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.
Here is some bad reporting from the Frederick Post, dated 12/21/51. I guess we’ll never know which marquee injured Mabel and Ethyl. Mabel’s husband, Mr. Haddock, later stated that something was fishy about the whole thing:
Hagerstown Theater Marquee Collapses
The marquee of a downtown theater broke from its holdings and crashed to the sidewalk today. Two persons were reported injured slightly. The movie was closed at the time. Pending further investigation, no one would say what caused the shelter over the sidewalk to drop. The city has had about 20 inches of snow since last Friday.
The fastening on the inboard side of the marquee held, so that the fallen shelter formed a sort of tent over the sidewalk. The two persons reported injured were identified as Mabel Haddock of Hagerstown and Ethyl Burgan of Funkstown.
Here is a blurb about the remodel from a Long Beach paper on 3/09/49:
Asks Building Code Deviation
Appeal of Stanley Brown, district manager of the Fox West Coast Theaters, to the city council for deviations from the building code to permit a terrazzo sidewalk and marquee at the new Belmont Theater Tuesday was referred to City Mgr. Carl B. Wirsching. The same type of terrazzo sidewalk was approved by the city for the West Coast Theater in 1940 and the Crest Theater in 1946, Brown said. After the new marquee was built, it was found in violation of a new ordinance limiting width to four feet, he said. The theater is due to open
May 1.
BEST TREE (NOT ON PUBLIC PROPERTY OR IN A CEMETERY)
The elm on South State Street
When Dutch elm disease swept the country soon after World War II, city crews removed more than 5,000 of Springfield’s elm trees in a week. Only a handful survived. The grandest one by far dominates the back yard of a home in the 1400 block of South State Street. City arborist Mike Dirksen estimates the 90-year-old landmark at 100 feet high with a spread of 125 feet across three city lots. The best place to admire it from is the parking lot of the former Esquire Theater. This brings to mind another close call for the tree: In the late 1980s, the Esquire’s owners tried to buy the 1400 block of South State to expand the theater’s parking lot. We miss the theater, but not that idea.
This 1966 article from the Austin Daily Herald gives an interesting recap of theaters in the city:
In 1910, Sunday movies became legal, and the first real “chain” theater management was born with the establishment of the Unique Theater in the old Woolworth building on Main St. South. American Amusement Co., the Minneapolis owners of the Unique, also purchased the Idle Hour, changed the name to the Princess, and opened the Lyric Theater (later known as the State) on Water St.
The Princess burned down between 1911 and 1915, and the chain owners sold out to F. F. Latta, who operated the Lyric and the Unique, and renamed the latter the Cozy. From 1915 to 1921, Vic Phelps opened the Majestic on the old Piggly Wiggly site; the Park on Water St. was destroyed by the tornado in l928 and was replaced by the Paramount; the Rayman brothers opened the Star on Main St.; the Eagle opened on the East Side; and the Austin became the final Main St. movie theater.
Alan Ladd hadn’t ridden across the screen at the 50-year old State Theater for about four years when it lost its other-era face this summer to the glassed front Goodwill Industries. Austin’s two newest theaters are the Outdoor (1948) and the Sterling (1951).
Here are excerpts from an article in the Great Bend Daily Tribune dated 6/26/56:
Changing Scene In Theater Business
Americans have had occasion to witness many radical changes in the field of entertainment, They saw vaudeville turn like a butterfly into radio, motion pictures, then talkies and most recently television. But now it’s possible to study something that may be on its way out. And if it did fade completely but of the picture, it would soon be classed as a very important part of American folkloreâ€"the home-town movie.
In the many communities visited for this survey, all showed strong signs of civic pride. In all, the citizens would say that they didn’t want to lose the theater, but weren’t sure exactly what to do to prevent it. Attend the theater at least to see what it has to offer and possibly avert the situation which seems to be threatening most one-theater towns. At St. John and Stafford the situation has become even more critical. Recently, a Tribune reporter visited John Caylor, manager of the Pix theater and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gere, who managed the Ritz at Stafford. Business was not good in either theater and there was talk of closing one.
