The McVickers was leased by B&K as a 30 year lease from 1937-1966. JLS had a 99-year lease previously, but after they defaulted on it the Board of Education took possession. The 1962 deal did involve some refurbishment such as paint, carpeted rows, and other things. It is unclear to me, then, how JLS was involved in 1962. The McVickers closed to Cinerama on September 11, 1966. Sill under the Nederlanders, first show this time around was “Half a Sixpence” for 7 weeks starting Nov. 1, then “On A Clear Day YOu Can See Forever from Dec. 19 to Jan 28, followed by the open run of Fiddler from Jan 30 to Oct 21. Man of La Mancha came on Nov. 8 and ran for 22 weeks. It then went back to movies with a reserved seat engagement of "Gone With The Wind”. The Nederlanders, as the Diana Theater Co., retained the lease until 1984, when they closed it (though it had long ceased as a legit house and was instead showing X-Rated, rock westerns, and the like in the interim).
Citicorp then assumed the lease , because the Board of Education had sold it to Citicorp’s predecessor, First Federal, in 1979, and Diana was not maintaining it. Citing an unstable facade, but perhaps more likely an excuse to get a tax drain off the books, Citicorp demolished it in 1985. The soft review was by Thomas Willis, while the harsh one was by Claudia Cassidy.
It is unlikely that it ever hosted vaudeville, as the Calo has no evidence of a stage or curtain. Ascher Bros. theaters were frequently film-only. It should have been a bowling alley in the era you recall.
In December 1961, Jones Linick and Shaefer finally sold the McVickers, to a syndicate composed of the Nederlanders, Herman Bernstein from New York, and the Smerlings, of the Chicago-based Confection Cabinet company, which operated theater concessions around Chicago. The idea was that it would replace the Erlanger theater, which closed March 10, 1962 with “Bye Bye Birdie” and was demolished one month later to make way for the Civic Center. The McVickers with “Do Re Mi” opened Jan 30 1962. The Tribune makes no mention of delays, except to say that the house was not really ready, and that the horrendous sound had to be fixed by lots of microphones and blasting speakers. In the review of the play, the Trib’s comment on the suitability of the house says, “the orchestra pit is too small for the band. Patrons in the front seats may get stiff necks from looking up, and it seemed a country mile to the back of the balcony.” However, 5 days later, their other theater critic published a scathing review of the theater itself, opening with, “The unaccustomed silence in this corner about the reopening of the McVickers as a legitimate theatre is not due to awe, just to plain, unadulterated shock.” She described the theater as “kind of a tunnel with a sky-high stage stuck up at one end, a distant balcony at the other, and the main floor has a huge motion picture projection booth… the walls are lugubriously draped with mournful curtains, the seats are push-backs at an odd angle, the orchestra pit is a horror with most of the players shoved under the stage, the others trailing up the side aisles.” The play, she said, was a cut-rate version of Guys and Dolls. She continues, “It is true that the management is losing the Erlanger for reasons beyond its control, and that it had to move fast to open the substitute house. It is just as true that the house is unsatisfactory in every aspect except possibly the boxoffice, and that little dabs of remodeling will not help. Myself, I would not suggest a thing except to tear it down and start over. It only lasted four weeks, followed by "Irma la Douce” for another four, and “La Plume de Ma Tante” for eight. Following this, they threw in the towel and began preparing for conversion to Cinerama.
No, it doesn’t. It’s a neat facade though, and a very odd location – you rarely see a theater of this size that’s not on a major commercial street. I can only think of a couple other theaters that are in similar locations.
Navy Pier IMAX was CO
Bloomingdale
Rivertree Court
River Oaks
Chicago Ridge (opened under Essaness)
North Riverside
Nova 8, Naperville (Opened 1992 as Westridge)
The three I.C.E. theaters were effectively CO
Quarry 14, Hodgkins – Apparently the last to open in the area as CO
In 1996 CO had announced plans for a 14-screen at Scottsdale Shopping Centre that likely would not have replaced Ford City fully. They got so far as clearing the site for construction before the City Council denied a zoning change. There were also plans for a 9-14 screen next to Great America and a 14-10 screen in Addison which received approval.
The Old Orchard theaters were planned as early as 1986, at the time it was to be a 8-screen. The Woodfield Mall theaters were the last to open under the Plitt name; Ridge Plaza was begun as a Plitt project (which may explain its unusually large size). 900 N Michigan was going to be 4 screens under Plitt but decreased to 2 when CO took over. Incidentally, opening Oct. 3, 1986, the Ridge Plaza and Grove theater complexes were the first to bear the CO name in the market.
This entry should be edited to refer only to the One Schaumburg Place cinemas. One Schaumburg Place, when first announced, was supposed to have had Kohl’s and Marshall’s stores as anchors in addition to the various anchors that failed financially soon after the opening of the doomed mall. Perhaps it could have survived.
Today’s major street collapse due to a broken water main occurred immediately in front of the building that previously included the Rosewood theater. A portion of the former lobby sidewall is visible in many of the shots.
The McVickers was leased by B&K as a 30 year lease from 1937-1966. JLS had a 99-year lease previously, but after they defaulted on it the Board of Education took possession. The 1962 deal did involve some refurbishment such as paint, carpeted rows, and other things. It is unclear to me, then, how JLS was involved in 1962. The McVickers closed to Cinerama on September 11, 1966. Sill under the Nederlanders, first show this time around was “Half a Sixpence” for 7 weeks starting Nov. 1, then “On A Clear Day YOu Can See Forever from Dec. 19 to Jan 28, followed by the open run of Fiddler from Jan 30 to Oct 21. Man of La Mancha came on Nov. 8 and ran for 22 weeks. It then went back to movies with a reserved seat engagement of "Gone With The Wind”. The Nederlanders, as the Diana Theater Co., retained the lease until 1984, when they closed it (though it had long ceased as a legit house and was instead showing X-Rated, rock westerns, and the like in the interim).
