Oriental Theatre

The description and facts listed for the ORIENTAL contain a number of errors, so much so that it may seem as though I am speaking of another theatre, but, no, there is only one ORIENTAL in Milw. but it is not and never was an 'Atmospheric'. That term is not used in a general sense in writings such as this, but in the specialized jargon of the Movie Palace where they were originally either "Standard" ('hard top') in emulating a regular theatre but usually to a theme decor, or they were "Atmospheric" which meant that the ceiling of at least the auditorium was fashioned as a sky vault complete with twinkling stars (tiny light bulbs). The giant ornamented, red and gold ventilator grille smack in the middle of the ceiling clearly shows that it was not a sky vault, but merely the blue painted dome above the two levels of ornamental cove lights below it. Neither were there "a dozen life-size Buddahs" nor "100 lions". There were just eight unique porcelain lions-of-the-temple glazed in black with metallic gold, red and blue accents. There were nearly 100 elephants if one counts all their sculpted and painted occurances, but the theatre was no menagerie unlike certain other oriental theatres in the nation. And contrary to the writer's description of the theatre as: "Chinese-meets-East Indian", the ORIENTAL in Milw. was unique in being the only solely East Indian decor in the nation, there not being a hint of Chinese or Japanese, the two themes usually characterized as 'oriental'. There is indeed a trio of chandeliers in the exotic lobby, but they are NOT inspired by Tiffany, even though he probably would have approved of them had he ever seen them. To have stained glass in a fixture does not mean it is 'Tiffany', and these three do contain slumped glass in marbled honey gold as well as cobalt blue. The elaborate and unique design was done in Milw. by Gezelschap & Co. and are in polished brass over a steel frame with candoliers supported by brass elephants painted in white with accenting colors.

About those "dozen life-size Buddahs": there were and are only six such gilded larger-than-life seated Buddahs, three on each auditorium side wall in niches with multifoil arched tops. Each one has a light inside the turbaned head which illuminates a red jewel diadem in the forehead and the slits of the downcast eyes in nile green. In front of each is a simulated incense burner which actually contains a hidden up-light cast upon the Buddah above. There is also a hidden row of floodlights in the three house lights colors (red, blue and yellow) which is supposed to light the figures and their background behind the dark red drapery, but they are very inaccessible and rarely work. The lighting effects are one of the prime features in such a themed theatre, and it even extends to the green glass eyes of the "eeahlees" (Hindustani for "baboon monsters"), 26 of which line the upper cove rim on all four sides, and it would be nice if this long-failed feature were to be restored, but since 1950s air conditioning ducts were placed in the attic behind their access ports, it is very difficult to relamp them. I offered a detailed method to use modern low voltage discs of L.E.D.s to be mounted upon each eye since they would never 'burn out', but costs apparently sunk that idea. These days it is enough to keep the general lights on, much less have money for improvements.

It should be noted that even though the theatre has been split into three screens, two of them are in the old seating space under the balcony, so the center aisle of the original seating is preserved, and the two new screening rooms are decorated so as to blend into the exotic decor, and not too much was lost. Architect Joseph Valerio of Chicago designed the two spaces to be easily removable in case the ORIENTAL is ever restored. And while the theatre is certainly one of the "most exotic and ornate" in the nation, it was not the only such in Milw.; from 1927 through the 1960s their EGYPTIAN featured a wonderful design recently recreated on the cover of "MARQUEE" magazine of the Theatre Historical Society of America, and had the planned ARABIA theatre ever been built, the ORIENTAL would certainly have had more competition to the title of most exotic in Milw.

When you search for this theater using your search engine its not to be found! (i made my way to this link off of a milwaukee website) It's also not listed within your full list of theaters. Please add it back - you're missing one of the most beautiful theaters in the country!

One additional correction to the above - the theater wasn't carved up into 3 theaters until sometime in the late 80's perhaps even early 90. Having seen countless number of movies and several concerts, including Tears for Fears in 1984, it was definitely one giant movie house well into the late 80's.

