RKO Keith's Theatre
410 S. Salina Street,
Syracuse,
NY
13202
410 S. Salina Street,
Syracuse,
NY
13202
7 people
favorited this theater
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January 26, 1920 opening ad at for B.F. Keith’s new Syracuse theater posted in photos with the theatre devoted to vaudeville. The theater would transition to films. It closed as the RKO Keith’s Theatre on January 5, 1967 with “Any Wednesday” with “I Deal in Danger.” The final act was an auction of the theater’s contents shortly thereafter and then a demolition project in 1967 that also took the Paramount Theatre. The Keith bit back as the demolition was botched after a wall collapsed startling and injuring passersby.
Interesting about the product split. The Keith’s also booked most of the AIP releases. The first five Corman/Poe titles, the Beach Party series, Black Sunday, Burn Witch Burn and the sword and sandal pictures all played at the Keith’s
RKO-Schine
The 1947 United States Supreme Court response to Schine’s request for a re-hearing, provides a thorough summary of the business relationship between RKO and Schine.
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Records_and_Briefs_of_the_United_States/Qzm80q9_5J4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=keiths%20theater%20syracuse%20ny
Under APPENDIX A pages 160 -177, the court summarizes testimony and evidence from the Federal court hearing:
“In 1935 the five first run theaters in Syracuse were the Eckel, Keith, Paramount, Loew and Strand. The Empire, a downtown 1,500 seat theater, was sometimes a first run house and at various times played all runs and operated under all policies
“The Syracuse Strand Theater Corporation … gave a ten year lease on the (Strand) theater to Warner which operated it (from 1929) until about 1935
“At this time RKO was operating the Paramount and Keith theaters and Schine was operating the Eckel which it had acquired in 1927
“During 1935 Schine and RKO formed a partnership and pooling arrangement of all their first run Syracuse theaters and first run product and organized the SKE Operating Company for this purpose. Shortly thereafter the SKE Operating Company acquired the Strand Theater lease from Warner
“Under the pooling agreement the control of this corporation was equally divided between RKO and Schine. Schine operated the theaters and RKO booked and bought the pictures. Schine received 40 percent of the profits and RKO 60 percent. Since that time Schine has received 30 percent and RKO 70 percent of the profits. The partnership between RKO and Schine is still in force”
The Federal court decision, affirmed by the Supreme Court, required the existing pooling arrangement with RKO dissolved, but did not require Schine to sell any theaters in Syracuse.
“In June 1947 the RKO Schine pool in Syracuse was dissolved so that Schine now owns 2 first run theaters outright and competes with RKO and Loew’s. This dissolution was approved by Judge Knight” (footnote pg 29 of Schine’s request for a re-hearing)
1) Prior to the pooling agreement with RKO, Schine owned one theater, the Eckel. After the pooling agreement was dissolved, Schine owned two first run theaters. The second was most likely the Paramount
2) Since profitability depends on booking choices, RKO would seem to be the partner making the important decisions under the SKE pooling agreement. This would explain RKO’s larger share of the profits, initially 60% and later 70%
3) RKO booked and bought pictures for SKE, yet contracts with the major distributors for Syracuse first run, clearances and pricing were with Schine. This might indicate that Schine was a front for RKO, who actually booked the theaters and took the larger share of the profits.
4) Outside of the pooling agreement with RKO, Schine held short term leases (2-3 years) on the James and Palace theaters in the mid 1940’s
To avoid a lot of confusion, I’ve removed my earlier comments on RKO and the Schine circuit
I do not believe that Schine ever operated either the Strand or the Palace theatres.
There was a product split evident among the chains in downtown Syracuse in the 50’s and 60’s. Schine (the Paramount and the Eckel) had most of the Universal, most of the Disney, and nearly all of the 20th Fox and about ½ of the UA. RKO (Keiths) had all of the Paramount and all Warner Brothers exclusively. Lowes (the State now Landmark and the Strand) had all of the MGM and ½ of the UA. The product from Columbia got divided up between all three (Schine, RKO and Lowes) but primarily played Schine and Lowes.
