“Manwithnoname” does perceive that film will eventually disappear, and I concur, but as Ken Layton brings out, it will be with us for some time yet. The point I make, is that while film may be the more expensive medium at present, it is also for the present the ONLY practical medium of analog record that is not dependent upon a new technology to play it. With modern digital formats appearing and disappearing —the way analog tape (VHS) is disappearing at present— the time will soon come when we will have to depend upon at least a lone film negative to be preserved in order to be converted to any new digital format that may arise with new machines and media in future.
By all means, the new “films” should be issued in today’s digital formats, but ALSO retained as as permanent negatives in a film vault to enable future use and duplication into the new digital formats then popular. This really should be the policy for ALL visual productions until such time as a more permanent direct visual record can be devised. Currently, the only color elements of a visual record that will not decay within a century are the mineral pigments of such as stained glass and ceramics, but no one has figured out how to make a moving image upon an inorganic substrate from these, sad to say. When someone invents this totally inorganic moving image, we will all be eager to hear of it!
The vast UPTOWN is equated to the vast KINGS in Brooklyn in this rare showing, sent to those who signed the CompassRose petition on the UPTOWN:
“The following news blurbs come from the Uptown Adviser, the Friends of the Uptown newsletter (visit their Web site at www.uptowntheatre.com)::)
For your cinematic pleasureâ€"One Night Only!
Memoirs of a Movie Palace and Uptown Community Portrait 2005
to be screened at Friends/Truman College event
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005, Truman College
“Memoirs of a Movie Palace” will be screened at Truman College, 1134 W. Wilson Ave., in Uptown. The venue is Novar Hall, where seating is limited. This is a very special screening of a very difficult to find movie. “Uptown Community Portrait 2005,” a short cinema verite documentary, will precede the feature film.
“Memoirs,” a 1979 independent film, tells the story of a theatre very similar to the Uptown: The LOEW’S KINGS THEATRE, in Brooklyn, N.Y., which also remains closed without a plan for reuse. The film was shot on location as the KINGS was being closed in the late 1970s. If someone had the foresight to shoot a movie in the UPTOWN (minus the Brooklyn accents!), we would have a very similar document, with the same kinds of memories recalled and sentiments expressed.
Your attendance as a “Friend” of the Uptown is important to our efforts and goals. As major stabilization work is ongoing at the theatre building, it is a good time for us to network and get to know each other!
Donations will be accepted in lieu of a fixed admission ticket price. Truman officials said that we may park in any of the adjacent Truman parking lots (driveway located on Broadway through the McJunkin Building). Entrance to the Truman building itself will be through the easternmost doors located on the Wilson Avenue side (north elevation). Staff will direct you from there.
This item was sent out to those who signed the Chicago UPTOWN’s petition on the CompasRose web site:
“The following news blurbs come from the Uptown Adviser, the Friends of the Uptown newsletter (visit their Web site at www.uptowntheatre.com)::)
For your cinematic pleasureâ€"One Night Only!
Memoirs of a Movie Palace and Uptown Community Portrait 2005
to be screened at Friends/Truman College event
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005, Truman College
“Memoirs of a Movie Palace” will be screened at Truman College, 1134 W. Wilson Ave., in Uptown. The venue is Novar Hall, where seating is limited. This is a very special screening of a very difficult to find movie. “Uptown Community Portrait 2005,” a short cinema verite documentary, will precede the feature film.
“Memoirs,” a 1979 independent film, tells the story of a theatre very similar to the Uptown: The LOEW’S KINGS THEATRE, in Brooklyn, N.Y., which also remains closed without a plan for reuse. The film was shot on location as the KINGS was being closed in the late 1970s. If someone had the foresight to shoot a movie in the UPTOWN (minus the Brooklyn accents!), we would have a very similar document, with the same kinds of memories recalled and sentiments expressed.
Your attendance as a “Friend” of the Uptown is important to our efforts and goals. As major stabilization work is ongoing at the theatre building, it is a good time for us to network and get to know each other!
Donations will be accepted in lieu of a fixed admission ticket price. Truman officials said that we may park in any of the adjacent Truman parking lots (driveway located on Broadway through the McJunkin Building). Entrance to the Truman building itself will be through the easternmost doors located on the Wilson Avenue side (north elevation). Staff will direct you from there.
***"
The fame of the KINGS and its documentary is spreading, and if you are not in the New York area and have not seen this documentary, this may be your chance, especially if you have wanted to see some of Chicago’s remaining palaces as a side trip. Bon Voyage!
