An addendum to Jan. 16, 2016: I also liked to watch the Congo Bill serials in the late 1940’s. To see how he got out of his latest peril, you had to wait till next week. It was quite a deal to go to the Ward on weekends. You got to see cartoons, an action serial, the news of the week and two movies! My last movies there were probably in the mid to late 1950’s, when I left the Bronx for college.
I remember that when I was ten I went with my parents and a neighbor couple to Southern Boulevard for New Years Eve 1951. First we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and then went across the street to the Loew’s Spooner to see An American in Paris. Or, it could have been at the Loew’s Boulevard, just up the street on Southern Blvd; which ever had the Chinese restaurant across the street.
I remember that when I was ten I went with my parents and a neighbor couple to Southern Boulevard for New Years Eve 1951. First we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and then went across the street to the Loew’s Boulevard to see An American in Paris. Or, it could have been at the Loew’s Spooner, just down the street on Southern Blvd; which ever had the Chinese restaurant across the street.
In late 1950/early 1951 when I was nine years old I saw in the papers that the Loew’s American was showing All About Eve, so I decided to go, hopping on the Westchester Ave. bus from Morrison Ave. to Parkchester, expecting to see all about Eve from the Garden of Eden. Boy was I disappointed! The one scene from the movie that I remembered in later years was Bette Davis standing at the top of the staircase, uttering her classic line as she descended, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
I guess I did miss out by not sticking with my usher/marquee job! All I remember from that one time up on the rickety ladder was seeing passersby look up at me as I was changing the letters and moving on, while hoping they wouldn’t bump into the ladder! I do remember the low wall behind the seats that you mentioned in 2012.
In addition to working there (briefly), I did go to the Rosedale for some of my movies. I lived close to the Ward Theatre, so went there more often. I also went to the Loew’s American, Circle and RKO Castle Hill. See my comments for the other theaters except the RKO; couldn’t remember anything special about it, (maybe something will come to me later). Just click on Nearby Theaters on each theater page and scroll down.
By the way, does bamabama mean you’re Alabama-bound and a big fan? I live in Tucson, AZ now and belong to the Bronx Club of Tucson. On the 16th of this month, Steve Samtur, editor of “Back in THE BRONX” magazine will give a nostalgic retrospective of life back then via a video presentation. That’s what inspired me to look up my old Bronx movie theaters!
While living near Morrison and Westchester Aves. the Circle Theatre was one of the movie houses I went to, along with the Ward, Rosedale, Loew’s American and RKO Castle Hill. I remember that the Circle was fond of WWII movies during the 1950’s when I was a teenager. I saw The Sands of Iwo Jima there and was very sad when John Wayne got killed at the end. I also remember that there was a Chinese restaurant a few stores to the right of the box office.
When I was six and seven, some of the first movies I ever saw were scary ones at the Ward Theatre: Dick Tracy’s Dilemma (1947), where the villain was The Claw with a prosthetic hook, and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), which was a very scary movie that included Dracula and the Wolfman. My friends and I hid under our seats for some of the scarier scenes!
In the mid 1950’s, when I was a high school sophomore, I was an usher at the Rosedale Theatre. I was to usher on the weekends and change the movie marquee mid-week. I was given a red vest and flashlight and was told to seat adults in the dark and control the unruly kids, of which there were many. However, this lasted for only about a week. The experience of having to climb high up on a rickety, wooden, A-frame ladder and change the letters on the marquee by myself was too much for me, so I quit.
An addendum to Jan. 16, 2016: I also liked to watch the Congo Bill serials in the late 1940’s. To see how he got out of his latest peril, you had to wait till next week. It was quite a deal to go to the Ward on weekends. You got to see cartoons, an action serial, the news of the week and two movies! My last movies there were probably in the mid to late 1950’s, when I left the Bronx for college.
I remember that when I was ten I went with my parents and a neighbor couple to Southern Boulevard for New Years Eve 1951. First we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and then went across the street to the Loew’s Spooner to see An American in Paris. Or, it could have been at the Loew’s Boulevard, just up the street on Southern Blvd; which ever had the Chinese restaurant across the street.
I remember that when I was ten I went with my parents and a neighbor couple to Southern Boulevard for New Years Eve 1951. First we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant and then went across the street to the Loew’s Boulevard to see An American in Paris. Or, it could have been at the Loew’s Spooner, just down the street on Southern Blvd; which ever had the Chinese restaurant across the street.
In late 1950/early 1951 when I was nine years old I saw in the papers that the Loew’s American was showing All About Eve, so I decided to go, hopping on the Westchester Ave. bus from Morrison Ave. to Parkchester, expecting to see all about Eve from the Garden of Eden. Boy was I disappointed! The one scene from the movie that I remembered in later years was Bette Davis standing at the top of the staircase, uttering her classic line as she descended, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.”
I guess I did miss out by not sticking with my usher/marquee job! All I remember from that one time up on the rickety ladder was seeing passersby look up at me as I was changing the letters and moving on, while hoping they wouldn’t bump into the ladder! I do remember the low wall behind the seats that you mentioned in 2012.
In addition to working there (briefly), I did go to the Rosedale for some of my movies. I lived close to the Ward Theatre, so went there more often. I also went to the Loew’s American, Circle and RKO Castle Hill. See my comments for the other theaters except the RKO; couldn’t remember anything special about it, (maybe something will come to me later). Just click on Nearby Theaters on each theater page and scroll down.
By the way, does bamabama mean you’re Alabama-bound and a big fan? I live in Tucson, AZ now and belong to the Bronx Club of Tucson. On the 16th of this month, Steve Samtur, editor of “Back in THE BRONX” magazine will give a nostalgic retrospective of life back then via a video presentation. That’s what inspired me to look up my old Bronx movie theaters!
While living near Morrison and Westchester Aves. the Circle Theatre was one of the movie houses I went to, along with the Ward, Rosedale, Loew’s American and RKO Castle Hill. I remember that the Circle was fond of WWII movies during the 1950’s when I was a teenager. I saw The Sands of Iwo Jima there and was very sad when John Wayne got killed at the end. I also remember that there was a Chinese restaurant a few stores to the right of the box office.
When I was six and seven, some of the first movies I ever saw were scary ones at the Ward Theatre: Dick Tracy’s Dilemma (1947), where the villain was The Claw with a prosthetic hook, and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), which was a very scary movie that included Dracula and the Wolfman. My friends and I hid under our seats for some of the scarier scenes!
In the mid 1950’s, when I was a high school sophomore, I was an usher at the Rosedale Theatre. I was to usher on the weekends and change the movie marquee mid-week. I was given a red vest and flashlight and was told to seat adults in the dark and control the unruly kids, of which there were many. However, this lasted for only about a week. The experience of having to climb high up on a rickety, wooden, A-frame ladder and change the letters on the marquee by myself was too much for me, so I quit.