Northern Indiana Investment Company leased the Gary to a series of different operators during the first chapter of the theater’s forty-year life. Three were noteworthy: In September 1923 V.U. Young and C.J. Wolf, who together owned several inter-related companies that in turn owned and/or operated theaters, took over the Gary, remodeled it and reopened. Five years later J&B Theatre Company was formed to operate the Gary. Brothers Jack and Ben Cooney, hence the J and the B, had run the bankrupt National Playhouse circuit. The Cooneys wired the Gary for sound in November 1928 but closed the theater in February 1929 after their all-picture comeback attempt failed. Indiana-Ohio Theaters Corp., a Paramount-Publix subsidiary, then added the Gary to its local cluster exiting in August 1930. Stability came in March 1934 when the Gary was transferred to Young and Wolf, now operating as Theatrical Managers, Inc. Companies associated with Young and Wolf operated the Gary until it closed in 1953. During those years the Gary was a first-run “B” house playing pictures that weren’t big enough for the affiliated Palace, a nearby “A” house. Together the Gary and Palace booked films from Columbia, RKO, Twentieth Century-Fox and Universal.
The street number for the first Broadway Theatre might be 764, not 760. The 1908 Sanborn shows a 5-cent theatre at 764 Broadway, not 760. The 1911 Sanborn also shows a theater at 764, not 760.
The theater was located at the southeast corner of Eighth and Washington. The stage abutted Washington Street. The public entrance was at 21 W. 8th Avenue.
The Indiana was carved out of the former Central Trust and Savings Bank building, which was appraised for $125,000 in 1930. The Bikos brothers bought it in October 1936 for $18,000 and back taxes of $15,000. Their outlay of $133,000 yielded a fully functioning 1000-seat movie house.
The Plaza indeed closed in 1931 because the building was razed by a fire. In September 1932 plans for a new $40,000 theater to be built on the site of the old Plaza were announced by local businessmen Andrew and John Konrady, who in November incorporated the Konrady Theater Corp. The Plaza Theater Corp. was formed in March 1933, a new Plaza opened in April, and the theater was transferred to F.M. Randolph in May 1933.
V.U. Young, Y&W Management Corp. president, announced plans to build the Ridge in 1941. In 1968 Y&W did a complete $50,000 renovation of the Ridge and reopened it as the Glen. Vern Young, Y&W president in 1968 and V.U. Young’s grandson, presided over the grand opening alongside the Glen’s architect and Ray Howard, Y&W district manager. In the remodel the auditorium received 602 new blue seats laid out in a 7-14-7 configuration. The lower sidewalls were covered in matching blue fabric. Pleated gold drapery covered the upper sidewalls and screen. The lobby, restrooms and box office were also updated. The building’s front was redone with brick topped by tall, charcoal gray vertical siding. The marquee was trimmed in brushed aluminum and the vertical was redecorated. The Glen offered an 8 P.M. show each week night and two shows on weekends. Children had to be accompanied by an adult guardian. The Glen was very popular and might have survived longer had it not been for General Cinema. In 1972 and 1973 GC opened six screens nearby: two west on Ridge Road, two south on Broadway and two in Miller.
When the Gary closed in 1953 operator Y&W stored the unused Gary Theatre ticket stock at their nearby Palace Theatre. In its waning years as a first-run house the Palace box office dispensed tickets from the Gary and from the closed Y&W Lyric in Sullivan, IN.
After the Lyric closed operator Y&W moved the surplus ticket stock to Gary, IN. When the Y&W Palace in Gary ran out of tickets in its waning days patrons received Lyric Theatre tickets.
Additional research shows that in October 1933 the Broadway was transferred to Theatrical Managers, Inc. The Indianapolis company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis. In March 1934 Theatrical Managers transferred the closed Broadway to Nick Bikos.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company includes veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.
Northern Indiana Investment Company leased the Gary to a series of different operators during the first chapter of the theater’s forty-year life. Three were noteworthy: In September 1923 V.U. Young and C.J. Wolf, who together owned several inter-related companies that in turn owned and/or operated theaters, took over the Gary, remodeled it and reopened. Five years later J&B Theatre Company was formed to operate the Gary. Brothers Jack and Ben Cooney, hence the J and the B, had run the bankrupt National Playhouse circuit. The Cooneys wired the Gary for sound in November 1928 but closed the theater in February 1929 after their all-picture comeback attempt failed. Indiana-Ohio Theaters Corp., a Paramount-Publix subsidiary, then added the Gary to its local cluster exiting in August 1930. Stability came in March 1934 when the Gary was transferred to Young and Wolf, now operating as Theatrical Managers, Inc. Companies associated with Young and Wolf operated the Gary until it closed in 1953. During those years the Gary was a first-run “B” house playing pictures that weren’t big enough for the affiliated Palace, a nearby “A” house. Together the Gary and Palace booked films from Columbia, RKO, Twentieth Century-Fox and Universal.
