Uptown Theater
18 E. McMicken Avenue,
Cincinnati,
OH
45202
18 E. McMicken Avenue,
Cincinnati,
OH
45202
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The marquee says the building is the Central Assembly of God and the address listed on the marquee is 18 East McMicken so it looks like the address listed in the header is correct.
This is the Uptown Theater as of two hours ago. ;–)
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They have the Uptown listed as closed and demolished, the theatre is still there and it is the Uptown Church as mentioned above.
Here is a 1981 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/d3xvxm
In 1955 the Uptown Theater had 498 seats.
I remember the Uptown in the ‘60s. I remember the vertical “Uptown” sign over the marquee. That’s about all I remember about it until it closed and it became a church of sorts. This is another one in which I can not find a photo of any kind. Anyone have one???
The UPTOWN TH> is located at 20 east McMicken not 18 East McMicken.In 1914 the VARIETY THEATER was built at 18 East McMickenand it was a nickelodeon. The UPTOWN TH. seats 490and has a balcony.
The UPTOWN TH> is located at 20 east McMicken not 18 East McMicken.In 1914 the VARIETY THEATER was built at 18 East McMickenand it was a nickelodeon. The UPTOWN TH. seats 490and has a balcony.
The building which was the Uptown Theater in Cincinnati still stands although it has served as the home of the Uptown Church for many years. The Uptown Theater was built prior to 1935 and I’ll write a few more details about this soon.
of course, i recall the Uptown… saw a few films there, but when young , my theatre (and neighborhood) was the Empire… I guess there was no “marquee” overhanging sidewalk, but there were theatre posters, and ads in the paper (in the long gone ‘Neighborhood Theatres" section to let you know what was playing and when. In 1995, I met a woman whose father managed the Uptown theatre in the sixties… she herself sold tickets and worked the concession stand as a teen. Wish I had asked her more questions about place. Met another woman at time, who remembered area when it was a “good” neighborhood… she always attended the Uptown, rather than the Empire – said the Uptown was “cleaner!” Rather prim and proper, but very nice lady.
A minor point (and not relevant to the theatre discussion), but if Tim Lucas is still around, someone might let him know that he was paying six bits), not three bits, for his movie tickets. A quarter was two bits, and thus the once-common phrase “two-bit grind house” arose to describe theatres showing triple features all day and night for a quarter.
The following was written by VIDEO WATCHDOG publisher and lifelong Cincinnatian Tim Lucas at the old Mobius Home Video Forum board (a server crash lost all posts prior to a year and a half ago):
Further up Vine Street, where it begins its steep ascent into Clifton, there used to be another theater called the Uptown. I love my memory of this theater, which was like the Empire in that it hosted a day of movies only on the weekends for 75 cents. The big difference was, the Uptown didn’t have a telephone OR a marquee! You couldn’t find out what was showing till you plunked your three bits down! I went several times in 1966-67 with an older friend — the first time was one of those unforgettable days at the movies. We walked in on the last two reels of GIRL HAPPY (which I’d seen before), which was followed by INSIDE DAISY CLOVER and…THE EMBALMER!!! I can’t TELL you how high my heart soared as that title filled the screen!
It was located a 18 McMicken, opened in 1935 and closed in 1955.