Warners' Theatre

Rear of auditorium had stadium seating. There was no balcony. Was also known as the Manhattan Theatre when showing an exclusive re-release of "Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs" and the Republic Theatre when showing "Pinocchio". I recall both probably in the 1944/45 period.

An exterior photo of the theatre as the Warner Bros. can be seen at www.nytimes.com/nystore/photos/newyork/buildings/NSAP389.html

This theatre became known as the Republic on August 12,1944, when it started a showcase deal with Republic Pictures for their prime product, starting with the NYC premiere of the musical "Atlantic City." I don't think the Republic releases continued for more than a year, but the name stuck to the theatre. Prior to that, it was called the Manhattan, which had a reissue of Disney's "Fantasia" as its last booking under that name.

The Piccadilly was built and first operated by Lee Ochs, who owned other theatres in Manhattan but none in the Broadway-Times Square area. I haven't been able to find an exact opening date, but the earliest review mentioning the Piccadilly in The New York Times was for "Welcome Stranger" in October, 1924. Programs included a feature movie, short subjects, and musical accompaniment by the Piccadilly Concert Orchestra, which had violinist Fredric Fradkin as its conductor and chief soloist. John Hammond was the organist, playing a console specially designed for the Piccadilly by Marr & Colton. Lee Ochs eventually leased the theatre to Warner Brothers, which changed the name to Warner's for the December 26, 1926 premiere of its Vitaphone sound system. The opening program was a selection of Vitaphone shorts, followed by the John Barrymore feature, "Don Juan," which had recorded music and sound effects, but no spoken dialogue. Warner's continued as a Vitaphone showcase, most memorably with Al Jolson's part-talking "The Jazz Singer" in 1927, but fell into decline after WB "wired" the Strand, leased the Winter Garden as another Broadway outlet, and built the Hollywood directly across the street, forcing a name change to Warner's Piccadilly. With the advent of the Depression, the theatre closed and remained shuttered until 1936, when Minsky's Burlesque took over and changed the name to Minsky's Oriental. Minsky's also operated the Republic on 42nd Street at the time, but the Oriental's shows were more upscale and staged like Broadway revues. The stadium section of seats at the rear of the auditorium was dubbed "Park Avenue." You didn't have to be rich to sit there, but tickets were more expensive and you were expected to wear evening clothes. Minsky's Oriental proved a hit, but lasted barely a year when the NYC authorities banned burlesque from all theatres. Several "indies" tried running the theatre as an outlet for foreign films, first as the Oriental, then as the Continental, and finally, for a brief time in the spring of 1943, as the Abbey. In December, 1943, the Brandt circuit took over and changed the name to Manhattan, with a policy of revivals that started with WB's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Eight months later, Brandt changed the name to Republic Theatre to facilitate a deal with Republic Pictures for the NYC premieres of their top releases. By that time, the Republic on 42nd Street had been re-named the Victory, so there was no conflict. The Republic was an early victim of TV competition and closed around 1948-49. Demolition proceedings began in 1952. Along with the Republic went the original Roseland dance hall and a seven-story office building, the Broadway Central (which had its entrance on 51st Street).

Following is an excerpt from an article by Jack Robinson in Marquee Magazine about NYC burlesque theatres: "The most elegant of Minsky's Times Square houses was the Oriental, a failed movie house at Broadway and 51st Street, previously known as the Warner-Piccadilly. It provided the shell for Minsky's most ambitious project. Patrons more often than not wore evening clothes. Such literary notables as Conde Nast and Frank Crowninshield were regulars at the Oriental and wrote articles about burlesque for Vogue and Vanity Fair. The staff at the Oriental wore Chinese costumes and the whole atmosphere of the house was one of Far Eastern splendor. The Minskys spared no expense at the Oriental, and it was a lavish production that audiences could look forward to. Sometimes horses or a live elephant would be used in their more imaginative offerings. Two or three big name comics, several exotics or strippers, and a long line of chorus girls made up the most ambitious productions that burlesque had yet seen. Fiorello LaGuardia objected to 'flesh in motion.' His license commissioner at the time was Paul Moss, brother of B.S. Moss, who operated movie houses in the are. Paul Moss was directed by the mayor to revoke the licenses of all 17 burlesque houses in the city, and they were immediately closed. The mayor's action, which threw hundreds of people out of work in the midst of the Depression, rocked the NYC entertainment world and evoked the opinion that their unemployment was far more immoral than any show ever presented on a burlesque stage."

