(February 7, 1972)– Earl Warner, 78, died Sunday morning at the Sunset Rest Home, Fairchild, where he had been a resident for the past two months. Mr. Warner was born May 21, 1393 in the Town of Bridge Creek and married the former Jean Johnson in 1921. The couple lived their entire life in Augusta, where he had owned and operated the Augusta Theater for more than 35 years. He is survived by three sons, Gary, Downingstown, Pa.; William and Robert, both of Augusta; two daughters, Mrs. William Metz Jr., Augusta, Mrs. Jack Smith, Havre, Mont.; a sister, Mrs. Earl Newhouse, Onalaska; 22 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Anderson Funeral Home here with the Rev. Ralph Walker officiating. Burial will be in West Lawn Cemetery.
October 10, 1962 — AUGUSTA (Special) — While movie heroes dance their shadowy ritual across the movies screen here a true life drama is being enacted at the box office.
A month ago Richard L. (Chips) Flodin, 22 , of 1611 Western Avenue, Eau Claire, and his wife, re-opened the August theater which had been silent and dark for two years.
Many folks know Flodin as an Eau Claire radio personality, who conducted a late-evening record show, worked at the television studio as a film director and moved to Marshfield as a radio announcer after marrying Maxine Knowlton in September, 1961.
Some folks know that Flodin, who has a lifelong interest in the entertainment world in general and the movie world in particular, launched his business here a month ago on a shoestring after being out of work for months.
Few know he had to leave his radio announcing post, when failing eyesight canceled out his ability to read news stories or other announcements. He has been in hospitals twice since then in efforts. so far futile, to push back the curtain of darkness that is gradually closing in.
At best Flodin can make out the shape and form of large objects. At worst he can just distinguish between light and darkness.
“It seems like there is always a way, if you can just find it.”, he says. He doesn’t like to talk about his problems. He would rather talk about his Eau Claire friends who tipped him off to the possibility of reopening the theater here: who helped himself and his wife clean up, paint and partially remodel the main street building for the event; and the Augusta businessmen who have supported his effort. He sells them some advertising on the screen and reports that business support has represented the difference between success and failure during the first weeks.
He has found that although business is good “many people have gotten out of the movie habit.” He hopes that by presenting the best pictures his budget will allow he can recapture some interest.
He also praised the August young people, Jerry Setzer, Julie Neldon and Jim Steadman, who work at the theater for showings: one on Thursday, two on Friday and Saturday nights, matinees on Saturday and Sunday, and the Sunday night performance.
So far his wife, who is 19, has been his principle helper, caring for books, driving his car and using her eyes for him. She will have added duties soon when their first child is born. Flodin is hoping to find a place here where he can reasonably park their trailer close to the theater so he can walk back and forth alone.
“I was pretty busted up,” he says, recalling the time when he first learned his eye ailment is serious and could be permanent. But his face lights up as he describes how he is trying to improve the theater sound system and the bright plans he has for the future if his venture here succeeds. He will know better when the next two months of his three-month trial period are complete.
THE SHEBOYGAN PRESS, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1931 – Picture And Bomb Climax Simultaneous In Chicago ——————– During these weeks, 16 bombs have been hurled, 14 of them at theatres involved in the fight. Until last night, all were exploded outside the show houses. The 14th and 15th, both thrown yesterday, were hurled at theatres not involved. Owners said they must have been “errors.” Besides Mooney, the other seriously hurt last night were Edward Foy, city fireman, and Edward Schaeffer. Several women wera slightly hurt. The war between owners and operators started when the owners rebelled against ,a union rule requiring two operators in every theatre. When efforts to compromise failed, the owners locked out the operators and imported non-union men from New York to replace them. The bombings began, continuing since at the rate of about one a day. Thomas Maloy, under indictment on conspiracy charges and accused of being a racketeer, is head of the union involved in the controversy.
Chicago (UP) The theatre bomb war and the moving picture “Dancing Dynamite” reached their climaxes at the same time last night in the Colony theatre on the southwest side. Just as the climax of the picture came, flames shot upward from the center of the audience of about 800 persons. Two other patrons, one a fireman off duty, tackled the fleeing man and beat out the flames. All three were seriously burned. The man who fled was Peter Mooney, 30, a former convict. Police were convinced he carried a sulphur bomb into the theatre, intending to terrorize patrons by tossing it among them, but that he blundered and the bomb exploded in his lap. Officers said the incident undoubtedly would prove the climax of the controversy which has been waged for weeks between owners of 104 independent theatres and the union operators whom they locked out.
(Racine Journal Times, October 8, 2017) – The Uptown Racine neighborhood has struggled to maintain business, but a new proposal in the 2018 capital improvement plan might breathe some life into the neighborhood. The proposal is looking to turn the old Uptown theater into a performing arts center and it asks for $75,000 to perform a feasibility study and $50,000 to perform market analysis in 2019. That money would get taken out of the intergovernmental revenue sharing fund. The proposal also included $10 million to be used in 2021 for property purchase and construction. The city would use $5 million of the TID bond and $5 million from private development to fund the project.
Racine City Administrator Jim Palenick said it could make a huge difference in the area if the theater on the 1400 block of Washington Avenue was revitalized. “If the city can come forward with a very strong start to this project, can the private sector make this happen,” adding the city has had discussions with people in Uptown and thinks that this project can “create some vision and get something done on a pretty solid plan that’s been out there for a while.”
Sandy Weidner, mayoral candidate, said the plan “doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me at all, but I’d like to know more about it. I do think it would be a good thing, but I would need to hear more from the director of city development on what the expectation is from the feasibility study and market analysis. I’d also like to know if we’d done one in the past.” Weidner said on taking the money out of the intergovernmental revenue sharing fund: “that’s going to depend on the health of that particular fund to know if we could take $125,000 out of there. There’s a lot of other commitments being proposed to come out of the intergovernmental fund.”
State Rep. Cory Mason, mayoral candidate, also echoed the same sentiments about wanting to know more about the project. “I think Uptown needs something transformative to help bring it back … revitalizing Uptown has been a priority for the city and should be a priority for the next mayor,” Mason said. “Whether or not this project is the best way to revitalize Uptown is still unclear to me… I’d like to hear what the community has to say about it.”
Mason said it’s very early in the process for this project and would like to have more input from different members of the community. “I think a mistake that was made with the arena was there wasn’t enough done to gauge community support for the project,” Mason said. “For me the first thing I want to do is gauge not just the feasibility of a project like that, but also the community support for it.”
