Folly Theatre
125 W. Sheridan Avenue,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73102
125 W. Sheridan Avenue,
Oklahoma City,
OK
73102
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Pic of Folly Theatre post Vaudeville period added to Photo Section.
1907 Pic of Folly added to Photo Section.
Anyone know how to get more info on the Folly in OKC? Like about the organists? I would love that.
My grandfather was the pianist/organist at the Folly Theater in OKC in the early 40’s. I have tons of stories….that is how he met my grandmother, she loved to hear him play, so she stayed to watch him finish. They dated, married….and then there is me.
Doug Loudenback’s interesting site serves up this vintage look at the Folly Theatre. Majectic Theatre can be seen six doors to the right.
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After a 1947 fire destroyed the Folly Theater, Warner Bros. built their new Sooner Theater using the old foundation. See photo on below page;
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Vintage images of the Folly Theatre can be viewed on this site;
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From the Oklahoma County Tax Assessor Office comes this vintage picture postcard view of the Folly Theatre (photo center), white structure with stud lighted, arched entrance.
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An exceptionally clear, antique postcard view (plate #32) of the Folly Theatre can be seen in the book “THE VANISHED SPLENDOR, Postcard Views of Early Oklahoma City”, by Jim Edwards and Hal Ottaway, Abalache Book Shop Publishing.
There was a fire that damaged the theater in 1947:
http://tinyurl.com/2ht56l
Photo Journalist Lewis Wickes Hine took these 1917 snapshots to protest child labor in Oklahoma City. Inadvertantly Hine also captured a little theatre history. From Library Congress Photo Archives.
Newsie at Folly Theatre entrance-
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Western Union Messenger at Folly stage door-
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Folly poster ad-
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Oklahoman Archive web pages have several pictures of the old Folly Theatre. Check these dates for clearest images- April 22, 1909, and September 23, 1913.
After carefull study of this old olio curtain it is doughtful that it was inside OKC’s Folly Theater. Observe all those advertisements for businesses located in Bowlegs, Oklahoma, and that notice for State & Liberty theaters in Seminole, which is located not too far from Bowlegs.
Also, OKC’s Folly Theater was atmospheric, so it is more likely that their ad curtain would have contained a rural setting, not a city scene.
Surely this must have been an olio curtain for a long forgotten theater in Bowlegs.
Here is a facsimile image of OKC’s Folly Theatre ad curtain. Also, on this fantastic web site are colorful pictures of stage scenery backdrops.
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Correct address for the old Folly Theatre should read; 125 W. Sheridan, Okla City
FOLLY Theater was built by Keith/Albee Theaters and featured Orpheum Vaudeville. 1907 grand opening newspaper notices described a “garden setting” auditorium with “vine covered trellis latticework”, so it most certianly was an early example of atmospheric design. After the FOLLY burned in 1947 news accounts mentioned that the interior had been remodeled many times. Warner Brother’s built their SOONER Theater on site in 1948, last of the big downtown movie houses.