Yes, this is great news, and I look forward to seeing it, even if the prime venues to see it in —the movie palaces— are gone from us for the most part. Perhaps they will therefore seek to incorporate into this new feature the 1987 color documentary “The Movie Palaces” by the Smithsonian Institution so as to represent that era and so as to preserve that title which originated on VHS video, and is still in a few libraries in that format. Such tapes will not last for many more years, and since the Code of Federal Regulations states that the Fed. government cannot legally copyright anything (produced with tax dollars, as was this documentary), then it can be incorporated without government permission or payment. The copyright notice on that work is therefore bogus, and carries no legal weight; see United States Code: Title 17, Section 105; or: View link
OF additional concern is the statement about it being issued in “High Definition” which causes me and others here to conclude that it is to originate in a digital format and therefore worry about the permanance of the original medium. All digital media are subject to abandonment over the decades even if the physical format survives and there is no assurance that any device will exist decades from now to display the digital medium or be able to convert it to the then modern media. For this reason, I implore those responsible to make the original medium a quality FILM, with perhaps simultaneous digital recordings. Such dual media will assure us that photographic film will be in a vault to safeguard the document, perhaps long after the digital format has become obsolete or forgotten and unreadable. This is one of the reasons that the VHS documentary I mention above, should be incorporated into or transferred to this newly created film, perhaps as an Appendix. The Smithsonian Institution, a division of the US government, should be contacted to gain access to their master recording, but if they are not forthcoming, other copies available would also lend themselves after some slight remastering, including the removal of the initial frames containing the non-legal, bogus copyright claim. Though the Theatre Histroical Soc. and a company called Vision Associates were acknowledged as participating in the creation of the documentary, they are NOT listed as joint copyright holders, hence the work is entirely a creation of the government under the law. The notable people appearing in that documentary are now deceased, as will someday be some of the operating theatres shown there, so this is another reason to preserve this sample of our theatres/film history.
Would that we all could have a theatre of this size and magnificance OPERATING within easy reach to enjoy the spectacle of seeing the classics as they were MEANT to be seen. Home DVDs are just not the same thing. Viva La Jersey!
This is, of course, a RE-Opening, since it first opened in 1928. But I send my Best Wishes for a bright and propitious event. I hope someone takes photos of the event with good interior shots of the restoriation work, for the many of us who cannot be there. You can’t post photos here now, but www.CinemaTour.com will allow them in one of the FORUMS. One could also use one of the web-based photo services such as WebShots, Photobucket, or the new Yahoo photos division. All such are free, but have differing time limits as to how long they will maintain one’s photos there. If you use an electronic camera that plugs into your computer, it will be a lot easier (no scanning involved).
“Secret development plans” are very common. Most politicians cannot pay for their own election campaigns, and why should they when they can get some idiots to pay for it? To get this money, the pols promise jobs or contracts or land to contributors (its called the “Spoils System” with the ‘spoils’ being the property given to the contributor), whether legal or otherwise. Very likely at some point, the local politicians promised someone the land under the theatre, or a juicy demolition contract. So went many theatres small or large, such as the famous San Francisco FOX. All theatres (and other structures) are in jeopardy with the ever-corrupt politicians around. Clutch onto your local theatre while you can, for sooner or later some campaign contributor will sidle up to a politico and ask for the ‘favor’ of a particular theatre property to be given to them, without them having to pay for it. They ‘buy’ the property for simple patronage, and so go our theatres. Even the former Loew’s RICHMOND, in Richmond Virginia, (now the Virginia Center for the Performing Arts), an example of a declared landmark that was fully restored in the early ‘80s, is now about to be demolished to satisfy some 'Money-bags’ who wants the land. With the recent Supreme Court decision saying the any government can misuse the Emminent Domain law to take private property for any use, public and/or PRIVATE, the remaing theatres had best quake in fear, for there is the Yaup and Howl of money to be made and all the public-trough feeders are creating a stampede for those properties without strong political backing to protect them. So goes democracy and the ‘rights’ it protects, and the theatres it does not.
It is heartening to hear that the roof has, at last, been fixed, but let us not delude ourselves that there is not much damage. It will cost a large fortune indeed. Just to hire the guys to trap/kill all the birds and wildlife in there will costs tens of thousands, and that must be done before it is safe for workers to work in there. I am a great admirer of the KINGS, but I wonder if it was not the enormous task ahead that finally stopped that once proposed rehab into multicinemas by that athlete’s group. Let us give the committee all the encouragement they need. But let us be realistic about the vast job ahead. Those photos give only a glimpse into the large scale of the place; there are dozens of places not shown that also will require expensive renovation if not actual restoration.
It is a pleasure to announce that Milwaukee’s AVALON THEATRE is being reborn, but just as what is not now known. Two days ago, a conference among community leaders of Bay View, the neighborhood in which the Avalon sits, met at the theatre under the invitation of new owner, Lee Barczak, to discuss the future of the building in the minds of its neighbors. It was related to me that the goal was to get the word out to the locals to get their input, and to that end, half sheets of paper were handed out to be distributed, titled: “THE AVALON THEATRE, Projected Opening — 2007†Responses were asked for in writing to three questions about the use of the former movie palace, and if one wanted to be notified of future events/developments, one’s name, address, and E-mail address were asked for. Significant to all of this is the appearance of the theatre’s new web site: http://www.theavalontheatre.com/ Go to its page: “About Us†> “Feedback†and there type in your suggestions for a successful future, as well as any other suggestions you might have. Let us hope this charming atmospheric (stars ‘n’ clouds) theatre will soon sing again, available parking or not.