Yesenia Alashi, manager at Furniture Warehouse, 1510 Washington Ave., said anything new to the area would be an improvement. “This area is pretty dead now … a lot of stores have closed down or they don’t have a lot going on in this uptown area. It would be nice to get something newer something fresh in this area. It might boost this area a little bit more, especially a theater.”
LOCAL “LITTLE THEATRE” TO SHOW NOVEL FILMS (Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, December 9, 1938)
The Little Theatre, a motion picture playhouse dedicated to the showing of outstanding film attractions made in this country, England and the European continent, opened here this week on N. Third street, just south of Wisconsin avenue. Like its counterparts the country over, the Little Theatre, established in the former Garden Theatre, will show only single features with the balance of the program composed of specially selected short subjects and latest news releases.
LOCAL “LITTLE THEATRE” TO SHOW NOVEL FILMS (Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, December 9, 1938)
The Little Theatre, a motion picture playhouse dedicated to the showing of outstanding film attractions made in this country, England and the European continent, opened here this week on N. Third street, just south of Wisconsin avenue. Like its counterparts the country over, the Little Theatre, established in the former Garden Theatre, will show only single features with the balance of the program composed of specially selected short subjects and latest news releases.
Historic West Bend Theatre, Inc. purchased the 88-year-old WEST BEND Theatre this week for $250,000 from Ascendant Holdings LLC. HWBT has launched a campaign with the goal of raising $1.5 million to $3 million to renovate the theater next year.
John Torinus, the group’s spokesperson and chairman of Serigraph Inc. said plans to gut all but the building’s facade were met with opposition from the West Bend community. “The town sort of rose up and said, ‘No, you can’t take down the theater — that’s where I had my first date. That’s where I had my first kiss. It really was palpable.”
Ascendant Holdings, LLC bought the building in 2012 for $100,000, according to state records. Its founder Matt Prescott, a West Bend native, stabilized the property and has readied it for reuse, Torinus said.
Torinus said HWBT envisions the restored theatre hosting showings of classic movies, matinee showings for children, musical performances, comedy acts, corporate events and weddings. “It will be a community, all-purpose facility,” he said. HWBT has brought on Scott Georgeson, an architect whose portfolio includes restoration work on the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Skylight Opera Theater and Schauer Arts & Activity Center in Hartford.
Torinus said HWBT is raising money through the rest of 2017 with construction anticipated to begin in early 2018
and a goal to have it completed in 2018, he said. “So far we’ve had nothing but good reception from the community and potential donors,” he said.
First-run features are ending at The Marcus Corp.’s SHOWTIME Franklin theater. Instead, it will screen movies when they become available for $2.50. On Tuesday nights, admission will be $1.50. The concessions at the Franklin theater will not be impacted by the change. “With a number of properties in the vicinity, Marcus Theatres is uniquely positioned to offer a variety of choices for guests,” said Rolando Rodriguez, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Marcus Theatres.
Milwaukee Film to operate Oriental Theatre; Fundraising $10 million to revitalize 90-year-old facility (by Lauren Anderson, BizTimes, June 19, 2017)
Milwaukee Film, the organizer of the city’s annual film festival, has entered into a 31-year lease to operate the Oriental Theatre and announced plans to make upgrades to the historic facility. The nonprofit organization is fundraising $10 million to revitalize the 1927 theater with the goal of “creating a superior customer experience and making the Oriental Theatre a state of the art historic cinema,” according to a Milwaukee Film news release.
The Oriental Theatre, located on Milwaukee’s east side, opened in 1927. The theater, located on Milwaukee’s East Side at 2230 N. Farwell Ave., is currently operated by Los Angeles-based Landmark Theatres. When it assumes operation of the theater in July 2018, Milwaukee Film plans to run a year-round, nonprofit cinema.
“The Oriental Theatre is a treasure. I have visited hundreds of cinemas worldwide and the Oriental Theatre is my favorite. It is magical to see 1,000 of our members fill the main house at our monthly screenings,” said Jonathan Jackson, artistic and executive director of Milwaukee Film. “Our nine-year-old organization securing long-term control of this cinema is a momentous occasion. We have cemented our permanence in Milwaukee and intend to greatly expand our cultural, economic, and educational impact on our community.”
The organization has secured $3 million of its $10 million fundraising goal. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, who co-founded Milwaukee Film, made a personal contribution of $2 million.
“From day one, every person involved in Milwaukee Film – from staff, to volunteers, to the board, to our dedicated 3,600 members – has been driven by the goal of not simply creating a film festival, but creating one of the best and biggest film festivals in the world,” Abele said. “This announcement brings us closer to that goal. It isn’t the culmination or an end point, it’s the start of the next chapter.”
The Herzfeld Foundation has also committed $1 million to the initiative.
Designs haven’t yet been completed, but the organization is “committed to maintaining the existing aesthetics and character of this iconic Milwaukee building,” according to the release.
Kenosha’s Cinemark Tinseltown USA movie theatre has been sold to a New Jersey-based real estate investment group for $8.4 million, according to state records.
Chambers Street Properties purchased the 14-screen theatre at 7101 70th Court from SP Theater LLC of Chicago.
Cinemark operates 525 theatres in 41 states, Brazil, Argentina and 13 other Latin American countries. This is the only Cinemark theater in Wisconsin.
Chambers Street Properties merged with Gramercy Property Trust, Inc. in 2015 creating the largest industrial and office net lease REIT at the time with a value of $5.7 billion.
Visitors must sign a waiver acknowledging that the theatre has been vacant for two decades. There’s a scar on the edge of the balcony, an effort to duplex the auditorium to produce more income in the 1990s, but the Warner is up for rebirth as the home of the Milwaukee Symphony. The stagehouse will have to be extended beyond the current rear wall so it’s large enough to fit the whole orchestra, and its management is leading a bid to renovate the Warner Grand to become the symphony’s new home. The task is to raise $120 million to make the move a reality. So far, the MSO has raised $76 million and says over 50 donors have given substantial gifts to help it move into the Warner Grand to help save an historic gem that likely would be lost otherwise.
The Milwaukee Symphony does about 135 performances per 40-week season and now offers themed performances of music from popular movies like “Harry Potter” and “La La Land” in order to attract new audiences, and its vision with the Warner Grand Theatre is to make going to the symphony an experience from the moment someone walks in the door, the original intent behind going to a movie palace.
The MSO is far from the first orchestra to move into a refurbished movie palace downtown. They’re regularly retrofitted to be symphony halls and the idea of the MSO moving to the Warner Grand had existed for some time. In 2001 the MSO conducted a highly successful acoustical test in the Warner Grand. Being much deeper than it is wide, the “shoebox” shape is better for orchestra acoustics, and the very high balcony is good because the sound doesn’t get trapped under the balcony. The decorations deflect sounds in good ways, though Rapp and Rapp didn’t build any of it for acoustical reasons. But in 2001 there wasn’t an appetite for a move because an addition was being built at the Milwaukee Art Museum, there was too much traffic to expand on North Second Street because it was a major artery, and the MSO’s need wasn’t as great because there were no Broadway shows at its then-home during its season.
