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Theaters
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June 19, 2015
1st Nickelodeon Opened on This Day in 1905!
On this day in 1905 the first ‘Nickelodeon’ opened! It was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and developed by the showman Harry Davis. The storefront theater had 96 seats and charged each five cents admission for each show. Nickelodeons were named using a combination of the admission cost and odeon, the Greek word for “theater”. Nickleodeons soon spread across the country, with programs that included live vaudeville acts as well as short films. Here’s a great story about the first Nickelodeon from PA Book Library –
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June 17, 2015
The Theatre on Your Street: Historic Colonial Theatre in Laconia, New Hampshire to be Sold
“Thanks to an historic announcement Monday, 2015 will likely be remembered in the City on the Lakes as the year the Colonial Theatre was reborn at the age of 101.
During a hastily arranged, well-attended ceremony at Wayfarer Coffee Roasters, Randy Eifert, chair of the Belknap Economic Development Council’s Board of Directors, joined by Laconia Mayor Ed Engler, said that the BEDC, through a wholly-owned limited-liability corporation, had signed a purchase and sales agreement with the Patricia Baldi Revocable Trust to acquire the Colonial Theatre for $1.4 million.
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June 15, 2015
Detroit’s Alger Theater Screened a Film for the First Time in 30 Years
Are you in Detroit this weekend? For the first time in 30 years, Detroit’s Alger Theater is planning to screen a film in the historic Art Deco movie house that opened in 1935 at the corner of East Warren and East Outer Drive.
As part of its new Brew & View fundraiser series, the Friends of the Alger Theater will show Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy Young Frankenstein Sunday afternoon at 5:30 p.m. The choice of Young Frankenstein, Broughton says, “is a bit of a spoof on our history,” a nod to the Alger’s last days in the mid-1980s when it was known as a “blood-and-gore” joint. Its last hurrah was a double feature of Friday the 13th flicks (parts IV and V) in 1985. This screening was the first of four planned at the Alger this summer, scheduled to take place on the second Sunday of the month from June through September.
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June 11, 2015
103 Year Old Mural Restored at Birmingham, Alabama’s Lyric Theatre
It’s not often you get a chance to see huge 38 foot long, 9 foot high work of art up close, especially after it was restored to its original splendor. I got that chance recently at the historic Lyric Theatre, as I was able to walk right up to “Allegory of the Muses”.
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June 9, 2015
The First Drive-in Theater Opened 82 Years Ago This Week!
The first drive-in theater in America opened 82 years ago this week: “About 600 people came to the theater on opening night, June 6, 1933,” Hoffman told the newspaper. “People were from 20 or 30 different states. It really captured the attention of a lot of people.”
On 6 June 1933 eager motorists park their automobiles on the grounds of Park-In Theaters, the first-ever drive-in movie theater, located on Crescent Boulevard in Camden, New Jersey.
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June 8, 2015
Mighty Wurlitzer Restored and Back in use in Melbourne
‘One of the most renowned instruments ever brought to Australia is still being heard thanks to the efforts of a group of enthusiasts in Melbourne who rescued and restored it from rot.’ – Andrew Bell, ABC News
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June 3, 2015
Backstage at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre
Have you ever wondered what it is like ‘Backstage’ at a theatre like Atlanta’s Fox? Are you working on an historic theatre restoration and need some insight into the backstage portion of the project? Thanks to Bob Foreman and Gary Motter you can get a unique look at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre’s Hub Switchboard, Audio and Electro-Mechanicals, and Talking Picture Projection.
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June 2, 2015
News From Loews Jersey City
Here’s a great perspective on the latest news from the Loews Jersey City thanks to Stephen Whitty: “Well, it looks like we’re going to have movies at the Loew’s Jersey City a little while longer. The city, which has been trying to evict the non-profit group that has been restoring, programming and managing the theater, lost that lawsuit today. The judge, it seemed — imagine this — ruled that a contract was a contract and the Friends of the Loew’s could stay…
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May 28, 2015
Owners' Hopes For Two Chicago Historic Theatres - Chicago Tribune
“Theaters like the Central Park and the New Regal were the largest secular gathering places in their communities and a source of pride for the people who lived there,” said Rick Fosbrink, executive director of the Theatre Historical Society of America. “These places defined their neighborhoods.”
At one time, the Central Park Theatre and the New Regal Theater weren’t just movie palaces – they were the entertainment and cultural centers of their respective communities on the West and South sides of Chicago.
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May 26, 2015
The Grand Theatre in Steubenville Ohio
The Mighty Wurlitzer at the Grand Theatre in Steubenville is back in its home. Restoration is underway, thanks in part to Facebook!
“The organ was a part of the theater in the 1920s and ‘30s. Construction workers currently working to restore the theater thought the organ was long gone, until a Facebook post seen by someone in Illinois changed everything. "Around Christmas, I had made a post on Facebook, which was seen by someone else who was working on a theater in Rockford, Illinois, who knew friends that had the organ,” Scott Dressel,president of the Grand Theatre restoration project said. “I made the post saying we were looking for the organ.”
Watch this great video about the recovery of the organ and efforts to restore this theatre. http://www.wtov9.com/…/wtov_coming-home-wurlitzer-organ-ret…