Weeks of teaser ads give way to a full page ad for the new Regent Theatre in 1938 - some 30 years after the Dreamland nickelodeon was in the same spot. But how was Regent Theatres Inc. paying for such amazing ads? Well, they weren’t and their dissolution was hours away.
The Grand Opening of Brennan Brothers' Avenue Theatre took place on January 23, 1924 at 1441 Lafayette Avenue. (The silent-era Crown was located at 4104 Magnolia Street.) In May of 1924, the City of New Orleans approved the changes to 104 street names with Lafayette ceding to Almonaster - with the Avenue Theatre staying put now at 1441 Almonaster Ave.
Ira Weingrun acquired the venue creating the Avenue Theatre Inc. In 1938, plans were unveiled to replace the venue at its 15-year leasing expiry. Those plans were by Jones, Roessle & Oppenheimer. Weingrun opened the Regent November 11, 1938. But lawsuits mounted and Weingrun liquidated Avenue Theatre Inc. The Avenue became the Best Theatre effective on November 14, 1938. (On July 30, 1950, the Avenue Theatre nameplate was used by the former Rio Theatre at 316 St. Charles in a name and ownership change.)
A 1941 plan was drawn up by Dallas-based architect Jack Corgan to update the Best Theatre to the new, state of the art Crown Theatre with 1,500 seats. But World War II derailed those plans. On January 1, 1942, the venue was simply renamed the Crown Theatre under the Henry Lazarus Theatres Inc. circuit.
Lazarus had new plans draw up by Corgan in 1945 to refresh the venue. Corgan would also design an update to the Coliseum Theatre for Lazarus as well. Perhaps due to post-War material shortages, the second Crown plans were scuttled. Lazarus turned to new plans by August Perez for the streamline moderne remodeling job of $100,000. The Crown closed January 2, 1949 for the refresh. It opened Friday January 21, 1949.
One December 31, 1954, the Pandora had a double-feature of “Dangerous Years” and “Bounty Hunter.” To celebrate the New Year with a bang, the projection room exploded not long after the New Year causing 20 fire companies to arrive and put out the inferno. Fire company personnel from No. 12 and No. 14 were moved out of the way moments before the wall buckled or the situation would have been far worse. The demolition of the venue took place in January of 1955.
Ziblich Amusement Co. commissioned architect Walter Cook Keenan to desing the new-build Piety Theatre. Ziblich, who owned the Dreamland, opened the Piety Theatre on August 17, 1924 with “After the Ball.”
Ziblich Amusement didn’t survive into the sound era dissolving in 1928. United Theatres took on the venue. (Ziblich was hired by United to manage some local theaters.) Beginning on September 26, 1929, the Piety added Vitaphone and Western Electric sound to remain competitive beginning with the film, “The Drag.”
On January 28, 1940, the venue played Bob Hope in “The Cat and the Canary.” Not long after the last showtime, the projection booth exploded taking out five houses and the Piety in the process.
You may be able to see the double feature on the marquee of the Cinema as it suffers a massive projection booth explosion on October 20, 1953. The L'Union Francaise building was vaporized. “Pick Up and South Street” and “Kansas Pacific” were the final films shown on October 19, 1953.
The Ivy suffered two fires in a month period - both nitrate film explosions. The November 30, 1930 film was contained quickly. Three weeks later, another explosion on December 21, 1930 also in the booth ended the Ivy. The theatre was demolished on January 28, 1931 by Southern Demolishing Co. for $300.
The Capitol Theatre launched August 30, 1920. It installed sound to remain viable. Its final matinee show was “A Notorious Gentleman” on May 11, 1935 and between the matinee and the evening show, the projection booth exploded and the theatre was destroyed. Fortuitously, there were no audience members in the building which - due to its large capacity - could have been devastating based on the visuals. United Theatres Inc. declared the building a total loss.
