Old Orchard Theater
9400 Skokie Boulevard,
Skokie,
IL
60077
9400 Skokie Boulevard,
Skokie,
IL
60077
9 people
favorited this theater
The Old Orchard Theater, located on Skokie Boulevard at Emerson Street, was opened in 1960 by M & R Theaters. In the 1970’s the theater was used for 70mm projection. In the late-1980’s Loews acquired it (later Loews/Cineplex) and it was later operated by Meridan Theaters. The last booking at the Old Orchard Theater was “Unbreakable” and “Bounce”.
It was closed in late-2000 and demolished in March 2003. The Siena at Old Orchard condominium and retail development is now located on the site of the Old Orchard Theater.
Contributed by
James Piscitelli, Bryan Krefft
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 32 comments)
You’ve got it Catherine. That was the Old Orchard Theatre. Interesting thing is that the foreground of this image hasn’t changed all that much.
Oops, CDiM, I think you mean the upper left corner of the photo.
When M&R sold out (and yes I mean “sold out”) to Loews, I believe that Loews was operating under the name “Sony Theaters”. Alternately, I heard that they also operated under “Sony/Loews”.
I also heard elsewhere on this site (I believe) that M&R still exists as a corporation.
This theatre is mentioned in “Tiny Toons Adventures: How I Spent My Summer Vacation” as being the film’s only theatrical screening. Was it really screened or was it a well-researched gag?
I saw “North Dallas Forty” at Old Orchard. We had also gone there to see “Animal House” when it opened, but all the later shows were sold out.
I think we drove to Golf Mill after that and got in.
Also saw “More American Graffiti” here in 1979.
The bowling alley was called Fair Lanes in 1978. I was on our league that Winter for Holiday Texaco in Evanston.
That
78-79 Winter was brutal at both.Vogue Tyre had a showroom & garage on the S/W corner of Golf & Skokie Blvd.
Reactivate Notification Status.
Boxoffice devoted three pages to an article about the Old Orchard Theatre in the issue of January 9, 1967. The original single-screen theater seated 1,700. It was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Sidney H. Morris & Associates.
Morris’s firm would later design at least two other projects for M&R Amusements: the Evergreen Theatre in Evergreen Park, and the M&R Twin Drive-In (later called the Wheeling Twin Drive-In) at Wheeling, Illinois.
Thanks Joe.
Here is a fresh link to the Boxoffice article about the Old Orchard Theatre. The text begins on the following page, and a third page of text and photos follows two subsequent pages of advertising. An additional photo appears on the cover of that same issue.
This opened on September 2nd, 1960. I uploaded an photo and grand opening ad here.
In the pic posted here a few years ago by Catherine, I believe the Shell station is the only building still standing. View link