FORT WORTH—The shell of the historic 7th Street Theatre could be bulldozed as early as Monday if the nonprofit group that owns the property opts to reactivate its demolition permit. What’s left of the building, at 3128 W. Seventh St., has been protected from demolition for the past six months in hopes that an alternative use could be found. That stay expires at midnight tonight, clearing the way for the FPA Foundation to reinstitute its demolition certificate.
CAMDEN, N. J- Fifty children singing songs projected on a screen were told there was a fire in the theater’s projection booth and marched safely outside today, without interrupting their vocal harmony. Manager Morris W. Cummings discovered the fire in the 300-seat Elm Theater 25 minutes after the matinee began, hurriedly opened the exit doors and instructed the children to leave. John Armstrong, 35, of Maple Shade, N.J, projectionist, was singed by flames that spurted from film caught in the projection machine. Loss was slight.
The predecessor to the Madison was called the Opera House and then the Madison until a fire in 1929:
Another costly fire that oldtimers remember destroyed the old Opera House, or Madison Theater, at Park Avenue West and Walnut Street on February 10, 1929. Two men lost their lives in that disaster when they were crushed following the collapse of the west wall of the theater.
The Opera House, later named the Madison, was the city’s leading theater for many years. The entrance was off Park Avenue West next to the Baptist Church which stood on the site of the Farmers Bank. Soon after the rubble of the theater fire was cleared away, the Madison Theater we know today was built on the site.
There was an explosion in the theater in June 1975:
Bomb rips theater; $3,000 damage
A pipebomb caused an estimated $3,000 damage early Thursday to the lobby of the Willow Park Theater in Wheeling Township. The bomb was the second in two months at the theater, which is scheduled to open July 4, and the theater was the second in the Chicago-area that was bombed during the early morning.
THE FIRST OF the two bombs exploded in the lobby of the Meadowbrook Cinema in Downers Grove at 2:17 a.m. Downers Grove police said the bombs caused an estimated $5,000 to $8,000 damage to the theater and two adjacent stores. The Cinema had been in operation for almost a year, police said.
Here is an article about the Andalusia dated 12/8/77:
Vandalism, crime may write Bensalem landmark’s obituary
When my editor recently told me to do a story on the closing of the Andalusia Drive-In, I was just as surprised as the next guy. Had the outdoor movie closed? How come we haven’t gotten any letters or calls about it from its loyal fans out there? Good question. But a better question is this. Is the theater, now boarded up and chained shut, really dead, or is it just in hibernation for the long, cold winter? “That’s one of the great question marks,” said David Weinstein, who should know. He’s general manager of Hellman Theaters, the New Jersey firm operating the Andalusia and Lincoln Drive-Ins in Bensalem Township.
Weinstein gave a non-committal “yes-and-no” type answer. Yes, the theater is closed and is also up for sale to the highest bidder; but no, the neighborhood drive-in may not be dead yet. “I imagine it will open in the spring as a theater,” added Weinstein, by way of explanation. But it appears as though that may be a last resort. Because in practically the same breath, Weinstein mentioned “there is enough acreage there for a lumber yard, a food store or restaurant.” He is willing to sell the ground as long as anything but another theater is opened. After all, that would be competition for our other theaters,“ Weinslein said. However, judging from the Andalusia’s recent history, another theater might have a hard time of it. Looking back to 1963 in the Bucks County Courier Times newspaper clipping files, it becomes clear the theater has gained the most publicity from the vandalism and crime it has suffered.
There were reports after reports of break-ins, suspicious fires and robberies. Last September, the problem peaked when a 17-year-old Philadelphia girl was raped and her boyfriend seriously beaten by a gang of youths. According to Weinstein, the crime was a terrible nuisance, but the recent “drop-off in customers was the final straw in deciding to close the more than a quarter-century old drive-in.
"This will be the first winter the Andalusia will be closed since it opened in the early 1950s,” said Weinstein. “I blame it on the neighborhood kids who tore the place apart.” How bad has the damage been? Weinstein gave two examples. He said he spent $5,700 last spring to replace fencing around the theater which was gradually torn to pieces by youths. A continuing problem, he said, has been the thefts of portable heaters used in cars during the winter months.
“I used to be able to buy the heaters for $12 each,” Weinstein said. “Now they’re $29 apiece, and the kids rip them off because they think they can use them at home. They can’t. Their home voltage doesn’t match that of the heaters.” Weinstein, who doesn’t have any doubt “neighborhood kids” are behind the vandalism, said he doesn’t know why the destruction continues. According to Bensalem Township police, the destruction has been particularly bad the last six months. Lawrence Michaels, township police chief, said youths, not necessarily from the neighborhood, have been involved in fighting, smashing windows and breaking in to the theater’s concession stand. Those responsible, who are hardly ever caught, are hit-and-run vandals from the city and also local youths, Michaels
said.
