Marbro Theatre
4110 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60624
4110 W. Madison Street,
Chicago,
IL
60624
22 people
favorited this theater
Showing 26 - 50 of 274 comments
Wow this picture brought back memories.I remember going here at least 3 or 4times.I went everywhere when I was a kid (late 50,s early 60’s) On that smaller Bldg On the corner their was this guy named RALPH that lived there.Now he runs the OFF THE STREET CLUB on Karlov and Washington. Me and my brothers went there OTSC all the time, including the camp in Wheaton in the summer.Wow I remember I was gonna get a job selling newspapers on THAT corner . There was a newsstand at that corner. Man what memories ,Even going across the street SE corner to buy an icecream for 10Cents .The five and dime. My mom took us to the A&P on Keeler every weekend.I think Ralph is still operating the OFF THE STREET CLUB but to say hello to him I got no guts for that neiborhood. WOW what memories THANKS Ted
Links to West Side Girl essays:
Saturday at the Movies http://thewriteplaceatthewritetime.org/ourstoriesnonfiction.html
If I Were 21 I’d Vote for Kennedy http://fairclothreview.com/if-i-were-21-id-vote-for-kennedy-by-anita-oswald/
Aidan’s Road Trip http://fatcityreview.com/beta/aidans-road-trip-anita-solick-oswald/
Some Assembly Required http://fatcityreview.com/some-assembly-required-anita-solick-oswald/
Bethlehem on Madison Street http://fairclothreview.com/bethlehem-on-madison-street-by-anita-solick-oswald/
NEW Hot Diggity Dog (Winner, Best Non Fiction – The Write Place at the Write Time) and Interview http://www.thewriteplaceatthewritetime.org/firstannualcontest.html
NEW Leaves http://www.thewriteplaceatthewritetime.org/fiction.html
Exciting news everyone. My essay, “Saturday at the Movies” is a finalist for the Write Place at the Write Time’s 2012 Best Non Fiction. Keep your fingers crossed!
I’ve also got a new story coming out on December 18 entitled, “Bethlehem on Madison Street.” I will share the link when it is published. Thanks for all your support!
Exciting news everyone. My essay, “Saturday at the Movies” is a finalist for the Write Place at the Write Time’s 2012 Best Non Fiction. Keep your fingers crossed!
I’ve also got a new story coming out on December 18 entitled, “Bethlehem on Madison Street.” I will share the link when it is published. Thanks for all your support!
Exciting news everyone. My essay, “Saturday at the Movies” is a finalist for the Write Place at the Write Time’s 2012 Best Non Fiction. Keep your fingers crossed!
I’ve also got a new story coming out on December 18 entitled, “Bethlehem on Madison Street.” I will share the link when it is published. Thanks for all your support!
Enjoyed your essay so much Anita… We could be relatives! I was there when Jack & Bobby were downtown and what a day that was. The sun hitting JFK’s head and I remember how handsome he was. When I started to go downtown the streetcars were still running. I loved when they pulled up to the Marbro for I could lean over and read the marquee. I always sat on the left side to do this. Such excitement for a west side kid. You are a very very good writer Anita.
New essay – Not about the theaters but you will all recognize some of the references. And I think it’s timely, too. For those of you who are feeling cynical about the political process, I hope this makes you smile.
http://fairclothreview.com/if-i-were-21-id-vote-for-kennedy-by-anita-oswald/
Thank you, Bobby. This is one of my favorites – I’ve got about 20 essays about growing up on the West Side. I’ve got a few more to finish and then I’ll have to start volume two.
BRAVO !! amoswald…A wonderful story. I enjoyed it very much and related to almost everything you wrote about, even the green river drinks. Almost every child in that glorious neighborhood did the same thing on saturdays. The Marbro movie was the highlight. My parents did the same routine going twice or more a week. Loved the story how your sister was born. It was a hoot !!! Thanks for sharing your memories with us all.
