I looked at those pictures and I have to question how recent (or old) they are, because I was just over in the old neighborhood about 3 weeks ago and drove past the old Admiral and the right half of the building is down and the marquee is gone. As a matter of fact, back when the Admiral closed in the late 70s, it re-opened as a church called Brown’s Chapel. I’m not sure how long the church was open, but it clearly isn’t there anymore and looks like it hasnt been for a while. I don’t know if those pictures are pre or post Brown’s Chapel.
That whole area of Mack Ave. from Beniteau St. down to Connor Ave is being bought up by Chrysler and at least 3 to 5 blocks of businesses and residences that were there when I was a kid are now gone and replaced by auto plant parking lots. It’s pretty sad to see what that neighborhood has become now. It used to be a thriving strip when I was a kid, a drug store, a bakery, restaurants, a bank, a gas station, convenience stores, you name it! But the Admiral Theater was a very popular spot for people in our neighborhood because you could walk to the movies instead of having to drive or ride the bus downtown or to the suburbs.
As far as memories, my mother said she can remember seeing first-run hollywood movies there in the early to mid 60s, but when I started going there in the 70s it became the east-side’s kung-fu/blaxploitation and low-budget action and horror movie place! It was funny because I remember half the time you couldnt hear the movie because people would yell and curse at the screen! Movies like ‘Shaft’, ‘Superfly’, ‘The Mack’, ‘Blacula’, ‘Coffy’ and ‘Foxy Brown’ were usually shown there as well as the latest hong kong chop-sockeys like ‘5 Fingers Of Death’, ‘Kung-Fu The Invisible Fist’, ‘Duel Of The Iron Fist’, and of course all of Bruce Lee’s movies:‘Fists of Fury’, ‘Chinese Connection’, ‘Return Of The Dragon’ and ‘Enter The Dragon’. Also, movies like ‘Walking Tall’, ‘Billy Jack’, ‘Death Race 2000’, ‘Devil’s Rain’ and ‘Dirty Harry’ played there too. There was always a double feature and matinees were like 75 cents or something I think. A lot of people would go there in the summertime just to sit in the air conditioning!
In later years the place was pretty run-down and the movies got worse. There were gang fights, rats and roaches and anything else that could run a theater into the ground.
It’s too bad that neighborhood movie theaters have all been replaced by mega-multi screen cineplexes. I’m glad I got to experience going to them as a kid, but I wish my kids would be able to know what that was like.
Sean,
I looked at those pictures and I have to question how recent (or old) they are, because I was just over in the old neighborhood about 3 weeks ago and drove past the old Admiral and the right half of the building is down and the marquee is gone. As a matter of fact, back when the Admiral closed in the late 70s, it re-opened as a church called Brown’s Chapel. I’m not sure how long the church was open, but it clearly isn’t there anymore and looks like it hasnt been for a while. I don’t know if those pictures are pre or post Brown’s Chapel.
That whole area of Mack Ave. from Beniteau St. down to Connor Ave is being bought up by Chrysler and at least 3 to 5 blocks of businesses and residences that were there when I was a kid are now gone and replaced by auto plant parking lots. It’s pretty sad to see what that neighborhood has become now. It used to be a thriving strip when I was a kid, a drug store, a bakery, restaurants, a bank, a gas station, convenience stores, you name it! But the Admiral Theater was a very popular spot for people in our neighborhood because you could walk to the movies instead of having to drive or ride the bus downtown or to the suburbs.
As far as memories, my mother said she can remember seeing first-run hollywood movies there in the early to mid 60s, but when I started going there in the 70s it became the east-side’s kung-fu/blaxploitation and low-budget action and horror movie place! It was funny because I remember half the time you couldnt hear the movie because people would yell and curse at the screen! Movies like ‘Shaft’, ‘Superfly’, ‘The Mack’, ‘Blacula’, ‘Coffy’ and ‘Foxy Brown’ were usually shown there as well as the latest hong kong chop-sockeys like ‘5 Fingers Of Death’, ‘Kung-Fu The Invisible Fist’, ‘Duel Of The Iron Fist’, and of course all of Bruce Lee’s movies:‘Fists of Fury’, ‘Chinese Connection’, ‘Return Of The Dragon’ and ‘Enter The Dragon’. Also, movies like ‘Walking Tall’, ‘Billy Jack’, ‘Death Race 2000’, ‘Devil’s Rain’ and ‘Dirty Harry’ played there too. There was always a double feature and matinees were like 75 cents or something I think. A lot of people would go there in the summertime just to sit in the air conditioning!
In later years the place was pretty run-down and the movies got worse. There were gang fights, rats and roaches and anything else that could run a theater into the ground.
It’s too bad that neighborhood movie theaters have all been replaced by mega-multi screen cineplexes. I’m glad I got to experience going to them as a kid, but I wish my kids would be able to know what that was like.