Just looking at the photos on the site Lost posted a few days back for the Pier 2110 Restaurant located in the Alhambra building, it looks as if the interior was completely gutted. Unless the restaurant occupies some space in the building other than the former theater area.
I guess you also have confirmed that the theater’s proper name was “Studio One” and not “Studio 1”… The name of this listing ought to be corrected accordingly. Also… did you guys run late night revival showings? Maybe at Midnight? I’m thinking particularly of Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” as well as Carl Reiner’s hilarious “Where’s Poppa?” which possibly played with the late ‘60’s French comedy “The King of Hearts” starring Alan Bates and Genevieve Bujold. Another late-night double feature I remember seeing was the popular pairing of “Kentucy Fried Movie” and “The Groove Tube.” These all would have been around 1980-1983 or so.
Thanks for sharing the memories, Keith. No chance of any photos in your parents' posession or your uncle’s? I contacted the Lynbrook library about the Arcade/Studio 1 Theater, but they couldn’t really help me. I believe there is a Lynbrook Historical Society, which may be an avenue worth pursuing… I just haven’t as yet found the time.
Keith… Do you have any photos of the Arcade or Studio One in your posession? We’d love to see them here on CT (at least, I would). I saw a number of films here in the very late 70’s and early ‘80’s and I’m struggling to remember the look and feel of the theater.
I posted some current photos of the building (or of what I think is the old theater building) just above on June 11th, 2006. Can you confirm if I have the right location? Is the gift shop entrance approximately where the Studio One entrance was?
Also, if you click on the “see all” link over the “Back” and “Next” images on the right, you’ll see thumbnails of the entire album so you can pick and choose which photos to visit in larger scale.
Great set of photos, Movie Palace NYC! Glad you were able to work out your photobucket issues. Since you actually spent some time writing descriptions for many of the photos, I encourage folks to view your album from this link:
I usually use the same technique you used of pasting the individual photo url’s on CT when I post photos, but when you want folks to check out your descriptive captions, I think it’s better to link to the photo album itself. I just cut and pasted the url address from the top of my browser. This way folks can flip through all your photos, sort of how they can on flickr.com. This functionality is fairly new to photobucket.
Anyway… click the “Back” button rather than the “Next” button when you open up the link, as the photos seem to be in reverse sequence.
You see… I have this new digital SLR with an 18-135mm telephoto zoom lens so I had to break it in. For the next show we’re attending, we have seats that are actually on the New Victory stage, so I hope to get a shot of the house from that unique vantage point.
I love that look from the New Victory port hole window (which is in the stairwell going up from the mezzanine to the upper balcony) – it almost looks like the marquee is on fire.
Compare that last shot of the current-day vestibule to this 1962 grind house shot! The wall on the right, which at one time housed a large display case and the rounded corner of the box office, has been broken through to allow passage into the current spacious New Amsterdam box office.
Also… I noticed that the letters on the blade sign have changed their appearance over the years. The 1953 image posted by Warren above shows thinner and more rounded letters, which had been replaced with squared-off neon letters by at least 1958.
I suppose this belongs more on the Hilton Theater page than here, but I grabbed these two shots of the former Lyric facade the other night while seeing a show next door at the New Victory with the kids:
What a great blade sign that is… The great “Loews” name and a throwback styling, plus modern technology to give the sort of splash worthy of modern day Times Square. What a shame it has to go! As William noted above, you can see that the two “Loews” signs on the marquee and the neon “42nd Street” on the prow of the canopy are not lit.
I guess I never noticed before that the long time Duece retailer from the good ole-bad ole days, Modell’s, was back on the block – relocated across the street from it’s old spot just down from the Harem XXX theater.
Here’s a shot I took the other night. It’s nothing more than a giant billboard covering the entire facade, but this is how the old building has looked now for about 2 years or so.
I was back on the Duece a few nights ago, with my new Digital SLR in hand and snapped this photo of the American Airlines Theater marquee and the new office building that was erected on the site of the collapsed Selwyn Building back in 2000.
By the way, Warren, thanks for that picture… This is how I remember the Meadows best when I was a youth attending Junior High School just a few blocks away. Was there also a sign on the east wall of the theater? Before I ever saw a single movie here (or knew it was a theater) I seem to recall whenever my Dad would take us to his Uncle’s house in Fresh Meadows, we’d see that sign as we approached the Utopia Ave exit from the east and that’s how I knew we were there. I had never seen a sign like that annoucing a neighborhood before – sort of a poor man’s version of the Hollywood sign, or so I thought when I was a tot.