These Comments, originally in the EVENTS section, should be reproduced here:

Mr. Enk, you are very right to be alarmed by the rumor that the ORIENTAL will be
demolished. I heard that the three Pritchett brothers who have owned it since 1972 are now
elderly and retired and about to will the building to their children, who evidently made it clear
that they would immediately demolish and sell the site to a condos developer. The brothers
didn't want that to happen to their beloved theatre, so they quietly offered it for sale, and in a
conversation this Saturday with Mel Pritchett I was told that they have a prospective buyer
who they are "95% certain" will complete the purchase by the end of March. He would not
tell me the name of the buyer(s), but says that they are committed to continue the operating
theatre. There is also a lease with Landmark Theatres, the operator, to be completed, but I do
not know the term. Mr. Pritchett did not know if there would be a press announcement at the
time of sale.

It should be noted, however, that even though the ORIENTAL is a local landmark, that law
only protects the EXTERIOR of the building, and any new owner could turn right around and
gut it for any other use the city allows. Therefore, there is no 'absolute' assurance that the
theatre will always be with us. As Mr. Pritchett said, the building is over 80 years old now and
needs some major investment in repairs, as witnessed by that episode last December when
they had to evacute the place when a damper on the boiler froze and allowed masses of
poisonous carbon monoxide to drive the patrons from the theatre. Bad enough publicity, but
an indicator of the expense to be met by any new owner. With the movie makers/distributors
now offering DVDs of films on almost the same day and date of theatrical release, and
on-demand ordering of titles on-line almost here, the handwriting is on the wall as to the future
of exhibition, and it is not good. Any new buyer will have to figure out how to pay the
bills/taxes without films in the not too distant future, sad to say. Jim Rankin (jimor@lycos.c
posted by Jim Rankin on Feb 9, 2004 at 2:13pm

If the Pritchett brothers indeed do sell the Oriental to a new owner "committed to continue the
operating theatre," Milwaukee's movie-palace gem, one hopes, will remain operating for
years--decades--to come.

It is certainly better than the situation that, for example, Milwaukee's Avalon Theatre currently
faces. (See this site's entry for the Avalon for more information. And many, *many* thanks,
Mr. Rankin, for all your research and input about Milwaukee-area theaters on this Web site!
That, you, and your dedication are deeply appreciated! What *is* the latest on the Avalon? If
Mr. Rankin or anyone else who reads this knows, please post it under that theater's extensive
entries.)

Thanks, too, Jim, for your detailed information about the Oriental at its respective place on
this Web site. Don't anyone be surprised if you, I, or someone else soon posts to Cinema
Treasures about other "neighborhood" Saxe Brothers theaters in Milwaukee, including the
Tower (which Larry Widen and Judi Anderson, in their book _Milwaukee Movie Palaces_,
called a sort of "sister" to the Oriental), the Plaza, and the unusually decorated but intriguing
(at least for the Midwestern, as opposed to the Eastern, United States) Colonial.

Yesterday (February 10), a representative of the Milwaukee-area Kimball Theatre Organ
Society informed me that Angela Lansbury had to cancel her Milwaukee appearances in
connection with _Broken Blossoms_ on February 14. _Broken Blossoms_, and all the rest of
the KTOS's wonderful "Silents Please" program set for that day, however, is still on. Ms.
Lansbury, I was told, might still well appear at a future "Silents Please" program, perhaps later
this season.

Hope to see all you "Third Coast" silent-film fans at _Broken Blossoms_. _Bring a friend--or
two or more! Spread the word--silent film is cool!

Scott Enk
(A Devoted Silent-Film Fan Since 1963!)

senk@execpc.com
posted by Scott Enk on Feb 11, 2004 at 6:07pm

The following message was sent to me by the courtesy of Mr. John Dahlman who is connected to the ORIENTAL, and is most illuminating regarding the new improvements in sound to come to both the ORIENTAL and DOWNER theatres here. As much as many patrons appreciate the new more 'high fidelity' sound, I shudder to think what the possible addition of future "ceiling speakers" could mean for the decor of the ORIENTAL. The DOWNER's ceilings are no longer pristine since the 1990 splitting of that theatre, so one could add such speakers there with a minimum of architectural disruption, but I am not sure that that will be the case in the as yet untouched, ornate ceiling of the East Indian-inspired ORIENTAL. Let us hope for the best!