“The neighbors evidently resent the theater,” concluded Weinstein. “Yet the theater has been there long before many in the neighborhood.” Police verify Andalusia residents are not all that happy about the drive-in. They have complained of the noise of the loudspeakers at night and the litter and trash, allegedly from the theater, which winds up in their yards. According to one police officer, residents along Colonial and Walnut Avenues will be most pleased to see the theater’s closing. But Weinstein still remembers better times. “The Andalusia was always a family-type theater,” he said. “I remember when it had a playground with swings and sliding boards.” Like so much else there, however, the playground fell victim to the vandals, he said.
At one time, things were much different. The Andalusia’s heyday was in the 1950s, according to a former theater employee. Frank Harper, of Cornwells Heights, who worked for both the Andalusia and Lincoln for 17 years, saw some of the happy times. “The kids would go to the drive-in to make love, not see the picture,” said Harper. “There were none of these X-rated movies and entire families could go to the drive-ins, too.” As far as Harper is concerned, though, Andalusia had always had less business than the Lincoln. “Cars used to line up on Roosevelt Boulevard from the Lincoln in Trevose to Byberry Road in Northeast Philadelphia,” Harper remembered. “The Andalusia never enjoyed that type of business.” But the cars used to “bottle up” Route 13 for the Andalusia just the same, said Harper.
Although he hasn’t been involved in the theaters' operations since 1964, he believes times have changed since he depended on young people from the Mayfair and Kensington sections of Philadelphia for customers. Weinstein agrees. “People have come from as far away as Chester,” Weinstein said. “They take I-95.” The now dark screen at Andalusia is the site of one of the oldest drive-ins in the Philadelphia area. According to Weinstein, the Lincoln, one of the oldest drive-ins in the country, is just a few years older than Andalusia. Whether the Andalusia’s obituary has been written today remains to be seen.
Here is an article about the demolition dated 8/10/84:
Wreckers raze Hatboro Theater
Demolition workers on Thursday began to level the Hatboro Theater to make way for a new Wendy’s fast food restaurant. The theater died for lack of parking, said Claude J. Schlanger, president of Budco Theaters. The theater, at 43 N. York Road, Hatboro, provided silver screen entertainment for 40 years in the borough. The last film, “Terms of Endearment,” was shown on July 22.
The 500-seat theater could have been divided to provide twin screens, but there was not enough parking to make it worth “twinning,” said Schlanger. The theater parking lot has 100 spaces, but, ideally, it should have 400, he said. “We probably could have gotten away with 200 parking spaces there,” said Schlanger. He said some of the existing parking spaces were taken up by nontheater patrons unable to find parking elsewhere in the borough. “Hatboro is a terrible place to park,” Schlanger said.
The “multiplexes,” theaters with up to 10 screens, are replacing the single-screen theaters in shopping centers where parking is abundant, said Schlanger. “The more screens, the better the
business,” he said. “With only a single screen, It’s difficult to book pictures,” Schlanger said. The Hatboro Theater did not have a stage or the significant historical qualities that might
have attracted efforts to save it, said W. Charles Schrader, who played a central role in the effort to preserve the Keswick Theater In Glenslde from demolition. The Keswick Theater opened 55
years ago with a vaudeville stage and a movie screen. It continued as a commercial movie theater until 1980. The Glenside Landmarks Society, which now owns and operates the Keswick, obtained the theater in 1982. The stage is now used for plays, shows and concerts, attracting regionally and nationally-known artists. The building now is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“It’s doing well on live performances,” said Schrader, “but we would consider offering classic movies.” He said the landmarks society is looking into acquiring the 35-millimeter projectors that were used in the Hatboro Theater.
Final Curtain: Reasons for Kewaskum Theater’s Death Varied
KEWASKUM, June 2 â€" The final curtain came down on the Kewaskum Theater Sunday night. Its doors have been closed after providing movie entertainment for the past 20 years. Outside, the marquee that once advertised current films or coming attractions, Monday morning held this brief, but to the point, message “Theater Closedâ€"building
for sale.”
Willful damage to the interior and lack of respect by the youth plus lack of adult patronage were the reasons cited by Kilian A. Honeck in announcing the closing. He and his wife took over the management about 15 years ago, mainly to keep the theater going so there would be entertainment for the young people, he said. “Topaz,” an Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller may live in some moviegoers' memories. It was the last movie to be shown.
