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mermaidromance
mermaidromance commented about Mermaid Theater on Oct 2, 2008 at 2:33 am

Regarding the history of the Mermaid Theatre.
My father Murray Philip Roth was born around 1925. When he was a teenager, his job at the Mermaid Theatre was to run the projector, change the movie titles on the marquee as well as the light bulbs. He also would place a large block of ice in front of a large fan in the rear of the theatre. The banner outside the theatre read air-cooled inside.
Across the street on the corner stood the luncheonette named the HUBA HUBA. Above the HUBA HUBA was a walk up apartment building. My mother Blanche Strauss would sit on the 2nd floor fire escape watching my father change the marquee titles when he noticed her time and again and had a vision of his future with her. My mother was 17 and they married and had three sons, four grandchildren and four great grandchildren. My father and mother told us this story from time to time. My father had eight brothers and three sisters and my mother had one sister and one brother. I remember when the luncheonette,theatre and a corner drugs store were still in operation. I am fifty seven and both my parents have pasted on. I also remember the city bus stop in front of the Huba Huba..My dad also told me when he was a kid Nathans hot dog was a nickel including the drink. I also remember when we walked to the beach there was a place on the way that sold fresh jelly-apples on 26th street.