Actually, smoking policies varied greatly acorss the nation, since the Constitution did not give such authority to the Fed. government, and the state governments regarded that as a local concern, so that was a matter left in the hands of local municipalities. Prior to the disastrous fire of 1904 in the notorious IRIQUOIS theatre in Chicago, smoking policy was usually up to the theatre management, but after that well-publicized event, many authorities enacted smoking restrictions on many places of public assembly, even though that fire was not caused by smoking materials. Here in Milwaukee, for example, local ordinance forbade it, but neighboring cities did not. Pity more did not, for if they had, we may have had fewer people with continual lung problems that we all now pay for in some disability taxes. Of course, merely having a law against it doesn’t help if there are no ushers to enforce it, hence the fire in the RIVERSIDE theatre in Milwaukee in 1966 when a patron tossed a cigarette upon the stage, igniting the screen and draperies. Thank goodness they had installed automatic sprinklers back stage, for they saved the building until the firemen arrived.
That largely depends upon what one means by “completely restored.” The terms ‘rehabed’ or ‘refurbished’ are often used to avoid the connotation of something really brought back to original condition as the word ‘restored’ implies. Most all theatre ‘restorations’ are not really that since to very few can afford so muchj extensive, hand crafted details, especially since the factories that made many of the furnishings and such no longer exist, and some items such as the huge, elaborate draperies are rarely around today with the knowledege and capacity to do such lavish work to the caliber that it was then done.
Still, there are a few ‘restorations’ that might inspire someone:
The PARAMOUNT in Oakland, CA (draperies too)
The STANFORD in Palo Alto, CA
The PARAMOUNT in Aurora, IL
The PABST and RIVERSIDE in Milwaukee
The RIALTO in Joliet, IL
The LOEW’S (VIRGINIA CENTER FOR THE PERF. ARTS) in Richmond
among others. No doubt others here will think of some.
The date when “Refreshments” were introduced was around 1930 for most theatres as the Great Depression began and the quest for money became desperate. Gone were the glamorous days of newness and grandeur as the building boom of the palaces came to an end. Every theatre noticed patrons bringing in bags of sweets or popcorn from the nearby shops —sometimes right next door, since the merchants were not fools and saw the demand for such “refreshments” that every audience member wanted after sitting for around 2 hours at a time. The theatres thought ‘why let others get the profits; we can do it ourselves and keep the profits’ and so many noble interiors became besmirched by the often tawdry food stands. Candy led to popcorn and then to today’s mini-restaurants. The palaces became a lot less palatial as odors of hot food permeated the air, and sticky stuff ruined the carpets and glued one’s shoe to the floor. This food attracted rats and vermin, and it was a whole new world for the theatres which developed into the eateries of today’s cinemas. I know they are desperate to make a profit against the stranglehold of the film makers/distributors, but where does it end?
Those photos were taken for the architect near opening day and are duplicated in the ANNUAL of 1975 of the Theatre Historical Society titled “Loew’s PARADISE in the Bronx” by the late Michael Miller. On page 8 he writes: “In the center of the lobby’s north wall, beneath a statue of Winged Victory, a great fountain of Carrara marble bubbled water about a carved figure of a child on a dolphin.” Nowhere does the ANNUAL mention any fish in the fountain, and the photos make it appear that it was largely filled with artificail foliage. I sometimes wonder about the liveableness of fish in such fountains, and therefore how many of a finned friends gave their lives to be living ornaments, replaced like so many clay pigeons would be when used up in a shooting match. Portions of the blueprints appear in the booklet, so possibly the Society retains them and anyone wondering could look at the prints there to see if they designate on them: ‘fish fountain.’
As far as I know, the superstructure is virtually all there, and except for removing a few ramps and the like, it could be sructurally returned to theatre use. BUT, the real cost comes not in structure, but restoring the plaster shell, columns, and other physicals aside from the merely decorative. The systems would ALL have to be replaced up to today’s building code, and none of this addresses just what would pay for the building to continue each year paying taxes and upkeep. Theatres make expensive museums, which is why I can’t think of any that have gone that route. Yes, it could be restored, provided a ‘Mr. Deeppockets’ is a billionaire willing to invest the many, many millions now AND create an endowment so large that the place could meet all its expenses without a penny in proceeds. Any billionaire volunteers out there?
It should be noted that the photos that ‘lostmemory’ referrs to are Post-restoration, and therefore the lobby textiles (draperies, tapestries, gonfalons, etc.) were not replaced. The auditorium photo is also post-restoration and shows the new House Curtain and the Grande Drape designed and built by the now-defunct Mid-West Scenic and Stage Equipment Co. in Milwaukee. Those golden festoons upon the top of the Grand Drape are not the embroidered or padded passementerie (trapunto) that the originals would have been, but are actually hollow, vacuum formed plastic, gilded to resemble the originals and to avoid today’s high cost of hand fabrication. The ersatz gloss of plastic can still be discerned, however, from the balcony rail. Still, at least they made an attempt here to return some of the glory of the originals, and the theatre is still with us.