Businessmen around town, queried about the possibility of the shows' closing, said they preferred to keep the established entertainment centers but frankly didn’t know how to go about saving them. A former manager of the Ritz theater said he sent back any films he considered unfit for children and told the bosses (Glen Dickinson of Mission) that 60 cents was too much for a show. Others around town said they favored keeping the show but readily admitted that “we don’t know what to do to keep it going.” There was some criticism about the choice of films although most people interviewed said that in the past year he quality of the films had increased considerably.
Both theaters are air-conditioned, both have installed the new wide screens and new lenses, new, soft seating, wide leg room between rows and both have attractive snack bars in the lobbies. The Ritz seats 472 and the Pix 260. The Geres came to Stafford 1 ½ years ago. They’ve done everything they know to keep patronage up to make the business a paying proposition. Since the interviews the St. John theater had closed and Caylor is now operating the Ritz. He said there was not as much business at the Stafford theater now that St. John residents have no movie as there was when both theaters operated. He thinks the St. John theater will be reopened and the Ritz may be closed. Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Gere have left the theater business and are in Wichita where Mr. Gere is working for an oil firm.
Is it OK to scream “fire” in a crowded theater if the theater is actually on fire? Ordinarily it’s a misdemeanor and not considered freedom of speech under the Constitution.
The Loma was reported as destroyed in a fire on 12/17/56. Apparently it was later rebuilt.
200 Escape Theater Fire At Socorro
Fire broke up a showing of “The Day the World Ended” and 200 theater patrons escaped safely as the flames destroyed three businesses here last night. The blaze raged for three hours before being brought under control about 10 p.m. Firemen from Magdalena and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology joined the Socorro volunteer department in fighting the fire that may have caused loss as high as $200,000.
Destroyed were the Loma Theater, the B&B Pool Hall and the Midway Garage, where the fire is thought to have originated. Firemen were able to save one of New Mexico’s historic buildings, the Park Hotelâ€"which is on the same block with the theater, garage and pool hall.
People in the theater said they had smelled smoke about 20 minutes before they were told to evacuate the building. A sudden puff of smoke filled the theater as patrons were leaving. There was no panic in the crowd and all persons moved out of the building in an orderly manner. Bill Strong, a Loma Theater employee, estimated damage to the theater alone at $50,000.
Status should probably be closed/demolished. This article is dated 2/1/50:
Fire that caused an estimated $400,000 loss destroyed the American theater and two business houses in the same building and sent scores of persons from an adjoining rooming house fleeing to safety in subzero temperatures early this morning. No one was injured. All 42 members of the Butte fire department were summoned on the three-alarm blaze and the city aldermen were ordered to form an emergency crew at the main fire station. Several aldermen also participated in the fight against the raging conflagration which, for a time, threatened to wipe out a large segment of Butte’s principal business section.
The alarm came in at 8:22 o'clock this morning, when several pieces of equipment and a crew of firemen were battling another blaze at the Owl garage on South Main street. The garage was damaged considerably.
Part of the equipment at the garage fire was immediately transferred to the theater blaze and all firemen were called out. Besides the theater, Jimmy’s Donut shop, owned by James Kintrea, and a flower shop owned by Marcus Golubin were destroyed. Smoke and water damaged Schwartz' Men’s store, the American Candy shop, Faxon and Rockefeller Drugstore, the Floresheim Shoe store, the Curtis block, Gamers’ confectionary and Bishop’s dancing school.
Fire Chief John O'Donnell said the fire probably started in the front of the theater building above the office quarters where the ventilation machinery was housed. He said he believed the fire had been burning for some time before it was discovered. As the flames ate their way into the projection room, motion picture film ignited and there were several minor explosions which apparently scattered burning embers into other sections of the theater. When the flames broke through the roof they shot about 100 feet into the air.
