Kings Theatre

1027 Flatbush Avenue,
Brooklyn, NY 11226

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Showing 151 - 175 of 1,564 comments

robboehm
robboehm on April 6, 2015 at 2:16 pm

OMG The photos are breathtaking. I don’t know how I would react to actually be there.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on April 6, 2015 at 11:06 am

Saw the Disney show (Three Classic Fairy Tales) Saturday night, and it wasn’t half bad…!

But the theater itself and the real reason I went) was spectacular in a very muted way. Lots of dark wood, earth tones, and general good taste. The lobby was a little darker than the auditorium, which had lots of gold leaf trim and highlights. You can easily see why the theater was never subdivided — the ceiling is soaring and the auditorium is w i d e…

The photos of the place are usually bright and well-lit, to show the detail, but in actual use the theater lighting is much more subdued, as you might expect in a performance space. It isn’t a grand ballroom, after all, although it resembles one!

That said, the view from the mezzanine is breathtaking.

It always breaks my heart a little to know that I missed the days when people only had to pay a quarter or a dollar to enter these neighborhood fantasy wonderlands for a couple of hours; today the cost, if you are lucky enough to find a working movie palace, is considerably more.

markp
markp on April 2, 2015 at 7:53 pm

Thanks so much Matt. And Mike, I would go in a heart beat, but I am loading out a religious show Sat till well after 8 pm.

markp
markp on March 29, 2015 at 8:23 am

Did not know it was on. Missed it.

Mike (saps)
Mike (saps) on March 29, 2015 at 1:32 am

Nice report on Saturday’s NBC Nightly News…

Orlando
Orlando on March 23, 2015 at 11:57 am

To Mr. Greenberg.

 The furnishings, couch, king high back chairs, the wooden carved chair, the two Louis the XIV patterned chairs, round table, and two marrle top tables are now on view in the upprr mezzanine restroom all restored. No one is allowed to sit on them and they are ropped off. Your aunt, Dorothy Penzica (please forgive me if I spelt the last name wrong, was manager of the Loew's Kings when I was attending the theatre from 1966 to 1975. I remember her well. At the time (1970-1974), I worked at the Granada Theatre at Church and Nostrand Avenues. There was a policy between the seven theatres to pass employees from the Beverly, Kenmore, Astor, Albemarle, Granada, Kings and Rialto to each other for coplimentary movies. I always paid to see movies at these theatres and didn't ask for passes to the other theatres and was unaware of the policy. In 1972, I told my manager at the Granada (Mr. Sam L.) that I was going to the "Loew-eze" to see a movie and he said he would call me in a pass. Being unawre ot the pass policy, I told him I didn,t know about and he said to me "You've been paying to go to all those theatres? Ha! Ha!" and I said yes. He then told me about the policy and got me into the Loew's Kings. When I got there, your aunt, Mrs. Penzica was called out to the box office and personally escorted me into the theatre on my pass. She said to me, "I've seen you here before many times and took me to the office. She offered me a job and I said, "I've worked at the Granada for four years and the staff there is like my second family and like me a lot." She understood as she smiled at me. I said "Thank you very much for the offer and told her "I loved the Loew's Kings very much" She replied, "Thank you and you are welcome here anytime." What a fantastic manager she was and a fine person she is to deed the furniture back to Kings Theatre. I will watch over it in her memory as long as I am an employee of her Kings Theatre. Working there today was a life long dream of mine and it became true when I was offered a position at the theatre by the current ACE Theatrical Group for which I have the highest gratitude. Thank you Matt (for taking care of your own), Charley (for spotting me take a picture of the facade) and Jason and Dan for training me for a live venue. Most of all the Front of House Staff (you all know who you are), for being the great people that you are, I LOVE YOU ALL!!!
                

and look forward to seeing you every time I work, you are my family at every event in our Kings Theatre.

                         Sincerely yours,
              
                                         Orlando Lopes
                
sgreenberg
sgreenberg on March 22, 2015 at 11:20 am

I was so happy to see how beautiful the restoration of the Kings was when I attended the open house last month. I got some nice photos and hope to show them to my aunt Dorothy, who retired as the manager of the Loew’s Kings in the ‘70s. She’s now 101 years old and I’m sure she’ll be thrilled at the news of the theater’s return.

theatrefan
theatrefan on February 19, 2015 at 8:57 am

There is a photo online of that sign underneath the marquee online just as Orlando describes. Also that original sign was covered up by another sign that simply said “Welcome To Loew’s Kings Showcase Theatre” I wonder where both those signs are today? I hope they were saved for prosperity.

Orlando
Orlando on February 18, 2015 at 11:45 am

The original 1929 letters were opaque 3-D glass with black outlines. Uncovered during renovation above the box office wer the same letters with the black outlines painted gold, what a suprise! They wer up for some months and spelled out: Top Line WELCOME TO LOEW’S KINGS SHOWCASE THEATRE 2nd: LATE SHOWS ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS.

BobbyS
BobbyS on February 14, 2015 at 6:55 pm

Thanks Orlando for the great answers. I thought neon came along in the 30’s. Now I know I was wrong. Years and years later LED is the fashion of the times.

theatrefan
theatrefan on February 14, 2015 at 1:09 pm

Orlando! Thank your for the amazing description of the original neon! Did the Kings originally use milk glass letter to spell out the titles of the films that were playing? I see that the Jersey originally had a French Curve marquee similar to the Kings, but nowhere near as ornate. Both were replaced in 1949, that the Jersey still has. I wish someone saved the neon letter from the former Kings marquee, although the Loew’s name was off of it at the end.

