Eagle Theater

Park Forest has been trying to bring the shopping center these theatres are in back to life. The shopping center is now called DOWNTOWN PARK FOREST. I hope it works. Nevertheless, these Classic Cinemas are another CLASS ACT!

If there is one business that can bring people back it will be the movie theater.I've been a resident of Park Forest all my life. 47 years. I can remember this theater being packed for a showing of James Bond's Goldfinger.
What they have done to it now is pretty interesting. Gives the us additional movies to see, at a discounted price. I like that. But what I don't like, is the way it has become rundown lately. Walls being patched and unpainted,carpet torn and pulling apart on the stairs, and just a feeling of disregard of the potential the business
can produce if they put some real money into it.
The way prices are for first showing theaters, you could be a real competiter of them.By the looks of the number of other theaters you run,you could probably do a great deal more, here.
I'm not alone in my feelings abot this place.
Please consider this business a lot closer. It will bring people back to the plaza.
Thanks, Kris Wakeford

The Park Forest Theatre is no longer operated by Classic Cinemas, it is now operated by Sensible Cinemas her is the link for the theatre
http://www.sensiblecinemas.com/park%20forest.htm

Per Sensible Cinemas website (the above link), the Park Forest Theatre is under new management. However, niether phone number shown is a working number--both have been disconnected with "no further information". Presumably, that means the Park Forest Theatre has been closed.

Park Forest Theatres will reopen in late June/early July under new ownership. We look forward to serving the community.

Eric Gubelman
Park Forest Cinemas, Inc.

Eagletheatercorp@aol.com

I feel like the theatre has a flavor all it's own. All it needs is a little TLC and perhaps a theme of some kind. Maybe the 80s's.
When and if it does open, I hope you will keep that popcorn machine. That's your trademark, fresh popcorn no longer exist in many movie houses. As long as the washrooms are kept spotless, the personnel friendly and the prices low, your in business. Speaking of business, for some reason the owners stopped advertising in the local The Star newspapers and the majors ones too. Also, you could benefit by having an articulate person advertise the dates,time etc. Well, I'll be looking forward to your grand reopening soon. Thanks, CJ

I woke up this morning after having dreamt about the Holiday Theatre. I lived in Park Forest from 1954 to 1967. In 1966 and 1967 I worked as an usher at the Holiday Theatre in Park Forest. This was before the era of multiple screen theatres. I have to be honest I miss those theatres. I know they can not be profitable in today's market, but all the same there was something majestic about those theatres, even the ones that were not opulent. We could seat somewhere are 1000 to 1200 people, I believe. And we did have sell out nights. Lots of them. Friday and Saturday nights usually were full for the first two shows. The theatre opened at 5:30 during the week and Saturday had a matinee movie for the kids then opened for the regular show again at 5:30 or 6:00. Sundays we opened around 12:30 or 1:00 PM. Big difference than today's movie business.

When I first started the ushers, all males at that time, wore a uniform consisting of a red coat, dark blue pants with a stripe down the outside seam, white shirt and a dark blue bow tie. In 1967 we went to a green paisley jacket, black slacks, white shirt and, I believe, a paisley matching bow tie. This was the time of old style service and we seated people. We stood at the back of the auditorium at the head of the aisles to assist people. I saw Battle of the Bulge 32 times this way. I still remember many of the lines from the scenes to this day. I saw Mary Poppins 25 times.

The owner I believe was a Mr. Williams. He also owned a theatre in Fort Wayne Indiana. The Assistant Manager at the time was a Mr. Parker, who later became manager of the Lans theatre in Lansing, Illinois.

I also was an usher, from 1971 - 1973(!) when it was the Holiday Theater. What a great first job, except for the pay ($1.00 an hour). The owner's name was Mahler when I was there, I think. Ralph Wick(sp?) was the manager at the time (he still lives nearby too). Capacity was indeed 1200. I remember the lines out to the Clock Tower (gone now) for the first run shows and Saturday matinee's (managing rowdy kids was always a challenge 'eh?). The balcony was for "adults only". The building was built around 1955 and was also used as a church on Sunday mornings, with an organ and everything (my brother was baptized there) until their building was done.

Gary Strom

What great memories I had as a kid seeing movies at the Holiday Theater. If I recall correctly, the children's matinee price was 75 cents. (This was the late 60's, early 70's. My parents would drop my sister and I off and we'd usually head for the balcony and eat candy and watch a good Disney movie. I would sometimes go down and hang out in the glassed-in "Crying Room" since there was rarely anybody in there. It was like your own private screening booth.

I hadn't been back to Park Forest since the early 80's. Went back in Mar. 2005 and wow, lots of changes. The Plaza isn't what it used to be, and the Holiday Theater (now Park Forest Cinema I guess) seemed closed and uncertain. I'm going to drop back by when I'm up in Chicago around Mar 2006--hope they have it back open again by then. I'd love to see the place again--although without the balcony, and having subdivided the auditorium, it might be a bit sad. Still, I hope I'll be able to catch a movie there then.

Regardless, hope they can keep that place alive. Lots of history there, and great memories for thousands of people.

Good news: the Park Forest Theater has now reopened for business. Hurray! It is now the "Eagle Park Forest Theater." The web site is: http://www.eagletheater.net

But for how long though? Look at how many companies have tried to operate this place over the past few years.

Finding this web site last evening truly came as a surprise when I did a google search last night in response to a question that my childhood friend, Lauri Young, posed to me regarding the Park Forest Holiday Theater. My dad, Robert 'Bob' Parker had co-managed the Holiday Theater for a number of years when we were children and Lauri and I have so many memories of that movie theater, where we spent so many Saturday afternoons at the matinees. Do you all remember the magicians who would perform on the stage in front of the curtain before the start of the weekend matinees, or the man who would thrill us with his outstanding performances with his Yo-Yo, doing tricks which we could never replicate?

My father at the age of 83, though his health has been failing him this past year, continues to hold dear to his heart the town where he and my mum, prior to her death in 1996, made their home for 50 years.

Catherine Gentz
Cathy Parker

The Holiday originally opened for the H&E Balaban chain. The balcony was called the Terrace and had reserved seating for some reason.

This theatre is no longer under Eagle Theatre's management. Their website says so. It is now simply called The Eagle Theatre and the website is http://www.eagletheater.net/parkforest/parkforest.html

Hanns R. Teichert, whose firm decorated the Holiday Theatre, penned an article about the house for the April 7, 1951, issue of Boxoffice. Among the features of the Holiday were a fireplace in the lobby, a spacious lounge and coffee room available for private parties and club meetings during non-show hours, and a ground-floor cry room.

The Holiday had 1,050 Kroehler Push-Back seats upholstered in red mohair, and the stage curtain was hand-painted in gray, white, and black to suggest a forest scene. Carpeting was a tweed in tones of blue, red, black, and yellow. Teichert referred to the overall theme of the design "resort decor" which was intended to evoke the atmosphere of a lodge.