Robert Anderson, local manager of the Fox Intermountain theaters, estimated loss at the theater at more than $200,000. Recently new seats and other equipment were nstalled in the building. The American theater building is owned by the Nicholls Estate Trust, the Boucher block to the west by the Masonic Temple association and the Curtis block to the east by the Curtis Realty company. Losses in all instances were reported partially covered by insurance. The theater building was erected in 1903.
It was the third major fire Butte has had in recent months and the second theater fire. The Park theater was destroyed last Sept. 24 and the Holboxx Holbrook building, housing the Winter Garden bowling alley, burned last month.
There was an earthquake in Helena on the same day as LM’s double feature:
Panic and hysteria reigned in the Marlow theater as hundreds of people in attendance made frantic efforts to reach the front doors. Several women fainted and little children cried for their parents as the lights went out and a mad rush for the doors followed. Plaster fell from the high roof of the building and the violence of the shock rocked the building from side to side. People shouted and screamed and several were carried from the building. Similar scenes took place at the Rio theater.
This is from the 3/17/65 edition of the Suburbanite Economist:
Theater Demolition Case Continued to April 20
The city’s suit seeking repair or demolition of the Symphony theater was continued yesterday in Housing court by Judge Richard Napolitano until April 20. Immediate action was ordered, however, to board up all openings in the building to eliminate pigeons and rodents that have been frequenting the premises. Both Timothy O'Hara, head of the city’s demolition section and Sol M. Glick, assistant corporation counsel, appeared in court to press the city’s case.
The continuance was granted when the owner’s attorney appealed that he was not ready for trial. Judge Napolitano indicated he would decide the case April 20. Several persons from the Austin Community organization were present at the hearing. Neighbors to the eyesore Symphony theater building, 4937 Chicago, are attempting to arrange a private meeting with the owner, Dave Pielet, to discuss his plans for the structure, vacant since 1951.
Chester Slarzynski, 4905 Superior, one of the group who attended yesterday’s court hearing on the building, said he hoped to contact Pielet, a former scrap metal dealer, in the near future to arrange the meeting. The building, found to be 56 per cent depreciated by the city building department, is completely gutted on the inside. Windows are broken throughout and the front defaced by old posters and scrawling. Its marquee was removed about 18 months ago after nearby businessmen pushed for its removal.
This is the Schine, originally the Grand. It’s in the same neighborhood as the Cinema Plaza, but I’m not sure if it’s the same theater:
5/6/71
Another chunk of Malone’s Main Street is disappearing. This time, however, the removal is not because of fire, but represents a progressive step in the downtown picture. Being razed by a professional demolition crew are the former Schine’s Theater, idle for many years, and the block west of the theater, a three story brick front structure which formerly housed businesses on the ground floor and apartments overhead. In their place will be an ultra-modern bank building, the new home of Farmers National Bank, which is now on the opposite side of the street at the corner of Pearl and East Main.
Ironically, the buildings being demolished to make way for the new bank adjoin the business areas which were ravaged and scarred by fires last December and January. The block immediately adjacent to the demolition area was spared major fire damage, but smoke and water damage forced the occupants temporarily to vacate. All are now back in business. Next to them, continuing to the intersection of Main and Howard Place and up Howard to Elm street, stand the ruins of buildings destroyed by the two conflagrations.
Through the day the south side of Main Street is heavily populated with sidewalk superintendents, watching the power shovel of a huge crane open its cavernous jaws and take mammoth bites out of the buildings, working from the top down. They watch demolition workers slit the three-story wall between the theater and the adjoining block on the east side. For many of the older sidewalk superintendents, the demolition of the theater stirs fond memories of days when a dime took them into the show and a bag of popcorn could be bought for a nickel at the mobile, hand-operated machine outside the theater.
The theater, then called the Grand Theater, was the place for entertainment. It was filled every Saturday afternoon by popcorn-eating kids, watching the Saturday serial and the Western that was nearly always the feature.
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.
