Pearl Theater
2047 Ridge Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19121
2047 Ridge Avenue,
Philadelphia,
PA
19121
1 person
favorited this theater
The Pearl Theater, designed by J.K. Long, opened in 1927 and closed in 1963.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 27 comments)
It just so happens that Deja Vu was the first movie shown at the all new Pearl, while we know from the info Mr. Haas has provided us with that this movie was released in digital cinema format. That doesn’t prove that the new Pearl has digital projection, of course, but it does present the possibility. Meantime, I’m awaiting to hear back confirmation that the Pearl has digital projection, and when I get confirmation — either way — I’ll post it here.
That movie is one of 8 movies now at the Pearl. It is also being shown in many other Philadelphia area theaters. Like the Pearl, most aren’t showing it in digital projection. Newspapers aren’t always accurate.
Reality check:
rg, when you say the all new Pearl is a “very plan looking theatre,” do you mean “plain” rather than “plan,” that is, that it’s a very “plain” looking theater, or that it’s a very well “planned” out looking theater? For in the one or two photos I’ve seen of it so far it looks to me like it’s very well planned out and hardly plain. So if you could just please clarify I’d very much appreciate it. Thanks!
ANNOUNCEMENT:
Sorry about the long delay, everyone, but I just received confirtmation today, Dec. 19, 2006 — a bit to my disappointment and I’m sure to Mr. Haas’s and everyone else’s as well — that the all new Pearl Theatre, named in honor of the former, does not have digital projection. Apparently the Philadelphia Inquirer was given not quite correct information in the excitement of the theater’s newness, digital projection having been confused with digital sound, which the all new Pearl Theatre does have. So in terms of a Philadelphia first, having digital projection still remains open.
Here is an expanded view of one of the PAB thumbnails posted by Lost Memory on 11/30/04. The photo is from the Irvin Glazer collection:
http://tinyurl.com/23s5od
This is a circa 1942 photo of the Pearl Theater.
From the aeriel google photos it looks like the Pearl theatre (the original one) has been razed – just an empty lot now.
Here is an August 1976 photo from Temple U:
http://tinyurl.com/ykfqf6u
Auditorium featured in this 1951 trade journal: boxoffice
The Pearl is listed in the 1942 Film Daily Year Book as one of eleven “Negro Theaters” in the Philadelphia area at that time. The others were the Dixie, Nixon Grand, Royal, Joy, Douglas, Strand, New Garden, Standard, Rex, and Globe. I’ve posted a 1942 view of the Pearl in the Photos Section.