The idea of a movie theater for Kewaskum originated in 1949. Instrumental in the plans were Dr. F.E. Nolting, a local dentist, and Atty. Lyle W. Bartelt who had a law practice here then. Bartelt now lives in Florida. The first plans, it was learned, were aimed at a combined theater and bowling alley project. The bowling alley idea “fizzled out” while the theater idea was earnestly pursued. Some 40 local businessmen formed and became stockholders in the Kewaskum Community Theater Corp. On June 2, 1949, the articles of
incorporation were written.
The newly-formed group voted to buy the property on Fond du Lac Avenue where the late Dr. and Mrs. George F. Brandt had lived. The home and an adjoining building, in which Brandt conducted a veterinary office, were moved from the site to make way for the theater that would seat 450 persons. Opened and dedicated in the fall of 1949, it was as comfortable and up-to-date as any in the area, one of the stockholders stated.
The first president of the theater corporation was the late George Hansen who equipped the building with all facilities. He managed for about five years while his son, Floyd, was projectionist. A serious heart attack forced the senior Hansen to leave the business. About
then, a Milwaukee man by the name of Paul Frazier was theater manager for about three months, Honeck said. Around that same time, he stated, the theater was closed for about three months due to a polio epidemic.
There were two shows nightly plus a Sunday matinee when the theater opened but the schedule dwindled to Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night showings plus a Sunday matinee. The last few years movies were shown only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. One of the shareholders commented that “the theater was built on the premise that it would be a place of entertainment, but that it came a little too late because television began to surge in popularity in the early 1950s”. Honeck goes along with the theory that television had some effect on theater attendance but “more so in the early 50s than now.”
KANSAS CITY â€" The Army is seeking a motive for the crime that cost twice-decorated Maj. Russell E. Parker, 40, his life. Parker was shot to death by John E. Duggan, manager of the downtown Roxy theater as he tried to flee with a metal cash box containing $508. Sprawled on a sidewalk, Parker died under the garish lights of the theater marquee.
The combat-wounded veteran reported in August to the Army’s Command and General Staff College at nearby Ft. Leavenworth. Col.Jerry Sage, his class supervisor, said the major’s widow reported Parker’s parents had incurred large bills in recent months and Parker may have wanted help them.
Here is an article from the Syracuse Herald Journal dated 10/31/97:
COMPANY SNAPSHOT
Name of business: Hollywood Theater
Location: 2221 Brewerton Road, Mattydale
Owner: Conrad Zurich
Type of business: A 400-seat one-screen discount theater,
which shows second-run movies at a price of $1.50 per seat
($1 on Tuesdays).
Number of employees: 12
How long in business: Since 1966
Market area: All of Onondaga County
Owner’s former occupation: He has been in the theater business
all his life. His company, Zurich Cinema Corp. in Fayetteville,
runs 50 screens in New York and Pennsylvania. He also owns a
second-run theater at the Tri-County Mall in Baldwinsville.
Why did you start a business: “I just enjoy the theater business,"Zurich said. "My father was a film salesman."
Best part of owning a business: Running a place where people come for a good time.
Worst part: Nothing major, just the "normal aggravation of business, no one specific bad part”.
Philosophy for running a successful business: “Keep the customer happy,” Zurich said.
Advice for others starting a business: Be prepared to work long hours, Zurich said.
What’s new? The theater, concession stand and bathrooms have been refurbished recently.
How do you pick the movies? “We try to keep a mix of family and teen and adult pictures,” Zurich said. “And we try to pick the best of the first-run pictures to play, and the ones that we feel will have the widest audience with a heavy emphasis on family.” Some of Zurich’s theaters are first run, so he sees all the movies in advance.
How has owning a theater changed in 30 years: “It’s completely changed,” Zurich said. “I think the quality of the picture that we’re giving to the public is better, both in content and in special effects.” He also said the movie theaters themselves have gotten better.
What about competition from new theaters? “We really have a different market than the firstrun theaters charging $7 or $7.50.”
Gerald Taylor, assistant manager of the Stanford Theater, has admitted his report of a $400 holdup Sunday night was a hoax, Police Captain Guy Wathen reported. Taylor and an ex-boxer companion,
Enrico Morris, have been booked at city jail on suspicion of grand theft, Wathen said yesterday. In his report to police, Taylor said a gun was pressed to his back as he was changing lights on the theater marquee. He said a gunman forced him to open a safe and then fled with the money in three bank sacks.
Under questioning, Wathen said Taylor broke down and confessed that he had taken the money and given it to Morris, who was sitting in a nearby car. Wathen said $290 of the stolen money has been recovered from a Greyhound bus depot safety box. Morris, who fought four heavyweight fights under the name of Ric Garro in 1949, admitted spending $40, said Wathen. Some $70 is still missing.