There is a new site with many fine photos of the interior details of the FOX by photographer and stagehand, Noah Kern: http://www.pbase.com/affablebeef/stlouis
You may leave comments there regarding the individual photos or the entire theatres of this and the many other theatres there pictured. Let him know how fine you think his photos to be.
We all have our movie preferences, rhett, but it was gracious of you to acknowledge the work of the FOL at the end. If you are that worried about ‘hanging out in Jersey City,’ why not go across the street to wait it out at the former STANLEY, now an assembly hall of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. On non-assembly times, they give free tours of this remarkable former movie palace, now largely restored? If your visit is during an assembly, just walk in peacefully and no one will notice you or bother you (they NEVER take up money collections). You could give yourself your own tour of the place then, though they will not have the blue ‘sky’ lights on in the auditorium, of course, since they use white lights then in order to read their Bibles. Who knows? You might even find their talks beneficial. There are almost 4000 seats in there, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a comfortable place to sit and wait.
Rejoice, fellow theatres buffs, the RIVESIDE rebounds according to this newspaper artcle: View link
No mention is made of the organ, but we can only hope that its long silence will be broken. As to just how these guys from our PABST theatre will bring the RIVERSIDE back to profitability, I am not so sure. IF they program it like their PABST, they will compete with it and neither theatre will succeed. If they program it like the new MILWAUKEE theatre (the former civic auditorium) they will compete with a much larger facility with more seats and a larger, finer stage rebuilt just two years ago. And since most touring groups want the most seats at one time, they will likely choose the Milw. theatre or even the Marcus Amphitheatre on the lakefront festival grounds in warm weather. We won’t hold our breaths, but let us all give them our best.
I have poor photos of the Ediphor projector and its equipment rack (vandalized) in place in the former WARNER theatre in Milwaukee. Don’t know anything about the distribution or technical matters, but you would do well to post your request on the technical experts' site: www.film-tech.com It is very likely that any of the hundreds of guys there will know something. The Theatre Historical Society at www.historictheatres.org may also have information. Best Wishes
It opened with the name CINEMA WESTLANE, and when Marcus bought it from General Cinema in 1984, it was renamed the SOUTHTOWN 5&6 to complement the SOUTHTOWN 1-4 owned by Marcus across the street. For a while, therefore, there were 2 SOUTHTOWNS, one across the street from each other, so if someone just used that name in speaking to someone else, it would lead to confusion if the numerals or the side of the street were not mentioned. It was obviously a case where Marcus cinemas had more vanity than common sense; they were eager to expell any memory of General Cinemas in the area, since they have always wanted to become a monopoly —and very nearly did. The SOUTHTOWN (WESTLANE) mentioned on this page was on the west side of the street (which is a state highway, not a Federal highway as I mentioned above).
This additional information is supplied by Lou Rugani, who is anticipating the imminent revival of this venue:
GRANADA Theatre address: 1924 Charles Street (at Yout Street), Racine WI. Telephone (262) 833-3110
Opened: 3pm Saturday, April 7, 1928 with “The Life of Riley” and stage presentation. Continual use until:
Closure: Sunday night, March 5, 1961 after final performances of “The
Shaggy Dog” and “Tarzan the Magnificent”. Theatre then used for storage until 2005.
Architect: J. Mandor Matson (Racine-area regional architect who also
designed the local CAPITOL Theatre, Racine City Hall, St. Edward’s Church and School, Horlick and Park High Schools, more).
Organ: Kilgen, moved to a private residence in or near Milwaukee
(researching).
Architecture: Spanish. Beamed ceiling with multiple ornamental overhead lighting. Fireplace in lobby.
No balcony, but has original crying room box and owners' private box on rear wall, second floor. Large lounge on second floor.
To the right (north) of the word on the roofline: CINEMA was originally the word in red neon script: “Westlane.” Of course, this was removed when Marcus bought the place to join its cinemas across the street, the SOUTHTOWN, which was by a different architect and therefore of an entirely different design.
Since the CINEMA WESTLANE was a template design, all the other such designs used the same rooftop sign “CINEMA” in the same large block white fluorescent-backed black letter blocks, with provision for a different neon name sign to the right of it. The others known were: the CINEMA BIG TOWN, Mesquite Texas; the CINEMA NORTHLAND, Jennings MO; and the CINEMA SOUTH COUNTY, St. Louis MO., all razed.
Gustave, Uptown is a neighborhood of Chicago, therefore the college is there.
