Monroe goes to the movies

Editor’s note: While the debate continues over the future of the former Monroe Theatre, Town Historian James A. Nelson examines the community’s century-long fascination with motion pictures. Part one of Nelson’s article appeared in print in last week’s Photo News; his piece concludes with this installment. The story will appear online in its entirety this week at thephoto-news.com.



By James A. Nelson

MONROE — A couple of years ago a Monroe resident said to me that he loved taking his dates up to the balcony of the Colonial Theater.

I thought to myself, the theater did not have a balcony, and maybe his date was imaginary, too.

‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’

The late Bill “Pop” Rogers spoke at the Fireman’s Hall of the attendance of George M. Cohan at a private preview of the biography of his life in the 1942 film “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” The late James Cagney plays Mr. Cohan in the movie.

Mr. Cohan and his family were very much part of the local community, shopping and going to church in Monroe. The family had their summer home “Sunnycroft” on Bakertown Road in the Town of Woodbury.

Mr. Cohan was reportedly apprehensive about the making of this movie and did not expect it to be very successful. At the end of the movie, Pop Rogers asked Mr. Cohan how he enjoyed the film. Mr. Cohan replied “what a hard act to follow.”

Mr. Cohan died a few months later in November 1942.

Opening night 1949

In August of 1948 work started on a new theater to be erected on Mill Pond Parkway in Monroe, by Carlisle and Walter Neithold who had opened the Goshen Theater on March 10, 1939.

Ten years to the day, the Monroe Theatre opened. It was reported that the theater had seating for 800 people and that on opening night 1,000 people were in attendance.

On opening night a friend of my family, Helen Gleason, star of the Metropolitan Opera and a number of Broadway musicals, sang the Star Spangled Banner. The opening night proceeds were donated to the Monroe Community House.

Christmas shows

One of the highlights at the movies when we were kids was the annual Christmas shows at the Colonial and the Monroe Theatres. With both theaters in operation, the show at the Colonial was sponsored by Mr. Stravitz and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce and the one at the Monroe Theatre was sponsored by the Monroe Post American Legion.

The children would have to bring gifts for the veterans at Castle Point Hospital. The gifts would be candy, cigarettes, books, records, cookies or other appropriate items. I always remember our favorite shorts at these shows was the Three Stooges.

The impact of TV

With television becoming more popular in the 1950’s, attendance at the movies was declining and the two theaters in Monroe were no longer very profitable. In May 1954 the Monroe Theater was purchased by Rudolph and Bessie Stravitz.

On Oct. 10, 1954 the Stravitz’s closed the Colonial Theater; the last movies shown there were “Francis Joins the WACs” and “Killer Leopard.”

As the years passed, the Monroe Theatre aged. People noted the mended seats, musty smells and of course the famous tear in that big screen.

Ah! That big screen!

At the end, it was the only indoor big screen left in the county, a relic from the past as the rest of the theaters had small screens.

The Stravitz family continued to operate the Monroe Theatre for many years. Even after her husband’s death, Bessie Stravitz was always out front operating the theater, until January 1999 when the Monroe Theater shut its doors. The last movie was “Star Trek Insurrection.”

Bessie Stravitz died in October 2006 at the age of 99.

Norman Adie

In 2002, one Norman Adie came to Monroe with a vision of renovating the Monroe Theatre into a five-screen theater on two floors. He came with credentials, saying he had been in the movie business since 1967 and at the time was operating three movie houses in Brooklyn. They proceeded to gut the interior of the theater expecting to make extensive renovations. The engineer on the project decided it was easier to start from scratch, so the building was razed.

People waited for the theater to be erected. When steel girders went up in 2004, people in Monroe thought their hopes of a new theater where being realized.

But hopes faded as construction lay dormant for months. Jay Wilkins, the Village of Monroe Building Inspector, could not get answers to his questions from Mr. Adie or the contractor. It appears that Mr. Adie’s financing had evaporated as his construction costs escalated.

In early 2006 the Town of Monroe was looking at the rusting frame for a possible sight for a town hall. They never came to an agreement with the owners on the price and their engineer told them that it would be cheaper to tear down the steel frame and start from scratch.

In September 2006 the Village of Monroe under Mayor John Karl planned to do a blight study as the next step toward tearing down the rusting steel frame.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer called Mayor Karl and advised him that U.S. Department of Agriculture had agreed to lend Mr. Adie $4.85 million to complete the project. On March 2007, Mr. Adie bought the property back from One Liberty Properties.

On May 10, 2008, success finally came as the new Monroe Cinema 6 opened to large crowds.

Unfortunately the elevator was not functioning so under the American Disabilities Act, only first level theaters could be used until the elevator was repaired.

The drama at the theater continued when Mr. Adie was charged in November 2010 with two counts of securities fraud and two counts of wire fraud by federal prosecutors. At the same time RBS Citizens Bank was proceeding with a foreclosure action against Mr. Adie since he had not paid the mortgage in over a year. It was reported in the Times Herald-Record that the theater was attracting large weekend crowds, providing a boost to local businesses.

The theater continued to operate during the foreclosure action, but in September 2011 it was shut down by the building inspector because the elevator was no longer working.

Mr. Adie pleaded guilty in December 12, 2011 and was sentenced June 22, 2012, to 20 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.

Last month

On Nov. 16, 2012 the Monroe Cinema 6 went to foreclosure auction at Goshen. The successful bidder was the Town of Monroe, agreeing to pay $880,000 for the building. The town’s intended use of the building was for a town hall and cultural center.

The other two bidders were interested in keeping the building as a movie theater.

Monroe Village Mayor Jim Purcell, among others, has voiced his disappointment and opposition, stating the loss of the theater will hurt the village downtown.

The town councilmen have faced tough opposition from the public since the purchase, with many people attending the last two board meetings to voice mostly opposition to this purchase.

The Monroe Town Board appears committed to proceed with his plan for municipal offices.