Here is an account of a fire in the theater on 12/15/51:
Elko’s Theater Badly Damaged
$60,000 Fire Occurs Early in Morning
Early yesterday morning at Elko, damage estimated by the owner at $60,000 was caused when a fire of undetermined origin destroyed the front portion of the Hunter Theater. The fire was discovered
shortly after 3 a.m. and wasn’t fully controlled by firemen working in sub-zero weather for three hours. Two adjacent apartments were damaged by the flames, which destroyed the theater’s projection room. Jack Hunter, Jr., owner of the building, suffered painful burns and other injuries when the projection room floor collapsed while he was trying to save several reels of movie film, later saved by firemen.
Mr. and Mrs. Leo Gibson, occupants of the damaged apartments were trapped for several minutes on the theater marquee before fire men rescued them. Guests in the adjacent Commercial Hotel, separated from the theater by a firewall, were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Nearly 100 of them trooped from their rooms into the sub-zero weather. Occupants of eight apartments in an adjacent building were also evacuated and several business offices had to find other quarters temporarily today.
Hunter said it would be necessary to replace all but the first ten rows of seats in the 800-seat theater, built in 1927. Hunter estimated it would take about four months to rebuild the damaged portion of the theater.
I must have missed Stillwater on my Route 66 trip this summer. I would have liked to see this theater. Here is a description of some mayhem at the Leachman on August 7, 1956:
Bloody Youth Screams Wild Crazy Threats
Brandishing a long-barreled .22 caliber revolver, a blood-spattered teenager in tee shirt and blue jeans terrorized employees at a late movie last night. The unidentified youth fired one shot at night house manager Keith Eaton, 21, before fleeing. Capt. Glenn Shirley of the Stillwater Police Department told this story:
A boy, described as about 16 years old, argued with Mrs. Yvonne Lacey, a cashier at the Leachman Theater. The boy claimed that Ms. Lacey “shortchanged” him 25 cents. Climbing onto the roof of the theater marquee, the boy screamed into the window of the theater office, apparently to the manager, “You will pay for this.” Then he climbed down and raced three blocks away to Murphy’s Sports Shop where he broke a glass door with a rock and took a .22 caliber revolver and ammunition from a display case. Returning to the theater, he jammed the pistol into Larry Bass, an usher, and commanded him to lead the way to the manager’s office. At the top of the stairs, they were met by Eaton who said the youth fired between his legs, then turned and fled.
This is from the Stevens Point Daily Journal dated 7/22/55:
Lyric Marquee Tells Of Plans For Opening Soon
The Lyric theater, closed since mid May, is scheduled to open on Friday, July 29, according to an announcement on the marquee of the building. Theater officials were not available today for
comment on the announcement A remodeling project has been under way at the theater, including the installation of new seats. The Lyric is owned by Gran Enterprises, Inc., also the owners of the Highway 51 Outdoor, currently operating despite a dispute with the Motion Picture Projectionists' union. The outdoor theater is picketed each evening. The Fox theater, closed since May 2, has made no announcement regarding re-opening. It was closed “for business reasons.”
Here is an excerpt from a 1990 article about the marquee:
A loftier beautification idea surfaced last week when the head of the Landmark Theatre proposed installing a curved, 1940s-era marquee over the theater entrance at 362 S. Salina St. at a cost of about $100,000. “I think this project is great,” Landmark Executive Director Frank Malfitano said of the beautification. “But it lacks a centerpiece.” Malfitano said the marquee could be the centerpiece that draws the public’s attention to the improved downtown. A similar project in Chicago has great success, he said.
Malfitano said the marquee could draw attention to the theater, which may draw in more shows, more customers and more people downtown. City Development Director Joe Mareane said the city wants to name the 300 block of South Salina Street the Landmark Theatre district. He said the city is interested in the marquee plan, but that none of the $10 million can go to the project. The law says that money has to be spent on city-owned property or public rights of way, he said. Mareane said the city has a special plan for the 300 block. It has asked the state for $300,000, which would be lent to businesses there at low interest for facade improvements.
If he kept driving into the marquee, why didn’t he figure out a different route?
http://tinyurl.com/yfq4pt
Where was the wet floor sign?
http://tinyurl.com/ykwzn6
Fix my marquee forthwith:
http://tinyurl.com/yfryss
This lawsuit shows a different address for the theater:
http://tinyurl.com/ymgy2q
Looks like status should be closed/demolished:
http://tinyurl.com/y2n262
Here is a July 2000 article about the possible demolition of the theater:
http://tinyurl.com/y6xfwe
This news article is dated 10/12/02:
FORT WORTH—The shell of the historic 7th Street Theatre could be bulldozed as early as Monday if the nonprofit group that owns the property opts to reactivate its demolition permit. What’s left of the building, at 3128 W. Seventh St., has been protected from demolition for the past six months in hopes that an alternative use could be found. That stay expires at midnight tonight, clearing the way for the FPA Foundation to reinstitute its demolition certificate.
