“For ten cents one can behold, supine in an ornate coffin, the mortal remains of one Elmer McCurdy, erstwhile Oklahoma bad man. Elmer cheated the law which demanded his life after one of his murderous affrays, by swallowing cyanide of potassium. His remains were embalmed and the combined action of the cyanide and the ingredients of the embalming fluid pumped into the cadaver caused it to remain in a remarkable state of preservation”.
I think one of the sections I lopped off discussed a corpse named Elmer that was on display somewhere on Main Street. I believe this was a former bank robber who died in the teens. His body ended up at the Long Beach Pike, where for years it was assumed he was a mannequin. When they were moving him during the Pike’s closing his arm fell off and they realized that he was an actual human being. He was then buried, so he had some dignity at the end, anyway.
If you skip down to paragraph 23, the Uptown is in the 300 block of Franklin. I can’t tell you if the address is 318 or 324, however: http://tinyurl.com/2olqbh
October 2007 article re renovation:
http://tinyurl.com/28r8z6
Here is the text from the Main Street story:
“For ten cents one can behold, supine in an ornate coffin, the mortal remains of one Elmer McCurdy, erstwhile Oklahoma bad man. Elmer cheated the law which demanded his life after one of his murderous affrays, by swallowing cyanide of potassium. His remains were embalmed and the combined action of the cyanide and the ingredients of the embalming fluid pumped into the cadaver caused it to remain in a remarkable state of preservation”.
I think one of the sections I lopped off discussed a corpse named Elmer that was on display somewhere on Main Street. I believe this was a former bank robber who died in the teens. His body ended up at the Long Beach Pike, where for years it was assumed he was a mannequin. When they were moving him during the Pike’s closing his arm fell off and they realized that he was an actual human being. He was then buried, so he had some dignity at the end, anyway.
I was in a rush this morning so I may have left out a few sections, but I thought it was interesting reading regardless.
This 1930 article in the LA Times gives a nice overview of Main Street in those days:
http://tinyurl.com/2zma5c
http://tinyurl.com/yttq88
http://tinyurl.com/ypn6zs
http://tinyurl.com/29dsxh
http://tinyurl.com/2a6chm
http://tinyurl.com/2e5mga
http://tinyurl.com/yqxu48
http://tinyurl.com/2dmvej
http://tinyurl.com/yw3guj
http://tinyurl.com/2da66x
http://tinyurl.com/2zcvoe
Secrecy in 1929:
http://tinyurl.com/2n6csu
http://tinyurl.com/33khk6
Here is the 1930 LA Times ad:
http://tinyurl.com/2erxqx
I never get the style questions right. Would that fit into any known category?
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yutzcb
There are several views of the theater on this site:
http://tinyurl.com/ysrd4s
Here is the theater’s website:
http://theater.jminsight.com/
Here is a view of a 1956 premiere at the Paramount:
http://tinyurl.com/2oyuft
I think this was one incarnation of the theater:
http://tinyurl.com/28c7tb
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/ysqbv4
If you skip down to paragraph 23, the Uptown is in the 300 block of Franklin. I can’t tell you if the address is 318 or 324, however:
http://tinyurl.com/2olqbh
It appears that this agency is currently occupying the theater building, or at least an office therein:
http://www.downtownbg.org/
Here is another view of the marquee:
http://tinyurl.com/2mgq3x
The church is also putting on concerts in the theater building:
http://tinyurl.com/2b79kk
I can’t come up with any show times, so it may in fact be closed.
Here is a view of the marquee:
http://tinyurl.com/2xowud
It looks like it was called the New Regent as well, based on some of LM’s posts as well as this view:
http://tinyurl.com/ynlzsa
Here is a view of the marquee:
http://tinyurl.com/2xok7g
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/yskuj3
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/2mdxo8
Here is a postcard that shows the interior:
http://tinyurl.com/2op369