Citicorp then assumed the lease , because the Board of Education had sold it to Citicorp’s predecessor, First Federal, in 1979, and Diana was not maintaining it. Citing an unstable facade, but perhaps more likely an excuse to get a tax drain off the books, Citicorp demolished it in 1985. The soft review was by Thomas Willis, while the harsh one was by Claudia Cassidy.
It is unlikely that it ever hosted vaudeville, as the Calo has no evidence of a stage or curtain. Ascher Bros. theaters were frequently film-only. It should have been a bowling alley in the era you recall.
In December 1961, Jones Linick and Shaefer finally sold the McVickers, to a syndicate composed of the Nederlanders, Herman Bernstein from New York, and the Smerlings, of the Chicago-based Confection Cabinet company, which operated theater concessions around Chicago. The idea was that it would replace the Erlanger theater, which closed March 10, 1962 with “Bye Bye Birdie” and was demolished one month later to make way for the Civic Center. The McVickers with “Do Re Mi” opened Jan 30 1962. The Tribune makes no mention of delays, except to say that the house was not really ready, and that the horrendous sound had to be fixed by lots of microphones and blasting speakers. In the review of the play, the Trib’s comment on the suitability of the house says, “the orchestra pit is too small for the band. Patrons in the front seats may get stiff necks from looking up, and it seemed a country mile to the back of the balcony.” However, 5 days later, their other theater critic published a scathing review of the theater itself, opening with, “The unaccustomed silence in this corner about the reopening of the McVickers as a legitimate theatre is not due to awe, just to plain, unadulterated shock.” She described the theater as “kind of a tunnel with a sky-high stage stuck up at one end, a distant balcony at the other, and the main floor has a huge motion picture projection booth… the walls are lugubriously draped with mournful curtains, the seats are push-backs at an odd angle, the orchestra pit is a horror with most of the players shoved under the stage, the others trailing up the side aisles.” The play, she said, was a cut-rate version of Guys and Dolls. She continues, “It is true that the management is losing the Erlanger for reasons beyond its control, and that it had to move fast to open the substitute house. It is just as true that the house is unsatisfactory in every aspect except possibly the boxoffice, and that little dabs of remodeling will not help. Myself, I would not suggest a thing except to tear it down and start over. It only lasted four weeks, followed by "Irma la Douce” for another four, and “La Plume de Ma Tante” for eight. Following this, they threw in the towel and began preparing for conversion to Cinerama.
Eddie Foy was at the Iroquois disaster.
One of many identical multiplexes built by the Sony Theaters chain.
It appears that the Portage reopened as a twin under M&R on or near March 5, 1981.
No, it doesn’t. It’s a neat facade though, and a very odd location – you rarely see a theater of this size that’s not on a major commercial street. I can only think of a couple other theaters that are in similar locations.
Henry Plitt died in February 1993.
Navy Pier IMAX was CO
Bloomingdale
Rivertree Court
River Oaks
Chicago Ridge (opened under Essaness)
North Riverside
Nova 8, Naperville (Opened 1992 as Westridge)
The three I.C.E. theaters were effectively CO
Quarry 14, Hodgkins – Apparently the last to open in the area as CO
In 1996 CO had announced plans for a 14-screen at Scottsdale Shopping Centre that likely would not have replaced Ford City fully. They got so far as clearing the site for construction before the City Council denied a zoning change. There were also plans for a 9-14 screen next to Great America and a 14-10 screen in Addison which received approval.
The Old Orchard theaters were planned as early as 1986, at the time it was to be a 8-screen. The Woodfield Mall theaters were the last to open under the Plitt name; Ridge Plaza was begun as a Plitt project (which may explain its unusually large size). 900 N Michigan was going to be 4 screens under Plitt but decreased to 2 when CO took over. Incidentally, opening Oct. 3, 1986, the Ridge Plaza and Grove theater complexes were the first to bear the CO name in the market.
This entry should be edited to refer only to the One Schaumburg Place cinemas. One Schaumburg Place, when first announced, was supposed to have had Kohl’s and Marshall’s stores as anchors in addition to the various anchors that failed financially soon after the opening of the doomed mall. Perhaps it could have survived.
Initially announced as an 8 screen.
This was initially announced as “Danada Square”
Never realized that was a scarab in the window. Cool.
Today’s major street collapse due to a broken water main occurred immediately in front of the building that previously included the Rosewood theater. A portion of the former lobby sidewall is visible in many of the shots.
View link
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Some research has indicated that Rapp’s involvement may have been limited to the elaborately themed and now lost mens and women’s lounges
Here is a better scan of the Majestic Bar’s interior. Again, this is now the ticket lobby.
Two years on now, and we still have a pit. BRAVO JOE MOORE!
Here is an early view
Here is an early view
This appears to depict the rear wall of the vic, facing the El platform
Here is an early postcard of the lobby.
Here is a 1940s view
Here is a 1940s view
Here is a photo of the Shangri-La’s interior while it was a restaurant.
Here is a great postcard view.
Here is an early handbill for the Columbia. Here is another, with a picture.
Here is a postcard of the second McVickers. (Pre-1920s)