Criterion Theater
118 W. Main Street,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73102
118 W. Main Street,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73102
2 people
favorited this theater
The Criterion Theatre had a lovely 3 manual, 16 rank Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ. In 1972 the organ was sold to organ man Paul Haggard who kept it running until 1974, when he installed it in a nice French restaurant named ‘The Showplace’ on the sixth floor of the Meridian Tower on South Meridian Street, Oklahoma City. It was a nice idea, but the sound of the instrument at its softest was too loud for conversation and the restaurant closed, and the organ was sold and enlarged by a pizza parlor in Galveston, Texas. Sadly, it was ruined in the flood of 2009.
Contributed by
Wallace Brown
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Recent comments (view all 32 comments)
Circa 1929 photo of the Criterion Theatre.
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Various interior/exterior views of the Criterion Theatre can be viewed here.
A member of the powerful Paramound Theatre Chain showed, as this house remained first class up to the very end!
http://www.roadsideoklahoma.com/node/555
Doug Loudenback’s great web pages offers this fun photo of the Criterion Theatre,
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A 1948 look at the Criterion stage house and Mondo Adult Cinema can be seen on this site by typing
“only chevrolet is first"
For fantastic interior shots type in
"criterion theatre"
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1920’s picture
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1935 photo of Milton Slosser playing the Criterion pipe organ,
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In the mid-1970s I saw, of all things, Ken Russell’s film “Tommy” in a veru large, traditional downtown movie palace in Oklahoma City. I now believe it was the Criterion. About three of us were at the showing of the film (which was about right).
@ pugpapaokc pugpapaokc – I would be interested in the paper you wrote – my email is
@ Joe Vogel
I would love to see the article but can’t get to it from the link – do you have it where you could send it to me? My email is
Does anyone have any info on the giant Marilyn Monroe displayed in front of the Criterion when they showed Niagra in 1953? I see multiple copies of the image on line but nothing stating if it was a display from the movie company, or something local, etc. Thanks!