The Horn & Hardart eventually became the Future Diner – where Bill Clinton made a great deal of local press when he stopped in for lunch and some remarks in 1993 shortly after his inauguration. Prior to becoming the Future, the site had been a sort of cafeteria – the sort where you slide your tray along the counter and pick out your food and then pay at the cashier before you sit and eat. As busy as the Meadows Cineplex has been and remains to be, I’m surprised that so many tenants have come and gone in this location. I think the Future Diner had one of the longest tenures here when it finally closed in 2005.
Was the bowling alley around the corner in the professional building that faces the shopping centers parking lot? I know there was a spa or fitness center here for some time and I want to say that there was also a small place (not quite a catering hall or restaurant) where they had parties (like birthdays, sweet sixteens, etc)? It’s all pretty much doctor’s offices and similar professional space now.
Native… have you seen this interior shot that CT member “woody” snapped in a fit of courage? I linked to it a number of posts back. It shows some of the ornamentation along the auditoriums upper walls still intact.
Here is a color photo from 1980 showing a fantasically gorgeous bit of Grand Foyer detail by Lamb. Could this have been a working fountain at one point? I always thought that’s what they were (there was a twin on the other side of the Foyer), but of course they were long dry by the time I frequented the Keith’s. The image was scanned from from a used copy of David Naylor’s “American Picture Palaces, the Architecture of Fantasy,” which a friend just gave me as an early Christmas present.
These whimsical creations sat catty-corner where the back wall of the Foyer met the sidewalls of the twin staircases on either end. To orient yourself, take another look at the vintage foyer image davebazooka posted above and you’ll find this ornamentation just about dead center in the photo. You can see in the new image how a portion of the multi-colored tile pattern was removed when a new doorway into the auditorium was created (you catch a glimpse of the doorway on the extreme right). Note also that a lighted sign above the doorway was installed to list the feature playing on that screen. The image in the book is just a touch wider and I surmise the title on display is the horrible cheapie action flick “Kill or Be Killed” which I saw, regrettably, back in 1980, but not at the Keith’s. Anyone remember the equally miserable sequel, “Kill and Kill Again?”
Anyway… I don’t exactly remember this first hand, but I’d guess the three original and more ornate doorways from the Foyer into the auditorium (two of which can be seen in the vintage photo) were removed and reconfigured (as shown in the 1980 shot) when the theater was triplexed. Only two doors remained (one apiece for each downstairs theater); the center entry was sealed in order to serve as the backwall of the big new candy counter that was installed in the Foyer. The size of the candy counter probably had to do with why the other two doorways had to be be pushed back into the corners. I wonder if the alleged plans to restore the Grand Foyer will include replacing the original doors and framing as well as the missing tile work that was lost?
Interesting that Warren wrote at the beginning of this thread that this theater was the least lavish of the three atmospherics he was working on simultaneously at the time. While the interior appointments might not have been as rich and lush as the Proctor’s or Keith’s in New York, the exterior of the of the Huntington Keith-Albee is certainly more intracately fashioned than either one of the other two. Images I’ve seen of the Proctor’s 58th Street show a very plain and utalitarian facade. The Keith’s in Flushing has a facade that is very similar in style to the Keith-Albee, but not quite as handsomely finished or ornamented.
In any event, of the three, only the Keith-Albee survives as an active facility. The RKO Proctor’s was long ago demolished and the RKO Keith’s has been sitting vacant and vandalized for over 20 years and is about to have its auditorium razed and fabulous atmospheric grand foyer co-opted into the lobby of some sort of mixed-use residential/commercial banality.
Just looking at the photos on the site Lost posted a few days back for the Pier 2110 Restaurant located in the Alhambra building, it looks as if the interior was completely gutted. Unless the restaurant occupies some space in the building other than the former theater area.
Was the actor Ralph Byrd appearing in person as his on-screen persona, or just some square-jawed schnook in a yellow trench coat and fedora?
I see the theater was just updated, but I’m not sure what info was changed. If Bryan reads this, we need to amend the following:
Name: Studio One (not Studio 1)
Seating: 574 (based on the 1950 FDY listing as posted by Ken Roe yesterday)
I guess you also have confirmed that the theater’s proper name was “Studio One” and not “Studio 1”… The name of this listing ought to be corrected accordingly. Also… did you guys run late night revival showings? Maybe at Midnight? I’m thinking particularly of Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange” as well as Carl Reiner’s hilarious “Where’s Poppa?” which possibly played with the late ‘60’s French comedy “The King of Hearts” starring Alan Bates and Genevieve Bujold. Another late-night double feature I remember seeing was the popular pairing of “Kentucy Fried Movie” and “The Groove Tube.” These all would have been around 1980-1983 or so.