Now, with the architecture firm Kahler Slater, the MSO plans to bump the back wall of the L-shaped theater into North Second Street to create a larger stage that can be seen from all areas of the theatre, to extend the east end with an addition replacing replace the building next door, and to enlarge the lobby to hold 1,700 people before and after performances. There’ll be new seating for a 1,750-person capacity, first-floor lavatories and elevators, and a second-floor gathering space for revenue-generating private events.
The City has donated a $750,000 grant and street-reconstruction assistance for moving the rear wall while retaining its historic and structural integrity. Initial approvals are in from the State of Wisconsin and the National Parks Service for historic preservation tax credits which will cover 40 percent of the cost of the historic restoration of the Warner Grand. The project is expected to cost the MSO about $75 million. If fundraising goes as planned, construction will begin in Autumn of 2017 and the MSO will be doing concerts in the born-again Warner Grand Theatre by Autumn of 2019.
An interesting story here. The AMC Fitchburg 18-screen theatre has been sold to a small New Jersey-based theater chain called New Vision Theatres. The theatre has been rebranded Fitchburg 18.
The sale was prompted by AMC’s purchase of Sundance Cinemas. Under the U.S. Department of Justice’s terms for approving the sale of the Carmike Cinemas chain (which included five Sundance theaters) to AMC, the DOJ required that AMC sell off one of the two theatres in markets where it already had a theater, including Madison. Many assumed that meant AMC would sell the six-screen Sundance Cinemas since the chain, largest in the world, is not known for managing smaller arthouses like Sundance. But instead, AMC opted to sell its Fitchburg theatre to New Vision, which appears to be a new company that now owns 10 theaters in six states. “We are excited to welcome you and help you get to the movies and more of what you love!” the website announces.
AMC recently completed a major remodel of this theatre, including adding reclining seats and a bar in the lobby along with AMC’s distinctive bright-red soda machines.
New Visions’s website said that its theatres will offer live sporting events and interactive video games and on its website, New Vision said it will not honor the AMC Stubs loyalty program in which customers earn points towards discounts on movie tickets and concessions. Instead, the theater will offer its own New Neighbor discount card. All AMC passes and coupons will be honored at the theater through the end of July.
Also, New Vision sells a “Refillable Popcorn Bucket” for $21 that entitles the owner to $4.25 refills for an entire year.
In the 1950s, the staff of the Rivoli Theatre portrayed ghosts for the Municipal Recreation Department’s Halloween Saturday afternoon show, the Manitowoc Herald Times reported on October 30, 1953 saying, “Eight young misses will portray the roles of ghosts in serving as ushers at the event for the kiddies. Their adopted theme song will be ‘A-Haunting We Will Go’.” The ushers for the evening included Natalie (Spooks) Lueck, Betty (Spirits) Fronk, Nancy (Shadow) Henrickson, Dorothy (Goblin) Shavlik, Shirley (Screams) Richard, Shirley (Shreaks) Beth, and Lou Ann (Groans) Prausa. The 1953 feature was the “Houdini Story”, “with its death-defying feast of the great escape artist of all time, the late Harry Houdini of Appleton” and “Disaster in the Stratosphere” (the sixth chapter of “The Lost Planet”), “Hollywood at Play”, and three cartoons. A costume contest was held with “numerous worthwhile prizes from Two Rivers merchants.” The article went on to report that “more than a hundred children have appeared in unique and unusual attire, with winners being selected by the applause of the audience.” All entrants through eighth grade were required to sign a “good behavior” pledge at their school, agreeing to exhibit proper behavior for Halloween and not be involved in vandalism or nuisance behavior, common at that time. Admission was fourteen cents, doors opened at 2:45 pm, the entertainment began at 3:15 and lasted about three hours, following which each participant received a treat from the Two Rivers Recreation Department. “Since its inception several years ago provision of this entertainment for the children has reduced Halloween nuisances to a minimum, according to the Police Department. Two Rivers boys and girls find this amusement far more attractive than the trick-or-treat tactics of prior years.”
The 1954 Recreation Department’s Halloween festivities were held on November 1, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the Two Rivers Recreation Department. Over 2,000 “good behavior” pledges were disbursed at local schools. Admission was 10 cents.
The RIVOLI, with its 1,000 seats, held its popular Halloween celebrations until it closed in the late 1950s. Afterwards the building became Evan’s Department Store and later the Two Rivers Christian Center Thrift Store.
There’s a political problem that has been the main cause of inaction on the UPTOWN. The UPTOWN is privately controlled by an entity formed by the partners behind Jam Productions but no private operator wants to lay out the millions necessary for restoration; they’re looking for public funds. There’s a history of public investment in Chicago, but it’s politically difficult right now for public entities to invest that money because of other priorities, as simple as that. But then there’s the relatively small capacity of the UPTOWN compared with Wrigley Field, and the newer issue of performers getting ever higher cuts from touring and needing a lot of seats. You’d be left with stand-up comics and nostalgia acts, neither of which are ideal for the space.
For decades, dedicated UPTOWN preservationists have argued the theatre needs to be at the heart of a new entertainment district involving retail, restaurants and the other venues. A sound argument, but such a district did develop around the Wrigley ballpark a mile or so to the south. One could merge into the other, especially since Wrigleyville is hosting more and more live entertainment.
Either way, nobody will ever dare to knock the UPTOWN Theatre down. (Chris Jones, CHICAGO TRIBUNE)
Two competing plans have surfaced with interest in the historic vacant WEST BEND Theatre. The preservationists are with the nonprofit Historic West Bend Theatre, trying to convince city officials and others about its plans to renovate the theatre as a venue for concerts, dance recitals and weddings seating around 400 people, said Scott Georgeson, HWBT’s project architect who operates Orchestra Design Studio in Milwaukee. The renovated WEST BEND Theatre would preserve the building’s stage, he said, with movable seating that would allow for both live performances as well as weddings and other banquet-style events. That flexibility would keep the venue as active as possible and create more opportunities to earn revenue for the building’s operator, he said.
Historic West Bend Theatre is led by Lisa Rowe, an associate lecturer of communications-theater arts at University of Wisconsin-Washington County in West Bend. HWBT was organized in Spring of 2016 and needs to raise an estimated $1 million to $2 million for its proposal, Georgeson said.
