Luna Theatre
4743 W. Belmont Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60641
4743 W. Belmont Avenue,
Chicago,
IL
60641
4 people
favorited this theater
The Luna Theatre opened in 1937, designed in Art Moderne style with seating originally for around 1,200 (later reduced to near 900). The theater was located in the Belmont-Cragin neighborhood of Chicago.
Part of the Balaban and Katz chain (and later Plitt Theaters) for much of its entire time in operation, the Luna Theatre closed in the early-1980’s and was demolished in 1986.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 28 comments)
great photos! life’s too short and ken mc! caveman,blood beach,superfuzz,zombie,motel hell,revenge of the bushido blade,private lessons,my tutor,doctor butcher m.d {medical deviate}kung foo triple features. followed by Small cheese and a can of r.c at johnnys pizza next door. PAC man fever! that was a great area to grow up around. 20th century bowling alley,golden tiara bingo. please post more photos of that area. brings back great memories F-LORDS!
And- THE POM-POM GIRLS, MANIAC, MOTHER’S DAY,a number of FRIDAY THE 13TH flicks and- as mark h noted, a few John Carradine titles (FRANKENSTEIN ISLAND), one of the most ridiculous movies ever. By the way, does anyone recall one of the managers of the Luna? If memory serves, he looked much like director John Waters…tall, lean, thinning hair, and a little moustache. This would have been around 1981.
Thanks KenC.
I saw the double-bill “Last house on the left†and “Don’t look in the basement†here sometime in the mid-70’s because I was in early HS at the time. The theatre was NOT on the corner of Belmont and Cicero where Walgreens is now, as someone said earlier, because that was the Luna Lounge, a very interesting dive that had much better days. That was closed then demolished not long ago, less than 10 years ago. The theatre was down the block a little ways from the bar, I think it’s now the parking lot next to the senior home.
mikey2:
no the senior home parking lot is not the right place
the exact LUNA theatre bldg site was in fact where the walgreens building is now. mind you i said walgreens building, not walgreens parking lot. the building per se is at the southwest corner of belmont and keating, and that’s just where the luna once stood
p.s.: the alleyway behind cicero used to go fully to belmont (between the luna theatre and the luna lounge mentioned above) but when walgreens opened and built their parking lot they gobbled up that end of the alley, unfair to their neighbors and the public in general
Amazing photos of the Luna. I lived not too far from there, but I’d never been to the Luna. My friends and I did go to the Will Rogers though (The Willy as we called it). I don’t believe I’d ever even seen the Luna.
So this theatre never made it into the Cineplex-Odeon chain? It’s counterpart up the street, the Will Rogers, was briefly in the C-O chain.
As mentioned above, the alley east of Cicero at one time ran all the way to Belmont until Walgreens was built. The west wall of the theatre bordered the alley.
Paul: This never made it to C-O. I’ve heard the Will Rogers was closed in favor of their new Brickyard Cinema. In hindsight, considering the ghetto reputation of the Brickyard, they might have been better off with the Will. I think it did OK business and there was no crime problem that I am aware of.
I went to the Luna many times in my youth. I remember seeing West Side Story there.