I was on my home from The Cloisters with my daughter and happened to have my camera with me. I was able to snap this head-on shot of the Gotham’s main facade while stopped at a traffic light:
I might have known that KenRoe would post a recent photo – every time I think he’s exhausted the images he captured during his last visit to NYC, he pulls out yet another batch of photos! Anyway, I think this shot nicely compliments the pair that Ken provides. The foliage in the foreground is on the median that runs down the center of Broadway. I passed a number of theaters on the way down that thoroughfare from 187th Street until I turned off onto 125th to head over to the Triborough Bridge. This was the only instance, however, where I was stopped in traffic at just the right spot to snap a decent image.
Was there a time – in the ‘90’s perhaps – when this facade and a portion of the old structure (the lobby/foyer area) stood alone on the boardwalk with no adjacent buildings on either side? I seem to recall photographing this facade when I was in AC about 8 or 9 years ago. At the time, I think it was merely a storefront and I don’t recall any signs of a 4000 seat auditorium behind it… only the long rectangular shape of the lobby vestibule. I’ll have to see if I can dig out that photo and scan a copy to post.
Bad jokes aside, Sybil was definitely Queen of the B’s in the ‘80’s. She had a body like a Goddess and certainly made viewing many a bad grind house pot boiler far more pleasurable for a young man such as myself in those days! I remember she was in a dreadful movie called “The Howling 2” and had a scene where she ripped off her top and bared her ample busom. That scene was played again over the closing credits – edited in such a way as to repeat the ripping of her garment over and over almost to a steady rhythm. Never was there a better reason for a red-blooded American male to stay and watch the credits roll to the bitter end!
Great work, Warren. Looks like our suspected existing building on Fulton did not house the former entrance foyer and lobby for this theater. In fact, it would seem that the lot now occupied by the bank is where the theater was situated. At first blush, the architectural image posted by Warren looks like it had a bit more frontage on Fulton than the Bank does, but looking at the aerial local.live image posted above (and comparing the scale of pedestrians on the sidewalk) the footprints of both buildings are probably more or less identical.
Knowing now what the facade of the Fulton looked like, it appears that one can make out the building in Warren’s previous photo looking down the elevated tracks as the light colored structure with a slightly lower roof line than its neighbors that pokes up just about where the train station’s shedding ends. What’s curious about that particular photo is how high up the theater’s loft wall and water tanks towered over the block! Unless the tanks and the painted sign were on a taller adjacent building to the rear? Are you guys seeing it the same way as I am?
What a tragic chronology, eh Lost? I love how the damage to the building was attributed to vandals and arsonists. Here’s a news flash: the only vandal and arsonist involved with the RKO Keiths is the nefarious Tommy Huang himself! I worked for Green Point Bank further down Main Street (just a couple of blocks from the old Prospect) for many years and we in the mortgage/appraisal area were well aware of Huang’s viscious tactics trying to muscle in on desired properties in the area. There was a block of storefronts on Main Street that Huang wanted in the ‘80’s and shortly after the owner refused to sell, several of the stores were destroyed in a suspicious early mornign blaze. Huang got his properties.
Hopefully, one of these days, Huang will truly get what is coming to him. If only I could believe in Karma as a irrefutable fact.
Well if nothing else, I’m glad my question started some digging around on this theater’s history. Funny… I just recently watched a very entertaining TMC documentary about Erroll Flynn. No mention of his pre-Tommy Lee antics with the 82 Club piano!
Ken… your comment that it became known as the Film Forum has me puzzled. When was this? I remember the old Film Forum was down on Watts Street off 6th Ave before they relocated to their current spot on West Houston sometime in the late ‘80’s or early '90’s. They were definitely on Watts Street by 1981 or '82. Was this an even earlier location? Or is it even affiliated at all with the current Film Forum?
Ken, I know precisely what you mean. It’s an adventure that demands the sort of time and energy that would seem quite tiring to those looking in from the outside; but in fact it is quite an energizing experience and the sun always seems to set much too early!
Ken… I truly envy the job you’ve done capturing images of all these former theaters on film (or digital media, as the case may be). What an exhastive – and it would seem exhausting – visit you had in our fair city this past May and June! I’ve been on a few photographic safaris myself over the last year or so (though none as ambitious as yours) and you inspire me to find more time to pursue that interest. Good show!