Here is some bad reporting from the Frederick Post, dated 12/21/51. I guess we’ll never know which marquee injured Mabel and Ethyl. Mabel’s husband, Mr. Haddock, later stated that something was fishy about the whole thing:
Hagerstown Theater Marquee Collapses
The marquee of a downtown theater broke from its holdings and crashed to the sidewalk today. Two persons were reported injured slightly. The movie was closed at the time. Pending further investigation, no one would say what caused the shelter over the sidewalk to drop. The city has had about 20 inches of snow since last Friday.
The fastening on the inboard side of the marquee held, so that the fallen shelter formed a sort of tent over the sidewalk. The two persons reported injured were identified as Mabel Haddock of Hagerstown and Ethyl Burgan of Funkstown.
Here is a blurb about the remodel from a Long Beach paper on 3/09/49:
Asks Building Code Deviation
Appeal of Stanley Brown, district manager of the Fox West Coast Theaters, to the city council for deviations from the building code to permit a terrazzo sidewalk and marquee at the new Belmont Theater Tuesday was referred to City Mgr. Carl B. Wirsching. The same type of terrazzo sidewalk was approved by the city for the West Coast Theater in 1940 and the Crest Theater in 1946, Brown said. After the new marquee was built, it was found in violation of a new ordinance limiting width to four feet, he said. The theater is due to open
May 1.
From illinois.times.com:
BEST TREE (NOT ON PUBLIC PROPERTY OR IN A CEMETERY)
The elm on South State Street
When Dutch elm disease swept the country soon after World War II, city crews removed more than 5,000 of Springfield’s elm trees in a week. Only a handful survived. The grandest one by far dominates the back yard of a home in the 1400 block of South State Street. City arborist Mike Dirksen estimates the 90-year-old landmark at 100 feet high with a spread of 125 feet across three city lots. The best place to admire it from is the parking lot of the former Esquire Theater. This brings to mind another close call for the tree: In the late 1980s, the Esquire’s owners tried to buy the 1400 block of South State to expand the theater’s parking lot. We miss the theater, but not that idea.
Here is an article about the Premier fire. It can be added if anyone has the time:
http://www.ourgrayville.com/Premier.htm
Here is a February 2006 article. Too little, too late.
http://tinyurl.com/y95oaj
Here is a 1927 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/vo2ay
It’s a good bet. How many theaters could there be in Wetumka?
This 1966 article from the Austin Daily Herald gives an interesting recap of theaters in the city:
In 1910, Sunday movies became legal, and the first real “chain” theater management was born with the establishment of the Unique Theater in the old Woolworth building on Main St. South. American Amusement Co., the Minneapolis owners of the Unique, also purchased the Idle Hour, changed the name to the Princess, and opened the Lyric Theater (later known as the State) on Water St.
The Princess burned down between 1911 and 1915, and the chain owners sold out to F. F. Latta, who operated the Lyric and the Unique, and renamed the latter the Cozy. From 1915 to 1921, Vic Phelps opened the Majestic on the old Piggly Wiggly site; the Park on Water St. was destroyed by the tornado in l928 and was replaced by the Paramount; the Rayman brothers opened the Star on Main St.; the Eagle opened on the East Side; and the Austin became the final Main St. movie theater.
Alan Ladd hadn’t ridden across the screen at the 50-year old State Theater for about four years when it lost its other-era face this summer to the glassed front Goodwill Industries. Austin’s two newest theaters are the Outdoor (1948) and the Sterling (1951).
Here are excerpts from an article in the Great Bend Daily Tribune dated 6/26/56:
Changing Scene In Theater Business
Americans have had occasion to witness many radical changes in the field of entertainment, They saw vaudeville turn like a butterfly into radio, motion pictures, then talkies and most recently television. But now it’s possible to study something that may be on its way out. And if it did fade completely but of the picture, it would soon be classed as a very important part of American folkloreâ€"the home-town movie.
In the many communities visited for this survey, all showed strong signs of civic pride. In all, the citizens would say that they didn’t want to lose the theater, but weren’t sure exactly what to do to prevent it. Attend the theater at least to see what it has to offer and possibly avert the situation which seems to be threatening most one-theater towns. At St. John and Stafford the situation has become even more critical. Recently, a Tribune reporter visited John Caylor, manager of the Pix theater and Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gere, who managed the Ritz at Stafford. Business was not good in either theater and there was talk of closing one.
