Michigan Theatre
1614 S. Saginaw Street,
Flint,
MI
48503
1614 S. Saginaw Street,
Flint,
MI
48503
1 person
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Additional Info
Architects: George J. Bachmann
Styles: Moorish
Previous Names: Fox Theatre
Nearby Theaters
The Michigan Theatre was located on Saginaw Street, south of the downtown area. It was opened by 1930. It was equipped with a Page 4 manual 15 ranks organ. On October 2, 1950 it was renamed Fox Theatre and played movies and concerts, but that only lasted 3 months when it returned to its Michigan Theatre name. It was last operated as an adult movie theatre and closed on August 22, 1965 with “Kitty Galore” & “Smorgasbord”. It then became a church for the Good Shepherd Cathedral, but that was soon aborted.
When I got transferred to Flint in August of 1975, the Michigan Theatre and its adjoining store-fronts appeared to have been closed and boarded up for quite some time. It still had the marquee and a large blade sign spelling out ‘MICHIGAN’ with white letters on a faded blue background, and looked to be a Balaban & Katz style of sign, although this was never one of their theatres. It was a very substantial building, built of a light brown brick. I never got a chance to find out anything about it because it was demolished around October 1975.
Contributed by
dave-bronx
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
I worked part time at the Michigan for a year during 1953/1954. I worked as an usher/ticket taker/concession stand popcorn seller. I think I was paid .95 per hour for mostly saturday and sunday with a few weeknights.
I remember the saturday afternoon kiddy shows where several hundred kids spent more time throwing popcorn at each other and the screen than watching the movie.
I believe the theater was used for stage shows in the 1930s and 1940s because there was a tunnel that ran from the lobby basement to the back stage area so actors could get to that area during a show.
We had to wear uniforms when we working as ushers with short jackets, white shirts and black bow ties. And of course the flashlight to shine the couples setting in the back row to break up the necking.
Ken Black
Ken Black, are you related to Art Black, who was a manager for Butterfield for many years?
In 1929, the Michigan Theatre in Flint acquired the 4-manual 15-rank Page Theatre Organ that had been installed in the studios of WHT Radio in the Wrigley Building in Chicago, IL. The organ was removed from the theatre in 1950 and installed in a private residence. The WHT/Michigan Theatre Page is now installed in the arts auditorium of Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, GA.
My Aunt, Charlotte Harden used to perform at the theater with the Michigan Jamboree in the 50’s. I’m not sure if it was on the weekends or what, I’ve been unable to locate any additional information about the Jamboree as of yet. Anyone that may remember her or know how I can locate a program guide of the jamboree please let me know.
The October 25, 1930, issue of Exhibitors Herald-World listed the Michigan Theatre in Flint as having been designed by architect George J. Bachmann.
The theater should be also known as the Fox Theatre for its “Little Detroit Fox” movie and live concert programming era that began on October 2, 1960 after a $30,000 refresh. The era ended some three months later under new operators returning to the Michigan moniker. There went $30,000.
The theater is purchased by Nathan Scwartz who stages wrestling events, concerts and mostly burlesque shows through the theater’s end as the Michigan Theatre Auditorium. The final films screened at the Michigan Theatre were the adult films, “Kitty Galore” and “Smorgasbord” on August 22, 1965 - just after the 35th Anniversary of the joint.
Schwartz wanted to continue there but was evicted by the operators of a neighboring food store who bought the theatre and unceremoniously evicted Schwartz who took his films to the Royal. Demolition plans scheduled for late 1965… were scrapped. The venue became home to the short-lived Good Shepherd Cathedral before boarding up and remaining vacant until its demolition in 1975.