In addition to its wonderful stage attractions, the Pabst did show movies. Yearly Burton Holmes, the man who is credited with inventing the travelogue, brought his film/lecture presentation to the Pabst. In the late 1940s THE STORY OF POPE PIUS was shown at the Pabst and for days its matinees were filled with school groups from the local parochial schools. Also in the 1940s Republic"s SPECTER OF THE ROSE was shown as a hard-ticket road show attratcion.
In 1977 Kitty Carlisle sang at the Pabst and part of her program included a showing of the Marx Brothers and Kitty Carlisle in A NIGHT AT THE OPERA on the giant screen. Once again laughter echoed from the balconies giving the audience a feeling of what is was like to see a movie classic in a crowded movie theater.
Thank you for the great picture of the Warner. Morning Glory was released in August 1933. Does anyone know if the marquee as shown in the picture was ever replaced with a more modern marquee?
For many years there was a small plywood sign made in the shape of an arrow with Market Square Theatres on it at the entrance to the parking lot on Sheridan Road. Did the theater have any other sign or marquee on the exterior of the building?
That wonderful MGM festival!! For a long time time there was a life size photo from ON THE TOWN with Ann Miller and Vera Ellen in full-flying skirts on the auditorium- entrance door in the inner lobby. Life sized Kelly, Sinatra, Miller, Ellen, could be seen from Broadway as one walked down the Street.
In the 70s didn’t they do a big Warner Bros revival with a mint print of ROBIN HOOD? I even think Olivia deHavilland showed up for that showing.
When the Towne opened in late 46 it instituted a single feature policiy. All other theaters in Downtown Milwaukee had a double feature policy, an A feature attraction with a B companion film. Most of the films shown at the Towne were United Artist releases, which at the time were often considered B films. During its first year it had two big attractions: Ceasar and Cleopatra and The Macomber Affair.
It also showed Jane Russell in The Outlaw, which only lasted a few days before the film was withdrawn and the theater was shut down. It reopened in two or three days with a double bill: The Bachelor"s Daughter and A Scandal in Paris.
In the early 50s the Towne had many big attractions including ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, QUO VADIS and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
Since the Towne was located on a side street, the management used their marquee in advertising films in a most creative way for Milwaukee. Instead of just black and red letters, they often had large flashing neon letters and sometime they would have a large picture/lobby card from the film illuminated on the large marquee.
The Juneau had a long lobby. You bought your ticket at the ticket booth on Mitchell Street and then proceeded through the outer lobby into the inner lobby where the tickettaker took your ticket. Then you walked into the theater but upon entering the auditorium you had to make a left turn and proceed up a steep grade, the entire length of the theate,to the back of the theater where you could then enter the main floor of the theater or go up the stairs to the balcony.
There were exit doors in that back lobby which opened onto Sixth Street. When the first movie left out with most patrons using the Sixth Street exit, second-acters often snuck into the Juneau.
The Downer’s past is very interesting. It was one of the few movie houses in Milwaukee not on a streetcar/bus tansfer corner. For years the Downer did poor business. Even in the war years of the 40s when all theaters did well, the Downer struggled. In the late 40s when it was operated by Fox Wisconsin the Downer became an art theater. For years it was the only art theater in the area. It had many long runs. Bitter Rice, Diabolique, and Carry On Nurse played for several weeks. Tales of Hoffmann had a roadshow engagement.
Following the Downer’s success as an art house, other Milwaukee theaters adopted an art theater policy. The Parkway (35th and Lisbon)for a short time showed art picture, the Hollywood (Green Bay Avenue)changed its name to the Coronet and for a few years showed art pictures. The Times (60th and Vliet) became the Times Fine Art and for many years had art films. The Times is still going.
The theater was origianlly called the Lake. It was changed to the Bay in the early 40s. The Bay closed as a full time theater in 1951; it was then open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. In the 40s and 50s the Bay was operated by Standard Theaters. Standard theaters also owned the Riverside, Hollywood, Times and Tosa. Both the Times and the Tosa(Rosebud) are still in operation. Prior to being run by Standard, I think the Bay waspart of the Warner circuit.