Businessmen around town, queried about the possibility of the shows' closing, said they preferred to keep the established entertainment centers but frankly didn’t know how to go about saving them. A former manager of the Ritz theater said he sent back any films he considered unfit for children and told the bosses (Glen Dickinson of Mission) that 60 cents was too much for a show. Others around town said they favored keeping the show but readily admitted that “we don’t know what to do to keep it going.” There was some criticism about the choice of films although most people interviewed said that in the past year he quality of the films had increased considerably.
Both theaters are air-conditioned, both have installed the new wide screens and new lenses, new, soft seating, wide leg room between rows and both have attractive snack bars in the lobbies. The Ritz seats 472 and the Pix 260. The Geres came to Stafford 1 ½ years ago. They’ve done everything they know to keep patronage up to make the business a paying proposition. Since the interviews the St. John theater had closed and Caylor is now operating the Ritz. He said there was not as much business at the Stafford theater now that St. John residents have no movie as there was when both theaters operated. He thinks the St. John theater will be reopened and the Ritz may be closed. Meanwhile, Mr. and Mrs. Gere have left the theater business and are in Wichita where Mr. Gere is working for an oil firm.
Is it OK to scream “fire” in a crowded theater if the theater is actually on fire? Ordinarily it’s a misdemeanor and not considered freedom of speech under the Constitution.
The Loma was reported as destroyed in a fire on 12/17/56. Apparently it was later rebuilt.
200 Escape Theater Fire At Socorro
Fire broke up a showing of “The Day the World Ended” and 200 theater patrons escaped safely as the flames destroyed three businesses here last night. The blaze raged for three hours before being brought under control about 10 p.m. Firemen from Magdalena and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology joined the Socorro volunteer department in fighting the fire that may have caused loss as high as $200,000.
Destroyed were the Loma Theater, the B&B Pool Hall and the Midway Garage, where the fire is thought to have originated. Firemen were able to save one of New Mexico’s historic buildings, the Park Hotelâ€"which is on the same block with the theater, garage and pool hall.
People in the theater said they had smelled smoke about 20 minutes before they were told to evacuate the building. A sudden puff of smoke filled the theater as patrons were leaving. There was no panic in the crowd and all persons moved out of the building in an orderly manner. Bill Strong, a Loma Theater employee, estimated damage to the theater alone at $50,000.
The Park was destroyed by fire on September 24, 1949.
Status should probably be closed/demolished. This article is dated 2/1/50:
Fire that caused an estimated $400,000 loss destroyed the American theater and two business houses in the same building and sent scores of persons from an adjoining rooming house fleeing to safety in subzero temperatures early this morning. No one was injured. All 42 members of the Butte fire department were summoned on the three-alarm blaze and the city aldermen were ordered to form an emergency crew at the main fire station. Several aldermen also participated in the fight against the raging conflagration which, for a time, threatened to wipe out a large segment of Butte’s principal business section.
The alarm came in at 8:22 o'clock this morning, when several pieces of equipment and a crew of firemen were battling another blaze at the Owl garage on South Main street. The garage was damaged considerably.
Part of the equipment at the garage fire was immediately transferred to the theater blaze and all firemen were called out. Besides the theater, Jimmy’s Donut shop, owned by James Kintrea, and a flower shop owned by Marcus Golubin were destroyed. Smoke and water damaged Schwartz' Men’s store, the American Candy shop, Faxon and Rockefeller Drugstore, the Floresheim Shoe store, the Curtis block, Gamers’ confectionary and Bishop’s dancing school.
Fire Chief John O'Donnell said the fire probably started in the front of the theater building above the office quarters where the ventilation machinery was housed. He said he believed the fire had been burning for some time before it was discovered. As the flames ate their way into the projection room, motion picture film ignited and there were several minor explosions which apparently scattered burning embers into other sections of the theater. When the flames broke through the roof they shot about 100 feet into the air.
