Ritz Theatre
50 Clinton Street,
Binghamton,
NY
13905
50 Clinton Street,
Binghamton,
NY
13905
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In the 1914-1915 edition of American Motion Picture Directory there is a New Happy Hour Theatre located at 38 Clinton Street.
…or could be late 1911 as the January 8, 1912 article indicated the theater had been recently opened.
Apparently opened as the Happy Hour Theater in January 1912 (not 1910 as I indicated above). See photo uploaded from Historic Binghamton FB page.
For some reason I remember seeing films in every theater in the area, that were open during my lifetime, except this one. I recall the name and location, and the first band I worked for played in bars on Clinton street a lot, but I don’t recall it even registering that there was a theater on this street. Strange.
What a story…. love it!
I was the last manager of The Ritz the day she collapsed. I got a call from the owner letting me know what happened. From what we were able to deduce, the weight of the 1994 blizzard snow fall landed just right on the roof to start the timbers falling like dominoes. For those who braved going up in to the ceiling crawlspace, it was amazing. The roof was braced with timber measuring 12X12. As soon as the first one fell in the screen side of the auditorium, it was over in a few minutes. The old water tower in back stayed up and since the projection booth was built independently of the hall, it stayed up as well. It did have a severe list forward and the firefighters were afraid it would collapse too. I was shocked to see one of the rooftop HVAC units swinging in the lobby being suspended by electrical wires. We were able to get it braced and save all of the projection equipment. It was my first theatre gig. I loved going up the wrought iron spiral staircase to the booth. I hated hauling up the film cans. The basement was old foundation stone and dirt. Shelves still held decades of memorabilia that sadly was crushed. As stated above, “the auditorium collapsed one morning about two hours before the first show of “Nightmare Before Christmas” was to begin.” That is correct. We were showing Nightmare for a $1 a seat and selling out EVERY show. The house collapsed at about 9:30am. I was supposed to be in at 10:00 top start the popcorn. Doors were opening at 11:15 and first show was scheduled for Noon. Like it said…two hours later and it would have likely ended as one of the Top 10 largest losses of life in a US theatre. Amazing how fate works.
In the 1960s I remember seeing Bob Hope’s Call Me Bawana and James Bond’s Thunderball.
O.K.
As per my post above, IIRC my research in the late ‘70s, using business directories at the Broome Library, showed the Ritz in operation from 1910 on.
Ritz building was built in 1900 according to official records.Ther wer always apartments in the building.The Ritz building and the 3 or 4 next to all look small but that isn’t the case.The buildings all drop 3 stories in the rear and all always held apartments.Most all of the buildings next to the Ritz all held small business in the front on street level.Does anyone know if there was a business where the Ritz was located during the aprox.20 years before the Ritz opened?Thanks very much!! Tom Z
I was the assistant manager at the Ritz in the late 80’s when it was Cinema National. Working at the single screen movie houses in the 80’s was a blast. I worked at all of the Cinema National theatres here in Binghamton. Changing the marquee on those sub-zero thursday nights was a bit of a drag… On a warmer note, the projection booth was unbearably hot in the summer. The basement was amazing. I still have some well preserved 3 cent tickets from the early 1900’s that I found in the basement. I am pretty sure that is my 1975 Monte Carlo in the photo that “Lost Memory” posted. Steve M.
Jack Sharkey(Joseph Paul Zukauckas)Heavyweight Champion of Th World was my fathers first cousin and my Grandparents were his aunt and uncle.The Ritz theater building was built in 1900.The building in the early 1900’s contained many apartments where immigrants lived.My Grandfather and his two brothers one of which was Jacks father came over in 1902 from Kanus Lithuania.This building was Jacks last Binghamton home before he left for the navy and history in 1918.What a terrible waste to destroy a building that held so much local history and more importantly memories of so many.The building was lost for what A beautiful new black topped road,fake antique streetlamps,and best of all empty lots.Antique row??Give me a break.I have seen buildings with much less history saved because of mostly who it was that wanted them saved.Anyone with any info.on the Ritz building from the early 1900’s please feel free to contact me.I do know it was built in 1900 but when did the Ritz go in?Was ther always a business in the front of the building?Anything would be greatly appreciated.Thanks so much!! Tom Zikuski
I did extensive research on theatres in Binghamton in the late ‘70s; the Ritz opened in 1910, not the '20s. At the time it closed it was the oldest operating theatre in town (although very few people were aware of this). The last time I was in it (1989) there was a leak in the roof and a visible stain on the ceiling from it.
When I was in high school in the late 80’s/early 90’s, the Ritz was managed by a classmate of mine who let us in for free. it wasn’t in the best of shape then, and its collapse a coulpe of years later wasn’t a total shock.
“One interesting thing about the Ritz was that in the dirt basement, there were two large wheels with handles on the walls opposite each other. When you turned these wheels in tandem, the pitch of the wooden auditorium floor would change.” Interesting footnote and may have been the only theatre in the country with this unique feature!