The Piccadilly was intended as the crown jewel of its original owner and builder, Lee A. Ochs, pioneer exhibitor who started with a nickelodeon in 1904. Though he sold the Piccadilly to Warner Brothers, he still owned 10 theatres in upper Manhattan and the Bronx at the time of this death in 1935 at age 55. While playing golf at the Film Daily's annual golf tournament, Ochs had an attack of appendicitis and died as the result of an emergency operation. The Ochs circuit conisted of the Costello, Gem, Manhattan, Majestic, and Uptown Theatres in Mahattan, and the Kingsbridge, Ogden, United States, Tuxedo, and Mosholu in the Bronx. Most of the theatres were sold to rival companies. The Ochs family retained some, but leased them out for others to operate.

There is a photo of this theater at this link:
http://www.amps.net/newsletters/issue23/23_jazz.htm

Notice on the marquee that it is called Warners' Theatre.

It's odd, but after many years of being familiar with the name, I have only just now noticed that the apostrophe comes after the "s" and not after the "r" in Warners'. So it's the possessive of the plural, (referring to all of the Warner brothers, I suppose) rather than the possessive of the name Warner itself. Strange.

I never took notice before that it was Warners' and not Warner. Should the name above be changed to Warners' or add an aka Warners'?

The spelling seems to vary, even in the same photograph. A photo of the marquee on the opening night of "The Jazz Singer" says Warners' Theatre across the front. The view of the marquee's right side is closely cropped, and all I can see is Warners, though there might have been an apostrophe after it that didn't make the cut. But to further complicate matters, a vertical sign says Warner, with Theatre in small letters horizontally below it. But the opposite side of that vertical sign says only Warners, with no apostrophe at the end...This photo reminds of how close the theatre was to the original Roseland dance hall. There was only a small store separating their entrances and marquees.

Another photo of this theater dated Aug. 1926 which is about one year older than the previous photo posted. "Don Juan" is playing there.
http://www.picturehistory.com/images/products/0/0/9/prod_902.jpg

New York Times, July 5, 1926, p.6 reviewed the Hal Roach film "The Devil Horse" and stated that it was appearing at Warner's Theatre. Do you think this is the same theater as Warners'?
Linda

here is cinerama at the warner-1956
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b15/myrtleave/scan0085.jpg

I first went to the Warner's to see This is Cinerama. I'll never forget the experience. There was a red curtain that ran almost 180 degrees around the front of the theatre. I had an aisle seat in the center section in row 5. When the film started it was in black and white in the usual square aspect. Lowell Thomas explained the history of motion pictures and then in a grave voice intoned:"Ladies and Gentlemen THIS IS CINERAMA!". At that moment the red curtain began to open a-l-l the way and you were surrouned by the screen. At first I didn't know what I was watching. It was shadowy and indistint with a clicket, clickety sound filling the theatre. Then we came out into the sun and were climbing the Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island. Note I didn't say we saw but rather we were riding the coaster. From there on in it was one fabulous scene after another, with the flight over the Grand Canyon almost as good as being there. I saw the film at least twic more and at one showing tore myself from the opening scene to turn a watch the faces of the audience...it was amazing. I saw at least two more Cinerama films. One was Cinerama Holiday which began like the first but the opening scene was flying over the Alps in a SwissAir DC 6 rather than the roller coaster.

The Piccadilly Theatre opened on September 27, 1924 with the world premiere of "Barbara Frietchie" a Thomas H. Ince film production with Florence Vidor and Edmund Lowe and also musical and stage novelties including John Hammond at the Marr & Colton organ and Vincent Lopez and his Piccadilly orchestra.

