The Rex Theater opened on May 27, 1911. According to the July 22 issue of Moving Picture News it was “built for, and not adapted to the business”, becoming the first purpose-built theatre in downtown Berkeley. In addition to being listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, it can be found in the 1912 thru 1915 editions of the Berkeley City Directory.
A regular advertiser in the Berkeley Gazette, ads for the Rex ceased after November 27, 1915. The Gazette at the time carried a list of local amusements on its editorial page, where the Rex continued to be listed for several weeks, disappearing after the January 3, 1916 issue.
Long demolished, a previous comment mentions a Bank Of America and parking lot occupying the site (The Rex address was actually the eastern end of the parking lot), they have since been replaced by a hotel that is currently under construction.
Seth Gaines, if you have all the sheets to the 1916 Sanborn map and there are no other buildings marked as showing motion pictures, then this might be the Star Theater, which opened to a packed house on November 6, 1915. This was mentioned in the November 27 issue of Moving Picture World (top of right column). The Star was previously known as the Palace, the new operator had remodeled the front and elevated the floor in addition to changing the name.
The Swastika Theatre dates to 1910, when it was opened by two Frenchmen, Messrs. Cailleux and Cavet. There is a brief mention of them in the August 15 issue of The Nickelodeon, saying they had opened another theatre in nearby Mill Valley. By the spring of 1913, Cailleux was the sole operator and when he had to return to France due to the ill health of his father, he sold the Swastika to a local man, John Elliot. This was reported in the May 24 issue of the “Sausalito News”, the article also mentioned Cailleux and his partner had opened the theatre “about three years ago”.
In 1915, Elliot opened the Princess Theatre (listed on Cinema Treasures by its later name, the Gate) and gave up operation of the Swastika effective April 1st, at which time it was taken over by A. C. Pabst, who also operated a theatre in Mill Valley. Pabst took a 5-year lease with option to buy, did an extensive remodel, changed the name to “Best Theatre” and reopened on June 18th. However, he left before the summer was out to concentrate on his new Mill Valley venue.
In early October, Elliot again took over the building, signing a two-year lease. Its original name was also used again. No longer showing movies, the Swastika became home to numerous lectures, but spent most of its time dark and seems to have fallen out of use by May of 1916.
Elliot died in January of 1917, having left the Princess to his niece. In May an item appeared in the Sausalito News that the owner of the Swastika Theatre had leased it to two gentlemen who planned to open it up “as a moving picture show”. In September, a small item appeared in the “News” saying that “the old Swastika Theatre” had closed after only three nights, having found “there was not room” in town for two theatres
Within a year of closing, a plan to renovate the building was approved by the town’s Historical Landmark Board and planning commission which would allow for a restaurant and two theatres on the first floor and offices on the second. Work finally started in 2018.
The two theatres would seat respectively 75 and 50 and feature plush recliner seats, with one set up to accommodate live performances and lectures. The plan was to show first run and independent films.
Unfortunately, an article in the Marin Independent Journal this past January said that, while the office space is about finished, work on the theatres has been halted and is currently being “left as a cold shell”, until either they find someone who will show movies or they get the conditional-use permit changed. They are hoping to keep it a live entertainment venue but said that it wouldn’t be a movie theatre in the traditional sense.
Anybody interested in operating a 2 screen venue with a total of 125 seats here’s your opportunity, monthly rent is $26,996.00.
The Marin Theatre was built by the Blumenfeld Circuit and opened in January, 1943.
In 1942 the Mainship Shipyard had opened in town, building Liberty Ships and tankers for the war effort. Nearby Marin City was built to house many of the people who came from around the country to work there, and the Blumenfeld brothers found that their local venue, the 286 seat Gate Theatre, could not accommodate the increase in business. Restrictions on building brought on by the war left them unable to build from the ground up, so they purchased one of the larger buildings in town and remodeled the ground floor into the Marin Theatre.
