Ruby Theatre

I always noticed the theatre as well in the opening segments of Bowery Boys pictures. I clipped the scene and posted it here today.

The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company shipped a small pipe organ, their opus 1376, style B, II/4+percussions, to “Rivington Theatre, NY” in the summer of 1926. Since the Ruby is a small theatre, on Rivington Street, and the only theatre of 3 on the street listed on Cinema Treasures as opening in 1926, seems likely that that organ was installed in this theatre. It’s a just a guess though.

Was also drawn to this page based on seeing the stock footage used during the titles of the Bowery Boys' “Dig That Uranium” from 1955, as televised this morning on TCM. Given the passing bus in the foreground, and the comments made here, the shot was taken from the northeast corner of Essex and Rivington, facing west across Rivington toward Ludlow and beyond. The bus was part of the privately run Avenue B & East Broadway Bus Company, which may have had only one or two routes. Although the bus ran principally along Essex St./Avenue A, it was known in the neighborhood as the Avenue B bus, or simply the “red bus,” as this was its color to distinguish it from the city-operated green buses which evolved into the current MTA bus lines.I really don’t remember the theater, growing up in that neighborhood from the late 50’s through the mid-70’s. I do of course know the hotel referred to earlier in this thread, and I think the ground floor space was also for a number of years the site of the Ying Fong Chinese Restaurant, which later relocated to a storefront on Essex Street.

Finally caught the opening scenes of this past Saturday’s Bowery Boys feature on TCM and saw the Ruby marquee. Any idea when that scene was shot? The 2nd Ave. elevated train is in the background. Somethings remain the same.The water tower belonging to University Settlement continues as part of the LES skyline.

I see that I’m at least the 3rd person drawn to this listing by seeing the stock footage of the Ruby Theatre at the beginning of the Bowery Boys movies that are being telecast by TCM on Saturday mornings. Oddly enough, I saw some of these movies originally at a drive in theatre in rural Tennessee, where rereleases of Bowery Boys movies continued to be popular through the early to mid 60’s. It was always a treat when they would have a Bowery Boys triple feature over the weekend. Haven’t seen most of these movies since then. Seems ironic that a high rise boutique hotel is now located on the site that I now connect with the Bowery!

Turner Classic Movies recently televised the Bowery Boys feature “Feudin' Fools”. Following the main titles there were two New York City “stock footage” establishing shots. The first was that of the New York skyline and second was a street scene in which the marquee of the Ruby Theatre was clearly visible in the background. If I recall correctly, these same two shots were used at the beginning of a number of other Bowery Boys features of the mid 1950s.

I witnessed the destruction of the building when I was in NYC in 2002 (or 2003?). For many years it was a furniture and mattress outlet. The floor was slightly sloped and one could still see the projection room. I have photograph somewhere. I don’t think that it had more than 600 seats.

Currently the site of a high rise, all-glass boutique hotel, the THOR (the hotel on Rivington).

The theatre was still in operation in 1937.