Comments from teecee

Showing 2,276 - 2,300 of 2,459 comments

teecee
teecee commented about Davis Theatre on Mar 1, 2005 at 6:17 am

recent photo:

http://community.webshots.com/photo/34501306bYIfIo

teecee
teecee commented about Pitman Theatre on Mar 1, 2005 at 6:16 am

yet more photos:
View link
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teecee
teecee commented about Pitman Theatre on Mar 1, 2005 at 6:15 am

good photo here:
View link

teecee
teecee commented about Fort Theatre on Mar 1, 2005 at 6:14 am

More recent photo here:
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teecee
teecee commented about Strand Twin Theatres on Mar 1, 2005 at 6:05 am

Recent photo here:
View link

teecee
teecee commented about Globe Theater on Mar 1, 2005 at 5:57 am

Recent photo here:
View link

teecee
teecee commented about Jane Pickens Theatre on Mar 1, 2005 at 5:34 am

I found this cool photo of the theater in the snow:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/63372735IUkZzC

teecee
teecee commented about Palace Theatre on Mar 1, 2005 at 5:26 am

Old photo here:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/48783021QVKIbR

teecee
teecee commented about Roxy Theatre on Feb 28, 2005 at 8:04 pm

Here is a better view of the side of the marquee:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/73970141jJDiAV

teecee
teecee commented about Center for Creativity at Rialto Theatre on Feb 28, 2005 at 8:01 pm

Recent photo at this link:
View link

teecee
teecee commented about Paramount Theatre on Feb 28, 2005 at 7:49 pm

Recent photo of exterior:
View link

teecee
teecee commented about Collingswood Theatre on Feb 28, 2005 at 7:48 pm

Recent exterior photo:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/79013887tdyjbH

teecee
teecee commented about Westmont Theatre on Feb 28, 2005 at 7:41 pm

Recent photo at this link:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/80825459aEtwWi

teecee
teecee commented about El Portal Theatre on Feb 28, 2005 at 10:22 am

Did anyone notice the name of the theater in the Mercedes add shown during the Oscars last night? It said El Portal, but it didn’t look like this theater (it had a vertical marquee). Perhaps just a fictional theater.

teecee
teecee commented about Isis Theater on Feb 27, 2005 at 4:26 pm

Great photo on page 97 of the CT book. Right under my nose all of this time!

teecee
teecee commented about Sheridan Opera House on Feb 27, 2005 at 4:11 pm

This theater group performs at the Sheridan Opera House:
http://www.lizardheadtheatre.com/

teecee
teecee commented about Hunterdon Theatre on Feb 27, 2005 at 9:27 am

Found this interesting fact on the web: The Annual Meeting of stockholders of The American Tobacco Company was held at the Hunterdon Theatre on April 2, 1958. This was a New York based company. Perhaps someone on the board of directors had ties with Flemington.

teecee
teecee commented about Brook Arts Center on Feb 27, 2005 at 9:01 am

Interesting article from today’s Star Ledger. I will paste the entire test as they aricle’s tend to disappear rather quickly:

At old vaudeville houses, curtains rise on renewal
Sunday, February 27, 2005
BY RALPH R. ORTEGA
Star-Ledger Staff
Audiences and the elements were brutal on the palatial theaters that brought vaudeville and the first motion pictures to towns across the state nearly a century ago.

A legacy of sticky floors, leaking roofs, broken-down heating and cooling systems and structural problems was left behind, making the old theaters unwanted and in many cases unusable.

An extreme case of the destructive force of nature came in 1999, when Hurricane Floyd brought flood waters up to the halfway mark on the screen of the 78-year-old theater in Bound Brook. More than 900 seats were destroyed inside an auditorium that smelled damp even before the disaster.

However, the Brook Theater and others haven’t been written off for good.

Non-profit theater companies in search of homes have breathed new life into venues that once would have had a date with the wrecking ball.

And with the economy improving, hopes are high that donations will pay for repairs needed by the theaters and for ambitious plans that would redesign them for multiple productions that keep the seats filled.

“Our purpose is to make sure it’s not dark very often. We have to keep the place running, keep people coming through the doors,” said Gerry Appel, executive director of the Brook Arts Center, which purchased the Brook two years ago with plans to build two stages inside the 1927 vaudeville house.

Theater companies that have made similar moves include the Growing Stage, which took over the 86-year-old Palace Theater in Netcong nine years ago. Most recently, the 12 Miles West Theatre Company moved into the 92-year-old Center Theater in Bloomfield.

Both were converted for multiple uses and re-opened with enough repairs completed to make audiences comfortable.

“We’ve made it look pretty cool, but we don’t want to make it look too good because we’re trying to raise money,” said Lenny Bart, artistic director of 12 Miles West, which has appealed to supporters for $2.3 million for major structural repairs to its theater.

The owners of the Brook, one of eight vaudeville houses left in the state, are seeking funds for its reopening some time later this year. The theater will host a wine tasting in town on Wednesday to attract donors, and potential contributors will be taken on a tour of the Brook to see its current state.

