Guys, MarkieS, etc., don’t write any more about the adult things on this site. Email me at and I can tell you a better site where you can talk about some of the aspects other than just antique ornamentation. Seriously, do not discuss any more about these theaters on here, it is NOT in our interests, and there is enough info already here. It is not productive to try to have debates about life-styles, etc., in this site. In that sense, they even have a point. But also, there really is another site where you can discuss what you want, and I’ll be glad to give it to you.
Very cool description, McGinty. And I think it does quite well without those hideous statue-things and dreadful light fixtures in the front lobby of the Fair—which make you think you’ve just finally entered the World of SLAG!
I doubt it, but call them before you go next time to be sure. Half the time their info is not accurate—about anything. Saw this on another site, but the Fair site doesn’t say anything. They probably don’t know themselves.
Opening post is confusing, indicating this ‘Bijou’ was open at this location at the same time the Bijou which was on 3rd Avenue for a good many years between 12th and 13th (I believe). Says owned by same people, but I knew about the 3rd Avenue one during the 80s and 90s, not about this one. Thanks
It was in November of this year, I went there, and it was indeed a nice space. I’ve heard that it has been recently closed due to flooding (it’s a basement). Would like to know more, as I had thought it would become a hangout for me.
xxx—one thing about this place is that it’s a very safe neighborhood, much better than the Elmhurst neighborhood of the Fair. You could go anytime, and there are far fewer actual obnoxious types here than at the Fair. On the other hand, the Fair has got a following because they have done more promotion. But the slightly further distance is negligible to me, because I don’t have to change from a train to a bus. Also, the regular screens are better quality and the big screen doesn’t show all that infernal Bollywood.
You just get off at Kings Highway and stay on it till you get there—and be sure to turn when Kings Highway does or you’ll get off the route. This is definitely a nicer place than the Fair, with MUCH bigger viewing booths. Costs $12.
This is not free in the sense of Los Angeles theaters, where I was over the holidays. There’s a theater in West Hollywood (you can find it on squirt.com) that has exactly the same scene as the old Adonis and the other wide-open theaters in New York used to have; and Giuliani’s project was just p.r., anyway, the little DVD places have relaxed since Bloomberg doesn’t do things in such a histrionic way, although those little places are not for me. Anyway, this WeHo theater was like paradise for me after not seeing anything at all like it in NYC for maybe 12 years. Still, I like Cinema Kings Highway very much, it’s extremely well-run and they need to get a website and do some promotion.
I totally disagree, and think these historical contexts of the neighborhoods of the theaters are wonderful. Of course, they could also be put on the other link, but to respond to all these superb, not to mention time-consuming, reflections, as if the neighborhoods as they’d evolved over the years did not shed even more light on the theaters which were located in them, is quite ungrateful and pedantic in the worst sense.
You are a pretty good scholar and collector of memorabilia, Warren, but you are often unnecessarily controlling. In this case, where the material is not even wounding to the Puritan consciousness we’ve seen elsewhere, it is totally misplaced, and I, for one, thoroughly loved coronainmymindseye’s memories of Corona. In fact, I am going to print them out and go out there and see what I can see there. For those who want to look at certain old remaining structures, including theaters in Manhattan, the ‘Songlines’ sites for individual streets can be easily accessed—that’s how I discovered the real Tin Pan Alley on 28th between Broadway and 6th, and I’m sure that this horribly OFF-TOPIC notation can be remedied by looking at the Songlines for 42nd Street, which will have THEATERS, even if they have other OFF-TOPIC things on the very same streets!
I went to the Cinema Kings Highway in Brooklyn for the first time today, and I much prefer it to the Fair in every way. Very courteous management, not surly like at the Fair, and cleaner too. Even has some charm. I like the Fair pretty well, but people had always told me Cinema Kings Highway wasn’t nearly as much fun—it’s a lot more so,much less out-of-control, and people should go there. Trouble is, it’s pretty far out, but its Brooklyn neighborhood is not nearly so depressing as the Elmhurst Heights location of the Fair, which looks like something out of ‘The Sopranos’, especially with that gross-looking ‘Kozy Kabin’ topless club across Astoria Blvd.
Cinema Kings Highway is excellent, I prefer it to the Fair by a long shot, except it takes longer to get to. Very clean, the management very courteous—I was very surprised, as I thought it would be dingy and slummy. It’s terrific.
