Rockne Theatre
5825 W. Division Street,
Chicago,
IL
60651
5825 W. Division Street,
Chicago,
IL
60651
3 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 35 comments found
Tomkonsoer, my brothers and I were at the Rockne practically every weekend during the 60’s. As we got older, we would venture down to the State, the Lake, or even the Mercury, but the Rockne remained our favorite. I remember the Sonny and Cher event, but don’t remember the DC5 show.
I lived at 1050 N Monitor all during the 60’s and started ushering at the Rockne when I was 12. They still had lots of costumes left over from when they did live shows. Don’t remember Sonny and Cher, but it seems like the Dave Clark Five were there. Austin was a great neighborhood to grow up in, mostly hung around Chicago Ave. St. Angela’s, Key School, Austin Town Hall. Took drivers ed at Austin High. Remember the “Mudhole”?
I lived in one of the two apartments above the theatre from Oct 1962 thru Oct 1963, we moved here from Rockwell and North Ave, I had transferred from Tuley High School. I loved that year. Attended Austin High School. But living there was totally unusual. You could hear the sounds of the movies , because the Projection Room was right down the hall. The Music Man was playing the week that we moved in and the next week it was The Birds !!!! Noisey. We had to go down into the lobby , by the main front doors to pick up our mail. And it was just neat being a teenager there. There on either sides of the stage , were dressing rooms. We were only there a year and moved to Stone Park after here in 1963 and I attended Proviso West then. I would love to here from any fellow students from Austin who knew about and attended the Rockne….contact me at or Susan Besaw on Face Book…would love to hear from you !!!
Nice 80,s photos.
The 1920-21 Film Daily Yearbook lists an Ambassador theatre in Chicago. Is it possible that this theatre was built earlier than 1924 or is this a different theatre? (No other information listed.)
Here are 1982 and 1983 photos:
http://tinyurl.com/dcwtuf
http://tinyurl.com/cn237k
The exchange in 1954 was AUstn 7-3266. As you can see by the ad immediately above, the exchanges were no longer being used by 1967.
Here is a July 1967 ad from the Austin Journal:
http://tinyurl.com/3p2lqs
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/6m6pnw
A Geneva theater organ size 4/14 was installed in the Ambassador Theater in 1925.
I attended the Rockne only once when visiting Chicago in 1956. The movie was Elvis’ first: Love Me Tender. My cousin and I walked about 5 blocks from Lombard Ave. As a teenager from northern Wisconsin, I thought the theater was overwhelming. I was also quite impressed with the balcony. Very enjoyable to see the photo of the Rockne and read all the comments.
We would go to the Rockne every now and then as we mostly attended the Tiffin on North Avenue.
One movie in particular that I vividly recall seeing there was Disney’s Babes in Toyland, which shows how long ago this was.
I mostly recall it being a little more upscale than the Tiffin. (I certainly don’t recall the coppola shown in the picture above.)
From the 6/22/74 Chicago Tribune:
THIEVES INVADE THEATER, STEAL ‘DEEP THROAT’
Linda Lovelace was reported missing last night by the management of the Rockne theater after two bandits tricked their way into the projection booth and made off with the film “Deep Throat”, which made her famous.
The men entered the theater, 5825 W. Division St., while another X-rated film was playing, and knocked on the locked door of the projection room, said Investigator Luke Bello, Shakespeare Robbery Unit. When the projectionist Leo Posner, 63, of Skokie, answered, the bandits said they were police and showed him an imitation badge. Once inside, one of the men struck Posner on the head with a .32 automatic pistol and handcuffed him to a railing, Ballo said.
They took only the film, which is actually a copy of the original which is made by copying thousands of still photographs from the movie. Posner was carrying $700 at the time which the bandits ignored, as well as $800 at the ticket cage.
Not only did the Rockne show good movies it was also a clean theater. Don’t ever recall the place looking shaby or dirty at all. Went to the Rockne from the mid 50’s to early seventies. Lived about six blocks away. I do recall though maybe in the late 50’s or early sixtes they re-did their lobby.
The ROCKNE to me had a more respectable reputation than other neighborhood theatres it seems; saw SOUND OF MUSIC there first, later THE GRADUATE. I say this knowing it went the adult route later on. It was the theatre one took the Division St bus to the end-of-the-line to.
Yep. That is the rotunda at right. Last time I was by here the ROCKNE vertical sign was still up. But that was many years ago. At some point the exterior of the building was totally redone. I have always assumed that took place at the point they adopted the ROCKNE name.
You can see a picture of what it looked like in 2000 as a Church. Not a very good picture. www.cookcountyassessor.com
Type in the pin#16-05-403-001-0000, or the address which is 5815 W Division.
I can remember standing in line with my friends holding big bags of greassy popcorn waiting to get in for a Saturday matinaee. Usually acouple of horror movies like I was a Teenage Frankestein or Terror from the year 5000.I’m still a big fan of old B horror movies. The ushers wore uniforms. I really wanted that job! The show would be packed. I believe the managers first name was Jim. I remember going to see A man Called Horse and Little Big Man. These were the two movies they played last before going Adult. The whole neighborhood turned out to try and show them that they could still make money from these kind of movies. At least this is the way I remember it.
No problem. Good luck with your project. It sounds like a very nice gift.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
The best sources for historical theatre material is the Theatre Historical Society of America in Elmhurst, IL. Visit their web site:
http://www.historictheatres.org/
Other contact info:
Theatre Historical Society of America
York Theatre Building
152 North York, 2nd floor
Elmhurst, Illinois 60126-2806
Telephone (630) 782-1800
Fax (630) 782-1802
e-mail:
I am sure they must have material on the Rockne, which you can purchase copies of for a small fee. I think Richard Sklenar still runs the archives: a very cool and knowledgable person.
Does anyone know where I can find some photographs of the Rockne from the 1940’s? I’m working on a gift for my Dad, and he used to go there every Sunday as a little boy!
Any info would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!
The firm is Gallup & Joy, like the Admiral, i’m pretty sure.
Also, I see the Rockne on a February 1980 Chicago Tribune movie listing I have, showing an adult double feature with the advertising blurb “All Ladies Accompanied by a Gentleman Admitted Free”.
This is a little of topic, but the Chicago Tribune movie listings that I have, from the 10s into the 50s all list the theaters in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago under the “Surburban Theatres” heading (for example, a listing I have from early 1950 shows the Austin theaters as the Rockne, Vet, Symphony, Iris, Park, Austin and Plaisance right before the Oak Park, Lyons, Elmwood Park, etc. theater listings). I wonder why Austin is included with the suburbs, when it was annexed by Chicago in 1899?