yes i was working there at that time ,the theater billed the show “see all the planet of the apes films"Go ape for a day!i loved that theater i have been showing films ever since.i use to do all the week end midnight shows also.the very first film i showed there was song of the south.i went to lakeland during the week and worked the colonial on the week ends.
ianz hello nice to hear from you i use to be the projectionist at the ormont and the Hollywood working as a union projectionist i went to many theaters.the Ormont was a converted masonic temple the theater had the first 3 floors.i had to go out the fire escape to get into the projection room it was very small.glad you had your mom to visit some of the old neighborhood i still have many great memories of that time i worked there around 1971-73
peace my friend see ya at the movies ! :)
i have some 35mm features and trailers for sale and some equipment film splicer,film cleaner, film frame counter etc.. if interested please send e mail to
joe
wow never thought i would see this theater again.glad i found it here again.Here is my story it was around 1970 i was a projectionist for the union in Newark i just graduated high school i worked at the paramount and also the Hollywood theater in orange and the treat theater in Newark i always liked to work at the Ormont as it was always so old school and i loved that i was friends
with the manager his name was this was a time when automation was coming into it’s own the manager at the time was MR.Pavlick a nice guy and smart manager.I am in the process of writing a book on my 50years of being a projectionist and i will be including the Ormont to the list i have some very funny and interesting things to tell about the Ormont keep in the loop with cinema treasures
remember Projectionists never die,they just change over.peace joe matteo
Also the whole industry will feel Hollywood’s greed film labs will also go down no more film no more labs needed.Many high skilled jobs lost it is a real shame what has happened to our industry and American culture.
hello well i was one of the relieaf projectionist at the colonial in the 70’s Harold allwood was the resident senior projectionist.I think the first film i showed was across 110th st with anthony quinn. And also i ran the sound of music.I was going to lakeland regional high in wanaque nj and it was hard getting up in the morning after running film the night before but i t was a really fun time for me.I think the managers name was mr.batson he was a very tall guy but he gave me my first break running the projectors and i ahve been doing it ever since i now work in ca in a 20 screen multi-plex well thats all i can share for now.peach
in the 70s i was one of the projectionist at this theater i also worked at the Verona and the ormont,and the royal theater. those were the days.I remember showing mahogany with diane ross at the hollywood,and i ran the GODFATHER AT THE ROYLE THEATER IN BLOOMFIELD.there WAS ALSO A GENERAL CINEMA THEATER NOT TO FAR FROM THE HOLLYWOOD IF I REMEMBER.WELL THATS ALL I CAN SHARE WITH YOU FOR NOW ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE ASK.
THX
JOE MATTEO
Hi everyone here is a little story i will pass on the my fellow rko bushwick lovers.Back in the early 60’s i lived on harmon and centeral ave although just a youngster i use to go to the rko bushwick with my cousins that lived in the same tenament as me.
One time when i was suppose to be watching the movie i snuck way up into the very heart of the movie theatre friends i had made a pilgrimage to the “projection booth"well i was simply stunned i remember at the time i was in awe as to what i was seeing!Hoping i wouldn’t be discovered i keept still as i watched the movies reels go round and round all of a sudden i heard some one say Hi may i help you i knew i had been discovered.Well i went back to the movie i remember it was house on haunted hill and i remember thay had rigged up a dummy skeleton and it was a guide wire and it flew from the front of the theater to the rear and everyone was screeming,how funny it seems now.Well as time passed i was always fasinated as to what i had seen in that projection booth so many years before that later on in life about when i made it to high school i knew that thats what i wanted to do and to day at 51 yrs old i have been a projectionist for the last 30 years.So the RKO Bushwick was a very special for me and in my heart.I am going to try and see if i can find any of the union projectionists that werked that theatre in the 60’s with some luck mybe thay might share some storys and history not redaly known,and mybe some cool pics
yes i was working there at that time ,the theater billed the show “see all the planet of the apes films"Go ape for a day!i loved that theater i have been showing films ever since.i use to do all the week end midnight shows also.the very first film i showed there was song of the south.i went to lakeland during the week and worked the colonial on the week ends.
