Theater has enjoyed a tumultuous history
in Brooklyn.
Dependent on the economic health of their neighborhoods, lavish
theaters were built, which flourished before ultimately deteriorating.
A lucky few have also been rehabilitated in recent history. At
one time, live theater, now respected as an art form, was even
perceived to be a low form of entertainment by respectable Brooklynites.
On April 20, about two dozen people braved inclement weather
to walk up and down the streets of Downtown Brooklyn searching
for the sites and former sites of the borough’s legendary theaters
with historian Cezar Del Valle.
The occasion was the Brooklyn Public Library Foundation Brooklyn
Collection walking tour, "Revisiting Brooklyn’s Great Theatres."
And the two dozen people included Ron Schweiger, whom Borough
President Marty Markowitz has appointed the official borough
historian, and Bob Daniels, a representative of the International
Al Jolson Society.
Although there were people on the tour who could recall the declining
years of theaters like the Fox and the Paramount, there were
none who had experienced the great Brooklyn theaters during their
heyday in the ’20s and ’30s. It was these theaters that Del Valle
spoke about.
He reminisced about theaters that have long since fallen into
obscurity, like the Subway Theater, once located on Flatbush
Avenue Extension and politely known as a "Negro house"
until it shut its doors when the subway it had been named after
closed down.
He talked about famous theaters like the Paramount, also on Flatbush
Avenue Extension, now part of Long Island University.
And he took the tour to the one intact, continuously functioning
theater, the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) on Lafayette Avenue.
Ironically, BAM is also the oldest theatrical institution in
Brooklyn. It originally opened on Montague and Clinton streets
on Jan. 15, 1861. Del Valle explained that the Brooklyn Academy
of Music was intended for music and not theater.
"Theater had trouble getting started in Brooklyn,"
he said. "The main reason was religion They worried about
the general behavior of theater people."
But from the very beginning, some of the academy’s board members
wanted theater, and by the end of 1861, the Brooklyn Eagle newspaper
joined the fray, pointing out that the only live theater in Brooklyn
was in concert saloons (a precursor of vaudeville) where one
might "see the elephant." (Del Valle delicately explained
that "the elephant" was a euphemism for another euphemism,
"women whose cheeks have not been blushed by maiden modesty.")
In the next few years several theaters did open in Brooklyn,
and in 1908, five years after the Montague Street building had
been destroyed by fire, BAM opened its present theater with famed
tenor Enrico Caruso (1873-1921) in "Faust."
The building was designed by the firm of Herts and Tallant, architects
whom Del Valle called "relatively inexperienced" because
they had previously only designed three other theaters – the
New Amsterdam, Lyceum and Liberty theaters, all in Times Square.
According to Del Valle, this cream-colored brick building in
neo-Italianate style is "not bad for inexperienced architects."
Anyone sitting in BAM’s 2,000-plus-seat opera house would certainly
agree, and probably be surprised to learn that the original theater
was even more ornate, as much of the ceiling and wall decorations
have been removed over time, according to Del Valle. (BAM’s facade
is currently being restored and, according to a BAM spokesman,
a parapet removed 30 years ago will be replaced.)
In the 1950s, BAM was affected by the general decline of the
downtown area, but under the leadership of its former president
and executive producer Harvey Lichtenstein, between 1969 and
1999, the academy expanded and revitalized its programs, making
BAM an important focus for much of the downtown area’s redevelopment.
By 1909, there were 24 theaters in Brooklyn, including vaudeville
and burlesque (which was outlawed by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia
in 1939). Across from BAM was the Casino, where Bud Abbot (later
to achieve fame with Lou Costello), was treasurer. The building
was torn down in 1930, before it could fall victim to LaGuardia’s
wrath.
The corner of Rockwell and Fulton was a particular haven for
theatergoers. In 1900, Percy Williams opened a variety house,
the Orpheum. In 1909, the Majestic opened with a version of "The
Wizard of Oz." The Majestic, which, according to Del Valle,
"has gone out of business more times than any other Brooklyn
theater," currently houses BAM’s Harvey Theater at 651 Fulton
St.
At the same corner, around the same time, Val Schmidt opened
a restaurant with opera and a Thursday amateur night. (Del Valle
shuddered at the thought.) When the restaurant went out of business,
in 1927, it was replaced by the Montmartre, a movie theater that
promised to show first-run movies but ended up settling for considerably
less.
In 1919, the Strand (now the home of Brooklyn Information &
Culture) opened, featuring live stage shows.
The intersection of Flatbush and Fulton was another theater hotspot.
Here, in 1910, the Raub Plaza opened with stage shows. In 1928,
William Fox opened his 4,000-seat Fox theater with its nautical
interior featuring seashells and sea goddesses. Presiding over
the event were Georgie Jessell performing and the mayor welcoming
the audience from the screen of the new "talkies."
As television put many theaters out of business, the Fox managed
to survive with the help of Murray the K’s rock ’n’ roll concerts,
but was finally torn down in 1970.
In 1907, Flatbush Avenue was extended to meet the Manhattan Bridge.
The Montauk (built in 1894), which was right in the path of destruction,
was moved by Percy Williams to Livingston Street, where it became
the Crescent and later Minsky’s burlesque.
But the most famous theater of Flatbush Avenue Extension was
the Paramount. Built in 1928, this 4,000-plus-seat rococo theater
had its name in 20-foot-high letters at the top of the building
and indoor fountains near the ceiling where dry ice produced
atmospheric mist. It was here that Ginger Rogers danced before
she met Fred Astaire, and George Gershwin first met Ethel Merman.
Now part of Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus, the theater
space is what Del Valle called "the most ornate college
gym in America." It is still home to the 26-ranks of pipes,
four keyboard Wurlitzer organ, which was originally built to
accompany silent movies and now accompanies noisy Blackhawks
basketball games.
[The New York Theatre Organ Society will host a live concert
on this Wurlitzer by organist Ralph Bacha on May 4 at 3 pm. Tickets
are $10. Call (718) 596-6305 for more information.]
With so many other theaters in downtown Brooklyn, Del Valle wonders,
"What in the world were they thinking of?" in 1928.
Most probably, they were thinking the great age of theaters would
go on forever. They certainly didn’t foresee urban flight to
the suburbs, the decline of the downtown area and the rise of
television as the new medium of mass entertainment.
But next time you sit down on the couch and turn on the TV, remember
that 60 years ago you could walk into the Paramount and for $1
see a movie, watch a stage show and still have plenty of money
left over for a snack.
The next Brooklyn Public Library walk is "Cobble Hill
to Boerum Hill" on May 4. For more information about the
library’s walks and tours call (718) 230-2200 or visit www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org.
Also, the Theatre Historical Society of America of Elmhurst,
Ill., will host its 2002 Annual Conclave from July 9 through
July 13 in New York City, with one day offering the public tours
of historic theaters and movie palaces in Brooklyn. For more
information, call Richard Sklenar or Michael Hauser at (630)
782-1800.