The Jolly Theatre opened here in the African American Elks Lodge building on June 27, 1938 with “Man in Blue.” In the Summer of 1940, it was offered for $3,000 - plus existing liabilities. It found a taker in the Dixie Theatre. The second Dixie Theatre, also an African American movie house, had opened November 10, 1920 at Draydes and Cadiz (while the first had opened in the 1910s at 1000 Canal Street).
The Dixie had equipped for sound to remain viable. It took over the Jolly/Elks location and the liabilities were overcome as the Dixie celebrated 47 years of operation before closing on June 24, 1967 with “Battle of the Bulge” and “Battle of the Drag Racers.” The two story theater was offered complete as a “good buy.” It became an independent theater some two years later called the Esquire Theatre apparently opening May 14, 1969 with Jim Brown in “Dark of the Sun.” The venue had a brief run as the Esquire Adult Cinema run by Larry C. Jones. That company dissolved in January 1972 ending the venue’s impressive run.
The first Cosmopolitan ad appeared on May 9, 1924 with Colleen Moore in “Painted People.” E.J. Myrick converted the venue to sound selling off the 22-stop Hilgren-Lane organ. It appears to have closed following the February 13, 1930 showings of “Say it With Songs.”
Frank R. Heiderich bought the 417 St. Charles property in 1912 and opened the Lyceum Theatre in March of 1913. He quickly remodeled the venue exclusively for motion pictures for his St. Charles Amusement Company reopening with the policy and a mirrorroide screen on May 24, 1913. At that time, seating was increased to 500 seats. Hiederich then conducted a more significant remodeling effort complete with a Robert Morton pipe organ reopening as the New Lyceum Theatre on December 14, 1927. He converted it to Phototone sound in November 1928.
In 1955, the venue received its last upgrade when it converted to widescreen projection to present VistaVision and CinemaScope titles. It completed its run as a grind house playing continuous showings of “Most Dangerous Man Alive” and “Voodoo Island” until the last customer left on Halloween, October 31, 1961. It was used for sporadic live events for a brief period. In the late 1960s, it was torn down in major urban renewal in downtown NOLA.
Opened on December 25, 1974 as the Marco Island Cinema 1 & 2 with the ribbon cut by Frank Mackle, Jr. of the family that developed Marco Island, Florida, with assistance from Miss Marco Island. The films were “The Longest Yard” and “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.”
The venue closed as a twin on August 29, 1985. It was given a major makeover reopening on December 17, 1993 as the four-screen, 242-seat dine-in Marco with two, 72-seat auditoriums and two, 49 seats audis. The venue had a great run closing on its final day of April 28, 2026.
Charles J. Law opened the Palace Theatre on July 12, 1912 in the Elks Club #1261 Building with vaudeville and “The Adventures of American Joe” and “The Ghost of Sulphur Mountain.” All for a dime. Three months later, Law took over the nearby Grand Opera House which had transitioned to presenting films along with vaudeville.
Dominick Frisina took over the Palace operation from Law as part of the Frisina Amusements Circuit. The venue had a signifacbt refresh soon after in 1923. Harry Tanner, who built the Eagle Theatre opening in 1920, took on the New Palace from Frisina four years later. Tanner equipped the Palace with Moviephone sound in December of 1928. He dropped the Eagle (though reacquired it when competitors wired it for sound as the Illinois Theatre).
Tanner announced a new-build theater in 1939 to open in 1940 as the Roseland Theatre. The Elks migrated to the new Roseland building in 1940. The Palace Theatre appears to have closed in 1944 by Tanner’s Tanner Theatres.
Lewis Tanner opened the Tanner Drive-In on August 15, 1950 with “The Streets of Laredo.” The venue’s last ad was the September 8, 1991 double feature of “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” and “FX2”.
Dickerson and Huggins closed the White Palace and, after a constable’s auction on January 28, 1910, it reopened on March 10, 1910 as the Princess Theatre.
