Harold Gimeno designed the Sooner Theatre. Mr. Gimeno also owned this theatre building, and was a Professor of Architecture at Oklahoma University. South of the OU Student Union is an elaborate memorial fountain dedicated to Prof Gimeno.
Oklahoma Today Magazine (Vol 32, Number 4, Fall 1982-pp 18,19,20,21) published a complete history of this movie house.
To read the entire article and see good theatre photos, click here- View link
Architect Leonard S. Bailey designed the Woodward Theatre. OKLAHOMA TODAY MAGAZINE (Vol 32, Number 4, Fall 1982, pp 18, 19, 20) published a complete history of this movie house, listing original financier, owners, construction company, etc. There are also nice theatre photographs.
To read the entire article and see photos, click this site- View link
Exterior of the Pollard Bldg was designed by Joseph Foucart, a renouned French architect from Paris. Foucart migrated to Indian Territory to get a fresh start, participated in the Great Land Run of 1889, and set up practice in Guthrie.
Symco:
To contact CT, just send an e-mail on Add Theatre News.
This site contains history on Griffith Bros. Amusement Co. Apparently this box also holds photos of Griffith theatres. Click on link archive, then type “amusement”. http://okhistory.cuadra.com/star/public.html
Other theatre images can be pulled up by entering these words,
Aldridge
Criterion
Movie Tone
Fort Supply Opera House
Probably an image of Okmulgee’s Rex Theatre can be found at Oklahoma Historical Society. Contact Curator Bob Blackburn.
These posted links are a welcome site, because I always thought it looked as if this house originally had a forecourt like the Egyptian and Chinese. Vintage photographs prove that it did not.
Sad to admit, in no way am I connected to any theatre folk. Nor do I know these gentlemen who post informative comments.
While living in San Francisco I met by happenstance dozens of celebraties.
Only one star I met had an air of aristrocracy. While eating at Jones Street Cafe, between Geary and O'Farrell, at the bottome of Nob Hill, in walked Ann Sothern and her daughter, Tisha Sterling. In person, Miss Sothern possessed dazzleling beauty. She wore cream linen slacks, a mint green angora sweater, a butter yellow silk scarf wrapped around her graceful neck, and sparkling emerald earrings. Everything Miss Sothern wore complimented her lovely hair, which she had let return to its natural copper penny colour. Though Miss Sothern did nothing to draw attention to herself, her presence was magnetic.
After it was discovered that this little side street cafe was quite popular with Hollywood personalities, I became a regular diner. There I also saw Lauren Becall, Yul Brenner, Jackie Gleason, Joel Grey, Betty Hutton, and Cesar Romero.
I’m with you Symco, how did all this interesting information wind up on the Inca Page? Your comments usually jog my memory as to something I once overheard.
Not so long ago a former Spectro employee explained that most theatre chains devided daily number of tickets sold into the daily concession sales to obtain an per patron average. If this average were too high it could indicated that tickets were being resold.
One reason for Miss Wesson’s strict drinks per gallon calculation method was to prevent managers from picking up used drink cups off the floor to “recycle” them. She also required that only cheap paper popcorn bags be used for matinee hours. The more expensive cardboard boxes were used during evening showings.
I’ve alos been told that Video concession prices ranged from a penny up to a dollar. They believed if children had money they would spend it, and no child should ever leave a Video theatre with money left in his/her pocket.
If memory serves correctly, I recall that the Trend experienced a slow death. This tidy little theatre ceased regular seven day week presentations in the mid 1980’s, then opened only for weekend showings. After that it became a sporadic open and closed operation until shutting down completely in the early 1990’s.
Let’s see, Video Theatre’s yearly payroll would average out to $13,846.15 per theatre, and $1,396.43 per employee. Not so impressive, even for those days.
Funny thing, Video Theatres owned an interest in CBS, then was bought out by Capital Cities Com. who later controlled ABC.
During the summer season the old Frontier City Opera House always staged professional vaudeville, variety, or old time melodrama shows.
Besides the standard dozen or so amusement park rides like the Ferris Wheel, bumper cars, merry-go-rounds, etc., Frontier City also had some wonderfully lavish thrill rides such as Lost River, 89er Ghost Mine, Autopia, and the flying saucer.
Souvenir shops closed during winter months, but other memorable year round stores were the Jam Cellar, Taffy Shop, Norrick Antiques, and Jim’s Gems & Rare Books.
Most likely the old Star Nickelodeon was renamed Kansas Theatre in 1921, as the Star photo looks as if it dates much further back than the 1920’s. Here are vintage images of the Kansas Theatre, View link View link
Of all the atmospherics Eberson designed, the auditoriums of the OKC Midwest Theatre and the Palace Theatre in Marion, OH, most closely match each other.
Amoung John Eberson’s many sky jobs, he designed this theatre and the Oklahoma City Midwest Theatre (1930-1975). Although OKC’s Midwest Theatre auditorium was longer and higher, it was also much more narrow than the Palace. Otherwise these two theatre auditorium sidewalls matched one another in design.
Harold Gimeno designed the Sooner Theatre. Mr. Gimeno also owned this theatre building, and was a Professor of Architecture at Oklahoma University. South of the OU Student Union is an elaborate memorial fountain dedicated to Prof Gimeno.
Oklahoma Today Magazine (Vol 32, Number 4, Fall 1982-pp 18,19,20,21) published a complete history of this movie house.
To read the entire article and see good theatre photos, click here-
View link
Architect Leonard S. Bailey designed the Woodward Theatre. OKLAHOMA TODAY MAGAZINE (Vol 32, Number 4, Fall 1982, pp 18, 19, 20) published a complete history of this movie house, listing original financier, owners, construction company, etc. There are also nice theatre photographs.
