I CAN REMEMBER ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE THEATER ALL PART OF THE SAME BLDG THAT HOUSED THE PARADISE WAS A DRY CLEANERS BY THE NAME OF CARL STOCKHOLM. HE WAS A FAMOUS BOARD TRACK BIKE RACER SO I WAS TOLD. THEIR NEON SIGN INCLUDED A BICYLE AND RIDER. ALSO REMEMBER SPIKES ON THE WINDOW LEDGES TO DETER PIDGEONS FROM ROOSTING.
COMMENTS ANYONE?
If memory serves me the CRAWFORD theater was renamed the NATIONAL in the 60s showing low budget spanish & kung-fu type movies.
Does anyone agree with me.
I remember going to a great Jewish cafeteria called (BRAVERMANS) next door to the HUB with my parents in the 50s. They had a steam table to the right as you walked in with a large horseshoe shaped bar at the rear, wonderful selection of hot tasty food. Anyone else remember it??
I remember taking my young son to the Villas in the mid 60s to see the last move every shown there before it closed it’s doors forever. The name of the movie was THE BAT starring Vincent Price. A low budget film.
Yes chitownguy, the little “RIDGELAND” restaurant next to the Berwyn theater was a Bo-Hunk rest. It was very small with excellent cheap meals. My wife and I ate there many times before we moved from Berwyn to Villa Park in 1977. We still miss the good restaurants and great shopping that was along Cermak RD. in those years. Good old days! PLACES & THINGS ARE A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT THERE NOW!!!
What a grand palace, it was like a European castle. In the early 50s my older brother brought [smuggled] several pidgeons concealed in a paper bag into the Marbro. He released them while sitting in the balcony during a movie.
He met the manager several years after the incident and the theater had been demolished,he told him that he was the one that had released the birds. He said that the manager was still very mad and said that they had a terrible time catching them!!!
I question the year of closing-demolition, it seems to me I went to the Symphony only one time to see IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD when it first came out around 1963 or 64. Also rem. after the demo. The lot sat empty for several yrs. with the lobby floor tile still visable.
The Austin area with elm tree lined streets was a nice place to live in the 50s That’s before it had turned into what it is today, a crime & drug ridden area!!
My memory of this theater in the early 50s is that it was kind of shabby, cheaply built! Nowhere near as nice as the alamo. My older brother said that a rat ran across his foot while wathing a movie there.
That same brother got several organ pipes from the small organ that was in the theater when it was being demolished and would stick them in the tailpipes of cars to hear them whistle.
As a kid i went there many times, it was within walking distance of my house on 500 no. Avers AVE. I rem. the Alamo as being a clean well run theater with a large grandfather clock in the lobby. I also rem. the wash rooms where in the basement with low ceilings and the smokers would write on the celing with soot from a ligher or matches while holding them close to the ceiling. initials etc. I also rem. a candy store right next door where my friends an i would buy our candy, popcorn etc. to take in the show,it was a few cents cheaper.
Also rem. the jewish delicatesin on the corner of lawndale & chi. ave. where we could buy a big kosher dill pickel out of a barrel for a nickel to take into the show
mr.DuPont… no actually that was in the Rockney and the Adrimal theaters where trench coats were worn by the patrons!!
mr.DuPont… no actually that was in the Rockney and the Adrimal theaters where trench coats were worn by the patrons!!
I CAN REMEMBER ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE THEATER ALL PART OF THE SAME BLDG THAT HOUSED THE PARADISE WAS A DRY CLEANERS BY THE NAME OF CARL STOCKHOLM. HE WAS A FAMOUS BOARD TRACK BIKE RACER SO I WAS TOLD. THEIR NEON SIGN INCLUDED A BICYLE AND RIDER. ALSO REMEMBER SPIKES ON THE WINDOW LEDGES TO DETER PIDGEONS FROM ROOSTING.
COMMENTS ANYONE?
If memory serves me the CRAWFORD theater was renamed the NATIONAL in the 60s showing low budget spanish & kung-fu type movies.
Does anyone agree with me.
I remember going to a great Jewish cafeteria called (BRAVERMANS) next door to the HUB with my parents in the 50s. They had a steam table to the right as you walked in with a large horseshoe shaped bar at the rear, wonderful selection of hot tasty food. Anyone else remember it??
Bryan, i guess i was wrong about seeing It’s a Mad Mad World there in 1963 maybe it was at the Rockney theater???
I remember taking my young son to the Villas in the mid 60s to see the last move every shown there before it closed it’s doors forever. The name of the movie was THE BAT starring Vincent Price. A low budget film.
Yes chitownguy, the little “RIDGELAND” restaurant next to the Berwyn theater was a Bo-Hunk rest. It was very small with excellent cheap meals. My wife and I ate there many times before we moved from Berwyn to Villa Park in 1977. We still miss the good restaurants and great shopping that was along Cermak RD. in those years. Good old days! PLACES & THINGS ARE A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENT THERE NOW!!!
What a grand palace, it was like a European castle. In the early 50s my older brother brought [smuggled] several pidgeons concealed in a paper bag into the Marbro. He released them while sitting in the balcony during a movie.
He met the manager several years after the incident and the theater had been demolished,he told him that he was the one that had released the birds. He said that the manager was still very mad and said that they had a terrible time catching them!!!
I question the year of closing-demolition, it seems to me I went to the Symphony only one time to see IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD when it first came out around 1963 or 64. Also rem. after the demo. The lot sat empty for several yrs. with the lobby floor tile still visable.
The Austin area with elm tree lined streets was a nice place to live in the 50s That’s before it had turned into what it is today, a crime & drug ridden area!!
My memory of this theater in the early 50s is that it was kind of shabby, cheaply built! Nowhere near as nice as the alamo. My older brother said that a rat ran across his foot while wathing a movie there.
That same brother got several organ pipes from the small organ that was in the theater when it was being demolished and would stick them in the tailpipes of cars to hear them whistle.
As a kid i went there many times, it was within walking distance of my house on 500 no. Avers AVE. I rem. the Alamo as being a clean well run theater with a large grandfather clock in the lobby. I also rem. the wash rooms where in the basement with low ceilings and the smokers would write on the celing with soot from a ligher or matches while holding them close to the ceiling. initials etc. I also rem. a candy store right next door where my friends an i would buy our candy, popcorn etc. to take in the show,it was a few cents cheaper.
Also rem. the jewish delicatesin on the corner of lawndale & chi. ave. where we could buy a big kosher dill pickel out of a barrel for a nickel to take into the show