Arnold “Doug” Dickerson and John M. Huggins launched the White Palace Theatre on April 15, 1907 with Gaston Velle’s “Miniature Theatre” and “Bad Mother.” They closed it two years later with a constable’s auction on January 28, 1910. It reopened on March 10, 1910 briefly as the Princess Theatre. It was renamed the White Palace before closing again.
Charles J. Law opens the Palace Theatre on July 12, 1912 with vaudeville and “The Adventures of American Joe” and “The Ghost of Sulphur Mountain.” All for a dime.
Harry Tanner’s Tanner Theater Circuit opened the Roseland on February 14, 1940 with “I Take This Woman.” O.T. Stiegmeyer of St. Louis was the architect of the theatre. Formal openings of the adjoining business, the Shirley Shop and the Roseland Cafe took place the same day.
Harry Tanner of the Palace Theater announced the new-build Eagle Theatre in 1919. Ir opened March 26, 1920 with a $10,000 Bartola pipe organ and Anita Stewart in “Blind Husbands” supported by simian Mrs. Joe Martin in “Over the Transom” and a “Paramount Magazine” short. Tanner closed on May 12, 1930 unable to make the conversion to sound.
After a single silent booking in 1931, it received a major update by new operators Roy M. Kennedy and Paul Stonum as the Illinois Theatre. The Illinois opened March 12, 1932 with Will Rogers in “Business & Pleasure.” Tanner bought the theatre in the Fall closing it during summer months. The town had three theaters with the opening of the Roseland in 1940. After the War, he retained the Roseland and returned the Illinois Theatre to the Eagle namesake. The venue closed and the building was demolished long after in April of 1973.
George Johnston and John Fischer announced plans for their opera house in 1899 under the working title Green Bay Theater. The brick venue was architected by George Johnston opened on February 24, 1900, initially presenting plays. Its debut production was “Because She Loves Him So,” with seats priced at $10 each. The regularly / popularly priced opening followed on February 26, 1900, with ticket prices ranging from a quarter to a dollar. Sturtz’s Studio was on hand, taking opening-night photos of patrons for fifty cents each.
In 1910, J.R. Minihan took over the venue, and in February 1912 he converted it to a full-time film and vaudeville house, reopening it as the Jay-Are Theatre - using his initials spelled out - on February 29, 1912, with five acts and films for just 15 cents. Later that year, the operators of the original Orpheum Theatre assumed control, renaming it the “new” Orpheum on October 4, 1912. H.K. Timm then hired architects William A. Oppenhamer and I.A. Obel to redesign the venue. The Orpheum closed on February 10, 1929, and the following day its contents were sold in a salvage sale including its original organ. Bookings were temporarily moved to the Columbus Community Auditorium while the original structure was essentially rebuilt over the next 18 months.
The $300,000 project resulted in a taller, sleeker Art Nouveau “new” Orpheum Theatre, which reopened on September 19, 1930, featuring a three-manual, 14-rank, $25,000 Barton Wonder Organ with George La Motte at the console. Five acts of vaudeville supported the opening film, “Once a Gentleman” which - itself was supported by the Terrytoon’s short, “Swiss Cheese.” The “new” Orpheum had virtually nothing resembling the original structure which was considered a postive. Patrons were impressed by circular panels depicting ships from Green Bay’s past, along with artwork of fish and crab. Reinforced with 115 tons of steel, the theatre was built for longevity in downtown Green Bay.
In August 1933, the Orpheum was taken over by the Fox Wisconsin Amusement Enterprises Circuit under a ten-year agreement. In 1943, Victor McCormick assumed control of the Orpheum. On December 1, 1956, Marcus Theatre Corp. acquired the aging venue and closed it for a major streamlining and interior renovation after the final show on October 27, 1957. Bookings were moved to the former Strand, renamed the Time Theatre. The Orpheum reopened as the Vic Theatre on Christmas Day, December 25, 1957. Reports of the day said that only about 25% of the 1930-era Orph remained. Marcus closed the Vic on September 15, 1985, with “Gone With the Wind,” and the theatre finished the year hosting the play “A Christmas Carol.”