Someone… Giuliani, the LPC… SOMEONE should have fully explored the idea of preserving at least one or two of the big Broadway movie palaces (the Rivoli and maybe the State or Strand) as bonafide architectural and cultural landmarks. The rich cinematic heritage of Times Square was completely ignored, while just about every legitimate B'way house was granted designation including some seriously unprofitable theaters in each of the three major circuits. If the Loew’s Astor Plaza can make a run for it as a concert venue and the Beacon uptown can thrive for decades as such, surely the Rivoli or Strand (despite the cosmetic twinning and sealing off of the stages) could have made a run at some sort of acceptable adaptive re-use. The plans to redevelop the area ran complete rough-shod over the area’s proud legacy of motion picture exhibition and our leader’s in government from Koch to Giuliani should have done better by that tradition.
Francesca… If you have an AOL account or some other email program that you regularly use, just log on to that account and then open a new message and manually type in Melissa’s email address in the “To” line. That ought to work.
The Jerry Lewis is listed way at the bottom as the sole entry for Staten Island. The address shown is 2166 Forest Ave, though I’m sure these guides were prone to typo’s. Lost… where’d you get the 2176 address?
Anyway… check out the programming. “Best of 60’s Rock”. I guess they ran some of those video-to-film transfers of shows like Shindig and other music programs that were fairly popular in the mid to late ‘60’s? Sounds like this may have been a midnight show. I remember some theaters on Long Island used to show “Bloopers” at midnight. “Star Trek” (the TV series) bloopers in particular were a popular part of those programs. Anyone remember those?
Here are a pair clippings from the Movie Clock sections of the Post in 1980 and 1982 showing that quite a number of the 42nd Street grinders were listed in the papers during this period:
The Daily News only carried the Cine 42 Twin in its Movie timetable. I even found a few ads from both papers that listed a few Duece theaters under the “Now Playing” banner – the Liberty, New Amsterdam, Times Square and even the Anco – but not the Selwyn, alas.
Here are a few images of the Selwyn I’ve collected on my photobucket site. They include a couple of exterior shots I took myself back in October ‘93 plus a few images I’ve found on the web that I haven’t seen previously posted or linked to from this page:
If I were a more patient photographer back in 1993, I might have re-taken that shot of the facade after the city bus blocked my view under the marquee. I might have even made sure the composition wasn’t so crooked! Oh well. My apologies if any of these images are repeats.
Here’s a small feature that ran in Newsday earlier this year (image captured from the online edition):
[url=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Newspaper%20Ads%20and%20Clippings/WestburyDriveInNewsday.jpg]It Happened on Long Island[?url]
The item mentions the Sunrise D.I. in Valley Stream, but the photo depicts one of the Westbury screens (with a nice image of Roddy McDowell in one of the Planet of the Apes sequels captured on the screen). I’d sat the photo is circa 1973 (looks like “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” is playing).
Vincent… that much heralded 1976 production was produced by Sherwin Goldman and the Houston Grand Opera, who remounted the piece for the great stage at Radio City in 1983. Here’s a review that appeared in the NY Times for the Radio City version:
Rich thought the integrity of the Tony-winning production was preserved but, spectacular as it was, he made the very same point as you regarding the appropriateness of a more intimate Broadway house for proper staging of this American classic. His review also mentions that a future engagement had been planned for the production at the Met.
Nice shots, Warren. It seems the Pizzeria is only occupying the stage area (or portion thereof). I meant to post the other day that I noticed the Shore in the background of several crowd shots during the Hot Dog eating contest at Nathan’s on the 4th. The crowd stretched way back, easily as far as the pizzeria entrance at the rear of the Shore.
Veyoung, here’s a Bosley Crowther review from the NY Times that states it was 9-channel stereo. I found one more reference to this engagement in the Times when the film “Cinerama’s Russian Adventure” was reviewed, but no mention of the kind of business it did.
RobertR… absolutely awesome photo of the Embassy, Palace and Demille!!! Is it one of your own or did you find it online?
RobertR… I think you contradicted yourself… Your opening statement says “no XXX movies were ever shown on the Fair’s main screen” and later the last paragraph opens with “The main auditorium of teh Fair always showed XXX until the city started cracking down…” I’m sure it’s a simple typo. Do you want to clarify?
I was on my home from The Cloisters with my daughter and happened to have my camera with me. I was able to snap this head-on shot of the Gotham’s main facade while stopped at a traffic light:
Gotham Facade Broadway
I might have known that KenRoe would post a recent photo – every time I think he’s exhausted the images he captured during his last visit to NYC, he pulls out yet another batch of photos! Anyway, I think this shot nicely compliments the pair that Ken provides. The foliage in the foreground is on the median that runs down the center of Broadway. I passed a number of theaters on the way down that thoroughfare from 187th Street until I turned off onto 125th to head over to the Triborough Bridge. This was the only instance, however, where I was stopped in traffic at just the right spot to snap a decent image.
