Comments from Joe Vogel

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Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Empress Theatre on Mar 26, 2024 at 10:27 pm

The statewide “Moving Picture Theatres” section of Polk’s 1918 Iowa directory list the American, Empress and Happy Hour theaters at Cherokee, though the local listings for Cherokee itself don’t include the American but do include the Grand Opera House. In the Cherokee listings, a J. T. Cummings is listed as proprietor of the Empress, and an M. G. Grone (probably a misspelling of Groen) as manager of the Happy Hour. Mr. Ferris was listed as proprietor of the Grand Opera House. Unfortunately no addresses were provided for any of the theaters. A Mrs. Allie Groen was the other party in the 1920 court case involving Mr. Ferris which I noted in my earlier comment. A March 24, 1917 Moving Picture World item said that an F. W. Groen had bought the Happy Hour Theatre from A. G. Ferris.

A ca. 1930 photo of the Empress is found on this page at Flickr, posted by user Historic Cherokee, Iowa. The caption says that the Empress closed on June 1, 1916 and reopened two weeks later as the Happy Hour. I haven’t been able to discover when the name Empress was restored to the house, but it was certainly by 1926, as the Empress is one of three houses listed at Cherokee in the FDY that year, along with the American and the Rialto (aka Grand Theatre/Grand Opera House.)

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Wonderland Theatre on Mar 26, 2024 at 5:56 am

The paper that mentioned Mr. Ling’s Family Theatre “…in this city….” was from Lemars (or Le Mars) so that’s where the theater must have been.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Wonderland Theatre on Mar 26, 2024 at 2:19 am

If this house was indeed the Wonderland (which seems likely) then it had an earlier (and rather odd) name. The May 1, 1909 Moving Picture World said: “Cherokee, Ia.-Henry Ling has purchased the Cynic Theater here, and has taken possession.” The April 17, 1909 issue of The Lemars Globe Post provided more details:

“Henry Ling, former proprietor of the Family theatre in this City, has purchased the Cynic theatre at Cherokee and takes possession of the same Monday next. The place will be named Wonderland and will be closed until the first of May, and in the interim Ling will renovate and remodel the building making it over to suit his ideas of a modern moving picture establishment. He will also install the latest machinery and says he will have an establishment there second to none of its kind in this section of the country. The Lings have made many friends here who wish them prosperity and happiness in their new home.”

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Empress Theatre on Mar 26, 2024 at 1:57 am

This item, from the July 22, 1916 issue of Moving Picture World mentions both the Empress and the Happy Hour/American Theatre:

“Exhibitor Ferris Prospers

“Cherokee, Ia.-A. G. Ferris of Cherokee, Iowa, recently bought the Empress theater, which was three doors from his former house, the Happy Hour. He sold the Happy Hour to Sisk & James, with the understanding that the name was to be changed; that theater is now the American. Mr. Ferris took the name Happy Hour with him to his new theater, where he is continuing his former policy as to pictures. He is refurnishing the Grand, and will open it in the fall with spoken drama and feature pictures. Another instance of Mr. Ferris’s enterprise is the fact that he will present the ‘Birth of a Nation’ during July at the Grand for four days-as long a run as the picture had in the largest cities of the immediate territory.”

A 1920 court case involving Mr. Ferris and the Happy Hour and Grand gives the address of the Happy Hour as 222 Main Street, so it seems he did take the name with him, but as the only theaters listed at Cherokee in the 1926 FDY are the American, the Rialto and the Empress, this house must have gotten its earlier name back.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about American Theatre on Mar 26, 2024 at 1:39 am

The Happy Hour Theater at Cherokee, Iowa was mentioned in the March 8, 1913 issue of The Billboard. A vaudeville duo named Helistrom (sp?) and Mybre were appearing there.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Theatre on Mar 24, 2024 at 4:11 am

The NRHP form I mentioned in the comment above is not linked on this page, but in an earlier comment I made on the Palace Theatre page. It’s getting late and my brain has already gone to sleep.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Theatre on Mar 24, 2024 at 4:05 am

The September 12, 1908 Moving Picture World has two items datelined Nevada, Iowa, one of which might be about this theater. One of them also has what is apparently another variant misspelling of the old street name.

