Nice to see someone besides me who loved these places, especially Menlo Park. I was an usher in Menlo Park when Star Wars first started. At the same time I joined IATSE Local 379 (now 534) to join my dad as a projectionist. I remember the fall of ‘76 when the wall went down the middle of Menlo. My dad was a relief projectionist there from 1982 until it closed in Dec.1991. I became one of the main projectionists there in April 1989, and stayed till the end. Ironically, I ended up as the main projectionist at Blue Star in March 1992. I left there in June 1994, seeing that Blue Star’s attendance was in decline, to work a newly opened 10-plex in Ocean Twp. N.J. The thing I’ll always rember about Menlo was the lines of people. We always played exclusive, and movies would run 4, 5, maybe 6 months at a time. We’ll never see that again.
This theatre, as well as the Ritz around the corner on East Jersey Street, were part of the RKO Stanley Warner corporation, playing mostly action/kung-fu movies up until they ceased operations in the early 1980’s.
I had the pleasure to visit this theatre in June 1993, when a buddy of mine from Shamokin was getting married. He was friends with the owner at that time. Jurrasic Park was playing. Went to the projection room and still had the old peerless carbon arc lamphouses burning bright behind the old simplex e-7 projectors. What a loss.
The Fox Theatre was a single screen right up to the day it closed, Feb 2, 1979. Last picture to show was “Meteor” with Sean Connery. It was a shame to see this one go. Huge Cinemascope curved screen. My dad, Joe Pusillo, a projectionist for many area theatres took me here to see exclusive engagements of MAS*H and Deliverance. As a side note, the Levitz is going out of business.
My father Joe Pusillo was a projectionist for years at many of the downtown Perth Amboy theatres, including the Majestic and Royal. He mentioned the Ditmas to me, as I recall he worked there briefly after returning from WWII. As a side note, I was the last projectionist to work at the Royal when it closed in August 1988.
I have been saying for the past year, if they want people to come back to Newark, you need something for them to come back to. Bringing the Adams, and its companion a few blocks away, the Paramount would be a great start. Lets not find them being turned into offices or condos, like so many other great palaces have.
It saddens me to read over and over about all the great theatres being lost to the wrecking ball. But, as someone who has been a projectionist for almost 33 years now, the sad reality is, money talks, and condo’s and office towers rule. I myself am trying to get an old palace back up and running here in N.J. So far the owners have been renovating and hopefully soon we can get some old time movies going. But this is the exception, rather than the rule. And another thing that gets my goat is all this talk of “digital cinema”. Movies have been on FILM forever, leave it on FILM.
Another of the many theatres in the central N.J. area that I was a projectionist at. I moved to this theatre after Menlo Park closed. This theatre was basically a dump off house for the movies that played at the Bridgewater Commons about a mile away. I worked here about a year before moving over to the Blue Star Quad in late 1992.
Up until the mid 1970’s the indoor was a single and there was the huge drive-in around it. They would show double features, the same ones inside and out. After the indoor was split in 2 around 1977, they started showing seperate movies in each indoor and a seperate double bill at the drive-in. The whole complex sat atop a hill and you could see the drive-in screen from 2-3 miles away. UA also had a sister complex to this in East Brunswick,N.J. called the Turnpike, which was run identically and twinned at the same time.
Oh the memories you folks have rekindled. All the great people who worked here, Mr.Rizzo, Thom T, Abe and Joe and Jerry K. Some of you know me, Mark Pusillo, the last projectionist to work there in Dec 1991 when the place closed. My dad Joe P. worked there as well. Sadly, he passed on over 14 years ago. But the memories, from “Star Wars” to “Close Encounters” to “Grease” to whatever. This was THE place to be in the late 70’s into the late 80’s. It was really hard for me at the end because General Cinema hired me and Ed H. the other projectionist at the time, to strip the interior of whatever was useable, from equipment to seats. I have said for years that many of the old theatres should not have been destroyed, but this one and the Woodbridge Twin (former Walter Reade) were true crimes. Neither of these should have ever come down, espescially Menlo Park, for what? That sheetrock multiplex they put in the mall? Anyway it was great to read all the old stories, Thanks.
The Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema opened on June 6, 1972. Opening feature in Cinema 1 was “The Hospital”, Cinema 2 had a Disney Double feature. My dad Joe Pusillo was the opening day projectionist, and worked there until the theatre closed in 1984. The theatre did indeed show many a double feature, or twin bill as they used to call it. Some of my favorites were “The French Connection” & “MAS*H”, “Bullitt” & “Bonnie and Clyde”, and “Carnal Knowledge” & “The Graduate” I would go every weekend with dad to see the movies, up to the time I myself became a projectionist in 1977. The building today is a Dollar Dream and Payless Shoe Store.
My father Joe Pusillo was projectionist at this theatre from the early 60’s till it closed on March 15, 1971. The projection equipment was moved to the Forum theatre in Metuchen, N.J. where he and I would work together later on in the early 1980’s. I remember seeing many movies here, most notably my first ever movie, “The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t” and the last movie shown there, “Doctor Doolittle” with Rex Harrison. I remember dad telling me the place closed, not because business was bad, because it was good, but rather that it was in such disrepair, it would cost too much to fix.
Went to visit the Ritz today, as I have been doing for some time now. The renovations of the interior are complete and look dazzleing. Next to be done are the stage rigging and projection room, which I am overseeing. Cant wait to get the old Peerless Magnarc carbon arc lamphouses fired up again. We also have a movie screen 6 months old from a closed up theatre, size 16' high by 37' wide, which will fit nicely into the 48' wide stage opening. More to come.
My father was Joe Pusillo and was the projectionist at the Ritz for many years. The older gent refered to as Hitchcock was the owner. My dad used to tell me many stories about the Ritz. My dad worked there from the end of WWII till its closing around 1967. After this theatre closed, he went to work at the State in Woodbridge, until it closed in late 1971. He would return to Carteret as a projectionist in 1972 to open the brand new Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema.
Nice to see someone besides me who loved these places, especially Menlo Park. I was an usher in Menlo Park when Star Wars first started. At the same time I joined IATSE Local 379 (now 534) to join my dad as a projectionist. I remember the fall of ‘76 when the wall went down the middle of Menlo. My dad was a relief projectionist there from 1982 until it closed in Dec.1991. I became one of the main projectionists there in April 1989, and stayed till the end. Ironically, I ended up as the main projectionist at Blue Star in March 1992. I left there in June 1994, seeing that Blue Star’s attendance was in decline, to work a newly opened 10-plex in Ocean Twp. N.J. The thing I’ll always rember about Menlo was the lines of people. We always played exclusive, and movies would run 4, 5, maybe 6 months at a time. We’ll never see that again.
You may want to look into the Forum Theatre, 314 Main St, Metuchen, N.J. 08840. Worked there in the early 80’s, was a beautiful 600 seater.
This theatre, as well as the Ritz around the corner on East Jersey Street, were part of the RKO Stanley Warner corporation, playing mostly action/kung-fu movies up until they ceased operations in the early 1980’s.
I had the pleasure to visit this theatre in June 1993, when a buddy of mine from Shamokin was getting married. He was friends with the owner at that time. Jurrasic Park was playing. Went to the projection room and still had the old peerless carbon arc lamphouses burning bright behind the old simplex e-7 projectors. What a loss.
I was one of those union projectionists who picketed this theatre. I believe it was spring of 1991.
The Fox Theatre was a single screen right up to the day it closed, Feb 2, 1979. Last picture to show was “Meteor” with Sean Connery. It was a shame to see this one go. Huge Cinemascope curved screen. My dad, Joe Pusillo, a projectionist for many area theatres took me here to see exclusive engagements of MAS*H and Deliverance. As a side note, the Levitz is going out of business.
My father Joe Pusillo was a projectionist for years at many of the downtown Perth Amboy theatres, including the Majestic and Royal. He mentioned the Ditmas to me, as I recall he worked there briefly after returning from WWII. As a side note, I was the last projectionist to work at the Royal when it closed in August 1988.
The theatre is closed, but not demolished. As you drive by Newark airport the theatre building is still clearly visible from the Turnpike.