Here is a view of the Metropolitan marquee from the other end of Broadway in 1926:
http://jpg2.lapl.org/pics49/00059101.jpg
There was a fire in the theater on 7/7/47:
Projection Booth Afire; Children Leave Theater
CAMDEN, N. J- Fifty children singing songs projected on a screen were told there was a fire in the theater’s projection booth and marched safely outside today, without interrupting their vocal harmony. Manager Morris W. Cummings discovered the fire in the 300-seat Elm Theater 25 minutes after the matinee began, hurriedly opened the exit doors and instructed the children to leave. John Armstrong, 35, of Maple Shade, N.J, projectionist, was singed by flames that spurted from film caught in the projection machine. Loss was slight.
The County opened as the Strand in 1925. After a fire, the theater re-opened as the County in September 1938.
The predecessor to the Madison was called the Opera House and then the Madison until a fire in 1929:
Another costly fire that oldtimers remember destroyed the old Opera House, or Madison Theater, at Park Avenue West and Walnut Street on February 10, 1929. Two men lost their lives in that disaster when they were crushed following the collapse of the west wall of the theater.
The Opera House, later named the Madison, was the city’s leading theater for many years. The entrance was off Park Avenue West next to the Baptist Church which stood on the site of the Farmers Bank. Soon after the rubble of the theater fire was cleared away, the Madison Theater we know today was built on the site.
There was an explosion in the theater in June 1975:
Bomb rips theater; $3,000 damage
A pipebomb caused an estimated $3,000 damage early Thursday to the lobby of the Willow Park Theater in Wheeling Township. The bomb was the second in two months at the theater, which is scheduled to open July 4, and the theater was the second in the Chicago-area that was bombed during the early morning.
THE FIRST OF the two bombs exploded in the lobby of the Meadowbrook Cinema in Downers Grove at 2:17 a.m. Downers Grove police said the bombs caused an estimated $5,000 to $8,000 damage to the theater and two adjacent stores. The Cinema had been in operation for almost a year, police said.
Here are some photos by Seth Gaines:
http://tinyurl.com/yj8xau
Here is an article about the Andalusia dated 12/8/77:
Vandalism, crime may write Bensalem landmark’s obituary
When my editor recently told me to do a story on the closing of the Andalusia Drive-In, I was just as surprised as the next guy. Had the outdoor movie closed? How come we haven’t gotten any letters or calls about it from its loyal fans out there? Good question. But a better question is this. Is the theater, now boarded up and chained shut, really dead, or is it just in hibernation for the long, cold winter? “That’s one of the great question marks,” said David Weinstein, who should know. He’s general manager of Hellman Theaters, the New Jersey firm operating the Andalusia and Lincoln Drive-Ins in Bensalem Township.
Weinstein gave a non-committal “yes-and-no” type answer. Yes, the theater is closed and is also up for sale to the highest bidder; but no, the neighborhood drive-in may not be dead yet. “I imagine it will open in the spring as a theater,” added Weinstein, by way of explanation. But it appears as though that may be a last resort. Because in practically the same breath, Weinstein mentioned “there is enough acreage there for a lumber yard, a food store or restaurant.” He is willing to sell the ground as long as anything but another theater is opened. After all, that would be competition for our other theaters,“ Weinslein said. However, judging from the Andalusia’s recent history, another theater might have a hard time of it. Looking back to 1963 in the Bucks County Courier Times newspaper clipping files, it becomes clear the theater has gained the most publicity from the vandalism and crime it has suffered.
There were reports after reports of break-ins, suspicious fires and robberies. Last September, the problem peaked when a 17-year-old Philadelphia girl was raped and her boyfriend seriously beaten by a gang of youths. According to Weinstein, the crime was a terrible nuisance, but the recent “drop-off in customers was the final straw in deciding to close the more than a quarter-century old drive-in.
"This will be the first winter the Andalusia will be closed since it opened in the early 1950s,” said Weinstein. “I blame it on the neighborhood kids who tore the place apart.” How bad has the damage been? Weinstein gave two examples. He said he spent $5,700 last spring to replace fencing around the theater which was gradually torn to pieces by youths. A continuing problem, he said, has been the thefts of portable heaters used in cars during the winter months.
