This is our crown jewel in downtown Rockford! You must see the interior when they open it for tours. Or attend an event there. Either way, you will be astonished. The restorers, when first gazing upon its magnificence, were surprised to see a completely intact museum-grade theatre. These folks were used to restoring burnt-out, vandalized, decaying hulks and had to use photographs to accomplish their goal. Here was an intact, preserved building. When you see the brilliance of the colors that glitter on the walls and ceiling, please remember that you are looking at the same color patterns that patrons were seeing in 1927 when it opened to the public. What the restorers did was to clean off many decades of grime, dirt and smoky film, meticulously using an enzyme cleaner, on constructed scaffolding, to accomplish their task. There is so much more to discover when you take the tour. Be our guest and enjoy our emporium for it is a link back to the glory days of movies, stars and moguls.
Convinced my father to turn our ‘51 Packard in to see “Tarantula” with Leo G. Carroll. Told dad it sounded like an Indian name Tar-An-Tula. I knew what the film was about but wasn’t above trickery to catch a view. Mom kept her hands over her eyes, brother and sister cried and got scared, dad turned off the speaker and when the giant spider descended on the desert town, he hung the thing up and we left. Oh, but what delicious nightmares I dreamt after I laid head to pillow that night!
This theatre, (which introduced theatre chairs that rocked to and fro and spring-loaded seats that popped closed when one stood up in the late ‘60’s) ran most of the science-fiction and horror double bills that were prevalent in the '50’s. This theatre also carried first-run pictures, as well.
In the mid-fifties, this little theatre ran GWTW (Gone With The Wind) about every month, it seemed, for the sweet ticket price of a quarter for adults and 15 cents for kids. Ah, those were the days when going to the movies was an easily affordable thrill!
This is our crown jewel in downtown Rockford! You must see the interior when they open it for tours. Or attend an event there. Either way, you will be astonished. The restorers, when first gazing upon its magnificence, were surprised to see a completely intact museum-grade theatre. These folks were used to restoring burnt-out, vandalized, decaying hulks and had to use photographs to accomplish their goal. Here was an intact, preserved building. When you see the brilliance of the colors that glitter on the walls and ceiling, please remember that you are looking at the same color patterns that patrons were seeing in 1927 when it opened to the public. What the restorers did was to clean off many decades of grime, dirt and smoky film, meticulously using an enzyme cleaner, on constructed scaffolding, to accomplish their task. There is so much more to discover when you take the tour. Be our guest and enjoy our emporium for it is a link back to the glory days of movies, stars and moguls.
This was a clean, well-run outdoor that ran a varied menu of films, had a bright picture and most speakers worked.
Convinced my father to turn our ‘51 Packard in to see “Tarantula” with Leo G. Carroll. Told dad it sounded like an Indian name Tar-An-Tula. I knew what the film was about but wasn’t above trickery to catch a view. Mom kept her hands over her eyes, brother and sister cried and got scared, dad turned off the speaker and when the giant spider descended on the desert town, he hung the thing up and we left. Oh, but what delicious nightmares I dreamt after I laid head to pillow that night!
This theatre, (which introduced theatre chairs that rocked to and fro and spring-loaded seats that popped closed when one stood up in the late ‘60’s) ran most of the science-fiction and horror double bills that were prevalent in the '50’s. This theatre also carried first-run pictures, as well.
In the mid-fifties, this little theatre ran GWTW (Gone With The Wind) about every month, it seemed, for the sweet ticket price of a quarter for adults and 15 cents for kids. Ah, those were the days when going to the movies was an easily affordable thrill!