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Meanwhile, others want to demolish the WEST BEND Theatre while preserving the façade (including the marquee) as an entry into a new park and outdoor amphitheater on the former auditorium footprint, and that group claims it’s nearly raised the $700,000 it says is needed for that project. Mike Husar is leading the effort; he’s an owner of Husar’s House of Fine Diamonds next door to the WEST BEND Theatre, which opened in 1929, ended films about 10 years ago, then was sold to Ascendant Holdings LLC, a real estate development and investment group co-owned by West Bend native Matthew Prescott.
Husar claims the park/amphitheater project would bring more life to downtown and cost less than reusing the theatre. Milwaukee-based Zimmerman Architectural Studios Inc. is involved in the Husar group which Husar said has been working on the park/amphitheater plan for about a year.
The WEST BEND Theatre’s owner is avoiding the public controversy. “I don’t think we prefer a certain proposal,” said a representative of building owner Ascendant Holdings. “The important thing to us is that its next owner has a good long-term plan that they can actually follow through on and benefit the entire downtown area.”
Marcus Theaters announced today that it plans to sell Value Oak Creek Cinema at 6912 South 27th Street to The Ridge Community Church, which is planning to convert it to a second location. The cinema has been in operation for 32 years and will continue to operate until the sale is complete.
The Greenfield-based non-denominational church is planning to remodel the building and open in the former cinema in fall 2017. Said the Rev. Mark Weigt: “We currently have several hundred attendees from this area of metro Milwaukee and we look forward to serving even more of our new neighbors at both our services and through volunteer work and community outreach.”
Milwaukee-based The Marcus Corp., the parent company for Marcus Theatres, didn’t disclose a sale price, but the property is assessed by Milwaukee County at $2.45 million
The 21 employees at the Value Oak Creek Cinema will be offered jobs at Marcus Theaters other locations, according to Marcus.
Marcus Theaters announced today that it is planning to sell the Value Oak Creek Cinema at 6912 South 27th Street to The Ridge Community Church, which is planning to convert it to a second location.
The theatre has been in operation for 32 years and will continue to operate until the sale is complete. The Greenfield-based non-denominational church is planning to remodel the building and open its Oak Creek campus in fall 2017. Said The Rev. Mark Weigt, “We currently have several hundred attendees from this area of metro Milwaukee and we look forward to serving even more of our new neighbors at both our services and through volunteer work and community outreach.”
Milwaukee-based The Marcus Corp., the parent company for Marcus Theatres, didn’t announce a sale price for the deal, but the property is assessed by Milwaukee County at $2.45 million. The 21 employees at the Value Oak Creek Cinema will be offered jobs at Marcus Theaters' other locations, according to Marcus.
The name ‘RUDALT’ was a contraction of the names of its builders Emil Rudloff and Henry “Crafty” Altschlager. The theatre was closed through 1941 because of a fire. Henry died in 1944, and his son Luke took control and operated the projectors. The RUDALT Theatre closed in 1962, and the Columbus Police Department occupies its footprint.
The name ‘RUDALT’ was from builders Emil Rudloff and Henry “Crafty” Altschlager. The theatre was closed for a year because of a fire. Henry died in 1944, and his son Luke took control and operated the projectors. The RUDALT Theatre closed in 1962, and the Columbus Police Department occupies its footprint.
HIGHLAND PARK, IL – It appears that a new retail building with a restaurant, offices and a garden will soon replace the Highland Park Theater on Central Avenue in downtown Highland Park. The city approved the $1.1 million sale of the theatre building and property for $1.1 million to the Highland Park-based Canel Companies, which says it plans to demolish the theatre and replace it with a two-story building that will include retail shops and a restaurant, according to a city news release. A portion of a nearby parking lot will be preserved for nearby business owners.
The city’s news release indicates Canel Companies’ proposed design is “consistent with the character of the current façade.” The selling price reflects the appraised value of the building.
(Moving Picture World, September 2, 1922)
East Indian Organist Delights Kenosha’s Moving Picture Fans
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DR. HYLAND ELMAN SLATRE-WILSON now presides at the big three manual Barton Orchestral Organ installed in
Saxe Brothers' half-million dollar Orpheum Theatre, Kenosha, Wis.
Dr. Slatre-Wilson is one of the best educated musicians in the United States. His education was begun in the public schools of Syracuse New York, and continued at the college of the City of New York, the State University of New York and under such masters of music
as Leschetizky, Marescalchi, Consolo, Vitale and others in piano, violin, voice orchestration and composition.
From his youth Dr. Slatre-Wilson took up the study of the organ and at the age of fifteen became city organist of the All-India University of Bombay, India, his native land. He organized the 100 piece Emin D'Nalyh Orchestra, named after him. (Emin D'Nalyh is Dr. Slatre- Wilson’s family name).
Dr. Slatre-Wilson comes from a long line of great East Indian educators. About ten years ago he returned to the United States with John Alexander Dowie, of Zion City,
Illinois. Dr. Dowie at that time was building the Zion City tabernacle and planned to install one of the best pipe organs in the United States to be used in connection with a large choir and extensive musical festivals. Dr. Slatre-Wilson was placed in charge of the
organ selection and installation and himself designed one of the best Cathedral Organs in the United States, which even now is a famous feature of Zion City. The organization and establishment of the great Zion City Choir, whose singing has brought pleasure to hundreds of thousands in dozens of cities, was also a work of Dr. Slatre-Wilson.
Founded Conservatory
Moving to Kenosha, Wisconsin, Dr. Slatre-Wilson founded the Conservatory of Music, which he conducted with great success until the opening of the Orpheum, when he took
his place at the console of the Barton Orchestral Organ installed there. The combination of Dr. Slatre- Wilson’s musical skill and the widely versatile three manual Barton Organ has captivated Kenosha’s music loving movie
goers, and the Orpheum is crowded daily and nightly. The delicately shaded, thousand-toned melodies pouring from the dozens of throats of the Barton Organ in response to the touch of Dr. Slatre-Wilson’s gifted fingers is a
revelation both of human skill and instrumental perfection.
In explanation of the marvelously intricate improvisations and minute tonal gradations with which Dr. Slatre-Wilson delights Orpheum audiences, he modestly gives great credit to the Barton Divided Manual. “I was greatly surprised,” he says, “to find that in spite of the many tonal combinations and rich expression possible with the Barton, I was able to
play it readily on sight, without a minute of study and I find it a constant inspiration in my daily striving to gain further mastery of organ playing.”
