The Music Box Theatre is where I first discovered the annual Festival of Animation, and where I saw anime on the big screen for the first time with “Laputa: Castle in the Sky”. It’s my favorite atmospheric style theater, and I’ll probably see a movie there when I visit Chicago this year.
The Will Rogers was where I cried when Old Yeller died. I also saw “The Black Hole” and “Fantasia” at that beautiful theatre. That whole retail district was really kitschy-cool back in the 70s and 80s.
I only saw a few movies at the Avon. My most vivid memory about was from ‘79, when “The Warriors” played there. Apparently, two local rival gangs went to see the film on the first night and someone got shot.
I don’t know if it was true or an urban legend, but my family and I stopped going to the Avon after that.
I was very young when my parents would take me to what I think was the Harlem Outdoor Theatre. I vaguely remember the surrounding scenery in the mid-70s. I was wondering, was there a mall nearby it with a great, big Montgomery-Ward neon sign in ‘76?
This was my main neighborhood theater in the 70s. I saw “Game of Death”, “The Omen”, “Alien”, and dozens of other great movies there when I was a kid.
In the 80s the Logan became a a genuine lowbrow entertainment multiplex, with really sticky floors and lively heckling. The last film I saw there was “Cyborg” (with Jean-Claude VanDamme) in the summer of ‘89. People were smoking, moving around, yelling at the screen, the whole nine yards that night.
I’m happy to hear the Portage is still standing and in use. I saw many movies there, and my most vivid memory of the Portage was from the premiere of “Firefox” in ‘82. The crowd was restless, having been kept outside for a long while past showtime. After finally getting in and sitting down, there were several false starts and projector problems that were resolved just before the patrons became an irate mob.
My fondest memory of the Nortown is from when I saw the premiere of “Superman” in ‘78 – sitting in that beautiful theater, holding a glow-in-the-dark Kryptonite rock that my father bought at the ticket counter.
I’m new to the site, and I really enjoyed reading the comments and checking out the many links to pics of the Nortown.
The Music Box Theatre is where I first discovered the annual Festival of Animation, and where I saw anime on the big screen for the first time with “Laputa: Castle in the Sky”. It’s my favorite atmospheric style theater, and I’ll probably see a movie there when I visit Chicago this year.
Great pics and posts, everyone.
The Will Rogers was where I cried when Old Yeller died. I also saw “The Black Hole” and “Fantasia” at that beautiful theatre. That whole retail district was really kitschy-cool back in the 70s and 80s.
I only saw a few movies at the Avon. My most vivid memory about was from ‘79, when “The Warriors” played there. Apparently, two local rival gangs went to see the film on the first night and someone got shot.
I don’t know if it was true or an urban legend, but my family and I stopped going to the Avon after that.
Wow, thanks for the pics, BWChicago. Wasn’t that building the location of Guitar Center in the 80s?
I saw the Queen-enhanced version of Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” at this lovely theater. I was really impressed with the interior and exterior design.
I was very young when my parents would take me to what I think was the Harlem Outdoor Theatre. I vaguely remember the surrounding scenery in the mid-70s. I was wondering, was there a mall nearby it with a great, big Montgomery-Ward neon sign in ‘76?
This was my main neighborhood theater in the 70s. I saw “Game of Death”, “The Omen”, “Alien”, and dozens of other great movies there when I was a kid.
In the 80s the Logan became a a genuine lowbrow entertainment multiplex, with really sticky floors and lively heckling. The last film I saw there was “Cyborg” (with Jean-Claude VanDamme) in the summer of ‘89. People were smoking, moving around, yelling at the screen, the whole nine yards that night.
I’m happy to hear the Portage is still standing and in use. I saw many movies there, and my most vivid memory of the Portage was from the premiere of “Firefox” in ‘82. The crowd was restless, having been kept outside for a long while past showtime. After finally getting in and sitting down, there were several false starts and projector problems that were resolved just before the patrons became an irate mob.
My fondest memory of the Nortown is from when I saw the premiere of “Superman” in ‘78 – sitting in that beautiful theater, holding a glow-in-the-dark Kryptonite rock that my father bought at the ticket counter.
I’m new to the site, and I really enjoyed reading the comments and checking out the many links to pics of the Nortown.