The Bay’s marquee did not advertise the day’s features. It just had large red neon letters: BAY. This was similiar to the marquee of the Lincoln Theater on Lincoln Avenue.
The Bay was not air-conditioned. In the 40s and the 50s the Bay could not meet the competition of the nearby AVALON. The Avalon was larger(over 1500 seats) and had features right from downtown.
The Bay did have one road show attraction: TALES OF HOFFMAN. It ran for three days. For those days the ushers wore tuxedos.
In 1951 when Fox theaters opened their new theater in Whitefish Bay they called it the FOX-BAY for the two adjoining suburbs Whitefish Ban and Fox Point. The Bay on Delaware Avenue remained the Bay. It was surprising that the owners didn’t chage its name to Bay View denoting its location on the south end of Milwaukee.
In the 1940s The Riverside was managed by Standard Theaters Management which managed theaters in various Wisconsin cities. In Milwaukee they had the Riverside, Bay(Lake), Times, Tosa and 41 Twin Outdoor. Both the Times and Tosa are still operating. The Tosa has recently has been renamed the Rosebud.
Rio is not a unique name for a theater. Chicago, St Louis and Philiadelphia had theaters named Rio. The largest theater in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee was the Rio (1800 seats) in Appleton. Texas had some 25 Rio theaters located in different towns.
The name may have been chosen in the larger cities because it would fit between other popular theaters (Rialto, Rivolli, Riviera, Ritz) in listings. But since smaller towns with five or six theaters ( Appleton, Wisconsin and Harrisburg, Penn.) had Rio theaters, there must have been some other reason for choosing the name.
The Riviera was one of the least popular theaters on Milwaukee’s south side in the 1940s and early 50s. At that time it was a Fox Wisconsin theater and was not well maintained. The theater was often dirty, cold in the winter and had a higher admission than nearby movie houses. Admission was eighty cents the same as that charged by the nearby Modjeska, Granada and Avavlon. The Modjeska, Granada and Avalon showed more recent films straight from downtown. Often The Riviera would feature the same double bill as that playing at the nearby Juneau where the admission was thirty-five cents. The Riviera was not as comfortable as the nearby Aragon(Pix) or the Layton. The lobby was small with a cluttered feel resulting from the inclusion of a popcorm machine and candy stand. The Riviera was one of the first theaters on the near south side to close in the early 50s. For the past few years its lobby has been used as a flower shop.
The Drake was a wonderful, comfortable theater. Plain but clean. My favorite memory of the Drake was on the night of the first blackout in the 60s, the ticket seller sat guard with one lit candle in the box office. She waved to everybody stating the Drake would be open again once the lights went on.
The day after Katherine Hepburn won the academy award for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the marquee of the Gramercy had in big letters CONGRATULATIONS KATE.
During the early 50s the Wisconsin had occasional legit road shows appearing at the theater for six days. Its three big attractions were South Pacific, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Call Me Madam.
During the 60s, I lived in Rego Park when the Trylon, Drake and Elmwood were in full operation. They were all maintained with the Elmwood getting the first run films. I remember seeing THE CINNCINATI KID at the Elmwood one afternoon when all of New York was at a stanstill because of the subway strike, and I also remember seeing the ticket seller with lit candle sitting guard in the Drake’s ticket booth the night of the first blackout. I agree the Trylon is too great a treasure too loose.
According to a poster on a light pole on Brady Street, there is going to be a Heaveymetal Fest at the Modjeska this July 30-31st, 2004. Ninety bands will perform during the two day event. I do hope the grand old lady of Mitchell Street can survive this.
The Alhambra was a money maker for Warner Theaters. They usally offered action Bs and reissuses. During the 50s with the stiff competition from televison and blockbusters at the other downtown houses, The Alhambra alwaus had a crowd. Randolph Scott, Audie Murphy and Warner gangster reissuses were shown often. The upper balcony was always filled with sailors from The Great Lakes Naval Base and their Milwaukee girl friends.
