McVickers Theater

Grand Mogul- please recheck the 1944 date on your Gossip Column clipping—the movie version of “Oklahoma!” came out in the 1950s and was a big hit.

They may have assessed a similar plate before. There is a 1978 Chicago Tribune antiques article about a similar plate. The columnist did not know about the item, but referred the writer to a Sharon Darling, curator of decorative arts at the society. This being nearly 30 years ago I’m sure she’s no longer with the society but after this and perhaps others like it there is more information on file.

I really believe that the plate I mentioned before should go to an historic agency in Chicago, or a theatre group….but don’t know how to get it to them. Anyone have any idea?

I also saw “The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm” at the McVickers Theater. I remember sitting way up in the balcony and still being engulfed by the screen – it seemed so huge at age 9 or 10. I also remember the sound being so good that NOTHING came close to it until digital surround in the 90’s â€" seriously!! The animated dragon in one of the fairy tale dramatizations was so good as a special effect, to my memory, that nothing compared until “Star Wars”. I had thought I was there in October of 1963, but could be it was 62. My birthday was that weekend and my family was in Chicago so my father could help plan a judges convention. We stayed at another long-gone Chicago landmark – The Hotel Sherman House (replaced by the Illinois building in the 70’s or 80’s). That weekend I say Henny Youngman at the College Inn Porterhouse at the Hotel Sherman (where Don McNeil’s breakfast club originate on WLS radio), saw Cinerama for the first and only time at McVickers and also saw a Dean Martin “Matt Helm” movie at the Chicago Theater (why did my parents take me to that horrid movie with near nudity? – oh, yeah, to see the Chicago Theater), and visited the Museum of Science and Industry for the first time. A great birthday weekend. I fell in love with Cinerama and the Museum of Science and Industry. Somewhere my mom still has the soundtrack album for “The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm” with the souvenir book on Cinerama. I can still remember the theme music for the movie â€" it was quite good.

I saw an article that said the architect for the fourth McVickers was Thomas Lamb with Newhouse & Bernham associated.

I agree…and no, I didn’t. The family was able to go into his estate and pick out things before they were sold at auction and I didn’t want to look like I wanted everything. It gives my 13-and-15-year-old daughters something of the past as well. But they have always enjoyed antique stores! :)

If I recall, I received the “Shenandoah” plate from the estate of a 2nd cousin who lived in the Everett, Washington area. He was an antique collector and had numerous Faberge Eggs – which were amazing! At the time, I collected plates and this was one of the several which I chose to receive because it was so different from the norm.

I have a commemoration plate made of some sort of cast iron from the 50th performance of “Shenandoah” on June 20th, 1898 at the McVickers Theatre in Chicago. The management is listed as Jacob Litt and the plate has a raised image of a man on horseback along with two men on the ground. I have always wondered about the significance of the plate.

I would love to have that photo. My Great Grandfather performed there in the early 1900’s as a tap dancer. He won a large silver cup. He was in a Vaudeville act. He travelled to Chicago from Toledo by train. Since he was just a young man and couldn’t afford the fare,but desparetly wanted to go he found an empty car and jumped on. What an adventure for him and the reward of the silver cup was worth any trouble he encountered. We still have the cup and the number he wore on his back as he performed, along with his wooden soled tap shoes. He met his wife on the Vaudeville circuit…she was a “fortune teller” we had the crystal ball she used but my mother sold it at a GARAGE SALE!!!!

I saw “Russian Adventure” at the McVickers and it was in 3-strip. The McVickers re-ran most of the 3 strip Cinerama travelogues in the ‘60’s, and since it was set up for the format threw in “Russian” narrated by Bing Crosby. One of my disappointments was that they didn’t show “Windjammer” in that series. It had only a limited run in Chicago originally since it had opened at the Opera House and had to make way for the opera season. At the time the McVickers was doing 3-strip, the Christian Radich, the ship in “Windjammer” docked in the Chicago River just a few blocks from the McVickers and allowed people to tour it. I waited in line for some time to do so, and thought with all of the interest in the ship it would have been a perfect time to bring the film back to the McVickers. The McVickers was also the first 70mm booth I was in. I was still in high school and was in Chicago getting clothes for school and saw a matinee of “Porgy & Bess” at the theatre. Afterwards I asked to see the booth which was at the back of the orchestra, and one of the operators was kind enough to give me a piece of 70mm film from “Oklahoma”. The last time I was in the theatre was after its legit days, and went in with an RCA service man who was setting up a video projector in the balcony for an upcoming fight. By that time the theatre was a grind house, and the 70mm projectors had been moved up to the original booth in the back of the house over another booth that had been built for spotlights during the legit days.

The 1945 Film Daily Yearbook shows seating for 2264 at the McVickers.

I do recall the Cinerama’s Russian Adventure being shown at the McVickers in the mid 1960s, although I was away at college and unable to see it during its run there. I remember the newspaper advertising which mentioned Bing Crosby’s narrating the film. Whether or not it played anywhere else in the US, I’ll let someone else investigate.

I found this web site which confirms my recollection of the Chicago engagement:
View link

NOT SO about “Cinerama Russian Adventure” only playing here in 3-strip. IOt also had a successful run, in that format, at the Cinerama Music Hall in Detroit which, by the way, was the second Cinerama installation in the US after the first in NYC at the Broadway Theatre. The Music Hall was also the larget and most successful of the US CInerama theatre, often playing out to sold houses with bookings sometimes being extended for such a long time that a second Cinerama theatre was installed, called The Summit, which only played the single frame 70MM Cinerama movies. phillster on Feb 7,2005 at 4:25 pm