to SCDW – After reading this site, many fond childhood memories were brought to mind about the Rivoli and my childhood in Fallsburg. My fater was the town doctor, Dr. Isidore Turner, and we lived in the yellow house that abutts the parking lot. Many an hour I and my peers spent in that darken theatre watching films and cartoons all year round. I remember those winter nights when my parent would allow me to go to bank nite and the other nights when door prized of carnival glass dishes were give out.
When Jerry and Sylvia Sakofsky – owners of Star Dairy – lived in the apartment above the movie house, I remember their son, Herb and I, would sneak into the projection booth and watch movies in our pj’s.
I too remember Tony Balducci-ie. Peg Leg. He was the terror of the entire kid population of Fallsburg. For if he ever had to discipline you in the theatre or eject you – there was double trouble ahead. Since he knew every child in town, he would call home and inform your parents of your crime and you caught hell when you got home. Tony had a son and a daughter – once I remember the son opened the forbidden door behind his father’s office desk that led to the vast dark and dank cellar of the theatre. I can still remember the sight and smell of the cellar.
Every week, either Tony or a worker at the theatre, would appear at the post office with rolled up posters to be sent to all the local hotel and bungalow colonies advertising the next weeks offerings. Tony was also seen nailing these posters to many of the telephone poles up and down Rt. 42. One of the weekly tasks I had was to tape a poster to the door of my grandmother’s boarding house, Turner’s Villa, for her boarders to see. In fact, a few years ago in a local antique shop, I found and purchased two of the old Rivoli posters which are present and proudly displayed in my basement.
In the winters, the movie parking lot became our special winter sledding site and challenge. At the bottom of the lot was a slope that when hit correctly sent one airborne onto Louis Levine’s (the owner of the lumber yard directly across the street) lawn. Later, Jules Charlow – co-owner of the Irvington Hotel, bought the property and put in a gravel driveway. This posed both a danger and a challenge – for if you landed on the gravel, one could damage their sled and get bruised, but if you hit the slope just right, you now tried for a distance record landing.
One last memory of the Rivoli and Tony that I have – In the second year of teaching English at Fallsburg Central HS, my classes had just finished reading Capote’s, In Cold Blood. As fate would have it, the movie was about to be shown and Tony allowed a special evening showing of the movie for my students, as a tie in to the film and literary work. I can’t imagine, in today’s day and age this happening. But, that was a different era, a different place, and a different type of people!
to SCDW – After reading this site, many fond childhood memories were brought to mind about the Rivoli and my childhood in Fallsburg. My fater was the town doctor, Dr. Isidore Turner, and we lived in the yellow house that abutts the parking lot. Many an hour I and my peers spent in that darken theatre watching films and cartoons all year round. I remember those winter nights when my parent would allow me to go to bank nite and the other nights when door prized of carnival glass dishes were give out.
When Jerry and Sylvia Sakofsky – owners of Star Dairy – lived in the apartment above the movie house, I remember their son, Herb and I, would sneak into the projection booth and watch movies in our pj’s.
I too remember Tony Balducci-ie. Peg Leg. He was the terror of the entire kid population of Fallsburg. For if he ever had to discipline you in the theatre or eject you – there was double trouble ahead. Since he knew every child in town, he would call home and inform your parents of your crime and you caught hell when you got home. Tony had a son and a daughter – once I remember the son opened the forbidden door behind his father’s office desk that led to the vast dark and dank cellar of the theatre. I can still remember the sight and smell of the cellar.
Every week, either Tony or a worker at the theatre, would appear at the post office with rolled up posters to be sent to all the local hotel and bungalow colonies advertising the next weeks offerings. Tony was also seen nailing these posters to many of the telephone poles up and down Rt. 42. One of the weekly tasks I had was to tape a poster to the door of my grandmother’s boarding house, Turner’s Villa, for her boarders to see. In fact, a few years ago in a local antique shop, I found and purchased two of the old Rivoli posters which are present and proudly displayed in my basement.
In the winters, the movie parking lot became our special winter sledding site and challenge. At the bottom of the lot was a slope that when hit correctly sent one airborne onto Louis Levine’s (the owner of the lumber yard directly across the street) lawn. Later, Jules Charlow – co-owner of the Irvington Hotel, bought the property and put in a gravel driveway. This posed both a danger and a challenge – for if you landed on the gravel, one could damage their sled and get bruised, but if you hit the slope just right, you now tried for a distance record landing.
One last memory of the Rivoli and Tony that I have – In the second year of teaching English at Fallsburg Central HS, my classes had just finished reading Capote’s, In Cold Blood. As fate would have it, the movie was about to be shown and Tony allowed a special evening showing of the movie for my students, as a tie in to the film and literary work. I can’t imagine, in today’s day and age this happening. But, that was a different era, a different place, and a different type of people!
Hoping to hear from you soon – mike turner ()