TheAlhambra did show some big pictures. Laurence Olivier"s Hamlet played a road show engagement. Streetcar Named Desire and Life with Father also were road show engagements.
For years the Riverside was showing mainly RKO and Universal films with a steady diet of hard-boiled mysteries and action pictures. In the war years of the 40s and following into the 50s the Riverside offered stage shows. These were not hard ticket but continuos stage show and a feature film. Blackstone the Magician The Andrew Sisters, Les Paul and Mary Ford and Johnny Ray were some of the headliners. Even Esther Williams and Ben Gage were booked into the Riverside for a six day engagement. Jimmy Dorsey and his band hold the attendance record for a one week engagement.
Most of the year the Riverside just showed movies. Rarely did they have a blockbuster. During the 40s they did have a few big hits (Bells of St Marys, Best Years of our Lives,The Bishop’s Wife, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Buck Privates Come Home) but most of the time they had George Raft/Robert Mitchum RKO films or RKO releases with stars who where at the end of their careers. In the early 50s the Riverside dropped the RKO connection and booked some big MGM pictures (Father of the Bride, Royal Wedding, Showboat, Mogombo, An Americam in Paris,Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) and soon the Riverside was showing hit movies from other studios also (African Queen, From Here to Eternity, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Shane). For all of the 50s and the early 60s The Riverside became the flagship filmhouse of downtown Milwaukee showing first run blockbusters. In the 60s United Artist took over the theater and the decline came.
In the 1940s the Modjeska was one of two neighborhood theaters in Milwaukee that had daily matinees. The other being the Granada which was directly across the street. Both theaters occasionally showed Polish films. Usually, the Polish films were at the Granada on Mondays and Tuesdays but sometimes the Modjeska would featue a Polish film on Tues-Wed-Thur.
I saw Diary of a Shagentu Burglar there. The theater was very uncomfortable.
In addition to its wonderful stage attractions, the Pabst did show movies. Yearly Burton Holmes, the man who is credited with inventing the travelogue, brought his film/lecture presentation to the Pabst. In the late 1940s THE STORY OF POPE PIUS was shown at the Pabst and for days its matinees were filled with school groups from the local parochial schools. Also in the 1940s Republic"s SPECTER OF THE ROSE was shown as a hard-ticket road show attratcion.
In 1977 Kitty Carlisle sang at the Pabst and part of her program included a showing of the Marx Brothers and Kitty Carlisle in A NIGHT AT THE OPERA on the giant screen. Once again laughter echoed from the balconies giving the audience a feeling of what is was like to see a movie classic in a crowded movie theater.
Thank you for the great picture of the Warner. Morning Glory was released in August 1933. Does anyone know if the marquee as shown in the picture was ever replaced with a more modern marquee?
For many years there was a small plywood sign made in the shape of an arrow with Market Square Theatres on it at the entrance to the parking lot on Sheridan Road. Did the theater have any other sign or marquee on the exterior of the building?
That wonderful MGM festival!! For a long time time there was a life size photo from ON THE TOWN with Ann Miller and Vera Ellen in full-flying skirts on the auditorium- entrance door in the inner lobby. Life sized Kelly, Sinatra, Miller, Ellen, could be seen from Broadway as one walked down the Street.
In the 70s didn’t they do a big Warner Bros revival with a mint print of ROBIN HOOD? I even think Olivia deHavilland showed up for that showing.
When did the Market Square open and when did it close? Was it ever a sigle screen venture?
When the Towne opened in late 46 it instituted a single feature policiy. All other theaters in Downtown Milwaukee had a double feature policy, an A feature attraction with a B companion film. Most of the films shown at the Towne were United Artist releases, which at the time were often considered B films. During its first year it had two big attractions: Ceasar and Cleopatra and The Macomber Affair.
It also showed Jane Russell in The Outlaw, which only lasted a few days before the film was withdrawn and the theater was shut down. It reopened in two or three days with a double bill: The Bachelor"s Daughter and A Scandal in Paris.
