This cinema was also called ,“The Gayety ”,in its earlier days making it harder to trace as 3 Gayety Theaters in Cincinnati florished over the decades.Another Gayety was located on Walnut St near 6th.,plus the scandalous Empress/Gayety burlesque house on Vine Street where now the Main Library resides. None of these three simular named venues existed at the same date, but newspapers then didn’t always use street designations when writing about them,hence the mindboggling maze when searching for info.
The Roosevelt Th. was built upon the footprint of an earlier legitimate theatre called,“ The Lyceum”, which was sited at(427) Central Avenue.Today of course this site is part of Interstate 75.
This newest cinema venue for Cincinnati, will open Friday November 19,2010 in a former furniture store site. One of the 9 screening rooms is equipted with a 3D setup. This cinema is part of a 3 theater chain which includes The Esquire,and Mariemont theaters.Gary Goldman manages all three of these sites plus he comes from a 3 generational film family,his grandfather started with The Regal Theater in the 1940’s on Lynn St(nee The Casino Th. of 1913) in Cincinnati.On Saturday Nov.20,2010 (George Clooney’s) father Nick will hold a benefit performance for the local film society,here .
After this cinema venue closed it became a Knights Of Columbus Hall before resurfacing, years later, becoming an Ackerman Chevrolet showroom. Ackermans were owners of several moviehouses in the Price Hill-Covedale area starting with The Glenway, The Sunset Th., and The Covedale Theater.
One of the theaters owned by Ike Libson of Mid-West Theaters of Cincinnati,Ohio.It had been involved in the 1913 Dayton flood,afterwhich the film business continued. So you could say it had been visited by water and fire!
Joe ,Probably by 1949 Mr. Goldman had also taken over The Metropolitn Th. of 1915(which he renamed (The State). It was just two blocks from his Regal Th.(which was built as (The Casino in 1913)adding it to his monopoly of black theaters. His son and grandson continued in the film business and that grandson Gary is still active in Movie operations in the Cincinnati area even to this late date.
According to a recent Enquirer news article the Mt. Adams (nee Belvedere Th.) has become a ritzy condo with full occupancy. Nice that they saved the structure even with the loss of the cinema. The building had also been used to store scenery for Ch.#5 NBC Television during some of its down years.
Thanks Ron Salters, for that great facade shot of the Rialto(where I spent my early childhood film years) under magnification it’s clear that a stepladder has been placed by the marquee to either relamp under canopy lights or to freshen the current film titles which they were showing. Also there seem to be two workers standing next to the ladder.Many happy days spent here in the early 1950’s!
Hello ,just a slight correction
about one of the 6 pictures listed on the (cincinnatis-forgotten-theatres.html) at the Emery Th. the shot showing what is refered to as (mechanical levers) were not used to controll the curtains, but that is an unconnected lighting switchboard which was rebuilt by the (late Lyman Brenneman) to controll all the lighting above the stage as well as balcony spots and house lights. The curtain controll motor was on a seperate wall and the motion picture screen was flown to the fly gallery using a motor on the opposite side of the stage. The Picture Screen is probably still high above in the fly gallery on a heavy pipe frame,however the motor that raised it has been disabled. I know some of this info from having volunteered at the Emery Th. for 14 years and stage managed some of the shows useing that lighting switchboard to accomodate the performances.
Hello Richka,Yes pictures would have been nice,but alas it didn’t happen. However, The Theatre Historical Society located in Elmhurst,Illinois has several publications in their Marquee magazines which show the Roxy during demolition and how the building was constructed. I never worked at the Roxy ,my only link was when I lived in Massauchetts and attended as a patron.
In 1960 I checked into the Bristol Hotel and requested a room high up on the rear of the hotel which would give me a clear view of the Roxy Th. during demolition. Intent on watching how that grand structure had been built during its destruction . After half a day I had to change hotels because it was too painful to view that splendid theater being wrecked! RIP Roxy Theater you were a grandly unique cathedral!
In later years during the easter show the part of the priest who lights the electric candles on the altar was portrayed by a rockette in disquise. This was in the setting where all the Rockets became nuns to help form the living cross while they all held easter lillies.
Having visited the Roxy only once in 1954 I’ve had to make that visual interior tour last a lot of years! I’m puzzled by the picture of Gloria Swanson standing in the great rotunda. Over Gloria’s right shoulder is a door way ,taken while the theater was being demolished,is that doorway the entrance from the street or is it the entrance to the interior auditorium???
The Carmargo Th. was built in 1948 and closed in 1968. The Carousel Th. replaced it in 1968 and was itself twinned in 1970,later closing in Aug.1990.finally The Carousel Th. was reborn as the Carousel American Cinema in Jan. 18,1991 run by Mr. Segal and Baum, and it was finished for good in 1994!
Airdromes were the original outdoors cinemas. Opened with folding or maybe kitchen chairs in a field with level land ,they helped to replace interior cinemas when the summer temps discouraged patronage.Of course they were open to wet weather as well so shows were at the mercy of the sky gods and wind. These hastily built theaters did not have a long history.
This cinema was also called ,“The Gayety ”,in its earlier days making it harder to trace as 3 Gayety Theaters in Cincinnati florished over the decades.Another Gayety was located on Walnut St near 6th.,plus the scandalous Empress/Gayety burlesque house on Vine Street where now the Main Library resides. None of these three simular named venues existed at the same date, but newspapers then didn’t always use street designations when writing about them,hence the mindboggling maze when searching for info.
