State Theatre

Broumas Theatre Circuit headed by John G. Broumas took over the State from the Edward C. Prinsen estate in 1963 less than a year after Prinsen’s death. The State had already transformed to a 1,250-seat road show house playing 70mm films.

Ed- I have no idea what the State looked like in 1952 since I wasn’t born yet, lol. But I’m guessing there must have been a substantial remodeling shortly thereafter since the State went on to become the premier roadshow house in downtown Youngstown (“West Side Story,” “Around the World in 80 Days,” “Dr. Zhivago,” “Cleopatra,” a year run of “The Sound of Music,” etc., etc.).

When the State opened, it had a sister theater that was located between Chestnut Street and Fifth Avenue that was a small theater that ran westerns and other “B” pictures ans serials, and was named the Cameo Theater. It only lasted about 10 years before it was torn down.

It sounds like you are referring to either the Palace and Strand or the Paramount and State, but most likely the less impressive of them would have been the Strand. On the other hand,the Paramount and State were across the street from each other.

Emil Renner (a member of the Renner Brewery family) was one of the original owners of the State. He also oned the Princess Theatre; Realto Theatre; Uptown Theatre; Mahoning Theater; Cameo Theater; and Victor Theater, all of Youngstown.

The Cameo Theater was built at the same time that the State was built and was located between Chestnut and Fifth Avenue in downtown Youngstown and had a seating capacity of 800. It lasted for about 20 years before it closed, and the building was later demolished.

There is very little information about the Cameo other than what I mentioned, so I can’t give it its own page unless someone can provide more information. I do have a photo of the outside of the Cameo.

Just doing some light research through the Vindy archives and it seems like the theater was used in some form until the late 80s. By 1986 it was called the Star Palace and looked to be catering less to hard rock ‘n’ roll acts that made the venue popular in the Tomorrow Club and Agora era. There are concert dates in the paper in 1987. I would assume it closed shortly thereafter.

The Agora era ended on July 23, 1982 when it abruptly closed. Bankruptcy followed. Lots of reports of fighting/vandalism associated with the facility in 1982 helped lead to its demise. It was reopened as State Theater and Civic Center in late Sept./early Oct. 1983.

Jack Gerchok, who owned and operated the Tomorrow Club and Agora, died in Jan. 1991 at the age of 52.

As far as films are concerned, Sept. 1970 seems to be the last of the ads in the Vindicator. The last film advertised is “Tropic of Cancer”.

By June of 1970, downtown Youngstown ceased to be a destination for movie fans, and even most of the neighborhood theaters were closed, forcing people to go to the malls and plaza’s outside the city to see the latest flick. The New Park burlesque would hold on a couple more years, and the Warner, by now known as Powers Auditorium would still be open, but its projectors would be silenced in favor of live stage shows and concerts.

This theater page ad for June 14, 1970 reflects that change.

http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JxdJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oYMMAAAAIBAJ&pg=752%2C5198885

The State would hang on for a while longer but would be a second or third run house until it was transformed into a nightclub first known as the Tomorrow Club and then the Agora.

As for the Paramount, it was on borrowed time but occassionally would bring in a decent film such as Hello Dolly as seen in this ad.

The one form of theater that the conglomerates couldn’t draw away from the city was live theater and Powers Auditorium and Stambaugh Auditorium would book in big time personalities but on a sparce schedule of two or three shows each year each until the Covelli Center added to the mix bringing the number to three, but this center is also a sports arena so it doesn’t really fit the theater model even though it does bring in big names such as Barry Manalow, Mannheim Steamroller, Disney On Ice, and The Trans Siberian Orchestra.

Downtown Youngstown is undergoing a renasaunce with three highrise apartment complexes catering to the affluent professionals and during the summer months the City brings in a weekly schedule of films shown outdoors at the Covelli Center that are well attended hoping that this might inspire someone to bring a movie theater back downtown, but even if that happens, we’ll never see a true movie palace there again unless new blood brings a movie schedule back to Powers. All the needed equipment is there, but not the will.

Thanks for posting those old newspaper ads. Talk about a blast from the past—such fun seeing them again! I’m also happy to learn that my memory wasn’t playing tricks on me re: opening dates. Perhaps the reason I didn’t remember “Star!” or “Finian’s Rainbow” as “roadshow” style engagements was that I bought my ticket(s) the day of show and sat wherever I liked. Of course, that sort of thing was always easier to do in large venues like the State or Wedgewood than, say, the Uptown where the Fosters were always sticklers for rules, lol. Even if the theater was practically empty (like, for example, during their roadshow booking of “Sweet Charity” later that year) an usher would make sure that you stayed in your assigned seat at all times. Also interesting to see that some of the area drive-ins were going strong…in January. And with such interesting, auteur-friendly double-bills.
“Bullitt” and “Petulia”!?! “The Stalking Moon” and “Poor Cow”!?!?!?!
Crazy, crazy stuff—I love it!

I guess to be absolutely and infallably correct for the sake of purists that the listings were taken from the Youngstown Vindicator for Sunday, January 26, 1969 advertizing for advanced ticket sales.

For the absolute purists I guess I should have either provided links to the two pages, or posted pictures of the ads themselvrs.

Since the ads were for advanced sales, the actual show dates would have been in February of 1969.

Again, since only one of the theaters applies to this page ie. the State, I didn’t want to confuse matters by including unrelated ads.

For the sake of the purists, I will go back and get the links and post them here.

I’m pretty sure that “Oliver!” and “Star!” (their exclamation marks; not mine, lol) opened mid-February, Wolfgirl. “Finian’s Rainbow” was at the Paramount that February as well, followed shortly thereafter by “The Shoes of the Fisherman,” another roadshow film. Oddly, 1968’s other “big” year-end r-show pics (“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” and “Ice Station Zebra”) didn’t hit Youngstown until June (at the Liberty Plaza and Paramount respectively). And I’m pretty sure that only “Funny G.,” “Oliver!” and “Lion” were “hard ticket”/reserved performances (if not seats) engagements here. Possibly because they were the only hits out of that “more-quantity-than-quality” r-show pack.

After the State closed, the main floor was leveled so that tables could be places there for when it reopened as the Tomorrow Club and later The Agora, and the balcony was used for the general public.

There was indeed a balcony at the State, Wayne. I still remember the first Saturday matinee performance of “Mary Poppins” back in February 1965 when I had to take turns sitting on the balcony floor because management oversold the house.

I would love to visit the Powers, thank you. Although not a movie theater, I have great memories of the Stambaugh.