“Manwithnoname” does perceive that film will eventually disappear, and I concur, but as Ken Layton brings out, it will be with us for some time yet. The point I make, is that while film may be the more expensive medium at present, it is also for the present the ONLY practical medium of analog record that is not dependent upon a new technology to play it. With modern digital formats appearing and disappearing —the way analog tape (VHS) is disappearing at present— the time will soon come when we will have to depend upon at least a lone film negative to be preserved in order to be converted to any new digital format that may arise with new machines and media in future.
By all means, the new “films” should be issued in today’s digital formats, but ALSO retained as as permanent negatives in a film vault to enable future use and duplication into the new digital formats then popular. This really should be the policy for ALL visual productions until such time as a more permanent direct visual record can be devised. Currently, the only color elements of a visual record that will not decay within a century are the mineral pigments of such as stained glass and ceramics, but no one has figured out how to make a moving image upon an inorganic substrate from these, sad to say. When someone invents this totally inorganic moving image, we will all be eager to hear of it!
The vast UPTOWN is equated to the vast KINGS in Brooklyn in this rare showing, sent to those who signed the CompassRose petition on the UPTOWN:
“The following news blurbs come from the Uptown Adviser, the Friends of the Uptown newsletter (visit their Web site at www.uptowntheatre.com)::)
For your cinematic pleasureâ€"One Night Only!
Memoirs of a Movie Palace and Uptown Community Portrait 2005
to be screened at Friends/Truman College event
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005, Truman College
“Memoirs of a Movie Palace” will be screened at Truman College, 1134 W. Wilson Ave., in Uptown. The venue is Novar Hall, where seating is limited. This is a very special screening of a very difficult to find movie. “Uptown Community Portrait 2005,” a short cinema verite documentary, will precede the feature film.
“Memoirs,” a 1979 independent film, tells the story of a theatre very similar to the Uptown: The LOEW’S KINGS THEATRE, in Brooklyn, N.Y., which also remains closed without a plan for reuse. The film was shot on location as the KINGS was being closed in the late 1970s. If someone had the foresight to shoot a movie in the UPTOWN (minus the Brooklyn accents!), we would have a very similar document, with the same kinds of memories recalled and sentiments expressed.
Your attendance as a “Friend” of the Uptown is important to our efforts and goals. As major stabilization work is ongoing at the theatre building, it is a good time for us to network and get to know each other!
Donations will be accepted in lieu of a fixed admission ticket price. Truman officials said that we may park in any of the adjacent Truman parking lots (driveway located on Broadway through the McJunkin Building). Entrance to the Truman building itself will be through the easternmost doors located on the Wilson Avenue side (north elevation). Staff will direct you from there.
*** "
This item was sent out to those who signed the Chicago UPTOWN’s petition on the CompasRose web site:
“The following news blurbs come from the Uptown Adviser, the Friends of the Uptown newsletter (visit their Web site at www.uptowntheatre.com)::)
For your cinematic pleasureâ€"One Night Only!
Memoirs of a Movie Palace and Uptown Community Portrait 2005
to be screened at Friends/Truman College event
6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20, 2005, Truman College
“Memoirs of a Movie Palace” will be screened at Truman College, 1134 W. Wilson Ave., in Uptown. The venue is Novar Hall, where seating is limited. This is a very special screening of a very difficult to find movie. “Uptown Community Portrait 2005,” a short cinema verite documentary, will precede the feature film.
“Memoirs,” a 1979 independent film, tells the story of a theatre very similar to the Uptown: The LOEW’S KINGS THEATRE, in Brooklyn, N.Y., which also remains closed without a plan for reuse. The film was shot on location as the KINGS was being closed in the late 1970s. If someone had the foresight to shoot a movie in the UPTOWN (minus the Brooklyn accents!), we would have a very similar document, with the same kinds of memories recalled and sentiments expressed.
Your attendance as a “Friend” of the Uptown is important to our efforts and goals. As major stabilization work is ongoing at the theatre building, it is a good time for us to network and get to know each other!
Donations will be accepted in lieu of a fixed admission ticket price. Truman officials said that we may park in any of the adjacent Truman parking lots (driveway located on Broadway through the McJunkin Building). Entrance to the Truman building itself will be through the easternmost doors located on the Wilson Avenue side (north elevation). Staff will direct you from there.
***"
The fame of the KINGS and its documentary is spreading, and if you are not in the New York area and have not seen this documentary, this may be your chance, especially if you have wanted to see some of Chicago’s remaining palaces as a side trip. Bon Voyage!