In the early 50s the Towne had many big attractions including ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, QUO VADIS and THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
Since the Towne was located on a side street, the management used their marquee in advertising films in a most creative way for Milwaukee. Instead of just black and red letters, they often had large flashing neon letters and sometime they would have a large picture/lobby card from the film illuminated on the large marquee.
The Juneau had a long lobby. You bought your ticket at the ticket booth on Mitchell Street and then proceeded through the outer lobby into the inner lobby where the tickettaker took your ticket. Then you walked into the theater but upon entering the auditorium you had to make a left turn and proceed up a steep grade, the entire length of the theate,to the back of the theater where you could then enter the main floor of the theater or go up the stairs to the balcony.
There were exit doors in that back lobby which opened onto Sixth Street. When the first movie left out with most patrons using the Sixth Street exit, second-acters often snuck into the Juneau.
The Downer’s past is very interesting. It was one of the few movie houses in Milwaukee not on a streetcar/bus tansfer corner. For years the Downer did poor business. Even in the war years of the 40s when all theaters did well, the Downer struggled. In the late 40s when it was operated by Fox Wisconsin the Downer became an art theater. For years it was the only art theater in the area. It had many long runs. Bitter Rice, Diabolique, and Carry On Nurse played for several weeks. Tales of Hoffmann had a roadshow engagement.
Following the Downer’s success as an art house, other Milwaukee theaters adopted an art theater policy. The Parkway (35th and Lisbon)for a short time showed art picture, the Hollywood (Green Bay Avenue)changed its name to the Coronet and for a few years showed art pictures. The Times (60th and Vliet) became the Times Fine Art and for many years had art films. The Times is still going.
The theater was origianlly called the Lake. It was changed to the Bay in the early 40s. The Bay closed as a full time theater in 1951; it was then open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. In the 40s and 50s the Bay was operated by Standard Theaters. Standard theaters also owned the Riverside, Hollywood, Times and Tosa. Both the Times and the Tosa(Rosebud) are still in operation. Prior to being run by Standard, I think the Bay waspart of the Warner circuit.
The Bay’s marquee did not advertise the day’s features. It just had large red neon letters: BAY. This was similiar to the marquee of the Lincoln Theater on Lincoln Avenue.
The Bay was not air-conditioned. In the 40s and the 50s the Bay could not meet the competition of the nearby AVALON. The Avalon was larger(over 1500 seats) and had features right from downtown.
The Bay did have one road show attraction: TALES OF HOFFMAN. It ran for three days. For those days the ushers wore tuxedos.
In 1951 when Fox theaters opened their new theater in Whitefish Bay they called it the FOX-BAY for the two adjoining suburbs Whitefish Ban and Fox Point. The Bay on Delaware Avenue remained the Bay. It was surprising that the owners didn’t chage its name to Bay View denoting its location on the south end of Milwaukee.
In the 1940s The Riverside was managed by Standard Theaters Management which managed theaters in various Wisconsin cities. In Milwaukee they had the Riverside, Bay(Lake), Times, Tosa and 41 Twin Outdoor. Both the Times and Tosa are still operating. The Tosa has recently has been renamed the Rosebud.
Iris was a popular name for a theater. Can anyone explain this?
A picture of the Fantasy Theater circa 1920s can be found on page 196 of WAIT TILL NEXT YEAR by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
Rio is not a unique name for a theater. Chicago, St Louis and Philiadelphia had theaters named Rio. The largest theater in Wisconsin outside of Milwaukee was the Rio (1800 seats) in Appleton. Texas had some 25 Rio theaters located in different towns.
The name may have been chosen in the larger cities because it would fit between other popular theaters (Rialto, Rivolli, Riviera, Ritz) in listings. But since smaller towns with five or six theaters ( Appleton, Wisconsin and Harrisburg, Penn.) had Rio theaters, there must have been some other reason for choosing the name.