The street number for the first Broadway Theatre might be 764, not 760. The 1908 Sanborn shows a 5-cent theatre at 764 Broadway, not 760. The 1911 Sanborn also shows a theater at 764, not 760.
Address was 1132 Broadway, which is the northwest corner of 12th and Broadway. Seating capacity: 586.
Address may have been 1629 Broadway as shown in 1915 Sanborn.
The theater appears in a 1915 Sanborn map, seating 456. Address shows as 1236 Broadway.
The entrance was at 23 East 6th Avenue. Seating capacity: 500.
The theater was located at the southeast corner of Eighth and Washington. The stage abutted Washington Street. The public entrance was at 21 W. 8th Avenue.
The Indiana was carved out of the former Central Trust and Savings Bank building, which was appraised for $125,000 in 1930. The Bikos brothers bought it in October 1936 for $18,000 and back taxes of $15,000. Their outlay of $133,000 yielded a fully functioning 1000-seat movie house.
By June 1928 Western Electric sound was installed at the Roosevelt.
Central predecessor Ritz Theatre had a Kilgen organ in 1927.
Lake predecessor Family Theatre had a Morton organ in 1928.
In early 1922 Walter Eschenbach re-opened the 300-seat Art. It was managed by Charles Mazzone.
The Plaza indeed closed in 1931 because the building was razed by a fire. In September 1932 plans for a new $40,000 theater to be built on the site of the old Plaza were announced by local businessmen Andrew and John Konrady, who in November incorporated the Konrady Theater Corp. The Plaza Theater Corp. was formed in March 1933, a new Plaza opened in April, and the theater was transferred to F.M. Randolph in May 1933.
V.U. Young, Y&W Management Corp. president, announced plans to build the Ridge in 1941. In 1968 Y&W did a complete $50,000 renovation of the Ridge and reopened it as the Glen. Vern Young, Y&W president in 1968 and V.U. Young’s grandson, presided over the grand opening alongside the Glen’s architect and Ray Howard, Y&W district manager. In the remodel the auditorium received 602 new blue seats laid out in a 7-14-7 configuration. The lower sidewalls were covered in matching blue fabric. Pleated gold drapery covered the upper sidewalls and screen. The lobby, restrooms and box office were also updated. The building’s front was redone with brick topped by tall, charcoal gray vertical siding. The marquee was trimmed in brushed aluminum and the vertical was redecorated. The Glen offered an 8 P.M. show each week night and two shows on weekends. Children had to be accompanied by an adult guardian. The Glen was very popular and might have survived longer had it not been for General Cinema. In 1972 and 1973 GC opened six screens nearby: two west on Ridge Road, two south on Broadway and two in Miller.
When the Gary closed in 1953 operator Y&W stored the unused Gary Theatre ticket stock at their nearby Palace Theatre. In its waning years as a first-run house the Palace box office dispensed tickets from the Gary and from the closed Y&W Lyric in Sullivan, IN.
!n January 1927 architect M.S. Bittner of East Chicago was designing a 55-foot by 125-foot $55,000 theater in Tolleston for A. Rudzinski.
In its late years the Eagle was operated by Bikos Brothers.
After the Lyric closed operator Y&W moved the surplus ticket stock to Gary, IN. When the Y&W Palace in Gary ran out of tickets in its waning days patrons received Lyric Theatre tickets.
Additional research shows that in October 1933 the Broadway was transferred to Theatrical Managers, Inc. The Indianapolis company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis. In March 1934 Theatrical Managers transferred the closed Broadway to Nick Bikos.
There was another Indiana Theater in Gary. According to Film Daily, it closed in June 1934.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company included veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.
In April 1933 the Federal bankruptcy referee announced that this theater, formerly operated by Publix-Fitzpatrick-McElroy, Inc., was sold to the newly formed Theatrical Managers, Inc. The new company includes veteran theatrical operators V.U. Young of Gary, IN, and C.J. Wolf of Wheeling, WV; and Pierre Goodrich and Leslie Colvin, both of Indianapolis.