Robert Anderson, local manager of the Fox Intermountain theaters, estimated loss at the theater at more than $200,000. Recently new seats and other equipment were nstalled in the building. The American theater building is owned by the Nicholls Estate Trust, the Boucher block to the west by the Masonic Temple association and the Curtis block to the east by the Curtis Realty company. Losses in all instances were reported partially covered by insurance. The theater building was erected in 1903.
It was the third major fire Butte has had in recent months and the second theater fire. The Park theater was destroyed last Sept. 24 and the Holboxx Holbrook building, housing the Winter Garden bowling alley, burned last month.
There was an earthquake in Helena on the same day as LM’s double feature:
Panic and hysteria reigned in the Marlow theater as hundreds of people in attendance made frantic efforts to reach the front doors. Several women fainted and little children cried for their parents as the lights went out and a mad rush for the doors followed. Plaster fell from the high roof of the building and the violence of the shock rocked the building from side to side. People shouted and screamed and several were carried from the building. Similar scenes took place at the Rio theater.
The building was demolished in November 1984, according to the LA Times.
This is from the 3/17/65 edition of the Suburbanite Economist:
Theater Demolition Case Continued to April 20
The city’s suit seeking repair or demolition of the Symphony theater was continued yesterday in Housing court by Judge Richard Napolitano until April 20. Immediate action was ordered, however, to board up all openings in the building to eliminate pigeons and rodents that have been frequenting the premises. Both Timothy O'Hara, head of the city’s demolition section and Sol M. Glick, assistant corporation counsel, appeared in court to press the city’s case.
The continuance was granted when the owner’s attorney appealed that he was not ready for trial. Judge Napolitano indicated he would decide the case April 20. Several persons from the Austin Community organization were present at the hearing. Neighbors to the eyesore Symphony theater building, 4937 Chicago, are attempting to arrange a private meeting with the owner, Dave Pielet, to discuss his plans for the structure, vacant since 1951.
Chester Slarzynski, 4905 Superior, one of the group who attended yesterday’s court hearing on the building, said he hoped to contact Pielet, a former scrap metal dealer, in the near future to arrange the meeting. The building, found to be 56 per cent depreciated by the city building department, is completely gutted on the inside. Windows are broken throughout and the front defaced by old posters and scrawling. Its marquee was removed about 18 months ago after nearby businessmen pushed for its removal.
This is the Schine, originally the Grand. It’s in the same neighborhood as the Cinema Plaza, but I’m not sure if it’s the same theater:
5/6/71
Another chunk of Malone’s Main Street is disappearing. This time, however, the removal is not because of fire, but represents a progressive step in the downtown picture. Being razed by a professional demolition crew are the former Schine’s Theater, idle for many years, and the block west of the theater, a three story brick front structure which formerly housed businesses on the ground floor and apartments overhead. In their place will be an ultra-modern bank building, the new home of Farmers National Bank, which is now on the opposite side of the street at the corner of Pearl and East Main.
Ironically, the buildings being demolished to make way for the new bank adjoin the business areas which were ravaged and scarred by fires last December and January. The block immediately adjacent to the demolition area was spared major fire damage, but smoke and water damage forced the occupants temporarily to vacate. All are now back in business. Next to them, continuing to the intersection of Main and Howard Place and up Howard to Elm street, stand the ruins of buildings destroyed by the two conflagrations.
Through the day the south side of Main Street is heavily populated with sidewalk superintendents, watching the power shovel of a huge crane open its cavernous jaws and take mammoth bites out of the buildings, working from the top down. They watch demolition workers slit the three-story wall between the theater and the adjoining block on the east side. For many of the older sidewalk superintendents, the demolition of the theater stirs fond memories of days when a dime took them into the show and a bag of popcorn could be bought for a nickel at the mobile, hand-operated machine outside the theater.
The theater, then called the Grand Theater, was the place for entertainment. It was filled every Saturday afternoon by popcorn-eating kids, watching the Saturday serial and the Western that was nearly always the feature.