Great shot of the Duece circa 1977 from the imdb info on the title on the New Amsterdam marquee. Interesting to see th emusic documentary “Wattstax” from the early 1970’s (sort of a black Woodstock) supporting the main Rudy Ray Moore epic!
What an odd pairing! One, an early entry in the long-running series of low British comedies that lasted well into the ‘70’s and the other, a seminal Italian horror classic from maestro Mario Bava!
As you proceed north, the numbered avenues go down… So, a block north of the Bayside theater would be numbered 37-01, 37-03, etc. Actually, the numbers would be running backwards from high to low (37-39, 37-37, 37-35, etc) were you to travel north, but I hang myself up on a technicality. The Citibank in question is directly opposite the Washington Mutual branch you see in my photos, Warren, just across 39th Ave on the same (east) side of Bell.
As I posted above, the address scheme in Queens has all odd numbered buildings on the east or north sides of their block with even numbers on the south or west sides (depending on the direction the block runs). And they always run low-to-high from either the north or the west. This is because the numbering scheme in Queens has the lowest numbered Avenues, Drives and Roads (which run east-west) starting at the north end of the borough and the lowest numbered Streets, Places and Lanes (which run north-south) staring at the west end. That’s what makes Astoria and LIC so damn confusing… Since they are in the north west corner of Queens where the cross streets and avenues are all in the same sequential neighborhood. Thus, due to the intersection of identically numbered thoroughfares, you can have an address of 30-30 30th Ave and another of 30-30 30th Street roughly right around the corner from each other!
Thanks for the info, Al. If you look at the “Lobby view” photo I posted on June 19th, 2006, you’ll see a mirrored wall behind the candy counter. On this wall was a door that led to the twin lobby (leaving one, I presume, behind a twin candy counter) on the other side.
It might not have been Alger Hiss you were thinking of, Francesca, but, ironically, NYC movie theaters were involved in the Hiss case as well: There is testimony from the Hiss trial where Roy Cohn questions one of the witnesses about meeting Hiss at the Loew’s Paradise Theater in the Bronx. I also found several references on the web to Hiss having arranged for clandestine meetings in the mezzanine of the Prospect Theater in Brooklyn.
Yes, Lost, I love to work set up to your punch lines!
Warren… you posted the 39-01 address wayyyyy back in August, 2004. Where did that information come from? Could it have been an address of the older Bayside Theater you reference in your follow up post in November of 2004? Today, 39-01 Bell would be the Citibank branch across the street from the Bayside Theater building.
How bad is “bad print”, Movieguy718? I’m taking my lady to see the film for the first time and I would have really liked a nice quality print with decent contrast. As important as seeing “Casablanca” on a big screen, I have little tolerance for faded B&W prints, particularly when I can purchase a DVD that looks impeccable on a big screen monitor. Curious as to the quality of “Kane”, Bill… I’ll check in later.
If you want an idea of the caliber of radio, screen and stage stars who might have celebrated the Victory’s first anniversary (as advertised in the clipping Warren posted on August 30th at 9:02am), I’d look no further than the posting Warren just made over at the Bayside Theater page, announcing the gala 1941 re-opening of that movie house under the Skouras banner.
Lost, you beat me to the punch… and as usual, delivered it with more speed and efficiency!
I’m wondering what the decor was after the Skouras renovations to the the theater. The exterior walls would hint at a Spanish-Missionary flavor, not unsimilar to that of the Lynbrook Theater on Long Island, though a bit more ornate. Did the original interior reflect that motif as well? And how different were the Skouras designs? Attending this theater as the Bayside Quad and, later, The Movies at Bayside, I recall no detail about the its interior appointments. As best I can recall, the rooms were dark and unadorned. I assume the Skouras decor was concealed under false plasterboard walls and ceilings.