In 1986, the building became a live events venue known as City Centre Theatre with plans by R. Schenkelberg Associates, operating through March 1993 as the venue’s exterior and auditorium footprint were about the only remaining elements of the 1930-era theater. It reopened later that year under the revived Orpheum name. In August 1994, it was converted into the City Lights Night Club, and in 1997 it became Confetti’s Night Club. In 2022, the property was acquired and entered a lengthy redevelopment phase, with plans to reemerge in the 2020s as the Vic Theatre.
(This venue was owned by Fox but not named the Fox.)
The Strand Theater’s site was formerly occupied by a livery stable that evolved into the Bijou, then the Star, and later the Royal Theater under Saxe Amusement Enterprises. The Royal burned down during showtimes on May 12, 1920. Saxe rebuilt it as the all-new Strand Theatre, which opened on May 7, 1921, and served as the circuit’s “A” theater. The big story that night was movie star Clara Kimball Young appearing at all three of the Strand’s opening showings of Constance Talmadge in “Dangerous Business.“ The visit was captured on film (and the timing of her visit was sheer coincidence as she was in town for other business) and shown on the theater’s third night of operation. The Strand didn’t disappoint. Its $10,000 pipe organ, ivory and bronze ornaments, mahogany doors, and carved cornices gave it a notably elegant character. Harry W. Carr was its architect.
The Strand installed sound on May 26, 1928, to remain viable. However, the opening of the neighboring Fox (later the Bay Theatre) led to the Strand becoming a second-run house. Standard Theatres operated the Strand through its final showtimes on November 9, 1952. It then closed for a three-day refresh, reopening as the Time Theater on November 13, 1952, with Ivanhoe. Standard closed the Time on March 20, 1955, after which it became a short-lived church.
Marcus Theatres decided to remodel the nearby Orpheum in the fall of 1957. The Time was refreshed, and its bookings were moved to the newly updated “Time Theatre,” now equipped with widescreen, reopening on October 26, 1957, with “The Devil’s Hairpin” and “Short Cut to Hell.” It closed again on June 21, 1959.
L.F. Gran Circuit and former Time Theater manager George Hannon took over the venue and restored its Strand Theatre name on September 27, 1961, reopening with “The Young Doctors.” Hannon introduced “Uncle George’s” weekend matinee shows for children at a quarter admission price and also offered filmed operas through a season pass. Struggling to find a steady audience, the Strand hired Uwe “Skip” Jark in 1962, operating under the moniker “Strand: The House of Hits.” The L.F. Gran Circuit then sold the Strand to its final operator, Prudential Theatres Inc., which chose to close it following the June 14, 1962, showings of “Murder She Said…” and “The Broken Land.” Its final bookings were transferred to the Vic Theatre.
The venue had a final run as a community theater beginning in 1966. Used only sporadically in the 1970s, it eventually suffered a roof collapse that led to its demolition in 1982. The original blue and cream-colored frieze was salvaged during the demolition in September 1982 and donated to a local museum. The remainder of the compromised structure offered little resistance during demolition.
The McIntyre Opera House opened on December 22, 1903. After a refresh by new lessees, it reopened as the Lyric Theatre with movies on May 2, 1914.
On January 21, 1972, it offered X-Rated fare as the Playmates Theatre and occasional mainstream titles under the Lyric nameplate. As its second 30-year lease was coming due in May of 1974, a new twin-screen cinema was built opening in May of 1974 and the Lyric (with Playmates playdates) was closed permanently. It was offered for sale. BTW: It was a 220 1st Street.
Weeks of teaser ads give way to a full page ad for the new Regent Theatre in 1938 - some 30 years after the Dreamland nickelodeon was in the same spot. But how was Regent Theatres Inc. paying for such amazing ads? Well, they weren’t and their dissolution was hours away.