(February 7, 1972)– Earl Warner, 78, died Sunday morning at the Sunset Rest Home, Fairchild, where he had been a resident for the past two months. Mr. Warner was born May 21, 1393 in the Town of Bridge Creek and married the former Jean Johnson in 1921. The couple lived their entire life in Augusta, where he had owned and operated the Augusta Theater for more than 35 years. He is survived by three sons, Gary, Downingstown, Pa.; William and Robert, both of Augusta; two daughters, Mrs. William Metz Jr., Augusta, Mrs. Jack Smith, Havre, Mont.; a sister, Mrs. Earl Newhouse, Onalaska; 22 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Anderson Funeral Home here with the Rev. Ralph Walker officiating. Burial will be in West Lawn Cemetery.
Screen Lives Again in Augusta Theater
October 10, 1962 — AUGUSTA (Special) — While movie heroes dance their shadowy ritual across the movies screen here a true life drama is being enacted at the box office.
A month ago Richard L. (Chips) Flodin, 22 , of 1611 Western Avenue, Eau Claire, and his wife, re-opened the August theater which had been silent and dark for two years.
Many folks know Flodin as an Eau Claire radio personality, who conducted a late-evening record show, worked at the television studio as a film director and moved to Marshfield as a radio announcer after marrying Maxine Knowlton in September, 1961.
Some folks know that Flodin, who has a lifelong interest in the entertainment world in general and the movie world in particular, launched his business here a month ago on a shoestring after being out of work for months.
Few know he had to leave his radio announcing post, when failing eyesight canceled out his ability to read news stories or other announcements. He has been in hospitals twice since then in efforts. so far futile, to push back the curtain of darkness that is gradually closing in.
At best Flodin can make out the shape and form of large objects. At worst he can just distinguish between light and darkness.
“It seems like there is always a way, if you can just find it.”, he says. He doesn’t like to talk about his problems. He would rather talk about his Eau Claire friends who tipped him off to the possibility of reopening the theater here: who helped himself and his wife clean up, paint and partially remodel the main street building for the event; and the Augusta businessmen who have supported his effort. He sells them some advertising on the screen and reports that business support has represented the difference between success and failure during the first weeks.
He has found that although business is good “many people have gotten out of the movie habit.” He hopes that by presenting the best pictures his budget will allow he can recapture some interest.
He also praised the August young people, Jerry Setzer, Julie Neldon and Jim Steadman, who work at the theater for showings: one on Thursday, two on Friday and Saturday nights, matinees on Saturday and Sunday, and the Sunday night performance.
So far his wife, who is 19, has been his principle helper, caring for books, driving his car and using her eyes for him. She will have added duties soon when their first child is born. Flodin is hoping to find a place here where he can reasonably park their trailer close to the theater so he can walk back and forth alone.
“I was pretty busted up,” he says, recalling the time when he first learned his eye ailment is serious and could be permanent. But his face lights up as he describes how he is trying to improve the theater sound system and the bright plans he has for the future if his venture here succeeds. He will know better when the next two months of his three-month trial period are complete.
Built as the BUECHNER Theatre.
THE SHEBOYGAN PRESS, SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 1931 – Picture And Bomb Climax Simultaneous In Chicago ——————– During these weeks, 16 bombs have been hurled, 14 of them at theatres involved in the fight. Until last night, all were exploded outside the show houses. The 14th and 15th, both thrown yesterday, were hurled at theatres not involved. Owners said they must have been “errors.” Besides Mooney, the other seriously hurt last night were Edward Foy, city fireman, and Edward Schaeffer. Several women wera slightly hurt. The war between owners and operators started when the owners rebelled against ,a union rule requiring two operators in every theatre. When efforts to compromise failed, the owners locked out the operators and imported non-union men from New York to replace them. The bombings began, continuing since at the rate of about one a day. Thomas Maloy, under indictment on conspiracy charges and accused of being a racketeer, is head of the union involved in the controversy.
Chicago (UP) The theatre bomb war and the moving picture “Dancing Dynamite” reached their climaxes at the same time last night in the Colony theatre on the southwest side. Just as the climax of the picture came, flames shot upward from the center of the audience of about 800 persons. Two other patrons, one a fireman off duty, tackled the fleeing man and beat out the flames. All three were seriously burned. The man who fled was Peter Mooney, 30, a former convict. Police were convinced he carried a sulphur bomb into the theatre, intending to terrorize patrons by tossing it among them, but that he blundered and the bomb exploded in his lap. Officers said the incident undoubtedly would prove the climax of the controversy which has been waged for weeks between owners of 104 independent theatres and the union operators whom they locked out.
(Racine Journal Times, October 8, 2017) – The Uptown Racine neighborhood has struggled to maintain business, but a new proposal in the 2018 capital improvement plan might breathe some life into the neighborhood. The proposal is looking to turn the old Uptown theater into a performing arts center and it asks for $75,000 to perform a feasibility study and $50,000 to perform market analysis in 2019. That money would get taken out of the intergovernmental revenue sharing fund. The proposal also included $10 million to be used in 2021 for property purchase and construction. The city would use $5 million of the TID bond and $5 million from private development to fund the project.
Racine City Administrator Jim Palenick said it could make a huge difference in the area if the theater on the 1400 block of Washington Avenue was revitalized. “If the city can come forward with a very strong start to this project, can the private sector make this happen,” adding the city has had discussions with people in Uptown and thinks that this project can “create some vision and get something done on a pretty solid plan that’s been out there for a while.”
Sandy Weidner, mayoral candidate, said the plan “doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me at all, but I’d like to know more about it. I do think it would be a good thing, but I would need to hear more from the director of city development on what the expectation is from the feasibility study and market analysis. I’d also like to know if we’d done one in the past.” Weidner said on taking the money out of the intergovernmental revenue sharing fund: “that’s going to depend on the health of that particular fund to know if we could take $125,000 out of there. There’s a lot of other commitments being proposed to come out of the intergovernmental fund.”
State Rep. Cory Mason, mayoral candidate, also echoed the same sentiments about wanting to know more about the project. “I think Uptown needs something transformative to help bring it back … revitalizing Uptown has been a priority for the city and should be a priority for the next mayor,” Mason said. “Whether or not this project is the best way to revitalize Uptown is still unclear to me… I’d like to hear what the community has to say about it.”
Mason said it’s very early in the process for this project and would like to have more input from different members of the community. “I think a mistake that was made with the arena was there wasn’t enough done to gauge community support for the project,” Mason said. “For me the first thing I want to do is gauge not just the feasibility of a project like that, but also the community support for it.”
Yesenia Alashi, manager at Furniture Warehouse, 1510 Washington Ave., said anything new to the area would be an improvement. “This area is pretty dead now … a lot of stores have closed down or they don’t have a lot going on in this uptown area. It would be nice to get something newer something fresh in this area. It might boost this area a little bit more, especially a theater.”