As I think about it, I believe 39-01 is incorrect. In fact, it has to be. Currently, addresses in Queens run as follows: For north-south streets such as Bell Blvd, the digits before the hyphen representing the cross street at the northern end of the block and the digits after the hyphen representing the house or building #. The scheme for the house numbers is routinely odd numbers on the eastern side of the block and even numbers on the western side. Thus, 39-01 would be the first address on the south-east corner of the block. Proceed south towards 40th and the numbers would theoretically progress 39-03, 39-05 and so forth and then re-setting once you cross 40th to 40-01, 40-03, etc. West-east addresses follow the same format with the pre-hyphen digits representing the cross street at the western end of the block and the house numbers running odd on the north side of the block and even on the south.
The Bayside theater is on the north east corner of Bell and 39th Ave, so the number for the building would have been at the end of the 38-xx series of addresses. I’d say that 38-39 makes the most sense and would offer that the reference to “28-39” in the article was merely a typo.
Thanks for posting the information, Michael. I shall endeavor to be there! I don’t know if I’ve heard a theater organ played in person since Radio City Music Hall stopped its original program of films and stage shows in the late ‘70’s!
I would assume that it was when Skouras took it over that the theater was re-dubbed the “New Victory” – unless that fading art deco looking sign on the upper facade of the building’s western elevation merely heralded the arrival of the brand new theater in 1930?
Hey, listen… it certainly isn’t the most thrilling of schedules, but after all, it is a viewer’s choice affair, having been culled from all those request cards we were asked to fill out during the last festival. And I’m no spring chicken, but any chance I get to see a classic like “Citizen Kane” or “Casablanca” on a big screen in a facility such as the Ziegfeld (rather than the closet sized screening rooms at most revival houses in NYC) is an opportunity to good to pass up. And when’s the last time “Jaws” was seen on a silver screen in NY? This festival, like it or not, represents the “popular vote” and will just have to do since the Ziegfeld is not a revival house. And until such time as the Ziegfeld decides to seriously make the commitment towards a bona fide revival program (hiring a full time programmer, ensuring that a union pro is in the booth at all times and abandoning platter for reel-to-reel changeover), that’s all we can reasonably expect from these festivals.
Meanwhile, my biggest fears are that the prints are in poor shape or that improper plates and screen masks are used for the old Academy ratio films.
I look forward to hearing comments from those members who attend the festival this weekend as to the quality of prints and presentation. I plan on checking out “Kane” and “Casablanca” on Thursday afternoon, barring any scathing notices on this forum.
Thanks, Al… I asked Wally Maletta to join this discussion and share any additional information he might have on the matter, since he did manage the theater. I hope he finds the time to hop on.
Carrying over a discussion that began on the ImagianAsian (former D.W. Griffith and 59th Street East) page, a few of us are trying to sort out the history of this theater in terms of the specific dates it opened as the Avco Embassy/Pacific East and when RKO took it over. I had been under the impression that RKO had built this as one of their own. AlAlvarez says they came along later on, combining the seperate lobbies into one. However, as per the information provided to me by RKO manager Wally Maletta, the lobbies were still seperate when RKO ran the twin. See my 7:40am post (along with photos Wally passed along to me) of June 19th, 2006 for details.
I was also going to ask for verification that one side of this theater was called Eastworld showing porn while the other side continued as the 59th Street East with straight Hollywood fare, since I show Eastworld and the Manhattan 1 and 2 co-existing in movie ads dated 1980. However, I see that by then, Eastworld was located in a different theater on East 61st street whereas earlier ads placed Eastworld on East 59th.
Just for kicks, here’s a 1978 ad for Eastworld, day and dating with the 42nd Street Rialto: Daily News 1/25/78
The Gloria Leonard film advertised is called “Maraschino Cherry” – a rather tame title given the advertising gimmick employed in the ad.
My apologies, then, John. Al… we should move this over to the Manhattan 1 and 2 page, but I’m curious as to the dates. Wally Maletta was the manager of the RKO Twin on 59th and he sent me a couple of photos taken just before the theater opened. I thought he told me that RKO opened this one up themselves. I’ll try to reach out to him and see if he can clarify or verify his facts. I’ll comment there when I do.