******
Great news for all who watch movies at the Oriental and Downer: We now have Dolby Digital in both smaller theatres at the Oriental, and we’ve had it in the main theatre for 6 years, so the Oriental Theatre, Milwaukee’s last surviving movie palace, is an all digital sound theatre now. Also, the Downer Theatre now has Dolby Digital in it’s main house. The oldest operating movie theatre in Milwaukee, possibly Wisconsin, now has digital sound.

I’m sure most of you know all of this, but to clarify: there have been 3 competing digital sound formats SDDS (Sony Dynamic Digital Sound), DTS (Digital Theatre Sound) and Dolby Digital, all competing with each other for ~13 years. SDDS seems to have lost the battle, and the other 2 are the prevailing digital sounds. SDDS and Dolby Digital sound information is found on the film itself, while DTS sound info is found on an accompanying CD-type disc, which you cannot play on a normal CD player.

Most films that we show currently, say 95%, are encoded with digital sound info. However, not all films we show will have been made with digital sound information. For example, THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS(1965), which we are currently showing, is in mono sound, much like most titles before ~1965, unless they have been digitally-sound-restored. Mono sound means that the sound emanates from the speakers behind the screen only, so there is only one dimension to the sound. All Hollywood studio films today are encoded for all sound formats, the three digitals and stereo. The older titles, and some foreign language films, and smaller independent films and documentaries may not be encoded to play in digital. It is an expensive luxury to some filmmakers and companies on a tight budget. So a few rare films that we will show in the future will be silent, or in mono, or a few more in stereo, and even more in Dolby SR, but most will now be in Dolby Digital. The smaller theatre at the Downer will continue to play films in stereo, which will be fine.

Stereo sound in movie theatres took off in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s and in 1977, STAR WARS was the first film issued with Dolby SR sound. SR means surround sound, or a kind of enhanced stereo. Speakers were not just behind the screen anymore but placed in the auditorium on the left and right side, and in the back. With Dolby SR, you can have a different amplifier process sound for the left and right speakers in the auditorium. Also, it is a kind of branding and marketing tool, of course.

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW was released in 1975 in stereo. The Oriental Theatre started showing it as a midnight film in January of 1977. The Oriental did show it as a regular first run feature a year earlier for one week; it didn’t do so well. Several years ago, 20th Century Fox recalled all prints of RHPS, and reissued new prints to theatres with a more defined Dolby SR soundtrack, which is how we present it now. Incidentally, we still have the world record of the longest continuous engagement of a film and we are on our 3rd or 4th print of RHPS.

Digital sound really took off in the 1990’s. With digital sound, there is more definition of sound throughout the theatre, especially on the left and right speakers in the auditorium. With digital sound there is more differentiation of sound effects, music, dialogue, etc. emanating from specific speakers. With STAR WARS PHANTOM MENACE, a new sound came in the way of Dolby Digital EX. I’m not sure what the “EX” specifically stands for, but this whole new phase meant that another amplifier was added, and speakers were added in the back of the auditorium(unless the theatre already had back speakers), so sound can emanate from these speakers themselves. EX is something used predominantly in mainstream theatres for certain blockbuster films. I’ve heard tell that the next big thing in sound will be to add speakers to the ceilings of auditoriums so there will be yet another dimension of sound.

All of this enhanced sound doesn’t matter too much in a dialogue-driven movie; it’s the story for which everyone’s looking. But proper use of sound can really enhance the movie. You will notice that the sound will be louder, and that there will be more definition of sound on the left and right sides of the auditorium. The sound presentation will be more in tune with how the filmmaker(s) have created the film. In my experience, some filmmakers are extremely good with using the potential of digital sound, certain films could be improved with better uses of sound, and some filmmakers really need some instructing in how to use sound. I’m sure we’ve all heard abuses of the sound as well. We’ve shown low-budget films in stereo that are far superior in sound quality to A-list multi-million dollar blockbusters. But we’ve also shown some great sounding blockbusters, and poor sounding smaller budget films. It all comes down to how well the filmmaker recorded the film, and how much emphasis they have placed in creating the sound environment of the film. Unfortunately, there does not yet exist an amplifier to better process those pesky British, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Australian, New Zealand, South African, etc. accents. You’ll just have to play it by ear.