The building was built in 1909, the ground floor was originally a livery stable and later a series of garages and other businesses that required a lot of open space. The second floor was a public hall which supposedly could hold 1800 people. Known originally as the Tamalpais Pavilion and later Langsam’s Hall, it was still operating well into the 1930s and would explain the ornamented façade Gary Parks saw in the 1920’s era photo taken from a plane.
stevenj, even if your local theatre has 1400 seats in the orchestra, they can still only have a maximum audience of 100 under the rules issued by the California Public Health Department Monday. “Movie theaters can have 25% of theater capacity or maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower.” You can view an 11 page pdf of the guidelines here, items specific to movie theaters are on pages 11 and 12.
markp’s comment today reminded me to upload a picture of this theatre from its days as the Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema, this being 1976. The young fellow in the blue jeans sort of center is markp btw….
The fire was declared out around 9pm, 3 ½ hours after the first alarm was called in, a crew stayed overnight to watch for any hotspots that flared up. I went by yesterday morning and took a few pictures, a couple of which are now on the photo page. Damage was severe, an article from one of the area newspapers can be read here.
While the two pictures I posted are of the exterior, the Alameda County Fire Department posted four pictures of the damaged auditorium on their twitter account, which can be viewed here.
GaryParks’ comment that this theatre dates to “1947 or so” is spot on, it was opened by W. C. Dolan as the “Dolan Theatre” in the spring of that year. This was reported in the May 3 issue of Billboard and the May 16 issue of The Film Daily. The opening was also mentioned in the May 2 issue of the Motion Picture Daily. All three mentioned it was a Quonset style theatre seating 400. When plans to build what would become the Dolan were announced in the fall of 1946, The Film Daily reported it was expected to cost $14,000.
This was never the Forest Theatre, having opened as the Dolan, later renamed the Burl and, according to an above comment by garrufat, was the Showcase Theatre by 1975.
There was a Forest Theatre in Boulder Creek that was operating as early as 1922 and as late as 1939, I’m sure will be listed on CT before long.
This theatre can be dated to at least 1910. According to the December 31 issue of “The Billboard”, the projectionist at the Rex was severely burned and three reels of film destroyed when they caught fire while he was trying them out. Item is first under the Seattle heading.
The Bluebird opened on February 22, 1921, built and operated by the Union Theater Company of Bremerton and might have opened as the Union Theatre. It was not a new building, but had previously been a department store that was transformed into a theatre seating 800 in a matter of weeks. It was home to a Wurlitzer, theatre ownership changed before the end of that year. It was listed in the Film Daily Yearbook from at least 1926 through 1929, disappearing after that.
My main source of information was an item in the June 25 issue of “Moving Picture World” about the Bluebird, saying it had “recently opened”. It gives a very detailed description of the theatre, projectors, seats, etc. There were a few things that caught my eye and thought I’d look a little further into, starting with the manager, L. W. Doudlah, who it mentions was a former theatre owner.
A search found an article about new first run theatres in the Northwest in the January 20th 1921 issue of Wid’s Daily. The article mentions that Doudlah had “remodeled the old Arcadia Skating Rink in Bremerton” and opened it with a string of big pictures. The February 17 issue of Wid’s mentions in a larger article that the converted skating rink was such a success that “Doudlah interested businessmen and is building a new theater which will open as the Union Theater on February 22”.
The last paragraph in the MPW article talks about the three-week turnaround converting a department store into the Bluebird, mentioning it opened on the 22nd though no month is given. I’m guessing that month was February.
MPW also mentioned the presence of an organ grille. I checked the opus lists and found Wurlitzer had installed Opus 390, a 135B 2-manual console with 4 ranks behind the grille on February 7, 1921, the location was given as the Union Theatre in Bremerton.
The December 10 issue of Moving Picture World mentions that the Osran Amusement Company had purchased the Bluebird. Osran was still the operator in 1926, when it was listed under “Movie Chains” in the Film Daily Yearbook (it didn’t appear the general theatre list though).
In the 1927-1929 yearbooks, the Bluebird did appear in the theatre listings, although the seating had changed from the 800 mentioned in 1921 to 500.
These yearbooks also showed a couple changes of ownership.
By 1927, Bluebird had been sold North American Theaters, Inc. of New York. The following two years it was part of the Westco Holding Company, which Fox held a majority interest in. As I mentioned, it doesn’t appear after 1929; it was one of three theatres Westco had in Bremerton (the others being the Rex and Rialto) and for whatever reason, it was closed.