Ok, I remember the RKO theater{Keith’s]. I think I was 4yrs old, when I won a watch, for a contest they had in the early 50’s. I was scared when I had to go up on stage, so my Grandma took me. I don’t have the watch now, but years later, I had a Dance recital there. It was big to me, being about 7yrs, I wore a blue and yellow ballet outfit, and had to put make-up on for the first time.
That theatre must have been so ornate, my heart breaks for its loss.
The “Glimpse of the Past” program was sold out, literally. The seats were “reserved only”. On display in the museum is a photograph taken that night from stage right looking out into the audience. In the foreground Luella Wickham is performing on the Wurlitzer. We also have an audio recording of that program featuring master of ceremonies Deacon Doubleday, of the Wired Woodshed program AM 57 WSYR radio. Our museum has plans to have the recording digitally remastered and make it available to the public. Most interesting fact is, Carleton James who was the original organist in 1925-? at this theatre accompanied a silent film for the “Glimpse of the Past” program. Because of that, the program really was a “Glimpse….."
ESTMIM President(2011)
www.jrjunction.com/estmim
You know… I wonder how well the program sold? How many of the 2548 seats were filled that evening?
Wow… A lot later than I thought. Glad we were able to get that resolved so quickly! Thanks, Schine!
In response to Ed Solero’s photo and question on the date of the photo, here is the response from ESTMIM who currently owns the organ: “Easy question! The exact date was June 14 ,1966. The Glimpse of the Past program was one of the last times the Wurlitzer was used in the theatre for a public performance. This program was basically a fundraiser to purchase the instrument and move it out of the theatre, which was demolished in 1967. We have in our archives the “order form†paper for the wording on the Marquee.”
The stories old Jim used to tell when he worked backstage during vaudevilee were priceless.Who knew Moe of the 3 Stooges like to knit?
It was a tremendous honor to be one of Jim’s pallbearers. He and his wife Irene truly took me under their wing when I was a young, idealistic and enthusiastic theater lover so very long ago. Today I owe a great deal to Jim’s mentoring.
I knew Jim Foley well. He was one of the best friends you could have. I have great memories of him. He took me on a tour of the Landmark when I visited him
RIP Jim
Right, right, RIGHT you are Ed! This is Syracuse. Date? Let me ask an expert and I’ll post his reply.
This photo was posted on a Facebook group dedicated to memories of places in my hometown of NYC, but I believe it depicts the Syracuse Keith’s. I don’t see any movie titles on the marquee… looks like a stage show all the way. Not sure when to date this, but figure it is likely from the late 1940’s or early 1950’s?
Yes, during the State Fair, each year, I pump away at the little museum’s player pie-anah (my chosen paino roll is always “Nola,” being, as it is, “of the period”). I believe that this piano, and a nickelodeon there, were originally on loan from the long-gone Deansboro Music Museum (which housed all kinds of nickelodeons, music boxes, you name it).
I wish I could have talked with and known Jim Foley.
But all is not lost : since posting my first letter here, I have been inside another Thomas Lamb theater : Proctor’s in Schenectady, NY. Built in 1926, and beautifully restored and maintained, it’s a VERY close cousin to the Syracuse Keith’s, and, if anything, even more grand. Proctor’s is mostly used for live concerts, and nextdoor is a modern “IMAX”-type facility for current “flickers.”
Ahhh the glorious marquee! Notice the smaller RKO stained glass medallion on the corner of the marquee? Two of those were in the Foley collection. One resides proudly in the ESTMIM museum and one in my home as one of the prized items in my personal Schine collection. This photo is mounted on the wall next to it.
Ken mc thanks for the picture.
The RKO Keith Theater was proudly part of the Schine Chain at one time. Many artifacts from the theater were acquired by Jim Foley, a Syracuse collector when it was demolished. Jim displayed these items along with countless other theater artifacts in his home museum until his death. At that time, the Foley family entrusted me to sort, catalog and disburse the items as i saw appropriate.
