Remembering 'The Itch'

From the time he was about eight years old, Lynbrook resident Bill Gaylor remembers many Saturday mornings spent at the Arcade Theatre on Atlantic Avenue, where one could see a movie or some cartoons for eleven cents.

Today, Gaylor still spends his Saturdays — and every other day of the week — at the same location. Of course, he has to — he's the owner of the , where the famous Arcade Theatre once stood.

"Who would've thought back in 1949 that I would eventually own the building that housed this theater," said Gaylor, who is also president of the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce.

The Arcade Theatre was open from 1913 to the mid-1980s. For eleven cents, you could see a newsreel, two movies, and two cartoons. The theatre was unique in that though it was one building, there were two storefronts on both sides of the theatre's entrance. If you faced the theatre, a candy shop was on its left, a small market on the right.

The theatre was known as "The Itch," reportedly due to its uncomfortable seats.

Gaylor said he recalls seeing several films at the theatre during his childhood, including those of Buck Rogers. He also has fond memories of the Whaldoff Kosher Deli next door, which he said made "the best pastrami and corned beef sandwiches in the world."

At his store, Gaylor pointed out how the back of the building widens, as that was where the movies were shown. When asked if there was anything left over from the old theatre, the Chamber president joked that he'd probably find some of the old brickwork if he started tearing down his ceiling.

"It brings back good old memories," Gaylor said of the theatre. "I enjoyed 'The Itch.'"