I use Westco as the FDY did, Fox did not merge the Fox Theater Corporation holdings - around 30 theatres – in with Westco, and the two chains were listed separately those two years although ownership by Fox appeared in parentheses with Westco and the reader was referred to Westco from the Fox listing.
markp, there is a reason this theatre and the newer Royal located up the street shared a name.
The Royal Amusement Company which opened this theatre in 1911 consisted of two men, David Snaper and William Brown. In 1916 they became the initial operators of a new theatre two blocks further up Smith Street, originally called the City Theatre. Snaper closed the City in early 1918 (most likely the closing days of 1917), by that time Smith had departed. I’ll write more about what happened to the City Theatre on its page, it eventually became the Royal most are familiar with and you worked at.
Snaper went on to build a small circuit of theatres, mostly in Middlesex County and Staten Island. After closing the Royal he disappeared from the Perth Amboy theatre scene until he acquired the Crescent in the early 1950’s and renamed it the Royal. The 1953 Film Daily Yearbook listed the Royal as one of the theatres in the Snaper Circuit.
Not sure why this theatre isn’t visible on the map or showing any theatres within 30 miles, there are six listed on CT within 3 blocks. It is also not showing up as a nearby theatre on any of those pages. Hopefully this can be fixed? It seems other recently listed theatres are having the same problem.
Dallasmovietheaters, the Turner and Dahnken Circuit sold their leases, properties and other interests to West Coast Theaters, Inc. in January 1923, the deal was finalized in March. The corporation was dissolved and the monies from the sale were divided between Hattie Turner (widow of James Turner), Fred Dahnken and his wife, and the Turner and Dahnken children. Any activities associated with former T&D properties after March 1923 were carried out by West Coast Theaters, Inc. West Coast sold to Fox in 1928.
I Can’t believe they started moving things out while there were still patrons in the theatre for a special showing of “Fried Green Tomatoes”
A local article about the closing can be read here, the “tapinto” link within will lead to a picture of an employee on a ladder changing the marquee to read “closed.”
A final note on the Cranford’s Wurlitzer: an old comment mentions it was opus 1468, installed October 10, 1926. Adding to that, it was a 2 manual style 190, with 8 ranks.
The picture mlind mentions above is now in the photo section, thanks to the Berkeley Historical Society for allowing its use. A little research shows that it was taken on July 30,1914, the second day of a 2 day showing of “A Romance of the Everglades”. The poster announcing the following day’s feature to the left of the entrance while mostly unreadable, does show it featured Mary Pickford. I’m also uploading an advertisement from the Berkeley Gazette for the showings of “Romance”, and the following bill, which featured Pickford in “The Sultan’s Garden.”
The January 4,1913 issue of “Motography” carried an item that F.E. Armstrong was going to erect a motion picture theater in Berkeley on Shattuck Avenue near Vine Street at a cost of $10,000. The next mention I could find was an ad in the Gazette for the Elite’s “Grand Re-Opening” under new ownership and management on June 18th, 1914. The July 11th issue of “Moving Picture World” mentioned the re-opening, commenting that the Elite had been dark for several months prior. Owner/operatorship changed twice more that year. The Elite was listed in the 1914 and 1915 City Directories.
The building doesn’t appear to have been demolished but extensively rehabilitated, currently housing an upscale food court which features an outdoor garden. Part of the original structure visible in the garden reveals masonry that could well date back to the time the theatre was built, and structure is tall and long enough to have once housed an auditorium. In addition, the entrance on Shattuck still seems to have some of the old arch incorporated into it.
Mark, thanks for giving me the opportunity to go through this collection and scan them.
What Mark found are a selection the fliers that have been mentioned in other comments. Patrons were handed these as we left the theatre, they announced the coming week’s attractions. Scanning the collection that Joe Pusillo assembled brought back memories of the many afternoons and evenings I spent at the Ritz, although they predate my patronage. Management continued handing these fliers out until shortly before the Ritz closed in 1965.
I’m uploading a flier from roughly this week 70 years ago, December 12-20, 1948, printed in a festive green for the holiday season. Mark, if you have any favorites, let me know, I’ll be happy to post them. I’ll post a few more in the future.
The California was one of three Berkeley theatres acquired by Fox when it took over West Coast Theatres Inc. in early 1928, the other two being the UC Theatre and the Campus Theatre.
