RKO Commack Twin
Veterans Highway,
Commack,
NY
11725
Veterans Highway,
Commack,
NY
11725
5 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 155 comments
The RKO Commack Twin opened on December 22nd, 1967. Grand opening ad already posted.
And the Commack Cinemas succumbed to the Deer Park Multiplex.
Please update closed in late 1987. Couldn’t compete with the New National Amusements Commack Cinemas. RKO Century competed with Commack for 5 years. Once Cineplex Odeon took over, the place was closed.
BVD1 , thank you for those photos ! So that was the staff when I was there to see “Willy Wonka” in 1971 !
If you haven’t already done so, check out the few photos I found from the theater. Several employees of the time I was there, including my sister, Ruth Ulip, Diane Urban and others. All vintage 1972-76
It was an RKO-Stanley Warner, and an RKO Century Warner before closing up.
Not for a twin and a Multiplex near by
Had this theater remained open, it would’ve become an RKO-Stanley Warner, then a Cineplex Odeon, then a Loews Cineplex, and finally an AMC.
This message is for snipit13, or family or friends of the late Jim Ward, movie theater manager. I was friends with Jim in Queens Village and at the RKO Alden in Jamaica from 1961 to 1964. Jim and I used to visit Times Square Records and buy rare 45’s from Slim. We didn’t keep in touch for a long long time, but I still remember his mom and dad, his sister Geraldine (snipit13?) and his brothers John and Edward. And Bosco. I’m sorry to hear that Jim passed away in 2004 as I always hoped we’d meet again. I’d like to know more about Jim’s life and career from the 70’s until 2004, and I’d like to see photos of what he looked like during that time. I knew his friends Harold, and Jimmy White but I never kept in touch with them either. Wishing you good health, Les (Les Fox / New Jersey.) My email address is: .
Yes, I should have clarified that. National Amusements (at least when Sunrise Cinemas opened in Valley Stream) was last 8 rows, if I recall. I remember you could look back and see the blue fog of cigarette smoke swirling in the light from the projector.
Number of rows varied. I think Century was 10. However, at the Mid- Island, there was a special section, with special admission and different seats surrounded by a metal railing. Subsequently there was no smoking and the railing came down. Those special seats disappeared when multiple auditoriums were created.
I remember that smoking policy was pretty standard in most chains. Or up in the balcony only, where they had them.
As an usher I remember having to announce to all the customers entering each of the theatres that “Smoking is permitted, last 12 rows”. The mens changing room for the employees smelled like old socks. Many of us would come directly from soccer, or lacrosse practice and change into our tuxedos.
The candy stand did look like this and was modernized around 1980 ,this and the RVC were the 2 busiest out off the RKO Twin format.
That image is off by couple of miles — how to fix it?
General Cinema did it too,Bloop,The concessionstand Girls hated walking the aisles for money.
Not one mention of the Will Rogers donation can collections and film clip before all RKO movies in the 70s and 80s????? Your thoughts……
A standard RKO Twin snack bar, partitioned so that nobody “crosses the line” . The Commack looked just like this one?
View link
We had one wild time back then!
Hey does anyone remember Angelo and Jean back in 76 and ‘77?
This has been wonderful hearing about my brother Jim Ward. He left a fantastic record collection. He truly loved his job. He also loved his young employees and friends. It is great to hear the other side of him as a boss. His personality is truly missed. It’s been 5 ½ years sinced he passed, but everyday I think about him. He went on to be Division Manager for Loews theatres until he couldn’t work anymore. He saw how things were changing in the theatre business and was very unhappy about it. I went to the Loews at Stony Brook the other night, it definitely has lost it’s atmosphere of a home town theatre. Thanks for the memories.
More things I remember working at the RKO Twin.
1. The candy, especially the chocolate, always had bugs in them. As kids we really didn’t know about rotating the stock, DUH! They finally started putting celophane wrappers on the box.
2. Jim Ward had a policy of letting Police Officers in for free, as long as they showed their ID’s. Of course some where trying to use PBA Badges for free entry.
3. I was not only an usher, but the guy who mowed the lawn and trimmed the shrubs. Looking back, I did a lousy job.
4. Jim Ward loved the fifties, especially the music, and passed the music onto us.
And if you scroll down further on the link Lost Memory has accomplished you will see the vandalized remains of the Commack DriveIn pylon now also gone.
Lost Memory, could you post it bigger?
Yup.