Many of the RKO Keith items are now residing at the aforementioned Empire State Theatre & Musical Instrument Museum located in the Art & Home Center building on the New York State Fairgrounds. That building also proudly houses the pipe organ that was rescued just ahead of demolition by the ESTMIM gang. Organ concerts are given regularly and the museum room is always open during intermission.
The organ and museum are also an unlikely but highly attended attraction during the yearly State Fair! Young and old make it a point to visit each year with the major draw being the player piano. The ESTMIM members generously allow anyone whose feet will reach the pedals to select a roll and pump away at their favorite song.
Great photo – thanks !!! In 1933 I wasn’t born for another 26 years, but even I can sense the atmosphere of it…Sort of “We’ll beat this Depression ‘cuz AINT’T WE GOT GLITZ.”
Here is a photo circa 1933:
http://tinyurl.com/kq5k56
A SHOUT OUT TO TOM LAMB :
Dear Tom,
Here in Syracuse we still have the honor of a 1928 Thomas Lamb theater, the Landmark (i.e. Loew’s). It was one of 5 or 6 theaters that once made South Salina Street an Upstate Broadway. But just a few doors South of it was another Lamb theater – the B.F. Keith’s. It was as beautifully Neoclassic as Loew’s is posh Baroque/Near Eastern exotic. (I’m not a formally trained student of architecture, so no doubt I’m getting my stylistic categories wrong, but I’m sure you get my drift.) Anyhow, I remember the Syracuse Keith’s – God, she was a beauty. It’s “face” on the west side of South Salina Street was a huge, fan-shaped set of windows. Its interior was mostly white wood (?), and its acoustics were known to be fabulous. It opened on January 26, 1920 with vaudevile star Belle Baker as the main attraction. It remained till 1967, when, during the ugly, bone-headed days of Urban Renewal, it (she !) and two blocks' worth of lively, varied storefronts were demolished for a big 4-story department store which itself is now “sleeping with the fishes.” (I was 7 years old when it was taken down.) The Keith’s huge Wurlitzer organ was saved, though, and now resides in the Empire Theater on the State Fair Grounds), along with some other Keith’s artifacts. Although the Keith’s seated almost 2000, and there was talk even back then of the need for a new Civic Center to house the Syracuse Symphony, still, the Old Girl was demolshed anyway. So-o-o-…less than a decade later, we had to build a new Civic Center which ended up with “OK” acoustics and nowhere near the beauty. It seems that restoration just wasn’t “interesting” enough to the leadership of the time. (On the other hand, laying in new concrete…You get the idea.)
Anyhow, are you (or anyone reading this) aware if the Syracuse Keith’s had any surviving “twins” or “sisters” or even “close cousins” elsewhere? If so I’d love to make a pilgrimage.
my web address : [e-mail]
Thanks,
Mark
Here is part of a June 1965 article in the Syracuse Herald Journal:
Dean Robinson of Penn Yan, who delighted local music lovers last year with an informal concert on the giant Loew’s Theater organ, will appear again on June 17 to put the newly-restored RKO Keith’s organ through its paces. Robinson, who plays regularly for a well-known Penn Yan supper club, has been engaged by the fledgling Syracuse Theater Organ Society, which is seeking to save the Keith’s organ for Syracuse.
This instrument is the only one of its kind left in the Syracuse area. The Loew’s organ has been sold to California interests. Officials of the association will solicit assistance from local people in their campaign to keep the organ here. Persons who are interested will be asked to join the society.
The RKO Keith’s theater will be razed in about a year, but measures to save the organ must be taken before that time. Association officials estimate that about $10,000 will be needed to finance purchase of the organ and removal from the theater. The Keith’s organ was restored by a small group of theater organ enthusiasts, under the direction of Paul Fleming. The men spent more than a year working on the instrument’s maze of switches, circuits, pipes and sound effects.
That’s a determined bunch of shoppers.
The RKO Keith’s can be seen in the background of this 1950s photo, featured in this year’s Syracuse Post-Standard’s “Memories of Christmas Past” feature.
Here is a 1948 ad from the Syracuse Post-Standard:
http://tinyurl.com/yr7hbv