Oriental Theatre
2230 N. Farwell Avenue,
Milwaukee,
WI
53202
2230 N. Farwell Avenue,
Milwaukee,
WI
53202
26 people
favorited this theater
Showing 1 - 25 of 71 comments found
I am a student at MATC studying tv/video production.. I;m currently doing a project called Milwaukee’s entertainment history and am looking for someone to interview who is knowledgable about the Oriental’s history.. If you have any questions feel free to email @ .com THanks a bunch
Hey Lee. I was one of the RHPS regulars back in the mid-1980s (along with Betzi and the Celluloid Jam). I enjoyed your comment and would love to read your script some day. The best part about being in the cast was getting to hang out in the Oriental every weekend. It’s such an amazing theater.
I worked at the Oriental from 1978-1990, first as a relief projectionist, then as the main projectionist, and finally as the manager/projectionist. I showed ROCKY HORROR so many times I am amazed I am still functional. And I was present during the transformation to 3 screens.
I have fond memories from those years. Many a night after work I went out with two others on staff, Chris and Jerry, to one of the bars—Von Trier, Landmark Lanes, or Vituccis, mostly. We became the Farwell-North Society, and the members each possessed a Portuguese coin that I had brought back from a trip to Portugal with Tony Bronson (Charles’s son) on a film shoot. The member had to produce his coin on demand or he would have to buy the next round. I was there the night Century Hall burned to the ground and we all just watched in disbelief. I had performed there years earlier as a cast member of Krystal Set a live radio-comedy improv group.
I’m also a writer (thelastreveal.blogspot.com), with several books out and screenplays looking for production. My favorite memory of the Oriental is the long hot summer (1984) when I wrote THE JUPE, kind of THE SHINING in a movie palace. Many a night I scared myself so bad I had trouble leaving through that dark balcony and upper foyer as the last one at the end of the night. After a table reading of THE JUPE, one of the audience members, a theater owner, told me he thought he’d have a hard time closing his theater late at night after that. The Jupiter Theater in the story is the Oriental down to the last detail, including the sub-basements, false ceiling and attic, and ghosts.
Lee Matthias
As of the summer of 2012, the Oriental is showing most of their films via digital projector. I think The Master was one of the first they ran that way. And to answer a question from two year ago, they do a very good keeping up the Oriental. They even let you sneak up into the balcony to look around.
Landmark Theatres has a facebook page for the Oriental theatre at
http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/Milwaukee/Milwaukee_Frameset.htm
They have a photo gallery with some nice interior photos.
I was just reading this (better late than never) and was amused and confused by the posting way above talking about Dolby Stereo, in particular Dolby SR. SR was and is a special noise reduction system which is used only when the SVA tracks are in use, those would be the “2 wiggles” alongside the picture area. Most theaters these days only use the digital track, but most systems will automatically default to the Dolby SR tracks if the digital fails. Dolby optical stereo always had a surround track, unless the director chose not to use one. Dolby EX was a split “stereo surround system” for 35mm, frankly it never really worked all that well and most theaters don’t use it anymore, 70mm Dolby always had stereo surrounds and this was supposed to be a way for a 35mm house to have the same effect. It worked well for 70mm because of the discrete magnetic tracks, but for 35mm it was like trying to put 10 gallons in a 5 gallon hat, too much stuff! Some of you may remember “Quintaphonic Sound” for Tommy, this was a magnetic system but it was pretty much the same idea, it didn’t work very well either, it split the surround track for 2 surround feeds but the surround track on magnetic 35mm was very narrow and prone to noise and other issues. When Dolby Stereo came out it was really a 2 channel system with left and right with a mix to fill the center channel, and they used a SQ matrix to come up with a surround track, if a theater runs a Dolby stereo print in standard analog (no digital or SR) that’s pretty much what you still wind up with. The new digital projection and sound (no film) systems now can reproduce multiple surround sound tracks in addition to the normal left, center, right and subwoofer. Early Dolby Stereo was pretty primitive, compared to discrete magnetic sound (there were some attempts at Dolby 35mm magnetic but only 70mm wound up with them)but Dolby has made quantum leaps in technology to give us the superb sound we sometimes take for granted today.
Not sure about Landmark at the Oriental but they do a fantastic job at the Tivoli Theatre in St. Louis.
Does Landmark do a good job with upkeep at the Oriental? Landmark owns the Uptown in Minneapolis and it’s awful: rickety seats, torn carpeting, etc. I’d like to hear from someone who has recently visited.
Click the photo to enlarge.
Recent night photo of the Oriental Theatre.
View link
Another ad from July 29 at
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Opened July 2nd, 1927
ad is at View link
February 3, 2010:
Oriental Theatre is target in foreclosure suit.
Several properties owned by New Land Enterprises, including the Oriental Theatre and Landmark Lanes, are the targets of a new foreclosure lawsuit. Local developer Boris Gohkman told WISN-Channel 12 that three properties in Milwaukee County are being targeted in the suit. Gohkman said Madison-based Anchorbank filed a foreclosure suit against him and other partners. Anchorbank is seeking nearly $15 million owed on the loans, late fees and interest. The Oriental Theatre, which is more than 75 years old, is still operating on Milwaukee’s east side. Gokhman said the Hebhegger Building on Milwaukee’s east side and a property in Whitefish Bay also are targets in the suit. Gokhman said New Land’s partners are confident they will come to a “mutually satisfactory conclusion” and continue with future development. (From BizTimes)
I said November, 2006; I meant November 2009.
I have posted a photo taken in November, 2006, a straight-on shot of the full facade.
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/31182161
wondering if there are any pictures from 1986-looking for something when Blue Velvet was playing there or when REM had a concert there-I am also still looking for older pictures-from the 1930’s- of the area which seem to be hard to come by-
thanks
Here is a July 2009 photo.
thanks—I have looked at most of the links here and most photos are close up exteriors of the theatre or marquee only-I am trying to find full size photos showing the whole building and buildings on adjacent blocks of the street along North Avenue
Have you looked at the photos already posted on this page? I posted three photos from 1983 that might interest you. Click on any word that is blue, such as “This”, “Here”, “Photo1”, etc. The blue words are links.
hello all-I am trying to find exterior pics of the Oriental and surrounding businesses-either recent or historical-or both——exterior pics showing the Oriental and businesses 1 block East and 1 block West along North Avenue——I have tried the Historical Society, UW-Milwaukee, and public library, and have found surprisingly few pictures——I will try the Oriental and Landmark directly but would appreciate any suggestions-thanks!
The previous link bit the dust so here is another May 2009 photo.
This is a May 2009 photo.
Here are some 1983 photos:
Photo1
Photo2
Photo3
Found several A+ video recordings of Simon Gledhill playing the exceptional Kimball organ at the Oriental. Here’s a link to one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIqTRBJHFdI
He’s good!
A 2009 photo of the Oriental can be seen here.