Valencia Theater

Amosduncan on February 22, 2006 at 2:49 am

I remember an article about the Valicia when it closed. It said Milton Berle had played there in the vaudville days; and that Ann Margret went there over and over to see “Rebel Without A Cause” (See was a student at New Treir and lived in Wilmette).
It was smaller and not as nice as the varsity, yes, they played second run and “B” movies. I saw “Fourtune Cookie” and “Born Free” on a double bill, as well as “Ben” and “Kansas City Bomber.” With the Varsity and Corenet, it was part of the Plitt Theater chain. When you bought a popcorn, it had a tear away flip and if there was a star there you got a free pass. I never saw anyone win.

paulench on January 3, 2005 at 1:35 pm

I attended the B&K Valencia double features back in the mid-1950s to late-1960s. They frequently ran Hollywood reissue, Hammer horror, Tarzan adventure, and Japanese sci-fi films. I don’t recall them ever having first-run blockbuster shows – those would shown two blocks away at the B&K Varsity.

The auditorium was relatively small compared to other local venues, but it did have a balcony. The auditorium was decorated as a European (Spanish?) courtyard. The ceiling was dark blue and its lights resembled a starry night. The lobby was small but adequate. I remember noting at the time that the Valencia must have had a history of stage shows or vaudeville due to the nature of its stage front and steps leading up to the stage.

The projection angle must have been very steep (above the balcony) because I remember the semi-wide screen having a slight tilt backwards at the top, which was not very noticeable once the show started, unless one sat very close to the front.

This is where I saw the original “King Kong” during a 1958 reissue. I think it was double billed with something called “The Collossus of New York”. I saw many a Saturday program at the Valencia but King Kong stands out.