RKO Marble Hill Theatre

Al Alvarez on February 22, 2010 at 4:54 am

This theatre was/is located in Manhattan, not The Bronx.

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zoetmb on December 31, 2010 at 3:35 am

The theatre is just north of 231st and Broadway and is most certainly The Bronx, regardless of the name. I lived off of 238th street (also the Bronx) when I was a child and spent many a Saturday at the RKO Marble Hill and sometimes at the independent Dale theatre around the corner. The RKO was always much more fun although the Dale tended to play better films (my father took me to see Fantasia at the Dale around 1955).

I also remember the matron: in my time (early 1960s), there was one, white haired matron who wore a white uniform (looking somewhat like a nurse) and who always wanted me to sit in the “children’s section” even when I was forced to pay the adult ticket price. In the early 60’s, they ran a Saturday promotion which still included a double feature, cartoons, newsreels, etc. for the massive sum of 20 cents. In those days, it was considered safe enough to send little kids to the movies by themselves.

I remember seeing both “The Tingler” and “13 Ghosts” at the RKO Marble Hill. I remember being very disappointed that the seats were not wired for “The Tingler” as they were in first-run theatres to give patrons a little buzz whenever the Tingler “got loose”. But they did give out the blue and red viewers so you could choose to see or not see the ghosts in “13 Ghosts.” I think the hot dogs were 25 cents back then, which was considered quite expensive, but I ate many anyway. Around the corner, on the south side of 231st street just west of Broadway was a pizza place that sold gigantic slices of pizza for 15 cents. One slice was more than enough.

The Three Stooges may have made a live appearance there, but my memory on that is a bit fuzzy.

One negative back then is that smoking was still permitted and the theatre was always filled with smoke.

gpacramp on June 21, 2015 at 4:20 am

Al Alvarez This movie theater is NOT located in Manhattan and never has been.Manhattan never went past 230th street and Broadway .This movie theater was located between 231st and 232nd street On Broadway

Al Alvarez on June 21, 2015 at 5:07 am

GPACRAMP, I stand corrected. This theatre was indeed always on the Bronx side of Marble Hill.

robboehm on June 23, 2015 at 3:09 am

Uploaded an image of the theater. The source was purported to be Cinema Treasures, except it wasn’t on Cinema Treasures for the Marble Hill. So who knows where it appeared before now.