I worked as an usher at the Oakbrook Theatre in the mid-70’s when it was part of the ABC Great States theatre chain. Around 1974 the northern tier of the chain was purchased by Henry Plitt, an ABC employee. Plitt changed the company name to “Plitt Theaters.” I remember getting a new usher jacket when the change took place.
The building was a modern design but retained the classic elements of an old movie house. An outside box office was used to sell tickets, the screen was covered with a curtain and the lobby was large enough to hold hundreds of patrons. The candy counter was surrounded by a dark brick floor, an unusual architectural feature at that time. The brick floor was flanked by a large carpeted area with square padded benches along the perimeter. A modern architectural feature in the lobby was floor to ceiling windows, which went across the entire length of the lobby. During matinees we would close the lobby curtains to prevent light from entering the auditorium. There were no doors between the lobby and auditorium. Patrons entered through a tunnel-style ramp.
The auditorium had a raked main floor and large balcony that resembled a modern-day stadium style theater. A unique feature in the auditorium was rocking chair seats. The isles were wide and easy to navigate. One summer, my job was to replace most of the arm rests on the seats. It took most of the summer but was a nice way to earn extra money.
The projection system could handle 35mm and 70mm film. The screen had adjustable masking around it, which always created a clean border around the film image. There were three different masking settings that corresponded with the film formats that were shown (35mm, flat; 35mm, widescreen; 70 mm, taller and wider than 35mm widescreen). The 70mm films appeared to be a much higher resolution than 35mm (similar to modern day digital houses). The image was larger than widescreen films and the projection system provided an early version of surround sound, using film with a magnetic strip for discrete audio channels (rather than the mono optical tracks found on most 35mm films of the day).
When a film was over, patrons could exit the auditorium through art galleries, which bordered both sides of the lobby. Works of art, mostly modern paintings, were hung in the galleries. I never knew who provided the art work. Perhaps they came from local galleries.
Jim Currant was the manager when I was employed at the Oakbrook Theater. He did a good job of assembling a great team. Most of us loved movies. I remember seeing “The Godfather†about 35 times. To this day, I can still recite many of the lines from memory! Ushers were pretty good at memorizing lines, especially when a movie ran for more than 5 weeks.
If anyone has any pictures of the Plitt Oakbrook Theater, please post them. It would be great to see it again.
I worked as an usher at the Oakbrook Theatre in the mid-70’s when it was part of the ABC Great States theatre chain. Around 1974 the northern tier of the chain was purchased by Henry Plitt, an ABC employee. Plitt changed the company name to “Plitt Theaters.” I remember getting a new usher jacket when the change took place.
The building was a modern design but retained the classic elements of an old movie house. An outside box office was used to sell tickets, the screen was covered with a curtain and the lobby was large enough to hold hundreds of patrons. The candy counter was surrounded by a dark brick floor, an unusual architectural feature at that time. The brick floor was flanked by a large carpeted area with square padded benches along the perimeter. A modern architectural feature in the lobby was floor to ceiling windows, which went across the entire length of the lobby. During matinees we would close the lobby curtains to prevent light from entering the auditorium. There were no doors between the lobby and auditorium. Patrons entered through a tunnel-style ramp.
The auditorium had a raked main floor and large balcony that resembled a modern-day stadium style theater. A unique feature in the auditorium was rocking chair seats. The isles were wide and easy to navigate. One summer, my job was to replace most of the arm rests on the seats. It took most of the summer but was a nice way to earn extra money.
The projection system could handle 35mm and 70mm film. The screen had adjustable masking around it, which always created a clean border around the film image. There were three different masking settings that corresponded with the film formats that were shown (35mm, flat; 35mm, widescreen; 70 mm, taller and wider than 35mm widescreen). The 70mm films appeared to be a much higher resolution than 35mm (similar to modern day digital houses). The image was larger than widescreen films and the projection system provided an early version of surround sound, using film with a magnetic strip for discrete audio channels (rather than the mono optical tracks found on most 35mm films of the day).
When a film was over, patrons could exit the auditorium through art galleries, which bordered both sides of the lobby. Works of art, mostly modern paintings, were hung in the galleries. I never knew who provided the art work. Perhaps they came from local galleries.
Jim Currant was the manager when I was employed at the Oakbrook Theater. He did a good job of assembling a great team. Most of us loved movies. I remember seeing “The Godfather†about 35 times. To this day, I can still recite many of the lines from memory! Ushers were pretty good at memorizing lines, especially when a movie ran for more than 5 weeks.
If anyone has any pictures of the Plitt Oakbrook Theater, please post them. It would be great to see it again.