It’s true about the strips of great restaurants, including the best Clam Bar in town, Randazzo’s, has fabulous Fried Calamari.
Main problem with this theater is sound is way too loud, especially in endless previews, but that may not be unusual. I find most movie houses way too loud by now.
I’m glad it’s managed to stay open and flourishing, although I haven’t been in months. Someone who goes there occasionally said he thought they’d reopen the Stella d'Argento restaurant too, but I have a hard time believing that. I might go then, though—good Carmella Soprano type food.
Oh well, I didn’t go that often, maybe 3 times a year, but I have always been glad it’s there, and did have a good time too.
But cypress, like I said, my phone call yesterday indicated that the Puritans have in no way prevailed: There’s the new Bollywood on the main screen, but nothing else has been changed, at least not yet. So go on back if you like it.
The best part is ‘possibly restoring it to some of its original glory’ by merely changing the main screen, which will, of course, return it to the ‘community-at-large’. I suppose we will have to wait and found out if the community is still at large, held hostage by smut peddlers without enough interest in Queens architectural gems. I mean, this theater is okay, but it’s not like it was the Virginia or the Winter Garden…
Okay, now I called them, they said they’ve got Bollywood on the main screen, but everything else is the same. I asked for specifics and nothing described in the old 2006 posts and since then has changed. How long I don’t know, but that’s the latest. Not bad.
That may not tell us what they are doing with the several small screens and the rest of the theater, though. They might not say everything on the phone, which could mean that the other screens are still as they were—after all, the big one never showed anything XXX. But it’s hard to imagine that all the little screens are now filled with Bollywood musicals.
That doesn’t sound bad at all, if the management would just read this site. When I told them about something, and referred to this site, they didn’t know what I was talking about, although there must be some primitive way they could hook up to the internet.
Sure, they could do this, and after a while, the XXX customers would know anyway, or could call in. They’d give the info if you asked discreetly enough. These elegant solutions like this don’t always work as well as one would like, though. Maybe you should talk to them if you go out there soon. I have never found them particularly desirous of any kind of chat with the customers.
faberfranz, I don’t like those little places for anything heavy either, they’ve always been unsatisfying, but just think how even they are barely there by now. I like to go into one occasionally, even though they are pretty much nothing, because at least they are connected to some sort of past, and most of current urban development is moving much faster to get rid of all of that.
‘It’s a shame that you would rather see the building torn down than stop showing porn and kung fu.’
You’re being a bore. I did not say I’d rather it be torn down. You don’t know whether it would be torn down if it continued to show porn or not, and you know nothing about whether Bollywood would have caused prosperity at higher prices. I just don’t care about it that much. The Fair was a scene to me. I’m interested in old theaters too, but not a purist like some of the ones here. Don’t exaggerate and say things like ‘it’s a shame’ what I think about something that I have absolutely no power over. I hate Bollywood, so you can put that in your pipe and smoke it. Point is, with the restaurant shut down, and a different kind of theater, I’ll never see the place again, because I don’t live out there. It might as well be an old movie palace in Milwaukee, but it won’t mean anything to me if it shows a bunch of Hindu movies. I saw what was suppposed to be one of their best ones ‘Lagaan’ and hated it.
faberfranz—I think nobody has said anything about Cinema Kings turning to Bollywood yet, although the phone answerer there did have the Hindi accent too. They have a lot of porn stores in Manhattan, there are several XXX stores in the West Village. Oh well, no way to turn those into Bollywood.
‘I’m happy that the management is keeping the theater going and adjusting to the demand rather than eeking it out with porn for a couple more years and then selling out to a developer.’
Well, you needn’t worry about that, I am not sure I’ve ever heard of owners of any kind of movie theaters who wanted to ‘eke it out’ even if it was High Cult-cha…and if it’s then selling to a developer, I couldn’t care less. The Fair is nowhere if it’s just some piece of Curry Hill diaspora. The place actually had an identity, and, in fact, the last examples in ‘dwindling niche markets’ are always very precious, but so what? I’m about as interested in the management’s well-being as they are in mine, so just preserving the old building doesn’t mean as much to me as something parallel in Manhattan would (and those were usually razed.)
Cypress is right about the way the price hike drove people away, though.
Okay, this is better.
