Jeffery Theater

that’s entirely possible..I remember it being a small place with a few tables… I remember it being next to an alley. My Dad told me a story about a customer that took my Dad into that alley and threatened to shoot him.

According to Google Street View the facade behind where the marquee stood is still standing although the entrance has been modified. http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/2840/photos/5405/

http://maps.google.com/maps?msid=115314776543347973137.0004609dda6c1996245e4&msa=0&hl=en&ll=41.76606,-87.57653&spn=0.000988,0.003664&t=h&z=19&layer=c&cbll=41.766061,-87.576655&panoid=7gPmLKf9lAUBbNhV2qjw-g&cbp=12,57.29090500000001,,0,0&photoid=po-47850825/

my Dad owned a cocktail lounge/bar at 71st and Jeffrey, but no living family members can recall exactly where it was….it was somewhere at that intersection, and he owned it in the late 50’s/early 60’s….it was called “the Boulevard Room”….anyone with any info would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a 1954 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/ng5ctt

The Jeffery Theatre had a 2m 6r Barton Theatre organ. It was badly water damaged. I was working for a local pipe organ service company at the time and a friend and I tried to restore the organ to playing condition. It was so far gone that it would have taken considerable money to repair, money which I didn’t have at the time. Coston Enterprises decided to donate the organ to a local church which only wanted the unit flute. My employer removed the organ, installed the flute at the church and sold off the rest of the parts. I still have the traps. The console was purchased by Jimmie Keating, at teacher at Lane Tech HS, who beautifully restored the console and used it to play his home pipe organ.

Here is a May 1951 ad from the Southeast Economist:
http://tinyurl.com/5gz8sc

I was an usher at the Jeffery during the early 60’s. The manager at that time was Chris Demos and the assistant was Al Warpenburg. We wore uniforms complete with cardboard dickies and collars and clip on bow ties. We escorted customers to their seats with flashlights and actually made sure everyone was quiet and kept their feet off the seats. The Jeffery was a very popular theater in those days and played many “road show” engagements like Cleopatra complete with intermissions and special concession items. While I worked there it was hit by a tornado which took off the top of the water tower.

Here are photos of this theatre.

I took pictures of both the Jeffrey and Hamilton in the early 90’s. At that time the Hamilton was sitting derelict and unused. The Jeffrey, while still completely standing, had been converted for use by Shore Bank. They were using the lobby, although I am not sure what for. It wasn’t until several years into this arrangement that they decided to destroy the auditorium for new construction. You can find these photos, as well as vintage photos taken by others, at the Theatre Historical Society archives in Elmhurst, IL.

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~angell/thsa/welcome2.html

The Jeffery Theater, on Jeffery Blvd. at the old Bryn Mawr (now 71st St.) station is way off my beaten path – between the “right” and “left” coasts, but I just received a comp copy of the Lake Shore Historical Society’s “First and Fastest” magazine and had to share this info with you.

If any of you Chicagoans and/or midwesterners have access to the Summer 2006 copy of F&F, you’ll spot a dynamic B&W pic of the Jeffery in 1939. The marquee shows that “The Sun Never Sets” (with Barrymore, Rathbone & Atwill) was playing at the time. Good shot of the theater’s water tower, too, and more. I have no capability to scan and post, so I’m dropping the ball in your laps. Good luck!

I saw the James Bond movie “You Only Live Twice” with Sean Connery at the Jeffery around 1968. I also remember the Peter Pan restaurant that stood on the southwest corner of 71st & Jeffery and the Fannie Mae candy store around the corner from the theater.

The Jeffery was operated by Warner’s, then my family, who all lived on the southside. We also had The Beverly, and leased and operated The Hamilton, which was down the street on 71st Street.
The theatre was sold to the bank in 1975, then the nice fellow who I believe ran the Clark Theatre downtown Chicago, tried to run second run films there, but it didn’t make it. The auditorium was taken down around 1998, not sure. It had 2000 seats, an old fashioned balcony, a nice sized curved screen, a huge back stage area, and was rigged for 35mm magnetic sound with tons of old surround speakers.
Probably had the best popcorn in town. The theatre had tons of old rooms, what a great place to be a kid.

Nick Coston