“I used to be able to buy the heaters for $12 each,” Weinstein said. “Now they’re $29 apiece, and the kids rip them off because they think they can use them at home. They can’t. Their home voltage doesn’t match that of the heaters.” Weinstein, who doesn’t have any doubt “neighborhood kids” are behind the vandalism, said he doesn’t know why the destruction continues. According to Bensalem Township police, the destruction has been particularly bad the last six months. Lawrence Michaels, township police chief, said youths, not necessarily from the neighborhood, have been involved in fighting, smashing windows and breaking in to the theater’s concession stand. Those responsible, who are hardly ever caught, are hit-and-run vandals from the city and also local youths, Michaels
said.
“The neighbors evidently resent the theater,” concluded Weinstein. “Yet the theater has been there long before many in the neighborhood.” Police verify Andalusia residents are not all that happy about the drive-in. They have complained of the noise of the loudspeakers at night and the litter and trash, allegedly from the theater, which winds up in their yards. According to one police officer, residents along Colonial and Walnut Avenues will be most pleased to see the theater’s closing. But Weinstein still remembers better times. “The Andalusia was always a family-type theater,” he said. “I remember when it had a playground with swings and sliding boards.” Like so much else there, however, the playground fell victim to the vandals, he said.
At one time, things were much different. The Andalusia’s heyday was in the 1950s, according to a former theater employee. Frank Harper, of Cornwells Heights, who worked for both the Andalusia and Lincoln for 17 years, saw some of the happy times. “The kids would go to the drive-in to make love, not see the picture,” said Harper. “There were none of these X-rated movies and entire families could go to the drive-ins, too.” As far as Harper is concerned, though, Andalusia had always had less business than the Lincoln. “Cars used to line up on Roosevelt Boulevard from the Lincoln in Trevose to Byberry Road in Northeast Philadelphia,” Harper remembered. “The Andalusia never enjoyed that type of business.” But the cars used to “bottle up” Route 13 for the Andalusia just the same, said Harper.
Although he hasn’t been involved in the theaters' operations since 1964, he believes times have changed since he depended on young people from the Mayfair and Kensington sections of Philadelphia for customers. Weinstein agrees. “People have come from as far away as Chester,” Weinstein said. “They take I-95.” The now dark screen at Andalusia is the site of one of the oldest drive-ins in the Philadelphia area. According to Weinstein, the Lincoln, one of the oldest drive-ins in the country, is just a few years older than Andalusia. Whether the Andalusia’s obituary has been written today remains to be seen.
Here is an article about the demolition dated 8/10/84:
Wreckers raze Hatboro Theater
Demolition workers on Thursday began to level the Hatboro Theater to make way for a new Wendy’s fast food restaurant. The theater died for lack of parking, said Claude J. Schlanger, president of Budco Theaters. The theater, at 43 N. York Road, Hatboro, provided silver screen entertainment for 40 years in the borough. The last film, “Terms of Endearment,” was shown on July 22.
The 500-seat theater could have been divided to provide twin screens, but there was not enough parking to make it worth “twinning,” said Schlanger. The theater parking lot has 100 spaces, but, ideally, it should have 400, he said. “We probably could have gotten away with 200 parking spaces there,” said Schlanger. He said some of the existing parking spaces were taken up by nontheater patrons unable to find parking elsewhere in the borough. “Hatboro is a terrible place to park,” Schlanger said.
The “multiplexes,” theaters with up to 10 screens, are replacing the single-screen theaters in shopping centers where parking is abundant, said Schlanger. “The more screens, the better the
business,” he said. “With only a single screen, It’s difficult to book pictures,” Schlanger said. The Hatboro Theater did not have a stage or the significant historical qualities that might
have attracted efforts to save it, said W. Charles Schrader, who played a central role in the effort to preserve the Keswick Theater In Glenslde from demolition. The Keswick Theater opened 55
years ago with a vaudeville stage and a movie screen. It continued as a commercial movie theater until 1980. The Glenside Landmarks Society, which now owns and operates the Keswick, obtained the theater in 1982. The stage is now used for plays, shows and concerts, attracting regionally and nationally-known artists. The building now is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“It’s doing well on live performances,” said Schrader, “but we would consider offering classic movies.” He said the landmarks society is looking into acquiring the 35-millimeter projectors that were used in the Hatboro Theater.
End of the road, 6/2/70:
Final Curtain: Reasons for Kewaskum Theater’s Death Varied
KEWASKUM, June 2 â€" The final curtain came down on the Kewaskum Theater Sunday night. Its doors have been closed after providing movie entertainment for the past 20 years. Outside, the marquee that once advertised current films or coming attractions, Monday morning held this brief, but to the point, message “Theater Closedâ€"building
for sale.”
