Broad Street Cinema
58 Broad Street,
Red Bank,
NJ
07701
58 Broad Street,
Red Bank,
NJ
07701
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Broad Street Cinema in Red Bank, NJ. seated 100 patrons with American Stellar high-back cinema seats and operated from 1991 to 1995 running first-run, sub-run, classic and “art film” features from all of the major studios. This is referred to “splitting the screen” in order to share several different features on one screen, which was a tremendous accomplishment from a studio booking standpoint.
Fresh AAA grade popcorn complemented with real Land-O-Lakes butter was served at the concession, prices $1.00 to $2.00 for candy, beverage or popcorn buckets.
A happy and helpful staff was paid $10.00 per hour, which was over the top in those days, but they were worth so much more as they were, in a word, perfect! So kind, intelligent and helpful. They each moved on to great success in life.
A functional 100 year old antique telephone was offered free (pre-smartphone era) of charge to guests in the large 54 foot lobby complete with working antique radio, Imported Italian sofas and a trellis with live flowering plants.
Projection systems included; a Century-SA 35MM projector head, ORC Xenon lamp-house complemented with a Ballantyne-Strong platter system and 4 track Dolby stereo sound decoder. Also a Bell & Howell JAN twin head carbon-ARC 16MM projector system was maintained to support small independent features popular at the time.
In Broad Street Cinema’s hay-day free reservations were required for all showtimes.
It all came crashing down when the owner was involved in a major automobile accident, hit by a drunk driver. The owner survived (no fatalities) but required extensive medical treatment in 2 hospitals. Yes, the owner survived and is doing rather well today, but the business, in his absence did not.
I should know, I was the owner. My name is Keith, and at the age of 24, Broad street Cinema (Cinema Classics Company) was my pet project that brought so much joy to so many people.
After the accident, I returned home to my career in network television in New York City. To this day when I am at work in a busy noisy TV studio, during a quiet moment backstage that little theater and all of the wonderful staff, guests and townspeople of hip 1990’s Red Bank still bring a smile to my heart.
Thank you all so much for the warm memories!
-Keith
Sorry to hear of your misfortune. In 1995, I became the full time projectionist at the Middlebrook Galleria, a few miles down the road. These days I an a stagehand, having just celebrated 35 years in the IATSE local. And I am the house projectionist at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank since 2005. I always wanted to run my own theatre. Even had blueprints drawn up for a twin, but it never happened.
jimmyt
please add cinema III/Clearview as a separate listing to CT.
cinema III still exists as the Clearview Red Bank and is located at 36 White Street. it operates as a twin cinema with an art house policy. The building at 58 Broad St was called the Broad Street Cinema. It only operated for a couple of years in the ‘90s playing a hodgepodge of revivals and second run . The place seated only about 100, and projection was in 16mm. The Broad Street never caught on and has been converted back to retail use.
Robert R:
Was this cinema located at 58 Broad Street? If so, it is now a Mr. Mattress, having previously been an art gallery:
A second-generation business owner, Abe Feldmus decided to open his family’s third Mr. Mattress store at 58 Broad St. in Red Bank after moving to town four years ago.
“It’s a great destination town,” said Feldmus, who converted an art gallery space to a mattress showroom featuring Sealy and Stearns & Foster mattresses, beds, and futons, in sizes ranging from single to king. He pointed out the openings for a projector that are still visible in the walls of the store, which once was the location of Red Bank Cinema.
extracted from View link
05/07/72 CINEMA lll, REDBANK, NJ
No set details known. ONE show, 5PM, with Springsteen (solo) the only artist on the bill – a benefit for 1972 Presidential candidate George McGovern. It is not known how long Bruce’s performance lasted but the $3 donation also included a ticket to see the evening movie. BRUCEBASE reader Larry comments: “I was going through a friend’s Bruce collection, trying to date his early memorabilia and I found this hand made Poster, which came from the Theater’s Box Office
See handwritten poster (is this authentic ?!) at this link:
http://www.brucebase.shetland.co.uk/gig1972.htm#18