I went here many times in my youth. The times I remember most were when all the Wm Castle films played here and they had a ambulance parked outside in case someone “died from fright” watching “13 Ghosts” or “House on Haunted Hill” and the other gimmick of having something under your seat that would vibrate or graze your skin ( don’t remember which) during “The Tingler”. I think I saw the Three Stooges there in person ( Moe, Larry & Curly Joe). Also remember the upper floor and the Women’s lounge as this huge room where the women were appropiately “lounging” on lavish decorative couches and talking to each other. ( why weren’t they interested in the movie?) And that beautiful enormous chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Does anyone remember years later ( in the late 70’s) going to the Hinsdale Theater ( where they had that marvelous pipe organ) and in the lobby, which was rather small, they had an incredible intricate model of the Marbro under glass. It brought back so many memories. I wonder what ever happened to it??
Here is the link for my essay: http://www.thewriteplaceatthewritetime.org/ourstoriesnonfiction.html I hope you enjoy it.
Correction the link is simply “ARCHIVE.ORG”
Thanks so much. This really helps.
Amoswald and all
In June you asked for a map to the Madison /Crawford business area,mentioning a lost link
Was that link by any chance to Scott Newmans Jazz Age Chicago?
If it is ,then luckily that site is archived. (If not it does have maps to that area for 1928 and 1950)
Go to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine page at: http//WWW.ARCHIVE.ORG
In the the box next to to “WAYBACK MACHINE” enter http://chicago.urban-history.org/ , then click the ‘Take Me Back’ button.
click on one of the circled dates to see if theres a snapshot and click
Some images weren’t embedded and may be missing,but I did find the maps.
The maps are under “the bright lights districts ” “Madison Crawford”
I suggest saving the map to your own pc (there is a status bar that pops up at the bottom of the image,the furthest
left icon is a save as button. The mape will be saved as an adobe PDF file.
I will send the link as soon as the Autumn issue is available. Thanks to all of you for the references and photos.
Tinseltoes, you did it again !! Many thanks for the wonderful link. B&K removed those glass doors prior to demolition and re-installed them in the Portage Theater on the northwest side of Chicago where they hang today in the open mode in the outer lobby. Also bits & pieces of the flashing marquee were salvaged and used for the Portage marquee modernization. Looking so forward to your piece amoswald..
They sure tried, didn’t they? I love the close ups of the entry in the trade article. BTW, my nostalgic piece, “Saturday at the Movies” will appear in the autumn issue of The Write Place at the Write Time, a literary journal. I will send the link when the issue comes out. The story will take you back.
I remember all white, too, Bobby. It was a fabulous view from my window.
What a beauty!!! Would love to see a color photo at night. I too loved living in the area. So exciting. I read that the Marbro had colored bulbs on the top of the marquee (ala Chicago Theatre) when it was first installed, but were changed to all white in the 1950’s due to expenses. Yet this photo in 1943 looks like they were all white. I remember them white and flashing in 1955. How about you amoswald? Thanks Tinseltoes for posting.
Beautiful. This was the view to the right of our apartment on Madison Street. I loved living on Madison!
I am trying to find old maps of the Madison Crawford business district. Used to have a link but it is not working. If you know of any, please advise.
amoswald ~ have a question for you about the area but not the Theater. I don’t want to break posting rules. I would appreciate it if you would contact me at . Thanks! Michelle
This opened on May 28th, 1927. It’s grand opening ad is in the photo section for this theatre.
I did not know about the lawsuit but I do remember seeing a lot of second run and revival films at the Byrd when I was a kid.
Thanks, I will try it. I am sorry I never ate in your wonderful restaurant. I loved the picture. If my mother knew about it, I am sure we would have. She loved good food. Did you know the owners of the Byrd Theater sued Balaban & Katz Co. owners of the Marbro & State theaters on Madison St. for preventing the Byrd booking first-run quality films in 1955. I don’t know how it ended. But we always went to the Byrd for horror films and films that we missed at the Marbro or State.