Yes, this is great news, and I look forward to seeing it, even if the prime venues to see it in —the movie palaces— are gone from us for the most part. Perhaps they will therefore seek to incorporate into this new feature the 1987 color documentary “The Movie Palaces” by the Smithsonian Institution so as to represent that era and so as to preserve that title which originated on VHS video, and is still in a few libraries in that format. Such tapes will not last for many more years, and since the Code of Federal Regulations states that the Fed. government cannot legally copyright anything (produced with tax dollars, as was this documentary), then it can be incorporated without government permission or payment. The copyright notice on that work is therefore bogus, and carries no legal weight; see United States Code: Title 17, Section 105; or:
View link
OF additional concern is the statement about it being issued in “High Definition” which causes me and others here to conclude that it is to originate in a digital format and therefore worry about the permanance of the original medium. All digital media are subject to abandonment over the decades even if the physical format survives and there is no assurance that any device will exist decades from now to display the digital medium or be able to convert it to the then modern media. For this reason, I implore those responsible to make the original medium a quality FILM, with perhaps simultaneous digital recordings. Such dual media will assure us that photographic film will be in a vault to safeguard the document, perhaps long after the digital format has become obsolete or forgotten and unreadable. This is one of the reasons that the VHS documentary I mention above, should be incorporated into or transferred to this newly created film, perhaps as an Appendix. The Smithsonian Institution, a division of the US government, should be contacted to gain access to their master recording, but if they are not forthcoming, other copies available would also lend themselves after some slight remastering, including the removal of the initial frames containing the non-legal, bogus copyright claim. Though the Theatre Histroical Soc. and a company called Vision Associates were acknowledged as participating in the creation of the documentary, they are NOT listed as joint copyright holders, hence the work is entirely a creation of the government under the law. The notable people appearing in that documentary are now deceased, as will someday be some of the operating theatres shown there, so this is another reason to preserve this sample of our theatres/film history.
Would that we all could have a theatre of this size and magnificance OPERATING within easy reach to enjoy the spectacle of seeing the classics as they were MEANT to be seen. Home DVDs are just not the same thing. Viva La Jersey!
This is, of course, a RE-Opening, since it first opened in 1928. But I send my Best Wishes for a bright and propitious event. I hope someone takes photos of the event with good interior shots of the restoriation work, for the many of us who cannot be there. You can’t post photos here now, but www.CinemaTour.com will allow them in one of the FORUMS. One could also use one of the web-based photo services such as WebShots, Photobucket, or the new Yahoo photos division. All such are free, but have differing time limits as to how long they will maintain one’s photos there. If you use an electronic camera that plugs into your computer, it will be a lot easier (no scanning involved).
“Secret development plans” are very common. Most politicians cannot pay for their own election campaigns, and why should they when they can get some idiots to pay for it? To get this money, the pols promise jobs or contracts or land to contributors (its called the “Spoils System” with the ‘spoils’ being the property given to the contributor), whether legal or otherwise. Very likely at some point, the local politicians promised someone the land under the theatre, or a juicy demolition contract. So went many theatres small or large, such as the famous San Francisco FOX. All theatres (and other structures) are in jeopardy with the ever-corrupt politicians around. Clutch onto your local theatre while you can, for sooner or later some campaign contributor will sidle up to a politico and ask for the ‘favor’ of a particular theatre property to be given to them, without them having to pay for it. They ‘buy’ the property for simple patronage, and so go our theatres. Even the former Loew’s RICHMOND, in Richmond Virginia, (now the Virginia Center for the Performing Arts), an example of a declared landmark that was fully restored in the early ‘80s, is now about to be demolished to satisfy some 'Money-bags’ who wants the land. With the recent Supreme Court decision saying the any government can misuse the Emminent Domain law to take private property for any use, public and/or PRIVATE, the remaing theatres had best quake in fear, for there is the Yaup and Howl of money to be made and all the public-trough feeders are creating a stampede for those properties without strong political backing to protect them. So goes democracy and the ‘rights’ it protects, and the theatres it does not.
It is heartening to hear that the roof has, at last, been fixed, but let us not delude ourselves that there is not much damage. It will cost a large fortune indeed. Just to hire the guys to trap/kill all the birds and wildlife in there will costs tens of thousands, and that must be done before it is safe for workers to work in there. I am a great admirer of the KINGS, but I wonder if it was not the enormous task ahead that finally stopped that once proposed rehab into multicinemas by that athlete’s group. Let us give the committee all the encouragement they need. But let us be realistic about the vast job ahead. Those photos give only a glimpse into the large scale of the place; there are dozens of places not shown that also will require expensive renovation if not actual restoration.
The NEW AMSTERDAM in Manhattan shows what can be done, though it is not and never was a true movie palace.
It is a pleasure to announce that Milwaukee’s AVALON THEATRE is being reborn, but just as what is not now known. Two days ago, a conference among community leaders of Bay View, the neighborhood in which the Avalon sits, met at the theatre under the invitation of new owner, Lee Barczak, to discuss the future of the building in the minds of its neighbors. It was related to me that the goal was to get the word out to the locals to get their input, and to that end, half sheets of paper were handed out to be distributed, titled: “THE AVALON THEATRE, Projected Opening — 2007†Responses were asked for in writing to three questions about the use of the former movie palace, and if one wanted to be notified of future events/developments, one’s name, address, and E-mail address were asked for. Significant to all of this is the appearance of the theatre’s new web site: http://www.theavalontheatre.com/ Go to its page: “About Us†> “Feedback†and there type in your suggestions for a successful future, as well as any other suggestions you might have. Let us hope this charming atmospheric (stars ‘n’ clouds) theatre will soon sing again, available parking or not.
