Savoy Theatre

2341 Hughes Avenue,
Bronx, NY 10458

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Additional Info

Previous Names: Hughes Theatre, Cinelli's Italian-American Savoy

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Savoy Theatre

This theater originally opened as the Hughes, and was later known as Cinell’s Italian-American Savoy Theatre and still later, simply the Savoy Theatre. It was located at Hughes Avenue and 186th Street, in the Belmont neighborhood of the Bronx, the “Little Italy” of that borough.

The Savoy Theatre closed by 1970, and was later torn down to make way for the Enrico Fermi Cultural Center and Belmont branch of the New York Public Library.

Contributed by Bryan

Recent comments (view all 10 comments)

charliek
charliek on September 12, 2004 at 12:07 pm

To view a recent pic of the Enrico Fermi Center, on the site of the Savoy, click here and scroll to bottom of page:
View link

iarussi
iarussi on April 28, 2005 at 11:49 pm

The Savoy was a place where I saw many of the movie classics with my mom as a little kid. As I got older, i attended the matinees,as a teen it became a makout place.

It was located right on 186th street and Hughes avenue in the Bronx.
A very Italian area that was not yet commercially called “Little Italy In The Bronx”

The Savoy was just across from Addeos Bakery and the four corners outside the Theatre was used as a “tar top” baseball field for all of us off the curb enthusiasts. A game played with a “spaldeen”

It was the place to see the reruns of old movies, beach blanket movies, Batman, the movie with Adam West. It played Italian movies a couple of nights a week and then in the 70’s while on its last gasp. Regretably, they showed porn movies.

it was the place where I saw the replays of the fights of Cassius Caly/Muhammid Ali. Unfortunately, I can still remember the boos and the n word being shouted at the screen

The Savoy holds many great memoeries for me as a young child. Watching Elvis Movies, Abbot and Costello, the 3 stooges, etc

The Savoy like other old Bronx moviehouses like the RKO Fordham, The Valentine, The Ascot and the , Loews Paradise, better known to bronx Natives as the Lowees ahve all gone away. the day of the magnificent movie houses are gone

PaulaDM
PaulaDM on November 6, 2006 at 4:02 am

I am the co-writer of the book “Belmont & Arthur Avenue” and I thank you for pointing out the fact that, given its rich history, more detailed information should have been included about Cinelli’s Savoy Theatre (or “The Dumps” as it came to be known.) From my generational viewpoint, that wonderful (if verbally mistreated) neighborhood theater had already reached its “Dumps” stage, and with a child’s eye, I neglected to embrace its true history. That’s not to say that we didn’t all LOVE having our very own movie theater in our midst. We treasure our memories of seeing our first 3-D movies there, the free dish sets given out, the cranky old matron who tried to keep order among us, etc. etc. etc. We were very, VERY lucky to have grown up in that neighborhood, at that particular time. It was just the perfect place for kids, and families, something we neighborhood alumni all agree about, and share the warmest of memories. Perhaps I can convince the publisher Steve Samtur to do a follow-up book, focusing on the actual history of such an important area of the Bronx.

Ken Roe
Ken Roe on December 27, 2006 at 7:38 am

In the 1926 edition of Film Daily Yearbook this is listed as the Hughes Theatre, 186th Street & Hughes Avenue (no seating capacity is given, so this could have recently opened when the F.D.Y. went to print). In the 1930 edition of F.D.Y. it is known as the Savoy Theatre with 1,000 seats.

prompterbob
prompterbob on July 1, 2008 at 1:31 pm

I’m 55 and grew up on Beaumont Avenue. My best childhood memories are going to the Savoy every Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) for the children’s matinee. I really miss that place. I just found an 8mm film I took when they demolished the Savoy. I plan to put it on YouTube soon.

prompterbob
prompterbob on January 2, 2009 at 5:39 pm

I just posted a short film I made about The Savoy. You can watch it on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1ftGm69Hs4&fmt=18

prompterbob
prompterbob on January 3, 2009 at 3:45 pm

Thanks Warren. Yeah, most of the old theatres are unrecognizable, except for the ones turned into churches or bingo halls. They still have the marquee outside.

prompterbob
prompterbob on July 1, 2009 at 6:29 am

I recently updated the short film I made about the Savoy, which shows when the theater was demolished. You can watch it on YouTube at the link below…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bU63XQghLMY&fmt=18

iarussi
iarussi on October 1, 2015 at 7:17 pm

I saw allot of movie here as a child. back when the theater was owned by a lady lovingly called “Minnie Mouse”. Well, maybe she was not the owner. i am not sure. i also remember her husband. He used to dribble allot and had very strange glasses. I felt bad for them because the kids teased them.. I never did tease them, Honest! I saw so many movies there alone, with my mom, with my friend. I remember seeing Batman, Boxing Matches with Cassius Clay on the wide screen! I saw the Sword In The Stone, Jerry Lewis Dean martin Comedies, The 3 Stooges, Abbot and Costello, James Bond, etc.

Decoman36
Decoman36 on February 18, 2022 at 1:49 pm

I came across this Youtube video which briefly discusses this theater. Bring the video out to 15:12. The short segment about this theater ends at 16:21. The rest of the video is an interesting walk thru of The Bronx Little Italy today. The people being interviewd can be a little “politically incorrect” at times, please don’t comment about that here. You may comment on the Youtube video itself if you wish. Please keep the discussion on this page to this movie theater, or the stores in close proximity. I’ll try to make the link clickable, If I fail, just copy and paste the link below. Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B5ZP2X7c8I

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