The Grand Opening of Brennan Brothers' Avenue Theatre took place on January 23, 1924 at 1441 Lafayette Avenue. (The silent-era Crown was located at 4104 Magnolia Street.) In May of 1924, the City of New Orleans approved the changes to 104 street names with Lafayette ceding to Almonaster - with the Avenue Theatre staying put now at 1441 Almonaster Ave.
Ira Weingrun acquired the venue creating the Avenue Theatre Inc. In 1938, plans were unveiled to replace the venue at its 15-year leasing expiry. Those plans were by Jones, Roessle & Oppenheimer. Weingrun opened the Regent November 11, 1938. But lawsuits mounted and Weingrun liquidated Avenue Theatre Inc. The Avenue became the Best Theatre effective on November 14, 1938. (On July 30, 1950, the Avenue Theatre nameplate was used by the former Rio Theatre at 316 St. Charles in a name and ownership change.)
A 1941 plan was drawn up by Dallas-based architect Jack Corgan to update the Best Theatre to the new, state of the art Crown Theatre with 1,500 seats. But World War II derailed those plans. On January 1, 1942, the venue was simply renamed the Crown Theatre under the Henry Lazarus Theatres Inc. circuit.
Lazarus had new plans draw up by Corgan in 1945 to refresh the venue. Corgan would also design an update to the Coliseum Theatre for Lazarus as well. Perhaps due to post-War material shortages, the second Crown plans were scuttled. Lazarus turned to new plans by August Perez for the streamline moderne remodeling job of $100,000. The Crown closed January 2, 1949 for the refresh. It opened Friday January 21, 1949.
One December 31, 1954, the Pandora had a double-feature of “Dangerous Years” and “Bounty Hunter.” To celebrate the New Year with a bang, the projection room exploded not long after the New Year causing 20 fire companies to arrive and put out the inferno. Fire company personnel from No. 12 and No. 14 were moved out of the way moments before the wall buckled or the situation would have been far worse. The demolition of the venue took place in January of 1955.
Ziblich Amusement Co. commissioned architect Walter Cook Keenan to desing the new-build Piety Theatre. Ziblich, who owned the Dreamland, opened the Piety Theatre on August 17, 1924 with “After the Ball.”
Ziblich Amusement didn’t survive into the sound era dissolving in 1928. United Theatres took on the venue. (Ziblich was hired by United to manage some local theaters.) Beginning on September 26, 1929, the Piety added Vitaphone and Western Electric sound to remain competitive beginning with the film, “The Drag.”
On January 28, 1940, the venue played Bob Hope in “The Cat and the Canary.” Not long after the last showtime, the projection booth exploded taking out five houses and the Piety in the process.
You may be able to see the double feature on the marquee of the Cinema as it suffers a massive projection booth explosion on October 20, 1953. The L'Union Francaise building was vaporized. “Pick Up and South Street” and “Kansas Pacific” were the final films shown on October 19, 1953.
The Ivy suffered two fires in a month period - both nitrate film explosions. The November 30, 1930 film was contained quickly. Three weeks later, another explosion on December 21, 1930 also in the booth ended the Ivy. The theatre was demolished on January 28, 1931 by Southern Demolishing Co. for $300.
The Capitol Theatre launched August 30, 1920. It installed sound to remain viable. Its final matinee show was “A Notorious Gentleman” on May 11, 1935 and between the matinee and the evening show, the projection booth exploded and the theatre was destroyed. Fortuitously, there were no audience members in the building which - due to its large capacity - could have been devastating based on the visuals. United Theatres Inc. declared the building a total loss.
September 19, 1953 grand opening ad.
The Jolly Theatre opened here in the African American Elks Lodge building on June 27, 1938 with “Man in Blue.” In the Summer of 1940, it was offered for $3,000 - plus existing liabilities. It found a taker in the Dixie Theatre. The second Dixie Theatre, also an African American movie house, had opened November 10, 1920 at Draydes and Cadiz (while the first had opened in the 1910s at 1000 Canal Street).
