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BHD4_
BHD4_ commented about Peerless Theater on Jul 14, 2015 at 6:49 pm

I see you folks remember the Peerless. Abraham Cohen emigrated from Krakow, Poland in the later part of the 1800s and married Ida Cohen in Brooklyn also from Krakow. They had three Daughters, Ruth, Gladys and Lillian and Lillian was my Mother. Abe was my Grandfather and he was the owner of the Peerless Theater and the most generous and kind man I ever knew. We lived at 210 Clinton Avenue in the Clinton Arms apartment with my parents Sam and Lil and my brother Robert. In 1954 we moved to Rockville Centre, Long Island where I live with my wife today and brought up our two kids. Yes the candy stand was under the screen on the right side. The ticket window was down the narrow lobby on the right side and there was a big fan on the right wall to cool off the theater you may remember. I was a little boy and when I went there I was treated like a king, free candy etc. Unfortunately my Grandfather closed the Theater in the early to mid 60s because he was robbed multiple times and beaten up a few times in his own place of business.

My wife and I went back there a few years ago and yes it’s a church. We went in sat down and heard the Sermon the Minister was giving. I told them my Grandfather owned the building and the Theater. They were very welcoming. The framed areas where the movie posters were still there painted over with Messages and Religious things tacked to them. The place did not look very well cared for.

I sat there thinking about my life and how I got from there to then. Burton Diamond