The first item says “[t]he Electric Theater is the name of a new amusement house which has been opened for the public.” The second item, which appears a short way down the same page, says “Fred H. Klove has fitted up the Briggs room, on Lyon Street, and has opened a moving picture and vaudeville house. Both of these items could be about the same theater, as the trade journals were prone to doing that sort of thing in their early days. Also, and October 30 item in the same journal says that Klove had sold his theater to ”…Messrs. Coates and Ball….“ so he didn’t operate it for very long.

The reference to “Briggs room” in the one item is interesting, as this theater in the J. Ray Block was apparently next door to the Briggs Block, which was (and is) at 1102-1104 6th Street and, according to its description in a downtown Nevada walking tour (PDF here) once housed “…a newsstand with art sales….” It could be that the Briggs family, who were quite prominent in town, had bought the Ray Block prior to 1908, or the reference in MPW might have simply been a mistake.

Incidentally, the NRHP form does have a mistake, as it says that the 1928 Circle was the third movie theater opened in Nevada. The well documented Palace Theatre of 1913, with the evidence of two even earlier theaters appearing on the Sanborn Maps, proves that he Circle was at least the fourth movie house opened in Nevada.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Palace Theatre on Mar 24, 2024 at 3:24 am

The NRHP documentation form for the historic Nevada Central Business District (PDF here) says that the Palace Theatre opened in the corner space of the Alderman brothers' new building on December 20, 1913.

The house was originally leased to A. H. Donhowe of Story City. Warner Grossman took over operation in 1921.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Marshall Theatre on Mar 12, 2024 at 6:40 am

A North Manchester history web page has this information about the Marshall Theatre: “…Clarence Helvey and Earl Scott announced the opening of the Marshall Theater here [126 E. Main St.] on September 2, 1934. Wayne Garman, who owned the Ritz Theater, later acquired the Marshall Theater – possibly when a "new management” ad was run on March 4, 1935. The Marshall Theater remained here for the rest of our study period, and actually outlasted the Ritz."

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Ritz Theatre on Mar 12, 2024 at 6:37 am

This fragment from a North Manchester history web page gives the address of the Ritz, and its earlier name: “There was a theater at this location [128 E. Main St.] called the Gem theater, owned by C.M. Walters. In October 1931, Mr. Walters reopened the theater and changed the name to the Ritz. In 1933, Wayne Garman took over ownership of the Ritz Theater.”

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Amusu Theatre on Mar 8, 2024 at 12:06 am

A letter published in the “Projection Department” column of Moving Picture World for October 25, 1913 says in part “Mr. Leslie K. Moore, Paulding, Ohio… says: I recently opened a new theater, ‘The Amusu,’ in a fireproof building, erected in accordance with the Ohio State Building Laws.”

The Amusu was the only theater listed at Paulding in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, but a book called A Paulding Journal: 1870-1950 by Jeanne Bennett Calvert, which consists mostly of snippets from the local newspaper, mentions a couple of other theater names. An August, 1914 item mentions a Family Motion Picture Theatre, and a June, 1915 item mentions both the Amusu and a house called the Palace, which had just been taken over by the owner of the Amusu.

There was also a mention of the Amusu after 1916, but I cant find the exact year (Google Books has no full view of this book.) The only house other than the Grand listed in the 1926 FDY is called the Lincoln, and it was no longer listed by 1929. A March 17, 1917 Moving Picture World item notes a Paulding Theatre Company had plans and capital to build a new movie house there immediately, but I’ve found no later items about it. If it was built it could have ben the Lincoln, and if not then the Lincoln might have been the Amusu under a new name.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Grand Theatre on Mar 7, 2024 at 11:02 pm

A post about the recent demolition of the Paulding Theatre on the Facebook page of the John Paulding Historical Society says that the building was built in 1893. A period source says that it was slated to open on February 19, 1894. Another new theatre, called the Model Opera House, had opened in January.

The side walls of the Grand survived the 1946 fire, and the 1949 Paulding Theatre was essentially a steel framed structure built inside the brick shell of the old Grand. Part of the Grand’s front wall also survived the fire and was revealed under the newer building as it was demolished, seen for the first time in 75 years.

The Historical Society seems to think that the building was extended back to the alley for the first time after the fire, as that part of the building had cinder block walls, but I think the cinder block portion of the building must have occupied the location of the old stage house, which either didn’t survive the fire, or was simply too tall for the new, stage-less movie theater and thus was demolished.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Paulding Theatre on Mar 7, 2024 at 8:48 pm

The Paulding Theatre was originally built for Jack O'Connell’s Community Theatres circuit of Toledo, Ohio, according to the February 26, 1949 issue of Boxoffice.

