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
Showing posts with label Movie Palaces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie Palaces. Show all posts
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Humble Theaters Became Movie Palaces-- Part 1
From the Feb. 26th Chicago Tribune "Chicago Flashback: Humble theaters became movie palaces" by Ron Grossman.
A theater opened October 1917 at 3535 W. Roosevelt Road and changed the way not only Chicagoans went to the movies, but the nation as well.
Before this one, movies were shown in nickelodeons which were the price, but also the usual anything but luxurious surroundings. But A.J. and Barney Balaban and Sam Katz had bigger ideas for the new medium. Their idea gave birth to the term "movie palace."
It seated 1,780 and was the first air-conditioned movie house. And, it was named the Central Park Theater. This was named for a nearby cross street. But the ones that followed: the Palace, the Granada, the Paradise, the Tivoli, the Pantheon and the Regal better reflected the whole theater-going experience.
It "created a social and cultural phenomenon that brought together residents from diverse backgrounds. A night at the movies was a dress-up occasion."
Unfortunately, some of these movie palaces are gone, but some were saved liked the Rialto Square in Joliet, Illinois, and the Genessee in Waukegan, Illinois.
More to Come. --Cooter
A theater opened October 1917 at 3535 W. Roosevelt Road and changed the way not only Chicagoans went to the movies, but the nation as well.
Before this one, movies were shown in nickelodeons which were the price, but also the usual anything but luxurious surroundings. But A.J. and Barney Balaban and Sam Katz had bigger ideas for the new medium. Their idea gave birth to the term "movie palace."
It seated 1,780 and was the first air-conditioned movie house. And, it was named the Central Park Theater. This was named for a nearby cross street. But the ones that followed: the Palace, the Granada, the Paradise, the Tivoli, the Pantheon and the Regal better reflected the whole theater-going experience.
It "created a social and cultural phenomenon that brought together residents from diverse backgrounds. A night at the movies was a dress-up occasion."
Unfortunately, some of these movie palaces are gone, but some were saved liked the Rialto Square in Joliet, Illinois, and the Genessee in Waukegan, Illinois.
More to Come. --Cooter
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)