theaters.
This was also known as the US 1 Drive In. It was located on US 1 Business Southbound, just south of the split off from expressway US1.
This is open in a shopping center on Route 206 North. I belive the shopping center is called Montgomery Center. The theater’s address:
1325 Route 206, Belle Mead, NJ 08502
The p/w is my library card number (a NJ perk). Here is the article:
The Record (Bergen County, NJ), Dec 8, 1999 pL3
ADULT-THEATER OWNER SENTENCED IN INSURANCE SCAM; GETS 4 YEARS FOR SUBMITTING INFLATED CLAIMS ON WAYNE FIRE. (NEWS) Dan Kraut.
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 1999 Bergen Record Corp.
By DAN KRAUT, Staff Writer
The owner of a defunct adult theater in Wayne was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for trying to scam two insurance companies after his business burned down.
The sentencing came five months after Jack Chesner admitted submitting claims to two insurers in 1994 in which he said the Ramapo Theater was worth more than $100,000, even though he knew it to be worth less.
Chesner’s scheme unraveled when investigators found the insurance policies were not purchased until hours after the fire at the Ramapo Plaza Mall at Valley Road and Hamburg Turnpike, authorities said. He tried to cover his tracks by submitting premium checks dated before the fire.
Chesner, a retail and entertainment consultant who lives in Union, was indicted in January on charges that could have led to a maximum of 10 years in prison. Under a deal reached in the summer, however, authorities agreed he would be sentenced to between three and five years in exchange for a guilty plea, said Edward M. Neafsey, state insurance fraud prosecutor.
Because Chesner never collected any money in connection with the scheme, he was charged with attempted theft by deception.
Chesner, who was 67 when he pleaded guilty this summer, asked for a reduced sentence Tuesday because of poor health. Superior Court Judge John Triarsi, who presided over the case in Elizabeth, rejected the request, Neafsey said. The judge also imposed a $2,000 fine.
The fire was never fully explained. Officials initially suspected that a natural-gas leak at the Plaza set the stage for an explosion and subsequent blaze. But the structure was demolished before the investigation was completed, Neafsey said, leaving questions unanswered. Prosecutors do not suspect arson.
Chesner has also pleaded guilty in federal court to filing false tax returns and to obstructing an Internal Revenue Service investigation. He is scheduled to be sentenced for those crimes in February and remains free on bail until then, Neafsey said.
Chesner will begin his prison time after federal sentencing and will ultimately serve the longer of the two sentences.
Attempts to reach Chesner or his lawyer Tuesday evening were unsuccessful.
Chesner made news in 1994 during an unsuccessful bid to open an adult shop in Rochelle Park.
Article CJ70523741
Some 1987 ads about midway down this link:
View link
Not listed in the 1951 FDY, so yes, it has been closed for many years.
LM: I think that you have enough information to ‘book it Danno’!
PS – I have a 1991 NJ newspaper that can provide the theater chain information. My guess is GC or AMC.
Interesting history of the organ, which was moved to a private home in 1960 and then upon the owners death in 1974 to a high school auditorium:
http://theatreorgans.com/nj/
Hill Theatre Studio
35 West Broad St. Paulsboro NJ 08066
This is one of the only studios in the Tri-state area. They have done Reebok commercials with Allen Iverson, the makeout rain scene for Kevin Smith’s “Chasing Amy”, and they just did the rain for Nicolas Cage’s new film “Atlantis”. The studio used to be one of the oldest movie theatres in South Jersey, although the seats have been ripped out, but the old movie theatre lobby still exists. The film will be projected on a thirty foot high seamless green screen that will be painted white for the best projection.
Nice description from http://www.kphat.com/john_premiere.html
There was a Seaview Square Mall in Neptune. It is now a shopping center (Target, Costco, etc.). Perhaps there is a link between the two (PS Asbury Park is not too far away)
This mall opened in 1976.