The Wigwam theatre had a lot of live shows— plays, vaudeville, etc. At some point it added movies. The photograph here promotes the showing at the Wigwam of The Iron Horse, a John Ford movie. It was filmed in part near Reno, in Wadsworth to the east and Truckee to the West. The Crest was a Fox theatre and well known in town as the most expensive movie theatre. It was avoided unless there was something there that HAD to be seen, such as Elvis in Love Me Tender (I saw it and heard the screaming) or, much later, The Exorcist. I also recall seeing the original The Fly and (for some reason this forgotten teen flick sticks in my mind) A Swinging Summer. Downstairs there were the remains of what appeared to be a coatroom from the days when people checked their coats before the show. I note that the “Closed” icon at the top of this page is highlighted, but the “Demolished” icon is not. The Crest is gone. The Money Tree casino was built on the site and was always troubled and closed. It later became a night club but now stands empty.
The Wigwam coffee shop next door took its name from the theatre, but the coffee shop was not part of a chain and seems to have been independent of the theatre. The coffee shop was owned by Les Lerude, who according to his son Warren “started the Wigwam in the 30s, closed in early 70s, not part of any chain.” I recall that it promoted its apple pie with rum sauce— a sign painted on the west outer wall of the coffee shop mentioned the apple/rum pie. There was a counter and tables, but it like the theatre was small.
According to researcher Debbie Hinman, the Tower theatre last appeared in a Reno city directory in 1959. As Larry Goldsmith correctly notes, it was located between Pine and Liberty streets. To narrow it down still further, it was located between Pine and Ryland Streets. I recall seeing King and I at the Tower, and wanting to see but missing Tom Thumb. It was a very popular theatre. My brother recalls, “Tower had a deep lobby, the length of the bowling lanes which was next door.” It was very community based— children could get in with milk bottle tops on Saturdays, paintings by a couple of students at the Stewart Indian School were exhibited, that kind of thing. But the theatre was best known for something else. At the end of certain rows, there was one seat that was a seat and a half. These were highly favored by teen couples.
The Wigwam theatre had a lot of live shows— plays, vaudeville, etc. At some point it added movies. The photograph here promotes the showing at the Wigwam of The Iron Horse, a John Ford movie. It was filmed in part near Reno, in Wadsworth to the east and Truckee to the West. The Crest was a Fox theatre and well known in town as the most expensive movie theatre. It was avoided unless there was something there that HAD to be seen, such as Elvis in Love Me Tender (I saw it and heard the screaming) or, much later, The Exorcist. I also recall seeing the original The Fly and (for some reason this forgotten teen flick sticks in my mind) A Swinging Summer. Downstairs there were the remains of what appeared to be a coatroom from the days when people checked their coats before the show. I note that the “Closed” icon at the top of this page is highlighted, but the “Demolished” icon is not. The Crest is gone. The Money Tree casino was built on the site and was always troubled and closed. It later became a night club but now stands empty.
The Wigwam coffee shop next door took its name from the theatre, but the coffee shop was not part of a chain and seems to have been independent of the theatre. The coffee shop was owned by Les Lerude, who according to his son Warren “started the Wigwam in the 30s, closed in early 70s, not part of any chain.” I recall that it promoted its apple pie with rum sauce— a sign painted on the west outer wall of the coffee shop mentioned the apple/rum pie. There was a counter and tables, but it like the theatre was small.
According to researcher Debbie Hinman, the Tower theatre last appeared in a Reno city directory in 1959. As Larry Goldsmith correctly notes, it was located between Pine and Liberty streets. To narrow it down still further, it was located between Pine and Ryland Streets. I recall seeing King and I at the Tower, and wanting to see but missing Tom Thumb. It was a very popular theatre. My brother recalls, “Tower had a deep lobby, the length of the bowling lanes which was next door.” It was very community based— children could get in with milk bottle tops on Saturdays, paintings by a couple of students at the Stewart Indian School were exhibited, that kind of thing. But the theatre was best known for something else. At the end of certain rows, there was one seat that was a seat and a half. These were highly favored by teen couples.