The opening of a new Movie Palace caused civic celebration. In 1925,the opening of the Uptown Theatre had a parade of 200 floats while 12,000 lines up for the 4,381 seats.
The B&K (Balaban & Katz) formula went from mere opulence to Roman decadence. In the 1930s, the Tribune reported there was going to be a trained seal room and a small museum in the Englewood Theatre. The Chicago Theatre seated 3,800 in an interior based on the Palace of Versailles.
In 1926, the Oriental Theater opened with employees dressed in far eastern garb.
Sometimes you'd get live stage along with a movie. Red Skelton played the Palace. The Three Stooges were at State Lake and John Philip Sousa was at the Chicago.
The B & K theaters were designed by brother architects George and Cornelius Rap. Not only were their theaters in Chicago, but they also designed the Paramount Theater in New York, the Palace Theater in Cleveland.
However, by the 1960s, television and suburbanization had taken their toll on the Chicago Movie Palaces Many closed and a few reopened.
I Have Yet to Have Ever Been in One of These Movie Palaces, But Hope to Soon. --DaCoot
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