Was there a time – in the ‘90’s perhaps – when this facade and a portion of the old structure (the lobby/foyer area) stood alone on the boardwalk with no adjacent buildings on either side? I seem to recall photographing this facade when I was in AC about 8 or 9 years ago. At the time, I think it was merely a storefront and I don’t recall any signs of a 4000 seat auditorium behind it… only the long rectangular shape of the lobby vestibule. I’ll have to see if I can dig out that photo and scan a copy to post.
The landmark designation came in 1984. Huang purchased the building shortly before it was closed down at the end of the summer of ‘86.
Bad jokes aside, Sybil was definitely Queen of the B’s in the ‘80’s. She had a body like a Goddess and certainly made viewing many a bad grind house pot boiler far more pleasurable for a young man such as myself in those days! I remember she was in a dreadful movie called “The Howling 2” and had a scene where she ripped off her top and bared her ample busom. That scene was played again over the closing credits – edited in such a way as to repeat the ripping of her garment over and over almost to a steady rhythm. Never was there a better reason for a red-blooded American male to stay and watch the credits roll to the bitter end!
Great work, Warren. Looks like our suspected existing building on Fulton did not house the former entrance foyer and lobby for this theater. In fact, it would seem that the lot now occupied by the bank is where the theater was situated. At first blush, the architectural image posted by Warren looks like it had a bit more frontage on Fulton than the Bank does, but looking at the aerial local.live image posted above (and comparing the scale of pedestrians on the sidewalk) the footprints of both buildings are probably more or less identical.
Knowing now what the facade of the Fulton looked like, it appears that one can make out the building in Warren’s previous photo looking down the elevated tracks as the light colored structure with a slightly lower roof line than its neighbors that pokes up just about where the train station’s shedding ends. What’s curious about that particular photo is how high up the theater’s loft wall and water tanks towered over the block! Unless the tanks and the painted sign were on a taller adjacent building to the rear? Are you guys seeing it the same way as I am?
What a tragic chronology, eh Lost? I love how the damage to the building was attributed to vandals and arsonists. Here’s a news flash: the only vandal and arsonist involved with the RKO Keiths is the nefarious Tommy Huang himself! I worked for Green Point Bank further down Main Street (just a couple of blocks from the old Prospect) for many years and we in the mortgage/appraisal area were well aware of Huang’s viscious tactics trying to muscle in on desired properties in the area. There was a block of storefronts on Main Street that Huang wanted in the ‘80’s and shortly after the owner refused to sell, several of the stores were destroyed in a suspicious early mornign blaze. Huang got his properties.
Hopefully, one of these days, Huang will truly get what is coming to him. If only I could believe in Karma as a irrefutable fact.
Thanks, Jim.
Jim… I have a later edition of the book. I haven’t taken note of the orphaned captions yet… on which page(s) do they appear?
Well if nothing else, I’m glad my question started some digging around on this theater’s history. Funny… I just recently watched a very entertaining TMC documentary about Erroll Flynn. No mention of his pre-Tommy Lee antics with the 82 Club piano!
Ken… your comment that it became known as the Film Forum has me puzzled. When was this? I remember the old Film Forum was down on Watts Street off 6th Ave before they relocated to their current spot on West Houston sometime in the late ‘80’s or early '90’s. They were definitely on Watts Street by 1981 or '82. Was this an even earlier location? Or is it even affiliated at all with the current Film Forum?
Ken, I know precisely what you mean. It’s an adventure that demands the sort of time and energy that would seem quite tiring to those looking in from the outside; but in fact it is quite an energizing experience and the sun always seems to set much too early!
Ken… I truly envy the job you’ve done capturing images of all these former theaters on film (or digital media, as the case may be). What an exhastive – and it would seem exhausting – visit you had in our fair city this past May and June! I’ve been on a few photographic safaris myself over the last year or so (though none as ambitious as yours) and you inspire me to find more time to pursue that interest. Good show!