The side walls of the Grand Theatre, which the Paulding replaced, survived the 1946 fire and were incorporated into the 1949 structure, which was essentially a steel framed building built inside the old walls dating to 1893. Part of the front wall also survived, but the back wall was removed so the building could be extended with a new concrete block addition, providing increased seating capacity.

Sadly, demolition of the Paulding Theatre building began less than one month short of the 75th anniversary of its opening, on February 21, 2024. The John Paulding Historical Society provided a last look at what was left of the theater interior in a video posted to their Facebook page on February 20. Watch it here.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Pic Theatre on Mar 7, 2024 at 12:22 pm

A 1962 city directory for Hammond, including Ponchatoula, lists the Pic Theatre at 162 N. 6th street, but this address no longer appears to exist. The numbering system is a bit of a pig’s breakfast, with a bar called Stray Cats at 132 N. 6th, something called Landstar in a small building next door numbered 165, and next to that, at the end of the block, an old brick house occupied by an accountant’s office with the address 180. Across 6th Street is a very modern building housing the town’s police station, and it uses the number 195.

The only surviving building among those on the east side of the street that is big enough to have held a 400-seat theater is the bar at 132, and it looks as though its ceiling would be too low. Unless a photo or someone who actually saw the theater turns up I fear the closest we can get to knowing the Pic’s location is the block of 6th Street north of Pine Street, and we can’t even be sure it hasn’t been demolished. But at least the directory reveals that the Pic was still in operation in 1962.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Strand Theatre on Mar 6, 2024 at 11:14 am

Here is an item about the Strand from Moving Picture World of November 20, 1915:

“The Strand, Chattanooga’s new 5-cent motion picture theater, was thrown open to the public on Friday, Nov. 5, with the William Fox production, ‘A Celebrated Scandal,’ for the opening exhibit. Arrangements have been made to show Fox, Kleine, Edison and Pathe Gold Rooster films at the new theater.

“A. J. Alper and A. Solomon, two well known young South Side business men, have charge of the theater, which they built under a partnership agreement. Two Powers 6A machines have been installed in a fireproof operators' room, and a $3,500 photo-play orchestra has been installed. The concern gave considerable attention to building a perfect ventilating system, and the house is heated by means of a gas furnace.

“The bills will be changed daily. The South Side of Chattanooga has been in need of just such a theater for some time, and the new house should prove a successful venture. On the opening day at the theater free toy balloons were given to every woman and child who attended, J. P. Wilhoite, a local contractor, built the theater. The building is handsomely decorated inside and out and has a large seating capacity.”

The last year in which the Strand was listed in the FDY was 1926.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Elkins Theatre on Mar 6, 2024 at 10:55 am

Here is an item from Moving Picture World of November 20, 1915:

“Fine New House in Elkins, W. Va. R. H. Talbott, Elkins, West Va.. is building a new theater, to play highclass photoplays exclusively. The building completed will cost $30,000. It is of white sandstone, handsomely finished both inside and out. A big attractive lobby is one of its features, and a balcony seating 300, the seating capacity for the house will be 1,120. The interior decoration is now nearing completion, and is very handsome. G. B. Harvey is the contractor, and the house is to be opened Nov. 10 next. The house is named the Hippodrome.”
The claim (on November 20) that the house was to open on November 15 might well have been accurate. Publication was often delayed in trade journals of the time, and this wouldn’t be the first time an “upcoming” event had been announced after it had already happened. The same goes for the January 15, 1916 announcement in Music Trade Review of the Hippodrome’s impending opening.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Marion Theatre on Mar 6, 2024 at 10:36 am

Here is an item from the November 20, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World:

“New House At Marion Virginia

“A new theater is now under construction at Marion, Va., which, when completed, will be leased and operated by J. B. Eccles. The city of Marion can boast of but slightly more than two thousand inhabitants, but it will have a theater as modern, well-equipped and up-to-date as any of those of the larger cities in this section.

“‘The Marion,’ as it is to be known, will have a seating capacity of about 350. Of this number fifty seats will be contained in the balcony, arranged to accommodate the colored inhabitants. To this there is to be a separate entrance from the main lobby.

