Yes, the Valencia did show first run movies. I saw “Ben-Hur” when it premiered (1959? I was 4).
The exterior south wall was used for gigantic movie posters of upcoming premiers. I remember the one for “Cleopatra” as covering most of the unbroken wall. It was probably 2-stories tall and half the length of the theater long.
Like the Varsity and Coronet, I used to change the marquees on Thursday nights (‘71-'73). I still have the pages that I used to re-use letters from this week’s title(s) to next week’s title(s). Many were first-run movies. The Varsity didn’t get them all as there were enough premiers for all 3 theaters.
I grew up in Evanston, and my father would change the marquees every Thursday night on all 3 of the Balaban & Katz (later ABC Great States) movie theaters: The Varsity, Valencia, and Coronet. It became my job in my junior year of high school (‘71 – '72), and I got to know the various behind-the-screen and under-the-stage spaces.
Earlier years in childhood, my siblings and I had the enviable benefit of not only getting in free, we bypassed the long lines of premiers that circled the block and entered the moment that we arrived. When Balaban & Katz were the owners, I remember going to the annual Christmas party at the Palmer House for the children of employees.
One blizzarding Thursday night while changing the Varsity’s marquee, a few Evanston Police cars had lined up on Church St. along Marshall Field’s, out of sight, waiting to pounce when southbound cars on Sherman Ave., thinking that no one was around, would run the red light at Church Street. This was viewed by me atop a 15' ladder.
I still have many of the pages that I used to compare the letters in movie titles from this week to next week. The letters were metal and had to be carried up the ladder, so one did this in order to re-use as many letters as possible (and haul as few as possible from their storage location).
I remember the Varsity as having a sort of fairy-tale-like castle theme, including the aforementioned starry sky. I believe the Valencia had been a Vaudeville theater. I’ll try to view anything that the Theater Historical Society in Elmhurst has if they have a website, and try to stimulate more memories.
Yes, the Valencia did show first run movies. I saw “Ben-Hur” when it premiered (1959? I was 4).
The exterior south wall was used for gigantic movie posters of upcoming premiers. I remember the one for “Cleopatra” as covering most of the unbroken wall. It was probably 2-stories tall and half the length of the theater long.
Like the Varsity and Coronet, I used to change the marquees on Thursday nights (‘71-'73). I still have the pages that I used to re-use letters from this week’s title(s) to next week’s title(s). Many were first-run movies. The Varsity didn’t get them all as there were enough premiers for all 3 theaters.
I grew up in Evanston, and my father would change the marquees every Thursday night on all 3 of the Balaban & Katz (later ABC Great States) movie theaters: The Varsity, Valencia, and Coronet. It became my job in my junior year of high school (‘71 – '72), and I got to know the various behind-the-screen and under-the-stage spaces.
Earlier years in childhood, my siblings and I had the enviable benefit of not only getting in free, we bypassed the long lines of premiers that circled the block and entered the moment that we arrived. When Balaban & Katz were the owners, I remember going to the annual Christmas party at the Palmer House for the children of employees.
One blizzarding Thursday night while changing the Varsity’s marquee, a few Evanston Police cars had lined up on Church St. along Marshall Field’s, out of sight, waiting to pounce when southbound cars on Sherman Ave., thinking that no one was around, would run the red light at Church Street. This was viewed by me atop a 15' ladder.
I still have many of the pages that I used to compare the letters in movie titles from this week to next week. The letters were metal and had to be carried up the ladder, so one did this in order to re-use as many letters as possible (and haul as few as possible from their storage location).
I remember the Varsity as having a sort of fairy-tale-like castle theme, including the aforementioned starry sky. I believe the Valencia had been a Vaudeville theater. I’ll try to view anything that the Theater Historical Society in Elmhurst has if they have a website, and try to stimulate more memories.