Orlando
Orlando on February 14, 2015 at 11:25 am

The original (first marquee)was a high hat style and had stationary lights under the canopy and the reader boards were back lit. The corners were tiffany-like curves also back lit. The vertical sign (NOT BLADE SIGN) was neon but not animated. The second marquee had larger reader boards which had lime green neon all around the chaser lights borders inside and out (2 strips of green that went on and off. The front of the marquee had two panels that spelled out “Loew’s Kings” in red Loew’s lit up first and then Kings and then did an on of sequence and repeated same. The vertical sign had L O E W ‘ S in red neon andd horizontal white tubing (neon). It was very animated and went like this, each letter would light up from top to bottom andd then the white horizontal tubing would follow, when it was all lit up, the “LOEW’S” name wouldd flash on and off three times, go off and then the white tubing would go off from top to bottom. The cycle repeated itself. The “Loew’s” name would also on occasin would grow fron the inner most part of the letters to the outer most. Each letter had an inner, middle and outer neon tube. I know it will be hard to envision this, but take my word on this, you could see this vertical sign from Maple Street where I lived on Flatbush Avenue almost 15 blocks away. The Albemarle and thhe Kenmore also had fabulous marquees and vertical signs. I wish we had the sophisticated cameras of today back then. What is imbedded in my memory will always be there forever!

P.S. Find the 1970 film “Cotton Comes To Harlem” in Pan and Scan and you will see Loew’s Victoria which had the same Loew’s Kings marquee. You will see it working in on of the night scenes. The new Kino Lorber widescreen version omits it however.

Remember Kings Theatre is a Performing Arts Center, so there is no need for any type of chasing lights. A new replica of the vertical sign will read K I N G S with Theatre below it when it is installed at a later date. Personally, I think I would like to see the terra cotta without any sign on it.

curmudgeon
curmudgeon on February 14, 2015 at 9:25 am

Hi Orlando. I’m also intrigued as to whether neon lighting was much used in the 1920’s era of the Kings. I agree with BobbyS, nothing equals the chaser bulbs to create an atmosphere of excitement and theatrical splendour. Here in Melbourne, Her Majesty’s Theatre is a true theatrical treat with the expanse of (energy efficient) chaser bulbs lighting up our theatrical district.

BobbyS
BobbyS on February 14, 2015 at 12:56 am

Thanks for report on the neon. Did the original marquee have neon do you know? Chasing bulbs(not led)look so much better and so movie palace like.

theatrefan
theatrefan on February 13, 2015 at 11:18 am

Thanks Orlando! I hope they fix the neon. BTW she also worked as an usher at one of the Broadway houses, she always refers to that part of her life in her interviews about seeing shows on broadway.

Orlando
Orlando on February 13, 2015 at 10:40 am

By the way, Barbra Streisand N E V E R worked at the Loew’s Kings, she worked at a little Chinese restaurant on Nostrand Avenue. Read one of her biographies and “That’s the Truth” (Lily Tomlin’s character Edith Ann)!

Orlando
Orlando on February 13, 2015 at 10:34 am

The neon is on as of yesterday, but some of it is out.

theatrefan
theatrefan on February 12, 2015 at 12:48 pm

Auditorium #2 in the Sony/Loews Theatres Lincoln Square complex on New York’s Upper West Side is named in honor of this former Loew’s Motion Picture Palace.

Bill Huelbig
Bill Huelbig on February 9, 2015 at 1:06 pm

I’d heard both sides of the story about Barbra Streisand working at the Kings as an usherette – Streisand herself has denied it – so I asked an employee. Before he could answer, two older women who were standing nearby yelled out, “YES! YES! SHE DID! 1959!” Then the employee agreed with them that she indeed did work there. I believe them!

markp
markp on February 8, 2015 at 5:08 pm

With all the wonderful photos of the newly opened Kings, can we get a photo on the page showing that, instead of the plastic covered chairs? I think the Kings deserves it.

GaryCohen
GaryCohen on February 8, 2015 at 12:20 pm

I was there at the open house yesterday. Went to this tremendous theater many times during the 1960s and early ‘70s, forgot how stunningly beautiful this theater was. The 94 million dollar uplift did an incredible job. This theater was beautiful during its original run, now its simply magnificent. I had passed this theater boarded up on my bus ride to Manhattan daily for many years and I always hoped it would be reopened. Well now it is and I hope it will be opened for many years to come. The large group of people there seemed to be having a fantastic time and cameras were clicking. NBC News was doing a story on it and I was lucky enough to be interviewed. Supposedly it will be shown on the NBC Weekend News sometime in Feb. or March, I hope I don’t wind up on the cutting room floor. My wife and I bought tickets to see Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons again here in March, so I will be back next month. Although the Kings will be doing live concerts, wouldn’t it be nice if they could bring back some of the large scale epics of the '50s and '60s and show them in that movie palace again? What I wouldn’t give to see “How the West Was Won” there? Hopefully, the management of this magnificent theater will consider it.

PeterApruzzese
PeterApruzzese on February 8, 2015 at 10:35 am

Thanks for posting the pics, Bill. I was hoping to get out there, but will have to hope they do another open house some time soon.

theatrefan
theatrefan on February 8, 2015 at 9:01 am

Words almost cannot express how amazing it was to be here yesterday, the photo’s do not do this place proper justice. Met a lot of wonderful folks along the way as well. Thank You ACE Theatrical for allowing us to go on an incredible tour of the most majestic wonder theatre in Brooklyn The “Loew’s Kings”!

MarcH
MarcH on February 8, 2015 at 12:53 am

was at the open house today…i almost started to cry I got so choked up. Good crowd showed up…all very enthusiastic. I wish they could have had pics of the pre-restoration on display, so people could appreciate what a loving, monumental achievement this is.