Actually, smoking policies varied greatly acorss the nation, since the Constitution did not give such authority to the Fed. government, and the state governments regarded that as a local concern, so that was a matter left in the hands of local municipalities. Prior to the disastrous fire of 1904 in the notorious IRIQUOIS theatre in Chicago, smoking policy was usually up to the theatre management, but after that well-publicized event, many authorities enacted smoking restrictions on many places of public assembly, even though that fire was not caused by smoking materials. Here in Milwaukee, for example, local ordinance forbade it, but neighboring cities did not. Pity more did not, for if they had, we may have had fewer people with continual lung problems that we all now pay for in some disability taxes. Of course, merely having a law against it doesn’t help if there are no ushers to enforce it, hence the fire in the RIVERSIDE theatre in Milwaukee in 1966 when a patron tossed a cigarette upon the stage, igniting the screen and draperies. Thank goodness they had installed automatic sprinklers back stage, for they saved the building until the firemen arrived.
That largely depends upon what one means by “completely restored.” The terms ‘rehabed’ or ‘refurbished’ are often used to avoid the connotation of something really brought back to original condition as the word ‘restored’ implies. Most all theatre ‘restorations’ are not really that since to very few can afford so muchj extensive, hand crafted details, especially since the factories that made many of the furnishings and such no longer exist, and some items such as the huge, elaborate draperies are rarely around today with the knowledege and capacity to do such lavish work to the caliber that it was then done.
Still, there are a few ‘restorations’ that might inspire someone:
The PARAMOUNT in Oakland, CA (draperies too)
The STANFORD in Palo Alto, CA
The PARAMOUNT in Aurora, IL
The PABST and RIVERSIDE in Milwaukee
The RIALTO in Joliet, IL
The LOEW’S (VIRGINIA CENTER FOR THE PERF. ARTS) in Richmond
among others. No doubt others here will think of some.
The date when “Refreshments” were introduced was around 1930 for most theatres as the Great Depression began and the quest for money became desperate. Gone were the glamorous days of newness and grandeur as the building boom of the palaces came to an end. Every theatre noticed patrons bringing in bags of sweets or popcorn from the nearby shops —sometimes right next door, since the merchants were not fools and saw the demand for such “refreshments” that every audience member wanted after sitting for around 2 hours at a time. The theatres thought ‘why let others get the profits; we can do it ourselves and keep the profits’ and so many noble interiors became besmirched by the often tawdry food stands. Candy led to popcorn and then to today’s mini-restaurants. The palaces became a lot less palatial as odors of hot food permeated the air, and sticky stuff ruined the carpets and glued one’s shoe to the floor. This food attracted rats and vermin, and it was a whole new world for the theatres which developed into the eateries of today’s cinemas. I know they are desperate to make a profit against the stranglehold of the film makers/distributors, but where does it end?
Those photos were taken for the architect near opening day and are duplicated in the ANNUAL of 1975 of the Theatre Historical Society titled “Loew’s PARADISE in the Bronx” by the late Michael Miller. On page 8 he writes: “In the center of the lobby’s north wall, beneath a statue of Winged Victory, a great fountain of Carrara marble bubbled water about a carved figure of a child on a dolphin.” Nowhere does the ANNUAL mention any fish in the fountain, and the photos make it appear that it was largely filled with artificail foliage. I sometimes wonder about the liveableness of fish in such fountains, and therefore how many of a finned friends gave their lives to be living ornaments, replaced like so many clay pigeons would be when used up in a shooting match. Portions of the blueprints appear in the booklet, so possibly the Society retains them and anyone wondering could look at the prints there to see if they designate on them: ‘fish fountain.’
As far as I know, the superstructure is virtually all there, and except for removing a few ramps and the like, it could be sructurally returned to theatre use. BUT, the real cost comes not in structure, but restoring the plaster shell, columns, and other physicals aside from the merely decorative. The systems would ALL have to be replaced up to today’s building code, and none of this addresses just what would pay for the building to continue each year paying taxes and upkeep. Theatres make expensive museums, which is why I can’t think of any that have gone that route. Yes, it could be restored, provided a ‘Mr. Deeppockets’ is a billionaire willing to invest the many, many millions now AND create an endowment so large that the place could meet all its expenses without a penny in proceeds. Any billionaire volunteers out there?
It should be noted that the photos that ‘lostmemory’ referrs to are Post-restoration, and therefore the lobby textiles (draperies, tapestries, gonfalons, etc.) were not replaced. The auditorium photo is also post-restoration and shows the new House Curtain and the Grande Drape designed and built by the now-defunct Mid-West Scenic and Stage Equipment Co. in Milwaukee. Those golden festoons upon the top of the Grand Drape are not the embroidered or padded passementerie (trapunto) that the originals would have been, but are actually hollow, vacuum formed plastic, gilded to resemble the originals and to avoid today’s high cost of hand fabrication. The ersatz gloss of plastic can still be discerned, however, from the balcony rail. Still, at least they made an attempt here to return some of the glory of the originals, and the theatre is still with us.