Here is another vintage photo of Warners' Theater. The photo was taken by Warner Brothers in August of 1926. And this is the program for Don Juan.

Here's another photo (from 1931) showing varying names. The sign across the roof says Warner Bros. Theatre. A vertical sign on the front reads Warner Theatre. The front of the marquee displays only the WB trademark:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/warnpic.jpg

This theatre also had a short run as the New Yorker, using the former Warner marquee. Note how the "WB" on the front was changed to "NY":
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/republicnyc.jpg
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/republicny.jpg

Fellas: I think we are talking about two different theatres. This place was at 1664 Broadway. The Warner where Cinerama was installed was at 1585 Broadway. The later was open at least through the 60's. From the looks of pictures at the link below it had many more than 1322 seats as well. I don't see any listing for the Warner Cinerama on this site. But it could be disguised under another name.

http://cinerama.topcities.com/ctwarner.htm

The Warner Cinerama in NYC (Times Sq.) is listed under the STRAND THEATRE on this site.

The Warner Cinerama, originally the Strand, was situated on the NW corner of Broadway & 47th Street, which is well above Times Square and borders on what's known as Duffy Square (home of the current booth for cut-rate tickets to stage plays).

Interestingly this theater was a classy first run roadshow house in the late twenties and by the early thirties it was grinding out double features at pop prices. The same thing with the Gaity which was roadshowing in the early 30's and then by the mid was presenting burlesque.
I thought this only happened in the late 60's when the theaters that were showing top Hollywood roadshow product in only one or two short years would be showing porno and exploitation films.

As the Oriental Theatre with Minsky's burlesque (see my post above of 5/13/05 for more details):
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/oriminsky.jpg

I believe the last line of Rodgers and Hart's 'Zip' is
"Who the hell is Margie Haaaart?"
So who the hell was she?

Margie Hart was one of the top four striptease stars of the 1930-40s, along with Ann Corio, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Georgia Sothern. She was said to have the most perfect figure of all of them, and had a reputation for doffing her g-string when the patrons demanded it. Hart was reportedly the highest paid of her contemporaries. She saved her money, retired early, and died in 2000 at age 84 or 85.

As Brandt's Manhattan in June, 1944. This booking was soon followed by a revival of Disney's "Fantasia" with "Multi-Sound":
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/manhattan644.jpg

First attraction as the Republic Theatre, Broadway showcase for product from Republic Pictures:
www.i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/newrepublic.jpg

This must hold the record for most name changes in Manhattan. Following this theatre is like tracing someone on a witness relocation program.

1924 Piccadilly
1925 Warner's
1935 New Yorker
1936 Oriental
1938 Continental
1943 Abbey
1944 Manhattan
1945 Republic

The theatre opened as the Republic in 1944, not 1945. The exact opening date was August 12, 1944, with the Republic musical, "Atlantic City" (see ad above that I posted on 5/5/06).

The movie that changed the world
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a13/ChmnofBrd/Movie%20Ads/JazzSinger.jpg

Here's a photo from the opening night of "The Jazz Singer," October 6, 1927. Enjoy!

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/7135/wb7gq0.jpg

Messages posted above by "myrtleave" on 8/28/05 and by "usher" on 9/10/05 are NOT about this theatre. Both pertain to Manhattan's original Strand Theatre, which had Warner as a later name but is listed here at Cinema Treasures as Strand.

WARNER BROTHERS BUY THE PICCADILLY; Reported to Have Paid About $835,000 for Broadway Moving-Picture Theatre. FOR INDEPENDENT FILMS Purchasers to Remodel Interior of the House and Double the Size of the Orchestra.

NY Times August 10, 1925

Warner Brothers' Pictures, Inc., according to an announcement made yesterday at the company's offices, 1600 Broadway, have purchased the Piccadilly Theatre, Fifty-second Street and Broadway. Although the exact price to be paid has not been settled, it is understood that it will be between $825,000 and $835,000.