Willful damage to the interior and lack of respect by the youth plus lack of adult patronage were the reasons cited by Kilian A. Honeck in announcing the closing. He and his wife took over the management about 15 years ago, mainly to keep the theater going so there would be entertainment for the young people, he said. “Topaz,” an Alfred Hitchcock spy thriller may live in some moviegoers' memories. It was the last movie to be shown.
The idea of a movie theater for Kewaskum originated in 1949. Instrumental in the plans were Dr. F.E. Nolting, a local dentist, and Atty. Lyle W. Bartelt who had a law practice here then. Bartelt now lives in Florida. The first plans, it was learned, were aimed at a combined theater and bowling alley project. The bowling alley idea “fizzled out” while the theater idea was earnestly pursued. Some 40 local businessmen formed and became stockholders in the Kewaskum Community Theater Corp. On June 2, 1949, the articles of
incorporation were written.
The newly-formed group voted to buy the property on Fond du Lac Avenue where the late Dr. and Mrs. George F. Brandt had lived. The home and an adjoining building, in which Brandt conducted a veterinary office, were moved from the site to make way for the theater that would seat 450 persons. Opened and dedicated in the fall of 1949, it was as comfortable and up-to-date as any in the area, one of the stockholders stated.
The first president of the theater corporation was the late George Hansen who equipped the building with all facilities. He managed for about five years while his son, Floyd, was projectionist. A serious heart attack forced the senior Hansen to leave the business. About
then, a Milwaukee man by the name of Paul Frazier was theater manager for about three months, Honeck said. Around that same time, he stated, the theater was closed for about three months due to a polio epidemic.
There were two shows nightly plus a Sunday matinee when the theater opened but the schedule dwindled to Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday night showings plus a Sunday matinee. The last few years movies were shown only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. One of the shareholders commented that “the theater was built on the premise that it would be a place of entertainment, but that it came a little too late because television began to surge in popularity in the early 1950s”. Honeck goes along with the theory that television had some effect on theater attendance but “more so in the early 50s than now.”
Merry Christmas to hank and all of the CT family.
This article is dated 11/12/58:
Motive Is Sought In Major’s Crime
KANSAS CITY â€" The Army is seeking a motive for the crime that cost twice-decorated Maj. Russell E. Parker, 40, his life. Parker was shot to death by John E. Duggan, manager of the downtown Roxy theater as he tried to flee with a metal cash box containing $508. Sprawled on a sidewalk, Parker died under the garish lights of the theater marquee.
The combat-wounded veteran reported in August to the Army’s Command and General Staff College at nearby Ft. Leavenworth. Col.Jerry Sage, his class supervisor, said the major’s widow reported Parker’s parents had incurred large bills in recent months and Parker may have wanted help them.
Here is an article from the Syracuse Herald Journal dated 10/31/97:
COMPANY SNAPSHOT
Name of business: Hollywood Theater
Location: 2221 Brewerton Road, Mattydale
Owner: Conrad Zurich
Type of business: A 400-seat one-screen discount theater,
which shows second-run movies at a price of $1.50 per seat
($1 on Tuesdays).
Number of employees: 12
How long in business: Since 1966
Market area: All of Onondaga County
Owner’s former occupation: He has been in the theater business
all his life. His company, Zurich Cinema Corp. in Fayetteville,
runs 50 screens in New York and Pennsylvania. He also owns a
second-run theater at the Tri-County Mall in Baldwinsville.
Why did you start a business: “I just enjoy the theater business,"Zurich said. "My father was a film salesman."
Best part of owning a business: Running a place where people come for a good time.
Worst part: Nothing major, just the "normal aggravation of business, no one specific bad part”.
Philosophy for running a successful business: “Keep the customer happy,” Zurich said.
Advice for others starting a business: Be prepared to work long hours, Zurich said.
What’s new? The theater, concession stand and bathrooms have been refurbished recently.
How do you pick the movies? “We try to keep a mix of family and teen and adult pictures,” Zurich said. “And we try to pick the best of the first-run pictures to play, and the ones that we feel will have the widest audience with a heavy emphasis on family.” Some of Zurich’s theaters are first run, so he sees all the movies in advance.
How has owning a theater changed in 30 years: “It’s completely changed,” Zurich said. “I think the quality of the picture that we’re giving to the public is better, both in content and in special effects.” He also said the movie theaters themselves have gotten better.
What about competition from new theaters? “We really have a different market than the firstrun theaters charging $7 or $7.50.”
This is from the Modesto Bee, 11/10/53:
Showhouse Aide Admits Hoax In Holdup Report
Gerald Taylor, assistant manager of the Stanford Theater, has admitted his report of a $400 holdup Sunday night was a hoax, Police Captain Guy Wathen reported. Taylor and an ex-boxer companion,
Enrico Morris, have been booked at city jail on suspicion of grand theft, Wathen said yesterday. In his report to police, Taylor said a gun was pressed to his back as he was changing lights on the theater marquee. He said a gunman forced him to open a safe and then fled with the money in three bank sacks.
