Ward Theatre

The Ward Theater, my late husband used to go there as a child in the sixties. He would tell me about the live appearances they had there, specifically The Munsters. I believe other theaters did this, as well.

Hello-

can anyone remember the last movie to play here? the only film i can remember seeing here was The Three Stooges Meet Hercules.

Major part of my childhood, from the 1960’s to mid 70’s. I tell people all the time I would see these films, great one unedited. This was the place. I also feel it had a great sound system, It was shabby but comfortable. Saw The Wild Bunch, Little Big Man, Vault of Horror; the list goes on, really good films there, Not new releases and sometime they just played anything, The Grasshopper was one. Lets just say the age issue did not apply. They would also play the holiday specials like The Ten Commandants Easter weekend, people would go because it was big screen and unedited. Does anyone remember Miss Bellinie and her 6'8" son. She kept over 1000 kids in line, or in their seats every weekend for years. Later in the mid 70’s Black exploitation and Kung Fu movies had taken over, but thanks to the owners, I was able to see many classics I see on TCM today and can relive them as the director wanted it to be seen.

Grew up in the Soundview Area & went to C.S 152 back in 81-83 but I remember the Marquee after it closed. Last time I been past there it was a Cookie’s Department Store…

to martin gross weekdays was .12 cents sat was.16 cents sun was.25cents on sat. you would see 3 movies a chapter &10 cartoons the vigalante on some sat. you would have a yo yo contest on stage cheerio/duncan the time frame 1944 to 1952 buying candy in theater was a option but candy king & woolworth 5&10 were the real deal club36

The Ward Theatre was part of the Skouras chain. Spyros Skouras was also president of a major studio — either 20th Century Fox or Paramount.
Apparently in its early ears, it was also a vaudevillel theatre. There still remained a magnificent electric organ — however, its wiring had long ago been yanked out and sinister-looking cables were still draped like tentacles over the massive 3-manual keyboard, which looked like one of the awesome gadgets featured in the science fiction serials which made up part of the Saturday Afternoon menu.
On Saturdays, for 12 cents, later an inflationary 25 cents, we saw a double bill, a Western, a serial, animated cartoons ranging from primitive black and white to sophisticated Disney and Lantz creations, coming attractions, the newsreel and a public service short, in those war days, generally a War Bonds appeal, with the lights going up at the end of the movie and volunteers from the AWVS — the American Womens Volunteer Service— going up and down the aisles trolling for contributions.
One of my most enduring memories was of the Saturday afternoon when my best friend Vinnie and I were enjoying a Western when the lights suddenly went up and the PA system announced that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. Encouraged by the uniformed matron, Katie (“K-K-K-Katie”), we unwillingly shuffled out as though we were in a fire drill at PS 93 or PS 77, kids who looked upon it all as some sort of adventure.(I seem to recall later being issued a plastic disc ID— dogtags, as it were. But that may have been much later, as part of the Cold War.)
The Ward occupied most of the front of the block on Westchester Ave, with stores — on either side of its entrance. There was a two-story-high office building attached to the Ward Theatre, where an optician and several other small businesses had kept going during the Depression.
I recall fire exits backing up on both Ward Ave. and Boynton Ave., where I lived (further down the street near Watson Ave.), from 1939 to the early ‘60’s.
ProfMarty

In the early 1950’s when I was attending P.S. 77, which was a few blocks from the Ward Theater, I recall getting a series of tickets at school for Saturday morning shows with features especially suited for young children.

Now I found an ad for April 1959 and it’s listed as an Interboro Theatre. Maybe Interboro got rid of it and it was taken over by an independant. This ad shows an Academy Award double bill of “The Defiant Ones” and “I Want to Live”.