Foster Art Theatre
2504 Glenwood Avenue,
Youngstown,
OH
44511
2504 Glenwood Avenue,
Youngstown,
OH
44511
2 people
favorited this theater
Opened as the Foster Theatre in 1939 with a seating capacity of 800. The Foster Theatre ran main-stream motion pictures through the 1960’s, and then switched over to adult movies and became the Foster Art Theatre.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 27 comments)
You can see simulcast broadcasts of live opera at that hideous purple Southern Park Mall theater, Twinkletoes. There seems to be a new one every other weekend.
The only film I saw here was Elvira Madagan. Mostly I hit the downtown theaters.
My Dad owned the Foster Theatre and opened it the year before I was born. I sold popcorn and candy there as a child…….a long time ago! I am glad to see it still standing. I remember the Parker’s Frozen Custard. It was the best!
Given the quality of films that ran in the Foster’s glory days, your father would not approve of what it is today.
The area around the Foster today is a war zone … murders, drugs and the like.
Would you happen to have any photos of the Foster’s interior?
My Dad, Joe Shagrin, was the ONLY owner of the Foster until he sold it in the 70’s and it then became a Porn Theatre. I wish I had pictures of the inside, but I do not! If you are a movie critic and are reading this my Dad was very good friends with I believe his name was Fred Childress, the movie critic in that era.
Indeed it was Fred Childress, a very good friend, and the Shagrin name goes way back in Youngstown theater history, running a number of local theaters over the years. One I believe was associated with the Warner Brothers.
I am amazed the Foster is still open. In 1961 my uncle, who was a journalist for the Warren Tribune, thought it was time I saw a “serious” move" (I was a jr i HS), so he took me to see Ingmar Bergman’s “Through a Glass Darkly”. He was right. That was the first movie that had me thinking about what it meant for weeks afterwards.
lanasings2, I worked for your father, Joe Shagrin. He hired me to change the marquee. I got paid one dollar each time the films changed. This was usually on Saturday night with a new film on Sunday and Wednesday night. Sometimes I would get called to be the ticket taker and would get paid a dollar to take tickets. Best part was that I got to see all the movies for free. This was in 1952-53.
The Carmel Corn was on the left side of the building and Murberger and Lambert’s flower shop on the right. The Carmel Corn sold the popcorn until is closed and then it was sold in the theater. Joe Shagrin’s office was up over the Carmel Corn shop. The women’s and men’s rooms were over the marquee.
The balcony was a good place to sit with a girl. Especially as I had access to the key and could lock the door.
Hello all,
I am doing a large-scale research project on adult theatres and would be very interested to hear from anything who either worked at or attended this theatre during its time showing adult films. If you would like to help me out, you can email me at .
Thanks!