Hear! Hear! I also apologize for my contributions to the continuation of this thread – but sometimes the sheer stupidity of others compels me to make comment. Life, I surely don’t think you had to clarify yourself regarding Chalet Theaters because you certainly never said anything untoward about them, but I think that was awfully upstanding and adult of you. In that light, I hereby withdraw any recant any negative inferences I may have made regarding the intelligence and proper schooling of any individual who happens to comment on this page… again and again… with no seeiming end… or point… or clarity.
I also, herewith, apologize for any sarcastic remarks made during the apology. Back to the theater pages!
In the 1930’s, a small nabe like the out-of-the-way Victory in West Bayside, Queens, would celebrate their 1 year anniversary with over the top programming. And that was during the depression! How things have changed! Ninety years and not a hint of notice by the Ridgewood’s owners. Showmanship is truly dead!
Ditto. Welcome back, Lost. I already welcomed him back in that news item about posting guidelines, but now it’s welcome back to “ground zero” as it were. The Ridgewood missed you! Now… where on Earth is Brooklyn Jim?
It was indeed, John. RKO opened it as such in the late ‘60’s to replace the razed RKO Proctor’s on 58th. It’s all on the Manhattan 1 and 2 page via the comments. The introduction for that theater needs some cleaning up as it still has Avco Embassy/Pacific East as the opening day name.
Ron Newman, “good speech” would infer that the speaker possessed a facility with language (i.e., proper grammer, syntax, punctuation, etc.). In any event, sctheaters has told me all that I need to know about himself in the handful of posts I’ve read here and on the “Chalet Theaters Needs One More” item. I wish him well in his future endeavors. I’ll leave it at that, lest I am served with a frivolous lawsuit.
My error. In January of 1929, I suppose the boroughs would still be getting releases from late in the previous year.
Great shot of the Duece circa 1977 from the imdb info on the title on the New Amsterdam marquee. Interesting to see th emusic documentary “Wattstax” from the early 1970’s (sort of a black Woodstock) supporting the main Rudy Ray Moore epic!
What an odd pairing! One, an early entry in the long-running series of low British comedies that lasted well into the ‘70’s and the other, a seminal Italian horror classic from maestro Mario Bava!
Most importantly… Bryan, please correct the address above to 38-39 Bell Blvd. Thanks.
As you proceed north, the numbered avenues go down… So, a block north of the Bayside theater would be numbered 37-01, 37-03, etc. Actually, the numbers would be running backwards from high to low (37-39, 37-37, 37-35, etc) were you to travel north, but I hang myself up on a technicality. The Citibank in question is directly opposite the Washington Mutual branch you see in my photos, Warren, just across 39th Ave on the same (east) side of Bell.
As I posted above, the address scheme in Queens has all odd numbered buildings on the east or north sides of their block with even numbers on the south or west sides (depending on the direction the block runs). And they always run low-to-high from either the north or the west. This is because the numbering scheme in Queens has the lowest numbered Avenues, Drives and Roads (which run east-west) starting at the north end of the borough and the lowest numbered Streets, Places and Lanes (which run north-south) staring at the west end. That’s what makes Astoria and LIC so damn confusing… Since they are in the north west corner of Queens where the cross streets and avenues are all in the same sequential neighborhood. Thus, due to the intersection of identically numbered thoroughfares, you can have an address of 30-30 30th Ave and another of 30-30 30th Street roughly right around the corner from each other!
Here endeth the lesson…. again! Isn’t this fun?
Thanks for the info, Al. If you look at the “Lobby view” photo I posted on June 19th, 2006, you’ll see a mirrored wall behind the candy counter. On this wall was a door that led to the twin lobby (leaving one, I presume, behind a twin candy counter) on the other side.
It might not have been Alger Hiss you were thinking of, Francesca, but, ironically, NYC movie theaters were involved in the Hiss case as well: There is testimony from the Hiss trial where Roy Cohn questions one of the witnesses about meeting Hiss at the Loew’s Paradise Theater in the Bronx. I also found several references on the web to Hiss having arranged for clandestine meetings in the mezzanine of the Prospect Theater in Brooklyn.
