Liberty Theatre
420 Saint Charles Avenue,
New Orleans,
LA
70130
420 Saint Charles Avenue,
New Orleans,
LA
70130
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Ernest Boehringer planned the Liberty Theatre in 1916 - a four aisle film theatre with what they considered novel everything - ventilation, projection, seating, you name it. And Boehringer opened the patriotically-named Liberty just prior to the end of WW1. And he placed lots and lots and lots of ads in preparation for the opening. One wondered how the Boehringer Amusement Co. could afford such a long runway for the theatre and so much in marketing dollars. The Liberty opened with “Over the Top” on July 2, 1918 as a prominent first-run house. And Boehringer likely couldn’t pay that because he left prior to the sixth month anniversary locking up after the New Year’s Eve 1918 show. Saenger took on the venue and the $14k annual leasing with a new pipe organ in January of 1919.
At its 10th Anniversary, Sanger closed briefly after wiring the Liberty for sound. And they booked the return of “The Jazz Singer” with Vitaphone disc-based audio on October 12, 1928 as the Liberty was now a second-run house.
Mort H. Singer took on the venue as part his circuit on September 24, 1936. The venue got its most significant update to a streamline moderne look after closing for a month reopening on a third-run continuous discount grind policy for a dime or 15 cents. But Singer died in 1944. On November 4, 1944, the Liberty transferred from Mort H. Singer to RKO operation. The Liberty Theatre closed as a true grindhouse with live burlesque and bawdy film content. The burley ground to a halt on March 4, 1954 with live acts and adult-themed exploitation films.
National Lumber and Demolishing tore down the Liberty Theatre for $4,400 as it joined the Parking Lot Brigade in April of 1954 for Dixie Parking Service.
The New Orleans-based trade journal Building Review published an item in its issue of September 30, 1916 saying that the Victoria Hotel next to the Orpheum Theatre on St. Charles Avenue would be demolished beginning October 1 to make way for a moving picture theater to be built for Ernest Boehringer. The theater was being designed and built by the Fromherz & Drennan company (Joseph Fromherz and Albert Drennan.)
This page at New Orleans Historical says the Liberty opened in 1918, operated by Boehringer Amusement Company on behalf of the owners, Saenger Amusement. The page also says the Liberty was last operated by RKO, and closed in 1955.
Actually, there’s another picture of the Liberty on the same site that you cited earlier;
View link
where, if one looks to the right, a set of framed exhibition photos for the film showing at the theater next door and what appears to be a neon letter ’S' on top of what is undoubtedly a marquee can be seen. Considering also the streetcar tracks in front of the theaters, I don’t think there’s any doubt about the location being St. Charles Street circa 1950.
The Mike Rivest website lists only one Liberty Theater in New Orleans, locating it at 420 St. Charles and further indicates that the operator was RKO from 1950-55. “Tarzan and the Leopard Woman” was re-released by RKO in 1950 (originally released in 1946).
CinemaTour, though, puts this theater on Canal Street (no number indicated). The picture matches, but I doubt that it was on Canal.
Here is a 1935 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2omoue
Library of Congress website has a photo and lists the location as Saint Charles Street.