Now, what is THX? THX is not an amplifier, nor a speaker, nor information on film. THX is a term and the concept was developed by George Lucas with projectionists and technicians to create some kind of perfectly balanced auditorium. For an auditorium to be “THX Certified,” technicians must come in and test the sound levels at all locations throughout the auditorium, and try to balance the sound levels so that wherever you sit everything sounds perfectly balanced. So an auditorium is THX certified, not an entire theatre, unless it’s a 1-screen, or all auditoriums are THX certified. One component for a theatre to be THX certified is that there can be no internal or external sound influences heard in the theatre. The Oriental’s main theatre could not be THX certified because we have air conditioners that make a small amount of noise in the auditorium when we use them in the summer. Theatres built today generally have all HVAC machines built on the roof, with long ducts separating the noisy machine from each auditorium. Neither the Oriental or Downer has THX certified auditoriums, but there are some in the area.

To find out what sound formats our films will be played in, refer to our website, the Milwaukee page of www.landmarktheatres.com, or refer to the daily ad in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. We will also have this info on our recorded message line, which for both theatres is (414) 276-8711.

Sorry to ramble….. perhaps in a year or 2 we’ll have our tutorial on Digital Cinema. I lament the passing of film, but we seem to be heading that way.


Dolby website: http://www.dolby.com/


THX: http://www.thx.com/index.html

Thanks,

John Dahlman

Milwaukee Marketing Leader for Landmark Theatres

(414) 276-8711, ext. 6

johnd@landmarktheatres.com

Downer House Manager

(414) 964-2916
*************************

Gentlemen,

Regarding the break up of the Oriental
into 3 theaters. The remodelling project
spanned the summer of 1988 & IIRC the
grand reopening was held in October of
that year. The original movie "Ben Hur"
was shown just as it had been for the
1st Grand Opening of the theater in
1927.

A similar, however smaller in scope,
facelift was completed on the Downer
Theater in May of 1990.

According to an item in the local paper, the ORIENTAL has been sold to a local business group:
"The Oriental Theatre building is being sold to an investors group that includes condominium and apartment developer Boris Gokhman." Reportedly, they plan to keep the current operator, Landmark Exhibition, which is owned by celebrity Mark Cuban, as well as the "Twisted Fork" restaurant on the north end of the building as well as the Landmark Lanes bowling alleys in the basement; what becomes of the vacant offices on the second floor is not known. We hope they will have the resources to complete the many repairs that the Pritchett Brothers, the former owners through their RC Electric company, were unable to continue, though we must be grateful for them for keeping the doors open since 1972!

From Russell Phillips' Galleries:

ORiental Lobby, Early 1980s

In all the comments to date no one has mentioned that the builder and first owner of the Oriental was Moses Annenberg. The former publisher of Hearst's Wisconsin News, he and his family had moved to New York shortly before the Oriental's opening in 1927. According to a recent biography of Moses's son Walter (founder of TV Guide and Nixon's ambassador to Britain) the Annenberg family continued to own the Oriental and other Milwaukee real estate until the late forties.

In all the comments to date no one has mentioned that the builder and first owner of the Oriental was Moses Annenberg. The former publisher of Hearst's Wisconsin News, he and his family had moved to New York shortly before the Oriental's opening in 1927. According to a recent biography of Moses's son Walter (founder of TV Guide and Nixon's ambassador to Britain) the Annenberg family continued to own the Oriental and other Milwaukee real estate until the late forties.

This is a photo of the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee.

Is there any chance that this theatre will be returned to a single screen venue?

Given the economics of today's exhibition, it barely makes it as a three screen, so it is highly unlikely that it will be returned to single screen status. In the ORIENTAL's case, the splitting to three screens involved only the insertion of two screening rooms under the balcony, so the major portions of the theatre have been retained in the front area of seating along with the original stage and virtually all decor. Whether or not they will turn on all those light bulbs not burned out, and let you see all the glory that was original, is another matter. The theatre is a principal showhouse for the Landmark chain, but got a new owner a couple of years ago, and it remains to be seen what he will do with it, since he is an investor, not a showman.

