Regal UA Midway
108-22 Queens Boulevard,
Forest Hills,
NY
11375
108-22 Queens Boulevard,
Forest Hills,
NY
11375
19 people
favorited this theater
Showing 151 - 158 of 158 comments
The Midway was one of my neighborhood theaters when I was a teen in the mid-late 60’s. It was still a large and well-equipped single-screen, although many of the special touches mentioned above, like the preview screen, were gone.
I recall that the window of the exterior box office bore a decal showing a map of Midway Island — the first inkling I had, as a kid, that Midway was more than the name of a theater. See, movies CAN be educational.
I also recall that the screen was not only huge but also unusually curved for regular theater, giving s slight, and actually pleasing distortion to the picture.
I vividly recall seeing “The Sand Pebbles” there, several times, in Fall 1967. It was the first time I’d seen a picture with stereo sound. I wonder if this sound system had been slumbering unused, or whether it was installed specially for the engagement of this prestige feature?
Other Midway memories include “Dr. Zhivago” — my first actual date — “Planet of the Apes”, “In Like Flint” (OK, a guilt pleasure, but as I kid I loved it!), and “Patton”.
My father “Charlie” was an employee and a fixture at the Midway for almost thirty years. It truly was his home away from home. Sadly, due to health reasons he retired in 1989 and passed away in 1998. Today when I visit Sam the doorman, who my father hired so many years ago, we reminice and talk about how things have changed. He always reminds me that I’m welcomed to see a movie for free and I always remind him that the only reason I stop by is to see him and to remember a man I miss so very much..my father “Charlie"Manfre
All I know about this is that the matrons were licensed by New York City and Children’s sections had to be maintained. This was probably to protect children from child molesters. Adults were chased out childrens' sections as children were watched if they were sneaking into adult sections or the balcony. This regulation must have “gone with the wind” since multi-screen theatres were required one matron per auditorium, as was the fact at the Midway. Another regulation that “flew the coop” is that exits from a theatres were on ground level or from fire escapes leading to street level. In today’s Manhattan, with their multi-level theatre buildings, the exits are into corridors and stairwells with audiences not aware of where the outside exit from a auditorium on the fifth floor really is. Can you imagine a fire at either AMC 25 or Loew’s E-Walk with the escalators and elevators inoperative and people panicking in smoke filled stairways. This is just another disaster in the making and where are the fire laws to prevent this? As far as children in theatres, they can sit anywhere in any Long Island multiplex. Not only can they buy their tichet for a PG movie, they can see an R or NC-17 once they pass the ticket taker. 12 and 14 screen theatres don’t have a ticket taker at every auditorium entrance. I would never let my child attend any movie theatre alone today.
I worked at the Midway in 1977 and the “quadding” took place in the spring of that year to be completed in time to be open for “The Disney Festival” (Remember them?) which started the last week of June. The Midway was always a busy house no matter what played. That summer we also had the “A.I.P. Summer Festival”. For one of those double bills, “Tentacles” and “Squirm”, some teenagers changed the Balcony theatres entrance sign to rhyme with the a certain part of the male anatomy and what it produced. This went un-noticed for a while until a patron informed management as to when we started showing X-rated pictures. There are many more stories. When the blackout occured that summer, the theatre was sold out (all auditoriums). When it was found to be a city blackout and not just the theatre, patrons were told to keep their stubs for re-admission. This caused a furor amongst people who wanted their money refunded (even in the dark). Refunds weren’t issued and the police were summoned to get the refund agitators removed so the building could be closed and secured. The Midway also had two part time matrons and children’s sections in all auditoriums. The lobby was done with a red and black color scheme and the left staircase that led to the balcony had an area for game machines (almost 10) that were very busy on the weekends. Also at this time, we had a union electrician and he also changed the marquee. No one was allowed to change a light bulb except him. I was at the Midway for about six months until I was transferred to the Syosset Theatre on Long Island.
P.S. At the time managers got 2 ½% commission on candy sales and 1% on the game machines (– shortages).
does anyone have an historic picture of this theater?
if so please contact me at
When the Midway Theatre was a single screen theatre it seated 1931 people.
This theater was divided into a quartet in the 1970’s (by twinning both the orchestra and balcony areas) and remained as such until closed for renovations in the late 90’s. While it is sad that the original architecture is lost, the Midway happens to be one of the cleanest and best run cinemas in Queens, featuring excellent site lines due to it’s stadium-style seating plans, comfortable rocker-seats and high quality projection and sound systems.
The Midway celebrates its 60th birthday September 26, 2002. Opening Red Cross benefit featured Ed Wynn on stage and Errol Flynn in “Desperate Journey.” Following day, it joined the RKO chain’s double-feature presentation of “The Pied Piper” & “Just Off Broadway.” Original theatre design by Thomas Lamb (his last), completed after his death by S. Charles Lee. Named after the Battle of Midway Island, the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Theatre a joint partnership of RKO & Skouras Theatres, which alternated management for the first 8 years. May have been the last theatre completed in US before war restrictions on building supplies.