Thanks Movieguy… I’ll give this print of “Casablanca” a go. “Kane” sounds good too, Bill. Is the print in good shape?
Yes, Lost, I love to work set up to your punch lines!
Warren… you posted the 39-01 address wayyyyy back in August, 2004. Where did that information come from? Could it have been an address of the older Bayside Theater you reference in your follow up post in November of 2004? Today, 39-01 Bell would be the Citibank branch across the street from the Bayside Theater building.
How bad is “bad print”, Movieguy718? I’m taking my lady to see the film for the first time and I would have really liked a nice quality print with decent contrast. As important as seeing “Casablanca” on a big screen, I have little tolerance for faded B&W prints, particularly when I can purchase a DVD that looks impeccable on a big screen monitor. Curious as to the quality of “Kane”, Bill… I’ll check in later.
At least the framing is proper!
If you want an idea of the caliber of radio, screen and stage stars who might have celebrated the Victory’s first anniversary (as advertised in the clipping Warren posted on August 30th at 9:02am), I’d look no further than the posting Warren just made over at the Bayside Theater page, announcing the gala 1941 re-opening of that movie house under the Skouras banner.
Lost, you beat me to the punch… and as usual, delivered it with more speed and efficiency!
I’m wondering what the decor was after the Skouras renovations to the the theater. The exterior walls would hint at a Spanish-Missionary flavor, not unsimilar to that of the Lynbrook Theater on Long Island, though a bit more ornate. Did the original interior reflect that motif as well? And how different were the Skouras designs? Attending this theater as the Bayside Quad and, later, The Movies at Bayside, I recall no detail about the its interior appointments. As best I can recall, the rooms were dark and unadorned. I assume the Skouras decor was concealed under false plasterboard walls and ceilings.
As I think about it, I believe 39-01 is incorrect. In fact, it has to be. Currently, addresses in Queens run as follows: For north-south streets such as Bell Blvd, the digits before the hyphen representing the cross street at the northern end of the block and the digits after the hyphen representing the house or building #. The scheme for the house numbers is routinely odd numbers on the eastern side of the block and even numbers on the western side. Thus, 39-01 would be the first address on the south-east corner of the block. Proceed south towards 40th and the numbers would theoretically progress 39-03, 39-05 and so forth and then re-setting once you cross 40th to 40-01, 40-03, etc. West-east addresses follow the same format with the pre-hyphen digits representing the cross street at the western end of the block and the house numbers running odd on the north side of the block and even on the south.
The Bayside theater is on the north east corner of Bell and 39th Ave, so the number for the building would have been at the end of the 38-xx series of addresses. I’d say that 38-39 makes the most sense and would offer that the reference to “28-39” in the article was merely a typo.
Thanks for posting the information, Michael. I shall endeavor to be there! I don’t know if I’ve heard a theater organ played in person since Radio City Music Hall stopped its original program of films and stage shows in the late ‘70’s!
I would assume that it was when Skouras took it over that the theater was re-dubbed the “New Victory” – unless that fading art deco looking sign on the upper facade of the building’s western elevation merely heralded the arrival of the brand new theater in 1930?
‘New’ Victory – September 2005
Hey, listen… it certainly isn’t the most thrilling of schedules, but after all, it is a viewer’s choice affair, having been culled from all those request cards we were asked to fill out during the last festival. And I’m no spring chicken, but any chance I get to see a classic like “Citizen Kane” or “Casablanca” on a big screen in a facility such as the Ziegfeld (rather than the closet sized screening rooms at most revival houses in NYC) is an opportunity to good to pass up. And when’s the last time “Jaws” was seen on a silver screen in NY? This festival, like it or not, represents the “popular vote” and will just have to do since the Ziegfeld is not a revival house. And until such time as the Ziegfeld decides to seriously make the commitment towards a bona fide revival program (hiring a full time programmer, ensuring that a union pro is in the booth at all times and abandoning platter for reel-to-reel changeover), that’s all we can reasonably expect from these festivals.