Someone… Giuliani, the LPC… SOMEONE should have fully explored the idea of preserving at least one or two of the big Broadway movie palaces (the Rivoli and maybe the State or Strand) as bonafide architectural and cultural landmarks. The rich cinematic heritage of Times Square was completely ignored, while just about every legitimate B'way house was granted designation including some seriously unprofitable theaters in each of the three major circuits. If the Loew’s Astor Plaza can make a run for it as a concert venue and the Beacon uptown can thrive for decades as such, surely the Rivoli or Strand (despite the cosmetic twinning and sealing off of the stages) could have made a run at some sort of acceptable adaptive re-use. The plans to redevelop the area ran complete rough-shod over the area’s proud legacy of motion picture exhibition and our leader’s in government from Koch to Giuliani should have done better by that tradition.
Francesca… If you have an AOL account or some other email program that you regularly use, just log on to that account and then open a new message and manually type in Melissa’s email address in the “To” line. That ought to work.
Here’s a clipping from the Daily News in December 1980:
Movie Guide 12/9/80
The Jerry Lewis is listed way at the bottom as the sole entry for Staten Island. The address shown is 2166 Forest Ave, though I’m sure these guides were prone to typo’s. Lost… where’d you get the 2176 address?
Anyway… check out the programming. “Best of 60’s Rock”. I guess they ran some of those video-to-film transfers of shows like Shindig and other music programs that were fairly popular in the mid to late ‘60’s? Sounds like this may have been a midnight show. I remember some theaters on Long Island used to show “Bloopers” at midnight. “Star Trek” (the TV series) bloopers in particular were a popular part of those programs. Anyone remember those?
Here are a pair clippings from the Movie Clock sections of the Post in 1980 and 1982 showing that quite a number of the 42nd Street grinders were listed in the papers during this period:
NY Post 12/11/80
NY Post 3/10/82
The Daily News only carried the Cine 42 Twin in its Movie timetable. I even found a few ads from both papers that listed a few Duece theaters under the “Now Playing” banner – the Liberty, New Amsterdam, Times Square and even the Anco – but not the Selwyn, alas.
Here are a few images of the Selwyn I’ve collected on my photobucket site. They include a couple of exterior shots I took myself back in October ‘93 plus a few images I’ve found on the web that I haven’t seen previously posted or linked to from this page:
1986 sci-fi horror grind
Matt Weber shot 1980’s Grand Luncheonette
Old Selwyn Building & marquee 1993 (damn bus!)
1993 – Cooped up?
1990’s Grand Luncheonette
Late 1990’s auditorium prior to renovations
If I were a more patient photographer back in 1993, I might have re-taken that shot of the facade after the city bus blocked my view under the marquee. I might have even made sure the composition wasn’t so crooked! Oh well. My apologies if any of these images are repeats.
Sorry for the typo. Here’s the link:
It Happened on Long Island
Here’s a small feature that ran in Newsday earlier this year (image captured from the online edition):
[url=http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Newspaper%20Ads%20and%20Clippings/WestburyDriveInNewsday.jpg]It Happened on Long Island[?url]
The item mentions the Sunrise D.I. in Valley Stream, but the photo depicts one of the Westbury screens (with a nice image of Roddy McDowell in one of the Planet of the Apes sequels captured on the screen). I’d sat the photo is circa 1973 (looks like “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” is playing).
CT member and former theater manager Wally1975 sent me an image of the Newsday article to post here:
Newsday July 6 2006
Vincent… that much heralded 1976 production was produced by Sherwin Goldman and the Houston Grand Opera, who remounted the piece for the great stage at Radio City in 1983. Here’s a review that appeared in the NY Times for the Radio City version:
Frank Rich review
Rich thought the integrity of the Tony-winning production was preserved but, spectacular as it was, he made the very same point as you regarding the appropriateness of a more intimate Broadway house for proper staging of this American classic. His review also mentions that a future engagement had been planned for the production at the Met.
Nice shots, Warren. It seems the Pizzeria is only occupying the stage area (or portion thereof). I meant to post the other day that I noticed the Shore in the background of several crowd shots during the Hot Dog eating contest at Nathan’s on the 4th. The crowd stretched way back, easily as far as the pizzeria entrance at the rear of the Shore.
Ahh… Got it. Thanks.
Veyoung, here’s a Bosley Crowther review from the NY Times that states it was 9-channel stereo. I found one more reference to this engagement in the Times when the film “Cinerama’s Russian Adventure” was reviewed, but no mention of the kind of business it did.
RobertR… absolutely awesome photo of the Embassy, Palace and Demille!!! Is it one of your own or did you find it online?
RobertR… I think you contradicted yourself… Your opening statement says “no XXX movies were ever shown on the Fair’s main screen” and later the last paragraph opens with “The main auditorium of teh Fair always showed XXX until the city started cracking down…” I’m sure it’s a simple typo. Do you want to clarify?