Is Times Square Hiding One Last Classic Porn Theater?

When watching porn was a special occasion, and gentlemen wore their finest trench coats. (Ted Thai)

Long gone are the golden days when watching pornography was a communal activity, savored by a (mostly) male audience who gathered together in a spirit of cheerful camaraderie and—sometimes—good-natured competition! Sadly, the Internet has isolated pornography enthusiasts, leaving them huddled alone in front of their computers, gloomily pleasuring themselves with no real sense of community. (And the producers of porn, too, have stopped investing anything extra in story, production value, feeling.) However, it's just come to our attention that the long-lost grandeur of Times Square porno palaces may not be entirely rubbed out!

That film location scout who manages the immensely enjoyable Scouting New York blog tweeted earlier today: "Rumor has it a porn theatr still exists in the back of a times sq tourist shop, complete with movie seats..would love to know where that is." So would we. Last year, when we wrote about that previously unidentified swingers club in Brooklyn, one of you revealed its location in the comments in less than 45 minutes. Surely one of you guys can out this porn theater to beat that record!

UPDATE: Commenter Steve Flack points us to a crucial lead, in under 20 minutes. (JacqueMehoff gets an E for "effort.) We actually read this great Vanishing New York post back in March, but forgot all about it! (All the porn is rotting our brains.) Still, we don't yet know the exact location, and Jeremiah Moss doesn't remember.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in Arts & Entertainment on January 14, 2010 4:30 PM

Comments [rss]

mr white

And is it still there? I live on the other side of the world....

mr white

If its not already been noted(as its been a while). This appears to be the Sage Theater aka Cine1+2/Show Follies/Fantasy Twin of which the official address is 711 7th Ave.

This photo of which shows the theater in its Show Follies 'guise has the mirrored tiles just to the right side of the marquee.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b110/GuanoReturns/Manhattan%20Movie%20Theaters/Mayfair%20Theater%20aka%20Demille%20aka%20Embassy%202%203%204/Embassy234ShowFollies1993.jpg

jcx238

The space that Vanishing New York wrote about is not a functioning theater - just the remnants of one now used as a store room - but still in all it's decrepit theater-like glory.. It's on the East side of 7th Avenue between 46th and 47th - one of the numerous tourists shops sharing 711 7th Ave - the one under the Sage Theater Playhouse.. If you go towards the back - to the left - there's the theater staircase leading down to a classic movie theater carpet - black with squiggly confetti images - and mirrors that afford a limited peek... But, good luck getting down there - the store never seems to have any customers and there's always around 4 or 5 employees just milling around - making a sneak-down pretty much impossible.. Appealing to a sense of history will get you nowhere except ushered out and told to see the boss in the morning.. Seeing the boss in the morning will get you a quick couple of "Who sent you?"s and lies about nothing being down there despite being told the day before that it all was down there but not used as a theater any more.. Bring that up and you'll get a prompt "That guy is new".. Offers to possibly be interested in buying what's most likely trash for them - an opportunity for them to make money from nothing - will be met with further talking to a wall - "It's been cleaned out for 10 years now" (even though it was still a vacant boarded up movie-house less than 5 years ago and pictures of it are less than a year old).. And more "Who sent you?"s... Finally, you give up and leave - a couple of guys follow you outside watching what you're up to - where you're going - who you might be meeting...

Now I'm even more curious - just what big to-do is going on down there that they're so protective of?

Methinks she doth protest too much...

jcx238

oops - not between 46th & 47th - between 47th & 48th... Tell them Jeff - blond hair/mustache - sent you.. See what that gets ya..

mak

...8th Avenue between 42nd and 43rd. I worked nearby for years.

NYNative32

That's not really a working theater in that other blog picture. But there is one downtown in the East Village that still has movie theater seats, although the last movie I heard they showed there was A.I....not that anyone was watching.

I grew up in NYC in the 80s and remember those theaters very well, but by the time I was old enough to go to one of them they were all gone. I lived on 51st and 8th for a while and can remember on a quiet night I could hear the music from the Gershwin theater across the street but could always see the flashing lights of the Adonis theater across 8th ave.

James

that's interesting

jeremoss

ha! go to google maps, streetview, on 7th ave between 47 and 48. to the left of the yellow awning for Playland Gifts and directly under the American Girl Place ad--you will see the tell-tale mirrored diamonds... does anyone dare venture down the stairs?