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The latest movie theater news and updates
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May 30, 2015
Restoration of Orange County CA’s Fox Fullerton Theatre
Fox Theatre Fullerton celebrated its 90th birthday! The theatre will opened to the public for a special two-day 1920s themed event, Speakeasy Days, on May 22 and 23.
The special event included the unveiling and lighting of the restored Fox Theatre rooftop sign on Friday, May 22.
Speakeasy Days showcased the 14-month effort by EverGreene Architectural Arts to restore the theatre’s beautiful coffered ceiling. The restoration process was uniquely demanding, with skilled professionals bringing artistic talent along with detailed scientific knowledge of finishes.
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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…
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May 22, 2015
Programmes & Performances - Memories of Pittsburgh’s Nixon Theatre
“April 1950 holds special memories for me. I watched the legendary Mae West perform at the Nixon Theatre Downtown in “Diamond Lil.” More significantly, it marked the end of that grand and beautiful theater at the corner of Sixth Avenue and William Penn Place.
When the curtain came down on the final performance of “Diamond Lil” on April 30, one of the city’s finest playhouses closed its doors for good. The site had been sold to the Aluminum Company of America to make way for construction of Alcoa’s corporate headquarters.
Then a college student, I ushered at the Nixon on evenings and weekends. It was my first extended exposure to live stage shows and marked the beginning of a love of the theater that remains strong to this day.
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May 21, 2015
THS Treasures - Press Photos From the Archives
Press photos show more than the celebrities of the day. They can also serve as gateways to moments in history that shape our experiences to this day. This photo is labeled “Sennett’s Bathing Girls.” Mack Sennett, an early film entrepreneur whose Keystone Studios launched the careers of movies stars like Harold Lloyd, Gloria Swanson, and his namesake Keystone Cops.
The Bathing Girls were a marketing ploy Sennett created following the logic of the now classic advertising maxim “Sex Sells.” Anne Helen Petersen wrote an article called “Hollywood’s Bathing Beauties” for Lapham’s Quarterly, that traces the genesis of these knee-baring babes.
The way to get Keystone pictures extra notice, Sennet thought, was a healthy dose of knee nudity. The producer put his underlinings to work scouting the area for pretty girls, with particular attention to the look of the bare leg. But these girls, in the rough, were not publicity material. Instead, Sennett posed them next to his star comedians and sent the photos off to the press, knowing that the spectacle of the pretty girls and their pretty knees would give his stars the extra coverage they needed. And just in case the newspapers wanted to get sneaky, he had his photographer shot the images in such a way that sneaky editors could not just cut out the comedian and print the pretty girl.
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May 20, 2015
The Theatre on Your Street: Are You Working to Restore an Historic Theatre
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May 19, 2015
On The Screen: Graumans Chinese Theater Opened 88 Years Ago Today
Grauman’s Chinese Theatre opened to the public 88 years ago. On 18 May 1927 the theatre hosted the world premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s ‘King of Kings’ and opened for the public on 19 May. Here’s some photos of the theatre and a link to a great article about ‘Mr. Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.’
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May 18, 2015
Theatre Gems
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May 16, 2015
May is Preservation Month!
May is Preservation Month – The National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP) encourages organizations like Cinema Treasures, Theatre Historical Society of America, Main Streets, and preservation enthusiasts like you to showcase how we celebrate historic places and the theatres we love.
What can you do to celebrate Preservation Month? Get your camera and head to the nearest historic theatre!
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May 14, 2015
Did you know the THS Archives can help you research your theatre?
You can find information for architectural restoration, to help gain landmark status, or document performances and the history of a theatre in your community.
The American Theatre Architecture Archive (ATAA) are currently home to over 100,000 items documenting over 18,000 theatres in America.The largest holding of its kind, the resources available in our collections document the architectural heritage of theatres in America from the 1880s to present day.
Browse our ‘Finding Aides’ to learn about the collections in the archive and how they can help you. For example, you can learn about the Paul S. Moore Collection, the Michael Miller Collection, and the Chicago Architectural Photographing Company Collection.