One early action Fox took was to mothball the California, it went dark for just over 29 months after the May 5th presentation of Norma Talmadge starring in “The Dove”. That day’s Berkeley Gazette carried two items from the California Theatre, one announcing the final showing of “The Dove” that evening and mentioning “tonight will be that last opportunity to see a show at the California Theatre.” The second, also in relation to The Dove, mentioned that “The California Theater closes its doors tonight for the summer”, which it had never done in the past. There were no ads for shows at the California from this date until October 7, 1930, when an advertisement announcing the “Grand Opening of Berkeley’s New Fox California Theatre” on October 10 appeared.
The Berkeley Gazette featured an 8-page section in its October 9 issue with numerous items written by the Fox publicity department. According to one of these, the original California was “torn down, a sacrifice to progress”, which was not the case, it was seriously gutted and reworked, which included a new facade. The remodel took 8 months and was said to cost $250,000. The original Greek Revival style of the auditorium was replaced with a design theme billed as “A Symphony in Modernism”. It was designed by the Los Angeles firm of (Clifford) Blach and (Floyd) Sanbery, Architects and Engineers.
The auditorium was described as “Neutral walls flowing into a proscenium arch distinguished for its block motif presented in shades of buff and desert sand. Organ Grills of pale gold stand out in silhouette against a background wherein pastel greens rose and browns blend in conventional pattern. Auditorium ceilings repeat the design and the rose note is accented again in richly upholstered seats of plush and leather”. The stage curtain was described as “shimmering orange velvet with its border and floral pattern of royal blue. Silver sequins and multi-colored jewels lend added brilliance”.
A two-sentence item mentioned that the California had a “new and magnificent $25,000 Wurlitzer pipe organ”, the console of which was “finished in Roman gold” with “raised fleur-de-lis designs on either side that contribute further to its modernistic and individual appearance.”
I checked the Wurlitzer opus list to get details, there is no record of a new organ being installed at the California in 1930, and all instruments installed that year are accounted for.
The venue was however home to a Wurlitzer, opus 85. Moved there in the spring of 1917, Opus 85 had originally been installed the previous year in this theatre in San Francisco. It was a style 3 Sp with a two manual console and 7 ranks. Two additional ranks were added when it moved to Berkeley. Opus 85 wound up going to the nearby town of Vallejo in 1954, where parts were used in restoring opus 1833.
The feature opening night was the Paramount romance comedy “Follow Thru”. Also on the bill were a Mickey Mouse cartoon, a talking dog comedy, newsreel, travelogue and an organ concert by Floyd Wright.
Added to the photo page are a 1914 architect’s drawing of the original T & D Theatre, a photo taken during the 1930 renovation, a circa 1932 photo of the recently remodeled Fox California, and two of the 1930 opening night ads. My thanks to the Berkeley Historical Society for the scans of the photos, also for aiding me in obtaining the scan of the architect’s drawing.
As mentioned in the overview, the Rahway Theatre opened on October 16, 1928. The evening was a benefit with proceeds going the Rahway Hospital (now known as the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital). The hospital board made it clear this was arranged by local businessman Bernard Engelman, president of the Olt-Engel Corporation, which was formed by him and his brother-in-law (and former Rahway resident) Major David M Oltarsh to build and maintain the structure. As architect (and an engineer), Oltarsh oversaw the construction, which was carried out by various contractors.
House Organist Chet Kingsbury opened the evening’s program with a recital on the 2 manual 7 rank Style EX Wurlitzer, opus 1923. Neither Kingsbury nor opus 1923 were mentioned in the program or media accounts.
I am uploading a full-page ad of the opening night program from the neighboring Carteret Press, and a second ad from the Woodbridge Leader. It should be noted that the opening night movie was “A Grain Of Dust”, the double bill mentioned in the overview (and on the web pages of UCPAC and GSTOS) was the third program, which ran later in the week.
The Rex Theater opened on May 27, 1911. According to the July 22 issue of Moving Picture News it was “built for, and not adapted to the business”, becoming the first purpose-built theatre in downtown Berkeley. In addition to being listed in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, it can be found in the 1912 thru 1915 editions of the Berkeley City Directory.