The Dixie had equipped for sound to remain viable. It took over the Jolly/Elks location and the liabilities were overcome as the Dixie celebrated 47 years of operation before closing on June 24, 1967 with “Battle of the Bulge” and “Battle of the Drag Racers.” The two story theater was offered complete as a “good buy.” It became an independent theater some two years later called the Esquire Theatre apparently opening May 14, 1969 with Jim Brown in “Dark of the Sun.” The venue had a brief run as the Esquire Adult Cinema run by Larry C. Jones. That company dissolved in January 1972 ending the venue’s impressive run.
The first Cosmopolitan ad appeared on May 9, 1924 with Colleen Moore in “Painted People.” E.J. Myrick converted the venue to sound selling off the 22-stop Hilgren-Lane organ. It appears to have closed following the February 13, 1930 showings of “Say it With Songs.”
Frank R. Heiderich bought the 417 St. Charles property in 1912 and opened the Lyceum Theatre in March of 1913. He quickly remodeled the venue exclusively for motion pictures for his St. Charles Amusement Company reopening with the policy and a mirrorroide screen on May 24, 1913. At that time, seating was increased to 500 seats. Hiederich then conducted a more significant remodeling effort complete with a Robert Morton pipe organ reopening as the New Lyceum Theatre on December 14, 1927. He converted it to Phototone sound in November 1928.
In 1955, the venue received its last upgrade when it converted to widescreen projection to present VistaVision and CinemaScope titles. It completed its run as a grind house playing continuous showings of “Most Dangerous Man Alive” and “Voodoo Island” until the last customer left on Halloween, October 31, 1961. It was used for sporadic live events for a brief period. In the late 1960s, it was torn down in major urban renewal in downtown NOLA.
Opened on December 25, 1974 as the Marco Island Cinema 1 & 2 with the ribbon cut by Frank Mackle, Jr. of the family that developed Marco Island, Florida, with assistance from Miss Marco Island. The films were “The Longest Yard” and “Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.”
The venue closed as a twin on August 29, 1985. It was given a major makeover reopening on December 17, 1993 as the four-screen, 242-seat dine-in Marco with two, 72-seat auditoriums and two, 49 seats audis. The venue had a great run closing on its final day of April 28, 2026.
Charles J. Law opened the Palace Theatre on July 12, 1912 in the Elks Club #1261 Building with vaudeville and “The Adventures of American Joe” and “The Ghost of Sulphur Mountain.” All for a dime. Three months later, Law took over the nearby Grand Opera House which had transitioned to presenting films along with vaudeville.
Dominick Frisina took over the Palace operation from Law as part of the Frisina Amusements Circuit. The venue had a signifacbt refresh soon after in 1923. Harry Tanner, who built the Eagle Theatre opening in 1920, took on the New Palace from Frisina four years later. Tanner equipped the Palace with Moviephone sound in December of 1928. He dropped the Eagle (though reacquired it when competitors wired it for sound as the Illinois Theatre).
Tanner announced a new-build theater in 1939 to open in 1940 as the Roseland Theatre. The Elks migrated to the new Roseland building in 1940. The Palace Theatre appears to have closed in 1944 by Tanner’s Tanner Theatres.
The pass was for a double feature for charity that included the film, “Three on a Match” and the original stage satire, “The Pana Political Club.”
Lewis Tanner opened the Tanner Drive-In on August 15, 1950 with “The Streets of Laredo.” The venue’s last ad was the September 8, 1991 double feature of “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey” and “FX2”.
Dickerson and Huggins closed the White Palace and, after a constable’s auction on January 28, 1910, it reopened on March 10, 1910 as the Princess Theatre.
Arnold “Doug” Dickerson and John M. Huggins launched the White Palace Theatre on April 15, 1907 with Gaston Velle’s “Miniature Theatre” and “Bad Mother.” They closed it two years later with a constable’s auction on January 28, 1910. It reopened on March 10, 1910 briefly as the Princess Theatre. It was renamed the White Palace before closing again.