What they’ll see isn’t pretty.

The theater’s auditorium, originally a vaudeville stage that was converted into a movie house and also used for rock concerts, has not been used since the flood.

Until two weeks ago, the 45-foot domed interior was gutted and a 1925 Wurlitzer organ remained in pieces behind the stage. Plaster fell from the ceiling, and columns were missing sections. An empty Goobers box was stuck to a wall that sorely needed a fresh coat of paint.

But after some sprucing up, Appel expects the Brook “will be more than presentable,” thanks to a $2.6 million federal grant and $200,000 from the Somerset County Freeholders that is paying for the reconstruction of the lobby, restrooms and concession stand.

The theater also will construct a 16-foot wall surrounding 375 new seats in front of the stage, with the idea that it will be easier to fill the smaller venue than the entire auditorium.

“In some sense, the theater will be a surprise for people who see it the first time. It’s not a restored theater. It’s a new theater — the room within a room,” said Charles Gifford, the Manhattan architect responsible for the design.

There are plans for an even smaller venue with seating for 75 in the rear of the auditorium, known as a “black box” for experimental productions and readings.

Such drastic changes are possible because the Brook doesn’t fall under historic preservation guidelines. And with a need for more revenue, theaters have been split up into multiple stages with little protest.

“As long as it’s done tastefully, from an economic standpoint, I think it’s very smart,” said John McEwen, executive director of the New Jersey Theater Alliance, a statewide coalition of theaters.

Dorothy Stratford also was willing to go along with the quick fix at the Brook, even though it didn’t bring back the beauty of the theater she knew as a child watching Shirley Temple dance across its silver screen.

“When it first opened, it was top notch, as nice as anything people would see in Newark and other towns that have movie houses,” said Stratford, 80, who lives in town and is secretary for the Somerset County Historical Society.

Having grown up during the Depression, Stratford knew the realities of having little or no money, and was forgiving of the changes planned for the Brook and its rush to get back in business.

“I think if you wait to get a pocket full of money, sometimes you never get it,” she said. “So you make do with what you have and get the show going.”

George Andersen, the Brook’s chairman, expects to firm up an opening date during the tasting at Winemakers of Somerset on Wednesday. But he won’t be able to keep it if the theater doesn’t come up with roughly $300,000 in donations for new stage rigging and a sound and lighting system.

“Right at the moment, our budget doesn’t even include curtains,” said Andersen, who is confident donors will come forward to save one of the last classic theaters in the state.

“So many of them have been destroyed,” he said. “There were once hundreds in New Jersey, and they’ve been turned into parking lots.”

Ralph R. Ortega works in the Somerset County bureau. He can be reached at or at (908) 429-9925.

teecee
teecee commented about Marine Theater on Feb 26, 2005 at 1:29 pm

I am in NJ (no I am not offering!) but what I want to do is a similar thing for my boyhood theater. I’ll let you know how much of a pain in the neck microfilms are if I ever get to my hometown libray. Boy we sure do get spoiled by the internet.

PS I love the Florida online photo archives. Check out some of the theaters that I have posted.

teecee
teecee commented about Marine Theater on Feb 26, 2005 at 1:29 pm

I am in NJ (no I am not offering!) but what I want to do is a similar thing for my boyhood theater. I’ll let you know how much of a pain in the neck microfilms are if I ever get to my hometown libray. Boy we sure do get spoiled by the internet.

teecee
teecee commented about Embassy Theatre on Feb 26, 2005 at 1:07 pm

Here is a small photo (DON’T try to expand without a subscription):
View link

teecee
teecee commented about Franklin Theatre on Feb 26, 2005 at 12:50 pm

The 1951 FDY lists it as having 1180 seats.

teecee
teecee commented about Marine Theater on Feb 26, 2005 at 12:38 pm

Try going to the local library and looking at the local newspaper on microfilm from 1963. Probably labor intensive, but you’ll get your desired results.

teecee
teecee commented about Meroney Theatre on Feb 26, 2005 at 12:11 pm

This theater is the Meroney Theater.

The historic Meroney Theater, originally called the Meroney Opera House, was built between the years of 1905-1906. Once a well-known touring house for live performers, the Meroney Theater has hosted a number of famous actors, speakers and musicians. Actresses Sarah Bernhardt and Lillian Russell, President William H. Taft, and legendary composer John Phillip Souza have all graced the stage of the Meroney Theater, captivating audiences. As its early days as the premier performing outlet of the area came to a halt, the Meroney Theater was eventually turned into everything from a movie theater to offices to a meeting facility for local organizations. Finally, in 1991, individual donors began providing the necessary funds to make the Meroney Theater once again a special place for the performing arts. The Meroney Theater was completely restored to its original turn-of-the-century splendor in October, 1995. Today, audiences can experience the remarkable talent of the Piedmont Players, who are proud to call the majestic Meroney Theater home.

Homepage:
http://www.piedmontplayers.com/