I was just a boy in the 50’s and 60’s but not too young to appreciate how wonderfully luxurious the Colony was. The lobby was palatial with it’s marble floor and columnsâ€"there seemed to be brass trim, chandeliers, lush carpet and velvet ropes all the way up to the balcony. The restrooms and waiting lobby were down a glorious flight of wide, red, carpeted stairs which also merged onto marble floors. Beautiful paintings, gold-leafed sconces and lavish mirrors adorned the walls. The huge 70mm Cinemascope screen was one of the first in Cleveland. The stereo sound was spectacular using Voice Of The Theatre boxes. The most memorable of the movies that I saw there were: The Big Fisherman, The Ten Commandments, The King and I, The Blob and The West Side Story. Uniformed ushers, equipped with flashlights were available to take you to a seat on crowded showings.
My friends and I loved to stroll around the square, window shopping while meeting other kids. We would spend our allowance money on shakes and treats at Miller or Marshals drug store while day-dreaming about what was going on in the theater. Shaker Square was truly magnificent up till the time when my parents moved us away to Austin, Texas. I never forgot the Colony Theater or my wonderful memories of the spectacular City of Cleveland… . My, I could write a book about it!
Vince Mariani
I was just a boy in the 50’s and 60’s but not too young to appreciate how wonderfully luxurious the Colony was. The lobby was palatial with it’s marble floor and columnsâ€"there seemed to be brass trim, chandeliers, lush carpet and velvet ropes all the way up to the balcony. The restrooms and waiting lobby were down a glorious flight of wide, red, carpeted stairs which also merged onto marble floors. Beautiful paintings, gold-leafed sconces and lavish mirrors adorned the walls. The huge 70mm Cinemascope screen was one of the first in Cleveland. The stereo sound was spectacular using Voice Of The Theatre boxes. The most memorable of the movies that I saw there were: The Big Fisherman, The Ten Commandments, The King and I, The Blob and The West Side Story. Uniformed ushers, equipped with flashlights were available to take you to a seat on crowded showings.
My friends and I loved to stroll around the square, window shopping while meeting other kids. We would spend our allowance money on shakes and treats at Miller or Marshals drug store while day-dreaming about what was going on in the theater. Shaker Square was truly magnificent up till the time when my parents moved us away to Austin, Texas. I never forgot the Colony Theater or my wonderful memories of the spectacular City of Cleveland… . My, I could write a book about it!
Vince Mariani