“Arrangements have been made for the installation of a Mirror screen, Power’s 6B projecting machines and a compensarc. The present plans are for the opening of the Marion on Thanksgiving Day. A four-reel daily program is contemplated. The Marion is the second place of amusement for the city, for D. Hutton has operated the Pastime here for many years. Both he and Mr. Eccles are well known in this section, both having been in the field for a considerable period of time.”

An October 16 item in the same journal had noted that a new theater was being built at Marion by J. J. Coyner, owner of the Marion Hotel.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Theatorium on Mar 5, 2024 at 6:30 pm

The Theatorium was one of two houses listed at Pocahontas in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, the other being the Opera House. The Opera House was above the City Hall, which was also on St. Clair Street.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about American Theatre on Mar 5, 2024 at 6:07 pm

The last appearance of the American Theatre in the FDY is in the 1929 edition. Pocahontas itself does not appear in the 1930 edition, but in 1931 a 400-seat house called the Palace is listed as the only theater in town. It is possible that the American closed in late 1929 and reopened sometime in 1930 as the Palace. Pocahontas still had its Palace Theatre in 1950, when it was one of the houses mentioned in the February 4 issue of Boxoffice as part of the Newbold-Keesling chain.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Theatre on Mar 5, 2024 at 5:15 pm

This house might have been called either the Grand, the Lyric, or the Palace. In June, 1922, several issues of Moving Picture World ran capsule movie reviews submitted by R. Mason Hall of the Grand Theatre, Northfork, West Virginia. Another such review, from the issue of May 12, 1923, gives the seating capacity of the Grand as 300. The Grand is listed in the 1926 FDY, along with houses called the Lyric and the Palace. It was the last listing for the Grand. The Palace was last listed in 1928, and the Lyric in 1929, when the new Freeman Theatre first appeared.

The 1922 references to the Grand are the only mentions of any early Northfork houses I’ve found in the trade journals, and the only mention of the Star I’ve found is in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, in which it is the only house listed at Northfork.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Rook Theater on Mar 5, 2024 at 4:33 pm

This web page has a story about a group called Friends of the Rook, who are raising funds to restore the Rook Theatre and operate it as a performance space and community event center. It says that the house was built in 1939 by Bert and Elmer Rook to replace their Lyric Theatre at another location in Cheyenne. The official opening of the Rook was April 3, 1940.

The Rook was one of the earliest theaters designed by architect Jack Corgan, of Corgan & Moore. Unfortunately a 1972 fire destroyed the original interior, and even the interior from a remodeling that year is now gone, the auditorium having been stripped to the bare walls.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Lyric Theatre on Mar 5, 2024 at 4:18 pm

A history of the Rook Theater says that Bert an Elmer Rook built that house in 1939 to replace their Lyric Theatre. The 250-seat Lyric made its first appearance in the 1931 FDY. In 1929, Cheyenne had been home to the 175-seat Princess Theatre, and the town was not listed in the 1930 edition. I’ve been unable to discover if the Princess was enlarged, renamed and reopened or if the Lyric was a new house opened sometime in 1930.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Dalton Theater on Mar 5, 2024 at 2:44 pm

An advertisement in Pulaski newspaper The Southwest Times of July 29, 1921 said that the new Dalton Theatre would open the following evening, Saturday, July 30, at 700 P. M.. The Dalton Theatre was leased to the American Theater Company, of Welch, West Virginia.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about Madstone Centrum on Mar 4, 2024 at 10:49 pm

A list of buildings designed by architect Albert F. Janowitz includes the Heights Theatre, a 1919 project. The list also includes the 1924 West Park Theatre, and two 1917 projects listed only under the generic term “Movie Theatre.” These two are both listed in Cleveland and both listed as demolished.

One web page says that the Heights didn’t begin operation until 1922, but I’ve found no corroboration for the claim elsewhere.

The pastor of the church which occupies the theater, Joel Negus, has converted part of the auditorium into a recording studio/performance space, a project begun in 2019. There is a photo of the space on his Facebook page here.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel commented about West Park Theater on Mar 4, 2024 at 9:51 pm

A list of buildings designed by architect Albert F. Janowitz includes the West Park Theatre, listed as a 1924 project, though it apparently opened in 1925. The list also includes the 1919 Heights Theatre, and two 1917 projects listed only under the generic term “Movie Theatre.” These two are both listed in Cleveland and both listed as demolished.