Meanwhile, my biggest fears are that the prints are in poor shape or that improper plates and screen masks are used for the old Academy ratio films.
I look forward to hearing comments from those members who attend the festival this weekend as to the quality of prints and presentation. I plan on checking out “Kane” and “Casablanca” on Thursday afternoon, barring any scathing notices on this forum.
Thanks, Al… I asked Wally Maletta to join this discussion and share any additional information he might have on the matter, since he did manage the theater. I hope he finds the time to hop on.
Carrying over a discussion that began on the ImagianAsian (former D.W. Griffith and 59th Street East) page, a few of us are trying to sort out the history of this theater in terms of the specific dates it opened as the Avco Embassy/Pacific East and when RKO took it over. I had been under the impression that RKO had built this as one of their own. AlAlvarez says they came along later on, combining the seperate lobbies into one. However, as per the information provided to me by RKO manager Wally Maletta, the lobbies were still seperate when RKO ran the twin. See my 7:40am post (along with photos Wally passed along to me) of June 19th, 2006 for details.
I was also going to ask for verification that one side of this theater was called Eastworld showing porn while the other side continued as the 59th Street East with straight Hollywood fare, since I show Eastworld and the Manhattan 1 and 2 co-existing in movie ads dated 1980. However, I see that by then, Eastworld was located in a different theater on East 61st street whereas earlier ads placed Eastworld on East 59th.
Just for kicks, here’s a 1978 ad for Eastworld, day and dating with the 42nd Street Rialto:
Daily News 1/25/78
The Gloria Leonard film advertised is called “Maraschino Cherry” – a rather tame title given the advertising gimmick employed in the ad.
Anyone interested, let’s continue this here at the Manhattan 1 and 2 page.
My apologies, then, John. Al… we should move this over to the Manhattan 1 and 2 page, but I’m curious as to the dates. Wally Maletta was the manager of the RKO Twin on 59th and he sent me a couple of photos taken just before the theater opened. I thought he told me that RKO opened this one up themselves. I’ll try to reach out to him and see if he can clarify or verify his facts. I’ll comment there when I do.
Hear! Hear! I also apologize for my contributions to the continuation of this thread – but sometimes the sheer stupidity of others compels me to make comment. Life, I surely don’t think you had to clarify yourself regarding Chalet Theaters because you certainly never said anything untoward about them, but I think that was awfully upstanding and adult of you. In that light, I hereby withdraw any recant any negative inferences I may have made regarding the intelligence and proper schooling of any individual who happens to comment on this page… again and again… with no seeiming end… or point… or clarity.
I also, herewith, apologize for any sarcastic remarks made during the apology. Back to the theater pages!
In the 1930’s, a small nabe like the out-of-the-way Victory in West Bayside, Queens, would celebrate their 1 year anniversary with over the top programming. And that was during the depression! How things have changed! Ninety years and not a hint of notice by the Ridgewood’s owners. Showmanship is truly dead!
Ditto. Welcome back, Lost. I already welcomed him back in that news item about posting guidelines, but now it’s welcome back to “ground zero” as it were. The Ridgewood missed you! Now… where on Earth is Brooklyn Jim?
It was indeed, John. RKO opened it as such in the late ‘60’s to replace the razed RKO Proctor’s on 58th. It’s all on the Manhattan 1 and 2 page via the comments. The introduction for that theater needs some cleaning up as it still has Avco Embassy/Pacific East as the opening day name.
Ron Newman, “good speech” would infer that the speaker possessed a facility with language (i.e., proper grammer, syntax, punctuation, etc.). In any event, sctheaters has told me all that I need to know about himself in the handful of posts I’ve read here and on the “Chalet Theaters Needs One More” item. I wish him well in his future endeavors. I’ll leave it at that, lest I am served with a frivolous lawsuit.