Palwaukee Theater
650 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Prospect Heights,
IL
650 N. Milwaukee Avenue,
Prospect Heights,
IL
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This small single screen theater opened around the early 80s in a building formerly used for retail and was located on Milwaukee Avenue, not far from the Palwaukee Airport. It remained in business into the early 90s. After closing, the building was converted back to retail use, and today is a grocery store.
Contributed by
Bryan
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
It was operating at least from the mid-70s; it was kind of a grind house (saw both “Mother, Jugs and Speed” and “Guyana, Cult of the Damned” there). They had revivals of “American Graffiti” for a couple summers, as well as “Girls on the Beach” (retitled “Summer of ‘64”). Most clearly I remember seeing “Car Wash” on a frigid night in February 1977 and hearing about the fatal L train crash on the way home.
Yeah, it was defintely there in the 70s. I saw Star Wars at some point (most defintely a re-release), the PG version of Saturday Night Fever, Grease, and countless kids films (they ran matinees). Some may also remember exiting on to Milwaukee Ave from Palatine Expressway late at night & seeing a cavalcade of costumed patrons lined up to see the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” They used to have midnight screenings in the late 70s & early 80s.
At the time it was a tiny little theater that you could easily miss as you drove by on Milwaukee Avenue. They had late shows and usually ran reissues or second run.
I do remember seeing the controversial “Caligula” at this theater and being surprised by the outrageous ticket price of $7.50. No other theater in the suburbs would have touched that movie with a ten foot pole.
I believe that ads in the Tribune and Sun-Times circa 1985-1986 billed this as being “The Suburbs' Only Art Cinema” or something like that.
Here is a June 1982 ad from the Daily Herald:
http://tinyurl.com/qrzqdz
I remeber seeing something here. I think it was either Rambo or the Right Stuff, neither of which strike me as beeing art house offerings. Every time I drive by on Palatine Highway I look down at the building where the theatre was and try to remember exactly what movie I saw all those years back.
I think it’s a bar & grill now.