I have been saying for the past year, if they want people to come back to Newark, you need something for them to come back to. Bringing the Adams, and its companion a few blocks away, the Paramount would be a great start. Lets not find them being turned into offices or condos, like so many other great palaces have.
It saddens me to read over and over about all the great theatres being lost to the wrecking ball. But, as someone who has been a projectionist for almost 33 years now, the sad reality is, money talks, and condo’s and office towers rule. I myself am trying to get an old palace back up and running here in N.J. So far the owners have been renovating and hopefully soon we can get some old time movies going. But this is the exception, rather than the rule. And another thing that gets my goat is all this talk of “digital cinema”. Movies have been on FILM forever, leave it on FILM.
Another of the many theatres in the central N.J. area that I was a projectionist at. I moved to this theatre after Menlo Park closed. This theatre was basically a dump off house for the movies that played at the Bridgewater Commons about a mile away. I worked here about a year before moving over to the Blue Star Quad in late 1992.
Up until the mid 1970’s the indoor was a single and there was the huge drive-in around it. They would show double features, the same ones inside and out. After the indoor was split in 2 around 1977, they started showing seperate movies in each indoor and a seperate double bill at the drive-in. The whole complex sat atop a hill and you could see the drive-in screen from 2-3 miles away. UA also had a sister complex to this in East Brunswick,N.J. called the Turnpike, which was run identically and twinned at the same time.
Oh the memories you folks have rekindled. All the great people who worked here, Mr.Rizzo, Thom T, Abe and Joe and Jerry K. Some of you know me, Mark Pusillo, the last projectionist to work there in Dec 1991 when the place closed. My dad Joe P. worked there as well. Sadly, he passed on over 14 years ago. But the memories, from “Star Wars” to “Close Encounters” to “Grease” to whatever. This was THE place to be in the late 70’s into the late 80’s. It was really hard for me at the end because General Cinema hired me and Ed H. the other projectionist at the time, to strip the interior of whatever was useable, from equipment to seats. I have said for years that many of the old theatres should not have been destroyed, but this one and the Woodbridge Twin (former Walter Reade) were true crimes. Neither of these should have ever come down, espescially Menlo Park, for what? That sheetrock multiplex they put in the mall? Anyway it was great to read all the old stories, Thanks.
The Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema opened on June 6, 1972. Opening feature in Cinema 1 was “The Hospital”, Cinema 2 had a Disney Double feature. My dad Joe Pusillo was the opening day projectionist, and worked there until the theatre closed in 1984. The theatre did indeed show many a double feature, or twin bill as they used to call it. Some of my favorites were “The French Connection” & “MAS*H”, “Bullitt” & “Bonnie and Clyde”, and “Carnal Knowledge” & “The Graduate” I would go every weekend with dad to see the movies, up to the time I myself became a projectionist in 1977. The building today is a Dollar Dream and Payless Shoe Store.
My father Joe Pusillo was projectionist at this theatre from the early 60’s till it closed on March 15, 1971. The projection equipment was moved to the Forum theatre in Metuchen, N.J. where he and I would work together later on in the early 1980’s. I remember seeing many movies here, most notably my first ever movie, “The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t” and the last movie shown there, “Doctor Doolittle” with Rex Harrison. I remember dad telling me the place closed, not because business was bad, because it was good, but rather that it was in such disrepair, it would cost too much to fix.
Went to visit the Ritz today, as I have been doing for some time now. The renovations of the interior are complete and look dazzleing. Next to be done are the stage rigging and projection room, which I am overseeing. Cant wait to get the old Peerless Magnarc carbon arc lamphouses fired up again. We also have a movie screen 6 months old from a closed up theatre, size 16' high by 37' wide, which will fit nicely into the 48' wide stage opening. More to come.
My father was Joe Pusillo and was the projectionist at the Ritz for many years. The older gent refered to as Hitchcock was the owner. My dad used to tell me many stories about the Ritz. My dad worked there from the end of WWII till its closing around 1967. After this theatre closed, he went to work at the State in Woodbridge, until it closed in late 1971. He would return to Carteret as a projectionist in 1972 to open the brand new Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema.