FYI, I have a blog about the Clark Theater, and a 1938 flyer I found for that venue also advertises the Monroe. This suggests that, at least in 1938, the Monroe was part of the Lubliner & Trinz chain. If you want to see what was playing there (second run and B-pictures), go here:
https://theclarktheater.wordpress.com/
I remember the optometrist on the corner very well. I got my first pair of eyeglasses ever there. As I recall, it was called Gutierrez Optical, and the two optometrists were Binder & Binder. They had a hand-held stereopticon viewer in their waiting room that you could use to look at old stereo postcards, offering a 3-D view.
My best guess on when the Park closed would be sometime between 1952 and 1954. In other words, there are streetcar pictures dated 1952 that show the theater as being open, but by the time that the last streetcar ran in May 1954, it had already been closed.
This picture dates to about 1937 and they are probably showing the Jean Harlow film (originally released in 1930) because of all the publicity surrounding her untimely death from kidney failure at the age of 26.
No, Caputo’s is at the NW corner of Grand and Harlem, where Ablin’s drug store was, plus many other shops. the Elm was a few blocks west of there near the Elmwood Park village circle.
FYI I found a Chicago Tribune display ad for the Elm dated June 5, 1960 showing a double bill of Here Come the Jets and Visit To a Small Planet. Since the marquee still had those films listed on July 4, I conclude the theater was already closed then. By July 4 there were no other theaters in the Chicago area still showing those two films. So it is probably safe to conclude the Elm closed about June 5, 1960.
Another photo from the same archive, this one is dated July 4, 1960. Not sure if the theater was still open then, but the marquee gives a double bill of Here Come the Jets (1959) and Visit To a Small Planet (1960), the latter being a Jerry Lewis movie with story by Gore Vidal. I checked that day’s Tribune, and nobody else was showing these pictures in town:
http://cdm15232.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p15232cdi&CISOPTR=403&CISOBOX=1&REC=9
I have often wondered what became of the neon clock that used to hang near the emergency exit inside the Clark. You could see what time it was while the movie wwas playing. These clocks were made by the Neon Clock Co. of Chicago. The only other theater that has one of these (as far as I know) is the Tivoli in Downers Grove.
I found a picture online showing the marquee as the theater looked in August, 1964 as the Elm Bargain Mart. Elmwood Park was celebrating its 50th anniversary that summer. The photo gives the street address as 7540 West Grand:
http://cdm15232.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fp15232cdi&CISOPTR=183&DMSCALE=56.23243&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=0&DMOLDSCALE=9.86842&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=&DMTHUMB=1&REC=1&DMROTATE=0&x=35&y=32
The latest display ad I have found for the Forest Theater in the Chicago Tribune archives is dated February 16, 1961. They were running a double feature of “7 Hills To Rome” and “Houseboat.” So this is probably about when they closed. My mother says she went to see a movie there with my Dad when they lived in the area in the early 1950s. I currently live about a block away from where the theater was (there is a McDonald’s there now).
The street view should probably be more like 7532 W. Grand Ave., where you can see what’s left of the theater building. Meanwhile, the last display ad I could find for the Elm in the Chicago Tribune was dated May 22, 1960, and they were showing a double feature of “Seminole” and “Sioux Uprising,” so this may be when it closed. Locally, it was always a weak sister compared to the nearby Montclare and Mercury theaters.
I think probably the last movie I saw there was “Sisters” with Margot Kidder- the perfect drive-in flick, if you think about it. The good sister, the bad sister- enough to make your date want to hold you tightly.
The Facebook group Elmwood Park-Memories-of Places Gone Bye has a pic of the Elm that dates to Fall 1946 (based on the US release date of They Were Sisters starring James Mason):
Besides giving his whole family history with the Clark, he mentions that he sold it in May 1971. He also explains how the changing nature of downtown forced him to choose between either selling the theater, or turning it into a porn house (he chose the former).
We lost the Clark gradually as a haven for great films. As the films departed, so did my interest in the place- and not many back in the 1970s would lament the loss of a theater specializing in soft core porn. There were larger factors involved, to be sure- the entire block was razed to build Three First National Plaza.
Then again, the role of Loop theaters changed. They all went into a decline and never really recovered. For a time, I don’t think there were any movie theaters left in the Loop, at least until the Fine Arts began a glorious run on Michigan Avenue.
There are hardly any even today, except for the Gene Siskel, run by the School of the Art Institute.
Last night, I was searching through the Chicago Tribune historical archives online (which you can do for free if you have a Chicago Public Library card). I looked up a bunch of movie listings for the Clark, in order to refresh my memory about its last few years.
From what I can gather, it looks like the two different films per day policy ended sometime around the beginning of 1970. From then on, it appears the films changed weekly, and there were sometimes one film, sometimes two. While there continued to be some art films and revivals of classics, more and more R-rated films and exploitation films were thrown into the mix.
At the same time, the Biograph up on Fullerton began showing the same sorts of classic double bills that that Clark had previously done- although again, not showing two different films per day but more like the same double bill for an entire week.
In fact, it looks like my memory is faulty and one of the classic double bills I thought I saw at the Clark was actually shown at the Biograph in 1970 (the early Janet Gaynor talkie Sunny Side Up, paired with Judge Priest, a 1934 Will Rogers pic directed by John Ford).
In early 1971, it looks like the Clark experimented with a couple of triple features- a Magnificent Seven trilogy and then three horror films. Not long after that, the bookings disappear from the Tribune “Movie Clock” section. (I don’t think the Clark ran too many display ads in the Tribune.)
If part of the film was missing, perhaps they didn’t get all the reels they were supposed to.
I recall once seeing some film cannisters ready for shipment at the Clark. They were of an old Laurel and Hardy picture from the 1940s (maybe “Dancing Masters”) and looked as old as dirt.
Wonder where those film cans are today?
I could name several films that I saw at the Clark and have still never seen anywhere else… Harold Lloyd’s Professor Beware, for instance, Laurel and Hardy’s late short The Fixer Uppers, and one of the last films made by Will Rogers (“Judge Priest”).
FYI, I have a blog about the Clark Theater, and a 1938 flyer I found for that venue also advertises the Monroe. This suggests that, at least in 1938, the Monroe was part of the Lubliner & Trinz chain. If you want to see what was playing there (second run and B-pictures), go here: https://theclarktheater.wordpress.com/
I remember the optometrist on the corner very well. I got my first pair of eyeglasses ever there. As I recall, it was called Gutierrez Optical, and the two optometrists were Binder & Binder. They had a hand-held stereopticon viewer in their waiting room that you could use to look at old stereo postcards, offering a 3-D view.
My best guess on when the Park closed would be sometime between 1952 and 1954. In other words, there are streetcar pictures dated 1952 that show the theater as being open, but by the time that the last streetcar ran in May 1954, it had already been closed.
FYI, I have started a new web page devoted to the Clark Theater: https://theclarktheater.wordpress.com/
There are just a few things there now, but I will keep adding to it over time. Your contributions are very welcome, thanks.
This 1945 directory says there were 383 seats:
https://books.google.com/books?id=iVXWAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Lindy%22&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=%22Lindy%22
This picture dates to about 1937 and they are probably showing the Jean Harlow film (originally released in 1930) because of all the publicity surrounding her untimely death from kidney failure at the age of 26.
In the background, you can see construction underway for Chicago Stadium, which opened the following year.
Streetcar pictures taken around 1954 clearly show the theater as closed. Trolley service on Lake ended on May 30,1954.
Thanks for linking to the photo on my blog. As this was part of a “mystery photos” contest, you can also find the same picture here:
http://thetrolleydodger.com/2015/04/28/chicago-rapid-transit-mystery-photos-solved/
This version has descriptive information added to the caption.
No, Caputo’s is at the NW corner of Grand and Harlem, where Ablin’s drug store was, plus many other shops. the Elm was a few blocks west of there near the Elmwood Park village circle.
FYI I found a Chicago Tribune display ad for the Elm dated June 5, 1960 showing a double bill of Here Come the Jets and Visit To a Small Planet. Since the marquee still had those films listed on July 4, I conclude the theater was already closed then. By July 4 there were no other theaters in the Chicago area still showing those two films. So it is probably safe to conclude the Elm closed about June 5, 1960.
Another photo from the same archive, this one is dated July 4, 1960. Not sure if the theater was still open then, but the marquee gives a double bill of Here Come the Jets (1959) and Visit To a Small Planet (1960), the latter being a Jerry Lewis movie with story by Gore Vidal. I checked that day’s Tribune, and nobody else was showing these pictures in town: http://cdm15232.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/p15232cdi&CISOPTR=403&CISOBOX=1&REC=9
I have often wondered what became of the neon clock that used to hang near the emergency exit inside the Clark. You could see what time it was while the movie wwas playing. These clocks were made by the Neon Clock Co. of Chicago. The only other theater that has one of these (as far as I know) is the Tivoli in Downers Grove.
I found a picture online showing the marquee as the theater looked in August, 1964 as the Elm Bargain Mart. Elmwood Park was celebrating its 50th anniversary that summer. The photo gives the street address as 7540 West Grand: http://cdm15232.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2Fp15232cdi&CISOPTR=183&DMSCALE=56.23243&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=0&DMOLDSCALE=9.86842&DMX=0&DMY=0&DMTEXT=&DMTHUMB=1&REC=1&DMROTATE=0&x=35&y=32
The latest display ad I have found for the Forest Theater in the Chicago Tribune archives is dated February 16, 1961. They were running a double feature of “7 Hills To Rome” and “Houseboat.” So this is probably about when they closed. My mother says she went to see a movie there with my Dad when they lived in the area in the early 1950s. I currently live about a block away from where the theater was (there is a McDonald’s there now).
The street view should probably be more like 7532 W. Grand Ave., where you can see what’s left of the theater building. Meanwhile, the last display ad I could find for the Elm in the Chicago Tribune was dated May 22, 1960, and they were showing a double feature of “Seminole” and “Sioux Uprising,” so this may be when it closed. Locally, it was always a weak sister compared to the nearby Montclare and Mercury theaters.
I think probably the last movie I saw there was “Sisters” with Margot Kidder- the perfect drive-in flick, if you think about it. The good sister, the bad sister- enough to make your date want to hold you tightly.
The Facebook group Elmwood Park-Memories-of Places Gone Bye has a pic of the Elm that dates to Fall 1946 (based on the US release date of They Were Sisters starring James Mason):
View link
“Our thanks to Sears for the use of their parking lot, when ours is filled.”
There’s an excellent pic of the Mercury, circa 1974, on a Facebook group called Elmwood Park-Memories-of Places Gone Bye.
View link
There is a beautiful picture of the Clark here:
View link
I found an archived interview with Bruce Trinz here:
View link
Besides giving his whole family history with the Clark, he mentions that he sold it in May 1971. He also explains how the changing nature of downtown forced him to choose between either selling the theater, or turning it into a porn house (he chose the former).
Source: IIT Technology News, Oct. 15, 1971
We lost the Clark gradually as a haven for great films. As the films departed, so did my interest in the place- and not many back in the 1970s would lament the loss of a theater specializing in soft core porn. There were larger factors involved, to be sure- the entire block was razed to build Three First National Plaza.
Then again, the role of Loop theaters changed. They all went into a decline and never really recovered. For a time, I don’t think there were any movie theaters left in the Loop, at least until the Fine Arts began a glorious run on Michigan Avenue.
There are hardly any even today, except for the Gene Siskel, run by the School of the Art Institute.
Last night, I was searching through the Chicago Tribune historical archives online (which you can do for free if you have a Chicago Public Library card). I looked up a bunch of movie listings for the Clark, in order to refresh my memory about its last few years.
From what I can gather, it looks like the two different films per day policy ended sometime around the beginning of 1970. From then on, it appears the films changed weekly, and there were sometimes one film, sometimes two. While there continued to be some art films and revivals of classics, more and more R-rated films and exploitation films were thrown into the mix.
At the same time, the Biograph up on Fullerton began showing the same sorts of classic double bills that that Clark had previously done- although again, not showing two different films per day but more like the same double bill for an entire week.
In fact, it looks like my memory is faulty and one of the classic double bills I thought I saw at the Clark was actually shown at the Biograph in 1970 (the early Janet Gaynor talkie Sunny Side Up, paired with Judge Priest, a 1934 Will Rogers pic directed by John Ford).
In early 1971, it looks like the Clark experimented with a couple of triple features- a Magnificent Seven trilogy and then three horror films. Not long after that, the bookings disappear from the Tribune “Movie Clock” section. (I don’t think the Clark ran too many display ads in the Tribune.)
If part of the film was missing, perhaps they didn’t get all the reels they were supposed to.
I recall once seeing some film cannisters ready for shipment at the Clark. They were of an old Laurel and Hardy picture from the 1940s (maybe “Dancing Masters”) and looked as old as dirt.
Wonder where those film cans are today?
I could name several films that I saw at the Clark and have still never seen anywhere else… Harold Lloyd’s Professor Beware, for instance, Laurel and Hardy’s late short The Fixer Uppers, and one of the last films made by Will Rogers (“Judge Priest”).