To read the entire article and see photos, click this site-
View link
Exterior of the Pollard Bldg was designed by Joseph Foucart, a renouned French architect from Paris. Foucart migrated to Indian Territory to get a fresh start, participated in the Great Land Run of 1889, and set up practice in Guthrie.
Brooks Opera House was designed by Joseph Foucart, a renouned architect from Paris, France, who pariticipated in the Great Run of ‘89.
On the above site entered by Mr. Cox, go to Archive page, then type word “Enid”. Several theatre images can be seen in the street scenes.
Symco:
To contact CT, just send an e-mail on Add Theatre News.
This site contains history on Griffith Bros. Amusement Co. Apparently this box also holds photos of Griffith theatres. Click on link archive, then type “amusement”.
http://okhistory.cuadra.com/star/public.html
Other theatre images can be pulled up by entering these words,
Aldridge
Criterion
Movie Tone
Fort Supply Opera House
Probably an image of Okmulgee’s Rex Theatre can be found at Oklahoma Historical Society. Contact Curator Bob Blackburn.
These posted links are a welcome site, because I always thought it looked as if this house originally had a forecourt like the Egyptian and Chinese. Vintage photographs prove that it did not.
Sad to admit, in no way am I connected to any theatre folk. Nor do I know these gentlemen who post informative comments.
While living in San Francisco I met by happenstance dozens of celebraties.
Only one star I met had an air of aristrocracy. While eating at Jones Street Cafe, between Geary and O'Farrell, at the bottome of Nob Hill, in walked Ann Sothern and her daughter, Tisha Sterling. In person, Miss Sothern possessed dazzleling beauty. She wore cream linen slacks, a mint green angora sweater, a butter yellow silk scarf wrapped around her graceful neck, and sparkling emerald earrings. Everything Miss Sothern wore complimented her lovely hair, which she had let return to its natural copper penny colour. Though Miss Sothern did nothing to draw attention to herself, her presence was magnetic.
After it was discovered that this little side street cafe was quite popular with Hollywood personalities, I became a regular diner. There I also saw Lauren Becall, Yul Brenner, Jackie Gleason, Joel Grey, Betty Hutton, and Cesar Romero.
I’m with you Symco, how did all this interesting information wind up on the Inca Page? Your comments usually jog my memory as to something I once overheard.
Not so long ago a former Spectro employee explained that most theatre chains devided daily number of tickets sold into the daily concession sales to obtain an per patron average. If this average were too high it could indicated that tickets were being resold.
One reason for Miss Wesson’s strict drinks per gallon calculation method was to prevent managers from picking up used drink cups off the floor to “recycle” them. She also required that only cheap paper popcorn bags be used for matinee hours. The more expensive cardboard boxes were used during evening showings.
I’ve alos been told that Video concession prices ranged from a penny up to a dollar. They believed if children had money they would spend it, and no child should ever leave a Video theatre with money left in his/her pocket.
Architect Harry Randall was responsible for the lovey Colonial Theatre styling.
From the early 1950’s through the late 1970’s this building was used for an upscale shop known as Poplinger’s Ladies Wear.
For the Log Cabin (AKA-Frontier) Theater newspaper movie ads ran up to 1957.
If memory serves correctly, I recall that the Trend experienced a slow death. This tidy little theatre ceased regular seven day week presentations in the mid 1980’s, then opened only for weekend showings. After that it became a sporadic open and closed operation until shutting down completely in the early 1990’s.
Let’s see, Video Theatre’s yearly payroll would average out to $13,846.15 per theatre, and $1,396.43 per employee. Not so impressive, even for those days.
Funny thing, Video Theatres owned an interest in CBS, then was bought out by Capital Cities Com. who later controlled ABC.
During the summer season the old Frontier City Opera House always staged professional vaudeville, variety, or old time melodrama shows.
Besides the standard dozen or so amusement park rides like the Ferris Wheel, bumper cars, merry-go-rounds, etc., Frontier City also had some wonderfully lavish thrill rides such as Lost River, 89er Ghost Mine, Autopia, and the flying saucer.
Souvenir shops closed during winter months, but other memorable year round stores were the Jam Cellar, Taffy Shop, Norrick Antiques, and Jim’s Gems & Rare Books.
I’m sorry, correct address was 2639 NW Britton Rd.
Actual physical address for the M&M Cinema would have been 2629 W. Britton Rd.
On the below web sites I suspect that the Boulevard and 1944 Fox Boulevard are one and the same,
View link
View link
Perhaps the address got transposed as the street number left of the Corral looks as if it reads 406.
Most likely the old Star Nickelodeon was renamed Kansas Theatre in 1921, as the Star photo looks as if it dates much further back than the 1920’s. Here are vintage images of the Kansas Theatre,
View link
View link
These web pages contains vintage images of the Wichita Theatre,
View link
View link
This fun web site has vintage images of the Meadowlark,
View link
This is a fun web-site devoted to Kansas classic theatre history, with lots of vintage images. It mentions the Victory;
View link
Of all the atmospherics Eberson designed, the auditoriums of the OKC Midwest Theatre and the Palace Theatre in Marion, OH, most closely match each other.
Amoung John Eberson’s many sky jobs, he designed this theatre and the Oklahoma City Midwest Theatre (1930-1975). Although OKC’s Midwest Theatre auditorium was longer and higher, it was also much more narrow than the Palace. Otherwise these two theatre auditorium sidewalls matched one another in design.