LOCAL “LITTLE THEATRE” TO SHOW NOVEL FILMS (Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, December 9, 1938)
The Little Theatre, a motion picture playhouse dedicated to the showing of outstanding film attractions made in this country, England and the European continent, opened here this week on N. Third street, just south of Wisconsin avenue. Like its counterparts the country over, the Little Theatre, established in the former Garden Theatre, will show only single features with the balance of the program composed of specially selected short subjects and latest news releases.
LOCAL “LITTLE THEATRE” TO SHOW NOVEL FILMS (Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, December 9, 1938)
The Little Theatre, a motion picture playhouse dedicated to the showing of outstanding film attractions made in this country, England and the European continent, opened here this week on N. Third street, just south of Wisconsin avenue. Like its counterparts the country over, the Little Theatre, established in the former Garden Theatre, will show only single features with the balance of the program composed of specially selected short subjects and latest news releases.
Historic West Bend Theatre, Inc. purchased the 88-year-old WEST BEND Theatre this week for $250,000 from Ascendant Holdings LLC. HWBT has launched a campaign with the goal of raising $1.5 million to $3 million to renovate the theater next year.
John Torinus, the group’s spokesperson and chairman of Serigraph Inc. said plans to gut all but the building’s facade were met with opposition from the West Bend community. “The town sort of rose up and said, ‘No, you can’t take down the theater — that’s where I had my first date. That’s where I had my first kiss. It really was palpable.”
Ascendant Holdings, LLC bought the building in 2012 for $100,000, according to state records. Its founder Matt Prescott, a West Bend native, stabilized the property and has readied it for reuse, Torinus said.
Torinus said HWBT envisions the restored theatre hosting showings of classic movies, matinee showings for children, musical performances, comedy acts, corporate events and weddings. “It will be a community, all-purpose facility,” he said. HWBT has brought on Scott Georgeson, an architect whose portfolio includes restoration work on the Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Skylight Opera Theater and Schauer Arts & Activity Center in Hartford.
Torinus said HWBT is raising money through the rest of 2017 with construction anticipated to begin in early 2018 and a goal to have it completed in 2018, he said. “So far we’ve had nothing but good reception from the community and potential donors,” he said.
First-run features are ending at The Marcus Corp.’s SHOWTIME Franklin theater. Instead, it will screen movies when they become available for $2.50. On Tuesday nights, admission will be $1.50. The concessions at the Franklin theater will not be impacted by the change. “With a number of properties in the vicinity, Marcus Theatres is uniquely positioned to offer a variety of choices for guests,” said Rolando Rodriguez, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Marcus Theatres.
Milwaukee Film to operate Oriental Theatre; Fundraising $10 million to revitalize 90-year-old facility (by Lauren Anderson, BizTimes, June 19, 2017)
Milwaukee Film, the organizer of the city’s annual film festival, has entered into a 31-year lease to operate the Oriental Theatre and announced plans to make upgrades to the historic facility. The nonprofit organization is fundraising $10 million to revitalize the 1927 theater with the goal of “creating a superior customer experience and making the Oriental Theatre a state of the art historic cinema,” according to a Milwaukee Film news release.
The Oriental Theatre, located on Milwaukee’s east side, opened in 1927. The theater, located on Milwaukee’s East Side at 2230 N. Farwell Ave., is currently operated by Los Angeles-based Landmark Theatres. When it assumes operation of the theater in July 2018, Milwaukee Film plans to run a year-round, nonprofit cinema.
“The Oriental Theatre is a treasure. I have visited hundreds of cinemas worldwide and the Oriental Theatre is my favorite. It is magical to see 1,000 of our members fill the main house at our monthly screenings,” said Jonathan Jackson, artistic and executive director of Milwaukee Film. “Our nine-year-old organization securing long-term control of this cinema is a momentous occasion. We have cemented our permanence in Milwaukee and intend to greatly expand our cultural, economic, and educational impact on our community.”
The organization has secured $3 million of its $10 million fundraising goal. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele, who co-founded Milwaukee Film, made a personal contribution of $2 million.
“From day one, every person involved in Milwaukee Film – from staff, to volunteers, to the board, to our dedicated 3,600 members – has been driven by the goal of not simply creating a film festival, but creating one of the best and biggest film festivals in the world,” Abele said. “This announcement brings us closer to that goal. It isn’t the culmination or an end point, it’s the start of the next chapter.”
The Herzfeld Foundation has also committed $1 million to the initiative.
Designs haven’t yet been completed, but the organization is “committed to maintaining the existing aesthetics and character of this iconic Milwaukee building,” according to the release.
Kenosha’s Cinemark Tinseltown USA movie theatre has been sold to a New Jersey-based real estate investment group for $8.4 million, according to state records. Chambers Street Properties purchased the 14-screen theatre at 7101 70th Court from SP Theater LLC of Chicago. Cinemark operates 525 theatres in 41 states, Brazil, Argentina and 13 other Latin American countries. This is the only Cinemark theater in Wisconsin. Chambers Street Properties merged with Gramercy Property Trust, Inc. in 2015 creating the largest industrial and office net lease REIT at the time with a value of $5.7 billion.
Visitors must sign a waiver acknowledging that the theatre has been vacant for two decades. There’s a scar on the edge of the balcony, an effort to duplex the auditorium to produce more income in the 1990s, but the Warner is up for rebirth as the home of the Milwaukee Symphony. The stagehouse will have to be extended beyond the current rear wall so it’s large enough to fit the whole orchestra, and its management is leading a bid to renovate the Warner Grand to become the symphony’s new home. The task is to raise $120 million to make the move a reality. So far, the MSO has raised $76 million and says over 50 donors have given substantial gifts to help it move into the Warner Grand to help save an historic gem that likely would be lost otherwise.
The Milwaukee Symphony does about 135 performances per 40-week season and now offers themed performances of music from popular movies like “Harry Potter” and “La La Land” in order to attract new audiences, and its vision with the Warner Grand Theatre is to make going to the symphony an experience from the moment someone walks in the door, the original intent behind going to a movie palace.
The MSO is far from the first orchestra to move into a refurbished movie palace downtown. They’re regularly retrofitted to be symphony halls and the idea of the MSO moving to the Warner Grand had existed for some time. In 2001 the MSO conducted a highly successful acoustical test in the Warner Grand. Being much deeper than it is wide, the “shoebox” shape is better for orchestra acoustics, and the very high balcony is good because the sound doesn’t get trapped under the balcony. The decorations deflect sounds in good ways, though Rapp and Rapp didn’t build any of it for acoustical reasons. But in 2001 there wasn’t an appetite for a move because an addition was being built at the Milwaukee Art Museum, there was too much traffic to expand on North Second Street because it was a major artery, and the MSO’s need wasn’t as great because there were no Broadway shows at its then-home during its season.