i was with local 644 newark,worked at the paramount on broadway,the guild,and bradford.are you on face book?
ianz hello nice to hear from you i use to be the projectionist at the ormont and the Hollywood working as a union projectionist i went to many theaters.the Ormont was a converted masonic temple the theater had the first 3 floors.i had to go out the fire escape to get into the projection room it was very small.glad you had your mom to visit some of the old neighborhood i still have many great memories of that time i worked there around 1971-73 peace my friend see ya at the movies ! :)
i have some 35mm features and trailers for sale and some equipment film splicer,film cleaner, film frame counter etc.. if interested please send e mail to joe
wow never thought i would see this theater again.glad i found it here again.Here is my story it was around 1970 i was a projectionist for the union in Newark i just graduated high school i worked at the paramount and also the Hollywood theater in orange and the treat theater in Newark i always liked to work at the Ormont as it was always so old school and i loved that i was friends with the manager his name was this was a time when automation was coming into it’s own the manager at the time was MR.Pavlick a nice guy and smart manager.I am in the process of writing a book on my 50years of being a projectionist and i will be including the Ormont to the list i have some very funny and interesting things to tell about the Ormont keep in the loop with cinema treasures remember Projectionists never die,they just change over.peace joe matteo
Also the whole industry will feel Hollywood’s greed film labs will also go down no more film no more labs needed.Many high skilled jobs lost it is a real shame what has happened to our industry and American culture.
hello well i was one of the relieaf projectionist at the colonial in the 70’s Harold allwood was the resident senior projectionist.I think the first film i showed was across 110th st with anthony quinn. And also i ran the sound of music.I was going to lakeland regional high in wanaque nj and it was hard getting up in the morning after running film the night before but i t was a really fun time for me.I think the managers name was mr.batson he was a very tall guy but he gave me my first break running the projectors and i ahve been doing it ever since i now work in ca in a 20 screen multi-plex well thats all i can share for now.peach
in the 70s i was one of the projectionist at this theater i also worked at the Verona and the ormont,and the royal theater. those were the days.I remember showing mahogany with diane ross at the hollywood,and i ran the GODFATHER AT THE ROYLE THEATER IN BLOOMFIELD.there WAS ALSO A GENERAL CINEMA THEATER NOT TO FAR FROM THE HOLLYWOOD IF I REMEMBER.WELL THATS ALL I CAN SHARE WITH YOU FOR NOW ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE ASK.
THX
JOE MATTEO
Hi everyone here is a little story i will pass on the my fellow rko bushwick lovers.Back in the early 60’s i lived on harmon and centeral ave although just a youngster i use to go to the rko bushwick with my cousins that lived in the same tenament as me.
One time when i was suppose to be watching the movie i snuck way up into the very heart of the movie theatre friends i had made a pilgrimage to the “projection booth"well i was simply stunned i remember at the time i was in awe as to what i was seeing!Hoping i wouldn’t be discovered i keept still as i watched the movies reels go round and round all of a sudden i heard some one say Hi may i help you i knew i had been discovered.Well i went back to the movie i remember it was house on haunted hill and i remember thay had rigged up a dummy skeleton and it was a guide wire and it flew from the front of the theater to the rear and everyone was screeming,how funny it seems now.Well as time passed i was always fasinated as to what i had seen in that projection booth so many years before that later on in life about when i made it to high school i knew that thats what i wanted to do and to day at 51 yrs old i have been a projectionist for the last 30 years.So the RKO Bushwick was a very special for me and in my heart.I am going to try and see if i can find any of the union projectionists that werked that theatre in the 60’s with some luck mybe thay might share some storys and history not redaly known,and mybe some cool pics
joe matteo