Biograph Theater
2433 N. Lincoln Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60657
2433 N. Lincoln Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60657
32 people
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Showing 126 - 136 of 136 comments
Also, I believe this was a three screen, as there were only three placards and three films booked. But never having been there I can’t confirm this.
The Biograph Theater has now closed. This despite the listings showing it open today. Oh well.
You’d have to contact the owner, Village theatres. http://www.villagetheatres.com
Are there any old pa amplifiers from the Biograph available for purchase… That is, of course, if they are not going to be otherwise used.
Michael
I attended “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at The Biograph from 3/80 to 6/83 and it holds very special memories for me.
Anybody know if the beautifully ornate building a little to the north which once housed Wax Trax records was of any historic signifigence?
I just returned form a trip to Chicago which included a family reunion and a tour of the Biograph. (My great grandfather built it, owned it until 1922 when it went to a holding company controlled by his wife Lena and brother Charles… and then it was transferred to his 7 children in 1947. My grandmother sold her interest in 1972 – I am curious which relative Mr. Lubliner is?. Part of my documentation includes tax payments (really neat, and cheap by today’s standards)and floor plans throughout its history.
The theater is going to be turned into a ‘legitimate’ theater in the next few months, significantly changing the interior structure (little remains of the original). The main theater will lose half of its seats when a stage is built, and one the upper theaters will be modified with flate (rather than raked) floors. Exploratory tests have shown some original work may be hidden beneath the dropped ceilings, but it is too early to know what can/will be preserved.
The Biograph Theater was built by Henry Ericsson & Co, general contractors. Henry Ericsson also owned the building into the 1920’s. (Henry Ericsson was my great-grandfather). He built other theaters in Chicago including the Roosevelt, The Cort Theater, and The Lane Court.
The Biograph was also owned by my grandfather, Harry Moses Lubliner back in the ‘20-'30.
The Biograph was a hugely popular art house in the 1970’s. So much so that the owner decided to add two smaller theaters upstairs that he called the Ritz and the Roxy. For some reason people became confused by the names and it was soon just named the Biograph 1-3. Every year on the anniversary of Dillinger’s shooting the theater would play the same movie (Manhattan Melodrama) that was showing that night. The admission price was the same as it was that evening and customers were encouraged to dress in 1930’s clothing. The seat where Dillinger supposedly sat is painted a different color from the other seats and is quite easy to notice (left hand side about two thirds down, first seat off the aisle to the left).The Biograph was also the first place in Chicago to start the midnight showings of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” which lasted a few years. When the theater closed in late 2000 it was dark for over a year with the exception of the occasional film festival. They have since re-opened but one wonders for how long. There are no ads in the Chicago Sun-Times for the Biograph, only in the Tribune. The last time I was there I saw “Rules of Attraction” in one of the tiny theaters upstairs with 4 others. When checking out the big theater, which was showing “Sweet Home Alabama” there were only 2 people in the 7pm show.
The Biograph was once known for showing independent films (besides the Music Box and the Fine Arts downtown). It went through several chains from Plitt to Cineplex Odeon to Loews/Cineplex to Meridian to Village Theaters.
As of yesterday, July 3, the Biograph has reopened as a first-run theatre. It’s being run by the Village Entertainment mini-chain.