A regular advertiser in the Berkeley Gazette, ads for the Rex ceased after November 27, 1915. The Gazette at the time carried a list of local amusements on its editorial page, where the Rex continued to be listed for several weeks, disappearing after the January 3, 1916 issue.
Long demolished, a previous comment mentions a Bank Of America and parking lot occupying the site (The Rex address was actually the eastern end of the parking lot), they have since been replaced by a hotel that is currently under construction.
Opening ad added to the photo section.
Seth Gaines, if you have all the sheets to the 1916 Sanborn map and there are no other buildings marked as showing motion pictures, then this might be the Star Theater, which opened to a packed house on November 6, 1915. This was mentioned in the November 27 issue of Moving Picture World (top of right column). The Star was previously known as the Palace, the new operator had remodeled the front and elevated the floor in addition to changing the name.
The Swastika Theatre dates to 1910, when it was opened by two Frenchmen, Messrs. Cailleux and Cavet. There is a brief mention of them in the August 15 issue of The Nickelodeon, saying they had opened another theatre in nearby Mill Valley. By the spring of 1913, Cailleux was the sole operator and when he had to return to France due to the ill health of his father, he sold the Swastika to a local man, John Elliot. This was reported in the May 24 issue of the “Sausalito News”, the article also mentioned Cailleux and his partner had opened the theatre “about three years ago”.
In 1915, Elliot opened the Princess Theatre (listed on Cinema Treasures by its later name, the Gate) and gave up operation of the Swastika effective April 1st, at which time it was taken over by A. C. Pabst, who also operated a theatre in Mill Valley. Pabst took a 5-year lease with option to buy, did an extensive remodel, changed the name to “Best Theatre” and reopened on June 18th. However, he left before the summer was out to concentrate on his new Mill Valley venue.
In early October, Elliot again took over the building, signing a two-year lease. Its original name was also used again. No longer showing movies, the Swastika became home to numerous lectures, but spent most of its time dark and seems to have fallen out of use by May of 1916.
Elliot died in January of 1917, having left the Princess to his niece. In May an item appeared in the Sausalito News that the owner of the Swastika Theatre had leased it to two gentlemen who planned to open it up “as a moving picture show”. In September, a small item appeared in the “News” saying that “the old Swastika Theatre” had closed after only three nights, having found “there was not room” in town for two theatres
A couple of updates on the Marin Theatre…..
Within a year of closing, a plan to renovate the building was approved by the town’s Historical Landmark Board and planning commission which would allow for a restaurant and two theatres on the first floor and offices on the second. Work finally started in 2018.
The two theatres would seat respectively 75 and 50 and feature plush recliner seats, with one set up to accommodate live performances and lectures. The plan was to show first run and independent films.
Unfortunately, an article in the Marin Independent Journal this past January said that, while the office space is about finished, work on the theatres has been halted and is currently being “left as a cold shell”, until either they find someone who will show movies or they get the conditional-use permit changed. They are hoping to keep it a live entertainment venue but said that it wouldn’t be a movie theatre in the traditional sense.
Anybody interested in operating a 2 screen venue with a total of 125 seats here’s your opportunity, monthly rent is $26,996.00.
The Marin Theatre was built by the Blumenfeld Circuit and opened in January, 1943.
In 1942 the Mainship Shipyard had opened in town, building Liberty Ships and tankers for the war effort. Nearby Marin City was built to house many of the people who came from around the country to work there, and the Blumenfeld brothers found that their local venue, the 286 seat Gate Theatre, could not accommodate the increase in business. Restrictions on building brought on by the war left them unable to build from the ground up, so they purchased one of the larger buildings in town and remodeled the ground floor into the Marin Theatre.
The building was built in 1909, the ground floor was originally a livery stable and later a series of garages and other businesses that required a lot of open space. The second floor was a public hall which supposedly could hold 1800 people. Known originally as the Tamalpais Pavilion and later Langsam’s Hall, it was still operating well into the 1930s and would explain the ornamented façade Gary Parks saw in the 1920’s era photo taken from a plane.
