Gary Dennis was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Growing up in a house of insanely competitive know-it-alls, he quickly that learned his parents were charmed by his love of NYC history and cinema, so he devoted himself to developing these passions.
Let’s just say that at the family dinner table, it was key to be the loudest and most knowledgeable—and Gary excelled at both.
Gary graduated from the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and Arts and earned his Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, with a minor in Theatre History (specializing in New York City), from Brooklyn College.
Prior to establishing himself as a popular NYC tour guide, he was the proud owner of Movie Palace, one of New York City’s largest independent and best (according to New York magazine 1997 “Best of New York” issue) independent movie rental stores. He ran Movie Palace for 23 years, developing one of the most extensive film inventories of any store in the country, with a library that included one of the best collections of American film—from early silent pictures through the Golden Age of Hollywood to the rise of the American independent film industry.
Movie Palace also boasted one of the most comprehensive foreign film collections in the United States, including films from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Housed in a quaint Upper West Side brownstone, the store was a beloved neighborhood hangout where people came to schmooze with Gary and his staff about the latest Wes Anderson movie or debate the merits of the studio system.
Gary in 2006 at Movie Palace, the beloved Upper West Side video store he ran for 23 years. Photo by Marko Georgiev for The New York Times.
In 2006, with the Movie Place as his calling card, Gary launched a one-man effort to rename 103rd Street Humphrey Bogart Place, in honor of the late actor who grew up there. As a result of his efforts, not only was the street renamed but a plaque was installed on the city-owned townhouse that was Bogart’s childhood home (1899–1923). A ceremony was held on June 24, 2006, hosted by Gary and attended by various New York City commissioners, elected officials, and (most importantly) Lauren Bacall and her son, Stephen Bogart.
Gary was the subject of numerous articles in The New York Times (including this one) and was honored with “The Westie” award, given by Manhattan Media (publisher of The Westsider, Our Town, and other weekly newspapers around Manhattan). See more press here.