This is a 2006 photo of the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee.

The above link no longer works so here is another recent photo of the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee.

Is there any information available about the architects of this theater? Especially A Bauer?

thanks

Jim: does this place do decent business in your opinion?

"gincleary": This is a bionote about ALEXANDER HAMILTON BAUER: Bauer formed an architectural practice parternership with Gustav A. Dick (AIA) in 1921 as "Dick & Bauer". They designed six movie palaces in Milwaukee, as well as many regular commercial buildings, churches, and homes. In 1931 the parternership was incorporated with Dick as president and Bauer (a native Milwaukeean who was graduated from the U. of Wis. at Madison) as treasurer and his wife as vice-president. Dick was born in Milw. in 1872, and died there in 1935 and Bauer continued the firm through 1937. Bauer served as president of the Wis. chapter of the AIA, and belonged to the Wis. State Assn. of architects, as did Dick. He was one of the founders of the First Church of Christ Scientist in the suburb of White Fish Bay, as well as being a member of the Milwaukee Real Estate Board, The City [social] Club, the Milwaukee Art Inst., and various Masonic lodges. He later collaborated with noted Milw. architect Alexander Eschweiller. Bauer died of a cerebral hemmorage in 1946 at the County Emergency Hospital (defunct) which he had helped design. Source: Historic Milw. Inc. booklet of 1992.

"Life's too short": I live too far from the ORIENTAL to be able to watch its marquee, but there always seems to be an ad in the paper for movies seven days a week. This is under Landmark management, but the periodic pipe organ concerts have been silenced for over a year now after some major electrical damage to the relay, I'm told.

jim,

I can't thank you enough for the information on Alexander Bauer. THe reason I am looking is that I grew up in the house he designed and built for himself in 1929. The house was built in Whitefish Bay in 1929, and the upstairs bathroom is apparently very similar to the one at the Oriental Theater. My mother passed away in december of last year and we are getting ready to sell the house, and I wanted to put as much info together as I could.

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond...and so quickly. Thanks again. gincleary

Good news Jim. I have always wanted to see a movie at the Oriental & have never gotten around to it. I have been to a screening at Milwaukee's Avalon. The Avalon was great when I was there in the early 90's. Hope it will come back to life again.

Life: I'm glad to hear about your screening at the AVALON, but since this is the ORIENTAL'S page I don't feel right talking about another theatre here. I would have privately E-mailed you, but when clicking on your moniker in blue at the bottom of your comment, I am taken to to your Profile page where I should find your E-mail address under CONTACT INFO, but there is nothing there. That can be rectified if you will click on the link PROFILE in the upper right corner of any page and, if your cookies are turned on, you will be taken to your own page where you can correct the oversight.

Otherwise, you can click on my name below and thus find the E-mail to contact me.

That's cool. No problem Jim. I haven't listed an email address on purpose. From time to time I get into it with people who I think are trying to use and abuse the preservation community, like Paul Warshauer. I don't need messages from guys like that.

I lived on Farwell Avenue across the street from the Oriental as a student at UWM in the early seventies. I remember often taking advantage of the cheap double features they showed then. My first time at the Oriental was a Halloween costume party in 1970 I think. They showed the original Frankenstein film -- quite a revelation to see it on a big screen -- and the entire audience, most quite stoned and/or tripping out of their minds, howled when Dr. Frankenstein's father lit up and puffed greedily on his very large carved pipe. Those giant Buddhas with the glowing eyes and jewels were truly amazing, as was the rest of the decor.

Here is a recent photo of the Oriental Theater.

This is another recent photo of the Oriental Theater.

Russell Phillips Photos:

Lobby
Upper Lobby

Those are some very beautiful photos of the Oriental lobbies. A couple of massive multiplexes have opened in New York in the past decade where an attempt was made to recapture the dream palace flavor -- one in the Disney-ized 42nd Street, and the Sony near Lincoln Center. Of course, nothing can compare to the real thing. I do hope owners of gems like the Oriental appreciate what they have and keep things at least maintained, if not completely restored.

