Regal Theater

For information on many Chicago theaters contact Robert Lubliner at rlubliner@aol.com. He is 85 and his father was of Lubliner and Tranz and he himself owned and ran numerous of the old theaters in chicago

I saw the Motortown Revue of 1963 at the Regal when I was a kid. Contrary to the above story, the Regal held stage shows to the end. I believe James Brown was the last to headline the theatre, which closed in 1968. The Regal was Chicago's equivalent to Harlem's Apollo Theatre and was one of the major four theatres on the so-called "chitlin circuit." The other two being the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C. and the Uptown in Philadelphia.

The long-delayed performing arts center, begun over a decade ago, near the site of the Regal, has finally opened this week, called the Harold Washington Cultural Center. See this article for more information.

It made me proud to read this article knowing that my father, Joseph Tolmaire was (probaly) the first black manager of this historic theater in the late 20's. My mother first saw my father dressed in a black tux on the job. She was visiting Chicago on vacation from New Orleans, and said that my father was so handsome that she made plans to return to Chicago and marry him. They were introduced to one another by my father's cousin. My mother succeeded, and they were married in 1937. She passed in 1987 and he passed in 1996.
Another interesting part of this story is that my father hired K. Bluitt (forgive my spelling of his name) as an usher at the theater. Mr. Bluitt was the legendary manager of the Regal for years to come, and he always let Joe Tolmaire's daughters into the
theater free. All we had to do was ask to speak to him.
My father only worked as the manager for about two years. He left the job to work in my grandfather's roofing and sheet metal company at 3671 S. State Street. Charles Tolmaire & Sons was open from 1917 to 1999 and was most likely one of the oldest blace businesses in Chicago.
I loved listening to stories of how elaborate the theater was. It had a machine that actually produced an imitation snowfall. My father also met many famous entertainers and had loads of autographed photos that have somehow been misplaced. Thanks for noting that the Regal was staffed by blacks from the beginning of its history.
Louise E. Catron

http://www.suntimes.com/photos/galleries/realchicago/1960s/7.html
"Return of the diva. Photo by Mel Larson, February 19, 1960.
Josephine Baker makes up backstage for an appearance at South Side's Regal Theater."

Josephine Baker performed at the Regal in the late 40's early 50's sporting a new hairstlye--the ponytail. Anyone out there remember more specifically when the performance took place?? Also, by chance does anyone know how South Park got its name. Thanx much.

Nat King Cole, at age 10, won first prize in one the amateur nights, at the Regal Theater in 1929. He won a turkey.

<http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/fsa/8c00000/8c00600/8c00649r.jpg>Here</a> is a chicago daily news photo of the Regal at night in 1941, and here is a photo of the lobby. Here is the reverse view of the main photo above. Here is the box office.

Just a quick correction: the Regal organ was not a Wurlitzer, but a 3-manual Barton that was reputed to have been very large-scaled, loud, and jazzy.

Here is a postcard from shortly after the theatre's opening showing the original flush marquees

I would imagine South Park was coined because King Drive used to be known as South Parkway, and before that Grand Boulevard, so with the new name came the neighborhood name.

Here is another lobby view

Here is another photo of the Regal Theater. I hope its the same Regal because the address is slightly different:
http://www.chipublib.org/digital/chiren/instregal.html

Here is another link:
http://tinyurl.com/occm4

There's a new and extremely detailed book by Clovis E. Semmes entitled "The Regal Theater and Black Culture," published in April of this year by Palgrave/MacMillan. It tells the history of the theatre, its complicated associations with Balaban & Katz, and details many of the film and stage bookings that played there. The book's main failing is a scarcity of illustrations. I think there are only four, and none of the interior of the auditorium.

Famed "Schmeling-Louis" fight film shown at Regal---

NEWS ITEM:

Chicago Daily News, Friday, June 26, 1936, p. 36, c. 1---

FIGHT FILMS OPEN AT B-K THEATERS

The Joe Louis-Max Schmeling fight pictures, complete from beginning to end have been booked in as extra screen attractions at eight Balaban & Katz theaters starting today. In the loop the pictures will be shown at the Roosevelt and Apollo theaters; west side Marbro; south side, Tivoli and Southtown; north side, Granada, Varsity and Uptown. The pictures showing the knockdown in slow motion, also start at the Regal theater on the south side on Sunday

My Great Uncle was Joeseph Trinz, originally from Vienna Austria, who owned and started the Lubliner and Trinz movie chain in Chicago in the early teens. He was an early investor in Nickelodeans that later became moving pictures. He was bought out by Baliban and Katz in the late 1930's. As a child, my father would go out from New York to Chicago with is mother to visit in the summer and could walk into any movie house for free because of his Uncle Joe!

My Great Uncle was Joeseph Trinz, originally from Vienna Austria, who owned and started the Lubliner and Trinz movie chain in Chicago in the early teens. He was an early investor in Nickelodeans that later became moving pictures. He was bought out by Baliban and Katz in the late 1930's. As a child, my father would go out from New York to Chicago with is mother to visit in the summer and could walk into any movie house for free because of his Uncle Joe!

Here is a photo from the Library of Congress:
http://tinyurl.com/2mkgl5

Thats the same photo that BWChicago was linking to on Feb 12, 2005.

Photos of the Regal and many other Chicago theatres, some already displayed at Cinema Treasures, can be found at www.balabanandkatzfoundation.com

Early Postcard view

If anyone has good-quality photos of the Regal Theater — especially of the interior and/or of theater staff, please link to them from here or e-mail me (via my profile)! They would be GREATLY appreciated; I am hoping to draw a comic strip partially set in the Regal Theater.

Photos from the 1940s and later would be most helpful.

http://www.streetsandsoul.com/chicago/old34.jpg Not sure if this shot has been posted.

That photo was taken in 1940. Note the Savoy Ballroom just down the street.

Listed at 4719 S. South Park in the 1960 Chicago yellow pages.

Here is a 1973 photo from the archives of the Chicago Tribune:
http://tinyurl.com/dkxtth

This was just before it was torn down.

Many of the handbills, show posters and tinted photograps (including those of Al Hibbler, Sarah Vaughan and Dizzy Gillespie) that were in the offices at the Regal were given to Gerri Oliver, who ran the Palm Tavern, where the stars would go after their performances. They remained on the walls until 2001 when she closed up shop. She still has them in her posession.

At the risk of nitpicking, the South Side sister of the Aragon Ballroom would have been the Trianon at 62nd and Cottage Grove; aside from similar size, general layout and richness of furnishings, both were developed and run by the Karzas Brothers, sharing the same entertainers and under the same race-restrictive admission policy.

Here is the 1941 LOC photo, again:
http://tinyurl.com/owdwp2