Mercury Theater

What a trip down memory lane! Fond memories… I worked for/at THIS Theatre from 1981 to 1984, if I recall the dates right. I’ll have to go check my annual SS income statements, I’ll know as this was my FIRST ‘real’ job, started as an usher one summer in high school, stayed on into some College, and went on to be one of the managers of this location. I remember so much about this battle-ship! I started working there when it was still a single-screen, 1200 seat theatre. A bit of trivia,,, it was actually 1198 seats. Not sure if 2 were actually broken and removed or the layout required the 2 les seats to satisfy minimum fire code rules for exit aisle width – we used to debate that one all the time… but the official count was 1198. I was there thru the ‘split’ conversion too. It was for some time the “Plitt – Mercury Theatre” before Cineoplex Odeon took over.

The cat walk in the ceilings, the spooky, vacant apartment upstairs that had become the ‘storage room’ for the cups and supplies. I HATED coming to work on a day or shift when that darn soda truck pulled up and we had to unload and haul down, sometimes 50-60 of these stainless steel cylinders of the soda syrup. Back and hand breaking work, it was such a haul for the lobby down 3 zigzag flights of stairs to the basement. Really cool cement shelter tho-. Met a lot of great friends while working there. Lived through some interesting times there too, one a small explosion & resulting fire from the old, massive furnace; hated getting up on a rickety old ladder to change the old hook-on, red marquee letters when the stick/pole didn’t work – finally got one of those scissor-life things to help with that task; the basement was extended under the store front on both the east & west, as those business were actually ‘tenants’ to the Mercury building, one a hair/nail shop, the other the jewelry store. Once someone broke into the theatre to try to go thru the adjoining wall into the jewelry store to avoid tripping the alarm next door- they never made it. Despite one comment on this site, we actually DID pop our own corn. We would, however, be ‘required’ to save the previous night’s popped corn in those huge plastic bags, then we’d pop fresh and inter-mix, cost-cutting even back then!

I remember my ‘second’ movie I ever worked there for, Sophie’s Choice, but cannot recall my first?!

I was sad years later for the demo… I remember seeing them just bang the old place down, dumping crap right into the old seat pits, I wish I could have grabbed some seats, but it was too busy a day. I did get a few bricks for myself and some old friends I used to work with there…

I could go & on… but I’m probably boring ya.

Nice 1982 photos.

There’s an excellent pic of the Mercury, circa 1974, on a Facebook group called Elmwood Park-Memories-of Places Gone Bye.

View link

I am so glad I found this site. I am proud to say that I worked the final year of the Mercury in 1988 as an usher. That theatre was built so well. Like a fortress. It took a long time to demolish. Somewhere I have demolition pictures. I will share them with you when I find them. I also have 3 seats. They were just throwing them out in a huge dumpster. So sad. My first place of employment. I miss it very much.

Another update to Cineplex Odeon proposal:

Renvoation of the Esquire – closed, soon to be demolished

Thank you for the link to a fine photo of the theatre. I believe there was a palm tree decor inside the lobby.

This is to the 50’s Moviegoer: You are right about Mr. Beck owning the Merc. B & K bought it in 1957 and Mr. Calamarie managed it. My dad was the janitor there and we lived in the apartment upstairs from 1957-1962. My dad worked there until about ‘67. I’ve seen just about all the movies that played there in those years, including the kids Saturday morning shows. I even got to learn how to operate the old carbon-fired projectors. On good movies, it was standing room only and the inner lobby had a glass wall and the ushers would raise the curtains so the people could watch. Back then adults were $.50 and kids were $.25. Plain popcorn was $.15 and buttered was $.25. I’m Greg Lucht.

Was Chestnut Station demolished?

If I can get my theatre corp off the ground by 2007-2008, I’d like to turn McClurg Court and Oakbrook Center into art houses. And in the future, I’d like to buy Village Theatres.

Update to Cineplex Odeon proposal:

1. Burnham Plaza – closed
2. Rivertree Court – operated by Kerasotes Theaters
3. Orland Square – closed
4. Lincolnwood (now Lincoln Village 1-6) – operated by Village
   Theaters
5. Ridge Cinemas – closed
6. Grove Cinemas – demolished
7. Oakbrook Center Cinemas – 1-4 closed; 5-7 demolished
8. One Schaumburg Place – Became Streets Of Woodfield – operated by AMC Theaters
9. Old Orchard (now Gardens Cinemas at Old Orchard) – operated by AMC Theaters
10. Renovation Of The McClurg Court – closed
11. Renovation Of The Chestnut Station – closed
12. Renovation Of The Golf Glen – operated by Village Theaters
13. Renovation Of The Esquire – operated by AMC Theaters
14. Renovation Of The Town & Country – demolished
15. Replacement Of The Mercury – never done
16. Bricktown Square – closed

I seem to remember that the bricktown theatre was to replace the shuttered Montclare.What a shame to lose that one and the Mercury.I still have memories of seeing pee wee herman’s big adventure in the fall going back to school time in the early 1980’s.Both those theatres were awesome.

I can say that for #15 Mercury, the owners must have gotten a sweet offer for the land to build the strip mall. Residents behind the current strip mall protested, but the $$ spoke louder.

As for Bricktown, the gangbangers killed it.

Great picture, Brian!! Brings back lots of memories of the “old days”.

I remember going to the movies for the first time at the Mercury in the early 80s; I think it was a Smurfs movie. There’s a Blockbuster Video store on the site where the theater used to be—a poor replacement for a big-screen movie house, if you ask me. The nearest theater now is down North Avenue in Melrose Park.