Doug Dickerson and John M. Huggins launched the White Palace Theatre on April 15, 1907 with Gaston Velle’s “Miniature Theatre” and “Bad Mother.”
Charles J. Law opens the Palace Theatre on July 12, 1912 with vaudeville and “The Adventures of American Joe” and “The Ghost of Sulphur Mountain.” All for a dime.
Harry Tanner’s Tanner Theater Circuit opened the Roseland on February 14, 1940 with “I Take This Woman.” O.T. Stiegmeyer of St. Louis was the architect of the theatre. Formal openings of the adjoining business, the Shirley Shop and the Roseland Cafe took place the same day.
Harry Tanner of the Palace Theater announced the new-build Eagle Theatre in 1919. Ir opened March 26, 1920 with a $10,000 Bartola pipe organ and Anita Stewart in “Blind Husbands” supported by simian Mrs. Joe Martin in “Over the Transom” and a “Paramount Magazine” short. Tanner closed on May 12, 1930 unable to make the conversion to sound.
After a single silent booking in 1931, it received a major update by new operators Roy M. Kennedy and Paul Stonum as the Illinois Theatre. The Illinois opened March 12, 1932 with Will Rogers in “Business & Pleasure.” Tanner bought the theatre in the Fall closing it during summer months. The town had three theaters with the opening of the Roseland in 1940. After the War, he retained the Roseland and returned the Illinois Theatre to the Eagle namesake. The venue closed and the building was demolished long after in April of 1973.
The 1929 iteration was architected by Irving A. Obel William A. Oppenhamer of Oppenhamer & Obel
Architect William A. Oppenhamer of Oppenhamer & Obel
George Johnston and John Fischer announced plans for their opera house in 1899 under the working title Green Bay Theater. The brick venue was architected by George Johnston opened on February 24, 1900, initially presenting plays. Its debut production was “Because She Loves Him So,” with seats priced at $10 each. The regularly / popularly priced opening followed on February 26, 1900, with ticket prices ranging from a quarter to a dollar. Sturtz’s Studio was on hand, taking opening-night photos of patrons for fifty cents each.
In 1910, J.R. Minihan took over the venue, and in February 1912 he converted it to a full-time film and vaudeville house, reopening it as the Jay-Are Theatre - using his initials spelled out - on February 29, 1912, with five acts and films for just 15 cents. Later that year, the operators of the original Orpheum Theatre assumed control, renaming it the “new” Orpheum on October 4, 1912. H.K. Timm then hired architects William A. Oppenhamer and I.A. Obel to redesign the venue. The Orpheum closed on February 10, 1929, and the following day its contents were sold in a salvage sale including its original organ. Bookings were temporarily moved to the Columbus Community Auditorium while the original structure was essentially rebuilt over the next 18 months.
The $300,000 project resulted in a taller, sleeker Art Nouveau “new” Orpheum Theatre, which reopened on September 19, 1930, featuring a three-manual, 14-rank, $25,000 Barton Wonder Organ with George La Motte at the console. Five acts of vaudeville supported the opening film, “Once a Gentleman” which - itself was supported by the Terrytoon’s short, “Swiss Cheese.” The “new” Orpheum had virtually nothing resembling the original structure which was considered a postive. Patrons were impressed by circular panels depicting ships from Green Bay’s past, along with artwork of fish and crab. Reinforced with 115 tons of steel, the theatre was built for longevity in downtown Green Bay.
In August 1933, the Orpheum was taken over by the Fox Wisconsin Amusement Enterprises Circuit under a ten-year agreement. In 1943, Victor McCormick assumed control of the Orpheum. On December 1, 1956, Marcus Theatre Corp. acquired the aging venue and closed it for a major streamlining and interior renovation after the final show on October 27, 1957. Bookings were moved to the former Strand, renamed the Time Theatre. The Orpheum reopened as the Vic Theatre on Christmas Day, December 25, 1957. Reports of the day said that only about 25% of the 1930-era Orph remained. Marcus closed the Vic on September 15, 1985, with “Gone With the Wind,” and the theatre finished the year hosting the play “A Christmas Carol.”