Guys, MarkieS, etc., don’t write any more about the adult things on this site. Email me at and I can tell you a better site where you can talk about some of the aspects other than just antique ornamentation. Seriously, do not discuss any more about these theaters on here, it is NOT in our interests, and there is enough info already here. It is not productive to try to have debates about life-styles, etc., in this site. In that sense, they even have a point. But also, there really is another site where you can discuss what you want, and I’ll be glad to give it to you.
No phone number and it is still closed.
Very cool description, McGinty. And I think it does quite well without those hideous statue-things and dreadful light fixtures in the front lobby of the Fair—which make you think you’ve just finally entered the World of SLAG!
I doubt it, but call them before you go next time to be sure. Half the time their info is not accurate—about anything. Saw this on another site, but the Fair site doesn’t say anything. They probably don’t know themselves.
Opening post is confusing, indicating this ‘Bijou’ was open at this location at the same time the Bijou which was on 3rd Avenue for a good many years between 12th and 13th (I believe). Says owned by same people, but I knew about the 3rd Avenue one during the 80s and 90s, not about this one. Thanks
It was in November of this year, I went there, and it was indeed a nice space. I’ve heard that it has been recently closed due to flooding (it’s a basement). Would like to know more, as I had thought it would become a hangout for me.
xxx—one thing about this place is that it’s a very safe neighborhood, much better than the Elmhurst neighborhood of the Fair. You could go anytime, and there are far fewer actual obnoxious types here than at the Fair. On the other hand, the Fair has got a following because they have done more promotion. But the slightly further distance is negligible to me, because I don’t have to change from a train to a bus. Also, the regular screens are better quality and the big screen doesn’t show all that infernal Bollywood.
You just get off at Kings Highway and stay on it till you get there—and be sure to turn when Kings Highway does or you’ll get off the route. This is definitely a nicer place than the Fair, with MUCH bigger viewing booths. Costs $12.
This is not free in the sense of Los Angeles theaters, where I was over the holidays. There’s a theater in West Hollywood (you can find it on squirt.com) that has exactly the same scene as the old Adonis and the other wide-open theaters in New York used to have; and Giuliani’s project was just p.r., anyway, the little DVD places have relaxed since Bloomberg doesn’t do things in such a histrionic way, although those little places are not for me. Anyway, this WeHo theater was like paradise for me after not seeing anything at all like it in NYC for maybe 12 years. Still, I like Cinema Kings Highway very much, it’s extremely well-run and they need to get a website and do some promotion.
I totally disagree, and think these historical contexts of the neighborhoods of the theaters are wonderful. Of course, they could also be put on the other link, but to respond to all these superb, not to mention time-consuming, reflections, as if the neighborhoods as they’d evolved over the years did not shed even more light on the theaters which were located in them, is quite ungrateful and pedantic in the worst sense.
You are a pretty good scholar and collector of memorabilia, Warren, but you are often unnecessarily controlling. In this case, where the material is not even wounding to the Puritan consciousness we’ve seen elsewhere, it is totally misplaced, and I, for one, thoroughly loved coronainmymindseye’s memories of Corona. In fact, I am going to print them out and go out there and see what I can see there. For those who want to look at certain old remaining structures, including theaters in Manhattan, the ‘Songlines’ sites for individual streets can be easily accessed—that’s how I discovered the real Tin Pan Alley on 28th between Broadway and 6th, and I’m sure that this horribly OFF-TOPIC notation can be remedied by looking at the Songlines for 42nd Street, which will have THEATERS, even if they have other OFF-TOPIC things on the very same streets!
I went to the Cinema Kings Highway in Brooklyn for the first time today, and I much prefer it to the Fair in every way. Very courteous management, not surly like at the Fair, and cleaner too. Even has some charm. I like the Fair pretty well, but people had always told me Cinema Kings Highway wasn’t nearly as much fun—it’s a lot more so,much less out-of-control, and people should go there. Trouble is, it’s pretty far out, but its Brooklyn neighborhood is not nearly so depressing as the Elmhurst Heights location of the Fair, which looks like something out of ‘The Sopranos’, especially with that gross-looking ‘Kozy Kabin’ topless club across Astoria Blvd.
Cinema Kings Highway is excellent, I prefer it to the Fair by a long shot, except it takes longer to get to. Very clean, the management very courteous—I was very surprised, as I thought it would be dingy and slummy. It’s terrific.
It’s true about the strips of great restaurants, including the best Clam Bar in town, Randazzo’s, has fabulous Fried Calamari.