Now, with the architecture firm Kahler Slater, the MSO plans to bump the back wall of the L-shaped theater into North Second Street to create a larger stage that can be seen from all areas of the theatre, to extend the east end with an addition replacing replace the building next door, and to enlarge the lobby to hold 1,700 people before and after performances. There’ll be new seating for a 1,750-person capacity, first-floor lavatories and elevators, and a second-floor gathering space for revenue-generating private events.
The City has donated a $750,000 grant and street-reconstruction assistance for moving the rear wall while retaining its historic and structural integrity. Initial approvals are in from the State of Wisconsin and the National Parks Service for historic preservation tax credits which will cover 40 percent of the cost of the historic restoration of the Warner Grand. The project is expected to cost the MSO about $75 million. If fundraising goes as planned, construction will begin in Autumn of 2017 and the MSO will be doing concerts in the born-again Warner Grand Theatre by Autumn of 2019.
An interesting story here. The AMC Fitchburg 18-screen theatre has been sold to a small New Jersey-based theater chain called New Vision Theatres. The theatre has been rebranded Fitchburg 18. The sale was prompted by AMC’s purchase of Sundance Cinemas. Under the U.S. Department of Justice’s terms for approving the sale of the Carmike Cinemas chain (which included five Sundance theaters) to AMC, the DOJ required that AMC sell off one of the two theatres in markets where it already had a theater, including Madison. Many assumed that meant AMC would sell the six-screen Sundance Cinemas since the chain, largest in the world, is not known for managing smaller arthouses like Sundance. But instead, AMC opted to sell its Fitchburg theatre to New Vision, which appears to be a new company that now owns 10 theaters in six states. “We are excited to welcome you and help you get to the movies and more of what you love!” the website announces. AMC recently completed a major remodel of this theatre, including adding reclining seats and a bar in the lobby along with AMC’s distinctive bright-red soda machines. New Visions’s website said that its theatres will offer live sporting events and interactive video games and on its website, New Vision said it will not honor the AMC Stubs loyalty program in which customers earn points towards discounts on movie tickets and concessions. Instead, the theater will offer its own New Neighbor discount card. All AMC passes and coupons will be honored at the theater through the end of July. Also, New Vision sells a “Refillable Popcorn Bucket” for $21 that entitles the owner to $4.25 refills for an entire year.
In the 1950s, the staff of the Rivoli Theatre portrayed ghosts for the Municipal Recreation Department’s Halloween Saturday afternoon show, the Manitowoc Herald Times reported on October 30, 1953 saying, “Eight young misses will portray the roles of ghosts in serving as ushers at the event for the kiddies. Their adopted theme song will be ‘A-Haunting We Will Go’.” The ushers for the evening included Natalie (Spooks) Lueck, Betty (Spirits) Fronk, Nancy (Shadow) Henrickson, Dorothy (Goblin) Shavlik, Shirley (Screams) Richard, Shirley (Shreaks) Beth, and Lou Ann (Groans) Prausa. The 1953 feature was the “Houdini Story”, “with its death-defying feast of the great escape artist of all time, the late Harry Houdini of Appleton” and “Disaster in the Stratosphere” (the sixth chapter of “The Lost Planet”), “Hollywood at Play”, and three cartoons. A costume contest was held with “numerous worthwhile prizes from Two Rivers merchants.” The article went on to report that “more than a hundred children have appeared in unique and unusual attire, with winners being selected by the applause of the audience.” All entrants through eighth grade were required to sign a “good behavior” pledge at their school, agreeing to exhibit proper behavior for Halloween and not be involved in vandalism or nuisance behavior, common at that time. Admission was fourteen cents, doors opened at 2:45 pm, the entertainment began at 3:15 and lasted about three hours, following which each participant received a treat from the Two Rivers Recreation Department. “Since its inception several years ago provision of this entertainment for the children has reduced Halloween nuisances to a minimum, according to the Police Department. Two Rivers boys and girls find this amusement far more attractive than the trick-or-treat tactics of prior years.”
The 1954 Recreation Department’s Halloween festivities were held on November 1, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the Two Rivers Recreation Department. Over 2,000 “good behavior” pledges were disbursed at local schools. Admission was 10 cents.
The RIVOLI, with its 1,000 seats, held its popular Halloween celebrations until it closed in the late 1950s. Afterwards the building became Evan’s Department Store and later the Two Rivers Christian Center Thrift Store.
The CLIFFORD Theatre was already operating in May of 1916 according to a PEG O' THE RING ad.
There’s a political problem that has been the main cause of inaction on the UPTOWN. The UPTOWN is privately controlled by an entity formed by the partners behind Jam Productions but no private operator wants to lay out the millions necessary for restoration; they’re looking for public funds. There’s a history of public investment in Chicago, but it’s politically difficult right now for public entities to invest that money because of other priorities, as simple as that. But then there’s the relatively small capacity of the UPTOWN compared with Wrigley Field, and the newer issue of performers getting ever higher cuts from touring and needing a lot of seats. You’d be left with stand-up comics and nostalgia acts, neither of which are ideal for the space.
For decades, dedicated UPTOWN preservationists have argued the theatre needs to be at the heart of a new entertainment district involving retail, restaurants and the other venues. A sound argument, but such a district did develop around the Wrigley ballpark a mile or so to the south. One could merge into the other, especially since Wrigleyville is hosting more and more live entertainment.
Either way, nobody will ever dare to knock the UPTOWN Theatre down. (Chris Jones, CHICAGO TRIBUNE)
Two competing plans have surfaced with interest in the historic vacant WEST BEND Theatre. The preservationists are with the nonprofit Historic West Bend Theatre, trying to convince city officials and others about its plans to renovate the theatre as a venue for concerts, dance recitals and weddings seating around 400 people, said Scott Georgeson, HWBT’s project architect who operates Orchestra Design Studio in Milwaukee. The renovated WEST BEND Theatre would preserve the building’s stage, he said, with movable seating that would allow for both live performances as well as weddings and other banquet-style events. That flexibility would keep the venue as active as possible and create more opportunities to earn revenue for the building’s operator, he said.
Historic West Bend Theatre is led by Lisa Rowe, an associate lecturer of communications-theater arts at University of Wisconsin-Washington County in West Bend. HWBT was organized in Spring of 2016 and needs to raise an estimated $1 million to $2 million for its proposal, Georgeson said.