The Riviera was one of the least popular theaters on Milwaukee’s south side in the 1940s and early 50s. At that time it was a Fox Wisconsin theater and was not well maintained. The theater was often dirty, cold in the winter and had a higher admission than nearby movie houses. Admission was eighty cents the same as that charged by the nearby Modjeska, Granada and Avavlon. The Modjeska, Granada and Avalon showed more recent films straight from downtown. Often The Riviera would feature the same double bill as that playing at the nearby Juneau where the admission was thirty-five cents. The Riviera was not as comfortable as the nearby Aragon(Pix) or the Layton. The lobby was small with a cluttered feel resulting from the inclusion of a popcorm machine and candy stand. The Riviera was one of the first theaters on the near south side to close in the early 50s. For the past few years its lobby has been used as a flower shop.
The Drake was a wonderful, comfortable theater. Plain but clean. My favorite memory of the Drake was on the night of the first blackout in the 60s, the ticket seller sat guard with one lit candle in the box office. She waved to everybody stating the Drake would be open again once the lights went on.
The day after Katherine Hepburn won the academy award for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, the marquee of the Gramercy had in big letters CONGRATULATIONS KATE.
During the early 50s the Wisconsin had occasional legit road shows appearing at the theater for six days. Its three big attractions were South Pacific, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Call Me Madam.
Too loose or tight, the Trylon is too great great a treasure to lose.
During the 60s, I lived in Rego Park when the Trylon, Drake and Elmwood were in full operation. They were all maintained with the Elmwood getting the first run films. I remember seeing THE CINNCINATI KID at the Elmwood one afternoon when all of New York was at a stanstill because of the subway strike, and I also remember seeing the ticket seller with lit candle sitting guard in the Drake’s ticket booth the night of the first blackout. I agree the Trylon is too great a treasure too loose.
According to a poster on a light pole on Brady Street, there is going to be a Heaveymetal Fest at the Modjeska this July 30-31st, 2004. Ninety bands will perform during the two day event. I do hope the grand old lady of Mitchell Street can survive this.
The Alhambra was a money maker for Warner Theaters. They usally offered action Bs and reissuses. During the 50s with the stiff competition from televison and blockbusters at the other downtown houses, The Alhambra alwaus had a crowd. Randolph Scott, Audie Murphy and Warner gangster reissuses were shown often. The upper balcony was always filled with sailors from The Great Lakes Naval Base and their Milwaukee girl friends.
TheAlhambra did show some big pictures. Laurence Olivier"s Hamlet played a road show engagement. Streetcar Named Desire and Life with Father also were road show engagements.
For years the Riverside was showing mainly RKO and Universal films with a steady diet of hard-boiled mysteries and action pictures. In the war years of the 40s and following into the 50s the Riverside offered stage shows. These were not hard ticket but continuos stage show and a feature film. Blackstone the Magician The Andrew Sisters, Les Paul and Mary Ford and Johnny Ray were some of the headliners. Even Esther Williams and Ben Gage were booked into the Riverside for a six day engagement. Jimmy Dorsey and his band hold the attendance record for a one week engagement.
Most of the year the Riverside just showed movies. Rarely did they have a blockbuster. During the 40s they did have a few big hits (Bells of St Marys, Best Years of our Lives,The Bishop’s Wife, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Buck Privates Come Home) but most of the time they had George Raft/Robert Mitchum RKO films or RKO releases with stars who where at the end of their careers. In the early 50s the Riverside dropped the RKO connection and booked some big MGM pictures (Father of the Bride, Royal Wedding, Showboat, Mogombo, An Americam in Paris,Seven Brides for Seven Brothers) and soon the Riverside was showing hit movies from other studios also (African Queen, From Here to Eternity, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Shane). For all of the 50s and the early 60s The Riverside became the flagship filmhouse of downtown Milwaukee showing first run blockbusters. In the 60s United Artist took over the theater and the decline came.
Always considered a neighborhood theater, in 1949 the Varsity did have a road show engagement of THE RED SHOES.
In the 1940s the Modjeska was one of two neighborhood theaters in Milwaukee that had daily matinees. The other being the Granada which was directly across the street. Both theaters occasionally showed Polish films. Usually, the Polish films were at the Granada on Mondays and Tuesdays but sometimes the Modjeska would featue a Polish film on Tues-Wed-Thur.