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The Photography of Margaret Bourke-White: “Ball” composed by Craig Armstrong, performed by The London Session Orchestra from the score to the Motion Picture Plunkett & Macleane

This photo by the great photo journalist Margaret Bourke-White is the foremost historical photograph I’ve found in all my years of searching to see the boardwalk in what was once Edgemere and surrounding areas. This is a particularly wonderful photo also because it’s from a series of hers of aerial photos around the country of special places.

It’s hard to make out all the detail in this photograph. I’ve tried to break up the photo into enlarged sections to try to identify all the individual concessions.  You’ll notice that one of the photos has the Edgemere Movie Theater circled in red.  I’d like to be able to identify many more. If you recognize a concession let us know and I will continue to update the photo filling in the memories as we go along.

I spent many of my afternoons at the Edgemere Movie Theater. My father had one of his first jobs there.  My grandfather was good friends with the owner. He would help him with his Movie Projectors if they were not working. Right next to the Theater is the amusement center that I played Skee-ball and they had the fortune teller in the glass booth.

Coney Island , New York, 1952

It’s been a long time in letting it go.
But the time is now. For nothing stays as it was. I hope these movies bring back fond memories for all who see this little film.

They called Me Bruciella for as long as I can remember. I don’t know how I got the name. We all have our journeys in life. It’s all about change and letting go. In the midst of that journey, like all of us, life throws us many changes. I was my mothers daughter. My family never could seem to let me just be.It really all comes down to when I wanted to be more then just Bruciella they really would not change how they viewed me. No matter what we keep changing. I had grown from Bruciella to Bruce. Part of that growth is now letting go of these wonderful movies of a place that doesn’t exist but has such a strange power over so many of us. I have always felt its all as it is meant to be. I hope you enjoy this film, I like to thank my lifetime partner Andrew Reach for all his help We are together for over 30 years now. You can read more about us at www.andrewreach.com

Peace, Bruce Baumwoll
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See Edgemere thru my family movies:

• The movie starts with me as a baby and my family. Notice my hat.

• The boardwalk on Beach 32th Street and Fairyland Carousal – Feel the ride that felt like it would go on forever.

• See Beach 38th street and the corner of Sprayview Ave where our house stood. It was right off the boardwalk.

• My grandfather Nathan Baumwoll coming down the steps of our house to meet my mother.

• A wonderful view of my father and his cab with a view up Beach 38th Street looking at the bungalows, the mansions and the elevated subway and Edgemere Avenue.

• Mother, grandmother, great aunt and uncle walking down Beach 38th Street towards our house and the boardwalk. Notice the elevated subway in the background

• My grandmothers in the front yard of our house at Beach 38th Street. See the bungalows and houses in the distance.

• Rear yard of our house. Notice the large house at the entrance to our driveway that is on Sprayview. Also in the distance beyond are the bungalows coming off the boardwalk on Beach 37th Street.

• My two grandmothers and my aunt and uncle on the front yard of our Beach 38th Street house. On the side of the porch on the back is where we ate our dinners.

• Another scene at the Beach 38th Street house with me, my aunt and my two grandmothers.

• The last time I was together with my aunt Martha on the boardwalk. Notice the ambience of the boardwalk.

• The final scenes are all of the boardwalk in motion and my dear grandmother waving hello.