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Meanwhile, others want to demolish the WEST BEND Theatre while preserving the façade (including the marquee) as an entry into a new park and outdoor amphitheater on the former auditorium footprint, and that group claims it’s nearly raised the $700,000 it says is needed for that project. Mike Husar is leading the effort; he’s an owner of Husar’s House of Fine Diamonds next door to the WEST BEND Theatre, which opened in 1929, ended films about 10 years ago, then was sold to Ascendant Holdings LLC, a real estate development and investment group co-owned by West Bend native Matthew Prescott.
Husar claims the park/amphitheater project would bring more life to downtown and cost less than reusing the theatre. Milwaukee-based Zimmerman Architectural Studios Inc. is involved in the Husar group which Husar said has been working on the park/amphitheater plan for about a year.
The WEST BEND Theatre’s owner is avoiding the public controversy. “I don’t think we prefer a certain proposal,” said a representative of building owner Ascendant Holdings. “The important thing to us is that its next owner has a good long-term plan that they can actually follow through on and benefit the entire downtown area.”
The ORPHEUM Theatre revival is on the fast track. Follow at https://www.facebook.com/kenoshaorpheum/
May 5, 6, 7 and 8, 1942.
Marcus Theaters announced today that it plans to sell Value Oak Creek Cinema at 6912 South 27th Street to The Ridge Community Church, which is planning to convert it to a second location. The cinema has been in operation for 32 years and will continue to operate until the sale is complete.
The Greenfield-based non-denominational church is planning to remodel the building and open in the former cinema in fall 2017. Said the Rev. Mark Weigt: “We currently have several hundred attendees from this area of metro Milwaukee and we look forward to serving even more of our new neighbors at both our services and through volunteer work and community outreach.”
Milwaukee-based The Marcus Corp., the parent company for Marcus Theatres, didn’t disclose a sale price, but the property is assessed by Milwaukee County at $2.45 million
The 21 employees at the Value Oak Creek Cinema will be offered jobs at Marcus Theaters other locations, according to Marcus.
Marcus Theaters announced today that it is planning to sell the Value Oak Creek Cinema at 6912 South 27th Street to The Ridge Community Church, which is planning to convert it to a second location.
The theatre has been in operation for 32 years and will continue to operate until the sale is complete. The Greenfield-based non-denominational church is planning to remodel the building and open its Oak Creek campus in fall 2017. Said The Rev. Mark Weigt, “We currently have several hundred attendees from this area of metro Milwaukee and we look forward to serving even more of our new neighbors at both our services and through volunteer work and community outreach.”
Milwaukee-based The Marcus Corp., the parent company for Marcus Theatres, didn’t announce a sale price for the deal, but the property is assessed by Milwaukee County at $2.45 million. The 21 employees at the Value Oak Creek Cinema will be offered jobs at Marcus Theaters' other locations, according to Marcus.
The name ‘RUDALT’ was a contraction of the names of its builders Emil Rudloff and Henry “Crafty” Altschlager. The theatre was closed through 1941 because of a fire. Henry died in 1944, and his son Luke took control and operated the projectors. The RUDALT Theatre closed in 1962, and the Columbus Police Department occupies its footprint.
The name ‘RUDALT’ was from builders Emil Rudloff and Henry “Crafty” Altschlager. The theatre was closed for a year because of a fire. Henry died in 1944, and his son Luke took control and operated the projectors. The RUDALT Theatre closed in 1962, and the Columbus Police Department occupies its footprint.
HIGHLAND PARK, IL – It appears that a new retail building with a restaurant, offices and a garden will soon replace the Highland Park Theater on Central Avenue in downtown Highland Park. The city approved the $1.1 million sale of the theatre building and property for $1.1 million to the Highland Park-based Canel Companies, which says it plans to demolish the theatre and replace it with a two-story building that will include retail shops and a restaurant, according to a city news release. A portion of a nearby parking lot will be preserved for nearby business owners.
The city’s news release indicates Canel Companies’ proposed design is “consistent with the character of the current façade.” The selling price reflects the appraised value of the building.
(Moving Picture World, September 2, 1922) East Indian Organist Delights Kenosha’s Moving Picture Fans ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DR. HYLAND ELMAN SLATRE-WILSON now presides at the big three manual Barton Orchestral Organ installed in Saxe Brothers' half-million dollar Orpheum Theatre, Kenosha, Wis.
Dr. Slatre-Wilson is one of the best educated musicians in the United States. His education was begun in the public schools of Syracuse New York, and continued at the college of the City of New York, the State University of New York and under such masters of music as Leschetizky, Marescalchi, Consolo, Vitale and others in piano, violin, voice orchestration and composition.
From his youth Dr. Slatre-Wilson took up the study of the organ and at the age of fifteen became city organist of the All-India University of Bombay, India, his native land. He organized the 100 piece Emin D'Nalyh Orchestra, named after him. (Emin D'Nalyh is Dr. Slatre- Wilson’s family name).
Dr. Slatre-Wilson comes from a long line of great East Indian educators. About ten years ago he returned to the United States with John Alexander Dowie, of Zion City, Illinois. Dr. Dowie at that time was building the Zion City tabernacle and planned to install one of the best pipe organs in the United States to be used in connection with a large choir and extensive musical festivals. Dr. Slatre-Wilson was placed in charge of the organ selection and installation and himself designed one of the best Cathedral Organs in the United States, which even now is a famous feature of Zion City. The organization and establishment of the great Zion City Choir, whose singing has brought pleasure to hundreds of thousands in dozens of cities, was also a work of Dr. Slatre-Wilson.
Founded Conservatory
Moving to Kenosha, Wisconsin, Dr. Slatre-Wilson founded the Conservatory of Music, which he conducted with great success until the opening of the Orpheum, when he took his place at the console of the Barton Orchestral Organ installed there. The combination of Dr. Slatre- Wilson’s musical skill and the widely versatile three manual Barton Organ has captivated Kenosha’s music loving movie goers, and the Orpheum is crowded daily and nightly. The delicately shaded, thousand-toned melodies pouring from the dozens of throats of the Barton Organ in response to the touch of Dr. Slatre-Wilson’s gifted fingers is a revelation both of human skill and instrumental perfection.
In explanation of the marvelously intricate improvisations and minute tonal gradations with which Dr. Slatre-Wilson delights Orpheum audiences, he modestly gives great credit to the Barton Divided Manual. “I was greatly surprised,” he says, “to find that in spite of the many tonal combinations and rich expression possible with the Barton, I was able to play it readily on sight, without a minute of study and I find it a constant inspiration in my daily striving to gain further mastery of organ playing.”