Under questioning, Wathen said Taylor broke down and confessed that he had taken the money and given it to Morris, who was sitting in a nearby car. Wathen said $290 of the stolen money has been recovered from a Greyhound bus depot safety box. Morris, who fought four heavyweight fights under the name of Ric Garro in 1949, admitted spending $40, said Wathen. Some $70 is still missing.
The date of the fire was 6/15/49.
Here is an account of a fire in the theater on 12/15/51:
Elko’s Theater Badly Damaged
$60,000 Fire Occurs Early in Morning
Early yesterday morning at Elko, damage estimated by the owner at $60,000 was caused when a fire of undetermined origin destroyed the front portion of the Hunter Theater. The fire was discovered
shortly after 3 a.m. and wasn’t fully controlled by firemen working in sub-zero weather for three hours. Two adjacent apartments were damaged by the flames, which destroyed the theater’s projection room. Jack Hunter, Jr., owner of the building, suffered painful burns and other injuries when the projection room floor collapsed while he was trying to save several reels of movie film, later saved by firemen.
Mr. and Mrs. Leo Gibson, occupants of the damaged apartments were trapped for several minutes on the theater marquee before fire men rescued them. Guests in the adjacent Commercial Hotel, separated from the theater by a firewall, were evacuated as a precautionary measure. Nearly 100 of them trooped from their rooms into the sub-zero weather. Occupants of eight apartments in an adjacent building were also evacuated and several business offices had to find other quarters temporarily today.
Hunter said it would be necessary to replace all but the first ten rows of seats in the 800-seat theater, built in 1927. Hunter estimated it would take about four months to rebuild the damaged portion of the theater.
I must have missed Stillwater on my Route 66 trip this summer. I would have liked to see this theater. Here is a description of some mayhem at the Leachman on August 7, 1956:
Bloody Youth Screams Wild Crazy Threats
Brandishing a long-barreled .22 caliber revolver, a blood-spattered teenager in tee shirt and blue jeans terrorized employees at a late movie last night. The unidentified youth fired one shot at night house manager Keith Eaton, 21, before fleeing. Capt. Glenn Shirley of the Stillwater Police Department told this story:
A boy, described as about 16 years old, argued with Mrs. Yvonne Lacey, a cashier at the Leachman Theater. The boy claimed that Ms. Lacey “shortchanged” him 25 cents. Climbing onto the roof of the theater marquee, the boy screamed into the window of the theater office, apparently to the manager, “You will pay for this.” Then he climbed down and raced three blocks away to Murphy’s Sports Shop where he broke a glass door with a rock and took a .22 caliber revolver and ammunition from a display case. Returning to the theater, he jammed the pistol into Larry Bass, an usher, and commanded him to lead the way to the manager’s office. At the top of the stairs, they were met by Eaton who said the youth fired between his legs, then turned and fled.
This is from the Stevens Point Daily Journal dated 7/22/55:
Lyric Marquee Tells Of Plans For Opening Soon
The Lyric theater, closed since mid May, is scheduled to open on Friday, July 29, according to an announcement on the marquee of the building. Theater officials were not available today for
comment on the announcement A remodeling project has been under way at the theater, including the installation of new seats. The Lyric is owned by Gran Enterprises, Inc., also the owners of the Highway 51 Outdoor, currently operating despite a dispute with the Motion Picture Projectionists' union. The outdoor theater is picketed each evening. The Fox theater, closed since May 2, has made no announcement regarding re-opening. It was closed “for business reasons.”
Here is an excerpt from a 1990 article about the marquee:
A loftier beautification idea surfaced last week when the head of the Landmark Theatre proposed installing a curved, 1940s-era marquee over the theater entrance at 362 S. Salina St. at a cost of about $100,000. “I think this project is great,” Landmark Executive Director Frank Malfitano said of the beautification. “But it lacks a centerpiece.” Malfitano said the marquee could be the centerpiece that draws the public’s attention to the improved downtown. A similar project in Chicago has great success, he said.
Malfitano said the marquee could draw attention to the theater, which may draw in more shows, more customers and more people downtown. City Development Director Joe Mareane said the city wants to name the 300 block of South Salina Street the Landmark Theatre district. He said the city is interested in the marquee plan, but that none of the $10 million can go to the project. The law says that money has to be spent on city-owned property or public rights of way, he said. Mareane said the city has a special plan for the 300 block. It has asked the state for $300,000, which would be lent to businesses there at low interest for facade improvements.