The theatre had two periods as Cine Roma, a showcase for Italian films, the first starting in March, 1936 and the second running from May 1940 until early 1942. The first period continued into 1937, when the theatre became Minsky's Oriental with skin shows that were prohibited by law from using the word "burlesque" or variants thereof such as "burlesk." Cine Roma moved to the nearby Broadway Theatre for a time, but I don't know the exact duration. Cine Roma might have been dormant for a time before the name turned up again at the Ambassador in January 1940, where it doesn't seem to have lasted long before returning to this theatre in May. By that time, the theatre's Oriental phase had ended, and it was showing foreign films as the Continental.

As Cine Roma, the theatre used an advertising address of Broadway & 52nd St. When Cine Roma shifted to the Broadway Theatre in 1937, the advertising address changed to Broadway & 53rd Street.

Here's a vitage ad: The Warners' Theatre Now Accepting "Exodus" Reservations by Mail:

http://emulsioncompulsion.com/v/roadshowsouvenierprogrambooks/exodus/Warner+Theatre+Ticket+Order+Form.jpg.html]http://emulsioncompulsion.com/v/roadshowsouvenierprogrambooks/exodus/Warners+Theatre+Ticket+Order+Form.jpg.html+Ticket+Order+Form.jpg.html]http://emulsioncompulsion.com/v/roadshowsouvenierprogrambooks/exodus/Warner+Theatre+Ticket+Order+Form.jpg.html[/url][/url]

You've posted the ad at the wrong theatre. This one had been demolished by the time of "Exodus." The Warner of "Exodus" started out as the Strand Theatre, and later had other names, including Warner, Warner Cinerama, etcetera. I think it's listed here as Strand, but can't swear by that...Also, your link doesn't seem to be operating.

Warner aka Strand:
http://cinematreasures.org/theater/2975/

Thanks, Warren. All has been corrected!

The new DVD box set of Al Jolson's "The Jazz Singer" includes the original trailer for the movie, which contains some newsreel coverage of the opening night at this theatre. There are views of the marquee and other signage, as well as the arrivals of numerous celebrities including Al Jolson himself.

In 1947, when the theatre was known as the Republic, This Anna Magnani film from Italy had its American premiere here.

By October 3rd, 1929, this was called Warner Bros. Theatre, according to an ad in that day's New York Times. The current attraction was the Vitaphone All-Talking "Disraeli," with the great George Arliss in the title role. Performances were given twice daily, with a third show added on Sundays...Shouldn't the theatre be listed here as Republic, which was its name at time of closure? The Warner affiliation ended long before that.

The Piccadilly Theatre first opened to the public on September 27, 1924, following the previous evening's invitational screening of the Civil War epic, "Barbara Frietchie," in its world premiere engagement. "Live" musical accompaniment came from the Piccadilly Orchestra, conducted by Vincent Lopez, and John Hammond at the Marr & Colton organ. Here are two ultra-rare images:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/picca24a.jpg
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a18/Warrengwhiz/picca24b.jpg

Abbey should be added as an aka name here.

Here's a 1938 view as the Oriental Theatre with Minsky's Burlesque: http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?imgurl=2909b5131c32cf52&q=burlesque+source:life&usg=__fcxvehnv03DwXR6c3KRCpxCblYE=&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dburlesque%2Bsource:life%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Here is a 1946 photo from Life magazine:
http://tinyurl.com/dcjn46

Here is a larger version of the photo posted on 6/9/05:
http://tinyurl.com/ckz8jz

ken mc, the photo you posted on April 17 is actually of the Oriental Theatre in Chicago. Great photo, but wrong page.

OK, I will repost it. I think Life said it was in NYC. Thanks.

I believe this closed as the Republic, not the New Yorker.

Opening ad for "The Jazz Singer". Notice that ads read "WARNER" and not "WARNERS'" as on the marquee and that the Vitaphone aspect was not played up until much later in the run.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/25725093@N07/4017080990/in/photostream/