Touchstone palaces of my youth: old Yankee Stadium, the original movie houses up 86th Street East 86th Street
Yesterday, I took a trip on the PATH train to the classic Loew’s Jersey Theatre at Journal Square.
This beauty opened in 1929 same year my Dad was born. It has 3100 seats, same size as the old 86th Street RKO.
Secret, don’t tell anybody: the Yorkville RKO’s Lounge downstairs under
the lobby was huge with lots of comfy furniture, a giant black table and several
paintings. Matching its size, the urinals in the men’s room were mammoth. Top of
one came up to my eight year old head. When we played hide and seek in the RKO
after watching the movie twice we’d sometimes hide in the urinals.
The urinals are not over-sized at the Loew’s Jersey but everything else about it made me feel like an
explorer breaking through the bush and finding an ancient city. From outside the theatre you barely get a
sense of the majesty beyond the gold doors. All the luxurious decorations
inside are there to help suspend your disbelief for a few hours and transport
you to another world. Last night, I went
to the land of the “Dude.” The film was “The Big Lebowski.” I felt safe knowing
“the Dude abides.” By the way,
before the film we were entertained by an organ that rose from the orchestra
pit. This was a blow my mind bonus since the Yorkville theatres had no live music when I was
a boy. You had to go to Radio City
Thank you, Eric Vetter, for turning me on to this treasure, I had a blast last night.
Thank you, Eric Vetter, for turning me on to this treasure, I had a blast last night.
Below are pictures from Loew’s Jersey Theatre and a link to a hundred other photographs.
4 comments:
I love your description of the urinals, the organ is beautiful, the pictures are so really good you are terrific at photography.
thank you, LindaLynne.
During the war years I would meet my mother coming home from at Horn and Hardarts by Loew's on 86th street.thats where I learned to eat cream spinach. After eating we go see a double feature at Loews.aside..Lindens bar next to loews is where my neighborhood classmates from Hayes would stop off for a Hot Dog at the open air bar and grill.Coming home one day we caught Tommy Henrich hitting a game winning homer off Newcomb.
Joe, thank you, Horn & Hardart was one of my favorites, too. I'm jealous you got to see Brooklyn play the Yankees and witness a Henrich homer off Big Daddy Newcombe. I'm too young to remember the Dodgers in NY but having three baseball teams, having them all do well in late 40s and early 50s, that must have been something. The arguing over the three centerfielders that I would have liked to be part of.
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