About a minute and a half of drone footage of the damage is viewable here.
stevenj, even if your local theatre has 1400 seats in the orchestra, they can still only have a maximum audience of 100 under the rules issued by the California Public Health Department Monday. “Movie theaters can have 25% of theater capacity or maximum of 100 attendees, whichever is lower.” You can view an 11 page pdf of the guidelines here, items specific to movie theaters are on pages 11 and 12.
markp’s comment today reminded me to upload a picture of this theatre from its days as the Jerry Lewis Twin Cinema, this being 1976. The young fellow in the blue jeans sort of center is markp btw….
Note Rocky Horror poster still hanging on the left.
The fire was declared out around 9pm, 3 ½ hours after the first alarm was called in, a crew stayed overnight to watch for any hotspots that flared up. I went by yesterday morning and took a few pictures, a couple of which are now on the photo page. Damage was severe, an article from one of the area newspapers can be read here.
While the two pictures I posted are of the exterior, the Alameda County Fire Department posted four pictures of the damaged auditorium on their twitter account, which can be viewed here.
GaryParks’ comment that this theatre dates to “1947 or so” is spot on, it was opened by W. C. Dolan as the “Dolan Theatre” in the spring of that year. This was reported in the May 3 issue of Billboard and the May 16 issue of The Film Daily. The opening was also mentioned in the May 2 issue of the Motion Picture Daily. All three mentioned it was a Quonset style theatre seating 400. When plans to build what would become the Dolan were announced in the fall of 1946, The Film Daily reported it was expected to cost $14,000.
This was never the Forest Theatre, having opened as the Dolan, later renamed the Burl and, according to an above comment by garrufat, was the Showcase Theatre by 1975.
There was a Forest Theatre in Boulder Creek that was operating as early as 1922 and as late as 1939, I’m sure will be listed on CT before long.
This theatre can be dated to at least 1910. According to the December 31 issue of “The Billboard”, the projectionist at the Rex was severely burned and three reels of film destroyed when they caught fire while he was trying them out. Item is first under the Seattle heading.
The Bluebird opened on February 22, 1921, built and operated by the Union Theater Company of Bremerton and might have opened as the Union Theatre. It was not a new building, but had previously been a department store that was transformed into a theatre seating 800 in a matter of weeks. It was home to a Wurlitzer, theatre ownership changed before the end of that year. It was listed in the Film Daily Yearbook from at least 1926 through 1929, disappearing after that.
My main source of information was an item in the June 25 issue of “Moving Picture World” about the Bluebird, saying it had “recently opened”. It gives a very detailed description of the theatre, projectors, seats, etc. There were a few things that caught my eye and thought I’d look a little further into, starting with the manager, L. W. Doudlah, who it mentions was a former theatre owner.
A search found an article about new first run theatres in the Northwest in the January 20th 1921 issue of Wid’s Daily. The article mentions that Doudlah had “remodeled the old Arcadia Skating Rink in Bremerton” and opened it with a string of big pictures. The February 17 issue of Wid’s mentions in a larger article that the converted skating rink was such a success that “Doudlah interested businessmen and is building a new theater which will open as the Union Theater on February 22”.
The last paragraph in the MPW article talks about the three-week turnaround converting a department store into the Bluebird, mentioning it opened on the 22nd though no month is given. I’m guessing that month was February.
MPW also mentioned the presence of an organ grille. I checked the opus lists and found Wurlitzer had installed Opus 390, a 135B 2-manual console with 4 ranks behind the grille on February 7, 1921, the location was given as the Union Theatre in Bremerton.
The December 10 issue of Moving Picture World mentions that the Osran Amusement Company had purchased the Bluebird. Osran was still the operator in 1926, when it was listed under “Movie Chains” in the Film Daily Yearbook (it didn’t appear the general theatre list though).
In the 1927-1929 yearbooks, the Bluebird did appear in the theatre listings, although the seating had changed from the 800 mentioned in 1921 to 500.
These yearbooks also showed a couple changes of ownership.
By 1927, Bluebird had been sold North American Theaters, Inc. of New York. The following two years it was part of the Westco Holding Company, which Fox held a majority interest in. As I mentioned, it doesn’t appear after 1929; it was one of three theatres Westco had in Bremerton (the others being the Rex and Rialto) and for whatever reason, it was closed.