The Oriental is definitely well cared for, and there are more than a couple of theater buffs among the staff there. It is, however, owned by Mark "day-and-date" Cuban's Landmark Theatres...

A small point: the ORIENTAL is not owned by Landmark, but operated by them under a lease. So, the long term welfare of the theatre is more in the hands of its owner (a group of local business investors heretofore specializing in housing), rather than its operator. To be sure, if Landmark should somehow leave the theatre, its future would be more in doubt, since investors buy to increase their investment returns, not out of nostalgia for any property.

Thanks for the correction.

Great auditorium photos, showing the two cinemas built under the balcony, can be found here:

http://www.searlarch.com/OrientalImageBig3.html

Use the arrows at top of photo to navigate.

Life: is this the photo you intended? It looks toward the stage front, not the two little auditoriums. And "arrows at the top"? I see none.

Absolutely a stunning and unique looking theatre. A reminder of an era of great showmanship.

Maybe it is an incompatible browser sort of thing. There should be orange arrows within the pircture frame at top. Clicking on the arrows allows me to move from picture to picture. Here is the whole photo set:

http://www.searlarch.com/OrientalImageBig1.html
http://www.searlarch.com/OrientalImageBig2.html
http://www.searlarch.com/OrientalImageBig3.html
http://www.searlarch.com/OrientalImageBig4.html
http://www.searlarch.com/OrientalImageBig5.html

You can also access via the Searle & Associates Projects page, Adaptive Reuse section:

http://www.searlarch.com/projects.html

Looks to me like a very tasteful project. Here is how Searle describes it:

Built in 1927, the Oriental Theater is an example of an exotic revival movement that used Arabian, Egyptian, and Far Eastern ornamentation. The corridor between the two new theaters is designed to reinforce the illusionary quality of fantasy and grandeur inherent in the old movie palace. The corridor columns, simplified versions of the originals, are made of faux marble plastic laminate with wood trim. The concern in this remodeling was to preserve the existing theater volume and ornament, while enhancing its quality with the addition of the two theaters.

Life: Thank You for taking the time to detail all of this. Now I can see the arrows and the image you originally mentioned is the last on your list.

This is a 2007 photo of the Oriental Theater.

Here is a vintage photo of the Oriental Theater.

Another recent photo of the Oriental Theater can be seen here.

The Theatre Historical Society visited here on June 21st. Of all the theatres on our itinerary to me this was the most impressive. The original 1920's lamps hang down along the grand lobby entrance. The famous organist from Milwaukee, Jelani Eddington played the Kimball organ for us and sounded magnificent. Those giant buddahs with colored eyes and the elephants about just awesome.

This is a recent night view of the Oriental Theater.

Recent photos of this theatre are HERE

This is a recent view of the marquee.

Interestingly, a 1927 issue of Exhibitor's Herald announcing the Oriental and Senate(?) theatre projects in Milwaukee names Gurda & Gurda as the architectural firm. Anyone know what the story is there?

That was the 1-22-27 issue, p 26 for the record

This is a 2008 night view of the Oriental Theater.

Here is another photo of the Oriental.

A 2009 photo of the Oriental can be seen here.

Found several A+ video recordings of Simon Gledhill playing the exceptional Kimball organ at the Oriental. Here's a link to one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIqTRBJHFdI

He's good!

Here are some 1983 photos:

Photo1

Photo2

Photo3

This is a May 2009 photo.

The previous link bit the dust so here is another May 2009 photo.

hello all-I am trying to find exterior pics of the Oriental and surrounding businesses-either recent or historical-or both----exterior pics showing the Oriental and businesses 1 block East and 1 block West along North Avenue----I have tried the Historical Society, UW-Milwaukee, and public library, and have found surprisingly few pictures----I will try the Oriental and Landmark directly but would appreciate any suggestions-thanks!

Have you looked at the photos already posted on this page? I posted three photos from 1983 that might interest you. Click on any word that is blue, such as "This", "Here", "Photo1", etc. The blue words are links.

thanks--I have looked at most of the links here and most photos are close up exteriors of the theatre or marquee only-I am trying to find full size photos showing the whole building and buildings on adjacent blocks of the street along North Avenue

Here is a July 2009 photo.