Film Daily for 1927 awards 290 seats to this venue.
Film Daily of 1927 lists Victor Th. with 300 seats.
Film Daily on 1927 numbers the seats here at 1,000
Film Daily of 1927 lists this cinema as having 1,200 seats.
The Roosevelt Th. was built upon the footprint of an earlier legitimate theatre called,“ The Lyceum”, which was sited at(427) Central Avenue.Today of course this site is part of Interstate 75.
Architectural responcibility for this theater was FRCH a local firm
This newest cinema venue for Cincinnati, will open Friday November 19,2010 in a former furniture store site. One of the 9 screening rooms is equipted with a 3D setup. This cinema is part of a 3 theater chain which includes The Esquire,and Mariemont theaters.Gary Goldman manages all three of these sites plus he comes from a 3 generational film family,his grandfather started with The Regal Theater in the 1940’s on Lynn St(nee The Casino Th. of 1913) in Cincinnati.On Saturday Nov.20,2010 (George Clooney’s) father Nick will hold a benefit performance for the local film society,here .
After this cinema venue closed it became a Knights Of Columbus Hall before resurfacing, years later, becoming an Ackerman Chevrolet showroom. Ackermans were owners of several moviehouses in the Price Hill-Covedale area starting with The Glenway, The Sunset Th., and The Covedale Theater.
One of the theaters owned by Ike Libson of Mid-West Theaters of Cincinnati,Ohio.It had been involved in the 1913 Dayton flood,afterwhich the film business continued. So you could say it had been visited by water and fire!
Well no flicks since then either!
Joe ,Probably by 1949 Mr. Goldman had also taken over The Metropolitn Th. of 1915(which he renamed (The State). It was just two blocks from his Regal Th.(which was built as (The Casino in 1913)adding it to his monopoly of black theaters. His son and grandson continued in the film business and that grandson Gary is still active in Movie operations in the Cincinnati area even to this late date.
According to a recent Enquirer news article the Mt. Adams (nee Belvedere Th.) has become a ritzy condo with full occupancy. Nice that they saved the structure even with the loss of the cinema. The building had also been used to store scenery for Ch.#5 NBC Television during some of its down years.
Thanks Ron Salters, for that great facade shot of the Rialto(where I spent my early childhood film years) under magnification it’s clear that a stepladder has been placed by the marquee to either relamp under canopy lights or to freshen the current film titles which they were showing. Also there seem to be two workers standing next to the ladder.Many happy days spent here in the early 1950’s!
Hello ,just a slight correction
about one of the 6 pictures listed on the (cincinnatis-forgotten-theatres.html) at the Emery Th. the shot showing what is refered to as (mechanical levers) were not used to controll the curtains, but that is an unconnected lighting switchboard which was rebuilt by the (late Lyman Brenneman) to controll all the lighting above the stage as well as balcony spots and house lights. The curtain controll motor was on a seperate wall and the motion picture screen was flown to the fly gallery using a motor on the opposite side of the stage. The Picture Screen is probably still high above in the fly gallery on a heavy pipe frame,however the motor that raised it has been disabled. I know some of this info from having volunteered at the Emery Th. for 14 years and stage managed some of the shows useing that lighting switchboard to accomodate the performances.
Hello Richka,Yes pictures would have been nice,but alas it didn’t happen. However, The Theatre Historical Society located in Elmhurst,Illinois has several publications in their Marquee magazines which show the Roxy during demolition and how the building was constructed. I never worked at the Roxy ,my only link was when I lived in Massauchetts and attended as a patron.
In 1960 I checked into the Bristol Hotel and requested a room high up on the rear of the hotel which would give me a clear view of the Roxy Th. during demolition. Intent on watching how that grand structure had been built during its destruction . After half a day I had to change hotels because it was too painful to view that splendid theater being wrecked! RIP Roxy Theater you were a grandly unique cathedral!
Thank you Richka.
In later years during the easter show the part of the priest who lights the electric candles on the altar was portrayed by a rockette in disquise. This was in the setting where all the Rockets became nuns to help form the living cross while they all held easter lillies.
Having visited the Roxy only once in 1954 I’ve had to make that visual interior tour last a lot of years! I’m puzzled by the picture of Gloria Swanson standing in the great rotunda. Over Gloria’s right shoulder is a door way ,taken while the theater was being demolished,is that doorway the entrance from the street or is it the entrance to the interior auditorium???
The Carmargo Th. was built in 1948 and closed in 1968. The Carousel Th. replaced it in 1968 and was itself twinned in 1970,later closing in Aug.1990.finally The Carousel Th. was reborn as the Carousel American Cinema in Jan. 18,1991 run by Mr. Segal and Baum, and it was finished for good in 1994!
Airdromes were the original outdoors cinemas. Opened with folding or maybe kitchen chairs in a field with level land ,they helped to replace interior cinemas when the summer temps discouraged patronage.Of course they were open to wet weather as well so shows were at the mercy of the sky gods and wind. These hastily built theaters did not have a long history.
Thanks Brad Smith for the heads up on the photos,what great shots!!!!
Joe Vogel thanks for the great looks at Box Office Mt.Lookout Th.I’m sure you are familiar with Theater Catalogue as well.
I should have added that the new home of the Albee/Emery Wurlitzer Organ is in Cincinnati"s Music Hall Ballroom located on Elm St.