The Sunday Memory Drawer - Movieland in Yonkers

I am not sure why I care, but I do.

Driving around Westchester last weekend, I was astounded by a sign on the marquee outside the Movieland multiplex on Central Avenue in Yonkers.

"CLOSING JUNE 24.  WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATRONAGE."

I almost slammed down on the brakes. 

Cue the flood of memories.  And it starts with the photo above of the now rundown and sadly defunct theater.

I've often reminisced here about the glorious movie palaces of Mount Vernon, New York.  The ones I frequented as a child with first my parents and then my neighborhood chums.  But I clearly went through a cinematic hiatus during my late high school and early college years.  Mostly because I was too busy with school and, more importantly, non-school activities.  But, also because there really wasn't anyplace to see a movie that was local to our homes.

Sure, there was the Central Plaza Theater in Yonkers.  It was cool with a balcony in both viewing rooms.  And a nifty waterfall in the lobby.  But, thanks to the always unnecessary expansion, they sliced the place into four viewing rooms.  The balcony versions were hideous.  And I'm sure it was some cockamamie Yonkers city ordinance that killed the waterfall.

The same could be said for the Bronxville Theater, conveniently located near my hometown Mount Vernon.  That, too, used to be a single screen theater, but, in the mid 70s, was carved up into a threeplex which still remains to this day.  But, other than these two venues, the pickings were slim.

And, once out of college, I was ready to devote some extensive time again into my moviegoing hobby.  Plus they were a perfect choice for an evening's agenda, albeit with a good friend or a date.

Which is why Movieland was so initially important to me.  Brand spanking new on Central Avenue and ideal for this passage into my adult cinematic life.

I was there the evening the place opened.  It was the first day of release for "Saturday Night Fever."  And I was immediately drawn to see what this new showplace would be all about.

Movieland was, gasp, a fourplex in a day where twelveplexes were unfathomable.  And, if there is such a thing as a new car smell, there was also that night a "new theater smell."  Fresh popcorn. Chlorine-cleaned restrooms.  Comfy seats.

For several years, this was the only place where I went to the movies.   And I can tick off the pictures of the day.  All seen at Movieland.

"The Turning Point."

"The Goodbye Girl."

"On Golden Pond."

"Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

"ET: The Extraterrestrial."

"Grease."

"Tootsie."

"An Unmmarried Woman."

"Kramer Vs. Kramer."

"Breaking Away."

"Raiders of the Lost Ark."

And on and on and on.

If I really dug down into the hard drive of my mind, I could probably conjure up a particular story about each of them. 

Oddly, I felt compelled to go to Movieland on its closing day.  I wanted to make sure that it was properly bookend-ed in my life.  I was there the first day...and the last.

Last Sunday afternoon, the only movie that worked into my timing was, unfortunately, "Men in Black 3."  So, off I went.  To see a piece of shit. 

And to close out a small portion of my existence.  Complete with photos.

The place, of course, was incredibly trashed over time.  The original owners were B.S. Moss---whoever the hell they are.  But, Movieland was later transferred over to United Artists.  At its end, the owner was Regal Entertainment.

Somebody down the line enclosed the box office with this housing.  At its beginning, you lined up outside.  In the rain.  The heat.  The snow. 

I remember one such queue for a big hit of the day.  I was there with my good friend, Djinn from the Bronx.  It was pouring but we obviously had a need to see some movie.  So, we stood out in the deluge.  There was a little girl behind us and she was lucky enough to have an umbrella.  The spokes of which she kept poking Djinn in the head with.  This would only go on so long.  Djinn from the Bronx eventually turned to the poker.

"Madam, please!  Stop hitting me with your umbrella."

I couldn't believe my pal's response.  Madam??

The kid looked quizzically at Djinn.  Probably the first time in life that this poor little ten-year-old had been addressed as an adult.

The sign says "coming soon."  Er, I don't think so.

Movieland ended its life as a sixplex.  This was the lobby at its close.  When it opened, there was a big concession stand smack in the middle.  This prompted lots of confusion.  The ticket holder lines morphed into the popcorn buyer lines.  Crowd control as orchestrated by Mack Sennett and the Keystone Kops.  Invariably, you missed the trailers and sometimes even the first five minutes of your movie.

When Movieland first opened, there was a play area for kiddies waiting to see whatever junk was tailored for them.  On its last day, the play area still existed.  With no kids to be found anywhere.

This was where I saw my last movie at Movieland.  Since "MIB 3" was playing in three different rooms, I had to guess where the 115PM show was being unspooled.  Not only were there no patrons, but no ushers as well.

Oh, good, there were employees on duty.  Two, in fact.  Manning the concession stand.  No line on this day.  The guy behind the counter watched me take this picture and asked me if I was with ABC News.

According to these worker-bees, Movieland had been empty for the last three months.  Apparently, the new Ridge Hill movie complex off the New York State Thruway had siphoned off some patrons.  Now I've been there and it is a really nifty venue.  The only problem?  Such easy access from the Thruway....and the Bronx...makes the clientele there a bit questionable.  A great place to see a movie and listen to the people behind you talk all the way through it.

Meanwhile, back at the Movieland demise, I wandered around some more.  The employees don't know what will happen to the building.  For potential buyers, I can offer the following tidbits from my own past history.

A great place to be in warm weather because the air conditioning was straight from Alaska.

A lousy place to be in cold weather because the heating was also straight from Alaska.  And non-existent.

A wonderful place to develop a business for chiropractors as the now shop-worn seats are hot beds for lower back pain.

But, back when, I overlooked all of the above.  It was a great place to make memories of my young adulthood.  Take in a movie and then head off to Peppercorns on the Saw Mill River Parkway for some dinner.  My friend Djinn would have a bourbon sour and a More cigarette.  I'd always flirt with the cute waitress and wonder if she had a boyfriend.  And, always, we'd talk about what we just saw at Movieland.

Movieland isn't there anymore.  And, come to think of it, neither is Peppercorns.

Two more reasons why a memory drawer is a must-have in everyone's life.

Dinner last night:  Bacon burger at Go Burger in Hollywood.