I came to Edmonton in 1977. If memory serves me, I think that at some point in between then and when the theater closed, its exterior was given a garish makeover. I recall a letter-writer complaining in the Edmonton Journal that the theater now looked like it had been designed by Liberace!
The Lyric continued to stage its Saturday night shows independently until 1975, long after the last traveling burlesque circuit had gone out of business. The Allentown Morning Call newspaper, 10 May 1975, reported that the Lyric was giving its final burlesque shows. It must have been among the very last such venues still in continuous operation in the United States.
When I lived in Philadelphia in 1963-64, I used to go to a theater that showed German-language films. I seem to remember it as being called the Felton Kino. I wonder if this is the place.
Haven’t seen any reports since 2015 about the proposed renovation, but apparently the project is still alive. Unlike others who have commented, I quite like the proposal. The only part of the original Palace still extant is the auditorium, and it will be not only preserved but also restored to its original condition. So what if it is raised 29 feet? Retail space at street level in that area is enormously valuable, so it makes perfect sense for the owners to access that value. It is wonderful that they are willing to invest big bucks to save the Palace for ages to come.
I should have mentioned that I was referring to the Piper’s Alley location. I think the Ardvark was on the second floor. The Alley was full of shops selling hippy stuff like candles. One shop had an upstairs room that was pitch-dark except that the walls were covered with counterculture posters bathed in ultraviolet light. It was popular among folks stoned on pot or LSD.
Back in the mid to late 1960s the Aardvark was the place to go to see off-beat movies like those by Andy Warhol. It was, to put it mildly, not a fancy place. The floor wasn’t raked at all, and each of the several rows of seating was made up of a creaky mass of ancient seats all joined together. (I think maybe they were just wooden with no upholstery; anyway, they certainly were not comfortable.) Once they showed the famous Marlene Dietrich film “The Blue Angel,” but the print was in terrible condition.
The Lyric was a stop on the last surviving burlesque circuit in the United States. The Saturday night shows were wonderfully entertaining and drew huge crowds, including lots of couples. I think the shows were still going into the 1960s. Does anybody know just when they ended?
I came to Edmonton in 1977. If memory serves me, I think that at some point in between then and when the theater closed, its exterior was given a garish makeover. I recall a letter-writer complaining in the Edmonton Journal that the theater now looked like it had been designed by Liberace!
The Lyric continued to stage its Saturday night shows independently until 1975, long after the last traveling burlesque circuit had gone out of business. The Allentown Morning Call newspaper, 10 May 1975, reported that the Lyric was giving its final burlesque shows. It must have been among the very last such venues still in continuous operation in the United States.
When I lived in Philadelphia in 1963-64, I used to go to a theater that showed German-language films. I seem to remember it as being called the Felton Kino. I wonder if this is the place.
Haven’t seen any reports since 2015 about the proposed renovation, but apparently the project is still alive. Unlike others who have commented, I quite like the proposal. The only part of the original Palace still extant is the auditorium, and it will be not only preserved but also restored to its original condition. So what if it is raised 29 feet? Retail space at street level in that area is enormously valuable, so it makes perfect sense for the owners to access that value. It is wonderful that they are willing to invest big bucks to save the Palace for ages to come.
I should have mentioned that I was referring to the Piper’s Alley location. I think the Ardvark was on the second floor. The Alley was full of shops selling hippy stuff like candles. One shop had an upstairs room that was pitch-dark except that the walls were covered with counterculture posters bathed in ultraviolet light. It was popular among folks stoned on pot or LSD.
Back in the mid to late 1960s the Aardvark was the place to go to see off-beat movies like those by Andy Warhol. It was, to put it mildly, not a fancy place. The floor wasn’t raked at all, and each of the several rows of seating was made up of a creaky mass of ancient seats all joined together. (I think maybe they were just wooden with no upholstery; anyway, they certainly were not comfortable.) Once they showed the famous Marlene Dietrich film “The Blue Angel,” but the print was in terrible condition.
The Lyric was a stop on the last surviving burlesque circuit in the United States. The Saturday night shows were wonderfully entertaining and drew huge crowds, including lots of couples. I think the shows were still going into the 1960s. Does anybody know just when they ended?