I use Westco as the FDY did, Fox did not merge the Fox Theater Corporation holdings - around 30 theatres – in with Westco, and the two chains were listed separately those two years although ownership by Fox appeared in parentheses with Westco and the reader was referred to Westco from the Fox listing.
markp, there is a reason this theatre and the newer Royal located up the street shared a name.
The Royal Amusement Company which opened this theatre in 1911 consisted of two men, David Snaper and William Brown. In 1916 they became the initial operators of a new theatre two blocks further up Smith Street, originally called the City Theatre. Snaper closed the City in early 1918 (most likely the closing days of 1917), by that time Smith had departed. I’ll write more about what happened to the City Theatre on its page, it eventually became the Royal most are familiar with and you worked at.
Snaper went on to build a small circuit of theatres, mostly in Middlesex County and Staten Island. After closing the Royal he disappeared from the Perth Amboy theatre scene until he acquired the Crescent in the early 1950’s and renamed it the Royal. The 1953 Film Daily Yearbook listed the Royal as one of the theatres in the Snaper Circuit.
Opening Ad added to photos page.
Not sure why this theatre isn’t visible on the map or showing any theatres within 30 miles, there are six listed on CT within 3 blocks. It is also not showing up as a nearby theatre on any of those pages. Hopefully this can be fixed? It seems other recently listed theatres are having the same problem.
T. & D. Jr. Enterprises took over operation of the Tulare from Paul Reardon effective September 1, 1923.
Dallasmovietheaters, the Turner and Dahnken Circuit sold their leases, properties and other interests to West Coast Theaters, Inc. in January 1923, the deal was finalized in March. The corporation was dissolved and the monies from the sale were divided between Hattie Turner (widow of James Turner), Fred Dahnken and his wife, and the Turner and Dahnken children. Any activities associated with former T&D properties after March 1923 were carried out by West Coast Theaters, Inc. West Coast sold to Fox in 1928.
I Can’t believe they started moving things out while there were still patrons in the theatre for a special showing of “Fried Green Tomatoes”
A local article about the closing can be read here, the “tapinto” link within will lead to a picture of an employee on a ladder changing the marquee to read “closed.”
A final note on the Cranford’s Wurlitzer: an old comment mentions it was opus 1468, installed October 10, 1926. Adding to that, it was a 2 manual style 190, with 8 ranks.
A local article on the closing, which cites CT for historic information used, can be read here.
The picture mlind mentions above is now in the photo section, thanks to the Berkeley Historical Society for allowing its use. A little research shows that it was taken on July 30,1914, the second day of a 2 day showing of “A Romance of the Everglades”. The poster announcing the following day’s feature to the left of the entrance while mostly unreadable, does show it featured Mary Pickford. I’m also uploading an advertisement from the Berkeley Gazette for the showings of “Romance”, and the following bill, which featured Pickford in “The Sultan’s Garden.”
The January 4,1913 issue of “Motography” carried an item that F.E. Armstrong was going to erect a motion picture theater in Berkeley on Shattuck Avenue near Vine Street at a cost of $10,000. The next mention I could find was an ad in the Gazette for the Elite’s “Grand Re-Opening” under new ownership and management on June 18th, 1914. The July 11th issue of “Moving Picture World” mentioned the re-opening, commenting that the Elite had been dark for several months prior. Owner/operatorship changed twice more that year. The Elite was listed in the 1914 and 1915 City Directories.
The building doesn’t appear to have been demolished but extensively rehabilitated, currently housing an upscale food court which features an outdoor garden. Part of the original structure visible in the garden reveals masonry that could well date back to the time the theatre was built, and structure is tall and long enough to have once housed an auditorium. In addition, the entrance on Shattuck still seems to have some of the old arch incorporated into it.
Mark, thanks for giving me the opportunity to go through this collection and scan them.
What Mark found are a selection the fliers that have been mentioned in other comments. Patrons were handed these as we left the theatre, they announced the coming week’s attractions. Scanning the collection that Joe Pusillo assembled brought back memories of the many afternoons and evenings I spent at the Ritz, although they predate my patronage. Management continued handing these fliers out until shortly before the Ritz closed in 1965.
I’m uploading a flier from roughly this week 70 years ago, December 12-20, 1948, printed in a festive green for the holiday season. Mark, if you have any favorites, let me know, I’ll be happy to post them. I’ll post a few more in the future.