There is a new site with many fine photos of the interior details of the FOX by photographer and stagehand, Noah Kern: http://www.pbase.com/affablebeef/stlouis
You may leave comments there regarding the individual photos or the entire theatres of this and the many other theatres there pictured. Let him know how fine you think his photos to be.
We all have our movie preferences, rhett, but it was gracious of you to acknowledge the work of the FOL at the end. If you are that worried about ‘hanging out in Jersey City,’ why not go across the street to wait it out at the former STANLEY, now an assembly hall of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. On non-assembly times, they give free tours of this remarkable former movie palace, now largely restored? If your visit is during an assembly, just walk in peacefully and no one will notice you or bother you (they NEVER take up money collections). You could give yourself your own tour of the place then, though they will not have the blue ‘sky’ lights on in the auditorium, of course, since they use white lights then in order to read their Bibles. Who knows? You might even find their talks beneficial. There are almost 4000 seats in there, so it shouldn’t be hard to find a comfortable place to sit and wait.
Rejoice, fellow theatres buffs, the RIVESIDE rebounds according to this newspaper artcle:
View link
No mention is made of the organ, but we can only hope that its long silence will be broken. As to just how these guys from our PABST theatre will bring the RIVERSIDE back to profitability, I am not so sure. IF they program it like their PABST, they will compete with it and neither theatre will succeed. If they program it like the new MILWAUKEE theatre (the former civic auditorium) they will compete with a much larger facility with more seats and a larger, finer stage rebuilt just two years ago. And since most touring groups want the most seats at one time, they will likely choose the Milw. theatre or even the Marcus Amphitheatre on the lakefront festival grounds in warm weather. We won’t hold our breaths, but let us all give them our best.
A technical introduction to the Ediphor TV system projector that was used for such closed-circuit telecasts is at this URL:
View link
I have poor photos of the Ediphor projector and its equipment rack (vandalized) in place in the former WARNER theatre in Milwaukee. Don’t know anything about the distribution or technical matters, but you would do well to post your request on the technical experts' site: www.film-tech.com It is very likely that any of the hundreds of guys there will know something. The Theatre Historical Society at www.historictheatres.org may also have information. Best Wishes
It opened with the name CINEMA WESTLANE, and when Marcus bought it from General Cinema in 1984, it was renamed the SOUTHTOWN 5&6 to complement the SOUTHTOWN 1-4 owned by Marcus across the street. For a while, therefore, there were 2 SOUTHTOWNS, one across the street from each other, so if someone just used that name in speaking to someone else, it would lead to confusion if the numerals or the side of the street were not mentioned. It was obviously a case where Marcus cinemas had more vanity than common sense; they were eager to expell any memory of General Cinemas in the area, since they have always wanted to become a monopoly —and very nearly did. The SOUTHTOWN (WESTLANE) mentioned on this page was on the west side of the street (which is a state highway, not a Federal highway as I mentioned above).
This additional information is supplied by Lou Rugani, who is anticipating the imminent revival of this venue:
GRANADA Theatre address: 1924 Charles Street (at Yout Street), Racine WI. Telephone (262) 833-3110
Opened: 3pm Saturday, April 7, 1928 with “The Life of Riley” and stage presentation. Continual use until:
Closure: Sunday night, March 5, 1961 after final performances of “The
Shaggy Dog” and “Tarzan the Magnificent”. Theatre then used for storage until 2005.
Architect: J. Mandor Matson (Racine-area regional architect who also
designed the local CAPITOL Theatre, Racine City Hall, St. Edward’s Church and School, Horlick and Park High Schools, more).
Organ: Kilgen, moved to a private residence in or near Milwaukee
(researching).
Architecture: Spanish. Beamed ceiling with multiple ornamental overhead lighting. Fireplace in lobby.
No balcony, but has original crying room box and owners' private box on rear wall, second floor. Large lounge on second floor.
Proposed reuse: mixed. Banquets, rentals, concerts, films, meetings.
Seating: 996.
Single screen.
GRANADA Theatre website:
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/RacineGranada
To the right (north) of the word on the roofline: CINEMA was originally the word in red neon script: “Westlane.” Of course, this was removed when Marcus bought the place to join its cinemas across the street, the SOUTHTOWN, which was by a different architect and therefore of an entirely different design.
Since the CINEMA WESTLANE was a template design, all the other such designs used the same rooftop sign “CINEMA” in the same large block white fluorescent-backed black letter blocks, with provision for a different neon name sign to the right of it. The others known were: the CINEMA BIG TOWN, Mesquite Texas; the CINEMA NORTHLAND, Jennings MO; and the CINEMA SOUTH COUNTY, St. Louis MO., all razed.