In 1986, the building became a live events venue known as City Centre Theatre with plans by R. Schenkelberg Associates, operating through March 1993 as the venue’s exterior and auditorium footprint were about the only remaining elements of the 1930-era theater. It reopened later that year under the revived Orpheum name. In August 1994, it was converted into the City Lights Night Club, and in 1997 it became Confetti’s Night Club. In 2022, the property was acquired and entered a lengthy redevelopment phase, with plans to reemerge in the 2020s as the Vic Theatre.
(This venue was owned by Fox but not named the Fox.)
The Strand Theater’s site was formerly occupied by a livery stable that evolved into the Bijou, then the Star, and later the Royal Theater under Saxe Amusement Enterprises. The Royal burned down during showtimes on May 12, 1920. Saxe rebuilt it as the all-new Strand Theatre, which opened on May 7, 1921, and served as the circuit’s “A” theater. The big story that night was movie star Clara Kimball Young appearing at all three of the Strand’s opening showings of Constance Talmadge in “Dangerous Business.“ The visit was captured on film (and the timing of her visit was sheer coincidence as she was in town for other business) and shown on the theater’s third night of operation. The Strand didn’t disappoint. Its $10,000 pipe organ, ivory and bronze ornaments, mahogany doors, and carved cornices gave it a notably elegant character. Harry W. Carr was its architect.
The Strand installed sound on May 26, 1928, to remain viable. However, the opening of the neighboring Fox (later the Bay Theatre) led to the Strand becoming a second-run house. Standard Theatres operated the Strand through its final showtimes on November 9, 1952. It then closed for a three-day refresh, reopening as the Time Theater on November 13, 1952, with Ivanhoe. Standard closed the Time on March 20, 1955, after which it became a short-lived church.
Marcus Theatres decided to remodel the nearby Orpheum in the fall of 1957. The Time was refreshed, and its bookings were moved to the newly updated “Time Theatre,” now equipped with widescreen, reopening on October 26, 1957, with “The Devil’s Hairpin” and “Short Cut to Hell.” It closed again on June 21, 1959.
L.F. Gran Circuit and former Time Theater manager George Hannon took over the venue and restored its Strand Theatre name on September 27, 1961, reopening with “The Young Doctors.” Hannon introduced “Uncle George’s” weekend matinee shows for children at a quarter admission price and also offered filmed operas through a season pass. Struggling to find a steady audience, the Strand hired Uwe “Skip” Jark in 1962, operating under the moniker “Strand: The House of Hits.” The L.F. Gran Circuit then sold the Strand to its final operator, Prudential Theatres Inc., which chose to close it following the June 14, 1962, showings of “Murder She Said…” and “The Broken Land.” Its final bookings were transferred to the Vic Theatre.
The venue had a final run as a community theater beginning in 1966. Used only sporadically in the 1970s, it eventually suffered a roof collapse that led to its demolition in 1982. The original blue and cream-colored frieze was salvaged during the demolition in September 1982 and donated to a local museum. The remainder of the compromised structure offered little resistance during demolition.
BTW: It was never named the Orpheum.
The McIntyre Opera House opened on December 22, 1903. After a refresh by new lessees, it reopened as the Lyric Theatre with movies on May 2, 1914.
On January 21, 1972, it offered X-Rated fare as the Playmates Theatre and occasional mainstream titles under the Lyric nameplate. As its second 30-year lease was coming due in May of 1974, a new twin-screen cinema was built opening in May of 1974 and the Lyric (with Playmates playdates) was closed permanently. It was offered for sale. BTW: It was a 220 1st Street.