Thanks for sharing the memories, Keith. No chance of any photos in your parents' posession or your uncle’s? I contacted the Lynbrook library about the Arcade/Studio 1 Theater, but they couldn’t really help me. I believe there is a Lynbrook Historical Society, which may be an avenue worth pursuing… I just haven’t as yet found the time.
Ha! Thanks for that, saps.
Keith… Do you have any photos of the Arcade or Studio One in your posession? We’d love to see them here on CT (at least, I would). I saw a number of films here in the very late 70’s and early ‘80’s and I’m struggling to remember the look and feel of the theater.
I posted some current photos of the building (or of what I think is the old theater building) just above on June 11th, 2006. Can you confirm if I have the right location? Is the gift shop entrance approximately where the Studio One entrance was?
Oops! Maybe I should post the proper link after all of that!
Here it is
Also, if you click on the “see all” link over the “Back” and “Next” images on the right, you’ll see thumbnails of the entire album so you can pick and choose which photos to visit in larger scale.
Great set of photos, Movie Palace NYC! Glad you were able to work out your photobucket issues. Since you actually spent some time writing descriptions for many of the photos, I encourage folks to view your album from this link:
RKO Hamilton Photo Album
I usually use the same technique you used of pasting the individual photo url’s on CT when I post photos, but when you want folks to check out your descriptive captions, I think it’s better to link to the photo album itself. I just cut and pasted the url address from the top of my browser. This way folks can flip through all your photos, sort of how they can on flickr.com. This functionality is fairly new to photobucket.
Anyway… click the “Back” button rather than the “Next” button when you open up the link, as the photos seem to be in reverse sequence.
I was back to the New Victory last Friday for another show… which can only mean more excessive photography on my part:
View from 2nd floor of McDonalds across the street
Looking out the porthole window in the balcony stairwell
A pair of cherubs
Dome centerpiece
Proscenium from balcony
Side box view from balcony
Dome view
Detail of motif over proscenium
Detail of valance curtain and proscenium
Ceiling from side balcony
Left side of house and boxes
Proscenium view from dead-center balcony
Molding detail
View from the top (elevator landing/usher station)
Main lobby from landing of mezzanine stairs
You see… I have this new digital SLR with an 18-135mm telephoto zoom lens so I had to break it in. For the next show we’re attending, we have seats that are actually on the New Victory stage, so I hope to get a shot of the house from that unique vantage point.
Some shots I took the other night:
Through a porthole window of the New Victory
Facade 1
Facade 2
Poppins marquee
Outer vestibule
I love that look from the New Victory port hole window (which is in the stairwell going up from the mezzanine to the upper balcony) – it almost looks like the marquee is on fire.
Compare that last shot of the current-day vestibule to this 1962 grind house shot! The wall on the right, which at one time housed a large display case and the rounded corner of the box office, has been broken through to allow passage into the current spacious New Amsterdam box office.
I also cropped this shot of the vestibule from the other night to approximate the view of this shot I took back in 1993. Interesting contrasts, eh?
Also… I noticed that the letters on the blade sign have changed their appearance over the years. The 1953 image posted by Warren above shows thinner and more rounded letters, which had been replaced with squared-off neon letters by at least 1958.
Oh wait, the Hilton never showed movies so there is no Hilton page… Duh!
I suppose this belongs more on the Hilton Theater page than here, but I grabbed these two shots of the former Lyric facade the other night while seeing a show next door at the New Victory with the kids:
The Grinch
Grinch times two
I was on the Duece Friday night with my camera and grabbed some shots of the doomed Loew’s blade sign and its many moods:
Facade & signage
Blade w/ aqua tie-dye look
Canopy lighting
Blade w/ orange hue
Blade and marquee
Blue blade
What a great blade sign that is… The great “Loews” name and a throwback styling, plus modern technology to give the sort of splash worthy of modern day Times Square. What a shame it has to go! As William noted above, you can see that the two “Loews” signs on the marquee and the neon “42nd Street” on the prow of the canopy are not lit.
A few more images I took the other night while on the Duece with my camera:
The face in the window
Standard shot
Blade sign
I guess I never noticed before that the long time Duece retailer from the good ole-bad ole days, Modell’s, was back on the block – relocated across the street from it’s old spot just down from the Harem XXX theater.
Here’s a shot I took the other night. It’s nothing more than a giant billboard covering the entire facade, but this is how the old building has looked now for about 2 years or so.