The California was one of three Berkeley theatres acquired by Fox when it took over West Coast Theatres Inc. in early 1928, the other two being the UC Theatre and the Campus Theatre.
One early action Fox took was to mothball the California, it went dark for just over 29 months after the May 5th presentation of Norma Talmadge starring in “The Dove”. That day’s Berkeley Gazette carried two items from the California Theatre, one announcing the final showing of “The Dove” that evening and mentioning “tonight will be that last opportunity to see a show at the California Theatre.” The second, also in relation to The Dove, mentioned that “The California Theater closes its doors tonight for the summer”, which it had never done in the past. There were no ads for shows at the California from this date until October 7, 1930, when an advertisement announcing the “Grand Opening of Berkeley’s New Fox California Theatre” on October 10 appeared.
The Berkeley Gazette featured an 8-page section in its October 9 issue with numerous items written by the Fox publicity department. According to one of these, the original California was “torn down, a sacrifice to progress”, which was not the case, it was seriously gutted and reworked, which included a new facade. The remodel took 8 months and was said to cost $250,000. The original Greek Revival style of the auditorium was replaced with a design theme billed as “A Symphony in Modernism”. It was designed by the Los Angeles firm of (Clifford) Blach and (Floyd) Sanbery, Architects and Engineers.
The auditorium was described as “Neutral walls flowing into a proscenium arch distinguished for its block motif presented in shades of buff and desert sand. Organ Grills of pale gold stand out in silhouette against a background wherein pastel greens rose and browns blend in conventional pattern. Auditorium ceilings repeat the design and the rose note is accented again in richly upholstered seats of plush and leather”. The stage curtain was described as “shimmering orange velvet with its border and floral pattern of royal blue. Silver sequins and multi-colored jewels lend added brilliance”.
A two-sentence item mentioned that the California had a “new and magnificent $25,000 Wurlitzer pipe organ”, the console of which was “finished in Roman gold” with “raised fleur-de-lis designs on either side that contribute further to its modernistic and individual appearance.”
I checked the Wurlitzer opus list to get details, there is no record of a new organ being installed at the California in 1930, and all instruments installed that year are accounted for.
The venue was however home to a Wurlitzer, opus 85. Moved there in the spring of 1917, Opus 85 had originally been installed the previous year in this theatre in San Francisco. It was a style 3 Sp with a two manual console and 7 ranks. Two additional ranks were added when it moved to Berkeley. Opus 85 wound up going to the nearby town of Vallejo in 1954, where parts were used in restoring opus 1833.
The feature opening night was the Paramount romance comedy “Follow Thru”. Also on the bill were a Mickey Mouse cartoon, a talking dog comedy, newsreel, travelogue and an organ concert by Floyd Wright.
Added to the photo page are a 1914 architect’s drawing of the original T & D Theatre, a photo taken during the 1930 renovation, a circa 1932 photo of the recently remodeled Fox California, and two of the 1930 opening night ads. My thanks to the Berkeley Historical Society for the scans of the photos, also for aiding me in obtaining the scan of the architect’s drawing.
Scan courtesy of the Berkeley Historical Society, thanks for sharing! Please contact them about further use.
Scan courtesy of the Berkeley Historical Society, thanks for sharing! Please contact them about further use.
As mentioned in the overview, the Rahway Theatre opened on October 16, 1928. The evening was a benefit with proceeds going the Rahway Hospital (now known as the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital). The hospital board made it clear this was arranged by local businessman Bernard Engelman, president of the Olt-Engel Corporation, which was formed by him and his brother-in-law (and former Rahway resident) Major David M Oltarsh to build and maintain the structure. As architect (and an engineer), Oltarsh oversaw the construction, which was carried out by various contractors.
House Organist Chet Kingsbury opened the evening’s program with a recital on the 2 manual 7 rank Style EX Wurlitzer, opus 1923. Neither Kingsbury nor opus 1923 were mentioned in the program or media accounts.
I am uploading a full-page ad of the opening night program from the neighboring Carteret Press, and a second ad from the Woodbridge Leader. It should be noted that the opening night movie was “A Grain Of Dust”, the double bill mentioned in the overview (and on the web pages of UCPAC and GSTOS) was the third program, which ran later in the week.