Newark movie-theatres

Believe it or not, Branord Place had two theatres on the same block. At 11-23 there was the magnificent Branford Theater. A little further up before you reached the next block there was the Adams Theater on 28 Branford Place.

Michelangelo Antonioni's 'Blow up' was released on 22 December 1966.

Branford Theater on 11-23 Brandford Place in 1927.

Branford Theater showing 'Congorilla' in 1932.  

John Steinbeck's play 'Of mice and men', is shown here at Newark's Adams in 1937. It was turned into a film and released in December 1939. 

Leo McCarey's 'Going my way' was released on 3rd May 1944, and was the highest-grossing movie of that year wining the Academy Award as best picture. Bing Crosby got his Oscar as best actor. 

Adams Theatre on 28 Branford Place circa 1945 with the Randy Brooks Orchestra playing live; Randolph E.Brooks (*15 March 1919 + 21 March 1967) began on trumpet at age 6, and by 11 (1930) was touring with Rudy Vallee. Brooks found his own band in 1944; among his hits for Decca Records were 'Tenderly', 'Harlem Nocturne' and 'The man with the horn' but his swing-based style & large ensemble were out-of-step with the times, and his success eroded toward the end of the 1940s.

1970.

Adams Theatre in 2004.

Shubert Theatre on Branford Place.

Keeney Theater at Branford Place in 1918.

Keeney's Theater on Branford Place, was the 3rd of 4 incarnations for this building. It opened as the Shubert Theater in 1912, The Payton Theater in 1913, Keeney Theater in 1918 until 1931 when its name was changed to the Adams Theater.

Loew's Theater on Broad Street & New Street showing Robert Downey Sr.'s 'Putney Swope' released on 10 July 1969 double-featured with 'The Southern star' (L'Étoile du sud). 

Loew's State Theatre, Broad Street. 

1958.

1923.

1942. 

'Caesar and Cleopatra' opened on 6 September 1946.

The Loew’s State Theatre was part of a 1921 Loew’s building boom that included four theatres by architect Thomas W. Lamb, this one plus the flagship State Theatre in Times Square, NYC; the 83rd St. Theatre also in Manhattan on Upper Broadway; and the Gates Theatre, in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn.

The Newark Loew’s State Theatre first opened on 12 December 1921, presenting vaudeville and a first-run feature movie. Due to its Loew’s affiliation, it was always considered one of the top theatres in downtown Newark. I saw my very first movie there, “The Wizard of Oz”, in its original 1939 release. I lost track of the theatre when my family moved to NYC, but I think that it remained a Loew’s for its entire lifetime. It was closed in 1977, and was demolished in 1978.

National Theatre showing 'Butterfield 80' in 1961. 

National Theatre on 182 Irvine Turner Boulevard, Newark, JN 07108. It was opened in 1914 on what was original named Belmont Avenue. In the 1940s, it began to cater to the African-American audience. 

National Theatre on 182 Irvine Turner Boulevard, Newark, JN 07108.

The National Theatre on Belmont Avenue in Newark was an important institution of leisure and entertainment for Newark’s Black communities. WPA Photographs, NJ State Archives.

Market Street remnants of an old theatre marquee.

Market Street... see Paramount Theater sign on the right-hand side... 

The Rivoli on 208 Ferry Street, in the Ironbound showing 'The mummy' with Boris Karloff, released on 22nd December 1932. 

The Rivoli Theater was opened in 1920. Second-run house serving the Polish and German immigrant community during the 1940s and 1950s. The area changed dramatically in the 1960s and is now a thriving Portuguese and Spanish neighborhood.

I remember only the majestic Greek columns on the exterior of the building and a very ornate mezzanine lobby. As far as I know, the building is still pretty much intact and serves as a furniture showroom.

The Rivoli Theatre play bill of 28 February 1926.

Franksantos7 wrote on 15 July 2005:

 

For the record, the Rivoli is now a furniture store; the bank is next door. I know. I was there every Saturday morning in the mid to late 50s.

I can still remember the ticket booth on the right, walking through the ornate doors, up the slight inclined floor, the snack bar on the left. A quick right, then left into the theater, or right at the snack bar, then right again up the stairs to the mezzanine. At that time the afternoon’s delight was 25 cents.

Chris Marashlian wrote on 20 November 2016:

Remember going to the Rivoli for Saturday afternoon horror matinee movies from the mid to late 50s. Matinees were 15 cents and later Saturday evening shows were 25 cents. Great memories of those days live on!