I was back on the Duece a few nights ago, with my new Digital SLR in hand and snapped this photo of the American Airlines Theater marquee and the new office building that was erected on the site of the collapsed Selwyn Building back in 2000.
By the way, Warren, thanks for that picture… This is how I remember the Meadows best when I was a youth attending Junior High School just a few blocks away. Was there also a sign on the east wall of the theater? Before I ever saw a single movie here (or knew it was a theater) I seem to recall whenever my Dad would take us to his Uncle’s house in Fresh Meadows, we’d see that sign as we approached the Utopia Ave exit from the east and that’s how I knew we were there. I had never seen a sign like that annoucing a neighborhood before – sort of a poor man’s version of the Hollywood sign, or so I thought when I was a tot.
The Horn & Hardart eventually became the Future Diner – where Bill Clinton made a great deal of local press when he stopped in for lunch and some remarks in 1993 shortly after his inauguration. Prior to becoming the Future, the site had been a sort of cafeteria – the sort where you slide your tray along the counter and pick out your food and then pay at the cashier before you sit and eat. As busy as the Meadows Cineplex has been and remains to be, I’m surprised that so many tenants have come and gone in this location. I think the Future Diner had one of the longest tenures here when it finally closed in 2005.
Was the bowling alley around the corner in the professional building that faces the shopping centers parking lot? I know there was a spa or fitness center here for some time and I want to say that there was also a small place (not quite a catering hall or restaurant) where they had parties (like birthdays, sweet sixteens, etc)? It’s all pretty much doctor’s offices and similar professional space now.
Native… have you seen this interior shot that CT member “woody” snapped in a fit of courage? I linked to it a number of posts back. It shows some of the ornamentation along the auditoriums upper walls still intact.
Did the shows go on that evening? I imagine so… probably with more emotion that usual.
Thanks for posting that image, Lost. I prefer the black & white image, plus it’s not cropped.
I don’t know that the Times' reviewers are idiots… but they are certainly, um, finicky.
Here is a color photo from 1980 showing a fantasically gorgeous bit of Grand Foyer detail by Lamb. Could this have been a working fountain at one point? I always thought that’s what they were (there was a twin on the other side of the Foyer), but of course they were long dry by the time I frequented the Keith’s. The image was scanned from from a used copy of David Naylor’s “American Picture Palaces, the Architecture of Fantasy,” which a friend just gave me as an early Christmas present.
These whimsical creations sat catty-corner where the back wall of the Foyer met the sidewalls of the twin staircases on either end. To orient yourself, take another look at the vintage foyer image davebazooka posted above and you’ll find this ornamentation just about dead center in the photo. You can see in the new image how a portion of the multi-colored tile pattern was removed when a new doorway into the auditorium was created (you catch a glimpse of the doorway on the extreme right). Note also that a lighted sign above the doorway was installed to list the feature playing on that screen. The image in the book is just a touch wider and I surmise the title on display is the horrible cheapie action flick “Kill or Be Killed” which I saw, regrettably, back in 1980, but not at the Keith’s. Anyone remember the equally miserable sequel, “Kill and Kill Again?”
Anyway… I don’t exactly remember this first hand, but I’d guess the three original and more ornate doorways from the Foyer into the auditorium (two of which can be seen in the vintage photo) were removed and reconfigured (as shown in the 1980 shot) when the theater was triplexed. Only two doors remained (one apiece for each downstairs theater); the center entry was sealed in order to serve as the backwall of the big new candy counter that was installed in the Foyer. The size of the candy counter probably had to do with why the other two doorways had to be be pushed back into the corners. I wonder if the alleged plans to restore the Grand Foyer will include replacing the original doors and framing as well as the missing tile work that was lost?
If you do a search on Google Images for “Keith-Albee theater” a number of links come up, including this terrific recent shot of the exterior.
Interesting that Warren wrote at the beginning of this thread that this theater was the least lavish of the three atmospherics he was working on simultaneously at the time. While the interior appointments might not have been as rich and lush as the Proctor’s or Keith’s in New York, the exterior of the of the Huntington Keith-Albee is certainly more intracately fashioned than either one of the other two. Images I’ve seen of the Proctor’s 58th Street show a very plain and utalitarian facade. The Keith’s in Flushing has a facade that is very similar in style to the Keith-Albee, but not quite as handsomely finished or ornamented.
In any event, of the three, only the Keith-Albee survives as an active facility. The RKO Proctor’s was long ago demolished and the RKO Keith’s has been sitting vacant and vandalized for over 20 years and is about to have its auditorium razed and fabulous atmospheric grand foyer co-opted into the lobby of some sort of mixed-use residential/commercial banality.