Coming Attraction
By Jeffrey Page
Word that a developer is turning the old movie house at the Monticello Mall into a modern five-plex recalls the curious, and sometimes outrageous history of movie theaters in Sullivan County.
On the gentle side of things in the Seventies were the Rivoli in South Fallsburg and the Strand in Loch Sheldrake, both owned at the time by Sam Rosenshein, who also served as the Fallsburg supervisor. The theaters had long passed their glory days and were brooding hulks. Still, Rosenshein kept them open. But they were only crowded on Saturday nights in summer, when they were patronized mostly by tourists. Rainy days brought kids from camps.
When you went to the Rivoli in those days, your shoes stuck to the floor, you sensed that the seats were rarely if ever cleaned, you knew that the popcorn didn’t exactly taste like it was just made, and that if you breathed deeply you were inhaling air that smelled like something swampy.
But what was it? Ahh, it was a dampish combination of muskiness and mildew. That odor and the fact that no theater in the county ever showed the Marx Brothers was why I would take my daughter to the movies in Middletown or Chester, or down to the city if we needed a touch of Groucho to brighten our day.
Sam Rosenshein, an older gent and a genuinely nice guy, kept the Rivoli and Strand open year round. This might have had to do with the fact that he also owned Poppy’s, a popular-priced restaurant just a few blocks from the theater. Rosenshein would lock the Rivoli and then join his customers for coffee and Danish at the restaurant.
Though the Rivoli was quite unpleasant, I still recall it was there that I saw “The Late Show” with Lily Tomlin and Art Carney, having missed it in its initial run of the county. I have no idea why I remember this.
It was at the Rialto Theater in Monticello that the owner, Rick Dames – he would later gain a rep for showing porn – played “Travels With My Aunt” for an audience of seven on a blustery cold night. Dames said the old comedies would never draw an audience. He was right. Once he played a W.C. Fields double bill and said the crowd amounted to 12, which included a friend of mine and me.
Later at the Rialto, he showed pornographic features and then offered the movie “Snuff.” Snuff films, designed for the sickest among moviegoers, purportedly showed the actual murder of women. Some advertising copy for “Snuff” ran: “The film that could only be made in South America where life is cheap.” This resulted in some local feminists bringing obscenity charges against Dames, who eventually left the county.
The county used to be rich in movie houses – the Roscoe, the Ritz in White Lake, four in Monticello, two in Liberty, the Peace Palace in Woodbourne, among others – but as summer tourism declined so did its theaters. The only active movie house in the county nowadays is in Callicoon.
The prospect of a new theater in Monticello is a treat for anyone who loves film.
jeffrey@zestoforange.com
Tags: Jeffrey Page, movie theaters, Sullivan County
April 26th, 2012 at 5:31 am
Wonderful nostalgia, Jeff. Brought me back to my youth growing up @ the Jersey Shore….The Palace in Bradley Beach where, indeed, my feet stuck to the floor; the 1,001 Arabian Night deco of The Mayfair in Asbury Park— or maybe it was merely rococo (I was too young to know anything about interior design!)….not to speak of the Lyric.
Russ
April 28th, 2012 at 11:37 am
In 1975, I saw a movie — I won’t say which one — in the theater iatthe otherwise empty Monticello Mall. I was audience of one. I’ve not been able to repeat that achievement, and I’ve seen a lot of bad movies in obscure theaters.
April 30th, 2012 at 6:01 pm
Hi Jeff,
When John and I were driving on Route 42 through So. Fallsburgh last week on our is it from Maine, I was amazed to see the old Rivoli still standing. It made me think of one of the few times I’d been in there. It was with our daughter, Kim. Perhaps 15 at the time (imagine her going to the movies with her parents!!!), she kept raising her feet from the floor, and finally said, “if we stay here long enough, we might not be able to leave” or words to that effect. Ah, memories of Sullivan County!
Jean
April 30th, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Phil, A one-person audience? That beats all. I hope the popcorn was fresh, but I’ll bet it wasn’t. I hope it was a good film.
April 30th, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Jean, The only legitimate word for movie going in Sullivan County at a certain point was “disgusting.” “Nauseating fits pretty well, too.
JP
May 1st, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Phil, I saw Travels With My Aunt at one of Rick Dames’ theaters in Monticello. It looked like I was going to be the only patron until two other people showed up.
In addition to the mildew, at Sam Rosenshein’s theaters you also got a running narrative from the audience, half of whom were explaining the movie to the other half who were hard of hearing.