Main problem with this theater is sound is way too loud, especially in endless previews, but that may not be unusual. I find most movie houses way too loud by now.
I’m glad it’s managed to stay open and flourishing, although I haven’t been in months. Someone who goes there occasionally said he thought they’d reopen the Stella d'Argento restaurant too, but I have a hard time believing that. I might go then, though—good Carmella Soprano type food.
Oh well, I didn’t go that often, maybe 3 times a year, but I have always been glad it’s there, and did have a good time too.
But cypress, like I said, my phone call yesterday indicated that the Puritans have in no way prevailed: There’s the new Bollywood on the main screen, but nothing else has been changed, at least not yet. So go on back if you like it.
Al—love the idea of ‘tolerance as an alternative life-style’ instead of ‘to’ one. Clever thought, and I may see if I can work it.
‘That is hilarious, Warren!’
The best part is ‘possibly restoring it to some of its original glory’ by merely changing the main screen, which will, of course, return it to the ‘community-at-large’. I suppose we will have to wait and found out if the community is still at large, held hostage by smut peddlers without enough interest in Queens architectural gems. I mean, this theater is okay, but it’s not like it was the Virginia or the Winter Garden…
Okay, now I called them, they said they’ve got Bollywood on the main screen, but everything else is the same. I asked for specifics and nothing described in the old 2006 posts and since then has changed. How long I don’t know, but that’s the latest. Not bad.
That may not tell us what they are doing with the several small screens and the rest of the theater, though. They might not say everything on the phone, which could mean that the other screens are still as they were—after all, the big one never showed anything XXX. But it’s hard to imagine that all the little screens are now filled with Bollywood musicals.
That doesn’t sound bad at all, if the management would just read this site. When I told them about something, and referred to this site, they didn’t know what I was talking about, although there must be some primitive way they could hook up to the internet.
Sure, they could do this, and after a while, the XXX customers would know anyway, or could call in. They’d give the info if you asked discreetly enough. These elegant solutions like this don’t always work as well as one would like, though. Maybe you should talk to them if you go out there soon. I have never found them particularly desirous of any kind of chat with the customers.
faberfranz, I don’t like those little places for anything heavy either, they’ve always been unsatisfying, but just think how even they are barely there by now. I like to go into one occasionally, even though they are pretty much nothing, because at least they are connected to some sort of past, and most of current urban development is moving much faster to get rid of all of that.
‘It’s a shame that you would rather see the building torn down than stop showing porn and kung fu.’
You’re being a bore. I did not say I’d rather it be torn down. You don’t know whether it would be torn down if it continued to show porn or not, and you know nothing about whether Bollywood would have caused prosperity at higher prices. I just don’t care about it that much. The Fair was a scene to me. I’m interested in old theaters too, but not a purist like some of the ones here. Don’t exaggerate and say things like ‘it’s a shame’ what I think about something that I have absolutely no power over. I hate Bollywood, so you can put that in your pipe and smoke it. Point is, with the restaurant shut down, and a different kind of theater, I’ll never see the place again, because I don’t live out there. It might as well be an old movie palace in Milwaukee, but it won’t mean anything to me if it shows a bunch of Hindu movies. I saw what was suppposed to be one of their best ones ‘Lagaan’ and hated it.
faberfranz—I think nobody has said anything about Cinema Kings turning to Bollywood yet, although the phone answerer there did have the Hindi accent too. They have a lot of porn stores in Manhattan, there are several XXX stores in the West Village. Oh well, no way to turn those into Bollywood.
I got good dildoes at two of them…
‘I’m happy that the management is keeping the theater going and adjusting to the demand rather than eeking it out with porn for a couple more years and then selling out to a developer.’
Well, you needn’t worry about that, I am not sure I’ve ever heard of owners of any kind of movie theaters who wanted to ‘eke it out’ even if it was High Cult-cha…and if it’s then selling to a developer, I couldn’t care less. The Fair is nowhere if it’s just some piece of Curry Hill diaspora. The place actually had an identity, and, in fact, the last examples in ‘dwindling niche markets’ are always very precious, but so what? I’m about as interested in the management’s well-being as they are in mine, so just preserving the old building doesn’t mean as much to me as something parallel in Manhattan would (and those were usually razed.)
Cypress is right about the way the price hike drove people away, though.
I haven’t been there either, and I have decided to go out and take a look too, probably this week.
Thanks, Lou, I’ll look here and at the Post.