I managed the magnificent Parkway for Landmark Corp. from 1980 to 1984. A few
things: It was built in 1911, as a vaudeville house. Charlie Chaplin, by the
way, lived right down the street. Might he have performed there? The furnace
and air conditioning system were maintained from 1911. The 35 mm. projectors
were the originals.
The house held 950, including the (non-horseshoe shaped) balcony. The ceilings
behind the screen went up 4 or so flights, to accommodate the levels used to
let down backdrops for the theatrical productions. The flights were connected by
ladders, only.
Also, behind the theatre was an attached, unheated, never-having-been-heated,
room the size of a large garage. This was where the vaudeville troops would
live while they performed there. There was no plumbing, either.
With Landmark, the theatre was always, most always, packed. We ran films from
noon every day to 12 midnight, double bills, changing every day. That’s about
730 films per year! The films cans (35mm and heavy) would have to be taken up
to the projection booth 3 floors up, and then, down. A lot of carrying!
The lobby wasn’t THAT short, although it was way too small to accommodate the
huge crowds who would cluster there to smoke and discuss the films. There was so
much interaction then!
The office was under the stairs, in what should have been a broom closet. It
featured a secret window into the theatre.
Landmark Theatre hired a Californian drug dealer to renovate, in 1982, and that
destroyed much of the original beauty, making the place look like a Mexican
restaurant. But the films remained, the audiences remained, and they did not
stop coming when home video came along. Instead, Landmark joined forces with a
real estate company from Denver, and the place went corporate. They closed the
Parkway because it cost more to heat a theater in Chicago than in Los Angeles,
so our expenses were too high. And that was that.Before, this had been a really
progressive film company in California, run by Gary Meyers and programmed by
Jan Klingelhoffer who were both brave and brilliant people.
The programming was brilliant indeed! Well known repetory, obscure foreign
films, directors' festivals, any number of possibilities.
Another thing of note: the staff would choose a “saying” to put on the marquee
every night, along with the film titles. This meant climbing out the bathroom
window, often in very icey conditions, and applying the letters upside down.
These sayings were often quite intelligent (as was the staff, which did not
consist of teenagers trying to make extra money but of film scholars and
aficionados.)
I heartily miss the Parkway.
I managed the magnificent Parkway for Landmark Corp. from 1980 to 1984. A few
things: It was built in 1911, as a vaudeville house. Charlie Chaplin, by the
way, lived right down the street. Might he have performed there? The furnace
and air conditioning system were maintained from 1911. The 35 mm. projectors
were the originals.
The house held 950, including the (non-horseshoe shaped) balcony. The ceilings
behind the screen went up 4 or so flights, to accommodate the levels used to
let down backdrops for the theatrical productions. The flights were connected by
ladders, only.
Also, behind the theatre was an attached, unheated, never-having-been-heated,
room the size of a large garage. This was where the vaudeville troops would
live while they performed there. There was no plumbing, either.
With Landmark, the theatre was always, most always, packed. We ran films from
noon every day to 12 midnight, double bills, changing every day. That’s about
730 films per year! The films cans (35mm and heavy) would have to be taken up
to the projection booth 3 floors up, and then, down. A lot of carrying!
The lobby wasn’t THAT short, although it was way too small to accommodate the
huge crowds who would cluster there to smoke and discuss the films. There was so
much interaction then!
The office was under the stairs, in what should have been a broom closet. It
featured a secret window into the theatre.
Landmark Theatre hired a Californian drug dealer to renovate, in 1982, and that
destroyed much of the original beauty, making the place look like a Mexican
restaurant. But the films remained, the audiences remained, and they did not
stop coming when home video came along. Instead, Landmark joined forces with a
real estate company from Denver, and the place went corporate. They closed the
Parkway because it cost more to heat a theater in Chicago than in Los Angeles,
so our expenses were too high. And that was that.Before, this had been a really
progressive film company in California, run by Gary Meyers and programmed by
Jan Klingelhoffer who were both brave and brilliant people.
The programming was brilliant indeed! Well known repetory, obscure foreign
films, directors' festivals, any number of possibilities.
Another thing of note: the staff would choose a “saying” to put on the marquee
every night, along with the film titles. This meant climbing out the bathroom
window, often in very icey conditions, and applying the letters upside down.
These sayings were often quite intelligent (as was the staff, which did not
consist of teenagers trying to make extra money but of film scholars and
aficionados.)
I heartily miss the Parkway.